CategoryOn the Cover

Located in a mountainous region of Japan, the historic villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama were cut off from the rest of the world from the 8th century until the 1950s. In response to this geographical and social isolation, two unique cultural developments emerged. First, the large Gassho-style houses—characterized by their large attic spaces for agricultural

A glacier is a body of dense ice that forms only on land and constantly moves downhill under its own weight. Sermeq Kujalleq, located in West Greenland, is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea. And Ilulissat Icefjord is where that happens—a very active area where some 20-cubic-miles

Ikeda Sensei: When we do gongyo and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we conduct a ceremony in which we praise the Gohonzon and the great pure Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. On one level, it could be said that our daily chanting is like a paean for the Buddha and for Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the fundamental Law of the universe. At the

Located in eastern Nepal, the Sagarmatha National Park encompasses one of the world’s most remarkable natural wonders. Among its dramatic mountains, glaciers and deep valleys is Mount Sagarmatha, commonly known as Mount Everest, the highest point on the Earth’s surface at 29,031 feet, and seven other peaks towering over 22,000 feet. The region is home

Off the western coasts of Albania and Greece, the Old Town of Corfu sits at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea—a strategic location in both trade and war. With its roots dating back to Greek city-states in 8th century BCE, it has undergone various influences from the Byzantine period to Venetian rule to French, British

The City of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, was founded in 1534 on the ruins of an Incan city. Isolated in the Andes Mountains, it sits at an elevation of 9,350 feet and near Pichincha, an active volcano with the latest minor eruption recorded in 1999. Despite this nearby volcano and the numerous earthquakes over

The SGI-USA will mark one year since Ikeda Sensei’s passing by bringing together 50,000 members and friends at our November district general meetings.

The Mosi-oa-Tunya, also known as Victoria Falls, is a waterfall on the Zambezi River, located on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is the world’s greatest sheet of falling water, with a width of 5,604 feet and height of 355 feet. Its name Mosi-oa-Tunya, which is Lozi for “Thundering Smoke,” comes its size and

The Rhaetian Railway brings together two historic railway lines that cross the Swiss Alps. The Albula line, which opened in 1904, runs along a 38-mile path that includes 42 tunnels and covered galleries, as well as 144 viaducts and bridges. The Bernina line, which opened in 1908, runs a similar distance with 13 tunnels and

Founded in 1350, the Historic City of Ayutthaya was the second capital of the Kingdom of Siam. Between the 14th and 18th centuries, the city flourished as one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban areas and center of commerce. In 1767, the Burmese army attacked the city and burned it to the ground.

Ikeda Sensei offers encouragement to SGI-USA members taking the study department examinations in Los Angeles in 1963. This episode takes place in The New Human Revolution, vol. 7. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. “Thank you very much for taking the trouble to come here and challenge this exam,” [Shin’ichi Yamamoto] said. “Some

The Risco Caido and the Sacred Mountains of Gran Canaria Cultural Landscape encompass the vast mountainous area at the center of the Gran Canaria Island. The property contains archaeological features of an extinct culture that seems to have evolved in total isolation between the arrival of the first Amazigh people from North Africa at the

Antigua Guatemala was founded in 1524 in the central highlands of Guatemala some 5,000 feet above sea level. Formally named Santiago de Guatemala, it served as the capital and the cultural, economic, religious and educational center for the region. Since its founding, the city was destroyed by a fire caused by an uprising of the

Located at the southwestern part of South Africa, the Cape Floral region is regarded as one of the six Floral Kingdoms of the world and one of the great centers of terrestrial biodiversity. The property, consisting of various national parks and nature reserves, is home to a diverse and dense population of some 9,000 plant

Ikeda Sensei: 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 Rideau Canal is the best preserved slackwater canal in North America. Built in the early 19th century, it originally functioned as a military barrier between the U.S. and the British forces defending the colony of Canada. It is the only example from the 19th century canal-building era that operates on its original path with

Ikeda Sensei: “The purpose of faith is to attain Buddhahood, to become happy. … The only way to do so is to have faith in the Gohonzon, which is the essence of Buddhism and the purpose of Nichiren Daishonin’s appearance in the world. The Soka Gakkai has been introducing people to the Gohonzon and contributing

From vast stretches of field and jungle, tepui, the main attraction of Canaima National Park, jets out toward the sky. These sandstone mesas, revered by the indigenous Pemon people as the homes of protector spirits, formed early in Earth’s history, when the planet’s first life forms, single-celled microorganisms, were still just evolving. As the tepui

Recognized as i borghi più belli d’Italia, or one of “the most beautiful villages of Italy,” Alberobello is famous for its characteristic conic houses called trulli. Commissioned by Count Giangirolamo II (1600–65) in the 1630s, the unique structures were built by farmers to use as their personal residences as they worked the land. The rooftops

Rivers throughout the world form at their ends triangular deltas, where the mouth of the river breaks into smaller streams that feed into oceans and seas. The Okavango Delta, however, breaks out into open land in Botswana’s Kalahari Desert. As the seasons change, so does the delta, its banks flooding and receding with the rain,