'GI Joe' star is a Soka member

Appreciating the honesty

I suppose so, but in their tendency to deify Daisaku Ikeda (whether they cop to it or not in their defining him as "mentor") and their tangential approach that often seems to skirt the caution of Nichiren that, "You must never seek any of Shakyamuni's teachings or the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the universe outside yourself," I am not sure the Soka Gakkai earns the right, by practice or belief, to call itself Buddhist (see previous discussion). However, that is for those wiser than I to decide.  

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by: crisro @ Sun Aug 09, 2009 at 15:04:32 PM UTC

The Rise of SGI Buddhism

It definitely appears that SGI is becoming a source of Buddhism rather than an administrative organization that supports the practice of Nichiren Buddhism. But this may not be the whole story.

I have to think that this may be partly due to the ignorance of media reporters who always seek to make headlines out of simple conversations. It seems that a lot of "celebrity" buddhists jump right into abbreviating their conversations - thus they speak of "SGI Buddhism" - realizing that saying that "they practice the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin under the guidance of the organization known as Soka Gakkai International" - may get blank stares because there's few reporters that would get that phrase right!!!!

It reminds me of the now famous Tina Turner interview with Larry King where he asks her if she is chanting words or sounds?? Tina, smiling at his obvious ignorance of foreign languages like Japanese or Chinese, just says that they are sounds... obviously she knew the reality of what she was chanting.

To me this story illustrates that we no longer can rely on media to report the truth - only their opinion or limited understanding of it.

Nesshindo: Enthusiasm for the way.

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by: Nesshindo @ Sun Aug 09, 2009 at 21:13:41 PM UTC