A Homecoming in Chicago

Today, I returned to the SGI-USA Chicago Cultural Center after nearly seven years away — on the 65th anniversary of President Daisaku Ikeda’s visit to Chicago and the 30th anniversary of the Chicago Center itself.

Everything about this morning flowed — the soft Sunday traffic, the open parking space, the warmth of familiar voices. As I entered the hall, it felt less like an event and more like a homecoming — to the practice, to the community, to the limitless life state within.

The meeting was rich with meaning. A gentleman who had been President Ikeda’s driver during that historic Chicago visit shared his experience titled “Being a Genuine Human Being.” His words were simple but deeply human, a reminder of the essence of this practice.

We also watched a video presentation of President Harada’s recent speech. He spoke of being invited to lecture at an Islamic institution in Malaysia at the invitation of a renowned Islamic scholar. Hearing Malaysia — the environment where I grew up — felt like a personal message woven into the day.

The convergence of anniversaries, stories, and signs felt deliberate, like the Universe arranging a tapestry of my past and present. It affirmed for me that this is where my twelve-week journey begins: not in striving, but in remembering. In alignment. In homecoming.

My determination is clear — to use chanting as a way to connect consciously with the expansive, limitless, boundless life state of the Universe itself. This is not about religion, but about resonance — about invoking that vast life force already within, as a genuine expression of appreciation and a practical tool for living.

It is what I have always known deep down: the Universe is not outside me. It moves through me. And this practice is how I strike it alive, tuning in that frequency of being.