HARMONY - January 2013

DEAR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF SGI,

Happy New Year and happy Year Of Victory For A Youthful SGI!
The Harmony team would like to thank you for all your support in 2012 and we look forward to helping you deepen your understanding of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism in 2013.
This year’s theme is one that should be embraced by all members of the SGI, not just the youth division. A youthful SGI has nothing to do with age but everything to do with spirit; an attitude of optimism and hope, not pessimism and despair. One working tirelessly, not only for one’s own happiness, but also for the happiness of others. Fully embracing the spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple is a key component to this youthfulness. If you want proof of this, just look at President Ikeda. I am sure that everyone would agree that he is the embodiment of victory and a youthful spirit.
The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted across the world for thousands of years. We, in the SGI, have access to such a fountain, anytime we want; it is our Buddhist practice. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a correct attitude, reading the works of Nichiren Daishonin, the encouragement of President Ikeda, and participating in SGI activities, we are able to tap this fountain of youth and lead fulfilling and happy lives..the Month
President Ikeda reminds us of the following:
“The real meaning of youth has nothing to do with physical age. In Buddhist terms, youth means to consistently maintain an open, flexible and tolerant mind.”
“Life loses its dynamism from the moment we lose the passion with which to live it. No matter what our age, we cannot afford to let the flame within our heart grow dim. We do not become unhappy because we grow old. We become unhappy only when we grow ever more unwilling to change as we age.”

“Youthfulness is not determined by age. It is determined by one’s life force. One who possesses hope is forever young. One who continually advances is forever beautiful.”

(http://www.ikedaquotes.org/youth-aging)

Let’s set big goals for 2013, chant to our hearts’ content and take courageous action to make our wildest dreams become reality.
Happy Year Of Victory For A Youthful SGI!
Skip Williams

Available at all HKSGI Culture Centres

Peace Proposal by SGI President Daisaku IKeda

In his 30th annual peace proposal, released on January 26, Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist association, calls for a nuclear abolition summit to be held in 2015 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to ensure that the growing momentum toward abolition of nuclear weapons becomes irreversible.

Holding this summit on the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings of these cities, and in the year of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, would bring home to world leaders the terrible destructive capacity of nuclear weapons and help ensure the necessary action toward their abolition, thereby marking the effective end of the nuclear weapons era.

In this year’s proposal, titled “Human Security and Sustainability: Sharing Reverence for the Dignity of Life,” Ikeda points to the possibility of a more hopeful phase in the struggle to realize a nuclear-free world, seeing signs of a tipping point where a “cascade” of governments will support adoption of a Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC) to comprehensively ban nuclear weapons.

Ikeda, who has been engaged in the antinuclear movement since the late 1950s, strongly reaffirms his endorsement of the idea of an NWC, stating that we must take “the determination … that humanity and nuclear weapons cannot coexist, and give it concrete form as a binding legal agreement expressing the shared conscience of humankind.”

He calls for formation of an action group for an NWC, comprising supportive governments and NGOs, and urges that if arguments from the perspectives of human rights and sustainability are mustered alongside those from international humanitarian law, this will expand the groundswell of grassroots efforts pushing for nuclear weapons abolition.

Reflecting on the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, Ikeda urges Japan to make a rapid transition to energy policies not reliant on nuclear power generation, and to intensify its involvement in renewable energy technology and research, both domestically and to support efforts in developing countries. He calls for a strengthening of the global role of the IAEA in dealing with the impacts of nuclear power plant accidents and the decommissioning of obsolescent reactors.
Considering the suffering caused by an increasing prevalence of natural disasters around the world, Ikeda calls for responses to be centered on a human rights approach and proposes that UNHCR’s mandate be officially expanded to include provision of relief for people displaced by such disasters. He also stresses the importance of empowering women to play a greater role in disaster prevention, mitigation and recovery efforts.
Toward the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development being held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Ikeda calls for a broader debate on the concept of Sustainable Development Goals to follow the Millennium Development Goals from 2015. He urges a comprehensive approach that will address the full range of sustainability and human security concerns in both developing and developed countries.
Read a synopsis of the proposal at: http://www.sgi.org/sgipresident/proposals/peace/2012.html

Daisaku Ikeda, 84, has issued proposals analyzing the key issues facing humankind on January 26 every year since 1983, commemorating SGI’s founding on that date in 1975. He offers insight from a Buddhist perspective and makes concrete suggestions in a spirit of contribution to the global dialogue centered around the United Nations. Many of his proposals have borne fruit.
Soka Gakkai International is a socially engaged Buddhist association with over 12 million members around the world.

This week on SGI YouTube Channel -Mexico Antinuclear Exhibition

http://www.youtube.com/user/SGIVideosOnline

Contribution towards flood relief efforts in Taiwan

Members of the SGI Hong Kong raised HK$300,000 for the people in Taiwan affected by the flooding caused by Typhoon Morakot.

Morakot brought torrential rain to Taiwan on August 7-8 that led to disastrous damage to the eastern and southern parts of the island.

On August 11, a typhoon-spawned mudslide engulfed a mountain village in Kaohsiung, burying most of the villagers – one of the worst disasters in the past 50 years.

The day before, rescue command centres were set up at all Taiwan Soka Association community centres.

In Hong Kong, fund raising boxes were available at all culture centres to collect members’ donation between August 14 and 31 to help the relief efforts in Taiwan.

A cheque of HK$300,000 was presented to Chung Hwa Travel Service’s Managing Director Jeff Yang and Senior Manager William Pao on September 17 by SGI Hong Kong General Director John Ng, who was accompanied by Hon. General Director Lee Kong-sau, Women’s Division Leader Stella Wo and Young Women’s Division representative Candy Kwong.

Both Mr Yang and Mr Pao expressed their gratitude to the active humanistic spirit embraced by the SGI Hong Kong under the guidance by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda.

On the same day, SGI Macau, represented by General Director Lei Loi-tak, Executive Vice Director Chan Chi-kai, Young Men’s Division Leader Alberto Lei and Young Women’s Division Leader Shiu Heng I, submitted a donation of HK$100,000 through The Red Cross of Macau. The donation was received by its director Samuel Mak.

Photo caption: SGI Hong Kong General Director John Ng presents the cheque to Jeff Yang, Managing Director of Chung Hwa Travel Service.

From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit Exhibition held at the University of Hong Kong

Together with the Centre of Development and Resources for Students of the University of Hong Kong, the Student Division of HKSGI held the exhibition From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit at the University of Hong Kong (HKU). The aim of the exhibition was to highlight the continuous threats of nuclear weapons and cause visitors to ponder how each one of us can contribute to a nuclear-free world.

The exhibition was sited at the K.K. Leung Building, and was held from February 2 to March 1, 2009. HKU was the first stop of the whole series of exhibition at Hong Kong.

The opening ceremony was held on February 23, which was attended by Professor C. F. Lee, Director of HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education; Dr. Albert Wai-lap Chau, Dean of Student Affairs of the HKU; Mr. Lee Kong Sau, General Director of HKSGI; Mr. Ngan Saifong, Chair of the HKSGI Exhibition Committee; and Mr. Chow Wing Hang, HKSGI Student Division Chief. After the ceremony, members of the Student Division guided all guests to walk through the exhibition.

A commemorative seminar chaired by the Chief Campaigner of Roundtable Research and Education Community, Mr. Fred Lam; and the Director of Student Development of the Centre of Development and Resources for Students of the HKU, Mr. Chan-Yau Chong, was held on the same day. At the seminar, three HKU students who visited the war fields were invited to share their thoughts over war and peace with all participants.