This Raleigh-based group is a part of a larger organization, Soka Gakkai International (SGI). SGI, a form of Nichiren Buddhism, claims approximately 13 million members worldwide and boasts more than sixty centers in the United States. 

In North Carolina, where a group formed in 1960 as part of the Washington, D.C. chapter, there are an estimated 800 followers of Soka Gakkai (literally "Society for the Creation of Value"). Most of those are converts, although some are cradle Buddhists of Asian descent. SGI, the most ethnically and economically diverse U.S. Buddhist convert group, also includes many European-Americans and African-Americans, and some Hispanic members as well. 

Those diverse members engage in a variety of rituals. At home,  most members regularly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra, the most sacred text for all who revere the teachings of Nichiren (1222-82), the Japanese religious founder.  When devotees gather together in private residences each week they not only chant but also hold discussions. And there are activities for the younger members too, including a youth group that meets once a week. The North Carolina SGI, like the national organization, has been active in working for peace, and in a larger and more formal gathering followers come together on the first Sunday of each month to participate in the World Peace Gongyo, when the members chant the first two chapters of the Lotus Sutra.

EW