Soka Gakkai International

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Soka Gakkai International
創価学会インターナショナル
AbbreviationSGI
FormationJanuary 26, 1975
HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
Revenue
donations and investments
Websitewww.sokaglobal.org

Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is an international Nichiren Buddhist organisation run by two vice-presidents including Hiromasa Ikeda. It was founded in 1975 by his father, Daisaku Ikeda, as an umbrella organization of Soka Gakkai.

As of 2021, and for the past 30 years, the SGI claims approximately 12 million adherents in 192 countries and territories,[1] more than 1.5 million of whom resided outside of Japan as of 2012.[2] But those numbers are controversial and impossible to verify. Recent scholarship estimate Soka Gakkai believers around 2.5 million people in Japan.[3]

SGI is one of the 6000 organizations awarded a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, since 1983.[4]

It also remains a controversial organization, due to the ambiguous reputation of the japanese Soka Gakkai. Some countries consider it as a cult.

History[edit]

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was formed at a conference on January 26, 1975, on the island of Guam.[5] Representatives from 51 countries attended the meeting and chose Daisaku Ikeda to become the SGI's founding president.[5] The SGI was created in a symbolic gesture referencing Guam's history as the site of some of World War II's bloodiest battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.[6]

An SGI center in Chicago

The Soka Gakkai's initial global expansion began after World War II, when some Soka Gakkai members married mostly American servicemen and moved away from Japan.[7] Expansion efforts gained a further boost in 1960 when Ikeda succeeded Jōsei Toda as president of the Soka Gakkai.[8][9] In the first year of his presidency, Ikeda visited the United States, Canada, and Brazil, and the Soka Gakkai's first American headquarters officially opened in Los Angeles in 1963.[8][10]

In June 2015, the SGI-Italy was recognized by the Italian government with a special accord under Italian Constitution Article 8, acknowledging it as an a religion with an official agreement with the government of Italy and eligible to receive direct taxpayer funding for its religious and social activities. Twelve other religious denominations share this status.[11][12]

Organization[edit]

The SGI is closely linked to the Soka Gakkai (the domestic Japanese organization), although both are headquartered in Tokyo.[13] "National branches enjoy some autonomy in certain matters. However, control over SG rests in Japan and the leadership of the movement is almost exclusively Japanese", according to scholar Karel Dobbelaere[14]. The Tokyo headquarters also disseminate doctrinal and teaching materials to national organizations.[15]

The election or nomination of leaders is not decided by the SGI's general membership but by a board of directors.[16] Leadership below national staff, however, has been liberalized.

Beliefs and social engagement[edit]

Taplow Court SGI centre in Buckinghamshire, England

SGI says its members incorporate social interaction and engagement into their Buddhist practice.[17] Monthly neighborhood discussion meetings are generally held at the homes of SGI members.[18]

In 2008, the SGI-USA, which is headquartered in California, publicly opposed that state's Proposition 8 (which sought to prevent same-sex marriage), and coordinated with other progressive religious groups to support same-sex couples' right to legally marry.[19][20]

In 2012, then-President of the Republic of China Ma Ying-jeou remarked that the Taiwan Soka Association had been recognized for its involvement the past 16 years in the general welfare of society, education and religious teaching, highlighting its disaster rescue and relief efforts in the wake of Typhoon Morakot in 2009.[21]

Initiatives promoting peace, culture and education[edit]

The SGI defines itself as a "movement for contributing to peace, culture and education" based on its "interpretation and practical application of the ideas in the Lotus Sutra."[22] SGI promotes its engagement on issues including human rights, sustainable development and peace building[23].

Nuclear disarmament[edit]

Since 2007, the SGI has collaborated with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to develop educational programs and raise awareness on nuclear disarmament, particularly among young people. ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize[24].

According to Pax Christi International, on March 28, 2017, a joint statement of Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons, initiated by the SGI, was delivered by Pax Christi Philippines during the first UN negotiating conference for the treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.[25].

Environmental awareness[edit]

The SGI also promotes environmental initiatives through educational activities such as exhibitions, lectures and conferences, and more direct activities such as tree planting projects and the SGI's Amazon Ecological Conservation Center, which is administered by SGI-Brazil.[26] The center is engaged in reforestation, the creation of a regional seed bank, and experiments in sustainable agroforestry.[27]

Aid work[edit]

The SGI conducts humanitarian aid projects in disaster-stricken regions. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, local Soka Gakkai facilities became refugee shelters and distribution centers for relief supplies. Efforts also included worldwide fundraising for the victims, youth groups, and spiritual support.[28][29]

In 2014, SGI-Chile members collected supplies to deliver to emergency services and refugee centers after that country's devastating Iquique earthquake.[30]

Interfaith dialogue[edit]

In 2015, SGI-USA was part of the organizing committee that convened a day-long conference in Washington, DC of 125 Buddhist leaders to discuss Buddhism and civic activism in the United States. The conference identified climate change and the environment, education and peace and disarmament as popular priorities.[31]

Notable members[edit]

Notable members of the Soka Gakkai International include:

References[edit]

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  3. ^ McLaughlin, Levi (2012). "Soka Gakkai in Japan". In Prohl, Inken; Nelson, John (eds.). Handbook of Contemporary Japanese Religions. Brill. pp. 269–308. ISBN 978-90-04-23436-9. Today, the group has a self-declared membership of 8.27 million households in Japan and more than 1.5 million adherents in 192 countries abroad under its overseas umbrella organization Soka Gakkai International, or SGI. Recent scholarship challenges theses figures and points to a figure in the neighborhood of two percent of the Japanese population.
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Further reading[edit]

  • Causton, Richard: The Buddha in Daily Life: An Introduction to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Rider, 1995; ISBN 978-0712674560
  • Dobbelaere, Karel: Soka Gakkai: From Lay Movement to Religion. Signature Books, 2001; ISBN 978-1560851530
  • Seager, Richard: Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism. University of California Press, 2006; ISBN 978-0520245778
  • Strand, Clark: Waking the Buddha: How the Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History Is Changing Our Concept of Religion. Middleway Press, 2014; ISBN 978-0977924561

External links[edit]

Official SGI websites

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