SGM Young Mister Group Holds First National Outdoor Training Course, Striving to Foster “Kings” and “Golden Pillars”

On 1 and 2 August 2026, 80 members of the SGM Young Mister Group (men’s division members aged 50 and below) from across Malaysia gathered in Gopeng, Perak, for the group’s first national outdoor training course. The course commemorated the 55th anniversary of the publication of President Ikeda’s poem “The Waterfall.”

Themed “Forging the Golden Pillars of Kosen-rufu for a New Era through the Spirit of ‘The Waterfall,’” the two-day course featured Buddhist study, mountain climbing, poetry study and dialogue sessions. Through these activities, participants sought to embody the waterfall’s spirit of pressing forward courageously and never ceasing, while deepening their determination to shoulder the mission of advancing kosen-rufu.

On the first day, Young Mister leader Chia Kok Peng encouraged participants in his opening address to cherish the opportunity and engage wholeheartedly in every activity with a seeking spirit. Participants then took on a mountain-climbing challenge, supporting and encouraging one another as they navigated rugged terrain and physical challenges. Through the experience, they realised that overcoming weakness and fear requires the courage to challenge oneself.

Participants subsequently studied the poem “The Waterfall” as well as Gosho passages, deepening their understanding of the importance of establishing pillars of conviction and resolve. They renewed their determination to become golden pillars who would advance kosen-rufu in the new era. Through a fabric-dyeing workshop and singing “The Song of Waterfall,” participants strengthened their bonds with one another and deepened their resolve to surpass their predecessors as genuine disciples.

During the evening campfire dialogue, SGM General Director Koh Sia Feai joined the participants and encouraged them to live up to President Ikeda’s trust by playing a central role in their families, workplaces and SGM. Drawing on his own experiences, he also shared the profound significance of the 8,000-youth shakubuku campaign, emphasising that introducing others to Buddhism is an act of caring for their happiness, conveying hope and putting into practice the mission of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.

On the following day, participants visited Lata Kinjang in Chenderiang, one of Southeast Asia’s highest waterfalls. Standing before the waterfall as its waters thundered down with immense force, they experienced firsthand the dynamic spirit expressed in “The Waterfall” – fierce, unflagging, unfearing, merry and proud.

Carrying with them the vows they had made during the two-day  training course, participants resolved to return to their daily lives and break through their past selves. Determined to advance kosen-rufu through concrete action, they pledged to forge ahead courageously with the spirit of true champions and repay their profound debt of gratitude to President Ikeda through their own victories.

Reported by Khoo Koon Hoe, photographed by Allen Au, Jeffery Lum and Tan Boon Keong