About the SGI

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a worldwide association of 76 constituent organizations with membership in 187 countries and territories. In the service of its members and of society at large, the SGI centers its activities on developing the positive human potentialities for individual happiness and for global peace and prosperity. The breadth and focus of its mission derive from the philosophy and practice of Nichiren Buddhism.

Rooted in the life-affirming philosophy of Nichiren, members of SGI share a profound commitment to the values of peace, culture and education. Although the scope and nature of activities conducted in each country differ according to the culture and characteristics of that society, they all grow from the shared understanding of the inseparable linkages that exist between individual happiness and the peace and prosperity of their respective societies.

The SGI draws its inspiration from the Buddhism of Nichiren (1222 - 82) which places the highest emphasis on the sanctity of life. Members seek, through their practice of Buddhism, to develop the ability to live with confidence, to create value in any circumstance and to contribute to the well-being of friends, family and community. This self-directed transformation of the individual is referred as the process of "human revolution." Nichiren's teachings assert that all people, regardless of social or personal circumstances, posses the potential to develop lives of value and creativity - to attain an enlightened state of life. Buddhism further teaches that in the final analysis lasting peace can only be realized by challenging and overcoming the inner impulse toward hatred and violence that exists within us all - what Buddhism calls "the fundamental darkness of life." It is this dynamic process of self-reformation - from fear to confidence, from destruction to creativity, from hatred to compassion - and the resultant rejuvenation of human society that form the core of SGI's vision of peaceful world.

These values are expressed in the SGI's charter, which embodies core beliefs in the ideal of world citizenship, the spirit of tolerance, and the safeguarding of fundamental human rights. To learn more about the SGI, we encourage you to attend a meeting of members in your community or to drop by our Culture Center during the hours of operation to browse the bookstore and chat with members.