Challenging My Human Revolution Anew! - SGI-UK E-Bulletin and ...

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Becoming
experts of
happiness!
Wonderful day for
our Soka Family
in Scotland!
Last open meeting
in technology
consultation
Open Days
at Taplow
Court
Trust through friendship. Peace through trust.
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Inspiration for
Soka school
alumni group
Winning together
in Northern
Lights HQ!
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SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue 99 3.7.2013
The deadline for items to be considered
for the next issue is Sunday, July 14
Kell Gatherer
Challenging My Human Revolution Anew!
202 members and naitoku, four
overseas guests, two babies and one
Future Group member from Central
England Area met at Hinkley Island
Hotel in Leicestershire from June
15-16 for the first of two all-division
Summer Courses based on the theme
‘Challenging My Human Revolution
Anew’, writes Julie Sawyer.
We were encouraged by Sensei to
use this course as a means of deepening
our faith “one step further” and to feel
able to “take at least one significant
thing away from the course”. Together
with our Area and Regional leaders we
looked at extracts from The New Human
Revolution (Vol.25), and supported by
SGI-UK Women’s Division leader Justine
Marchant we studied the Gosho ‘The
Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra’.
Wonderful experiences demonstrated
actual proof of turning the seemingly
impossible into the possible, whether
that be finding the perfect job that
creates value and joy for both the
employee and his clients, transforming
a difficult family situation into one
of mutual respect, or fulfilling a longstanding
dream to travel and study on
a scholarship at a university in Britain
having grown up in Brazil.
A powerful rendition of ‘Feeling
Good’ by Cath Coombs lifted everyone`s
spirits even higher.
The culture festival on the Saturday
evening was an opportunity for the
participants to demonstrate a different
aspect of our human revolution under
the title of ‘Central England’s Got Talent’,
with the Irish dancing by the course
leaders undoubtedly being the surprise
act of the night!
After a Q & A session with General
Director Robert Samuels, the weekend
concluded with three people receiving
Gohonzon and a reminder by Robert
that the power to activate the potential
within the Gohonzon resides within
each and every one of us and our
individual commitment to faith, practice
and study.
WORDS OF THE WEEK
The foremost power of a Buddha is
their voice. It is our voices, full of
conviction, that can rock the era. Let’s
all be determined, no matter what, to
make this July absolutely victorious!
– Daisaku Ikeda, July 1-7, 2013

SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue 99 3.7.2013 Page 2
Becoming experts
of happiness!
The theme of Central London Area
Women’s Division summer course
from June 22-23 was ‘Becoming
experts of happiness’, writes Dawn
Spence.
140 women gathered at the lovely
surroundings of Latimer Place in
Chesham for two days, where we
sang songs and listened to wonderful
expressions of our Buddhist philosophy,
whilst studying how to become experts
in happiness.
The theme that ran through the entire
course was how to take responsibility
for our own happiness, in order to create
unity. Unity can only come about through
our own inner transformation – and
transformation comes from leaving the
transient self behind in order to get in
Wonderful day for our
Scottish Soka Family!
Glasgow HQ hosted families from
across Scotland on June 8, writes
Elle Steele.
We met at a beautiful farm in
Stirlingshire and enjoyed games, crafts,
songs and discussion on a day that
launched us towards the family event
later in the year. We had tiny babies
through to grandparents enjoying a
great day of being together, and our
great Youth Division supported and led
activities. Great friendships were made
and we all left with a renewed vow to
create golden memories for our children
in our Scottish Soka Family.
61 people attended and enjoyed the
best weather of the year up until then.
Many stayed on and camped, eating,
playing and singing together, with
promises to do it again next year.
Sensei says: “Every child is
precious... All children are different; each
possesses his or her wonderful unique
quality. We must pour upon all children
our great love and compassion so that
each child can blossom, true to his or her
unique quality.” (Buddhism Day by Day,
p186)
touch with and reveal our true selves,
our Buddhahood. It is from this place
only that we can achieve unity, and from
unity we achieve kosen-rufu. We listened
to some wonderful experiences based
on inner transformations through strong
daimoku.
Unity was manifest throughout the
whole weekend. Everyone reached out
to each other to create a very unified and
enriching experience.
A funny sketch was written by
Catherine Buchanan-Richardson called
‘The Buddhist District’, in which five
women – Lucy seeking love, Wendy
seeking wealth, Franny seeking a
family, Helen seeking health and Karen
seeking a career – were all inspired by
Debbie, their dedicated district leader to
transform their lives with daimoku.
This course was a reminder that to
become experts in happiness we must do
our human revolution.
Pictures: Deborah Ripley
Pictures: Roberto Antuofermo and Harley Loudon

SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue 99 3.7.2013 Page 3
Last open meeting in the What We
Want from Technology consultation
About 150 members have so
far participated in the open
consultation, just over 30 of whom
have come to the six open meetings
all around the country, writes Jim
Cowan.
The others have used Vocal Eyes
(www.vocaleyes.org/technologysgiuk)
or emailed something in
(technologysgiuk@gmail.com). So the
open meetings have all been relatively
small, but that has been beneficial
because at each one we have been able
to take the ‘story so far’ on a step by
having in-depth discussion. This last
of the open meetings (the consultation
closes at the end of July) on June
29 at Taplow Court was like a grand
culmination: painting a picture of what
has come through so far from all the
previous open meetings and also adding
new ideas. We talked for over two hours!
New to this last meeting was
a discussion about the sheer
internationalism of SGI-UK`s
membership and what the implications
might be in the longer term for what we
have on our new information system.
Also an in-depth discussion about the
implications of young people being on
the new database. Finally we agreed
that mobilising daimoku to support
turning the ideas into reality will be very
important.
We also discussed transparency,
including transparency in this open
consultation. So if you go to
http://www.sgi-uk.info/open-meetings/
you will now see summaries of the open
consultations (the South London one
and the Taplow Court one will go up
when ready) as well as the ideas that
have come in by email. If you also look
through the ideas in Vocal Eyes
(www.vocaleyes.org/technologysgiuk)
Faith and fun for Mimosas in York!
On May 11, we had our first Mimosa
meeting in York attended by four
girls aged 7 to 10, writes Eni Neo.
We started off chanting daimoku and
did gongyo led by the eldest in the group.
We each took turns to read our own
favourite Buddhist stories from ‘More
Great Buddhist Stories’. We also read
President Ikeda’s guidance for the Future
Division. We sang the Mimosa song.
Towards the end of the meeting, we put
on a puppet show for our mums. We had
a great fun day and are looking forward
to our next meeting soon!
Eni Neo
you will get a really good sense of the
ideas the open consultation has so far
generated. (you don’t have to register to
look at the ideas in Vocal Eyes).
I am going to be emailing the 150 or
so who have participated with details
of where we go to when the open
consultation closes at the end of July.
And in the first or second week of July
I`m going to be emailing everyone who
registered with Vocal Eyes and asking
them to go to a new Vocal Eyes group
which will contain the picture that has
so far emerged and I’ll be asking them to
use the rest of July to express their views
about that picture using that new Vocal
Eyes group.
I`d like to end by thanking everyone
who has expressed a view and all those
individuals who have come forward to
offer their expertise. Just looking at the
five months so far by any criterion we
would have to say the open consultation
has been hugely successful. Not least
we have a very rich picture now which
we have never had before. But of course
the real test is how we move these
ideas into reality AND how, when the
new information system is working,
it definitely supports our advancing
kosen-rufu, it supports the growth of the
bedrock of our activities across the UK –
our districts – and that it supports rather
than erodes our life to life relationships.
Open Days at
Taplow Court
SGI-UK’s Open
Days are well
under way at
Taplow Court,
writes Sanda
McWilliam.
There are still
three days to come:
July 7, August 4
and the National
Heritage Day on
September 15.
A newly installed copy of a bust of
the 1st Earl of Orkney, the 18th Century
owner of Taplow Court is positioned
right in front of the fireplace and it
appears therefore that he is there to
welcome you to his home!
Information is provided about the
1st Earl and his achievements, as well
as about the famous European sculptor
Michael Rysbrack, who was responsible
for reviving the art of sculpture in this
country, and who created this bust.
There is also the thought-provoking
exhibition based on President Ikeda’s
dialogue held in the 1970s with the great
British historian Dr Arnold Toynbee,
called ‘Choose Life – celebrating the
power of dialogue’. This exhibition looks
at the role dialogue can play in creating
value in daily life.
And finally there are the amazing
gardens. In President Ikeda’s poem to the
UK written in 2002 it says:-
Our castles of peace and culture also
Aspire to give our visitors
Revitalising inspiration
And to show a new vision of life
In which we create infinite value
In a turbulent society.
Let them continue to shine.
Taplow Court is such a
Great castle of peace and culture
Which is our pride,
Inspiration for unbounded wisdom,
Dearly cherished in the community.’
Without doubt, the gardens and
grounds are doing just this – giving
revitalising inspiration in a turbulent
society and being a castle of peace and
culture.
Taplow Court Open Days:
2.30-5.30pm; cream teas are available for
purchase; no dogs please, although guide
and alert dogs are welcome.
Yoichi Masumoto

A Buddhist magazine
July 2013
Price £3
Issue no. 145
Tokihiro Miura
SGI-UK online news bulletin Issue 99 3.7.2013 Page 4
News round-up
• Soka school alumni group in the UK (SOEI-KAI) held a victorious general meeting
at Taplow Court on June 29, writes Hideo Kato. Fifty members travelled from all over
the UK for a joyful and inspiring day. We received a message from Sensei: “Thank
you very much for all your hard work. Please convey my heartfelt wish to everyone.”
A great experience was shared by Tomoko Cocker and we were inspired by Sensei’s
video ‘Pride of Kansai Soka School’. SGI-Europe Secretary General Kazuo Fujii spoke
about how important it is to keep doing our human revolution. We re-determined
bravely and resolutely to create further victories up to November 18 with Sensei!
• On June 15 Northern Lights HQ – the UK’s largest geographical HQ – held its annual
meeting in the beautiful village of Boat of Garten, in the Cairngorms National Park.
Everyone had made a supreme effort to overcome obstacles to get there and there was
an incredible feeling of achievement to have arrived! The theme ‘Human revolution
leads to actual proof – winning together’ brought everyone together. SGI-UK Young
Men’s Division leader Masashi Inoue encouraged members to win over everything
with the Gosho, chanting and basing their lives on Sensei’s writings. Two incredible
experiences from Mike Trevett and Anne Woods inspired members to keep going with
this amazing practice. The day was packed with heart-to-heart exchanges and sharing of
victories, achieved and yet to be achieved, in our Actual Proof campaigns. The meeting
closed with a rousing rendition of ‘No Coward Soul Is Mine’ by the Youth Division.
• ‘Challenging
our Human
Revolution anew,
together with
Sensei’ was the
theme of the first
Central South of
England Leaders
Assembly at Taplow Court on June 15, writes James Donson. General Director Robert
Samuels encouraged us to deepen our commitment to kosen-rufu, reminding us that
when our life is based on the desire to promote kosen-rufu the benefits will be unlimited.
Gary Driver and Estelle Mercer spoke about the importance of the Future Division,
encouraging us to embrace young people as successors in the SGI. Personal and district
determinations were given towards the Actual Proof Campaign.
• Leaders of South East England
Area met at Tenterden recreation
centre on June 15. Women’s Division
Area leader Jiggy Bhore and Young
Men’s Division Area leader Max Erle
gave feedback from the recent SGI-
UK Summit. Max and Young Women’s
Area leader Chloe Jones gave wonderful experiences of transformation as a result of
efforts to answer “yes” to a question asked on the SGI Spring Training Course: “Do
you think you can exactly have the same life state as Nichiren Daishonin”
Ken Hawkins
World News
Auckland, New Zealand: The
SGI-New Zealand Victorious March
Brass Band and the Manukau Concert
Band performed their annual joint
concert on June 16 at the SGI-NZ
Culture Centre in Ellersile. Some 300
people attended.
South Chungcheong, Korea: On June
10, the South Chungcheong Provincial
Government presented President Ikeda
and Mrs Ikeda with a special award
in recognition of their promotion of
friendship between Korea and Japan.
Callao, Peru: Colegio América Callao
High School presented President Ikeda
with a certificate of appreciation for
his contributions to peace, culture and
education.
The school also hosted the ‘World
Boys and Girls Art Exhibition’ from May
27-31. The exhibition features 160 works
from over 100 countries and was visited
by some 1,500 people.
Colorado Springs, USA: On May 11,
SGI-USA opened a new culture centre
in Colorado Springs and 300 people
attended the opening ceremony.
July AoL: Recognising
the crucial moment
July is a deeply
significant
month in
the history
of Nichiren
Buddhism as
practised by
Soka Gakkai
members.
Recognising the
crucial moment
This month’s theme ‘recognising the
crucial moment’ refers to the crucial
moments the pioneers of this practice
recognised and faced which have led to
us having access to this great teaching
today. Through studying these crucial
moments we can understand the spirit
ºthat lay beneath them so that we can
learn how we can recognise our own
crucial moments and ensure we move
forward from them.
Men and young men unite!
• The Men and Young Men of Brighton
and Lewes HQ came together for our
first ever joint meeting on May 18,
writes Sumeet Roy. The theme was
‘Faith in the limitless possibilities of
life’, taken from President Ikeda’s 2013
Peace Proposal. We heard inspiring
experiences and enjoyed entertainments
and refreshments before finishing with a
Q & A. After such a success, we
determined to hold more such meetings.