Clarence Hawkins has been a devoted member of the Buddhism organization Soka Gakkai International for almost 18 years. Since he joined the organization, Hawkin’s entire life has changed.

Hawkins first encounter with Buddhism was in 1983, when a friend, introduced him to Buddhism and to the organization.

The Byodo-In temple

“I had some questions about life, Hawkins said., "and wanted to get the answers. For instance, why are some people born rich, healthy, and smart, while others suffer from financial problems, terminal illness, and difficult relationships with people?” he asked. “No one could answer my questions before, but Buddhism explained them all in a way that I could understand as a non-Buddhist,” said Hawkins.

Hawkins currently works for Primerica, a financial company, as a personal financial analyst. He earns approximately $5,000 a month, which is more than three times as much as when he worked as a security guard before he joined SGI.

Hawkins believes that it was Buddhism that helped him change his job and his life.

The bell at the Byodo-In temple

Soka Gakkai means “Value Creation Society” in Japanese. Its goal is to promote peace, culture and education based on the philosophy and ideas of Nichiren Daishonin, the monk who found this Buddhism sect in 13th century Japan.

SGI has over 10 million members in 128 countries, according to the World Tribune(Jan. 1996). SGI holds peace conferences around the world and works with the United Nations for world peace and a prosperous society through Buddhism.

The functions of the organization are to provide guidance and counseling for individuals and schedule cultural and educational activities.

The statue of Buddha in the Byodo-In temple

Hawkins met his wife through SGI, and they have three children. Hawkins believes his good fortune was also the result of chanting.

“I chanted very hard,” says Hawkins. Sometimes, he spent almost three hours a day chanting Buddhist prayers. As a result, he feels, he was able to end his former unhappy marriage. “In Buddhism, we don’t simply wish for fortunes to come, but we take a step further,” says Hawkins “We make fortunes come to us.”

“We are able to elevate life conditions by chanting daimoku,” says Ikeda. He explains that when Buddhists are chanting, they get a feeling of joy, energy and confidence. After they finish, they are happier and have a positive attitude about everything.

Hideki Tsutsumi, a member of SGI since he was 15, credits chanting as enabling him to be student body president at Michigan State University in the 1999-2000 school year. Tsutsumi was born and raised in Japan, and he faced language barriers when he first came to the United States and he had a hard time with schoolwork, because he had never taken a class in English.

“I had to work twice as hard as American students to get the same grade,” says Tsutsumi, but he was determined to become a class president and chanted everyday for at least three hours. All his hard work paid off in the end. “I am now the president of a student body of about 37,000,” said Tsutsumi in an interview last year.

For more information about SGI and the power of chanting daimoku, visit http://www.sgi-usa.org.