SGI-USA Honors Veterans Day

Commemorating Veterans Day, the SGI-USA Military Personnel Group will host a nationwide webinar on Nov. 15 (details below). This gathering, themed “In Pursuit of Peace,” is open to all SGI-USA members, as well as their friends and family.

A panel of SGI-USA members from across the U.S. will share their experiences and discuss life in the military as Buddhists. Much of the discussion will be based on Ikeda Sensei’s book Hope Is a Decision.

The mission of the Military Personnel Group is to support people in the SGI-USA community who are active duty service members, retirees and veterans. The group also focuses on engaging with youth guests. Weekly introductory Buddhist meetings are held at over 40 locations, including the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Virginia and basic training centers for the Air Force, Army and Navy.

Each Sunday, young recruits in training can attend a religious service. This has resulted in nearly 20,000 youth choosing SGI intro meetings every year. They hear experiences, learn Buddhist concepts, do gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Many of these youth have received the Gohonzon and are actively practicing with the SGI community.

Rex Taylor, the co-leader of the SGI-USA Military Personnel Group, explained the purpose of these intro meetings: “We want to enable each of these young people to embrace the Gohonzon and the SGI’s humanistic philosophy, while remaining safe throughout their career deployments.”