Facts, impressions, meetings and "events", minor and major, at an international meeting.

    An especially important moment at the CESNUR 98 Conference saw the presentation of a movement which has met with considerable success in proselytising in Italy during recent years: Soka Gakkai.

    This success is rather unusual, since the movement is deeply rooted in Japanese culture; but it is understandable, since the last President of the organisation, Daisaku Ikeda, heavily empowered its transformation, providing it with an international dimension and taking it out of the milieu it was born and had grown up in.

    No less than three papers (a fact I feel to be quite important) were devoted to this movement during the plenary session. One of these also dealt with Scientology and the Adventist Church.

    The three papers were the following :

" The ‘pillar’ system in new religious movements compared to the traditional ‘pillar’ system in Europe" by K. Dobbelaere

"The transformation of a Japanese Buddhist denomination into an international religious movement: the case of Soka Gakkai" by H. Hunter

" Soka Gakkai in Italy" by Maria Immacolata Macioti.

    I shall comment on these three papers, especially on the last one, since I do not believe this movement received such an ample share of an International Conference by chance.

    Also, some very interesting things were said about Soka Gakkai, and I would like to add some more which I believe will be equally useful in order to provide correct information on the movement.

Pillars?

    K. Dobbelaere's paper on " Pillarization in New Religious Movements Compared with Traditional Pillarization in Europe" appears to be an enthusiastic description of what he calls the "pillars" of three movements: the Adventist Church, Scientology and Soka Gakkai. The "pillars" are the organisational structures through which these movements make themselves known, operate and win new followers. The pillars make these new movements increasingly self sufficient while also providing the society with useful services.

    For example, referring to the Adventist Church, the speaker mentioned the part devoted to health, which attracts people to the movement, to the use of the press, television, to the way the movement has entered the fields of education and business, etc.

    Referring to Scientology, the speaker stated that the "pillars" created by the organisation are those which serve to free people from their "engrams" turning them into "clears", thus helping them solve their psychological problems. Other pillars of Scientology he mentioned were the Narconon and Criminon centres, education, management training, etc.. According to Dobbelaere , the CCDU too is a "pillar" and its commitment to the defence of religious freedom involves the organisation in domestic and international political life.

    In the case of Soka Gakkai, the "pillars" are the following: Education (according to the original idea of the founder, Magikuki ) and, in a later stage, the foundation of cultural centres committed to world peace, and involvement as an NGO with UNESCO and the UN. Soka Gakkai, thanks to its cultural institutions, spreads its "political creed" and in Japan is identified with a party, the Komeito, which then merged with others to join a coalition. Still today, Soka Gakkai in Japan clearly identifies with a political party, and this is an institutionalised pillar for the organisation.

    In these movements, therefore, the "pillars" serve to gain entry into the web of society, and to proselytise: no movement could survive without constantly proselytising, if only to replace those who leave it. However, the speaker said, this cannot simply be called "opportunism".

    Dobbelaere also claimed that Scientology is involved in caring for suffering people, who are helped to manage their own problems, while Soka Gakkai had the positive function of restoring self-assurance to the masses after the Second World War, bringing back peace as an ideal. Prestigious international organisations, he says, have also conferred acknowledgements for a job well done on both these movements (especially Soka Gakkai).

    With reference to the acknowledgements granted to these movements, and "philanthropic" work, I think one should also examine the controversial aspects of these organisations, which do exist, and which it would be well to know in order to have a complete picture of the "social" action they perform.

    For Scientology, we suggest the reader take a look at the Only Italian Critical Site   which provides ample documentation on the movement.

    This site also shows the sanctions imposed on the organisation by the Italian Guarantor on Deceitful Advertising. For example, the measure No. 3582, PI691, January 5^th, 1996, states " ... in compliance with the opinion of the Guarantor, the message at issue - and only as far as the claim to 130 acknowledgements by various governments in the world, and to 4 from the US Congress - is a case of deceitful advertising... since it can deceive consumers, and affect their economic behaviour".

    Concerning the recognition of Soka Gakkai as an NGO by the UN, a letter can be found on the Web, dated February 23^rd, 1990 by Senator David Barkhausen, addressed to the Secretary General of the United Nations Javier Pérez de Cuellar, where the Senator stated that - according to information provided by the old CAN (Cult Awareness Network, whose logo today belongs to an organisation largely made up by members of the Church of Scientology), Soka Gakkai had been criticised because of its recruitment techniques, and for forcing its members to stay inside the group. The Senator asked the Secretary General of the UN to examine the documentation provided by CAN in order to investigate the real purpose of the organisation. The letter ended expressing the hope that Soka Gakkai no longer be allowed to be included in the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organisation. This acknowledgement had been conferred on the Association in 1981.

    Perhaps if the reader took a look at both Prof. Dobbelaere's paper and critical documentation on both movements, he could get a more objective idea of reality, and somebody might conclude that " not all that glitters is gold ".

From nationalism to "transnational corporations" ?

    H. Hunter's paper, " Making a Japanese Buddhist Sect an International Religious Movement: The case of Soka Gakkai", among other things, "defended" the independence of the various branches of Soka Gakkai from its Japanese main office. According to the speaker, no member of the movement he interviewed concerning this said he felt "controlled" from Japan. Individual members feel free, even though they are constantly "encouraged " by their Japanese colleagues. The new model for Soka Gakkai members is Daisaku Ikeda, who has broken completely with the past.

    However, a glance at official Soka Gakkai publications shows that the link with Japan is not only constantly present; this country is often described in enthusiastic terms. Here's just one example: issue 47 of Duemilauno, the official magazine of the Association, is devoted entirely to Japan, its history, to the motto of the Japanese society "Be united!", to the political situation, to the Japanese language supposedly inspired by the same principles as those of the Italian poet Ungaretti, to the interaction between people and things, to the religiosity in Japanese culture, to the Western stereotypes of which the Japanese people is supposed to be a victim, to the remarkable recovery of the Japanese economy after the Second World War.

    However "independent" Soka Gakkai followers in various countries may feel from Japan, it is a fact that the orders and the policy of the organisation, as well as the interpretations to be given to Nichiren's teachings, all come directly from the general headquarters in Tokyo. Here, in February 1961, the President Ikeda established the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, where a staff of elderly researchers and scholars work. Here is what Tsuyoshi Nakano, professor of Sociology at the Soka University of Tokyo, has to say about the relations between this Institute and Soka Gakkai: "The Institute of Oriental Philosophy is halfway between the Soka University... and the Studies Department of Soka Gakkai which also deals with the current interpretation of the teachings of Nichiren and with spreading them. We are group of "brains" or "consultants" employed by Soka Gakkai as scientists or as academic scholars" (1).

    In other words, if the directives and the "opinions" on certain issues - for example, on the separation from the clergy - come from an Institute established especially for the purpose of providing them, it is clear that however much individual members in other countries may feel "independent" from Japan, in the real world, directives and instructions for every branch of the movement in other countries come from the general headquarters in Tokyo. To put it simply, in this respect Soka Gakkai behaves very much like the Watchtower Society whose literature fans out from the general headquarters in the US to the all the national branches. It would be interesting to know how much "freedom" from a doctrinal, policy and practical point of view, the Japanese leadership grants to the national branches.

    Going back to the supposed "independence" from Japan, it should be pointed out that the Italian leadership is in the hands of a Japanese, Mr Mitsuhiro Kaneda, who is also the director of "Duemilauno," the official magazine of Soka Gakkai Italiana.

    The official ties to Japan and to the Japanese leadership become even more obvious when we think of the religious practice of Soka Gakkai. Not only is the mantra which the followers must recite in a Japanese version of Sanskrit (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), but the Gongyo booklet (2), i.e. the whole corpus of prayers to be recited, is in this same kind of Japanese structure and is written out in Latin letters only in order to make it pronounceable.

    The success of this movement outside its land of origin is interesting, but the explanation is perhaps to be found in the fact that - in its most recent "version", it bases its proselytising on the "benefits" the supporters may receive from the practice. What are these benefits? Here is what Prof. Dobbelaere has to say: "They are many and different: people practice to get money or even food; to find a car, a musical instrument, a dwelling or a house. They also practice to meet a partner, a husband or a wife; to have a good relation with their own boy or girlfriend, or to make this relation last; for their own health or for that of their loved ones; to achieve good results at school or in exams; on the job, in their career, to conclude a deal or a contract; to get out of a tight corner and to settle everyday practical problems …" (3). According to this study, such initial motivations are later replaced by less "material" ones required in order to stay in the movement.

    I noticed this myself at an International Conference (called by the Department of Sociology of Rome University) on "The Lotus Sutra: an Invitation to Read", where I met some members of Soka Gakkai. A very nice lady told me her experience, and said she first approached Soka Gakkai to settle some material problems. They had promised her that, if she recited the mantra many times, she would have obtained some "benefits". Her motivation to stay in the movement later changed, and she wanted to let me know that - after a certain period of time - her practice had drawn more strength from other, more psychological, motivations, which had replaced the earlier ones. When I asked her whether the mantra always "worked" as expected, she replied that if a person does not get the benefit, it means he has not "recited" enough or with enough faith.

    These words remind me less of the Buddhism of the Four Noble Truths - the second of which lays down that the origin of suffering lies in attachment, in slavery to desire - and more of those pseudo-magical or pseudo-health groups which promise the same things to their followers; and when the "wish" does not come true, they can always find a way out by blaming the failure entirely on the lack of faith and determination of the unfortunate person.

    But these reflections probably only mirror the "partial" opinion of a person from the West who still has an "ancient" image of Buddhism, not in step with the times and which has nothing to do with the modern "religious" translations which have landed in Europe in recent years.

Soka Gakkai in Italy.

    Prof. Macioti's paper on "Soka Gakkai in Italy" (4) was definitely different from the others.

    Her talk lasted 27 minutes all together. A 5 minute introduction was followed by 15 minutes' description of an initiative organised by Soka Gakkai in Italy: the Exhibition on Human Rights held in Rome and Milan. During the following 3 minutes, the speaker described another Soka Gakkai initiative, and finally provided 4 minutes' information on the movement and on its recent vicissitudes.

    During the introductory 5 minutes, Prof. Macioti stated that the movement can count on 20,000 members in Italy, and that Italy is the country where the movement has the largest following in Europe. An unusual fact in a traditionally Catholic country. Since 1996, Soka Gakkai has devoted much energy to social issues: especially, the movement has funded the Italian Council on Refugees and has busied itself with Human Rights, with seminars, lectures and preparing an exhibition on the issue.

    The main part of the speech (15 minutes) was devoted to the exhibition in Rome.  Prof. Macioti had taken part, and had made it the object of "sociological research". The data gathered during the "study" were taken - using a methodology which Prof. Macioti calls "qualitative" - from an album where the visitors left their signatures and wrote their impressions about what they had seen. The speaker went into great detail describing the album she had "studied." We were told this album had 222 pages plus 19 loose sheets, the pages were full of signatures and comments, the first pages were especially orderly and included signatures of eminent personalities; in the following pages, the signatures became confused and diversified, since the exhibition was open to schools of every level and kind. The signatures showed that the students came from Rome, from all over Italy, from abroad and even from Japan. The names were either ordinary names ( Rita, Giorgia, Chiara) or else nicknames (Milli, Mico, ecc).

    From an analysis of the album, Dr Macioti drew the conclusion that the exhibition first of all was useful for increasing the group feeling of Soka Gakkai members. Indisputable evidence to this are such phrases as " Awareness of human rights will open the door to the New Renaissance ", "A glorious path towards Kosen Rufu, Bravo!", sometimes the words "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" would appear next to a name.

    The first important conclusion of Dr Macioti's study was this: the exhibition organised by Soka Gakkai, and sponsored by other bodies, was attended by members of Soka Gakkai who " … were made aware of a socially relevant issue, and acted in many ways to make the show known and to manage it. They brought their parents, friends, relatives, organised school tours, organised a driver service for the guests. I allowed them to convince me when they explained that they would pick me up and take me back home. Then there were the guides who all belonged to the movement".

    We were also told that a diary of the guides existed as well as a signature album. The guides had to write down their own reactions and impressions. In order not to take too much time, Prof. Macioti read only one report by a guide; the guides, in order to perform their work during the exhibition, had to attend preparatory training. The report was just as enthusiastic as all the others.

    Continuing in her "sociological analysis" of the exhibition, Prof. Macioti pointed out another goal achieved by the initiative, which also came out from the report of a guide, who described the reaction of the public when they were told that Soka Gakkai belongs to the UN as an NGO. The goal which was achieved was that of making Soka Gakkai known outside the bounds of the movement, an aim (according to the speaker) which the organisation did not intend but which it achieved all the same.

    The contents of the exhibition also appeared from what the guides said. Prof. Macioti also read these considerations by a guide : " Loneliness makes the old people sad and - poor things - they wait with love for a little company. Loneliness is ugly at times, people don't like it because being alone all the time is like being an abandoned dog who is forgotten by everybody".  In these words, the speaker suspected a reference to the rights of the elderly.

    Among the many written notes of consensus, the speaker decided to read this one : " Beautiful, Thank you, Fantastic, Really Great, wonderful, very very interesting, there were infinite variations, I am so grateful… thanks to the lay association Soka Gakkai which made all this possible, which contributes so much, thanks to its members, to the constant improvement of our society … or else my thanks go to Mariangela who brought us here … There were also some disagreements about the exhibition, but these did not concern the exhibition as a whole, but something specific … ".   Disagreement involved marginal aspects, such as the venue of the exhibition, and were not therefore of special importance.

    Prof. Macioti then read some sentences she called "extravagant" out of the by now famous signature album she was doing her "sociological inquiry" on. A few examples: " hasta la victoria siempre!", "mythical!", "life is nice because it is varied!", "the horizon is great because it is true!".

    Having finished this part, Prof. Macioti apologised for not being able to continue examining other writings because of the lack of time. However I believe several participants at the Congress, who like me were beginning to show obvious signs of restless, were not displeased at all.

    Prof. Macioti then went on to describe (for about 3 minutes) another Soka Gakkai activity: a garden party held at the Rome Study Centre on June 28^th. During the party, she said, there were many activities conducted by the Artists' Division: there were groups of people singing, many activities for children, an organette playing, fairies handing out poems. A newspaper made by children was handed out too. "There was also a youth chorus subdivided into flowers, records, sweets and swimmers, and we greatly admired the flowers they were wearing: green crepe paper, small flower necklaces and waist bands, and so on. There were 16 areas each with its own simultaneous programme …".   Friends, relatives and even former members of Soka Gakkai had been invited to this party.

    Prof. Macioti did not specify what role she had attended the party in, but I imagine she was there as a "sociologist", studying the movement in the perspective of "participant observation."

    The last 4 minutes of the paper were devoted to describing the current situation of Soka Gakkai in Italy : "… Soka Gakkai is changing shape somewhat. Hitherto, it had presented itself before the public as a lay association. In March, the Italian Religious Buddhist Institute was established. This implied to some extent the need to explain the reason for this change to the membership, and I attended a meeting in Chianciano, recently, where there was a great deal of discussion about this matter and very funny questions were posed. The people were worried about a lot of things. For example, they asked whether the Italian Government would perform some kind of investigation in order to grant acknowledgement as a religion, and what kind of investigation would take place, what the words 'verifying the existence of the requirements' meant. They were asking whether there were things to avoid, kinds of behaviour which should not be adopted, what to do or not to do in detail. At the end of the debate, the reassuring expression was heard. "We are what we have always been, we shall always stay the same."

    Finishing her speech, Prof. Macioti stated : " What do I gather from these three experiences? I would say that Soka Gakkai has kept a large membership despite various problems, the schism of its clergy, etc., and hence can count on a strong core of people. The move over from a lay association to a religion, which is currently taking place, confirms this inner consistency, since 90% of the members have joined the Religious Institute …" .

   In my opinion this contribution to the Cesnur 98 Conference, although consistent with the "defensive" attitude of the Conference towards new religiosity, could be called an embarrassing "accident" from a scientific and cultural point of view.

    Of course one can understand how, with so many papers being read, the person who had the task of overseeing the various contributions may have overlooked this one (*).

To be or not to be a "religion" : this is the problem!

    The final part of Prof. Macioti's speech leads me to a few personal considerations on a complex and delicate matter.

    Of course, the question of Government recognition is of great importance for Soka Gakkai, as it is for all those movements which aim at being officially acknowledged as "religions". As the speaker pointed out, these groups often ask themselves "how" to get this "licence".

    This is why they, like Alice in Wonderland, frequently change their appearance.

    In the past, Soka Gakkai International (established in 1975) was the world-wide lay organisation which drew its inspiration from Nichiren Shoshu, a Buddhist sect which claims as its founder the medieval monk, Nichiren Daishonin. A few years ago, the ties with the Nichiren Shoshu monks were broken, and Soka Gakkai today depends on the sole authority of its President, Ikeda.

    In Italy, until some time ago, the movement found it useful to present itself as a lay association. Times however have changed, and the need has arisen to become a "Religious Institute." Of course the members of the organisation, especially those who have lived through the various consecutive "transformations", feel confused, disoriented, some decide to leave the movement, others stay but ask for an explanation.

    Now let us see how Prof. Tsuyoshi Nakano answers some questions concerning the object of cult, the Gohonzon (6), in front of which the believer has to recite the mantra. In the past, this object had to be distributed by monks who were legitimate successors to the first patriarch. It was delivered by the Nikken monk whom Soka Gakkai recognised as the legitimate heir to the previous patriarch. However since the clergy separated and since the excommunication on the part of Nichiren Shoshu, the object of cult is handed over by Soka Gakkai itself to its members. This "new" Gohonzon is one of those which had been made out by a different patriarch, and was donated to the organisation by a temple which disassociated itself from Nichiren Shoshu.

    Answering the question, "some of our practising people ask why Nikken's Gohonzon used to 'work' until a certain point in time, and then stopped 'working'", the professor gives this curious reply : " We now believe that Nikken's succession was not regular, and this is why we say that his Gohonzon is not valid..." (7).      He then admits that " ... This is a difficult problem. Even Soka Gakkai for some time recognised Nikken's succession as valid… We considered this succession to be legitimate since it was based on a relationship of trust with the laity. All of this lasted 10 years. Today we no longer believe this succession to be valid, in part due to the immoral behaviour and lack of spirituality of Nikken, and partly because of the doubt - recently rendered explicit - that the procedure of succession was irregular and hence not valid. Therefore Soka Gakkai decided not to use his Gohonzon" (8).

    Summing up: until 1991, the Soka Gakkai member used to know that - in order to obtain the promised "benefits" - he had to recite his prayers in front of the object of cult (Gohonzon) distributed by monks who were the legitimate successors of Nichiren Daishonin, the only valid one able to "work."

    Today, the follower knows that that succession is no longer valid, that Gohonzon can freely be replaced by another; indeed the professor states that " … the important thing is not only which Gohonzon is valid and which is not, but also to recite Daimoku (9) to our inner Gohonzon" (10).

    A few years ago, the follower who used to recite the Gongyo, in his third prayer expressed his respect and most profound gratitude towards all the patriarchs starting from Nichiren Daishonin until the "later Patriarchs who preserved the purity of Nichiren Shoshu and handed down the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin correctly right until our times" (11).

    Today, the same follower recites his third prayer, omitting this last part, according to the text of an untitled new booklet printed by the Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai. The contents of this booklet are identical to those of the previous one printed by Nichiren Shoshu, except for some minor, but significant, modification like the one made to the third prayer (12).

    Considerable changes have taken place within the organisation, also due to turnover of Presidents. For example, we learn from a study by Dobbelaere and Wilson in Great Britain in the years 1991 and 1992, that the Soka Gakkai member of President Toda's day " … applied a method propagated by Nichiren, known as shakubuku, usually translated as 'break and subdue'. Nichiren in fact was convinced that every other interpretation of Buddhism was wrong and should be fought. Thanks to this aggressive proselytising, Toda managed to make Soka Gakkai grow …" (13).

    Today, in the age of President Ikeda, the English followers of Soka Gakkai "When asked whether they too applied the shakubuku method ... showed a certain degree of unease: their answers tended rather to refer to the more moderate shoju method, based on dialogue and example and considered to be better suited to non-Buddhist countries" (14).

    It might have been interesting for the people attending the Cesnur 98 Conference if the three distinguished speakers had also informed them of these "controversial" aspects of the "evolution" of Soka Gakkai International.

    Also, in view of the fact that the speech by Prof. Macioti concerned the Italian branch of Soka Gakkai Italiana, it might have been interesting to inform the listeners that Soka Gakkai Italiana is not a member of the Italian Buddhist Union (UBI), as can be seen from the Agenda of the Board of Directors of the UBI on January 24^th, 1998, where it is specified that "No request for UBI membership has ever been advanced by Soka Gakkai. In any case, the Articles of Association of the UBI acknowledge equal value and dignity to every Buddhist tradition, and do not therefore allow for membership by any organisation which claims to be the unique and exclusive representative of the authentic Dharma, denying the validity of the other traditions". This statement was confirmed in a Press Release by Soka Gakkai Italiana.

    It is truly surprising how a report on the situation of this movement in Italy did not provide such important information for understanding the relations among the various Buddhist denominations in our country.

    Equally, and without prejudice of course to the need for an in-depth study on a signature album, or on the "philanthropic" and sociological aspects of the movement, it might have been a good idea also to explain the stand of Soka Gakkai's counterpart, Nichiren Shoshu .

    Just to fill in one of the many gaps in these papers, we can remember how Nichiren Shoshu claims that Soka Gakkai did not comply with the goals it had set itself. For this reason, on November 7^th, 1991, the Nichiren monks had sent the association a "notice of dissolution".   Soka Gakkai supposedly replied to this notice by stepping up violence against the monks. On November 28^th, the monks sent Soka Gakkai a "notice of excommunication", and Ikeda's organisation replied with a declaration of independence from the monks. On August 11^th, 1992, Nichiren Shoshu expelled President Ikeda as a believer from the denomination. At the same time, some Nichiren Shoshu monks decided to abandon their faith.

    Also President Ikeda's problems as the accused party in a trial because of an action by a former member of the organisation, Nobuko Nobuhira, who accused the leader of having raped her three times, would not have been without importance in providing the listeners with full information; of course this has nothing to do with passing judgement on guilt or innocence, this being exclusively the task of the courts.

    This is especially important when certain people (and this holds true of course for anybody) is pointed to as a model of honesty and moral integrity, and decorated with various honours.

    An other detail which might have interested the listeners could have been the existence abroad of an Association with - it seems - 10,000 members, called "Association of the victims of Soka Gakkai". This certainly seems to indicate considerable disagreement with the organisation (15).

    Prof. Macioti's omissions appear even more startling when we read the far less tender opinions that this same sociologist has expressed towards other religious movements, not of a "Buddhist" origin : "Do you think there are definite forms of religious fanaticism today? Yes indeed. In my view, Opus Dei is one within Catholicism, to provide a well known example. Or else Communion and Liberation. In the world of "new movements", Moon's followers were an example, too, however I have not been dealing with them for some time. They had a fiercely anticommunist view..." (16).

    Perhaps other prestigious sociologists attending Cesnur 98, like Dr Barker and Dr Introvigne, would have some objections to make against such statements, where Prof. Macioti included Opus Dei and Communion and Liberation in her own private "list" of fanatical religious groups, even before the Belgian and French Parliament Committee "lists" were drawn up. Since this interview dates back to 1991, it would be interesting to know whether Professor Macioti is still of the same opinion today.

    However, even if the sociologist and Soka Gakkai enthusiast has changed her mind, the style of the official magazine of the organisation, Duemilauno, certainly has not changed. Its issue n. 52 also contained a long interview with Dr Massimo Introvigne.

    The Dobbelaere-Wilson study, reviewed in the same issue, also dealt with the relations between Christianity and Buddhism. The anti-Christian attitude comes out again explicitly when, for example, the followers interviewed in Great Britain say that "Buddhism is a religion for every day, Christianity is a religion for one day only [...] Christianity is also described as a religion which induces guilt feelings in people, involving its norms and moral rules, and this unleashes feelings of anger and fear [...] It is also believed that Christians do all they can to make others unhappy, especially through wars, which are actually supported by their rituals ..." (17).

    These and many other "kind thoughts" about Christians and Catholics are happily published in the magazine of the Italian branch of Soka Gakkai. Oddly enough, I myself heard a person belonging to the movement repeat them, in virtually the same words, during a break at the recent International Conference held in Rome that I mentioned above.

    On the other hand, it is easy to understand why Christianity and Catholicism have been "attacked" in various ways by exponents of "religious minorities", in the official press as well, precisely because "institutional religions" have always enjoyed that "recognition" that the new religiosities seek.

    It is equally easy to understand (although it may contrast with the proverbial tolerance of Buddhists) the attitude that certain Soka Gakkai members have towards former members of the organisation who have disseminated "critical" information about the movement on the Web. During the TV programme "Sette volte Sette", broadcast about one year ago, I had the misfortune to listen to the disparaging and belittling words a Soka Gakkai officer used when speaking about a former member of the organisation, Franco Nanni. The latter was not present at the time, but replied later in a note entitled "To those who accuse me of..." .

    Since we are speaking here of attitudes of "intolerance" (even though the target here was very different), I would like to mention here - only by way of example - an episode which took place during the discussion following the Plenary Session No. 12.

    After the speech by Franco Garelli, who described the results of a survey among young people conducted by GRIS (Group for Research and Information on Sects), an officer of the Raelian Movement got up to speak. After having said his name, the Raelian complained that an "association of inquisitors" like GRIS had even been mentioned in a Conference on "Religious minorities." He was surprised that the name of this association had been mentioned in such a Conference, because the name alone was a sign of lack of respect for minorities.

    The Raelian then turned towards Susan Palmer, who had just finished speaking about the movement in a paper which was definitely very generous towards it. The Raelian claimed that she had got her information wrong, and that when one wants to speak about a religion, one must let a person who belongs to that religion speak.

    In order to put an end to an embarrassing situation, Prof. Dobbelaere closed the discussion, saying that protests were understandable since interpretations by members of religious groups are always different from those of the sociologists.

    This episode of intolerance towards an Association largely made up of Catholics caused me some bitterness. I was sorry to see how, at times, tolerance towards others is often missing in those very people who claim it loudly every day as an unalienable right for their own group.

   I wonder whether the words "ecumenism" and "inter-religious dialogue", which so many people belonging to so many faiths have turned into values and have applied in practice, will one day be shared as a heritage by the "religious minorities" that CESNUR 98 dealt with as well.

    This author has often been forced to see how any dialogue with many of these groups is impossible, since those who belong to them are utterly unwilling to do any form of "self-criticism."

    Dialogue in these movements means giving in to the "adversaries", admitting the "defects" of the group means undermining their cohesion, disputing the perfection of the leadership means destroying the certitude of those who belong to them.

    In this situation, it is not yet possible to see any opening towards the light. However, I believe that all who are in good faith will never tire of seeking the right path, so utopia can become a possibility.

                      RAFFAELLA DI MARZIO

NOTE :

(*) Concerning this, Dr Introvigne has the followign to say :
"CESNUR assesses proposals on the basis (a) of the curriculum of the speakers; (b) their specific competence on the issue to be discussed. However THERE IS NO CENSORSHIP of contents. Over the years, we have had such speakers as Priscilla Coates (of the old CAN), Benjamin Bet-Hallahmi, Stephen Kent, Michele Del Re, Johannes Aagaard (of the Dialog Center) who presented the classical anti-cult perspective without anybody censoring them.
There is no doubt that (a) professor Macioti is one of the most well-known Italian sociologists of religion; (b) is competent in the field of Soka Gakkai."

(1) Duemilauno, Dialogo tra Oriente e Occidente, Settembre/ Ottobre 1997, n. 64, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, pag. 44

(2) Gongyo: this term can be translated as " assiduous practice ". It is a form of prayer which helps to stabilise and to manifest the benefits obtained by reciting the mantra "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (Daimoku). Gongyo consists of reciting the chapter Hoben and Juryo of the Lotus Sutra every morning and evening.

(3) K. Dobbelaere, Un tempo per l’autoanalisi religiosa. La Soka Gakkai in Gran Bretagna, Duemilauno, Settembre/Ottobre 1995, n. 52, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, pag. 9.

(4) My report here was based on a summary or a faithful transcript of a recording of the speech by Prof. Macioti.

(5) L. Carroll, "Alice’s adventures in Wonderland".

(6) Gohonzon: this is the mandala where Nichiren Daishonin (believed by his followers to be the original Buddha) materialised his enlightened life. To reach enlightenment, the believer recites "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" in front of this object.

(7) Duemilauno, Dialogo tra Oriente e Occidente, Settembre/ Ottobre 1997, n. 64, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, p. 44

(8) Duemilauno, Dialogo tra Oriente e Occidente, Settembre/ Ottobre 1997, n. 64, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, p. 44-45

(9) Daimoku: this term refers to the title of the Lotus Sutra, Myo-ho-renge-kyo. This is the law of life and the universe proclaimed by Nichiren Daishonin on April 28^th, 1253.

(10) Duemilauno, Dialogo tra Oriente e Occidente, n. 64, Settembre/ Ottobre 1997, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, p. 45

(11) Text of the Nichiren Shoshu Gongyo, Associazione Italiana Nichiren Shoshu, 1987, p. 40-41

(12) Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, 1994, p.40.

(13) K. Dobbelaere, Un tempo per l’autoanalisi religiosa. La Soka Gakkai in Gran Bretagna, Duemilauno, Settembre/Ottobre 1995, n. 52, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, p. 7. Ours is a re-translation into English from Italian.

(14) K. Dobbelaere, Un tempo per l’autoanalisi religiosa. La Soka Gakkai in Gran Bretagna, Duemilauno, Settembre/Ottobre 1995, n. 52, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, p. 7.

(15) For further information on this and other controversial aspects, see our "Prevenire è meglio che curare"   and the Critical Site of Franco Nanni.  Also see a Site which answers the criticisms against Soka Gakkai.

(16) Duemilauno, Viaggio nel fenomeno religioso, Novembre-Dicembre 1991, n. 29, Bimestrale della AINS (Associazione Italiana Nichiren Shoshu), Roma, p. 40

(17) K. Dobbelaere, Un tempo per l’autoanalisi religiosa. La Soka Gakkai in Gran Bretagna, Duemilauno, Settembre/Ottobre 1995, n. 52, Associazione Italiana Soka Gakkai, Via della Marcigliana, Roma, p. 10.

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