by Kyler Nicholas
Special to the Tribune
Detroit, Sept. 12, 2021—For the members of Detroit and its surrounding cities, it was a homecoming worth the wait.
After a nearly 18-month hiatus from in-person SGI activities, 150 Michigan Region members attended the long-anticipated grand opening of the SGI-USA Detroit Buddhist Center, with an additional 200 joining the celebration virtually by Zoom.
The new center is nestled in the heart of Detroit, an area rich with history. Just down the road are Hitsville USA, Motown’s first headquarters and recording studio, and the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant, the birthplace of the first mass-produced automobile, the Model T.
Photo by Silvia Dykstra
The grand opening began with a powerful message from Ikeda Sensei, in which he congratulated the members on their new center and called Detroit “the Motor City—a cosmopolitan metropolis of the Midwest.” Sensei said that the new center will be a hub of peace and culture, from which new trends of humanistic thinking will emerge. He then encouraged the members to advance with unity and construct a castle of capable people and victory that is foremost in the world.
Leading up to the opening of the new center, the state of Michigan presented two proclamations signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer celebrating Nov. 18, 2020, as Daisaku and Kaneko Ikeda World Peace Day and Feb. 16, 2021, as Nichiren Daishonin Soka Gakkai Day.
Local musicians opened the meeting with a medley of Soka Gakkai songs followed by opening words from Central Territory Men’s Leader Jason Berg. Junior high and high school members together with women’s division members presented on the history of kosen-rufu in Michigan, especially highlighting the pioneer members, whose diligent efforts built the foundation of the organization there. And for the seven new members who joined that day, the grand opening of the Buddhist center also marked the start of a new chapter in their lives and practice.
Photo by Silvia Dykstra
In his closing remarks, SGI-USA General Director Adin Strauss emphasized the importance of dialogue in transforming the community, citing these words from Sensei:
At the root of conflicts in the world today lie mistrust and hatred. In order to transcend these, the genuine power of dialogue is indispensable. …
What we refer to as worldwide kosen-rufu, therefore, is crystallized within the unrelenting efforts of individuals challenging themselves to open the hearts of others, illuminating them with the wisdom of Buddhism. (Sept. 10, 2021, World Tribune, p. 9)
The event closed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony held on Woodward Avenue. Community members passing by in their cars waved and smiled at the members and guests gathered in front of the building, signaling that waves of friendship and hope were already rippling out from this castle of kosen-rufu. The members of Michigan Region departed with a fresh determination to spread the Mystic Law throughout their community.
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