CategoryOur History

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the SGI, Living Buddhism is reprinting this essay by Ikeda Sensei in which he writes about the SGI’s inaugural meeting in Guam on January 26, 1975, and the significant turning points that have marked the Soka Gakkai’s advancement every 25 years. This essay is part of

Installment 21: On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

Installment 20: ‘The Selection of the Time’

In June 1928, at the age of 57, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, a forward-thinking educator, took faith in Nichiren Buddhism with a friend’s urging. Writing of this decision, he said, “With an indescribable joy, I completely changed the way I had lived for almost 60 years.” With this inner awakening, he set out to realize “a bold

The following is an essay from the “Our Brilliant Path to Victory” series, published in the November 21, 2010, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper. In this essay, Ikeda Sensei reviews by decade the 80-year history of the Soka Gakkai under the leadership of the three founding presidents and looks ahead

In this scene from The Human Revolution, Josei Toda speaks at the first memorial service for founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, reflecting on his mentor’s towering spirit and his own determination to carry out kosen-rufu on his behalf. “The Bodhisattvas of the Earth exist nowhere but here; we are, in fact, the Bodhisattvas of

Chronicling Ikeda Sensei’s visit to Chicago in October 1980.

Installment 19: The Mongol Invasion

This month, the SGI-USA celebrates the 20th anniversary of the statistics and member care program. As part of this milestone, September was officially designated as “Member Care Month,” with a focus on visiting each new member to see how their Buddhist practice is progressing. How and why did our statistics program get started? On Feb.

Chronicling Ikeda Sensei’s 1993 visit to Boston.

Installment 18: Moving to Mount Minobu

by Adin StraussSGI-USA General Director Congratulations to all SGI-USA members on the 60th anniversary of the World Tribune! Thinking of this milestone in our people’s movement reminded me of another, which took place within Nichiren Daishonin’s lifetime. In October 1279, Nichiren wrote to his disciples: “The Buddha fulfilled the purpose of his advent in a

To see the actual timeline please click here. Ikeda Sensei made his first visit to the United States in October 1960, opening the way for worldwide kosen-rufu. By his second visit in January 1963, a a burgeoning Civil Rights Movement was exposing injustice, and a nuclear arms race was generating fear of attack from abroad.

To see the actual timeline please click here. In January 1975, Ikeda Sensei joined 158 delegates from 51 countries and territories for the First World Peace Conference at the International Trade Center in Tamuning, Guam. There, the Soka Gakkai International was established, and Sensei selected as its president. It was not happenstance that the SGI

To see the actual timeline please click here. The end of the Cold War saw nations celebrating windfall “peace dividends,” slashed and repurposed military spending to fund education, sanitation, health care and the like. With the fall of the Berlin Wall, symbol of Cold War division, the icy walls dividing the great powers and their

To see the actual timeline please click here. The 21st century arrived on a tide of information. “The digital age” saw the rise of the smartphone, a palm-sized portal into events unfolding from every angle, everywhere on earth, at any time of day. Conversing with study department leaders in the ’90s, Ikeda Sensei touched on

To see the actual timeline please click here. Entering the third decade of the 21st century, Ikeda Sensei spoke of the time’s significance, declaring the next 10 years toward the Soka Gakkai’s centennial “a period of vital importance that will be a turning point for humanity.” Indeed, unprecedented challenges opened the decade—a global pandemic and

The 19-year-old Daisaku Ikeda joined the Soka Gakkai on Aug. 24, 1947, 10 days after attending his first Soka Gakkai discussion meeting and encountering Josei Toda. Three years later on this date, Josei Toda announced his intention to step down as the Soka Gakkai general director. In a heartfelt interaction between the two afterward, Ikeda

Chronicling the translation of the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and its impact on the members of the SGI.

Installment 17: Return to Kamakura