TagStudent Division

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

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

The student-focused exhibition will be brought to university campuses nationwide.

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

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

Starting this year, the student division is now a stand-alone division that encompasses youth between the ages of 18–25 attending college. Alongside this change, the SGI-USA appointed new student division leaders, Dee Gopi and Koichi Onogi. The World Tribune spoke with the two to hear about the significance of the student division and their vision

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

by Olivia Cassetta and Max HeineSGI-USA Student Division Leaders On Sept. 8, 1957, in front of 50,000 youth at Mitsuzawa Stadium in Yokohama, Japan, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda made a historic declaration condemning nuclear weapons as an “absolute evil.” He went on to declare: “We, the citizens of the world, have an inviolable

Dr. Ira Helfand discusses nuclear disarmament with the SGI-USA student division.

This year’s student division conference at the Florida Nature and Culture Center will be joined by Dr. Ira Helfand, co-president of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which received the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. He is also on the steering committee of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), which received the

Sixty-five years after second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda founded the student division on June 30, 1957, SGI-USA members gathered for the Student Division Conference, their first at the Florida Nature and Culture Center (FNCC) in over three years.  Inspired by Ikeda Sensei’s 2019 FNCC message to the student division, in which he called upon

Living Buddhism met with student division members from various fields of study to discuss their thoughts on abolishing nuclear weapons in the current climate as well as the crucial role dialogue plays in creating a harmonious society. Living Buddhism: Thank you for joining us. We’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts on nuclear abolition. Can

This month, we celebrate 65 years since second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda founded the student division on June 30, 1957. SGI-USA student division members are striving to expose their friends on campus to the power of Nichiren Buddhism to discover the great purpose of their lives. Ikeda Sensei recalled guidance from Mr. Toda on

65 Years of the Student Division

Brian Angulo •  New York Reading Choose Life was my first deep dive into Ikeda Sensei’s dialogues. In reading this dialogue, I learned how I can relate Buddhist philosophy to global issues. I was impressed by how Arnold J. Toynbee and Sensei came from different cultural, religious and linguistic backgrounds but were able to find