The following message by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada was translated from the February 2025 issue of the Soka Gakkai’s monthly study journal, Daibyakurenge.
The frontline of worldwide kosen-rufu is the discussion meeting.
This month, youth-focused discussion meetings are being held across Japan. Let’s take this opportunity to joyfully celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, who deeply cherished young people. It was his tireless efforts that led to the emergence of 750,000 Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
On Feb. 11, 1979, Ikeda Sensei commemorated his mentor’s birthday with local members during a visit to Patna in India. He created golden memories with comrades everywhere, embodying the hopes of his mentor, who had dreamed of the expansion of kosen-rufu into Asia.
Wherever he went in Japan and abroad, Sensei eagerly connected with everyone he met, and his trip to India saw him engage in many impromptu outdoor street discussion meetings. Witnessing the genuine warmth he extended to everyone he encountered, I learned, time and time again, that heartfelt sincerity is far more important than formality.
The driving force of the February Campaign[1] in 1952 was the discussion meetings held at the unit level, the smallest division of our organization at that time. Sensei regarded these grassroots gatherings as vital arenas for advancing kosen-rufu and fostering capable individuals. He encouraged the leaders and wholeheartedly supported them from behind the scenes, steadfastly engaging in home visits and offering personal guidance and encouragement. As a result, a stream of new guests and friends were welcomed at the discussion meetings.
The success of a discussion meeting lies in the “formula” that fosters these noble gatherings that embody respect for all people—in other words, the leaders’ unwavering determination and harmonious unity, and the engagement of new participants.
I vividly recall how there used to be a graph in Sensei’s office displaying attendance figures for discussion meetings being held all around the country. He used to pay close attention to the data: Was participation increasing compared to the previous month? Were participants truly enjoying the meetings? Each month, I was deeply moved by his genuine care and concern. In the same way, let us strive to create discussion meetings that we can present with pride to our eternal mentor—meetings that brim with the spirit of youth and where each person is at the heart.
In February 1975, upon returning to Japan having completed the overseas guidance tour that culminated in the establishment of the SGI, Sensei held a series of meetings with foreign diplomats and top leaders and thinkers from Japan and abroad. He also visited members day after day, offering individual encouragement to those in the future, student and youth divisions, among others. His actions demonstrated his conviction that “kosen-rufu is a great tapestry that extends ‘horizontally’ from one person to another throughout the world and ‘vertically’ from one generation to the next.”
In the Soka Gakkai’s February tradition, let us, as disciples of Sensei, learn from his example of initiative and unfurl a great tapestry of dialogue!
February 21, 2025, World Tribune, p. 10
References
- February Campaign: In February 1952, Ikeda Sensei, then an advisor to Tokyo’s Kamata Chapter, initiated a dynamic propagation campaign. Together with the Kamata members, he broke through the previous monthly record of some 100 new households by introducing Nichiren Buddhism to 201 new households. ↩︎
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