On October 24, 2020, – United Nations (UN) Day – Honduras became the 50th nation to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, thus paving the way for this historic treaty to enter into force after 90 days. With this ratification, the TPNW will come into force on January 22, 2021 – just a few days before the anniversary of the SGI’s founding!

This historic achievement is a crystallisation of the will of the peoples of the world who have proclaimed a resounding NO! to nuclear weapons. With the imminent entry into force of the TPNW, nuclear weapons now join the ranks of chemical weapons, biological weapons, land mines, cluster munitions and the like to become weapons outlawed by humanity.

Humankind as a whole has entered a new age of peace, security and happiness, and we achieved this while confronting the challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We have also fulfilled the wishes of the hibakusha, the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during WWII, that these demonic and destructive weapons are never again used on anyone. Never again will anyone have to undergo the suffering they have endured for 75 years.

This achievement follows on the heels of Malaysia’s ratification of the Treaty on September 30, 2020 at a ceremony attended by SGM representatives. SGM’s efforts in raising awareness about the dangers of nuclear weapons and the ratification of the TPNW has received widespread praise, including from the Malaysian government.

The impending entry into force of the TPNW is also a testament to the tireless efforts of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda and SGI members around the world. President Ikeda has striven for over 60 years to realise the vision of his mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, who in turn was inspired by the vision of a peaceful world that came from his mentor, founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi.

SGI members, including SGM members, inherited the spirit of the three founding presidents and strived in their homelands and societies. This marks the start of a hope-filled journey in which humankind will finally consign nuclear weapons – the most demonic and destructive weapons of all – to history. Let us continue to strive for the day when we see the number of nuclear weapons in the world become ZERO.

Overall, 2020 has been an extremely challenging year for Malaysians, even SGM members. Even before the imposition of the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18, 2020, SGM had suspended all physical activities in order to safeguard our members and our communities from the raging COVID-19 pandemic. For our generation, this is perhaps the only widespread restriction of movement that we have experienced in our lifetime.

Yet, during this arduous period, we in SGM and our fellow citizens have achieved a great victory in moving the entire world towards zero nuclear weapons. The dedicated prayers and efforts of SGM, along with other organisations and individuals, successfully enabled Malaysia to become the 46th state party to the TPNW. Less than a month later, the 50th ratification was achieved.

SGM members as a whole successfully adapted to conducting and attending activities online. Not only that, we have continued to share Buddhism with people around us, even though for the most part we have been unable to meet in person. Our mission of spreading the revitalising teachings of the Buddhism of the sun has not been forgotten in the least.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda wrote in The New Human Revolution: “Our Buddhist faith and practice enable us to apply our ingenuity so that we can keep making fresh progress and move in the direction of hope, victory, and a new tomorrow.”(1) He also states: “When we are aware of our mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, we can find a way to fight, a way to contribute, no matter what kind of constraints or restrictions limit our actions. We must fight on with wisdom and courage.”(2)

SGM members have been striving their hardest to live up to President Ikeda’s expectations. It’s time to keep on striving towards our goals for the future. We are entering a new decade of advancement for SGM and worldwide kosen-rufu as a whole. Let us continue to strive to create new history in the coming decade!

(1) Daisaku Ikeda, The New Human Revolution, vol. 30, “Awaiting the Time” chapter. SGM booklet no. 118 (2019), pg 131–32.
(2) Ibid., pg 21.

Adapted from the December 2020 issue of COSMIC.