CategoryOn Campus

Ayu Nakazaki and Koichi Onogi, the SGI-USA student division leaders, introduce a new series in the Living Buddhism called “3 Steps Ahead! A Guide to Thriving in College and in Life.” Academics, relationships, time management, self-worth. The list of challenges facing college students goes on. Amid busy schedules, it’s difficult to discern: What do I

The SoCal-Pacific Territory Student Division members held a Q&A session with SGI General Director Yoshiki Tanigawa on October 9, 2025, at the South Orange County Buddhist Center in Laguna Hills, California.

Ikeda Sensei felt the time had come for the philosophy of Buddhism, rooted in human rights and peace, to be transmitted to the world. On August 31, 1962, he began his lectures on The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings for student division representatives. The following excerpt recounts his first lecture with 40 student division

by Dee Gopi and Koichi Onogi SGI-USA Student Division Leaders Thank you for all your incredible support of the student division! June’s student division conference at the SGI-USA Florida Nature Culture Center was a great success, bringing together students from across the country. Many participants formed friendships sure to last a lifetime and resolved to

“At Soka, we believe that education does not begin when you choose an area of study or take an exam,” said Ian Read, the associate dean of faculty, addressing the Class of 2029 during the academic opening session on Aug. 7. “Education begins when you start to ask meaningful questions about yourself and think about

A new student- and youth-focused exhibit to empower youth.

Shin’ichi Yamamoto, Ikeda Sensei’s character in The New Human Revolution, meets with some 50 members of the student division amid student demonstrations at the University of Tokyo that turned violent. This scene unfolds in response to a question that a student asked Shin’ichi: “How can we best lead our lives as people dedicated to realizing

In this excerpt from The New Human Revolution, vol. 22, Shin’ichi Yamamoto, Ikeda Sensei’s character in the novel, speaks to young women’s student division members at the Soka Culture Center at the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Shinanomachi, Tokyo.  Shin’ichi Yamamoto said with emphasis: “Nichiren Buddhism enables us to transform our karma, achieve our human revolution

The following excerpts from Ikeda Sensei’s lecture to the student division members can be found in the March 2020 Living Buddhism, pp. 51–59. The Soka Gakkai student division was established at a time when our organization was being viciously attacked by the authorities.  On June 30, 1957, with second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda in

ALISO VIEJO, Calif.—A clear trend has emerged among Soka students: Between 70% and 80% will enter the workforce upon graduation. In today’s rapidly shifting job market, even the most well-prepared graduates can feel uncertain about the next steps after earning their degree. To bridge this gap, Soka University of America (SUA) has launched the Career

In this excerpt from The New Human Revolution, vol. 28, Shin’ichiYamamoto, Ikeda Sensei’s character in the novel, speaks to student division members at a meeting commemorating the student division’s 21st anniversary. Congratulating the student division on its 21st anniversary, Shin’ichi Yamamoto began his speech recalling how his father, who had run a seaweed processing business,

Starting this year, the student division is now a stand-alone division that encompasses youth between the ages of 18–25 attending college. With this change, the SGI-USA appointed new student division leaders, Dee Gopi and Koichi Onogi, in January. In the following interview, the new leaders spoke about the significance of the student division and their

This excerpt is from part 4 of Ikeda Sensei’s lecture “To My Friends of Each Division Engaged in Our Shared Struggle.” It was originally published in the March 2020 Living Buddhism, p. 58.  The Spanish philosopher José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955) deplored how in modern times people had lost their way in life: On the

In this excerpt from volume 6 of The New Human Revolution, Ikeda Sensei writes about an editorial he penned for the April 1962 issue of the Daibyakurenge, titled “To the Student Division,” in which he offers guidelines to the student division members. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto.  Revealing his high hopes for

In a new era for the student division, it has become a stand-alone division that will include youth between the ages of 18–25 enrolled in college, university or other forms of post secondary education. Youth 18 and older not in college will remain in their respective young men’s and young women’s divisions. While the student