January 2026 Living Buddhism

Gongyo—which includes reciting portions of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapters of the Lotus Sutra morning and evening—is part of daily practice for Nichiren Buddhists. This series carries Ikeda Sensei’s explanations of gongyo. This section, part of the prose section of the “Life Span” chapter, is no longer recited

This section features Ikeda Sensei’s seminal guidance to the members of the United States. The following is an excerpt of his speech given at the SGI-USA Culture and Science Executive Conference, Los Angeles, California, January 28, 1993. The full speech can be found in My Dear Friends in America, fourth edition, pp. 223–28. Today’s conference

Drawing strength from my Buddhist practice, I become a pillar for my family, pursue my dreams and share my journey to inspire others. I’m Jonathan Cheng of New York.

SGI-USA General Director Adin Strauss talks about the significance of the chapter kickoff meetings and the spirit with which to advance in 2026. Living Buddhism: This month, chapters across the SGI-USA will be gathering for chapter kickoff meetings. Can you talk about the significance and role of the chapter? Adin Strauss: It was as a

This lecture is part of the “The Buddhism of the Sun—Illuminating the World” series, originally published in the October 2018 Living Buddhism. It can be found in Champions of Hope. The Buddhas] have exerted themselves bravely and vigorously” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 56). My mentor, second Soka Gakkai President

Please present the 3-minute Gosho (pp. 40–41) at your discussion meetings. For the main study portion of the meeting, you can choose to expand on the 3-minute Gosho or choose from one of the following: 1) What Do You Think? (pp. 42–43)2) Material from any recent issue of the World Tribune or Living Buddhism. 3

Ikeda Wisdom Academy members: • are group through national youth leaders and all student division members.• should have their own copy of The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4.• are encouraged to read the assigned material before each meeting. December Syllabus: The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 4, pp. 277–304Part Three: “The Life

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

Learning From the Momentous Struggle of Nikko Shonin

Ikeda Sensei’s serialized novel The New Human Revolution chronicles the history of the Soka Gakkai following his inauguration in 1960 as its third president. It carries practical guidance on how to expand our movement for kosen-rufu and hundreds of experiences of inner transformation. Sensei appears in the novel as Shin’ichi Yamamoto. The following takes place

The day was June 20, 1991. I had arrived in the early evening the day before from sun-drenched Trets in the south of France. … A downtown hotel room was my base for the day’s activities. I left and entered the room many times, and whenever I returned, I went to the window and looked