SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 96 - January 12, 2024
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 96
January 12, 2024
Welcome to the 96th 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: “Now Is the Time to Advance with a Spirit of Gratitude”
In his January 2024 editorial in Daibyakurenge, Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada recalls Ikeda Sensei’s spirit of mentor and disciple:
In his youth, President Ikeda would visit his mentor Josei Toda at home on New Year’s Day to convey his greetings and start off the year together with him. That spirit remained unchanged even after President Toda’s passing.
At the Soka Gakkai Headquarters leaders meeting held the day after his mentor’s death, President Ikeda said: “I believe that President Toda lives on eternally in the Soka Gakkai, in the heart of each of us, his disciples.” The best way to show our gratitude to our mentor, he declared, was to wage a struggle of which we could proudly report to him: “Sensei! See how much we have advanced kosen-rufu!”
Today again, I will fight! Today again, I will win! Always starting with this vow to his mentor, President Ikeda built the Soka Gakkai into the global organization it is today.
President Ikeda has forged deep bonds in each of our lives—bonds that are eternal. He lives on in our hearts.
Now, as we embark on this Year of Fresh Departure for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide, paving the way to the triumphant centennial of the Soka Gakkai’s founding, let us move forward with the spirit of demonstrating our gratitude to our mentor!
The Lotus Sutra states: “Those persons who had heard the Law / dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, / constantly reborn in company with their teachers” (LSOC7, 178). Engraving these words in our hearts, together let’s create a monumental record of growth so that we can proudly declare to our mentor: “See how much we have advanced kosen-rufu!”
The complete editorial will be available in the February 2024 New Century.
News
“To My Friends” has changed to “Day by Day and Month after Month”
The online guidance subscription series “To My Friends” has been replaced by a new series entitled “Day by Day and Month after Month”. The new series features Ikeda Sensei’s guidance from various writings and speeches. The guidance is available every day in English and French.
Individuals who are already subscribed to "To My Friends" do not need to resubscribe, as they are automatically receiving the new daily encouragement.
Those who have not subscribed yet can do so by filling out this form.
Here is the guidance for January 12:
January 12, 2024
Day by Day and Month after Month
Youth is power. Whether for a country or an organization, continually finding fresh, talented young people is key to creating a powerfully flowing river of victory.
President Ikeda's Words of Encouragement
This series features translated excerpts from President Ikeda’s writings published daily in Japanese in the Seikyo Shimbun.
Going paperless with your official income tax receipt!
You now have two options for obtaining the official income tax receipt for your donations to SGI Canada:
- SGI Canada can mail the receipt to you
- You can go paperless and download the receipt yourself from the SGI Canada website
Choosing to download the receipt yourself will allow SGI Canada to reduce its use of paper and devote more resources to activities for members. Once you choose to go paperless, you will no longer receive a receipt in the mail from SGI Canada.
In order to go paperless and download the receipt yourself:
- Sign in to your SGI Canada account at https://sgicinfo.org/portal/login. (If you do not have an SGI Canada account yet, please see the instructions below)
- On your personal information page, you will see a section titled Official Tax Receipt
- Click on the button in front of Your current option, and follow the instructions
You can change the way in which you receive your income tax receipt at any time between March 16 and December 30 each year.
Your tax receipt for 2023 will be available online by February 29, 2024.
Have you set up your online account yet?
SGI Canada members now have access to an online portal in which they can create their own personal SGI Canada accounts, subscribe to publications and make secure online donations.
Members can also use their online account to read the English and French-language publications to which they subscribe, and access their tax receipts and personal information.
How to set up your online account:
- 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.
Many SGI Canada members have already registered. We hope you will also take advantage of this convenient method of making online donations, subscribing to SGI Canada publications, and reading them online.
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 January 26, 2024. See you then!