Baffelli, Erica. 2011. “‘The Gakkai Is Faith; the Komeito Is Action’: Soka Gakkai and ‘Buddhist Politics.’” In Politics and Religion in Modern Japan: Red Sun, White Lotus, edited by Roy Starrs, 240–77. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gebert, Andrew. 2017. “Soka Gakkai – Buddhism.” Oxford Bibliographies. May 5, 2017. http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0053.xml

Hammond, Phillip E, and David Wayne Machacek. 2002. “Soka Gakkai International.” In Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, edited by J Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, 1189–91. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

Keown, Damien. 1996. Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

McLaughlin, Levi. 2015. “Komeito’s Soka Gakkai Protesters and Supporters: Religious Motivations for Political Activism in Contemporary Japan.” The Asia-Pacific Journal 13 (41): 1–31.

Montgomery, Daniel B. 1991. Fire in the Lotus: The Dynamic Buddhism of Nichiren. London: Mandala.

Reader, Ian. 2002. “Japan”. In Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, edited by J Gordon Melton and Martin Baumann, 1189–91. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC.

As a result of backlash against Soka Gakkai’s uncompromising interpretation of Buddhism and its controversial practices, such as shakubuku, SGI president Daisaku Ikeda toned down some of the movement’s ideals. For example, in 1970 he conceded that Soka Gakkai did not intend to establish the kaidan, or “government-sponsored platform” (Baffelli 2011: 234).

Since establishing SGI, Ikeda has adopted a more innovative and engaging approach in spreading Buddhism worldwide. He founded the Soka schools, a non-denominational school system which includes all levels, including kindergarten, and a university in Tokyo and another in California (SGI-UK 2017: 44). Ikeda is also a proponent of dialogue and peace initiatives, and has published exchanges with figures as diverse as Mikhail Gorbachev (the last leader of the Soviet Union), Elise Boulding (the Norwegian Quaker and sociologist), Joseph Rotblat (the Polish Nobel Peace laureate), and Andre Malraux (the French novelist, art theorist and politician) (SGI-UK 2017: 44).

The fourth item in the SGI charter also affirms that the movement “shall respect and protect the freedom of religion and religious expression” (Soka Gakkai International (SGI) 1995).

The diversity within Buddhism has resulted in diverging interpretations of common concepts, such as the ‘Middle Way’. For Soka Gakkai, drawing upon the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, the Middle Way is exemplified by the Daimoku – “the ultimate Law or truth of all things”. They see it not as a compromise between extremes, but as a way to attain balance in life (SGI-UK 2017: 31).

This framework is what enabled the second president of Soka Gakkai, Josei Toda, to focus his teachings on the attainment of health, wealth, and spiritual and worldly happiness. Toda likened happiness to the flavouring in soup, which should contain the right balance of sweet and sour. Too much sour would make the soup inedible, and some sweetness would need to be added. Toda even proclaimed, ‘If you do as I tell you, and if things don’t work out as you want by the time I come to (this town) next (year), then you may come up here and beat me and kick me as much as you want. This is a promise.’ (Montgomery 1991: 185)

This passionate emphasis on personal empowerment and salvation was appealing to substantial numbers of Japanese, especially residents of Tokyo who had to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the Second World War (Montgomery 1991: 185). The focus on personal transformation continues to be a prominent feature, for example in the testimonies of SGI-UK members who have struggled with grief, addiction, divorce and abuse (SGI-UK 2017).

Soka Gakkai members, especially converts in the West, are often happy to relate their religious experiences. In an interview, Tina Turner responded to a question about the relationship between singing and spirituality by saying:

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a song. In the Soka Gakkai tradition we are taught how to sing it. It is a sound and a rhythm and it touches a place inside you. That place we try to reach is the subconscious mind. I believe that it is the highest place and, if you communicate with it, that is when you receive information on what to do. Singing a song can make you cry. Singing a song can make you happy. That’s spirit—the spirit inside of you. If you look up ‘spiritual’ in a dictionary, you will find that it is your nature, it is the person you are. When you walk into a room, a person might say, ‘Oh, she’s got great spirit.’ Or you can walk into a room and someone will say that you don’t have spirit because it’s not visible. You’re kind of off or negative. Meditation and praying change your spirit into something positive. If it is already positive, it makes it better (Miller 2016).

The British rapper, poet and activist, Shauna O’Briain (also known as MC Angel) – who also identifies as lesbian – recounts a history of drug and alcohol abuse before she encountered Soka Gakkai. According to her:

Other than going to discussion meetings, I initially struggled with doing activities and developing a bigger involvement in the SGI. Thanks to the persistent and compassionate support from local members and leaders, I slowly began to do more….I started to take responsibility for my life and I gave up drinking around four years ago. I threw myself into SGI-UK activities within the youth division. Previously I had felt heavy in the mornings, but after SGI-UK activities, alongside other young people, I felt light. I started to realise the fatigue had been caused by deep suffering and that Buddhist activities were transforming my negative tendencies. Through my Buddhist practice I have transformed so much of my life and I have received such care and love. I have felt supported through every challenge and obstacle, while empowered to make healthier choices for my own life (SGI-UK 2017).

As noted in other sections above, Soka Gakkai teaches that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo expresses the ‘universal law of life’, and that its recitation “allows each individual to tap into the wisdom of their life to reveal their Buddha nature” (SGI-USA: 2016). The phrase thus encapsulates the Soka Gakkai belief that each individual has Buddha nature. When an individual lives by the universal law, through dedication to and daily repetition of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, s/he can “deal effectively with any situation” and can work towards the happiness of self and others (SGI-USA: 2016). A central teaching of Soka Gakkai is that individual change will lead to societal, and then global, change: “empowered global citizens” will work for change in their own communities. SGI describes itself as “Buddhism in Action for Peace”. SGI also teaches that dedication to the Lotus Sutra is the only means of salvation in the current ‘Latter Day of the Law’, also known as the ‘Age of Decay’ (mappō).

According to Soka Gakkai teachings, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to “see, hear, smell and taste more clearly”, while “our sense of touch becomes more sensitive, and we begin to perceive and make judgements about both the physical and abstract world with greater clarity” (SGI-UK 2017: 38). This accords with the Buddhist teaching about the Nine Levels of Perception or Consciousness shared by all living beings.

The first five consciousnesses corresponded to the five senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. The sixth consciousness enables us to make judgements about physical things – for example, recognising that a chair is hard and that we can sit on it, or that an apple is edible. The seventh consciousness is about discerning the abstract and making moral judgements. The eighth consciousness stores our underlying habits, dislikes, likes and other personality traits as an accumulation of our karma. The ninth consciousness is the life-force itself, which Nichiren Buddhists call Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo thus enables us to attain the ninth consciousness and to purify all the other eight consciousnesses.

The relationship between religion and science is generally uncontroversial amongst Soka Gakkai followers. In fact, the movement has two universities – one in Tokyo (founded in 1971) and one in Orange County, California (founded in 2001). Its Tokyo university campus opened with three faculties – Economics, Law, and Letters – in 1971 (“History | SOKA UNIVERSITY | Discover Your Potential” 2018).

The Engineering faculty was added in 1991 and was expanded to Science and Engineering in 2015, while Nursing was added as a faculty in 2013. The California university is a four-year liberal arts college and graduate school which states that it was “founded upon the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the sanctity of life” (Soka University of America 2018).

As a consequence of their beliefs about karma and the cycle of rebirth, Buddhists hold all life as sacred. This can lead to complicated positions on issues such as abortion because, according to early Buddhist teachings, individual human life begins at conception. Interpreting these early sources in light of modern scientific discoveries, most Buddhists hold that individual life begins at fertilisation. Abortion is therefore illegal in Sri Lanka and Thailand but is legal in Japan. As with many other Buddhists in the West, SGI followers may hold a range of personal views on abortion. Regardless of the official doctrinal position on abortion, however, some Buddhists in Japan offer the ritual of mizuko kuyo, or a memorial service, for aborted children (Keown 1996: 102–3).

Soka Gakkai place great importance on achieving a balance of individual health and happiness and the larger transformation of the world (SGI-UK 2017). While organisations such as SGI-UK do not pass judgement on individuals who abuse drugs or alcohol, it highlights the stories of those who have left these lifestyles behind after encountering Soka Gakkai.

In relation to gender and sexual diversity, SGI-UK embraces members of diverse identities and backgrounds. It also does not pass judgement on the morality of non-marital heterosexual relations.

In the UK, SGI has four centres which are open to movement members and the public. The UK headquarters are located at Taplow Court, Buckinghamshire, and there are three centres in London: SGI-UK West London Centre, South London National Centre and the London Ikeda Peace Centre. Each centre contains at least one room dedicated to chanting in front of the Gohonzon. In SGI, core activities are organised locally in what are known as ‘districts’ (SGI-UK 2017: 5). These is where old members and new encounter community support in their daily practice and faith. There are roughly 630 local districts in the UK, and meetings can be found through the search function of the SGI-UK website (SGI-UK 2018).

At the same time, Soka Gakkai upholds the ‘mentor and disciple’ relationship that is characteristic of Nichiren Buddhism – followers regard Ikeda as their mentor and seek to emulate his example (SGI-UK 2017: 45).

Soka Gakkai is explicit about its deep regard for environmental sustainability. The preamble to its charter names the “degradation of the natural environment and widening economic chasms between developed and developing nations, with serious repercussions for humankind’s collective future” as one of its concerns (Soka Gakkai International (SGI) 1995). The ninth point of the Charter states: “SGI shall promote, based on the Buddhist ideal of symbiosis, the protection of nature and the environment”.