Authorechoi

A solemn ceremony in Hiroshima

The Tsuyama Culture Center opened on Aug. 16, 2018, to serve as a proud bastion of hope for the Mimasaka region in northern Okayama Prefecture. Just one month earlier, in July 2018, its mission came into sharp and powerful relief when devastating floods swept through Okayama, forcing residents from their homes and testing their deepest

On their visit to the Okayama Minami Culture Center, this group of youth learned it was the place where, in July 1978, Ikeda Sensei composed the future division song “Torchbearers of Justice.” His visit came amid the intense challenges the members experienced during the first priesthood issue, when Sensei stepped down as Soka Gakkai president

The 120 SGI-USA youth training course participants traveled to several prefectures in Chugoku region, the westernmost area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. There, they traveled to 15 locations to attend exchange meetings in groups of eight.  In Okayama, the local members shared with the youth their rich history of spreading the humanistic tenets

This group of eight training course participants began their day with a short visit to the Hiroshima Culture Center. They then traveled to the culture centers in Asaminami and Asakita wards where they were welcomed with enormous enthusiasm by the local members.  Their exchange meeting at the Asaminami Culture Center began with a vibrant display

On their way to Kure, a historic naval and industrial city on the southern outskirts of Hiroshima Prefecture, this group stopped at Karugahama Beach, where members were waiting with guitars in hand. They sang a rendition of the enduring “Morigasaki Beach,” replacing the word “Morigasaki” with “Karugahama.” Ikeda Sensei came to this beach on his

This group spent the day moving between neighboring Naka and Saeki wards, warmly greeted at each stop by local members whose hearts overflowed with appreciation. Their first stop was at the Hiroshima Ikeda Peace Memorial Center, where a vibrant display of paper cranes spelled out “PEACE,” set against a backdrop of photos from local discussion

This group set out to the Mihara Culture Center, located in the north-eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, where they met members who recalled their experiences with Ikeda Sensei. After speaking with local members and their friends, they drove an hour west, to Miyoshi, to visit the peace center there. In the summer of 1972, torrential

The 120 SGI-USA youth training course participants traveled to several prefectures in Chugoku region, the westernmost area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. There, they traveled to 15 locations to attend exchange meetings in groups of eight.  The youth traveled southeast from Tokyo to Fuchu, and then to Fukuyama, attending exchange meetings held at

For U.S. youth representatives, their March youth training course in Japan becomes a turning point as they take up the mantle of peace.

The following is SGI Youth Leader Mitsuo Nishikata’s address delivered at the training course opening ceremony on March 19, 2026.  by Mitsuo NishikataSGI Youth Leader  Good morning, everyone! The entire youth division membership of Japan has been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to meet all of you, the youth of America. We extend our warmest welcome

by the SGI-USA Youth Leaders “It’s Showtime!”—Our theme for the 2026 March Youth Training Course was a truly fitting description for this once-in-a-lifetime experience. One-hundred and twenty student and youth leaders of SGI-USA arrived in Japan on March 18, 2026, to make a vow for peace together with the Soka Gakkai youth division. For the

The following is from a speech at a Soka Gakkai headquarters leaders meeting in Tokyo on July 3, 1999. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, chapter 31, installment 1, pp. 411–13. “Buddhism is universal; it belongs to all people,” Ikeda Sensei says. “Promoting peace, culture

The following is from a speech at a youth division general meeting in Tokyo on July 14, 1991. It can be found in The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, chapter 31, installment 2, pp. 414–16. The enormous treasure tower described in “The Emergence of the Treasure Tower” chapter of the

A celebration of Lawrence E. Carter Sr.’s legacy inspires a renewed commitment to dialogue, dignity and everyday action for peace. ATLANTA—On April 24, 2026, members and guests gathered at the Atlanta Buddhist Center for a celebration honoring Dr. Lawrence E. Carter Sr., founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College,

This spring, students at Soka University of America (SUA) are demonstrating that the path to a meaningful career begins not after graduation but from the moment they step onto campus. Through initiatives like Career Week and the Bridges to Business (B2B) Leadership Circle, SUA students are gaining real-world experience, deepening their sense of purpose and

To heal our family following my mother’s death, I fight to make the impossible possible through the May Contribution activity.

At the SGI Spring Training Course, participants learn the key to transforming the destiny of humanity.

We are “lighting a fire for others” through offering our time, resources and support, and that very flame illuminates our own lives with courage, wisdom, good fortune and benefits. Nichiren Daishonin writes, “If one lights a fire for others, one will brighten one’s own way.” In this single sentence, he captures a vital dynamic of

This study series covers Soka Spirit topics to be presented by a youth or student division member at Soka 2030 meetings on the last Sunday of each month. Often the biggest issue about a problem is not knowing we can solve it. Amid the challenges we face in our personal lives and in society, Nichiren