Matters of Life and Death
April 2004
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
Seeking Spiritual Prosperity in Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Cultural and Recreational Centre
Our activities as Buddhists in Hong Kong date from January 28, 1961, when SGI President Daisaku Ikeda came to Hong Kong for the first time. On that occasion, he was welcomed by a total of 15 members and decided to form a district in Hong Kong--the first district in Asia. This became a chapter in January 1963, which was officially registered that September. The Li Ming Sheng Bao, the organization's newspaper, was first published in 1966 and has been a strong driving force for SGI activities.
Focus on Education
A total of HK$100,000 was donated to the Ming Pao Group Ltd. to assist the families of SARS victims (May 2003)
One of the most important focuses of our activities today is education. A problem common to China and Southeast Asia is that although rapid economic growth has brought a comparatively prosperous society in the material sense, we are only now beginning to seek spiritual prosperity, something that in many ways was put to one side during the period of rapid economic growth. In the field of education, we need to address the excessive emphasis placed on the cramming of facts and on students' academic records, and seek instead total human education that concentrates on areas such as emotional maturity, internationalism and cooperation.
In terms of this social background, what is needed is to develop the concept of value-creating education. We have made great advances toward meeting this need, especially through the establishment of Hong Kong Soka Kindergarten in 1992. Now, 450 infants are benefiting from this comprehensive educational environment, which offers a wide variety of activities in areas such as painting, music, games, sports and languages. The success of this approach is evidenced in the children's achievements in various competitions and contests. Soka Kindergarten is now recognized as one of Hong Kong's leading kindergartens, and we have started to welcome educational delegations from overseas, having been designated as a training school for educators. Many of Hong Kong's education ministers have visited the school to study its methods.
SGI-Hong Kong's youth members performed at the Tuen Mun Summer Fantasy Festival (August 2003)
We have also promoted exhibitions focusing on education and youth, in partnership with Hong Kong UNICEF and various public bodies. In 1991 and 1998 we held the "World Boys and Girls Art Exhibition," and in 1992 the "Fairytales--The World of Children" exhibition. These not only introduce the inspiring world of children but also generate a striking message of peace.
Our activities have not been limited to Hong Kong. Aiming to help create a better educational environment for the impoverished children of mainland China, we have partnered Hong Kong UNICEF and others in a range of volunteer projects, including awareness-raising activities and the collection of donations. In addition, SGI-Hong Kong's (SGI-HK) student division members have raised funds in line with the targets of the Chinese government's "Project Hope," which aims to garner support from overseas Chinese to build primary schools for children deprived of educational facilities and opportunities in remote regions. This led to the establishment of Soka Goodwill Elementary School in Chaoshan in neighboring Guangdong Province in 2000, followed by Fang Zhaoling Soka Elementary School and Xuan Tang Soka Elementary School in Chaozhou, in 2001 and 2003 respectively. We have continued to support these schools through donations of books and educational supplies, as well as through exchange visits.
Culture and the Environment
Children at Fang Zhaoling Soka Elementary School
The Hong Kong government and various district councils regularly invite SGI-Hong Kong's large variety of music, gymnastic, Chinese opera and choral groups to perform at large events, thus enabling them to contribute to enhancing cultural appreciation among local citizens. Of especial importance were a total of nine performances in events celebrating the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997: the young men's gymnastic troupe in particular performed at the main government-sponsored extravaganza. These performances have been favorably reported in the local mass media.
Another crucial area in which we have been active is the environment. We have created an Environment and Education Center within the SGI-HK Cultural and Recreational Centre; Prof. Chau Siu Cheong, who is an authority on Hong Kong's environmental issues, is the honorary curator. Environmental issues are a key theme at many of our culture symposiums, which we are promoting within the community, and Professor Chau and other specialists frequently speak on environmental problems. The student members also cooperate with the city government's conservation policies, and have taken part in reforestation projects. We are also planning to hold an environmental exhibition in the near future, in partnership with other local groups.
Children at Xuan Tang Soka Elementary School
The youth members have been at the forefront of our efforts to contribute to society, regularly visiting people in nursing homes. They have also raised funds to support victims of earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters on the Chinese mainland. When the SARS epidemic was rife in Hong Kong last year, they raised funds, for example, to support the education of children in families whose breadwinners had died of the disease.
SGI-HK presently has 45,000 members. Our major activities for the future will continue to reflect the crucial issues that are emerging in our society, namely, education, health and environmental problems.
Chinese writer Jin Yong (second from left) at an event celebrating the publication of the Chinese translation of Spiritual Lessons of the Twentieth Century, a dialogue between Mikhail Gorbachev and SGI President Ikeda, on February 27, 2004.
There is growing awareness in Hong Kong society of the activities of the SGI and of President Ikeda's contributions to Sino-Japanese friendship. Translations of The New Human Revolution and The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra have been published by leading publishing houses. The mass media have also serialized these best-sellers and numerous of President Ikeda's dialogues with cultural leaders and academics. In one of his works, the leading writer Jin Yong noted, "For us (the residents of Hong Kong), the members of SGI-HK are like family: in good times and bad, they share our joys and they help us solve our problems."
Children at Hong Kong Soka Kindergarten
