| And I will
argue that they can, indeed, be members of a cult – if they want to be.
Their arguments
seem to be:
-
There is great
emphasis on the activities, speeches and writings of the SGI president,
to the point where many feel he is “worshipped”;
-
Control: dissent
is not allowed, the leaders are authoritarian and there is no forum for
member input into decisions.
In responding to
these allegations, I will rely frequently on my own experience as an SGI
member for over 30 years.
POINT 1:
“There is great emphasis on the activities, speeches and writings of the
SGI president, to the point where many feel he is ‘worshipped’.”
Indeed there
is great emphasis on the current president, Daisaku Ikeda: in publications,
in guidance, in members’ lives.
The sole purpose
for the existence of the SGI is to widely disseminate the Buddhism of Nichiren,
based on the understanding that Nichiren Buddhism has an actual positive
effect on the real lives of its practitioners.
In 1951 the
Soka Gakkai was a fairly small lay organization. That year, its president
Josei Toda vowed to expand to a quarter of a million households. That goal
was realized by the time of his death seven years later.
It didn’t happen
by accident, or by divine decree. It happened because real effort was made,
daily, teaching individuals, one by one, the efficacy of Nichiren’s practice.
Leading the way in these efforts — doing the actual work — was Daisaku
Ikeda.
Mr. Ikeda became
the president in 1960, and immediately began exporting the Soka Gakkai
to the world. That year he visited the United States and other countries,
encouraging the few individual Gakkai members he found, setting up organizations
and helping in propagation.
From that start,
the SGI has organizations in 190 countries (as of Fall 2004).
Those who wish
to help the SGI fulfill its purpose, then, have as their president someone
whose experience in this regard is invaluable: he’s done it. Neither he,
nor the organization on his behalf, claims any special prowess arising
out of his office (like the pope, who becomes infallible with his ascension).
It is not claimed that he is the reincarnation of anyone especially noteworthy
(as are the leaders of some other Buddhist sects, or the Rev. Moon). There’s
no claim of a special state of life, or special insight, available only
to him (like the high priest of another Nichiren sect). There is
no claim that it is his blessing or wisdom that causes benefits for others.
Very simply:
the purpose of the SGI is to widely propagate Nichiren’s Buddhism. Mr.
Ikeda has done this, more successfully than anyone in history. Therefore
the SGI cherishes his counsel, based on actual accomplishment — not his
office, not his name.
So it is only
natural that we cite his encouragement, that we sometimes voice our determination
to further what he has started. This may be construed as “worship”
by those who have missed that the man has led an actual life, and has accomplished
great things through day-to-day effort — the same kind of effort, with
the same struggles, we ourselves face daily. Since we want to succeed
in those efforts, we look to a man who has succeeded, to a greater extent
than anyone in history.
POINT 2:
“Control”
The implication
here is that SGI-USA is a closed, secretive organization whose members
are expected to be docile and unquestioning.
In the first
20 or so years of my practice, I didn’t dissent much, but I never witnessed
anyone punished for dissenting. In fact, the loudest and most persistent
dissenter in my local organization kept getting appointed to more responsible
positions, until by the time he moved away, he was a vice-headquarters
chief.
In 1990 President
Ikeda began redefining the organizational culture of the SGI-USA. He stressed
each individual’s direct connection to the Gohonzon. He emphasized personal
initiative and the power of intellect. He directed those in positions of
responsibility to be open and supportive. He said he wanted our organization
to be “overflowing with smiles, friendship and humanity”.
More recently
(February 2004) he told the top leaders of SGI-USA that “leaders must also
value those who offer opinions. Growth and development require change and
innovation. Innovation cannot take place where fresh ideas are ignored
or suppressed.”
My experience
is that SGI-USA has been applying those ideals for years.
I’ve had disagreements
with leaders, national to local, over matters trivial and vital. Sometimes
they came around to my thinking, sometimes I came around to theirs.
Here are some
of my experiences. Note that there is a common thread.
A few years
ago complaints and accusations swirled through the Internet about leaders
— even leaders from Japan — showing up unannounced at the homes of people
who had not exchanged their Gohonzon. Many of those people were miffed,
and it gave ammunition to those firing the “cult” bullet.
We were told
a couple of leaders from Los Angeles would be visiting our area, wanting
to speak to everyone who had retained their old Gohonzon. So, in the days
before they arrived, we made an effort to contact those people. We couldn’t
reach everyone, and some of those we did reach said they didn’t want to
talk about it. The visiting leaders never as much as heard their
names, and we took them to meet only those who had agreed beforehand. That
seemed the polite thing to do, like a way consistent with an organization
of “smiles, warmth and friendship”.
The visiting
leaders had no problem with that at all. They agreed we had acted with
consideration for the people we knew, and were happy to talk to people
who welcomed the discussion. And, not everyone they talked to was convinced
to exchange Gohonzon; the leaders were understanding of that, too.
The leaders
in any locality know the members in that locality better than “senior leaders”
who live hundreds of miles away, and understand what is encouraging to
those members. And it seems the senior leaders who live hundreds of miles
away understand this.
There are examples
from all around the country of people who took initiative to hold activities
outside the box of SGI tradition. I’ve been involved, or observed, a few
of these. In each case, the initial reaction from the leadership was “What
in the world are you doing?” And as each proved to be encouraging to the
members, and consistent with the SGI’s mission, the later reaction from
those same leaders has been “Nice going!”
That happened
to me with an Internet project I was urging in the early Nineties, when
I was told it was “a waste of time.” But I persisted, and after a while
the same people were just as persistent in their thanks.
In 1999 our
Area wanted to stage a culture show, and I was on the committee. We decided
to do a musical comedy rather than the traditional variety show format.
Resistance was strong, and it took nearly daily discussions with leaders
for two months before we got the green light. The main concern was that
there was a certain expectation on the part of people who had practiced
for years, and though we wished it weren’t so, we had to admit that was
legitimate, and we would be wrong to exclude them. So we compromised with
a short “traditional” show to start the evening, followed by the musical.
An estimated
100 guests attended; and, because of their participation, about a dozen
youth started practicing on their own. Leaders who had resisted the idea
later went out of their way to express their joy.
The common thread?
All these issues were resolved by discussing them with the leaders involved.
There were no demands. I didn’t threaten to go public, and I didn’t recruit
others to pressure those with whom I disagreed. Both sides were always
open to the possibility that the other had sincere concerns that had to
be addressed.
I think those
who claim the SGI is a closed and authoritarian “cult” have somehow missed
a number of opportunities. I believe they’ve made assumptions that could
easily have been tested. I believe they, like me, had some non-traditional
ideas, but were adamant about them, and insisted that not only they, but
others also go the way they had chosen.
Personal initiative
begins with one’s own awareness, which he/she shares with others through
dialogue — dialogue tempered with the understanding that not everyone else
will be in agreement. When one is insistent that others, whether in agreement
or not, support one’s initiative, then any resistance may be interpreted
as a cultish “my way or the highway” attitude. Our intention with the culture
show was to allow youth to feel included in the SGI, and our idea for the
musical was arose from our conversations with them. If, when the idea was
resisted, we had gone back to the youth and complained about the leadership,
the show never would have happened and those youth would not be practicing
today.
And when one
assumes that a cultish atmosphere prevails, then absolutely anything
can be construed as “proof.” If we had assumed when those leaders came
to visit that they would not listen to us, then we never would have discovered
how much they valued our own familiarity with our members.
The SGI is an
organization that cherishes each individual’s growth, that values each
individual’s contributions. Many different members have many different
opinions about things as fundamental as the significance and origin of
the Dai Gohonzon, but no one has been expelled for heresy. There are differences
of opinion on many topics, and addressing those differences opens avenues
of awareness, encouragement and, ultimately, appreciation of the great
mission of our SGI.
Or, we can just
let our eyes glaze over, and be led thoughtlessly by anyone. Even a two-year-old.
|
by Jim Celer