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We met at the SGI-USA New York Culture Center on July 9.
People came from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. It
was a gathering of friends from greater South Asian descent
(countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Nepal ... ).
These meetings are held to develop bonds of friendship
among people and introduce them to the SGI movement of
peace, culture and education based on the practice and
philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism. Our effort is to forge unity
among people of diverse cultures and countries. In these
meetings SGI members share their confidence and joy in their
life philosophy and reach out to their friends and family in the
spirit of shared humanity. Also, through participating in these
meetings, SGI members gain encouragement to contribute to
their SGI districts and the community at large.

Highlights of the Meeting:

Satish Jolly's opening remarks clearly explained

the

practice of Nichiren Buddhism within the SGI

and its

uniqueness.

There were a

some cultural performance

- first

jazz group

led b

Tor Snyder & his band Irrepressible

Spirit

the second

a solo

performance

Anjana

Roy,

a guest of Indian descent

who

layed

the

itar.

The

music

deeply resonated with the

audience

How

beautiful

and

wonderful is the

power of culture

xperiences of

members

Sujatha

Raman-Snayder

and Anju

Srivastava

one

after

another

- offered

examples of faith,

clear

wis

dom

and

nvincible strength

The y

outh

study presentation enacted within a

kit

Meghna, Chinta

, Rahul & Sujit

stole

everyone's

heart.

Youth were

the stars of the

meeting.

Harsh's

experience

helped clarify the

power of single

transforming

moment

brought

forth by the practice of

chanting.

The emcees for the

meeting

Anuja and Shibani kept

the

seamless flow of the meeting with their uplifting

spirit and

several creative and encouraging quotes.

SGI-USA leader

Tariq Hasan's encouraged everyone

connect the

humanistic founding spirit of

Buddhism.

Thanks to the organizers - especially the youth division
members, and to members, their guests and family members
who attended the meeting.

Some quotes from the study presentation:

It is one of the most fundamental concepts of Nichiren

Buddhism as it lays the groundwork for the idea of

ordinary

people - like you and me – to attain

enlightenment like the

Buddha.

Buddhism views each

individual life as a

manifestation of a

universal life force

just as the Bengali poet

Rabindranath

Tagore expressed

this idea, "The same stream

of life that

runs through my

veins night and day runs through

the world

and dances in

rhythmic measures. It is the same life

that

shoots in joy

through the dust of the earth in numberless

blades of

grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves

and

flowers." It's a great religious spirit - the religious spirit

see the eternal and absolute in human beings and to wish

to make people's lives shine..

Our heart changes everything. This is the mystic nature of

life. The founder of this Buddhism Nichiren Daishonin

says "If

we exert a hundred million eons of effort in a

single moment

of life, then in instant after instant there

will arise in us the

three enlightened properties with

which our lives are

originally endowed" (Gosho Zenshu,

p. 790). When all people

manifest the life state of

Buddhahood, when they reveal the

supreme value of

their character, there will be neither war

nor hunger in the

world.

“What kind of future do I envision?” we may ask

ourselves.

“What kind of self am I trying to develop? What

do I want to

accomplish in my life?” We should paint the

vision of our

lives in our hearts as specifically as

possible. This “painting”

becomes the design for our

future. The power of the heart

enables us to actually

execute a wonderful masterpiece in

accordance with that

design. This is the doctrine of a life-

moment possessing

three thousand realms (Learning from

the Gosho: The

Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp.

128-9).’

If we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to this scroll called the

Gohonzon or the object of devotion (points to the

Gohonzon)

we can experience great changes even in a

moment of life.

Faith in the Mystic Law of Nam-myoho-

renge-kyo as well as

the prayer and action based on that

faith are key to

transforming a life-state in the nine worlds

- steeped in

earthly desires, karma, and suffering - into

Buddhahood. With

pure and strong faith in our Buddha

nature and that of others,

we can break through

fundamental ignorance and illusion.

With deep earnest

prayer, we can tap the life force of

Buddhahood. And

through continuing to chant Nam-myoho-

renge-kyo, we

can ceaselessly manifest the power of

Buddhahood in our

lives and set ourselves on a course

toward attaining

enlightenment in this lifetime.

"It is our spirit, our life-moment, that counts. Our spirit is

our

hopes, our prayers. And it can be identified with the

subconscious. "