I had dabbled in lay buddhist practice for a couple of years when I was introduced to Soka Gakkai International, way back in 1997. Like my other pursuits in my life, this practice too fizzled out. Certain friends kept persuading me for a few months. They asked what my reservations were. The obviously honest reasons could have been – my, then, distractions and my consistent laziness. But I did not cite these, as I was an expert impostor – instead I attributed it to the personality cult that was prevalent among its members as the reason. Partially It was an honest answer too. In the SGI monthly meetings wherein the members are asked to share their experience of the practice – a demonstration of the success after chanting the venerable title of the Lotus Sutra – Namu Myoho Range Kyo – I had kept noticing the glorification of the personality of SGI’s Leader Daisaku Ikeda. If it’s a spiritual practice, why should the personality of the group’s leader be invoked? In its ritual prayer, there is a line whereby the members are invoked to pray for the leader. In one of the conversations during a monthly discussions in Mumbai, when I raised these questions, one of the seniors – I don’t remember his name now, he used to be executive director of India’s premier financial institution with high pedigree – took me aside to give a lecture on how negative karma forces one to raise such “pseudo-questions”. The conversation didn’t progress long.
Subsequently, over the years, due to my keen interest on Japan’s Cultural History, I pursued my reading about various politico-buddhist sects which sprung up post the lull in Buddhist Culture in 13th century Japan. The zen practices which perpetuated the military culture (until Japan got defeated the world war) also maintained the class – caste differences to persist (until Japan embraced the modernity). The personality cult is not new in Japan’s history. The sects and cults continued to thrive in Japanese Culture. This understanding threw light on my experiences when I was practising under the umbrella of SGI. Looking back, I now realise that I was becoming part of a cult, which I came to detest subsequently. Being part of a cult, to me, is akin to imprisonment.
Another aspect which I disliked about SGI – is its political ambitions. Although the organisation never publicly accepts this – in 1975, the President Ikeda founded the precursor to what later came to be known as Komeito Party – the political arm of SGI, in whose support the current coalition which is in Government survives. Does it remind us of a certain “cultural” organisation at home, which spawned a certain political party?
As far as the theology that SGI espouses, it draws inspiration from the 13th Century teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, but in an evangelical way. Nichiren’s Buddhism taught its followers that the chanting of the Lotus Sutra helps overcome the Negative Karma. This ideal is re-cycled in a material way, suiting to the needs of modern Japanese and global lay believers – “the essence of Buddhism is the conviction that we have within us at each moment the ability to overcome any problem or difficulty that we may encounter I life”
Ikeda was a prolific writer. The SGI Magazine used to contain his long essays and the serial of his long autobiography titled “Human Revolution”. Have enjoyed reading those essays.
Daisaku Ikeda who led Japan’s largest religious organisation died today.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/11/18/japan/society/daisaku-ikeda-soka-gakkai-founder-dies/
இலைகள், மலர்கள், மரங்கள் 
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