The Soka Gakkai International, a worldwide Buddhist association that promotes peace, culture and education through community-based activities, will contribute 100 books to the Monterey County Free Libraries.

The donation will be made at 10 a.m. Friday at the Marina Public Library, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina.

SGI has members in 192 countries. Monterey County practitioners meet regularly in private homes and monthly at the Marina Library to engage in Buddhist prayer, study, sharing, and dialogue on ways that the practice of Buddhism can be applied to the challenges of daily living and simultaneously form the basis for world peace through individual personal transformation.

Local activities also include social contributions for the betterment of the community. In recent years, local members have introduced “Victory over Violence” workshops to local schools, helping young people identify and counteract the root causes of violence in their own lives and in their communities. In addition, SGI provides youth programs, traveling exhibits, cultural events and symposia. Among its educational exhibits that have been brought to local colleges and universities is one entitled “Ghandi, King, Ikeda—A Legacy of Creating Peace.”

The books, many of which relate to Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Daisaku Ikeda (President of the SGI), are being donated with the hope that they will help contribute to tolerance, peace and harmony in the local community.

Information: www.sgi-usa.org or www.sgi-siliconvalley.org.