Soka Gakkai is Japanese for "value creation." It is a sect from Japan that is growing in popularity in India and America, especially among the young.Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was in the news recently when Motilal Banarsidass, publisher of spirituality-related books, conferred the first MLBD Indology Award for Indic research and Oriental wisdom on SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, who resides in Japan.
So much enthusiasm
At the award function in New Delhi, their infectious enthusiasm to reach out was striking: Young SGI volunteers were waiting to eagerly welcome everyone....
Value creation
As the "society for value creation," members try to live the philosophy of "humanism." They follow Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren Daishonin was a Japanese Buddhist monk who lived in the 13th century. Nichiren asserted that every individual has the power to become enlightened, to overcome life's inevitable challenges, to live a life of value, and to become a positive influence in the community, society, and the world. Today with 12 million followers worldwide, SGI focuses on developing positive human potentialities for hope, courage, and altruistic action. Its Indian affiliate, the Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) has over 50,000 members, mostly in big cities, but the movement is spreading to small towns. More