SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 149 - February 13, 2026
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 149
February 13, 2026
Welcome to the 149th issue of the SGI Canada Newsletter, a bi-weekly summary of news, upcoming events and encouragement. If you are not subscribing to the SGI Canada Newsletter, you may do so by clicking on the button below. Subscriptions are free of charge, and the SGI Canada Newsletter will be emailed directly to you.
Encouragement
Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada’s Editorial: “Begin with Prayer” — Our Shared Motto
In his editorial in the February issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada writes about Ikeda Sensei’s vow to fulfill his mentor’s wishes:
President Ikeda was always filled with joy whenever February arrived, for it was the month in which his mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, had been born. “Now—let us make this a month of triumph!” he would declare, imbued with a profound spirit of gratitude.
Thirty years ago, on February 11, 1996, the Toda Peace Institute[1] was established to commemorate the 96th anniversary of Josei Toda’s birth. At the Headquarters Leaders Meeting that month, President Ikeda expressed deep joy in having fulfilled every concrete promise he had made to his mentor, his voice carrying the quiet pride of a disciple who had remained true to his vow. This vow centered on one unwavering commitment, to ensure that founding president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and second president Toda would be known throughout the world.
Five years later, in February 2001, at the first Youth Division Leaders Meeting of the 21st century, President Ikeda called out to the young members gathered there: “It is young disciples who realize the ideals of their mentors.” Embracing this call as our personal vow, let us strive every day with the same spirit as President Ikeda.
[1] Originally called the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research.
You’ll find the complete editorial in the March 2026 issue of New Century.
News
Dialogue and Daimoku Campaign
SGI Canada has set three major goals for 2026:
- 20,000 Buddhist dialogues
- Two billion daimoku
- Life-to-life connections, every day
To help keep us focused on achieving our goals throughout the year, we have begun a Dialogue and Daimoku Campaign.
Whenever we talk about Buddhism or about SGI with someone who is not an SGI member, we can register that dialogue online. In the same way, whenever we have completed an hour or more of daimoku, we can record the number of hours online.
You can record your dialogues and daimoku by clicking on this button:
If you are having trouble logging in, you can ask someone else in your district to enter the information for you.
SGI Canada is keeping track of the total number of dialogues and hours of daimoku. You can see how many dialogues and how much chanting has been done so far, across the entire country by clicking on this button:
If you have any questions, please speak with your local leaders or send an email to contact@sgicanada.org.
Tax receipts available now!
Your official 2025 donation receipt for income tax purposes is now available. If you have chosen to receive your receipt by mail, you will be receiving it very shortly.
If you have chosen to download your official income tax receipt, you can do so immediately by signing into your SGI Canada online portal account and choosing Donations and then Tax Receipts.
You can change the way in which you receive your income tax receipt at any time between March 16 and December 30 each year by emailing contact@sgicanada.org.
Daimoku charts and altar cards
To support your chanting and determinations for victory in 2026, we invite you to download and print daimoku charts and altar cards from our website.
You can find the daimoku charts and altar cards at sgicanada.org. Simply go to Activities and click on Daimoku Chart or Altar Cards. You can download and print daimoku charts and prayer cards from this page.
Daimoku Chart: https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/daimoku-chart
Altar Cards: https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/altar-cards
Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu
Active SGI members are able to participate in gongyo sessions at the Hall of the Great Vow on certain days (following a schedule which may change from month to month). SGI Canada participants should be regularly attending SGI Canada activities and subscribing to SGI Canada publications. Members can visit the Hall once during a single visit to Japan. Please note that only SGI members are able to attend gongyo sessions at the Hall. We currently have the schedule for the months of March, April and May.
If you are interested in attending a gongyo session at the Hall during your trip to Japan, you will need to contact an authorized SGI Canada leader, who will be able to answer your questions and sign your Special Letter of Introduction.
The leaders who are authorized to sign Special Letters of Introduction are:
Victoria – Eijo Toyonaga
Vancouver – Frank Asin, Roy Ono
Calgary – Ian Mattinson
Edmonton – Paula Reich
Winnipeg – Maxine Stewart
Toronto – Tony Meers, Eddie Law, Helen Izumi-Choi
Montreal – Jeff Deeprose, Danielle Arsenault
Ottawa – Dwight Rudisuela, Glenn Turner
Québec – Jasmin Fortin
Halifax – Michael Agbeti
Please contact one of the above leaders from your region or area at least three weeks before your departure date.
Upcoming events
Calendar for February
|
Throughout February |
Dialogue and daimoku campaign |
|
Throughout February |
Leaders’ Training (in some regions and areas) |
New Century - February 2026
Subscribe to New Century to stay connected to the latest guidance and encouragement and to support the movement for kosen-rufu in Canada.
We hope you found this newsletter beneficial. Please email your questions or comments to contact@sgicanada.org. Please note that the next SGI Canada Newsletter will appear on February 27, 2026. See you then!