SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 166 - October 9, 2026

SGI Canada Newsletter

Issue no. 166

October 9, 2026

 

Welcome to the 166^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

Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada’s Editorial:
“Toward a Beautiful Realm of Human Harmony”

In his editorial in the October issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada writes about the importance of unity:

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Yamaguchi Campaign.

Spreading out a map of Japan [and indicating Yamaguchi Prefecture in the west of Japan’s main island], second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda said to his disciple: “Daisaku, you go to Yamaguchi and stir up a whirlwind of guidance and propagation!” Without a moment’s hesitation, his disciple replied: “Yes! Leave it to me!” Looking over the map and together envisioning the future advance of kosen-rufu, mentor and disciple were instantly united in spirit and resolve. With that, victory was assured. 

Eager to strive alongside President Ikeda, members from across Japan joyfully volunteered to travel to Yamaguchi and take part in the campaign. Many of the local members had only recently begun practicing Buddhism, but, inspired by President Ikeda’s youthful leadership, they united with him and threw themselves wholeheartedly into the effort. By the end of the campaign, the membership in Yamaguchi had increased nearly tenfold from the initial 430 households. 

What President Ikeda taught them was the joy of faith and an unyielding determination to share Buddhism with others. He also taught them the importance of unity among members and the spirit of mentor and disciple. The “wall of the impossible” always lies within ourselves, but encouraged by President Ikeda’s conviction that “You can definitely do it!” the members broke down the walls within their own hearts. In doing so, they were able to surmount the obstacles impeding the advance of kosen-rufu. 

My fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth, stand up with courage and stir up a whirlwind of dialogue, with the firm conviction that the driving force for worldwide kosen-rufu exists within your heart and that your community is the stage for transforming the course of human history.   

You’ll find the complete editorial in the November 2026 issue of New Century.

 

News

Soka Gakkai Announces Theme for 2027! 

On October 1, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada announced the Soka Gakkai’s theme for 2027: “Year of Advancing with Courage and Joy Toward Our Centennial.” (The official French translation of the theme will be released soon.) 

Organizational anniversaries and milestones for 2027 include the 80th anniversary of President Daisaku Ikeda’s decision to start practicing Nichiren Buddhism and the 70th anniversary of second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda’s Declaration Calling for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. President Harada affirmed that in a society where division and conflict are intensifying, the Soka Gakkai’s mission is to realize peace and harmony through dialogue. 

He also cited the following words of President Ikeda: “As we aim toward our 100th anniversary, let us chant resounding daimoku [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo], the great sound of infinite hope, each precious day,” calling on each individual to stand firm in faith and warmly encourage the younger generation.

(https://www.sokaglobal.org/in-society/news/sg-theme-2027.html)

Dialogue and Daimoku Campaign

So far this year, we’ve held over 13,000 Buddhist dialogues and chanted over 226,000 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    

SGI Canada Special Kosen-rufu Fund

Thank you very much for your generous donations to the SGI Canada Special Kosen-rufu Fund.

Members can contribute at any time through their SGI Canada online portal account (by credit card or debit card) at https://sgicinfo.org/portal/login or by mailing a cheque to SGI Canada at 2050 Dufferin Road, Toronto, Ont. M6E 3R6.

Monthly contributions from a chequing account can also be made by completing a Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) form available from district leaders.

If you have any difficulties making a donation online, please contact support@sgicinfo.org. For all other enquiries (including subscriptions to publications) please email contact@sgicanada.org. Help is available in English and French.

Thank you so much for your sincere donation and for your support in every way for the advancement of kosen-rufu in Canada!

Have you registered?

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 is available in English, French and Chinese as a free PDF file, with key passages highlighted to aid your study. The PDF files are available now 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 October