Let's put our mentor's heart into our districts - SGI-UK E-Bulletin and ...

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Real victory
of the UK is in
the district
Great success
of discussion
meetings
Joanna’s
greatest
treasure
Youth take
the lead in
north Devon
Celebration
of Ikeda
Kayo-kai
Message in
a bottle for
Barnet
Trust through friendship. Peace through trust.
e-bulletin
SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue No4 15.07.2009
The fundamental importance of the
district as the foundation of kosenrufu
was the theme of the HQ Leaders
Assembly at Taplow Court on July 4,
write Pat and Roy Stone.
SGI-UK Women’s Division leader
Suzanne Pritchard talked about what
we need to do. SGI-UK General Director
Robert Samuels explained how to do it.
And Future Group and Youth Division
members gave examples of how they are
already doing it!
Suzanne began the meeting by
reporting that our mentor, President
Ikeda, has said he is now putting the
final touches to his life’s work. She spoke
about the great significance of being
able to be on this planet, at this time, as
a Bodhisattva of the Earth, along with
Sensei.
Suzanne and Robert Samuels
travelled to Japan in March and at the
HQ leaders meeting Sensei presented
many photographs taken in countries
around the world, each inscribed with
his calligraphy. She said that it was as
if he was trying to cement the bonds
between his heart and each country from
now into the future. When they went
forward to receive on behalf of SGI-UK,
Sensei also presented them with batons
inscribed with the characters for kosenrufu
and victory. Having been passed the
batons from Sensei, Robert and Suzanne
in turn passed them to the leaders of the
Youth Division.
She said that even though we know
Sensei is preparing us for a time when
he will no longer be with us, we can
become forgetful, slipping into thinking
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Let’s put our mentor’s heart into our districts
that he will always be around and we
can lose sight of the significance of
practising together with our mentor at
this significant time.
President Ikeda has said it is crucial
for us to use this first decade of the
21st century to establish a century of
peace. The fact that war broke out so
early in the 20th century set the tone
for that century to become a century of
war. As we head towards the eightieth
anniversary of Soka Gakkai and the
thirty-fifth anniversary of SGI in 2010,
we need to maintain an awareness of
the importance of this time. She called
on us to make a quantum shift in the
way we perceive being with Sensei at
this time. This is what will cause the
unprecedented growth and victory we
are seeking for kosen-rufu in the UK.
Suzanne with the photograph presented
by President Ikeda to the UK, taken in
Kensington in 1989.
Turn to page 2 for more HQLA reports
HQLA pictures: Rod Leach

SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue No4 15.07.2009 Page 2
Real victory is in the district
General Director Robert
Samuels spoke at HQLA
about how to become
happier and enable others
to become happy.
We become happier by
becoming more enlightened
– strong, compassionate and
wise – creating harmony with
those around us. The way to
do this, Robert said, is to truly
understand President Ikeda’s
heart and make it our own.
Robert said Sensei had
given us the four principles
for achieving victory – prayer,
action, oneness of mentor
and disciple, and unity, with
the mentor disciple oneness
being fundamental to the
others.
The victory of SGI-UK
begins and is maintained in
the district, he said. We might
engage in many innovative
and exciting activities in
our communities. But if we
cannot bring Sensei’s heart to
our districts, this will not be
sustained. Real victory is in
the district, Robert added.
Both he and Suzanne
Pritchard quoted from
Sensei’s editorial on page 5
of this month’s Art of Living,
in which he remembers
his vow to realise Second
Soka Gakkai President
Toda’s vision of increasing
the membership to 750,000
Joanna’s greatest treasure
London General Area Young Women’s
leader Joanna Dalzell told how she
had introduced a work colleague to
Buddhism after chanting long and
hard to be able to take someone to
her discussion meeting and to find
someone who would start to practise.
This person will receive Gohonzon
next month and has become Joanna’s
greatest treasure, she said.
Yuko Nishimatsu was
presented with the
White Lily award and
Steve Smith the Rising
Sun Award for their
many years of work
for kosen-rufu. Sue
Thornton and Robert
Samuels made the
presentations on
behalf of President
Ikeda.
households, in 1951. “I
immediately announced a
plan to realise that goal from
the district level.” (Sensei, in
his ‘Youthful Diary’). Sensei
pledged to take personal
responsibility for the
advancement of his district.
Robert asked that every
inspiration and guidance
should be fed back to
the district and used to
encourage the district leaders
and members.
He encouraged us to
prepare and work in our
districts towards this year’s
study courses and the Kosenrufu
Fund contribution
meetings in November.He
called on leaders to ensure
that Sensei’s heart is in every
district in the UK.
He explained that in order
to put the heart of our mentor
into our districts, we need to
practise without begrudging
our lives. Robert said that
each of us needs to let go of
the ‘thousand smallnesses’ in
our lives – all the things that
prevent us from being in unity
with our fellow members in
our efforts to create kosenrufu
– and instead become
attached to our greater selves,
our Buddhahood.
He urged us to support
each other and fight hard for
kosen-rufu of the UK.
Joyful Young Women sing the Ikeda Kayo-kai song
Youth take the lead
SGI-UK Young Women’s
leader Lisa Cowan reported
the Youth Division made
great efforts in taking the
lead for district discussion
meetings in March.
Now the Youth Division
has to continue with these
efforts, said Lisa, determining
to make her own district
advance next month. “I can’t
wait to see how happy our
Moni Shrestha sent
a photo of SGI-UK
Youth Division
area leaders to
President Ikeda,
who returned it
with his and Mrs
Ikeda’s personal
seals added.
districts can become.”
SGI-UK Youth Division
leader Moni Shrestha said
she had reported to President
Ikeda that discussion
meetings had grown in March,
with Young Men’s attendance
up 29 per cent; Young
Women’s up 32 per cent; and
guests up 34 per cent. Sensei
sent his best regards to SGI-
UK Youth.
Future Group members from Tarka district in north
Devon, Josie Parkhouse and Adrian Brayley, shared their
experience of revolutionising their district by taking full
responsibility for moderating meetings, bringing guests
and chanting to make discussion meetings joyful for their
friends. They repeatedly urged, “Please chant for your
Youth Division to grow”; “Please chant to have Youth
Division” and “Without Youth Division your districts will
have no future.” They asked that the younger members
don’t have too much thrust on them, but that longer
standing members be ready to listen and allow them to
initiate. Having given the assembly such an inspiring and
wise lesson, they received a standing ovation.

SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue No4 15.07.2009 Page 3
Inaugural UK celebration of the Ikeda Kayo-kai
500 young women representing
districts across the UK gathered at
a historic meeting at Taplow Court
on July 11 to deepen their vow as
members of the Ikeda Kayo-kai. The
Kayo-kai includes all Young Women’s
Division members and was founded in
2008, writes Jenni Inglis.
The start of anything is crucial; in
which case the first UK meeting of the
Ikeda Kayo-kai was a profound cause for
kosen-rufu in the UK.
The sight of 500 cheerful and
excited young women must have left
a deep impression on anyone who
encountered us. We were greeted by the
manifestations of deep prayer for the
success of our meeting at every turn.
Hundreds of paper lotus flowers adorned
the tables, chairs, columns, and even
a massive banner, around Ikeda New
Century Hall. The atmosphere was both
lively and embracing.
We were moved by songs expressing
our joy and our vow. South of England
decided to “shine like the sun”, Central
England declared “like Melos we’ll run”
and a bright chorus drawn from across
the UK led the Kayo-kai song, for we are
“born together through eternity, always
forging on joyfully”.
Lisa Cowan, SGI-UK YWD leader,
Our mission is to
become happy and
advance kosen-rufu
together with Sensei
throughout our lives
proclaimed that our mission as Kayokai
members is to become happy and
advance kosen-rufu together with Sensei
throughout our lives. She quoted Sensei:
“True joy can be found in the midst of
challenges. Problems can help us grow.
Strong opponents can make us stronger.”
Nowhere was this mission clearer
than in the experiences of Natalie
Rushton and May Ying Leong. Natalie
(aged 16) brought proceedings to a
standstill with her account of fighting
victoriously against leukaemia and
discovering her mission as a disciple of
Daisaku Ikeda in the process.
Moni Shrestha, SGI UK Youth
Division leader, spoke of the proud
tradition of holding small meetings
to forge bonds of friendship across
apparent boundaries of age, background
and circumstance. She explained that
discussion meetings were established
from the earliest days of the Soka
Gakkai by First Soka Gakkai President
Makiguchi who continued with them
courageously at risk to his life during
World War II because of his conviction
that dialogue was the only way to solve
life’s problems (June AoL page 35).
General Director Robert Samuels
reminded us that we can definitely reveal
our own unique potential if we establish
a tendency to remain close to Sensei and
the Gohonzon by training ourselves in
our youth.
Young women from around the
world sent messages. Ms Tateno, YWD
leader of SGI, introduced the brand new
guidelines given to the YWD by Sensei on
June 4, 2009 in her message. These are:
Be cheerful suns of happiness
Study the world’s foremost life
philosophy
Live your youth undefeated by
anything
Engage in dialogue to foster
friendship and humanistic ideals
Open the gateway to the eternal
victory of mentor and disciple
Inspired, and with renewed vows, we
set off to repay our debt of gratitude to
our mentor by taking these guidelines
to heart as we practise in our districts in
every corner of the UK. As our song says:
“Thank you Sensei, we are proud to be
Ikeda Kayo-kai”!
Picture: Yoichi Masumoto

SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue No4 15.07.2009 Page 4
World News
Los Angeles, USA: Hacienda La
Puente Unified School District named
SGI President Ikeda and Mrs Ikeda
honorary principals in recognition of
their promotion of peace and harmony.
Tepic, Mexico: The SGI’s Seeds of
Change exhibition was held from June
5 to July 5 in the capital city of the
state of Nayarit. The event, held at the
state’s largest library, was attended
Members to stage Hiroshima Peace Day event
A meeting will be held at the South
London National Centre on August
8 entitled ‘Towards Humanitarian
Competition: A New Current in
History. Hiroshima Peace Day 2009
Education and Inspiration: Equipping
ourselves to realise President Toda’s
Testament’.
The meeting will include a lecture by
Message in a bottle
On May 28, Barnet Chapter members
set out their SGI stall at the Barnet
Multicultural Centre, Hendon, for
‘Community Day’, write Roma Battye
and Mariam Agbaje.
Guests were invited to pick from a
basket a ‘Message in a Bottle’. These
miniature sized bottles, containing a
tiny scroll with the words ‘Nam-myohorenge-kyo’
and a brief explanation of
the practice, opened the way for many
heart to heart dialogues. 23 individuals
and organisations left their details and
requested further information. One
guest, who took her family to a local
discussion meeting a few days after the
Singing in the Valleys
A chorus kick-off meeting was held
at Clydach Community Centre, near
Swansea on May 30, writes Martine
Branford. Over 20 singers met to take
the Wales and the Borders Chorus to
the next level and spread kosen-rufu,
through song, far into the future. This
is just the beginning…
Picture: Marika Suto
by some 1,300 people, including local
dignitaries.
Catalonia, Spain – Universitat de
Lleida held an interfaith conference
sponsored by UNESCO-Lleida on June
14 with the theme of Spirituality,
Women and Society. SGI-Spain,
which co-sponsored the conference,
represented Buddhism and presented
the philosophy of human revolution.
Eddy Canfor-Dumas on President Ikeda’s
Peace Proposal 2009, experiences, short
films and refreshments. The event is
free but reservations are essential. To
book please email hiroshimapeaceday@
hotmail.co.uk leaving contact details.
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei
Toda called for the abolition of nuclear
weapons in 1958.
event, said. “I came to your stall because
I could just feel all of your warmth.”
Members’ children and their friends
won a five-a-side football competition,
and they, like all of us, went home proud
of achieving absolute victory!
On June 5, West Berkshire chapter
members were invited to attend a
special assembly at Brookfield School,
Tilehurst, for children with special
needs, as part of a faith month, to
talk about Buddhism, writes Martyn
Shaw. Annemarie Smith gave a lively
presentation using props, some of
which the children had made, based
on the story of the Wizard of Oz and
Buddhism, highlighting the importance
of courage, compassion and wisdom.
July Art of
Living – Fulfilling
our Promise
As we reach the half-way point in this
SGI year of Youth and Victory, the
July Art of Living title of Fulfilling our
Promise has both the implication of
fulfilling our potential and fulfilling our
promise as Bodhisattvas of the Earth!
Our study material for this month lays
out the way for each of us to advance
towards our own unprecedented
victories. This month also sees the start
of a new Q&A series. Focusing on the
questions frequently asked when people
start to practice, this month’s instalment
looks at the meaning of Nam-myohorenge-kyo
and why we chant. So that
this series can be as useful as possible, we
invite you to send in your own questions on
the basics of practice – please let us know
at artofliving@sgi-uk.org
Study courses information
If you are planning to submit a Grade
Three dissertation this year, please take
note of the following: To take part in
the Grade Three study course, you must
have passed Grade 2 in 2006 or before.
The questions to choose from for your
dissertation can be found on the SGI-UK
website. Guidelines for submission are:
1. The word count is 3,000 words (within
10% either way). 2. Dissertations should
be typed. Handwritten dissertations
will not be accepted. Dissertations may
not be submitted verbally. 3. Minimum
line spacing 1.5. 4. Submissions should
only be in English. 5. Please give your
application form to your HQ study leader
by September 30 (your HQ study leader
has application forms). 6. Please send
two hard copies of the dissertation (by
post, not email) by October 31 to Akemi
Baynes at Taplow Court, Taplow, SL6
0ER. 7. Please keep a hard copy of
your dissertation, as we will not be able
to return papers. Those who pass the
written dissertation will be invited to
an interview at Taplow Court on either
January 30 or 31, 2010.
SGI-UK will put its first podcast on the
internet to support this year’s Grade One
study course. For more details check the
next e-bulletin and the SGI-UK website.
Notice
Can you once a month or at a
moment’s notice help serve lunches
and clean at weekends at the SGI-UK
National Centre Taplow Court canteen
If so please call Annemarie Smith on
01189455412 for more details or email
annemarie28@hotmail.com with all your
details. Thank you.