As part of a nationwide initiative, SGI-USA youth have launched a petition encouraging each member to introduce at least one young person to Buddhist practice this year.
SGI-USA young women’s and young men’s leaders share firsthand how they are putting this determination into action through one-to-one dialogue and daily encouragement.
Introducing Buddhism Through Prayer, Care and Everyday Connection
by Amelia Gonzalez Tesch
SGI-USA Young Women’s Leader
Happy New Year! On Jan. 1, as youth, we expressed our commitment to advance kosen-rufu this year like never before, introducing a petition as a way for everyone to join in the effort to introduce at least one new youth this year.
Right now, I am introducing two friends to Buddhism. One is a former neighbor who now lives in Atlanta and another is my daughter’s babysitter.
In both cases, I am doing my best to deepen my prayer for their happiness and to be someone in their life who brings hope and courage no matter what they are going through. My babysitter has even shared that she thinks Buddhism could really help her mom. Just dialoguing with her about Buddhism is so refreshing. I also have another neighbor who has a young daughter, and I continue to share Buddhism with her as well. Recently she went back to work, so I was telling her how I had been adjusting when I returned to work myself. She really appreciated it, and then out of the blue she messaged me that she had to take her daughter to the hospital.
Right away I began chanting for her daughter, and I shared with her about chanting as well. I sent her a passage from Nichiren Daishonin’s writings that says: “Wherever your daughter may frolic or play, no harm will come to her; she will move about without fear like the lion king” (“Reply to Kyo’o,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 412).
She messaged me thanking me and said that when she goes back to work, she’s going to put that passage in her locker. Another member also joined me in chanting for her daughter. When I told my friend this, she was so thankful.
Her daughter left the hospital totally cleared and healthy.
I really feel that our efforts to share Buddhism with our neighbors can change people’s lives. Each of us, whatever we are going through, as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, has a mission to use our problems as the source of showing the amazing benefit of the Gohonzon.
Turning a Chance Encounter Into a Determined Step for Kosen-rufu
by Kenichi Hackman
SGI-USA Young Men’s Leader
When I went to the SGI training course last September, I met a young man on the flight to Japan sitting across the aisle. He was very talkative and having conversations with the others in his row. I was trying to cram and read a couple chapters from The New Human Revolution that took place in the cities we were visiting, and I kept getting distracted. I even thought to myself, “Man, this guy just won’t shut up.”
Then it dawned on me that I had been chanting to meet a youth to share Buddhism with—and here I was, sitting two feet away from someone who looked to be in his 20s and clearly open to conversation. So I closed my book, looked up and we started to talk. We talked for an hour and a half. While 30,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean, I learned that we actually live only 15 minutes away from each other in Los Angeles.
I shared a Nam-myoho-renge-kyo card with him and we exchanged contacts before arriving in Japan. By stopping what I was doing to reach out to him, I realized that the young man who had been annoying me at first was actually my neighbor and interested in Buddhism.
Since then, he has been to one of my district’s discussion meetings, and I’ve had dinner with him and the local young men’s leader in his area. I learned that he has a huge fear of cockroaches, that his family is Filipino but from a region that speaks Bisaya. He also shared his personal struggles and how he’s been looking for a philosophy to live a better life.
The last time we hung out, I asked him if next time he could come over so we could chant together for the first time—he said yes. On that same visit, he shared that the trip where we met was very significant for him. He met his girlfriend on that trip, but he also said it was significant because he met me and feels he has a great new friend. I feel the same way about him.
I am determined that he will start his Buddhist practice with the SGI-USA this year.
The Petition
Since Jan. 1, thousands of members have signed the petition making a clear determination to personally support the happiness and growth of one young person this year by having them begin their Buddhist practice.
With this shared determination, SGI-USA members are stepping forward to unite with the youth to shape the future of kosen-rufu—one young person at a time.
To all SGI-USA Members,
The youth of SGI-USA are committed to taking the initiative to create a peaceful, harmonious community where everyone in our environment can be absolutely happy, starting with ourselves. Though it may seem to be the long way to achieve this, our conviction is that the direct way to make this a reality is by meeting one-to-one, having heartfelt dialogues and sharing our Buddhist practice with everyone around us.
Ikeda Sensei says: “Kosen-rufu is a comprehensive revolution based on the revolution of the individual. … The effort to introduce Buddhism to a single individual and thereby transform [their] life is the most gradual and certain path of nonviolent revolution. Furthermore, to live dedicated to kosen-rufu is the best way of life for a genuine reformer” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 14, revised edition, pp. 19–20).
By signing this petition, you are committing to introducing at least one youth this year to start their Buddhist practice with the SGI-USA. Together, we can transform society and elevate the life condition of humanity.
Let’s promise to achieve this together!
Click here to sign the petition.
January 16, 2026 World Tribune, pp. 6–7
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