This year, we mark the 95th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s founding, on Nov. 18, and the second anniversary of Ikeda Sensei’s passing on Nov. 15. How can we best commemorate these significant milestones? In an age of division and mistrust, the November district general meetings represent an oasis, where members and their friends can come together as equals to discuss Buddhism and its real application to their daily lives. And so the focus is on enabling as many people as possible to attend these meetings and come into contact with the warmth and humanity that pervade the Soka family.
This year also represents a challenge: Can we shake up our discussion meeting plans—finding new and creative formats that foster a family-like atmosphere and attract youth, while taking steps to hold meetings at homes within our local neighborhoods.
The World Tribune sat down with two district leaders to learn how their local organizations are creating fresh and innovative ways to hold district discussion meetings and the real impact it’s having on the members, youth and friends who attend.
Building a Place to Return to
by Livia Chen
Weston South District Young Women’s Leader
My district has so many fun and cheerful activities during our discussion meetings! One of my favorite activities is “Lotus Café.” We choose an article from the World Tribune or Living Buddhism and create a skit based on its theme. We perform this at the meeting with background music and a mug in hand, as if we’re at a café. This helps people understand Buddhist concepts in a fun and engaging way.
During the discussion portion for one of our larger meetings, we broke into smaller groups so everyone’s voice could be heard, and each group had a facilitator. For one of the breakout groups, my mother and another women’s division leader led one of the breakout groups on the topic “Potlucks and Sharing Meals—‘A Kind of Social Glue’” (Nov. 8, 2024, World Tribune, p. 10). They talked about how sharing Buddhism is similar to sharing food, so there were refreshments for their group! We rotated the groups because every breakout had a different topic, and people loved it! It was a fun way to learn about Buddhism because it feels like part of our everyday life rather than something separate from reality. This excitement creates momentum for fun and creative discussion meetings.
What transformed our district was taking our planning meetings seriously. We make a detailed plan of who will reach out to whom and assign roles, like emcee or discussion facilitators, almost a month in advance of the meeting. This gives us plenty of time to prepare and take concrete action like reaching out to people and creating presentations, activities or skits. By attending the planning meeting, I felt the power to change the discussion meeting. Our unity and communication as a district team has sparked creativity in our meetings.
My determination is to have at least five guests, including two to three youth guests, for the November district general meeting! Having experienced the loss of connection during and after COVID, I want to create discussion meetings where people keep coming back—a place to return to. I want everyone to feel the reassurance that no matter what, our district will always be here for them and that we will stay strong together.
Creating a True District Family
by Ryan Potoff
Wood Canyon District Men’s Leader
In January 2024, when our district women’s division leader and I were appointed, we worked with our youth to create a shared vision for Wood Canyon District. At that time, we held meetings at our local SGI-USA center with an average of 12 members and rarely any guests. I personally felt like something was missing from our meetings. While everyone was sincere and warm, our meetings felt rigid, and members left soon after, with little time for meaningful connection.
To make a change, we established three clear goals: expand to 20 average attendees each meeting; welcome at least two guests per meeting; and, most importantly, transform our district into a true family. We also determined to find a district home.
We set goals for home visits, confirmed who would be attending, and brought more food to encourage dialogue and connection after the meetings.
After nearly a year, we saw no significant changes but continued to make efforts to transform our district. We determined to never give up. Then, one by one, we began reaching our goals.
After our October 2024 discussion meeting, my family moved into a new home large enough to host discussion meetings. We proudly hosted our December meeting just days after moving in! We also started having weekly chanting sessions in our new district home.
Before our March meeting, we brainstormed fresh approaches. Our youth suggested doing gongyo in the middle of the discussion meeting and switching to a premeeting potluck. The results were immediate—23 members attended, and the atmosphere was completely transformed with joyful dialogue before and after.
In April, we welcomed 20 people to our discussion meeting including our first guest of the year. In May, three guests, a family, attended their first district meeting at our home and shared how happy they were to meet their “district family”—even the words they chose to describe it were proof that our determination was manifesting.
In July, Pavan, Pavani and Jai received the Gohonzon, becoming members of the SGI-USA, and shared an experience expressing profound appreciation for their district family and the joy of being able to raise their only son in the garden of Soka.
Our determination is to continue to create a family-like district attracting families wanting to raise their children in the garden of our Soka district. Toward 2028, we are determined to report to Ikeda Sensei that our district continues to expand and that each member is experiencing undeniable victories and sharing those victories with their friends.
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