When did the Soka Gakkai start having discussion meetings?
The Soka Gakkai was founded in Japan on 18 November 1930 and discussion meetings date back to the beginnings of the organisation. Founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi determined that participants would be able to share personal experiences about how their Buddhist practice improved their daily lives and talk freely about how to create positive value in their environment. He felt it was vitally important that every voice was heard in the discussion meeting, saying that: ‘Dialogue is the only way to communicate with another about life’s problems.’1

I have been told that the district discussion meeting is the key monthly Buddhist activity. Why is it so important?
As Makiguchi said, dialogue is the way for us to share our problems and also help other people overcome whatever troubles they are facing. Someone once suggested to him that holding large lectures would be a better way to communicate the philosophy of Buddhism. He disagreed, saying: ‘At a lecture, listeners inevitably feel uninvolved.’2

At a discussion meeting, everyone is equal and deep friendships are formed as people inspire and encourage each other. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda puts it very clearly:

Discussion meetings, study of Nichiren’s teachings, introducing others to Buddhist practice and personal guidance are the four pillars, the main components, of the kosen-rufu movement. Discussion meetings, in particular, as the place where the other three components are carried out, serve as the foundation of everything… It is crucial that every participant in a discussion meeting feels as though they are the central figure and can talk confidently about the joys of faith and the greatness of Buddhism.3

The discussion meeting is a great starting point for guests. Indeed, many members first experience the Soka Gakkai spirit at these meetings. They are warm, non-judgemental forums where guests can listen to members sharing actual proof of their Buddhist practice and have any questions they may have answered. It may be their first time hearing Nam-myoho-renge-kyo being chanted or seeing the Gohonzon. The Soka Gakkai is an organisation of people first and foremost. Everyone has a voice within it and the district discussion meeting is the place for those voices to be heard.

What if I don’t get on with the people in my district? Can I move to another one?
The guidance I was always told was to stay in the district nearest to where you live. Exactly because you don’t get along with someone is a direct benefit for you and a fantastic opportunity to transform something deep in your life.

The district is a microcosm of society, warts and all, so to transform something here, at the very grassroots of the organisation will impact your life and those in your district too in the most positive manner. Moving to another district might mean different people to interact with but you will see that your tendencies will follow you wherever you go. If they don’t manifest in the new district, they will show up in your daily life. So, in that case, it is better and faster to stay put and transform these tendencies.

I believe that the district is where we learn so much about ourselves and others, cultivating tolerance and understanding. As the district is the heart of our movement for peace, it makes sense that this is where we should place ourselves and transform and learn together with our fellow members.

I work and I have two small children, so it’s a struggle to get to the discussion meetings in the evenings. Is there something else I can go to instead?
Some districts or local chapters now offer two discussion meetings in the month, one during weekday-evenings and one during the weekend for parents and carers, so as to be able to include everyone. However, it is the district members’ challenge to be flexible and learn to create an atmosphere where children are welcomed. Families with very young children have different needs to the other members of a district. This is where a separate meeting can be very useful and can accommodate young families and friends of young families. It works very well. As each district is unique, it is vital to respond to the actual needs of the members. President Ikeda calls this: ‘Our beautiful diversity-like the “cherry, plum, peach and damson”.’4

Image by Hideo Kato

What impact have discussion meetings had on your life, faith and practice?
My own experience of the discussion meeting is a nourishing mixture of personal stories of transformation and shared wisdom, which I have always encountered when I have attended a meeting. When I started to practise Buddhism, it was in my local discussion meeting that I learnt everything I needed to develop my life within SGI-UK. My first district leader gently but firmly introduced me to the support activity called Lilac, by asking me to welcome people to the discussion meeting as they arrived.

All the members would freely share their experiences and wisdom. I remember being so impressed by everyone’s confidence in the practice of Buddhism. Over the years I’ve been to many different discussion meetings all over the UK and all have had the same warm and welcoming atmosphere.

I think we can sometimes forget how unique our discussion meetings are and what they offer to every participant who comes. There are no special rules or laws to follow. It is an open arena for discussion and encouragement for all. I have also gone to meetings with a heavy heart or just not wanted to be there for whatever reason but, by the end, I have always come away uplifted and in a much happier and brighter life-state.

The district discussion meeting can be likened to the beating heart of a body and the participants like the individual cells. When each individual passes through the beating heart of the discussion meeting, they can be refreshed and reoxygenated before returning back out into society. It is a microcosm of kosen-rufu in action on our very doorsteps. ●

References
  1. Quoted in: SGI Newsletter No. 6713, 30 January 2006.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Daisaku Ikeda, The New Human Revolution (Eternal Ganges Press, 2014) Vol. 18, p. 268 and p. 271.
  4. SGI Newsletter No. 11173, 16 December 2022.