SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 161 - July 31, 2026

SGI Canada Newsletter

Issue no. 161

July 31, 2026

 

Welcome to the 161^th 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.

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Encouragement

SGI President Ikeda’s Encouragement for the Young Phoenix Group: “A Source of Boundless Courage, Wisdom and Hope” 

In the following guidance, published in the May 1, 2026 issue of the Mirai [Future] Journal, the Soka Gakkai monthly newspaper for the junior high and high school division, President Ikeda touches on the importance of studying Nichiren Daishonin’s writings:

I recall writing in my diary as a young man: “Read the Gosho [the writings of Nichiren Daishonin]. It is extremely difficult”;^[1] and “Whenever I participate in a study session, I feel I have not studied enough. Profoundly aware of the importance of study.”^[2]

I gave my all to learning under Mr. Toda. On his behalf, I also presented many lectures on the Daishonin’s writings to my fellow members. No matter how tired I was when I got home at the end of the day, I made it a habit to open the Daishonin’s writings and record in my diary a passage that resonated with me.

Interestingly enough, you’ll find that the passages you engrave in your life when you are young will always remain with you. Even if you don’t fully understand them at first, their meaning will eventually become clear to you. 

*

 You will no doubt come up against all sorts of obstacles and difficulties in your lives. At such times, you may wonder why this happens even though you are chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or why your wishes do not come true. 

That’s when I would like you to open the Daishonin’s writings. By reading and studying his writings, you come into contact with his vast life state. You are bound to feel courage well up from within, along with limitless wisdom and great hope. 

Then, chanting with a renewed vow, you can face your situation head-on. 

—From “Dialogue for the Future.”

 

^{[1] Daisaku Ikeda, A Youthful Diary: One Man’s Journey from the Beginning of Faith to Worldwide Leadership for Peace (Santa Monica, California: World Tribune Press, 2000), p. 49.}

^{[2] Ibid., p. 139.}

News

Young Men get together in Vancouver 

Young men in Vancouver held a very successful all-day camp with SGI Canada Young Men’s Leader Alex Meers on Saturday July 25.

On July 25 the young men in West Region held their second annual camp. The theme was “You Can Make a Difference.” The camp aimed to connect young men, build friendships and deepen faith.

The day included a study on “The Vow of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth” from The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Volume 3, experiences in faith, outdoor soccer and frisbee between the “Trailblazers” and “Sensei” teams, and an evening of singing, games, and cultural performances. Approximately 30 young men participated throughout the joyful and reinvigorating day.

Photo by Susan Liu  

 

SGI issues declaration on Autonomous Weapons Systems   

On July 23, 2026, Soka Gakkai International issued a statement titled “Autonomous Weapons Systems: Ensuring Human Control Based on Respect for the Dignity of Life.”

Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS) can select and attack targets without direct human control. Largely because of the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), these weapons are seeing rapid development.

SGI welcomes steps in the international community toward regulation of Autonomous Weapons Systems. The SGI statement calls for the comprehensive prohibition of AWS designed to select and engage human targets.

SGI believes that delegating life or death decisions to machines would leave no room for human conscience, in contravention of international humanitarian law.

SGI has also highlighted the risk that AI algorithms may not only reflect but amplify existing social biases. Profiling systems could result in individuals being targeted by AWS on the basis of arbitrary assumptions about particular groups.

The complete SGI Declaration is available in English on the Soka Global website.

 

SGI Canada participates in Hiroshima Nagasaki Day commemoration in Toronto 

SGI Canada practitioners will be engaging in Buddhist dialogues at the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day commemoration on August 6 at Toronto City Hall. The event will include speeches, music and a lantern ceremony. 

For more information, please visit the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day Coalition website.

Dialogue and Daimoku Campaign

So far this year, we’ve held over 9,700 Buddhist dialogues and chanted over 118,000 hours of daimoku.

Don’t forget to record your Buddhist dialogues and your hours of daimoku!

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:

RECORD YOUR DIALOGUES / DAIMOKU

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:

DIALOGUE / DAIMOKU COUNTER 

For more information, please visit the SGI Canada website at:

https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/dialogue-and-daimoku-campaign   

Upcoming events