[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 18, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E695]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF SOKKA GAKKAI INTERNATIONAL ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 
           FOUNDING COMMEMORATIVE GATHERING IN NEW YORK CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Sokka 
Gakkai International, whose founding commemorative gathering is being 
celebrated at its Manhattan Cultural Center this month. Sokka Gakkai 
International, or SGI, is a worldwide Buddhist organization with 12 
million members. SGI is dedicated to the universal principles of peace, 
culture, and education and thus encourages its members to assert 
responsibility for their lives to contribute to the building of a world 
in which people of different faiths and backgrounds can live together 
in peace and harmony.
  Sokka Gakkai International, whose name can be translated as the 
``Value Creation Society,'' has expanded its reach around the world 
since its founding 34 years ago on the island of Guam. Under the 
influence of its founding and current President, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the 
Buddhist philosopher, educator, writer and poet, SGI has grown to span 
192 countries across the globe, and counts 12 million adherents 
worldwide. More than 10,000 members live in New York City.
  On January 26, 2009, more than 500 representatives gathered at SGI's 
New York Cultural Center, which is located in New York State's 14th 
Congressional District that I am privileged to represent. They convened 
in order to celebrate world peace, culture, and the value of education. 
Through its dedication to tolerance for all citizens of the world, 
respect for human rights, and the pursuit of peace through strict 
adherence to the principle of non-violence, Sokka Gakkai International 
has provided worshipers of the Buddhist faith with an organizational 
vehicle with transformative potential and a creed of harmony and 
understanding.
  Madam Speaker, I am deeply honored to represent the Sokka Gakkai 
International's New York Cultural Center. I ask that my distinguished 
colleagues join me in recognizing the tremendous contributions to our 
educational and civic life made by the Sokka Gakkai International, its 
visionary President Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, and its dedicated members.

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