On Jan. 26, 1975, a great wave of peace surged outward from the lush isles of Guam into the world. On that day, 158 representatives from 51 countries and territories gathered for the First World Peace Conference. It was here that the Soka Gakkai International was founded as the international body comprising Soka Gakkai organizations around the globe, with Ikeda Sensei named as its president at the request of all present.
For some time, Sensei had keenly felt the need to establish an international organization based on the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and aimed at actualizing world peace and the happiness and prosperity of all humankind. It was, in fact, his mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s final injunction to him: “I will build a solid foundation for kosen-rufu in Japan, but you will pave the way for kosen-rufu throughout the world.”[1]
Until then, various networks had been established—the Soka Gakkai European Conference, the Pan-American League and the Southeast Asian Buddhist Cultural Council—to enable members in various countries and regions to coordinate their efforts toward peace.
Wishing to go further, Sensei envisioned linking members around the globe. The issues facing the world, including the threat of nuclear war, environmental degradation, discrimination, poverty and hunger, were all issues that transcended national and regional boundaries that required the cooperation of the world as a whole.
When Sensei encountered members from Guam during a trip to Hawaii in 1974, he felt the ideal time to realize this vision was quickly arriving. And he saw Guam as the perfect place to do so.
Guam’s history has been marked by bitter bloodshed and suffering caused by the ravages of war and colonization. Starting in the 16th century, Spain declared Guam and the Mariana Islands as an outpost in its trade route. With the compounded effects of war, natural disasters and an outbreak of smallpox, the native CHamorro people of Guam lost nearly 90% of their population within a century.
As the 20th century neared, the island’s occupation transferred over to the United States. While many remember the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, few know it to be the day when Japan invaded Guam. During Japanese occupation, the people of Guam were subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment. And when the U.S. reclaimed the island on July 21, 1944, fierce fighting ensued, resulting in the loss of a great number of civilians and some 18,000 Japanese soldiers and 1,400 American soldiers.
Understanding the horrific history of the island, Sensei said to the members of Guam:
Guam has a history of terrible suffering caused by war. I therefore hope that all of you will unite your efforts in making your island into a paradise of peace and happiness. That is the purpose of Buddhism, and that is why you’re here. I’m sure that Guam will become a very important place in the history of global kosen-rufu.[2]
He was resolved to somehow make Guam, a place that had suffered so terribly, into a beacon for global peace. It was his conviction that those who endured the brutality of war had a mission to realize peace.
At the SGI’s inauguration, Sensei called on the participants:
The sun of Nichiren Buddhism has begun to rise above the distant horizon. Rather than seeking after your own praise or glory, I hope that you will dedicate your noble lives to sowing the seeds of peace of the Mystic Law throughout the entire world. I shall do the same.[3]
This Jan. 26, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the SGI’s founding, we are once again called upon to advance in our mentor’s stead, to dedicate our noble lives to sowing the seeds of peace of the Mystic Law throughout the entire world, generating waves of peace that ripple outward from our own communities.
Coverage of the 50th-anniversary events on Guam will be featured in an upcoming issue of the World Tribune.
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