SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 82 - June 30, 2023
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 82
June 30, 2023
Welcome to the 82nd 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 Daisaku Ikeda’s editorial: “People Who Embrace and Transmit the Teachings Are the Hope of the Universe”
In his July editorial in the Daibyakurenge study magazine, SGI President Ikeda explains the great mission of our younger members:
In a crucial passage from “On the Buddha’s Prophecy,” in which he boldly proclaimed his vision of worldwide kosen-rufu, Nichiren Daishonin stresses the importance of people who embrace and transmit the teachings (see WND-1, 401).
My mentor, Josei Toda, sternly instructed me: “Without people to embrace and transmit the teachings, the lifeblood of Buddhism will perish. Continuing to foster such people is vital for kosen-rufu and the eternal transmission of the Law. Never forget this!”
Our Future Division members are just such successors. By embracing and transmitting the teachings, they will contribute to making the Buddha’s prophecy a reality.
In a letter to the 18-year-old Nanjo Tokimitsu, the Daishonin writes:
Referring to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha himself declares there, “The World-Honoured One [has long expounded his doctrines and] now must reveal the truth” [LSOC2, 59], and furthermore, it was expounded at the assembly where Many Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas of the ten directions had gathered as if the sun, the moon, and countless stars were ranged side by side. (WND-1, 654)
The Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is the ultimate truth that we will never regret having faith in. It enables us to fuse our lives with the world of Buddhahood of the universe, a wellspring of supreme good. We can make allies of everyone and everything in our environment—even the sun, moon, and stars—to create many wonderful, inspiring assemblies of happiness and peace in the real world.
The Daishonin offered a magnificent path for young people to follow. Nanjo Tokimitsu is a model of someone who embraces and transmits the teachings and a forerunner of our Future Division members. His example shows how, by practising Nichiren Buddhism, we can overcome life’s sufferings—including the death of loved ones, economic hardship, and illness—and repay our debt of gratitude to our parents in the best possible way while bringing harmony and happiness to our families.
The Daishonin also assures us that even if we may encounter hardships and obstacles because of our faith in the correct teaching, we can absolutely develop the undefeated life state of spiritual champions who declare, “Though we may suffer for a while, ultimately delight awaits us” (WND-2, 882).
Future Division members and graduates are proud Soka “torchbearers of justice” who embrace and transmit the Daishonin’s Buddhism of the Sun. By forging networks dedicated to promoting peace, culture, and education, they are brightly illuminating the global family of humankind.
The complete editorial will appear in the August 2023 New Century.
News
Digital-only subscriptions available as of July 1
As of July 1, SGI Canada members will be able to subscribe to digital-only versions of New Century, Ère nouvelle and From Today Onward.
l-r: New Century, Ère nouvelle, From Today Onward
Using the SGI Canada online portal, members will be able to start an annual subscription to a digital-only version of the above publications.
Please note that Chinese New Century is not available in a digital version at this time.
The digital version of the publications is designed for easy access to articles on any device. The content of the articles is the same, but the digital version is not a replica of the print magazine. A digital-only subscription is the same price as a print subscription.
Subscribers using the SGI Canada portal have online access to the six most recent issues of the digital version of their publications.
Ottawa-Gatineau Centre will open on July 2
The new SGI Canada Buddhist centre in Ottawa-Gatineau was purchased in 2018, and redesigned and renovated over the next four years. After a long wait, members in Ottawa-Gatineau will officially open their centre with a special meeting on Sunday, July 2.
Members will be able to participate in person or by Zoom. The centre will serve both Ottawa-Gatineau and Atlantic areas, and it is expected that many members from the Atlantic provinces will attend online.
More details and lots of photos in the next SGI Canada Newsletter on July 14!
Upcoming events
SGI CANADA INTRODUCTORY EXAM 2023
The SGI Canada Introductory Study Exam will be held on Sunday, October 29. The exam is intended for new members or those who have not yet taken an SGI Canada exam; youth and Future Division members; and interested friends. Please note that some young children may find the study material difficult to read. You do not have to be an SGI Canada member in order to take the exam.
To register for the exam, simply complete the short form at:
https://www.sgicanada.org/activities/sgi-canada-introductory-exam-2023
The exam will focus on topics from “Basics of Nichiren Buddhism in the New Era for Worldwide Kosen-rufu”. If you have not yet received the study material in a pdf document, you can obtain it from your district leaders.
A printed booklet of the study material will be available (in English, French and Chinese) through the online bookstore at https://sgicanada.myshopify.com
More details on the exam will be available in the coming months in NEW CENTURY, Ère nouvelle, Chinese New Century and in your district.
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 July 14, 2023. See you then!