Discussion Meetings

Inspired by President Ikeda’s example, the small group meetings are the foundation of the peace movement of SGI Australia. They are found in local areas and held in people’s homes. They are the home base for every single member to be actively involved in practicing faith, human revolution and building a peaceful community, The causes made by engaging in the challenge of dialogue based on a profound philosophy and encouraging one another through various struggles to become happy may seem a painstakingly slow way to create peace. However, without the group discussion, people would only have the opportunity to listen to theory and perhaps not be supported through applying it in their lives. A young man once told first Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi that he thought it would be better to hold large-scale lectures than discussion meetings. “No, it wouldn’t,” Mr Makiguchi replied without hesitation. “Dialogue is the only way to communicate with another about life’s problems. At a lecture, listeners inevitably feel uninvolved. Even the Daishonin’s treatise On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land was written in the form of a dialogue, you know.” (SGINL6713)

The spirit of the group discussion meeting is dialogue based on an aspect or aspects of Buddhist philosophy, taken from, whenever possible, SGIA’s monthly publication, Indigo, and how to enact the philosophy to create value from life’s struggles.

The hope of the group meeting is that each participant leaves the meeting feeling refreshed and re-invigorated, filled with hope that they can transform their current struggles. Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda stated:

Please contact SGI Australia on (02) 9763 2283 or admin@sgiaust.org.au if you would like to participate in a group discussion meeting in your local area.