SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 47 - March 4, 2022
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 47
March 4, 2022
Welcome to the 47th 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
SGI President Ikeda’s message to 7th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Meeting: “Expanding Our Hope-Filled Movement of Respect for the Dignity of Life”
In his message to the 7th Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, held in conjunction with the Hyogo General Meeting, at the Hyogo Ikeda Culture Center in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, in the Kansai region, on February 6, 2022, SGI President Ikeda explains Kansai’s great success in propagating Nichiren Buddhism:
Nichiren Daishonin cites an old proverb: “One is the mother of ten thousand” (WND-1, 131). Everything starts with courageously reaching out to one person in sincere dialogue.
In February 1952, in tandem with the February Campaign in Tokyo’s Kamata Chapter, a youthful comrade sharing my spirit rose into action and with a fervent pioneering resolve introduced the first new member to Nichiren Buddhism in Kansai. Such unseen efforts paved the way to the development of our great, world-renowned organization in Kansai today.
Congratulations on the 70th anniversary of our indomitable kosen-rufu movement in Kansai!
… [The] efforts of our entire Soka family to engage in sincere Buddhist dialogue with one person after another are creating a future of bright hope and promise beyond measure.
News
Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada’s statement on situation in Ukraine
Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada issued the following statement on February 28, 2022:
The flames of war continue to spread in Ukraine. It is deeply regrettable that civilian casualties are on the rise. Many people’s lives, livelihoods and dignity have been threatened by the armed conflict. This is truly tragic. It is heartbreaking to see the dire situation every day. We strongly call for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
I hope that utmost efforts will be made by all countries concerned to prevent the situation from worsening. As a Buddhist, together with Soka Gakkai members around the world, I am offering fervent prayers for the quickest possible end to the conflict and a return to peace and safety for all.
Minoru Harada
President, Soka Gakkai
In solidarity with President Harada’s message and with the people of the world, let us offer our united and earnest prayers for the end of this crisis, for the safety of the people in Ukraine, and to move together toward peace throughout the world.
Tony Meers
SGI Canada General Director
Official Donation Receipts for 2021
SGI Canada issues official donation receipts for all contributions made directly to SGI Canada. This includes payments made through the SGI Canada online portal, as well as payments to SGI Canada by cheque or credit card, and monthly Pre-Authorized Payments (PAP) by credit card or direct withdrawal.
Official donation receipts for 2021 have been mailed to all contributors.
You can also download and print your 2021 receipt through the SGI Canada online portal (see below).
Ère nouvelle now online!
Subscribers to Ère nouvelle, SGI Canada’s monthly French-language magazine, can now access the current edition of the periodical online through the SGI Canada online portal (see below).
How to set up your SGI Canada account through the online portal
If you have not yet set up an online account, it is very easy to do so:
- Go to the SGI Canada website at www.sgicanada.org and click on the Online Portal button near the top right corner of your screen.
- Click on I have not created an online account and then Submit.
- Fill out the personal information fields and click on Submit.
- You will receive an email from accounting@sgicinfo.org . The email will confirm your username and password (which you can change once you log into the site the first time). For assistance with setting up your account, please contact support@sgicinfo.org .
- Once your username and password have been confirmed, you will be able to log into the online portal from the SGI Canada website at any time.
Using your online SGI Canada account, you can make online donations, find your official donation receipts for income tax exemption, access online versions of magazines to which you subscribe, and see when your subscription is up for renewal.
Please note that the online versions of New Century, Soka, From Today Onward and Ère nouvelle are available as an extra feature for subscribers to the print versions of these publications. There is no online-only option available at this time. The online versions are formatted for smartphones, tablets and computers, and are not downloadable. Work is underway to make an online version of Chinese New Century available to subscribers in the future.
Upcoming events
March 16 Commemorative District meetings
March 16 commemorates the day in 1958, when Josei Toda, second president of the Soka Gakkai, made an impassioned speech to 6,000 Soka Gakkai youth, entrusting them with the responsibility for the future of the Soka Gakkai and its efforts to contribute to the creation of a peaceful world and promote understanding of the humanistic philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism.
March 16 is now viewed within the Soka Gakkai as a day of new departures, “of eternal beginnings and perpetual hope.” It is also an occasion for focusing on fostering capable youth.
Let’s make young people the centre of our March 16 Commemorative District Meetings this month, and together let’s read President Ikeda’s March editorial “We are all great philosophers embodying the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life”.
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 March 18, 2022. See you then!