SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 163 - August 28, 2026
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 163
August 28, 2026
Welcome to the 163rd 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:
“With Courage and Compassion, Let’s Bring Winds of Happiness to Our Friends”
(Photo by Jinomono Media | Unsplash) In his editorial in the September issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada reinforces the importance of dialogue:
In Japan, autumn has arrived, with cosmos flowers swaying in the breeze and a clear moon lighting the roads at night. Our “autumn of dialogue” has begun—a season to forge new bonds of friendship through lively conversation and bring the light of encouragement to friends facing difficulties.
When second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda set forth on his first regional guidance tour after the Second World War, in September 1946, four individuals in what was then Ryogo Village, Tochigi Prefecture, expressed their wish to join the Soka Gakkai. At a lecture meeting held that day, one member’s candid account of her experience of practising Nichiren Buddhism deeply moved those in attendance. At the same time, the local members had been steadily engaging in dialogue beforehand, working to sow the seeds of Buddhism more widely. These dedicated efforts, too, were a significant factor in bringing the propagation efforts to fruition.
Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is the Buddhism of sowing. With the conviction that “Only the seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are the seed for attaining Buddhahood” (WND-2, 804), we sincerely engage others in dialogue. The benefit we gain is the same whether they start practising right now or not. Let us therefore sow the seeds of happiness—the seeds of the Mystic Law—in the fields of our own hearts and the hearts of others alike, trusting that in time they will surely blossom into smiles and yield the fruits of benefit.
You’ll find the complete editorial in the October 2026 issue of New Century.
News
Men’s Division Day meetings
August 24 is the anniversary of the day that Daisaku Ikeda became a member of Soka Gakkai in 1947. Men’s Group members commemorate this anniversary as Men’s Division Day.
SGI Canada Men’s Group members are holding commemorative Men’s Division Day meetings throughout August and September.
Right: Ottawa-Gatineau Men’s Division Day meeting in Ottawa on August 23, 2026 (Photo by Michael Sunderland).
Dialogue and Daimoku Campaign
So far this year, we’ve held over 11,000 Buddhist dialogues and chanted over 151,000 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:
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:
For more information, please visit the SGI Canada website at:
https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/dialogue-and-daimoku-campaign
Upcoming events
Introductory Exam in October
Registrations are now open for the SGI Canada Introductory Exam on October 25. The exam is open to all members and interested friends who have not yet taken an SGI Canada study exam, and to those who have not yet passed the Introductory Exam. The Introductory Exam will be available in English, French and Chinese. Please see the June issue of New Century, Ère Nouvelle and Chinese New Century for more information.
The Introductory Exam will be based on The Basics of Nichiren Buddhism for the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10.
The study material are available in English, French and Chinese as a free PDF file, with key passages highlighted to aid your study. The PDF files will be available in June from SGI Canada district leaders, and from all other SGI Canada leaders.
To register for the Introductory Exam, you can use the QR code that appears in the published announcement, or through the SGI Canada website.
Calendar for September
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Beginning of September |
Men’s Division Day meeting |
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Throughout September |
Registration and study for Introductory Exam |
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Throughout September |
Dialogue and Daimoku Campaign |
New Century - September 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 September 11, 2026. See you then!