All News
Culture | Aug 15 2009
SGI-Brazil's Ikeda Symphony of Humanism Holds Concert in Araraquara
On August 15, 2009, SGI-Brazil's Ikeda Symphony of Humanism held a concert celebrating the 192nd anniversary of incorporation for the city of Araraquara at the Mayor Benedito de Oliveira amphitheatre in Araraquara, in southeast Brazil. The 75 symphony orchestra members performed 10 compositions, followed by an encore and a ... read more
Culture | Aug 9 2009
Singapore Soka Association Participates in 44th National Day Parade
On August 9, 2009, Singapore Soka Association (SSA) members participated in the country's annual National Day Parade, commemorating the 44th year of Singapore's independence. Approximately 680 SSA women members took part in the event. The parade was broadcast live throughout the country and watched by millions. Performances included digital projections, ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | Aug 9 2009
Soka Gakkai Holds Memorial Services for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Victims
On August 6, 2009, commemorating the 64th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb, a service in solemn tribute to war victims was conducted at the Soka Gakkai Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall. Soka Gakkai representatives attended the ceremony together with atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha), bereaved families and ... read more
Buddhism | Aug 9 2009
Soka Gakkai Holds Memorial Services for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Victims
On August 6, 2009, commemorating the 64th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb, a service in solemn tribute to war victims was conducted at the Soka Gakkai Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall. Soka Gakkai representatives attended the ceremony together with atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha), bereaved families and ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | Jul 29 2009
Soka Gakkai Malaysia Selangor Organizes Forum on SGI President's Peace Proposal
On July 29, 2009, Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) Selangor organized a forum to present key points from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's 2009 peace proposal entitled "Toward Humanitarian Competition: A New Current in History." Student representatives from SGM Selangor presented at the event. ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | Jul 26 2009
Spanish-Language "Victory Over Violence" Exhibition Shown in California, USA
On July 26, 2009, SGI-USA members in Los Angeles, California, hosted a Spanish-language version of the "Victory Over Violence" (VOV) exhibition at the "Peru Comes to You" festival. Thousands attended the daylong festival celebrating the 188th anniversary of Peru's independence from Spanish rule with traditional Peruvian dance and art. Consul ... read more
Buddhism | Jul 26 2009
Lectures on Nichiren Buddhism Held Throughout Europe
From July 17-20, 2009, 461 SGI members from 28 countries in Europe gathered for an SGI-Europe summer study session in a suburb of Milan, Italy. SGI Study Department Chief Katsuji Saito lectured and answered questions on key concepts in Nichiren Buddhism. The lectures were based on Nichiren's writings "Lessening One's ... read more
Sustainable Development | Jul 26 2009
Soka Gakkai Malaysia Johor Organizes Environmental Preservation Lecture on Seahorses
On July 26, 2009, Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) Johor organized an environmental awareness lecture on the preservation of seahorses. Mr. Choo Chee Kuang, a marine science lecturer at the Faculty of Maritime Studies and Marine Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu was the guest lecturer. ... read more
Culture | Jul 26 2009
SGI-USA Holds Summer Festival in Chicago, Illinois
On July 26, 2009, SGI-USA members from in and around Chicago, Illinois, held a summer festival; more than 2,000 attended. SGI-USA Women's Leader Linda Johnson opened the event with introductory remarks and an explanation of Nichiren Buddhism. The festival included live music from twelve groups that showcased their diverse talents, ... read more
Buddhism | Jul 19 2009
SGI-Canada Youth Hold Commemorative Meetings
Throughout July 2009, SGI-Canada young women celebrated the Young Women's Group founding day, July 19, 1951. The many gatherings centered around the theme "Break Through: Unlock Your Potential." SGI President Daisaku Ikeda sent a message to the SGI-Canada youth, encouraging them to uphold faith in their inherent potential and ... read more
Buddhism | Jul 16 2009
Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting Held in Tokyo
On July 16, 2009, at Soka Gakkai's monthly leaders' meeting held at the Soka International Friendship Hall in Sendagaya, Tokyo, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda received an honorary doctorate from the Federal University of Rondônia in Brazil. University Rector José Januário de Oliveira Amaral, accompanied by Professor Célio José Borges, ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | Jul 12 2009
"Transforming the Human Spirit" Festival Held in West Hollywood, California, USA
On July 12, 2009, some 500 SGI-USA members and guests participated in a festival titled "Transforming the Human Spirit" at West Hollywood's Plummer Park. The local SGI-USA organization sponsored the daylong event that featured panel discussions and SGI-USA's exhibition "From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming ... read more
Human Rights | Jul 11 2009
SGI-USA Santa Barbara, California, Participates in Pride Festival
On July 11, 2009, SGI-USA members participated in the Pacific Pride Festival at Chase Palm Park in Santa Barbara, California, marking the first time that the local SGI-USA organization took part in the event. Organized to celebrate the diversity of Santa Barbara's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the ... read more
Culture | Jul 10 2009
SGI-Korea Choirs Win Awards at International Competition
From July 8-10, 2009, the World Choir Championships took place in Gyeongnam, South Korea. The INTERKULTUR Foundation and South Korea's Gyeongnam Province organized the event, in which 193 groups from 29 countries and territories participated. SGI-Korea Boys' and Girls' Sunrise Chorus received a silver diploma in the children's choir category. ... read more
Culture | Jul 5 2009
SGI Organizations in Hong Kong and Malaysia Hold Art Exhibitions
On June 5, 2009, the exhibition "Works by Masters of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy from Guangzhou" opened at the SGI-Hong Kong Culture Center. The event, cohosted by SGI-Hong Kong, the Guangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Guangzhou People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, featured the paintings ... read more
Buddhism | Jul 5 2009
Bharat (India) Soka Gakkai Young Men Participate in Training Session
From July 4-5, 2009, some 110 Bharat (India) Soka Gakkai (BSG) young men from 15 cities in east India participated in a two-day training session held in Calcutta, India. On day one, based on the theme "with the heart of a lion king," participants deepened their understanding of Nichiren's Buddhism, ... read more
Buddhism | Jul 3 2009
New Soka Gakkai Indonesia Community Centers Open
On July 3, 2009, Soka Gakkai Indonesia opened a new community center in the City of Batam, in Riau Islands Province, Indonesia. Around 500 SGI-Indonesia members and local residents attended the official opening, during which youth members performed songs and dances. Participants at the meeting shared their determinations to ... read more
Education | Jul 2 2009
Taiwan Soka Association Sponsors Summer Camp
On July 1-2, 2009, the Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) sponsored Soka Joy Summer Camp at Gungguan Elementary School in Green Island, Taitung County, Taiwan. The school, located on one of Taiwan's remote islands, has limited educational resources. Some 30 TSA youth members who are college students volunteered their time as ... read more
Culture | Jun 27 2009
SGI-USA Hosts Southeast Asia Festival in Los Angeles, California
The occasion was the SGI-USA Southeast Asian Language Group's sixth Southeast Asian Youth and Family Festival. Live entertainment at the event included a piano performance and a magic act. Among several other performances was "Silamanee," a Thai dance that tells the story of a princess who is on a ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | Jun 21 2009
Kansai Soka Gakkai Students Hold Peace Symposium in Osaka, Japan
On June 21, 2009, the Kansai Soka Gakkai Student Division hosted an international peace symposium at the Soka Gakkai Kansai Culture Center in Osaka, Japan. The event included students from China and India who gave presentations about their respective countries. This was followed by group discussions among students, university ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | Jun 20 2009
Peace Activist Rev. James Lawson Speaks at SGI-USA's Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers Series
On June 20, 2009, peace activist Rev. James Lawson gave a speech entitled "Striving to Create the Will to Peace" as part of SGI-USA's Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers Series at the Culture of Peace Resource Center in Santa Monica, California. His talk focused on outlining the means of ... read more
Human Rights | Jun 16 2009
SGI-South Africa Youth Commemorate National Youth Day
On June 16, 2009, SGI-South Africa youth members, together with several thousand local residents, attended a celebration of South Africa's Youth Day in Johannesburg, South Africa. Youth Day is a public holiday in South Africa and commemorates the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, which played a key role in the ... read more
Interfaith | Jun 14 2009
SGI Representatives Participate in Fourth Catalan Parliament of Religions
On June 14, 2009, the fourth Catalan Parliament of Religions took place at the University of Lleida (UdL: Universitat de Lleida) in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, as a pre-event for the international Parliament of the World's Religions to be held in Melbourne, Australia, in December 2009. The UNESCO Association of Lleida ... read more
Buddhism | Jun 14 2009
SGI Women Around the World Celebrate Women's Division Day
SGI-Norway women In Brazil, around 72,000 SGI-Brazil (BSGI) women assembled to celebrate June 10 at 6,000 venues across the country. On June 10, 2009, BSGI women representatives gathered to commemorate the Women's Division Day at BSGI's Peace Auditorium in São Paulo. BSGI Women's Leader Sueli Ogawa encouraged each participant to ... read more
Culture | Jun 10 2009
Taiwan Soka Association Hosts Cultural Exchange Conference
Panel speakers included Ming Hwa Yuan Director Chen Sheng-fu, Guo Guang President Chen Chao-hu and Minbunren Chairman Takeshi Niikura. Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) General Director Lin Chao, who chaired the discussion, spoke on SGI's efforts to promote peace, culture and education and described it as an organization dedicated to ... read more
Buddhism | Jun 7 2009
SGI-Panama's Women's Group Meets
During April 2009, younger members of the SGI-Panama Women's Division met at three venues in Panama. On April 28, some 130 gathered at SGI-Panama Culture Center to study Kaneko's Story, a book in which the wife of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda reminisces about her life and the insight she has ... read more
Interfaith | Jun 7 2009
SGI-Spain Members Attend Vesak Celebration
On June 7, 2009, several SGI-Spain members attended a Vesak celebration organized by the Buddhist Association Joint Committee of Catalonia (CCEB). Vesak (pronounced way-sak) is a traditional event that commemorates the Buddha's birth, death and enlightenment. In one of a series of presentations, SGI-Spain members explained Shakyamuni's teaching that all ... read more
Education | Jun 6 2009
Taiwan Soka Association Hosts Lecture on Value-creating Pedagogy
On June 6, 2009, Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) held a public lecture, "The Source and Development of the Pedagogy of Value Creation," and invited renowned Taiwanese psychologist and educator Professor Liu Kun-huei as the keynote speaker. Members of TSA's academics and educators groups as well as Ming Chuan University ... read more
Sustainable Development | Jun 6 2009
SGI-Canada Members in Vancouver Participate in Park Clean-up
On June 6, 2009, 24 volunteers, including 13 SGI-Canada members, participated in a park clean-up effort as part of the annual Keep Vancouver Spectacular project in Vancouver, Canada. Participants filled 14 bags of garbage in Vancouver's Grandview Park. Following the clean-up effort, a post-event celebration was held for participants. Keep ... read more
Sustainable Development | Jun 6 2009
Tree Planting Held in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
On June 6, 2009, municipal authorities and members of SGI-Mexico commemorated World Environment Day (June 5) by gathering at the Manuel J. Clouthier Park in San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico, and planted an ahuehuete tree (Montezuma Cypress)—native to Mexico and famous for living up to 400 years ... read more
Culture | Jun 5 2009
Exhibition Commemorating the Late Princess Galyani, Sister of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Held in Thailand
From May 4-13, 2009, an exhibition commemorating the late Princess Galyani Vadhana took place in Bangkok, Thailand. Soka Gakkai Thailand (SGT) supported the exhibition at the invitation of the Thai Ministry of Culture. Princess Galyani, who passed away in January 2008, and SGI President Daisaku Ikeda had met on ... read more
Sustainable Development | Jun 2 2009
Climate Change Specialist Dr. Habiba Gitay Speaks at SGI-USA's Culture of Peace Distinguished Speakers Series
In her lecture, Dr. Gitay emphasized that climate change produces consequences that affect everyone and spoke about how subtle changes, such as switching to more efficient heating and cooling systems, recycling, using public transportation and buying locally grown produce can make significant differences. Dr. Gitay also noted cases of ... read more
Buddhism | May 31 2009
SGI Young Women Inaugurate Leadership Training Groups
On April 25, SGI-Denmark also launched a young women's leadership training group, while SGI-Poland inaugurated a similar group on May 31. The SGI-Poland young women leaders held one-on-one dialogues with members and engaged in Buddhist study, deepening their sense of mission toward creating lasting world peace. SGI-Brazil's young women also ... read more
Education | May 31 2009
Soka Gakkai Malaysia Conducts Educators' Seminar 2009
On May 30 and 31, 2009, Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) members gathered at their culture center in Cheras for their annual educators' seminar, titled the "Spirit of Mentor-Disciple and Education." SGM General Director Choo Kong Fei spoke about the mentor-disciple relationship as the prime point of Soka humanistic education. SGI President ... read more
Buddhism | May 30 2009
SGI-Russia Establishes New Districts
SGI-Russia members in Vladivostok SGI-Russia members in St. Petersburg Adding to its four districts in the capital city Moscow, SGI-Russia recently established new districts in St. Petersburg, Vladivostok ... read more
Education | May 29 2009
Study Material for High School Students in Taiwan References SGI's Antinuclear Exhibition
Recently, Nan-I Publishing Company, Taiwan, included a question related to the exhibition "From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit" in one of their textbooks geared to helping high school students prepare for their civics examinations. The exhibition, created by SGI in 2007, has ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | May 29 2009
"From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit" Exhibition Held in Paraguay
From May 25-29, 2009, SGI's exhibition "From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit" was shown at the General Andrés Rodríguez National School in Asunción, Paraguay founded by former Paraguayan President Andrés Rodríguez. School Principal Alberto Vila Maldonado proposed holding the exhibition based on ... read more
Peace and Disarmament | May 29 2009
"Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World" Exhibition Held in Florida, USA
From May 23-29, 2009, SGI's exhibition "Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World" was shown at the Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, Florida, USA. Prior to the show, three cities in Florida--Niceville, Fort Walton Beach and Crestview--declared May as "Culture of Peace Month" in ... read more
Sustainable Development | May 25 2009
"Seeds of Change" Exhibition Held in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy
"Seeds of Change" exhibition held in the Netherlands "Seeds of Change" exhibition held in Switzerland From April 21 to May 18, 2009, the "Seeds of Change: The Earth Charter and Human Potential" exhibition created by SGI and the Earth Charter Initiative was on view at the public library of Roosendaal ... read more
Humanitarian Activities | May 24 2009
Soka Gakkai Malaysia Johor Organizes Charity Sales Event
On May 24, 2009, members of Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) Johor organized a charity sales event in Johor's capital city, Johor Bahru, to raise funds for single mothers. The event took place during May to commemorate Mother's Day, held on the second Sunday in May. More than 4,000 people ... read more
Buddhism | May 24 2009
Korean Festival Held in Iowa, USA
On May 24, 2009, more than 200 SGI-USA members and guests attended the first SGI-USA Midwest Zone Korean Festival, held at the Iowa City Public Library, Iowa, USA. Some participants drove from Michigan--three states away--while several young men and women traveled from the neighboring states of Illinois, Nebraska and ... read more
Buddhism | May 24 2009
SGI-Argentina Holds Study Exam; Leaders Meet in Buenos Aires
On May 3, 2009, SGI-Argentina held an elementary-level study examination on Nichiren Buddhism at 31 venues throughout the country. The study material included two of Nichiren's letters to his followers--"Reply to Sairen-bo" and "Reply to Ueno." After the exam, a participant who recently began practicing Nichiren Buddhism commented, "I ... read more
Human Rights | May 24 2009
SGI Representative Lectures on Human Rights Education in Budapest
SGI representative to the United Nations, Geneva, Kazunari Fujii, gave a lecture at an Asia-Europe training session for youth leaders on "The Role of Human Rights Education in Intercultural Dialogue--an Asia-Europe perspective," held from May 17-24, 2009, at the Council of Europe European Youth Centre in Budapest, Hungary. The ... read more
Interfaith | May 23 2009
Singapore Soka Association Youth Participate in Interfaith Dialogue
On May 23, 2009, two Singapore Soka Association (SSA) Youth Division representatives, together with youth leaders from various religious traditions, engaged in an interfaith session organized by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) at the Harmony Centre. The special session was held in conjunction with a visit by ... read more
Buddhism | May 19 2009
SGI-Korea Holds Study Sessions on Nichiren Buddhism
From May 18-19, 2009, SGI-Korea held study sessions on Nichiren Buddhism at the SGI-Korea headquarters building in Seoul. Some 1,200 SGI-Korea representatives attended the conference. SGI Study Department Chief Katsuji Saito traveled from Japan and lectured on several of Nichiren's writings. On May 18, representative leaders from the Seoul metropolitan ... read more
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