January 2021 Activity Book

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More than being the 3rd President of the Soka Gakkai and the 1st President of the Soka Gakkai International, President Daisaku Ikeda is also our mentor in life. We should follow in his example by living our lives full of value, and by continuing to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo while striving to improve on ourselves each and every day.

A few months before Mr. Toda passed away, he passed on the baton of spreading the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism to the youth. Being Mr. Toda’s closest disciple, Mr. Ikeda took on the role of being the 3rd Soka Gakkai President in 1960.

Mr. Ikeda gave much importance to the role of dialogue in sharing the philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

After the war, Mr. Ikeda met Josei Toda, who was rebuilding the Soka Gakkai during that time. Mr. Toda wholeheartedly believed that the transformation of Japan’s society would be attained through embracing the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. Mr. Ikeda was deeply moved by Mr. Toda’s vision and unshakeable conviction. He joined the Soka Gakkai in 1974, and he considered Mr. Toda as his mentor in life. Mr. Ikeda assisted Mr. Toda in achieving his life goal of expanding the membership of Soka Gakkai to 750,000 households.

Over the years, President Ikeda has built many schools and institutions that promote education, culture, and peace. But most importantly, President Ikeda has continued to engage in dialogues with top world leaders in order to promote peace, and to talk about how to attain that peace. According to President Ikeda, it is through the transformation of each person that peace can be attained. He said, "A great inner revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind." This is the concept of human revolution.

President Ikeda (right) with Chinese Leader Zhou Enlai (left)

3RD SOKA GAKKAI PRESIDENT &amp; 1ST SOKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT

Daisaku Ikeda was born on January 2, 1928 in Tokyo, Japan. He was the fifth out of eight children, and was born to a family of seaweed farmers.

He was just a teenager when World War II broke out. He experienced having his home destroyed twice from air raids. He also lost one of his brothers in the war. Because of all his bad experiences from the war, he dedicated his life to working for peace.

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LETTER C C is for Chant, which we do every day. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is how we each pray. A long time or short time, an hour or minute. What matters most is that your heart’s really in it!

LETTER D D of for Daimoku, the name of our chant. When you’re filled with daimoku, there’s no room for “can’t.” Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works, you can bet. Whatever you chant for , an answer you’ll get.

LETTER A A is for Altar., a wonderful place. It’s home for Gohonzon with plants in a vase. There’s water and candle and incense to smell. It’s where we can chant until we feel swell!

LETTER B B is for Buddha, a person who’s sure that life is wonderful, happy and pure. It’s not someone else, it’s us at our best. We want to be Buddhas, so we make it our quest.

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Forever Sensei

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"Your true potential will emerge when you give everything you've got to your studies, sports, or whatever you take on."

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Learning Gongyo

Buddhism was first introduced in India around 2,500 years ago. It was taught by Shakyamuni, also known as Siddharta Gautama. Shakyamuni was born as a prince, but even when he was very young and even though he was born well-off, he became aware of the existence of the human sufferings of birth, aging, sickness and death. He eventually gave up his position as prince and began searching for a solution.

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As a member of the Boys and Girls Division of SGI, I will strive to:

✔ Study hard in school ✔ Try my best to do Gongyo and Daimoku everyday ✔ Cherish my friends

✔ Respect everyone in my family ✔ Believe in myself, and never give up on anything!!!

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After becoming the Soka Gakkai President, he put in much effort to talk to leaders from all around the world, about topics related to peace, culture and education. It was through dialogue that he was able to share the ideals of Nichiren Buddhism to many other countries. In 1975, Mr. Ikeda established and became the first President of the Soka Gakkai International, or SGI. Through the SGI, there are currently 192 countries and territories that are practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

Soka University of Japan, founded by President Daisaku Ikeda

After attaining enlightenment at the age of 30, he spent the next 50 years of his life sharing the wisdom he had learned. He shared that anyone can become a “Buddha”, or an “enlightened one”, as long as one fully realizes the eternity of life and the manifestation of cause and effect in the past, present and the future.

The most important teaching of Shakyamuni was the Lotus Sutra, which teaches that each and every one has an innate Buddha nature. Therefore, each and every one is capable of attaining enlightenment regardless of race, gender or social status. However, when Shakyamuni passed away, most of his teachings became misinterpreted.

Nichiren Daishonin, a 13th century Japanese priest, rediscovered the Lotus Sutra to be the highest and ultimate teaching of Buddhism. He taught that it was through chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that we can awaken our Buddha nature. He taught that it is through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that we can achieve enlightenment, or true happiness. Therefore, especially if you are experiencing problems, always remember that you are a Buddhist. With Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as your weapon and armor, you will continue to overcome all challenges and win in your life.

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