The Proud Mission of Our Most Trusted Members

A primary function of the Soka Gakkai is to provide a network of care for every member to carry out their Buddhist practice joyfully and overcome their hardships. Crucial to its success in this endeavor is the active support of senior members, who can provide a lifeline for those younger in faith. This is the proud mission of those appointed to the role of member care advisor, the SGI-USA’s most trusted members. Ikeda Sensei elaborates on the mission of the guidance division members, equivalent to member care advisors, in the following excerpts from The New Human Revolution.

“Guidance division members are experienced practitioners with a long history of using their Buddhist faith to surmount countless challenges to achieve victory. Their lives shine. They are role models in faith. When they fully exert themselves in fostering the younger generation and offering members personal encouragement in faith, they continue to generate a powerful momentum for kosen-rufu.” (vol. 25, p. 8)

“I am calling upon you, the treasures of kosen-rufu in the guidance division, to sensitively offer encouragement to everyone based on your solid faith and long years of experience. …

“Please reach out to offer support and encouragement in faith to those who are troubled, or ill, or losing their conviction; to members who are exhausted, attached to self-centered views or full of complaint. And continue talking with them sincerely with the determination that not a single member gets left behind. Your conviction and wealth of experience in faith are the most powerful asset in such an endeavor.

“The guidance division is a golden pillar of faith supporting kosen-rufu in every part of our organization and in every region. Please become a model for our fellow members and a dependable source of support, so that everyone feels reassured by your presence and proud to practice together with you.” (NHR-26, 107–09)