Our Great Discussion Meeting Movement

Amid the spiritual desert of society, which is characterized by an increasing sense of isolation and alienation, our discussion meetings serve as vibrant “oases of humanity” brimming with joyous, animated dialogue. They are nourishing the human spirit as they spread across the globe.

The reason why discussion meetings have stirred such a positive response worldwide is that they abound with the humanistic spirit of the Lotus Sutra, which teaches us to show each person the same respect as we would a Buddha (see The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 365).

The eternal path of Soka,
filled with infinite treasures,
brings us together 
as a global family 
overflowing with joy and happiness.

Let us discuss the question at length” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 7)—with these words, Nichiren Daishonin proclaims the start of the frank and open discussion that ensues in his treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.”

This is the same spirit with which our discussion meetings are conducted. As such, they are free of cruel malice and contempt, intimidation, authoritarianism, discrimination or petty emotionalism. Our meetings are marked by a warm spirit of trust and support based on deep mutual respect. They are occasions when we confirm our shared conviction that everyone has the right to happiness and can become happy without fail, no matter what their problems.

That is why our meetings are so open and tolerant. For instance, SGI discussion meetings held on the South Pacific island of Fiji welcome the participation of representatives of other religious traditions, promoting the blossoming of interfaith friendship.

Our discussion meetings are havens of harmony, where people share their joys and sorrows, transcending differences of race, religion and social standing.

Abdurrahman Wahid, former Indonesian president and Muslim leader, has lauded our discussion meetings, saying, “The process of learning from one another’s strong points and sharing our positive qualities is the way to mutually elevate our character.”^[3] He also said: “Encouragement and support are especially important in times of struggle and hardship. Friendship is indeed life’s treasure.”^[4]

The first air attacks on Tokyo following Japan’s entry into World War II took place in April 1942. In May, when the fear caused by these attacks was still fresh in people’s minds, founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi attended a Nakano Chapter discussion meeting. Basing his remarks on Nichiren’s writings, he spoke with great conviction to encourage the 40 or so members present. He explained that, as practitioners of the correct teaching of Buddhism, they were certain to be assailed by devilish functions but that they must neither fear nor succumb to such obstacles. And he further clarified that in the struggle to actualize kosen-rufu and transform one’s karma, the three obstacles and four devils^[5] would inevitably arise to obstruct one’s progress.

With the ever-present danger of bombing strikes on major cities in Japan and with the militarist government’s tightening of control over the activities of its citizens, it was difficult for the Soka Gakkai to even hold discussion meetings. Notices handed out by the Soka Gakkai to its members at the time clearly stated that meetings would be canceled during air-raid alerts. And when it was actually possible to hold a meeting, they were often conducted under the surveillance of the notorious Special Higher Police, or “thought police.”

Such was the case on one occasion when Mr. Makiguchi attended a discussion meeting held at my wife’s parents’ home in Kamata in Tokyo’s Ota Ward. My wife, a young girl then, sat next to Mr. Makiguchi. Her mother thought that if Mr. Makiguchi had a child sitting next to him, the Special Higher Police might not be so strict. Soka women have great wisdom and strength.

Mr. Makiguchi didn’t submit to the fanatical fascism of his day. He continued to hold discussion meetings and confidently engage in dialogue about Nichiren Buddhism right up until his arrest by the authorities.

It was Mr. Makiguchi’s firm conviction that, no matter what the times or social circumstances, the Soka Gakkai would advance with discussion meetings as its foundation. His disciple Josei Toda, who went on to become the second Soka Gakkai president, faithfully inherited this spirit.

During the war, there were many Soka Gakkai leaders whose weak commitment to their Buddhist practice and fear of persecution by the authorities led them to recant their faith. But the infinitely noble bond of mentor and disciple shared by Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda remained unshaken in the face of all authoritarian oppression.

When Mr. Toda was released from prison in July 1945, he resolved to carry on the legacy of his deceased mentor and rebuild the Soka Gakkai, recognizing that reviving the Soka Gakkai discussion meetings would be central to that effort.

On May 5, 1946, less than nine months after the war ended, Mr. Toda went to Kamata to attend the first official discussion meeting of the relaunched Soka Gakkai and offered warm encouragement to his fellow members.^[6] Then, in September, he embarked on his first postwar regional guidance tour, traveling to Tochigi Prefecture, where he attended and led a thoroughly enjoyable discussion meeting.

Today, a memorial to that discussion meeting in Tochigi stands at the Tochigi Training Center in Nasu. In tribute to Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda, I wrote the following dedication that is engraved on the memorial: “It was through steady and persistent efforts to hold discussion meetings that the Soka Gakkai charted its way to reconstruction and development.”

Discussion meetings are the starting point of the Soka Gakkai’s growth. All our progress, development and victories derive from the momentum created at our dynamic and invigorating discussion meetings.

In the February Campaign^[7] of 1952 and the Osaka Campaign^[8] of 1956, too, discussion meetings played a crucial role in our remarkable expansion.

Discussion meetings make the Soka Gakkai strong. They make it invincible. Mr. Toda declared: “One actual discussion meeting is far more effective in turning the wheels of kosen-rufu than a million fine-sounding words of theory.”

Overcoming
malicious persecutions,
the Soka family
forges ahead resolutely
in joyful unity.

On May 18, 1978, after attending a Chugoku Region^[9] executive leaders conference at the Soka Gakkai’s Yamaguchi Culture Center, I decided to drop in unannounced at a local discussion meeting of Otoshi Chapter. When I stuck my head around the door, everyone let out cries of surprise and delight. As I stepped into the room, they all sat stiff and upright. So I immediately volunteered to be the emcee, wanting to get everyone to relax. I did everything I could to make it a memorable and enjoyable occasion for everyone present. Many energetic future division members were there, too. Chugoku Region, I am happy to say, has such a fine tradition of fostering future division members through discussion meetings. Amid the warm, family-like atmosphere, the meeting naturally developed into a question-and-answer session. I listened intently to the members and encouraged them wholeheartedly.

The American philosopher and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) observed, “It is very certain that sincere and happy conversation doubles our powers.”^[10]

Nichiren Buddhism exists so that everyone can become happy, and the purpose of discussion meetings is to inspire each person in faith. The main focus of the discussion meeting should be on every single one of the participants. Therefore, the determination and commitment of the central figures and attending leaders are crucial. In the lead-up to the meeting, they need to chant earnestly for the happiness of the members and make thorough preparations. It is important that leaders show sincere respect and appreciation to each person participating, especially praising those who have worked hard behind the scenes.

The French thinker Michel de Montaigne (1533–92) wrote: “Whatever of beauty I do find in others I am most ready to praise and to value. … I readily bear witness to those I love of what I find praiseworthy in them.”^[11]

Due to time constraints, it is often not possible for everyone at a discussion meeting to have an opportunity to speak. Nevertheless, if it is a warm, lively and enjoyable gathering, brimming with members’ courage and determination, everyone will be happy to have attended and eager to go to the next one.

Our discussion meetings are open forums where we can bring friends from our local community. I said to the members at the meeting in Otoshi Chapter, “Members attending discussion meetings mustn’t forget to do their utmost to support one another in deepening their faith and to contribute to the betterment of their communities.”

We need to focus on how we can translate the energy and inspiration we derive from our discussion meetings into positive achievements and victory in society. We need to turn our attention to how much we can progress and win in our lives as practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism from one discussion meeting to the next. As Nichiren Daishonin states: “Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take advantage” (“On Persecutions Befalling the Sage,” WND-1, 997).

It is vital that the leaders and vice leaders of local organizations make the discussion meeting their central focus, and continue not only to challenge themselves in their own Buddhist practice and daily lives but also to wholeheartedly support their fellow members through home visits and personal encouragement. This, of course, also applies to any senior leader who is scheduled to attend the discussion meeting to give guidance. 

I hope our successors in the young men’s, young women’s and student divisions will energetically contribute to the discussion meetings.

Crucial is not just the success of the meeting but the earnest day-to-day efforts we make beforehand. The essence of our great discussion meeting movement is found in the dynamic rhythm of happiness and victory centering on the discussion meeting—that is, encouraging members, reaching out to talk to our friends about Buddhism, showing actual proof in our local communities and society, and working to make the content of the meeting inspiring.

It is through this ongoing process of polishing and forging our lives that we solidly establish in our hearts the Soka Gakkai’s eternal guidelines of faith for each person to become happy, faith for surmounting obstacles and faith for absolute victory.

Another important cornerstone for the success of our discussion meeting movement lies in our sincere conduct in even more warmly encouraging those who couldn’t attend and in expressing heartfelt appreciation to those who let their homes be used as meeting places.

I would also ask that you always show courtesy and consideration to the neighbors of the place where meetings are held. Discussion meetings take place in the community. We shouldn’t be self-absorbed. The whole purpose of holding a discussion meeting is lost if we disturb or inconvenience others around us, for instance, with parking inappropriately or talking loudly outside after the meeting is over.

Mr. Toda said: “Discussion meetings should brim with compassion and be the most enjoyable gatherings in the world” and “The more anxiety and alienation pervade society, the more we need to make our discussion meetings bright and overflowing with confidence and courage.”

Brahma and Shakra^[12]
will protect all of you,
who travel from afar
to gather
at our bastions of friendship.

I have nothing but the deepest respect and veneration for all of our dedicated members who offer their homes for discussion meetings.

The Lotus Sutra states:

Suppose there is a person who is sitting in the place where the Law is expounded, and when another person appears, the first person urges them to sit down and listen, or offers to share his seat and so persuades him to sit down. The benefits gained by this person will be such that when he is reborn he will be in a place where the lord Shakra is seated, where the heavenly king Brahma is seated, or where a wheel-turning sage king is seated. (LSOC, 288)

The law of cause and effect assures us that the immense benefit acquired by those who allow meetings to be held in their homes will flow on to their descendants for generations to come.

Winning brilliantly
in communities
everywhere—
young champions of justice,
gallant Bodhisattvas of the Earth. 

Small gatherings have the power to transform people’s hearts and minds. Renowned American woodcut printmaker Sue Jane Smock once shared with me her memories of meeting with American Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–68). She spoke of how she attended a small and extremely inspiring gathering with him just a few weeks before his death. Through that encounter, she explained, her mind was opened to the need for a new cultural paradigm that encompassed multiculturalism and transnationalism. As a result of this meeting, she decided to make cultural bridge-building her lifework and has gone on to play an active role in this sphere.^[13]

It was also the efforts of small and strongly united local groups that played a central role in the French Resistance, opposing the German occupation of France during World War II. That these small, humanistic groups triumphed over an inhumane dictatorial regime is an important fact of history.

Incidentally, President François Mitterrand (1916–96), writer and art critic André Malraux (1901–76) and art historian René Huyghe (1906–97), all of with whom I have met and spoken, participated in the French Resistance.

A well-known Japanese historian has suggested that the crux of the Resistance fighters’ solidarity lay with the one thing the Nazis couldn’t take away from them: conversation. It was his view that the frank and open dialogue that took place among like-minded individuals led to the organization of small groups and the establishment of a common goal.^[14]

Struggles or efforts that begin with small groups are the simplest but most effective course to victory.

My own long struggle for peace, too, started from a discussion meeting. On Aug. 14, 1947, on the eve of the second anniversary of the end of the Pacific War, I encountered my mentor, Josei Toda, for the first time at a discussion meeting in Kamata.

The present momentum of our great discussion meeting movement is truly encouraging to see. My wife and I are praying deeply and fervently that youthful Bodhisattvas of the Earth—people who will shoulder the kosen-rufu movement for 50 or 60 years hence—will joyfully emerge in ever increasing numbers.

Shakyamuni embarked on his journey to preach the Law with a conversation with five friends. The Daishonin also set in motion the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law into the eternal future by sharing his teaching first with a small group of people, as he describes in “Letter to the Priests of Seicho-ji” (see WND-1, 651).

In Japanese, the Chinese character for discussion (dan of zadankai, discussion meeting) contains not only a component meaning “words” or “speech” but also a component meaning “flame” or “fire.” Thus, when a bright flame of passion and enthusiasm burns in our hearts, our discussions will also be bright and lively.

Let’s use the impetus generated by our great discussion meeting movement brimming with vibrant energy for kosen-rufu to further open the way to the total victory of Soka as we continue to work on our own human revolution.

Youth division members, rise powerfully into action!

Women’s division members, forge ahead with unflagging good cheer!

Men’s division members, gather with resolve!

Brushing away the dark clouds of chaos and confusion that shroud society, let us lift our voices in a resounding song of triumph.

In the upcoming year of our 80th anniversary (2010), let us win with our discussion meetings. 

Praising
the members of Soka,
ten million strong,
as they strive to fulfill their vow
from time without beginning.

---

Uniting the Forces of Good

This year, the bywords of our SGI-USA Buddhist community are friendship, communityand successors. In that spirit, we will make a concentrated effort once a season—in February, May, August and November—to gather as many members as possible at the district discussion meeting to restore human connection.

Ikeda Sensei elaborates:

In The System of Value-Creating Education, founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi writes: “Driven by their instinct for self-preservation, evil-minded people band together, increasing the force with which they persecute the good. In contrast, people of goodwill always seem to be isolated and weak. … There is no alternative but for people of goodwill to unite.” This was his penetrating insight based on personal experience.

As a disciple sharing profound unity of purpose with his mentor, Josei Toda began, amid the postwar devastation, to construct a movement based on the solidarity of ordinary citizens of goodwill. Again, his methodology was grassroots—one-on-one dialogue and small-scale discussion meetings. (My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, p. 424)

Our vibrant, monthly neighborhood district discussion meetings have always been the central focus of activities and the direct means to confront the challenges we face in society. They are oases where we treasure each person, replenish the courage and hope needed to advance in our human revolution, both uniting and expanding the forces of good.

Key Discussion Meeting Milestones This Year

• February

• May

• August

• November

January 17, 2025 World Tribune, pp. 2–5