On Oct. 2, 1960, Ikeda Sensei traveled to the United States as his first step for worldwide kosen-rufu. The first discussion meeting in the United States took place that day. Fewer than 30 people, including children, gathered. At the end of the meeting, Sensei proposed the establishment of the first district outside of Japan, the Hawaii District.
During that first trip abroad, Sensei went on to establish 17 districts and two chapters not only in the United States but in two other countries as well. These efforts laid the foundation for kosen-rufu in America and created a framework for members to carry out their Buddhist practice, centered on the heart of our movement, the district discussion meeting.
In San Francisco, Sensei spoke to newly appointed leaders of Nevada District, emphasizing the importance of each district as the foundation of the Soka Gakkai. “One could even say that the district itself is the Soka Gakkai,” Sensei said. Though the district had only a few members at the time, he established it “with a view toward the future—three, five or ten years from now” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 1, revised edition, p. 114).
That spirit of looking toward the future can be seen throughout Sensei’s 27 visits to the United States. From his first journey in October 1960 to his last in June 1996, he spent 386 days in the United States, building the foundation of lasting peace in what he described as a nation that represents humanity’s future.
In the 1970s, Sensei presented his vision for world peace, including his first overseas university lecture, “The Enduring Self,” at UCLA on April 1, 1974. Speaking to 600 students, faculty and guests, he introduced Buddhist principles largely unfamiliar to Western society and urged a shift from a civilization focused on the “lesser self” to one grounded in the “greater self.”
In the 1980s, Sensei reestablished the SGI-USA youth division and dedicated to its members the poem, “To My Beloved Young American Friends—Youthful Bodhisattvas of the Earth.” In it, he wrote, “Faith is the source from which all solutions flow” (The Sun of Youth, p. 72).
By his final visit in 1996, Sensei had dedicated himself to laying the foundation of kosen-rufu in America. On July 5, one day before his departure, he told the U.S. members, “Your very existence is the hope of all humankind.”
Over the six decades, those first districts grew into more than 2,400 districts and over 500 chapters nationwide. What began with fewer than 30 people at that first discussion meeting continues today through the efforts of one person encouraging another.
The “One Youth. Infinite Hope” campaign spurs us to introduce young people to Buddhism and help them begin their practice this year. Determining and taking action to share Buddhism with young people generates great hope.
The history of Oct. 2 reminds us that the great movement of kosen-rufu began with individual efforts. Just as Sensei took action for the future beginning with a small gathering in 1960, we can create the next chapter of worldwide propagation by reaching out to one youth.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
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