Tucson, Ariz., May 1—In a joyful ceremony, the resilience of the Southwest Zone members shone through with the long-awaited grand opening of the new Tucson Buddhist Center.
Due to COVID-19, the grand opening had been postponed twice, once in November 2021, and again in January 2022. But, each time, the members redetermined to patiently await the best time for the opening, chanting and encouraging one another toward this significant occasion.
On the day of the opening, the local members and guests could hardly wait to enter the center, with 89 joining the celebration in person and another 55 virtually.
“It was a total celebration, absolutely happy, exciting and victorious,” said Southwest Zone Leader George Nakamura.
The new center is less than a 5-minute drive from the University of Arizona and brims with youthful and vibrant energy.
At the meeting, a proclamation from Regina Romero, the mayor of the City of Tucson, was presented, declaring May 3, 2022, “Daisaku Ikeda-Soka Gakkai Day” and commending the contributions of Ikeda Sensei and SGI members to the community. Expressing high hopes for the local members, the proclamation reads, “The Tucson Buddhist Center will serve as a citadel for peace, culture and education contributing to the Tucson community and aiming toward the centennial of the Soka Gakkai’s founding in 2030.”
The region young men’s and young women’s leaders presented their determination to open others’ hearts, build strong bonds in their community and introduce many people to the life-affirming philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism.
In closing words, Kevin Moncrief, SGI-USA men’s leader, stressed that fighting for kosen-
rufu is more important now than ever. He concluded with Sensei’s words:
Great good can come of great evil. But this will not happen on its own. Courage is always required to transform evil into good. Now is the time for each of us to bring forth such courage: the courage of nonviolence, the courage of dialogue, the courage to listen to what we would rather not hear, the courage to restrain the desire for vengeance and be guided by reason.[1]
In tandem with their center opening, the Tucson members resolved to create a new future as protagonists of their community.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
References
- “The Courage of Nonviolence,” https://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/peacebuild/essays-on-peace/p-nonviol.html <accessed on June 15, 2022>. ↩︎
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