On May 22, SGM premiered The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra online study meeting through its official broadcast channel on YouTube. The Chinese and English videos received some 20,000 views combined at the end of May.

The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, a six-volume work, is a compilation of dialogues between SGI President Ikeda and Soka Gakkai study department representatives on the Lotus Sutra. Since 2017, the SGM study department has been conducting study meetings based on this work, helping members to deepen their understanding of the profundity of the Lotus Sutra.

The first study meeting for this year covered three themes from the first part of the fourth volume of this work, which covers “The Life Span of the Thus Come One” (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Both Chinese and English sessions were delivered by SGM youth division members.

In the first topic, the speakers spoke on the spirit of the “Life Span” chapter. This chapter reveals that within human beings, a great life force as vast as the universe exists. Therefore, no matter what situation we are facing, we can manifest this great life force within us and courageously live on. This, in fact, is the essence of this chapter.

The second theme discussed the supreme dignity of the human being, using “Shakyamuni the human” as an example and the principle of “casting off the transient and revealing the true.” It stresses that Nichiren Buddhism is a religion that enables people to manifest their boundless potential as human beings.

The third theme discussed establishing an eternal, indestructible state of life, in which people are not trapped by their immediate circumstances, but can live with great joy as they make their way into the future. The speakers encouraged the audiences to establish a state of absolute happiness through Nichiren Buddhism.

Lastly, by stressing that life is eternal, the speakers urged all participants to respect and appreciate everyone in front of them and to live in harmonious coexistence with all living beings.