SGI Canada Newsletter, No. 98 - February 9, 2024
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 98
February 9, 2024
Welcome to the 98th 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 message: “Building a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide with the Mentor-Disciple Spirit Forever in Our Hearts”
Soka Gakkai President Harada spoke at the 1st Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting toward Centennial 2030 Marking the Fresh Departure for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide, held at the Toda Memorial Auditorium in Sugamo, Tokyo, on January 7, 2024. In this part of President Harada’s speech, he talks about Ikeda Sensei’s legacy:
Since the announcement of President Ikeda’s passing, our members around the world, rising above their profound grief, have courageously stood up one by one to carry out their vow as his disciples.
The first volume of President Ikeda’s serialized work The New Human Revolution was published on January 2, 1998, his 70th birthday. In the afterword, he wrote: “As long as I am alive, I intend to keep striving, speaking, and writing The New Human Revolution, as if I were composing my final will and testament.”
Two days later, on January 4, President Ikeda contributed to the Seikyo Shimbun the first instalment of a new essay series titled “Thoughts on The New Human Revolution.” In that essay, he reflected on his life decade by decade and shared his vision for the future. He wrote that to the age of 70, he had established the principles of a new humanism, and to the age of 80, he would complete the foundation for worldwide kosen-rufu. He then said: “From that point on, in accord with the Mystic Law and the undying, unaging nature of life expounded in Buddhism, I am determined to take the lead in kosen-rufu throughout eternity.”[1]
In 2010, after entrusting everything to his disciples,[2] he continued to watch over and encourage us in every possible way, all while carrying out an intense and unremitting struggle to complete The New Human Revolution in his lifetime.
I am convinced that as long as we keep returning to President Ikeda’s guidance and striving with his spirit as our own, he will, as our “undying, unaging” mentor, “take the lead in kosen-rufu throughout eternity.”
Nichiren Daishonin states: “If a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell. If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything” (WND-1, 909).
Never forgetting these solemn words, let us carry on our mentor’s legacy and unite with ever greater solidarity in the spirit of “many in body, one in mind” to win in all our endeavours. And let us do everything we can to show President Ikeda’s true greatness to the entire world.
[1] The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, 28.21.
[2] In 2010, President Ikeda stepped back from attending meetings in person.
The complete message will be available in the March 2024 New Century.
News
Memorial Services for President Ikeda Held in Tokyo and Across Japan
© Seikyo Press
On January 30, a memorial service for President Ikeda was held at the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo. The ceremony was attended by some 2,600 guests from business, academic, cultural, media and other fields, including ambassadors and embassy officials from 46 countries and territories. Attendees were greeted by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada, General Director Shigeo Hasegawa and Senior Vice President Hiromasa Ikeda. On the same day, memorial services were also held at Soka Gakkai centres in 46 prefectures across Japan.
Watch a short video (subtitled in English) of the memorial service held in Tokyo here.
(Soka Gakkai International Office of Public Information)
Digital-only subscriptions now available
SGI Canada members are now able to subscribe to digital-only versions of New Century, Ère nouvelle and From Today Onward
Using the SGI Canada online portal, members are 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.
Upcoming events
Looking forward to March 16, Kosen-rufu Day!
To commemorate Kosen-rufu Day – March 16 – Youth Division General Meetings will be held in areas across the country between March 1 and March 17. The theme of the meetings will be “Spread the Great Light of Hope and Peace!”
The youth members are studying Ikeda Sensei’s guidance about the significance of his appointment as Youth Division Chief of Staff in March 1954. He writes:
…[2024] will mark the 70th anniversary of that youthful appointment. I now call on all of you, my beloved young disciples throughout Japan and the world: My young friends, become the youth chiefs of staff of the new era! I hope you will forge a magnificent, ever-growing network of like-minded people shining with the light of human revolution. With the passion and power of youth, please safeguard humanity’s right to life and brightly illuminate people’s lives and society!
(Nov. 2023, New Century)
Please contact your local leaders to find out about the Youth Division General Meeting in your area.
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 February 23, 2024. See you then!