“In any age when people come to the fore, you will find newspapers providing the impetus.”[1]
—Ikeda Sensei
[Josei Toda] was always thinking about the future of kosen-rufu. At a time when his business was facing serious financial challenges, he set out to start a newspaper that would communicate the essence of Nichiren Buddhism. The first issue of the Seikyo Shimbun (Sacred Teachings Newspaper) was published on April 20, 1951, just before President Toda was inaugurated as second Soka Gakkai president.
In the last seven decades, the Seikyo Shimbun has become a daily newspaper in Japan with a circulation of over 5 million readers worldwide. The Soka Gakkai World Seikyo Center, the new official building of the Seikyo Shimbun, was opened in 2019 as a manifestation of the triumph of mentor and disciple.
SISTER PUBLICATIONS: The U.S. newspaper, World Tribune, printed its first edition in August 1964. Around the same time, SGI newspapers were also introduced in France, Brazil, West Germany, Hong Kong and Peru.
EPIC: Thirty volumes of The New Human Revolution were serialized in 6,469 installments in the Seikyo Shimbun from August 6, 1993, to September 8, 2018.
Soka University
Amid dire personal circumstances in November 1950, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda shared with Ikeda Sensei his hopes of establishing a Soka university for the sake of humanity’s future. The establishment of a school system based on Soka humanism was the dream of founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi. In the 21 years that followed, Sensei devoted himself to actualizing the vision of Presidents Makiguchi and Toda.
Soka University in Hachioji, Japan, opened its doors on April 2, 1971. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the university’s establishment.
The university’s founding principles are:
1. Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education
2. Be the cradle of a new culture
3. Be a fortress for the peace of humankind
Today, Soka University graduates are playing leading roles in various fields throughout the world.
References
- September 5, 2014, World Tribune, p. 3.
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