Towards 26th January 2025, the 50th anniversary of Soka Gakkai International’s founding
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Welcome to the January Discussion Meeting Toolkit!
“All the conditions are now in place for us to soar higher into the vast skies of kosen-rufu. You are in the pilot’s seat now! [...] A new age is defined by disciples rising into action, by disciples showing actual proof of victory.”
(Ikeda Sensei quoted in President Harada’s 2025 New Year’s Message)
It is in this spirit that, in this Year of Soaring Higher for a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide, we celebrate 26th January 2025 – the 50th anniversary of the SGI’s founding.
SGI-UK’s This is Our Age youth-led initiative is committed to fostering a sustainable and harmonious world, dedicated to promoting the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) centred around the Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition.
Beginning with a focus on empowering youth at Taplow Court on 16th March 2024, then exploring humanistic education at University of Glasgow on 15th June 2024, to then developing conviction in nuclear weapons abolition at the University of Warwick on 8th September 2024 – we reach our final milestone on this particular journey: 26th January 2025, marking 50 years since SGI was established at the First World Peace Conference at Guam International Center in 1975 with Ikeda Sensei designated as SGI President.
Really, this is our launchpad as we aim to bring all learnings and experiences over 2024 into our district discussion meetings and throughout January with a month of dialogue and nourish our most cherished districts, our beacons for peace in our communities, more than ever before. Let’s do this!
A selection of quotes
This selection of quotes relates to our discussion meeting movement and more!
Meeting ideas
We have collated some ideas you could incorporate in and around your discussion meetings so that you can really make them your own! Each SGI-UK district is unique in their own brilliant way, so feel free to try some of these ideas out and adapt them to suit your district’s needs!
- Set a chanting target
- Discuss a goal for the amount of guests you want at your discussion meeting
- Find material to study – if you are unsure about where to begin, have a look at the SGI Chapter in Volume 21 of The New Human Revolution
- Have a look at our theme ideas for some inspiration
- Do weekends or weekdays work better for your each member of your district?
- Would you like to have one big discussion meeting or a series of smaller ones throughout the month?
- Perhaps Men's and Women's Division members can check in with the youth in the district to make sure their availability aligns with the proposed meeting date
- Check-ins
As it’s the beginning of the New Year, take some time to ask everyone how they are. Or take a few breaths together before you begin discussion. Or, if you’re up for it, have a big stretch!
- Ice breaker questions
- What are three words you think of when you read the theme?
- What is one moment from last year you were proud of?
- Share three things that surprised you this week!
- Determination Exchange
- Songs
Sing an SGI song together!
“Since music is soothing as well as liberating, wherever there is song, there is growth. Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda used to say, “Wherever people have prospered throughout history, song could always be heard.” In the SGI, too, as long as we cherish music and song, our organization will continue to develop.” (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume 6, p. 60)
- Encourage the Future Division to be involved
Perhaps they could:
- Read a passage from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's poem, This is Your Age
- Draw or find an image that relates to the chosen theme
- Ask them to share a personal determination or experience
- Write a letter to their future selves
- Lead Sansho
- Break into smaller groups
Break into smaller groups and discuss the theme – or share a victory with one person and relay them to the group. You could involve any Future Division members in this!
- Take a commemorative district photo
- Spend some time together
Organise to go out afterwards for a walk, or to the park, a restaurant or café. It’s cold in January, so you could also stay in and maybe opt for a catch-up over some tea and biscuits! (You can’t go wrong with that!)
- Gifts
You could make small gifts to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the SGI’s founding. Or just a small flower to bring in smiles 🙂
- Food
Everyone loves a bite to eat! You could ask different people who are attending the meeting to bring a dish to share! Remember to take any allergies into consideration.
- Music
You could use after the meeting as people are chatting or making their way home. This could also be an opportunity to make a district playlist together with your fellow members, which can be used again and again throughout the year.
- "Buddy up"
Find someone in your district who you could accompany to and from the meeting. It could be an opportunity to develop the bonds in your districts!
- If you can’t physically be in the January discussion meeting, please contribute!
Record a video message or a New Year determination, and ask that this can be shared in the discussion meeting!
Theme ideas
How can we use the milestone of 50 years since SGI's founding to set fresh determinations and milestones in our own lives?
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of SGI’s founding on 26th January 2025 is an incredible opportunity to set fresh determinations in our lives for the future.
“It is… symbolic of the happiness and good fortune that is sure to blossom ever more fragrantly, like the beautiful flowers of Guam. Furthermore, your efforts reflect the significance of the Daishonin’s words, “the farther the source, the longer the stream” (‘The Farther the Source, the Longer the Stream’, WND-1, p. 940). You are accruing benefits beyond measure through your daily struggles to keep the hope that springs from the Soka Gakkai International’s founding flowing in abundance.” (Daisaku Ikeda, printed in 10th February 2023’s World Tribune, SGI-USA, p. 5)
What does the Soka Gakkai International mean to each of us?
This is a wonderful moment, together with fellow members of your district and local community, to share how you are creating value in your life and in society as an SGI member.
“Our challenge is both to undertake the religious mission of spreading the Mystic Law and, at the same time, to shoulder the human and social mission of world peace. Toward that end, the SGI, as an independent people’s organization based on the Middle Way and the humanistic principles of Buddhism, continues to build bridges of solidarity among people around the world in diverse spheres, transcending national, political, ideological and religious differences.” (Daisaku Ikeda, printed in 10th February 2023’s World Tribune, SGI-USA, pp. 10-11)
What are our pledges as a district and personally towards 2030?
The Soka Gakkai (literally translated as “Society for the Creation of Value”) was founded on 18th November 1930. In 2030, we are going to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai foundation and use this time towards it to deepen our resolve to contribute to kosen-rufu as a district and individually. What does this look like for you? We invite you and your district to reflect and discuss this to then come up with a pledge to strive for as many in body, one in mind.
“People need goals. First Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi used to say that an arrow aimed at an ill-defined target would never strike its mark. If we aimlessly wander along, we will not feel energized, but with a goal, our steps are purposeful and strong.” (Daisaku Ikeda, The New Human Revolution, Volume 18, pp. 95-96)
Discussion around the SDGs and which one you want to focus on in 2025 & why
Based on our mentor’s vision from his Peace Proposals, we can understand the importance of making the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality supporting them from the humanistic perspective, which is grounded on the Buddhist principle of interconnectedness and oneness of self and the environment. January discussion meeting can be a good opportunity to read them and discuss together which one you would like to focus on individually and maybe collectively as a district sharing the reasons behind it.
“The first commitment must be that we never leave behind those struggling in difficult circumstances. […] It is important that we attend to the suffering of the many individuals that these macroeconomic indices might obscure, and make this central to our efforts to come together in search of solutions.” (Daisaku Ikeda, ‘Toward Our Shared Future: Constructing an Era of Human Solidarity’, 2020 Peace Proposal, pp. 2-5)
Record of your achievements to inspire your determination in the year of Soaring Higher Towards a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide
Grounded on our achievements in 2024, let’s inspire each other, strengthening our resolve sharing our determination(s) in 2025, the Year of Soaring Higher Toward a Youthful Soka Gakkai Worldwide.
“We of the Soka Gakkai have been able to create a history of tremendous development based on faith that is focused on the present and the future—namely, always looking from the present moment onward and moving forward, ever forward.” (Daisaku Ikeda, Part 1: Happiness, Chapter 5: Transforming Suffering into Joy)
Involving the Future Division in your discussion meeting
Here are some creative activities and ideas to support you to engage the Future Division in your discussion meeting!
- What does hope / happiness / kosen-rufu mean to me?
Choose one topic. This activity also ties in to ‘many in body, one in mind’.
- Activity
Paper Bunting: Cut equal sized triangles out of paper and encourage everyone to draw/write/paint on their triangle answering the question, “What does *** mean to me?”. Gather the triangles at the end and glue/staple on to a length of ribbon. Allow time for individuals to explain their triangle if they want to. See if there is a common word or focus that crops up. Bunting can be put up at every meeting and can be added to at any time.
- Materials
Paper, scissors, crayons/pencils/paints, ribbon, glue or staples.
- Peace – for ourselves, for family, for friends, for the world
- Activity
Peace Tree: On a large piece of paper draw a tree trunk and branches. Ask everyone to create their own leaves/flowers/fruit for the tree and write on each one words/ideas/thoughts about peace. Stick them on the branches creating a beautiful, big Peace Tree.
- Materials
1 large piece of paper, smaller sheets of paper, scissors crayons/pencils/pens, glue or tape.
- The Treasure Tower
- Activity
Build a Tower: Encourage everyone to work together or in small groups to build their version of The Treasure Tower. This activity can be done indoors with Lego/Duplo/building blocks etc. or can be taken outdoors using natural materials like branches, stones, leaves.
- Materials
Depends what is available!
Commemorative Video
We hope you enjoy this commemorative video created by the youth of SGI-UK, highlighting the activities of 2024 and looking towards 26th January 2025 and beyond.
To use subtitles so you can read along with what is being said, please click on the Captions/Subtitles button on the player and select ‘English’.
This material is the copyright of SGI-UK. Please do not breach the arrangements SGI-UK has made to safeguard the privacy of our members, by downloading or copying all or part of it, sharing any part of it on any website or blog, or posting on any social media or in any public domain, in any form, without prior permission of SGI-UK.
The This is Our Age roadmap
SGI-UK's Fresh Departure Group, a group of young people representative of each Area of SGI-UK, was formed to study Daisaku Ikeda's The New Human Revolution series together, steer and plan the This is Our Age roadmap throughout 2024 and develop lasting friendships into the future.
The Fresh Departure Group determined to inspire and embrace 10,000 youth with President Ikeda's vision and philosophy for peace through This is Our Age events in 2024, centred around the Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition, becoming a powerful catalyst for change in the UK by 26th January 2025.
The Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition was displayed for the first time at the This is Our Age Festival hosted at Taplow Court. Seen by over 1,200 youth, this inaugural This is Our Age event created ripple effects across SGI-UK, resulting in the exhibition being held in local areas.
![NAKJ3637[1]](https://thisisourage.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/NAKJ36371-768x1024.jpg)
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of President Ikeda receiving his honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow, Bute Hall filled with resounding voices of SGI-UK members, including a song performances and a panel discussion with academics, community builders and Future Division members aged under 18.
The This is Our Age Peace Festival was held in Warwick Arts Centre, in partnership with University of Warwick, with a diverse agenda focused on nuclear weapons abolition. This day marked the 67th anniversary of second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda’s declaration for nuclear abolition.
SGI-UK will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI)'s founding with joyful and creative district discussion meetings in over 600 local communities, across the UK, bringing together people from all walks of life as microcosms of human harmony.
So far, the This is Our Age initiative has reached 6,436 young people! Our January discussion meetings in our districts are great opportunities towards inspiring 10,000 youth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let's go back to basics. What is a discussion meeting?
These meetings are a traditional part of the Soka Gakkai, dating back to the days of the Soka Gakkai’s first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. In short, the discussion meeting is our peace movement grounded in dialogue and life to life encouragement in our communities. Every month across the UK, over 600 local gatherings take place (typically in people’s homes) where members of SGI and their friends share their experiences of faith, study Nichiren Daishonin’s writings, and support one another.
Who is the discussion meeting for?
Discussion meetings are forums open to the public, attended by people of all ages and from all walks of life. As American author and lecturer on spirituality and religion Clark Strand notes: “At an SGI-USA discussion meeting, every voice is heard. Such meetings are egalitarian in spirit, democratic in practice and decidedly life-affirming in their vision of how Buddhist practice might contribute to the happiness of the individual and, in so doing, provide the foundation for a happy society.”
What is the significance of 26th January 2025?
SGI, the Soka Gakkai International movement we see today, was founded on 26th January 1975 as an umbrella organisation of Soka Gakkai – a network of countries beyond Japan’s borders. Its founding meeting was held in Guam in a symbolic gesture referencing Guam’s history as the site of some of World War II’s battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
How is SGI-UK commemorating the 50th anniversary of the SGI?
Towards 26th January 2025, the 50th anniversary of SGI’s founding, SGI-UK have created a range of public events across the UK, which have centred around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals through the Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition. The final “stop” on our roadmap (or perhaps the beginning) is celebrating this key anniversary in our districts and local communities – where we believe peace and sustainability begin. See our visual roadmap here.
How can we incorporate the Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition into our discussion meeting?
Wonderfully, we have access to a virtual version of the Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition, meaning you can include this in your discussion meeting with ease! Check out the context around the exhibition here.
Is there any particular study material we can use as direction towards our celebratory discussion meeting?
As SGI-UK, we are studying SGI President Daisaku Ikeda’s serialised novel called The New Human Revolution, which chronicles the development of the Soka Gakkai in Japan and SGI around the world. In particular, we are focusing on ‘SGI Chapter’ (in Volume 21), which we recommend studying towards January 2025’s discussion meetings!
What is the purpose of this toolkit?
This toolkit, a collection of tips, inspiration and ideas pulled together by the SGI-UK youth, is simply to support your district discussion meetings in January with theme ideas, meeting ideas, quotes to ponder, access to the virtual Seeds of Hope and Action exhibition, and more.
