Did Gandhi Chant Nam Myoho-Renge-Kyo? 

Here is the image I created by scanning Gandhi's prayer book and 
annotating the relevant sections, which I brought back from India in 1991 when I visited my family home in Ahmedabad. This is the city where Gandhi had his headquarters for the "Quit India" anti-British movement. 

I had sent the entire prayer book to President Ikeda in late 1991. There were two papers I had researched at Loyola University library in New Orleans that I also included. One was a letter by Gandhi written to Hitler asking him to stop the Axis war. The second was a letter written by Gandhi asking the Japanese Government to stop joining the Axis. Both were from early WWII period. In the second letter, he mentioned that he missed the sound of the bell in his Ashram (the HQ for his movement of non-violent insistence for truth "Satyagraha"). The bell was brought by a Japanese Buddhist priest who was later pulled back due to the Japanese government declaring war. Details about the priest are yet to be researched. I intend to do this next time I visit my hometown. 

Soon after I sent Sensei this letter and book of Gandhi's prayers with my annotations, the guidance and experiences surrounding Gandhi's family meeting with SGI representatives started to flow out from Japan, and relevant material was translated to be published in World Tribune. I don't know if Sensei already had moved on this before getting my letter or after. In a recent World Tribune, Sensei mentioned that he remembered there was a member who informed him that Gandhi chanted. My wife showed this to me and was grinning ear to ear, since she knows about my little story here. 

Chicago members encouraged me to write this experience. 

Sincerely, 

Rajiv Mistry 
Central Chapter, Chicago 

Also visit: 

Greater South Asian Group Mission Statement 
President Ikeda's Message to the Greater South Asian Group 
SGI-USA Greater South Asian Group Response