• Buddhism Day by Day: Guard the Truth of Life
• Itai Doshin
• Buddhism Day by Day: Live with a Dancing Spirit

Hello from the the southernmost city in the continental USA, Key West, Florida. We have SGI meetings at my home every week or so. Please come by and chant with us if you’re in the area!

Mark Meyer

the.old.grump@gmail.com

Hi! I am Carol from SGI Philippines! It is always revitalizing and inspiring to read your messages!
I have come to practice the stand-alone spirit at work when I had to move our from my comfort zone in pursuit of better career. Had I not developed myself as a Young Woman’s Division member and leader, I couldn’t have survived the harshness reality offers.

Submitted on 2008/06/02 at 11:53pm

HI FRIEND.
I´M MEMBER OF THE SOKA GAKKAI INTERNACIONAL.
I LIVE IN LIMA-PERU.

MY ADRESS ELECTRONIC IS:

alfredo.valverde@hotmail.com

good bye.
RONALD ALFREDO VALVERDE Y.
LIMA-PERU

Submitted on 2008/03/15 at 2:04pm

Hi NHRK, I am a Soka Member from New Dehi, India. We would to show your video “March 16th Introductory’ during our Zadankai tomorrow. Is it possible for you to send us the downloadable file of the same.

Please reply

My coordinates are.

Rajesh Kumar Maini
rajeshkumarmaini@gmail.com
Tel: +91 989 911 6433

Thank you for such a wonderful experience. Just wandering through looking for great SGI sites and found this Center City district blog area. Keep up the good work.

Well done!

I’d be interested to know more about how the clandestine SGI members cope & see their world… any chance you can get them to share that with us? I think it is quite important.

–TO MY FRIENDS–
Our society is in
an evil age defiled by the five impurities.(*)
Don’t be deceived by fraud.
Let’s watch out for one another to ensure
that we see through and detect cunning lies.
Let’s protect the safety zone of our
respective communities.

(*)They refer to the impurity of the age, of desire, of living beings,
of thought (or view), and of life span.

Above is a translation of “To My Friends” that is based on President
Ikeda’s recent guidance, published in the Seikyo Shimbun.

–わが友に贈る–
五濁悪世の社会だ。
詐欺に騙されるな！
皆で声を掛け合い
巧妙な嘘を見破れ！
地域の安全地帯を護れ！

–WAGA TOMO NI OKURU–
GOJOKU-AKUSE NO SHAKAI DA.
SAGI NI DAMASARERU NA!
MINA DE KOE WO KAKE AI
KOMYO NA USO WO MIYABURE!
CHIIKI NO ANZEN CHITAI WO MAMORE!

The third day in Buenos Aires was chilly, as I had been told it would be. I ran down to the door to find a bald young man with a expressive face waiting for me. His name was Jorge and he was here to take Brooke and I out to eat some real Arengtinian food. Brooke was tired so it was just “solamente mi” I said.

He answered back in a fragmented and strange English which still far surpassed my Spanish. As we walked the long blocks to the Empanada restaurant, I pieced together that he had been an actor, but was now an art journalist and an artist. I tired to tell him that I had been a teacher and was now a writer, but I couldn’t come up with the Spanish past tense, so I mostly let him talk.

When we arrived in the small, warm restaurant, Jorge was greated with smiles and hellos from all the people who worked their, especially the owner. His personality was large, like him, and his smile warm and laughing. As he became more comfortable, he spoke about art in Buenos Aires and the complications of its social structures and heirarchies. He told me about his father, Jorge Porcel de Parelta, and who had been a famous comedian in Argentina. And as he spoke with passion and energy about the world, I had this echo of a thought: “He has the same energy as the most vibrant of SGI members.”

The previous six months I had lived with my parents in Largo FLorida and hadn’t joined up with the local SGI community. I had my gohonzon in my room, but I was in a soliatary frame of mind and kept it that way. I had forgotten about the texture and power of those who are chanting- that vibration that makes you feel like anything is possible.

He asked me if I wanted to go dancing later and of course I said yes. We talked for another hour and then left to go pick up a friend of his. As we were walking through the Jewish section on Palermo, Buenos Aires, it prompted me to ask his religion. He said, “Lately I have been practicing Buddhism.”

We had settled on French for communication since we both knew it better than we knew each other’s languages, so I said I French.

“Oh! I practice Buddhism, too.”

“What type?” he asked.

Trying to get it right, I said, “Je pratique un bouddhisme japonais…”

And that was all I needed to say before he stopped and grabbed my arm, “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo?” he said.

“Yes!”

We gave each other a huge hug, the kind you would do finding a long-lost family member.

“I should have known!” I said, “You felt like an SGI member!”

I don’t find it very easy to be a part of a community or to stay strong in my practice, but I believe that these sort of coincidences have happened far for me not to not be amazed, awed, and delighted by them. My travels in South Africa, New York State, Argentina, and other states always show me again and again that SGI members really are of one heart. It is a beautiful thing.

Please, if you have any experiences like this to share, write in and we’ll post it for everyone to read.

A very sweet blog by an SGI member in Italy. http://www.esterdaphne.blogspot.com/

The annual May 3rd contribution campaign is underway!

May 3rd is a very special time in the SGI, commemorating the founding of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, April 28, and Soka Gakkai Day, May 3. It is also a particularly good opportunity to show appreciation for the organization and to help keep it running for the sake of world peace (kosen rufu).

Click on the butterfly to contribute to world peace!

Want to Share?

Center City District blog invites you to submit an experience about contributing to kosen rufu.

Click on the red flowers to submit your story.

The April 2007 Calendar is now posted at the Center City District blog’s Calendar page. Check back every month for an updated calendar.

(photo by Victor Alvarez)