SGI Canada Newsletter, No.16 - December 18, 2020
SGI Canada Newsletter
Issue no. 16
December 18, 2020
Welcome to the sixteenth issue of the SGI Canada Newsletter, a bi-weekly summary of news, upcoming events and encouragement. The SGI Canada Newsletter replaces the previous SGI Canada Online News. All subscribers will automatically receive the SGI Canada Newsletter from now on. If you are not subscribing, 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 subscribers.
News
Soka Gakkai International announces Activity Guidelines for 2021
The newly released SGI Activity Guidelines highlight the importance of 2021 and the next ten years:
The year 2021 will be decisive in creating the momentum for victory in the next decade, and all the more so because of the world’s ongoing struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic. Where there is hope, there is victory, and where there is victory, there is hope. With this firm resolve, let us continue in our various activities as we adapt to the new normal, holding high the banner of the Soka Gakkai’s theme for 2021, Year of Hope and Victory.
SGI proposes that SGI organizations around the world focus on the following themes in the coming year:
1. Hope-filled Dialogue—Build Friendship through Personal Efforts to Engage Others in Dialogue
- Strive to engage in dialogue with those in our neighborhoods, communities, and workplaces in order to build friendships and enable others to form a connection with Nichiren Buddhism.
- Further efforts to introduce others to Nichiren Buddhism, with the youth division taking the lead.
2. Hope-filled Encouragement—Make Our Districts Castles of Victory through Home Visits and Personal Encouragement
- Through one-on-one encouragement, strive to increase the number of participants in district-level discussion meetings as well as the number of active members engaging in Buddhist dialogue.
- Ensure that discussion meetings are focused on personal experiences and deepening members’ conviction in faith so that everyone is inspired to take a step forward.
- Note: Due to the coronavirus pandemic, home visits and all meetings will continue to be carried out online for as long as it is necessary. For members who are unable to participate online, telephone contact should be used for personal encouragement and participation in meetings
3. Sources of Hope and Victory—Study The New Human Revolution and Selected Excerpts of SGI President Ikeda’s Guidance: The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace (New Edition) [These materials will be posted online, as they become available, on the new Soka Gakkai global website sokaglobal.org]
- Put even greater effort into reading and studying volume 30 of The New Human Revolution and Selected Excerpts of SGI President Ikeda’s Guidance: The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace (New Edition).
- Focus as well on studying the principles of Buddhist humanism based on the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, with the aim of fostering more members who exert themselves in the two ways of practice and study.
- Steadily carry on Soka spirit activities to refute the erroneous and reveal the true.
Click here for the complete 2021 SGI Activities document in ENGLISH, FRENCH, CHINESE
Soka Gakkai Global Website
Many SGI members and friends in Canada and around the world are discovering the wonderful resources available at the new Soka Gakkai Global website www.sokaglobal.org. The site features:
- Content in English, Spanish and Chinese
- Regular news stories from around the world
- Guidance, encouragement and introductory videos
- Study material (including volume 30 of The New Human Revolution, and Part 1 of The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace)
Youth Festival Videos Available!
All seven of October’s very successful SGI Canada Youth Festivals will be available for viewing online until the end of December. You can watch your own region's festival, or any other festival if you wish. We ask that you not share the links on any social media platforms, as we would like to ensure that only members and guests have access.
The links have been distributed to local district leaders. Each video is approximately one hour long. We hope you enjoy!
Upcoming Events
Dr. Paul Sherman speaks to Educators’ Group on December 20
Dr. Paul Sherman of the University of Guelph-Humber will be the featured speaker at the next Educators’ Group meeting on Sunday, December 20 at 2.00pm. Dr. Sherman will be presenting on Soka Education. Please contact your district leader for the link if you are interested in attending.
Young Phoenix Group Meeting December 20
The Young Phoenix Group (for members and friends 13 - 17 years old) will be holding its monthly online meeting on Sunday, December 20 at 4:00pm Eastern Time. Please consult your local youth leaders for the link.
New Year’s Gongyo on January 1
SGI Canada members and friends will be celebrating the New Year on January 1. At meetings across the country, members will read Nichiren Daishonin’s “New Year’s Gosho” and a New Year’s message from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda. Please check with your local leaders about the meeting in your area or region.
In the “New Year’s Gosho”, Nichiren Daishonin writes:
The sincerity of making offerings to the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the New Year is like cherry blossoms blooming from trees, a lotus unfolding in a pond, sandalwood leaves unfurling on the Snow Mountains, or the moon beginning to rise. (WND 1, 1137)
Thank you!
On behalf of SGI Canada, thank you for all your contributions and efforts for kosen-rufu during this challenging year. We wish you a happy New Year and great success in 2021, the Year of Hope and Victory.
We hope you found this newsletter beneficial. Please email your questions or comments to postmaster@sgicanada.org. The next SGI Canada Newsletter will appear on January 8, 2021. See you then!