SGI-UK Surrey & West Sussex HQ
Letter from Study Department, 29 May 2003
There have been quite a few questions about this programme which we launched at the April Headquarters Leaders Assembly, and which will start in July for those HQS that want to sign up to it.
Hopefully, this letter will answer some of those questions. You may have already appointed a contact person, or be the contact person - hopefully the following information will still be of use.
A couple of years ago SGI-UK ran two cycles of Basics of Buddhist Study (subtitled Nurturing New Members in the Basics of Buddhism), using articles in the Bulletin, and later inspiration posted directly to the Districts. lt was based around informal meetings which enabled local members to take interested guests and naitoku though basic principles in a way that was appropriate to local circumstances. We then ran a pilot of some new material in some districts of 2 HQS, and this Introductory Study Programme follows on from that pilot.
What is the Introductory Study
Programme?
lt covers 9 topics that we believe will support the development of new members' faith and practice. They are:
We will provide material which can be used as a handout for the participants, as well as notes for lecturers. We found in the pilot that an important part was the feedback we received, so we will also send you feedback forms - one for each of the participants, and slightly different ones for the person taking the meeting.
Who is it for?
lt is for those people who are interested in becoming members of SGI-UK or who have recently become members. lt may be that people receive Gohonzon in the middle of the programme; that is up to the individual, guided by their local leaders.
Who will run the meetings?
Every District in SGI-UK is different, and has different circumstances. That also means that every District has different numbers of new people starting to practice. ln some HQS it may be done in each District; in others, two or more Districts may arrange to do it together, in order to maximize numbers, and minimize effort.
The meetings should be taken by a strong member or leader who can steer the meeting and answer the
questions that might arise. Perhaps it is a way of giving your Assistant Study Lecturers an important role that will give them extra training and confidence.
What should the meeting be like?
The purpose of the meeting is to cover the topic so that the participants learn something about it, have an opportunity to have their questions answered, and go away with ideas of how to read more about the
topic. What has worked well in the pilot version of the programme is an informal meeting where a few strong established members meet with the participants, read through the material and deal with questions and points as they arise. Some preparation is necessary, in getting the material together, but it should not be a burden on our already busy schedules. The meeting should not be too much like a 'lecture', instead the opportunity for discussion and dialogue is a wonderful environment for these Buddhist principles to be explained.
How will we set the material?
We will send the material to the person in your HQ who you designate as the point of contact, who can be the Champion of this programme. We will send out the material for July towards the end of June, and then each month the next installment will come out. ln the pilot scheme which we have just completed we found that the programme flourished where it was steered by a core of enthusiastic and established members. A dedicated person - who is committed to encouraging the Districts to run the scheme successfully - will be sent the material, and then they will have the responsibility of distributing it according to local circumstances. Questions, comments, feedback and any other points can be channeled through this Champion to the Study Department. We hope that it will make for efficient channels of communication.
The best way of sending out the information and material is by email. ideally, the Champion will have access to email, but if not, then we can send the material by post.
Who should be the Champion?
As mentioned above, the Champion must be committed to making the programme a success. Who is the person in your HQ who is most likely to be able to do this? You may want it to be a leader, or a strong member who will benefit from this responsibility. ideally, the Champion will have access to email, and copying facilities, but that is not crucial.
Copying the material
lf the Champion receives the material as an email zip attachment, then they will need to copy and distribute the handouts and feedback forms for the participants. There is some saving in resources as accurate numbers will be copied according to local circumstances.
The handout will be 2 sides of A4 paper which will contain the bulk of the material, and there will be a feedback sheet for each participant. ln addition you will be sent two other things - the notes for the person taking the meeting, and a feedback sheet for them too.
Why can't we have all the material now?
The material that we used in the pilot is being re-edited, following on from the feedback that we received, so for the time being we can only produce one topic a month. We want to get it right, and we are working slowly and carefully on it.
Signing up for the Introductory Study
Programme
Not all HQS will want to do this programme. lt may be that you are already running meetings, and of course that is fine. However, if you wish to get involved in this programme, please sign up as soon as possible, so we can support the Champions as they emerge.
For further information, please to get in touch by email.
Thank you!