Following engaged Buddhism, Soka Gakkai reaches out to the marginalized and the suffering to make a profound change in global society.

Sarah (name changed) is an American woman living in the southern part of the United States. She somehow became an alcoholic and got addicted to painkillers, which saw her life careen out of control.
Her relationships with her mother and her daughter deteriorated to the extent that they would have nothing to do with her. Miserable and living in a mobile home, she finally found the courage to enter a de-addiction program which helped extricate her from the mire of alcoholism.
After staying sober for some years, Sarah was introduced to the Soka Gakkai by a friend at the de-addiction program. Though her mother and daughter remained distant, Sarah earnestly wished to make amends. She was advised to pray to heal her most intimate family relationships and to take responsibility for her life and her actions. In time, her prayer and her reformed behavior thawed the ice in her relationship with the two women in her life. Sarah realized she intently wanted to see her mother and daughter happy. Step by step, she set about re-establishing contact with them, and they have become a happy family again – and Sarah a new person.
In the folds of society in every nation exist a host of unhappy humans who have given up on themselves due to adverse circumstances such as substance abuse, financial lack, disability, chronic or terminal illness, discrimination and bullying, and discordant family relationships. Society hardly spares any space for them as it goes on promoting and establishing the healthy and functional individual as the model for people.

Work cut out for Soka Gakkai

While many emergency services are available – such as de-addiction centers, hospitals, and suicide helplines — which treat the symptoms of the trauma of the troubled ones, none of these can treat the root cause of the malaise. That is where a spiritual practice and global organization named the Soka Gakkai comes in.
Members of the Soka Gakkai, founded in 1930 in Japan, start with the premise that their philosophy and practice can treat the malaise that society considers chronic. They believe it can solve the problems that the political, educational, and cultural resources of society consider insoluble or not worth solving. They are confident that the process of ‘human revolution’ or individual self-transformation they espouse can treat any debility because they have experienced it in their own lives. Humanism and reaching out to the marginalized and the suffering are among the foremost guiding principles of the Soka Gakkai worldwide.
The organization has over 12 million members in 192 countries and territories worldwide. Members come from all walks of life – doctors, engineers, lawyers, artists, writers, media folk, educationists, etc – and belong to all ages, from the very young to nonagenarians. What binds them together is a belief in the sanctity of all life as espoused in the Lotus Sutra they follow. Believing that true happiness is achievable in this lifetime, they advocate an engaged approach to the philosophy of Buddhism that seeks their own joy as well as happiness for others. They follow the humanistic teachings established by the 13th-century Japanese monk, Nichiren Daishonin.

 Daisuka Ikeda founded Soka Gakkai International in 1975 and linked the independent Soka Gakkai organizations. Today, it is the world’s largest Buddhist lay organization, claiming a membership of 12 million practitioners worldwide, over 1.5 million of whom live outside Japan.

In 1975, Daisaku Ikeda founded Soka Gakkai International (SGI) by linking independent Soka Gakkai organizations around the world.

Listening to the Lotus Sutra

As President, Ikeda would emphasize that Soka Gakkai is, above all, a forum for ordinary people with real-life problems. “Each human being, without exception, is precious and irreplaceable. The Lotus Sutra thoroughly elucidates the truth of the sanctity of (all) life and the supreme practice of respecting all people,” he wrote.
During the half-century that he headed SGI, Ikeda always went out among the common people and strived to alleviate the misery of those suffering. His predecessor, Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda also made it his mission to help eliminate human misery from Earth.
But how is it done? Soka Gakkai members believe that essentially, human beings need an anchoring philosophy and set of beliefs in life that ring true from the cosmic point of view and are based on respect for the dignity of life.
Soka Gakkai philosophy arose in Japan between the two World Wars as a reaction to the Japanese militarist government’s imposition of State Shinto, which denied freedom of thought and belief. Soka Gakkai members believe in the unlimited potential of every individual and advocate pacifism as the correct rhythm of life, as well as education and culture as a bridge between nations.

Soka Gakkai followers believe in the sanctity of all life as espoused in the Lotus Sutra. Believing that true happiness is achievable in this lifetime, they advocate an engaged approach to the philosophy of Buddhism that seeks their own joy as well as happiness for others. 

We all believe in something. Some people may believe in science, some in technology, others in riches, power, or fame. Some may believe in freedom from restraints while others believe in social or government structures. Yet the moot question is: Are these beliefs in rhythm with the cosmic law of life?
Buddhism holds as its central tenet the Law of Causality, of cause and effect. According to this law, actions that support, enhance, and protect life have positive outcomes, while those that deprecate or destroy life lead to loss, suffering, and ugliness for the individual or collective concerned. This is also the primary tenet of other Eastern religions (Hinduism and Jainism) and the Western scientific paradigm, though it remains merely a mechanistic law in the latter.
Soka Gakkai aims to awaken the highest expression of humanity in an individual or a collective—the qualities of courage, wisdom, and compassion referred to as the Buddha Nature.
Given human beings’ tragic predilection for war over the millennia, Soka Gakkai aims to create a peaceful civilization that renounces war. They believe in doing this one individual at a time through human revolution within each of us.
Soka Gakkai members follow a chanting practice based on the mantra ‘Nam Myoho Renge Kyo’,  (which means, I dedicate myself to the law of cause and effect) and take action to engage with people in creating more harmonious environments within their own vicinity. They support each other through the travails of life—such as the loss of near and dear ones, job loss, bankruptcy, divorce and partnership break-ups, illness, and other forms of suffering such as isolation, alienation, bullying, and discrimination.

 

Soka Gakkai takes its cue from the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese monk, Nichiren Daishonin, who professed that the Lotus Sutra is the Buddha’s ultimate teaching. He promoted the chanting of the “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” (I dedicate myself to the Law of Cause and Effect) mantra, which remains a key spiritual practice with SGI followers.  

Promoting peace, education, and culture

The Soka Gakkai community, which covers almost every territory of the world, sees members meeting up locally every month to study the philosophy of Buddhism and relate personal experiences. The organization has specialist groups. The doctors and nurses’ group helps during natural disasters. The educators’ group sees that individuals within their environment can access education. The arts division promotes art and culture. Members often offer humanitarian assistance in response to natural disasters. SGI has been a consistent contributor to the United Nations.

While promoting peace, education, and culture to bring about a harmonious society is SGI’s social outreach, its essence is the one-on-one, life-to-life bonds between adherents based on a spiritual philosophy that harkens back 3,000 years. This is essentially an individual practice of self-reformation and self-improvement, of self-purification if you like, that has a profound influence on the social fabric everywhere.
Buddhists believe all life is interconnected in an intricate web that includes all living and non-living things and their environments. If you love and respect yourself, you will naturally not harm the environment or the creatures we share it with. The philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela and other champions of non-violence are considered ideal manifestations of the highest qualities of humanity by the organization.
Soka Gakkai will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2030, six years from now. But its aims, as outlined by Ikeda, extend hundreds of years into the future. SGI aims to help eradicate misery from each person’s life and play a part in creating a peaceful civilization. This task requires the full and committed effort of each of us.

(Photos courtesy: Wikipedia and SGI)

Soka Gakkai: Socially Engaged Buddhism

Actor Orlando Bloom and singer Tina Turner: Celebrity followers of Soka Gakkai. (Photos: Wikipedia)

The Soka Gakkai has over 12 million members in 192 countries and territories worldwide. It promotes the philosophy of ‘Soka Humanism,’ which focuses on respecting the dignity of all lives. In Japanese, ‘Soka’ means value creation, and ‘Gakkai’ means organization.

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a UN-recognized NGO founded in 1975 by Daisaku Ikeda. The Soka Gakkai was started in Japan in 1930 by educators Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, who were both persecuted by the Japanese militarist authorities during World War II. While Makiguchi died in prison in 1944, his disciple Josei Toda established the Soka Gakkai as one of the largest societies of lay practitioners of socially engaged Buddhists in Japan. Ikeda, the third president of the Soka Gakkai, took the movement worldwide.

Some of the famous members of SGI are British actor Orlando Bloom, American jazz musician Herbie Hancock, American singer the late Tina Turner, and Italian footballer Roberto Baggio.