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.
| 創価学会インターナショナル | |
 Soka Gakkai International flag | |
| Abbreviation | SGI |
|---|---|
| Formation | January 26, 1975 |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
Revenue | donations and investments |
| Website | www |
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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]
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
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:
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – British-Nigerian actor best known for his roles on television, including Lost, Oz, and Game of Thrones[32]
- Angelica Ross - American first transgender actress to be cast in a Broadway leading role and founder of the TransTech Social Enterprises, also known from TV series Pose and American Horror Story[33][34]
- Anne Louise Hassing – Danish actress, best known from her roles in movies such as The Idiots and The Hunt[35]
- Belinda Carlisle – American singer, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame best known as the lead singer of The Go-Go's[36]
- Betty Faria - Brazilian actress, best known for the lead role in the soap opera Tieta, and Gramado Film Festival winner for Anjos do Arrabalde.[37]
- Beverly Glenn-Copeland – U.S.-born Canadian musician, songwriter and singer[38]
- Boy George – English singer, songwriter, DJ, fashion designer, mixed media artist, photographer and record producer[39][40][41]
- Buster Williams – American jazz bassist[42]
- Carmen Consoli – Italian singer and songwriter who sold two million albums in Italy[43]
- Celeste Lecesne – American actor and writer[44] of the Oscar-winning film Trevor, co-founder of The Trevor Project[45]
- Cheryl Boone Isaacs – American film executive and the first African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[46]
- Christine Rankin – Former head of the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development and politician[47]
- Claire Bertschinger – British nurse whose work inspired the formation of Live Aid and Band Aid and was named a dame by Queen Elizabeth II for "serving to Nurse and to International Humanitarian Aid"[48]
- Claudia Jessie – British actress, best known from the TV series Bridgerton[49]
- Courtney Love – American musician, songwriter, actress, and artist, she is known as the lead singer from Hole and for her roles in movies like The People vs. Larry Flynt and Man on the Moon, and was also nominated for four Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe[50]
- Craig Taro Gold – American best-selling author, entrepreneur, actor, singer-songwriter, producer, and philanthropist[51]
- David Bennett Cohen – blues musician[52]
- Duncan Sheik – American Grammy Awards nominated singer-songwriter and composer[53]
- Hank Johnson – United States Congressman for Georgia's 4th congressional district[54]
- Hayley Mills – English actress, best known for performances in movies such as Tiger Bay and Pollyanna, who received a Disney Legends Award and won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe[55]
- Herbie Hancock – American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer who won 14 Grammy Awards and an Oscar[56]
- Hisashi Iwakuma – Major League Baseball player, pitcher for the Seattle Mariners[57]
- Howard Jones – English musician, singer and songwriter who had top ten 40 hit singles in the United Kingdom[58]
- Isabela Garcia - Brazilian actress known for her work on television soap operas, she was called "the Brazilian Shirley Temple" on her youth.[59]
- John Astin – American actor best known for playing Gomez Addams on The Addams Family[60]
- Letícia Colin - Brazilian actress, nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her role in the series Onde Está Meu Coração[61][62]
- Marcia Wallace - American actress, voice artist and comedian, who won an Emmy Awards for The Simpsons[63]
- Mariane Pearl – French freelance journalist and former columnist and reporter, also known from the memoir A Mighty Heart[64]
- Néstor Torres – American jazz flautist[60]
- Nick Jago – British drummer known for being a former member of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club[65]
- Orlando Bloom – British actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador known for his roles in film, including Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Troy[66]
- Orlando Cepeda – American former Major League Baseball first baseman and member of the Hall of Fame[67]
- Patrick Duffy – American actor best known for his roles on television, including Dallas and Step by Step[60]
- Roberto Baggio – Italian footballer and member of the FIFA World Cup Dream Team[68]
- Ron Glass - American actor best known for his roles as literary Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982)[69]
- Sabina Guzzanti – Italian satirist, actress, and writer[70]
- Shan Serafin – American film director, screenwriter and novelist[71]
- Shunsuke Nakamura – Japanese soccer player, midfielder for the Scottish team Celtic F.C.[72]
- Sophia Mendonça – Brazilian author who focuses on the experience of being autistic and trans and how that affects communication and sociality between individuals and groups.[73]
- Steven Sater – American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter best known for the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening[74]
- Suzanne Vega – American folk singer-songwriter[75]
- Tina Turner – American singer, dancer, actress, and author, who sold over 100 million records worldwide and received 12 Grammy Awards[76][77]
- Vinessa Shaw – American actress, best known from her roles in films such as Hocus Pocus and Side Effects[78]
- Wayne Shorter – American jazz saxophonist and composer, who won 11 Grammy Awards[79]
References edit
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
- Official website
- SGI Office for UN Affairs – SGI website on its NGO consultative work with the United Nations
- People's Decade for Nuclear Abolition II – SGI website supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
- Common Threads – SGI blog supporting a culture of peace
- sgi.org/ru – Official SGI website in the Russian language