What Accounts for the Success of Soka Gakkai?

[Serenity509]

This is an article featured on a Jodo Shinshu-related website, written from the perspective of how Jodo Shinshu in America can learn from the example of Soka Gakkai:
http://www.livingdharma.org/Living.Dhar ... rless.html

Can someone please tell me which parts of the article are inaccurate regarding Soka Gakkai? I am honestly curious and would appreciate your input.

Also, is there any evidence of Roger Corless secretly being on SGI's payroll or SGI-involved? Considering that Pure Land Buddhism and SGI are often seen as at odds with each other, that would certainly be weird.

[illarraza]

This is an article featured on a Jodo Shinshu-related website, written from the perspective of how Jodo Shinshu in America can learn from the example of Soka Gakkai:
http://www.livingdharma.org/Living.Dhar ... rless.html

Can someone please tell me which parts of the article are inaccurate regarding Soka Gakkai? I am honestly curious and would appreciate your input.

Also, is there any evidence of Roger Corless secretly being on SGI's payroll or SGI-involved? Considering that Pure Land Buddhism and SGI are often seen as at odds with each other, that would certainly be weird.

"SGI re-examined the teachings of Nichiren and realized that, because they were based on the Lotus Sutra and its doctrine of the universality of the Buddha Nature, they were compatible with democracy and North American culture. Shinran’s teachings are open to a similar interpretation. He said, “I do not have even a single disciple”, and Shinshu practitioners are called dobo (companions, literally “equal-rank friends”), rather than followers. If all are equally embraced by Amida’s Vow, democracy is natural."

Even socialists and Muslims fit in in America. I would argue that SGI appropriated the Lotus Sutra and, at best, it is only loosely based on the Lotus Sutra. It shares elements of Shingon and Zen which permeate SGI faith and practice. It's easy to talk the talk about the universality of Buddha-nature but difficult to walk the walk, to actually treat everyone as if in fact they are Buddhas, let alone to manifest the exalted state of Buddhahood. Here, SGI fails miserably. The SGI mentor has shackled the members to himself like a sick siamese twin who will eventually kill both himself and his sibling and all very top SGI leaders are Japanese men. Besides, the universality of Buddha-nature is merely the most important teaching of the Theoretical Section of the Lotus Sutra. It pales in significance to the immeasurable lifespan of Buddha-nature and specifically to the immeasurable lifespan of the Tathagata Shakyamuni found in the Essential Section.

Nichiren Daishonin never measured success by quantity:

"The truth of Buddhism has nothing to do with the opinion of the majority. All that is important is whether a belief is in accord with the scriptures. And, further, the golden words of the Buddha have already informed us that in the age of the Latter Day of the Law those who uphold the Right Dharma would be few in number. Thus the Nirvana Sutra says that "those who uphold the Right Dharma are as few as the grains of earth on a fingernail, and those that slander the Dharma are as numerous as the earth in all the ten directions"

and

"If we consider these examples carefully, we will realize that, among those who read the Lotus Sutra and sing its praises, there are many who are destined for the hell of incessant suffering. Even men like Chia-hsiang and Tz’uen were actually slanderers of the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra..." How much more so, men like Josei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda?

Illarraza

[Serenity509]

Thank you for your response. What else is inaccurate about the article? Also, how do they incorporate Shingon and Zen?

[illarraza]

Thank you for your response. What else is inaccurate about the article? Also, how do they incorporate Shingon and Zen?

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2015/03/s ... uddha.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2015/08/n ... -true.html

Illarraza

[illarraza]

here is another essay for you to peruse:

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2015/02/f ... ciple.html

Illarraza