BHARAT SOKA GAKKAI
Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) is the Indian affiliate of the
Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a global association of grassroots
organisations that seeks to promote the values of peace and respect for
all people. Over 12 million SGI members in 192 countries and territories
are engaged in their ‘human revolution’, drawing inspiration from the
humanistic life philosophy of the Japanese Buddhist sage, Nichiren
Daishonin (1222-1282).
At the core of the SGI’s movement for peace is the ideal of education for global citizenship. Through a wide range of activities, the SGI seeks to foster awareness of the social and environmental responsibilities we all share for the future of our planet. This is education in the broadest sense of the word, and it is not limited to classrooms or to any particular age group.
And through cultural exchanges and direct interactions with people, the SGI organisations seek to advance the search for common values such as tolerance and coexistence despite differences and to strengthen our sense of common humanity.
Established as a registered society in January 1986, and working in consonance with the guiding principles of the SGI, BSG too has sought to create an environment of peace through cultural, educational and community-related activities. What sets these initiatives apart is the humanistic spirit of ‘reaching out’ through ‘heart-to-heart’ dialogue, as practised by the founding president of SGI, Dr Daisaku Ikeda.
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a lay Buddhist association with
more than 12 million members in 192 countries and territories worldwide.
The SGI movement has its roots in the teachings of Nichiren, a Buddhist
monk, who lived in the 13th century Japan. Based on the message of the
Lotus Sutra, considered the highest teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha, the
historic founder of Buddhism, Nichiren’s teachings assert that each
individual, regardless of race, gender, capacity or social standing, has
to power to overcome life’s inevitable challenges, and to positively
influence their community, society and the world.
Nichiren’s Buddhism promotes individual empowerment, at the same time stresses the connection between one’s own happiness and the happiness of others. It teaches that the greatest personal satisfaction and fulfillment in file is realized by working for the happiness of others.
As lay believers and "engaged Buddhists," SGI members strive in their everyday lives to develop the ability to live with confidence, to create value in any circumstances and to contribute to the well-being of friends, family and community.
The core philosophy of the SGI can be summed up by the concept of “Human Revolution”. This is the idea that the self- motivated inner change of even a single individual positively affects the larger web of life.
These values are expressed in the SGI Charter, which embodies the ideal of – World Citizenship, the spirit of tolerance and the safeguarding of fundamental Human Rights. SGI members strive to realize these values through the active promotion of Peace, Cultural and Educational activities.
This exhibition showcases the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Daisaku Ikeda, who though from different countries and cultures, were linked by a common vision which they worked towards with determination. These towering figures show that peace is possible through non-violence. Viewed by over 70,000 people in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune and Nashik since March 2002, this exhibition will travel to Kolkata, Guwahati, Shimla, Jaipur, Kanpur and other cities across India.
The exhibition, chronicles the life and work of the three peace leaders. It highlights the spirit and aims at revisiting the values of non-violence and Gandhian principles. When erosion of values and a climate of conflict have shaken society to the core, now, more than ever, it is necessary to return to core beliefs.
Since the future lies in the hands of youth, it is their attitudes and beliefs that need to be moulded into ones that promote peace and respect human dignity. BSG believes that the most effective way to do this is to introduce youth to the Gandhian way (particularly non-violence as a tool for change) and establish its relevance in the contemporary context. In order to foster long-term peace-oriented thought and behaviour, special initiatives are taken by BSG’s Education Division to bring a large number of schoolchildren to this exhibition.
Soka Bodhi Tree Garden, is located 60 km southwest of New Delhi, in Haryana. It was inaugurated on September 12th,1993 by Dr. Yoichi Kawada, Director of Institute of Oriental Philosophy.
The SGI President Daisaku Ikeda envisioned the garden — as a place that will be the prime point of all peace-related and Gakkai activities round the world, a garden where world leaders will gather to work for peace and harmony.
President Ikeda’s message on the inauguration foresaw the emergence of Soka Bodhi Tree Garden as a centre of beauty and learning: “I am positive that from among those who will come to visit this garden in the future — when the Bodhi trees that are saplings now have grown tall and robust and are luxuriant with fresh green leaves — there will emerge great leaders. I am also confident that this Bodhi Tree Garden will become a training ground for capable people. It will be a place where leaders from various fields around the world will come to meet in order to cultivate and develop themselves, inspiring and stimulating each other’s growth… We hope that this garden will be the centre of many cultural and educational activities. Let us think of 100 years, 200 years into the future, when huge Bodhi trees growing like a forest will embrace the many thousands who will come to the garden.”
Prof Shaheer’s landscaping showcases the beauty of Prof Kanvinde’s
and Mr Kanwaljeet’s buildings. The lowlying area near the auditorium was
landscaped to provide space for recreation activities. This area is
also the picnic spot where members soak in the sunlight while sharing a
meal after meetings.
The main walkway near the auditorium represents the flow of an undulating river, and a series of stepping stones, like a ghat on the banks of a river, leads the way down and across grassy knolls.
Four pavilions — symbolising the four elements Earth, Water, Fire and Air — with matching roof tiles and benches have been built in four zones to provide shelter from sun and rain. Stone benches in different shapes and formations — semi-circular, square, rectangular — where visitors can rest and admire the greenery dot the gardens.
The garden was opened for BSG meetings in 1995. The BSG Cultural
Meeting was the first meeting to be held in the garden.
Besides the Annual General meetings, BSG hosts several training
programmes in the garden. In 2005, family festivals were organised at
Soka Bodhi Tree Garden, opening the garden to the families and guests of
members for the first time.
The villagers invest the income from the mustard crop (above) for development, adding classrooms to the local school, for example. Each year the local panchayat, on behalf of the community, presents a letter of appreciation to the SBTG team for its support enshrined.
At the core of the SGI’s movement for peace is the ideal of education for global citizenship. Through a wide range of activities, the SGI seeks to foster awareness of the social and environmental responsibilities we all share for the future of our planet. This is education in the broadest sense of the word, and it is not limited to classrooms or to any particular age group.
And through cultural exchanges and direct interactions with people, the SGI organisations seek to advance the search for common values such as tolerance and coexistence despite differences and to strengthen our sense of common humanity.
Established as a registered society in January 1986, and working in consonance with the guiding principles of the SGI, BSG too has sought to create an environment of peace through cultural, educational and community-related activities. What sets these initiatives apart is the humanistic spirit of ‘reaching out’ through ‘heart-to-heart’ dialogue, as practised by the founding president of SGI, Dr Daisaku Ikeda.
Soka Gakkai International
Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a lay Buddhist association with
more than 12 million members in 192 countries and territories worldwide.
The SGI movement has its roots in the teachings of Nichiren, a Buddhist
monk, who lived in the 13th century Japan. Based on the message of the
Lotus Sutra, considered the highest teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha, the
historic founder of Buddhism, Nichiren’s teachings assert that each
individual, regardless of race, gender, capacity or social standing, has
to power to overcome life’s inevitable challenges, and to positively
influence their community, society and the world.Nichiren’s Buddhism promotes individual empowerment, at the same time stresses the connection between one’s own happiness and the happiness of others. It teaches that the greatest personal satisfaction and fulfillment in file is realized by working for the happiness of others.
As lay believers and "engaged Buddhists," SGI members strive in their everyday lives to develop the ability to live with confidence, to create value in any circumstances and to contribute to the well-being of friends, family and community.
The core philosophy of the SGI can be summed up by the concept of “Human Revolution”. This is the idea that the self- motivated inner change of even a single individual positively affects the larger web of life.
These values are expressed in the SGI Charter, which embodies the ideal of – World Citizenship, the spirit of tolerance and the safeguarding of fundamental Human Rights. SGI members strive to realize these values through the active promotion of Peace, Cultural and Educational activities.
Gandhi, King, Ikeda: A legacy of building peace exhibition
This exhibition showcases the lives of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Daisaku Ikeda, who though from different countries and cultures, were linked by a common vision which they worked towards with determination. These towering figures show that peace is possible through non-violence. Viewed by over 70,000 people in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune and Nashik since March 2002, this exhibition will travel to Kolkata, Guwahati, Shimla, Jaipur, Kanpur and other cities across India.
The exhibition, chronicles the life and work of the three peace leaders. It highlights the spirit and aims at revisiting the values of non-violence and Gandhian principles. When erosion of values and a climate of conflict have shaken society to the core, now, more than ever, it is necessary to return to core beliefs.
Since the future lies in the hands of youth, it is their attitudes and beliefs that need to be moulded into ones that promote peace and respect human dignity. BSG believes that the most effective way to do this is to introduce youth to the Gandhian way (particularly non-violence as a tool for change) and establish its relevance in the contemporary context. In order to foster long-term peace-oriented thought and behaviour, special initiatives are taken by BSG’s Education Division to bring a large number of schoolchildren to this exhibition.
Soka Bodhi Tree Garden
Soka Bodhi Tree Garden, is located 60 km southwest of New Delhi, in Haryana. It was inaugurated on September 12th,1993 by Dr. Yoichi Kawada, Director of Institute of Oriental Philosophy.The SGI President Daisaku Ikeda envisioned the garden — as a place that will be the prime point of all peace-related and Gakkai activities round the world, a garden where world leaders will gather to work for peace and harmony.
President Ikeda’s message on the inauguration foresaw the emergence of Soka Bodhi Tree Garden as a centre of beauty and learning: “I am positive that from among those who will come to visit this garden in the future — when the Bodhi trees that are saplings now have grown tall and robust and are luxuriant with fresh green leaves — there will emerge great leaders. I am also confident that this Bodhi Tree Garden will become a training ground for capable people. It will be a place where leaders from various fields around the world will come to meet in order to cultivate and develop themselves, inspiring and stimulating each other’s growth… We hope that this garden will be the centre of many cultural and educational activities. Let us think of 100 years, 200 years into the future, when huge Bodhi trees growing like a forest will embrace the many thousands who will come to the garden.”
Verdant setting for buildings
While looking for an architect, the SBTG team also searched for a master landscaper. In 1996, the team approached Prof Mohammad Shaheer, then Head of the Landscaping Department at the School for Planning and Architecture in New Delhi.
Prof Shaheer’s landscaping showcases the beauty of Prof Kanvinde’s
and Mr Kanwaljeet’s buildings. The lowlying area near the auditorium was
landscaped to provide space for recreation activities. This area is
also the picnic spot where members soak in the sunlight while sharing a
meal after meetings.The main walkway near the auditorium represents the flow of an undulating river, and a series of stepping stones, like a ghat on the banks of a river, leads the way down and across grassy knolls.
Four pavilions — symbolising the four elements Earth, Water, Fire and Air — with matching roof tiles and benches have been built in four zones to provide shelter from sun and rain. Stone benches in different shapes and formations — semi-circular, square, rectangular — where visitors can rest and admire the greenery dot the gardens.
Garden of 10,000 Bodhi trees
There are at present about 3,000 Bodhi trees in the garden, more than 100 peacocks and a large number of geese and rabbits. Bodhi trees are still being planted; the aim is to plant 10,000 trees.
The garden was opened for BSG meetings in 1995. The BSG Cultural
Meeting was the first meeting to be held in the garden.
Besides the Annual General meetings, BSG hosts several training
programmes in the garden. In 2005, family festivals were organised at
Soka Bodhi Tree Garden, opening the garden to the families and guests of
members for the first time.Friendly neighbourhood
Today the local community is well connected with Soka Bodhi Tree Garden. The SBTG team also allows villagers access to the road through the garden. Every year the mustard crop worth nearly Rs 2 lakh is donated to the local community.The villagers invest the income from the mustard crop (above) for development, adding classrooms to the local school, for example. Each year the local panchayat, on behalf of the community, presents a letter of appreciation to the SBTG team for its support enshrined.
