Soaring Higher for the Peace of the Land!

Valerie Brady: I was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism in the late 1980s. I felt a void in my life and questioned the purpose of my existence and humanity. From my first SGI discussion meeting, I knew this practice was for me because it involved fulfilling a personal mission in life. 

A few years later, I joined the Memphis Police Department where I served as a patrol officer, crisis intervention officer and investigator. 

I’d witnessed countless acts of inhumanity as an officer but could always turn to chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to revive my determination to create value. 

Steve Johnson: I’ve been chanting for 25 years. I was invited to an SGI meeting shortly after moving to Los Angeles, and I joined soon after that. Everything about Buddhism made sense to me, and in the process of my practice over the two decades, I have transitioned into public service.

I was in the U.S. Air Force for over 12 years. After the military, I was drawn into a career in law enforcement. 

While not an easy career—in law enforcement, we usually encounter people on the worst day of their lives—through the power of chanting to the Gohonzon, I’ve been able to use wisdom and compassion in dealing with people in often chaotic scenarios. I’ve learned to build trust with those in society, whom I serve, and my colleagues. Today, I have the honor of being the president of our local labor union.

Donna Hinton: I was introduced to Buddhism in the late 1980s in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I was stationed in the military. A friend of mine gave me this introductory book to read. It provided many reasonable answers to questions about life I couldn’t find elsewhere. After moving to Los Angeles, I joined the SGI.

At the time, being in the military and practicing Buddhism almost felt like an oxymoron. A women’s division member encouraged me, however, to chant to discover my mission in life. After chanting for a year, I made the determination to use my stay in the military as a bridge for peace.

In over 30 years, I’ve been deployed to Panama, Haiti, Iraq and other places of conflict around the world, which included many humanitarian missions. And on every mission before leaving the military in 2012, I served with the determination to somehow create peace.

I’m currently employed in contract management at the Department of Defense supporting our men and women now in uniform with the same mission.

The theme of the upcoming FNCC conference is “Soaring Higher for the Peace of the Land!” What is the significance?

Steve: Every day, there’s some type of incident in the news of someone being degraded or abused. This theme of “Soaring Higher” is about establishing in our environment one of the main tenets of our Buddhist practice: the fundamental equality of life.

In September 1991, Ikeda Sensei gave a speech in Los Angeles where he spoke about this point. He stated: 

The purpose of Buddhism is to bring out the Buddha nature that all people inherently possess, to awaken people to it and to enable them to attain Buddhahood. Moreover, the Lotus Sutra does not allow for any discrimination; all people are equally entitled to salvation. Thus, to deny equality is to deny the Lotus Sutra.^[1]

So, our theme this year is really about elevating our lives through Buddhist practice and continuing to soar higher in our own human revolution while teaching others to do the same.

The SGI-USA youth presented a bold, collective vision to enable many young people to begin their Buddhist practice by the 100th birthday of Ikeda Sensei. What role does your group play in helping young people create hope for the future?

Donna: On military bases throughout the country, there are dedicated SGI members conducting introduction-to-Buddhism meetings. Over 90% of the guests in attendance are youth.

I feel that young people who are going through the military, especially if they’re being deployed, are really seeking a spiritual connection. Hundreds attend our introduction meetings each year, exposing them to the garden of Soka. That seed will remain in their hearts forever.

Valerie: I was involved in community policing, where I would meet the youth where they were—in all sorts of life conditions. And so many times, just me saying something nice, acknowledging something positive they may have done—regardless of the mistakes they made in the past—often elicited an appreciative response. I always made sure I let them know that I valued their lives.

Many of the youth I dealt with were in gangs and lived in rough neighborhoods, but I respected their Buddha nature. That’s how I was able to survive and thrive—by building trust in the community.

---

Active Duty and Veterans Military/First Responders Conference 

Nov. 7–10, 2025, Florida Nature and Culture Center

To register, visit portal.sgi-usa.org, select “My Conferences” and
“Conference Schedule.”

September 19, 2025 World Tribune, p. 8