On May 26 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
broadcast a show on Soka Gakkai and its growth in Australia. The
official transcript can be seen here
Sunday May 26
2002 on ABC TV
Summary:
This Japanese "New
Religion" is on a growth curve in western societies, including Australia. What
is Soka Gakkai, and what does it believe?
Producer, Mark
Edmondson
Researcher, Dina Volaric
TRANSCRIPT
The Power of Chanting
Hello I'm Geraline Doogue, welcoming you tonight to Compass.
Last
week we explored the Tibetan view of Buddhism, as explained by the Dalai Lama
himself. Yet of all the Buddhist sects in the world, probably the most
controversial is a Japanese denomination called Soka Gakkai. With its publishing
empire, communications network, art museums, schools and universities, Soka
Gakkai is much more than a religion. It's a powerful force for instance in
Japanese politics. But in 1992, disagreements between followers and priests, led
to the priests excommunicating the entire laity. Since that time, Soka Gakkai
has been an entirely independent lay organisation. Now although relatively small
in Australia, Soka Gakkai has been steadily growing here since the 1950s.
Members meet in homes, at barbeques or in places called 'cultural centres,' and
in a radical departure from mainstream Buddhism, Soka Gakkai promises direct
spiritual and material benefits through the power of chanting.
Narr:
Soka Gakkai describes itself as a unique combination of
Buddhism and modern mentality. Although it's chanting practice goes back to 13th
century feudal Japan, there are no meditative retreats, supernatural deities or
Buddhist statues. Unlike the main traditions of Buddhism which teach that desire
is the cause of suffering, Soka Gakkai believe that diligent chanting will bring
health, wealth, and personal happiness.
Elaine Starr
The
power of this chant is incredible. Well I don't know how it works it just does
you know. Whatever you're praying for it occurs, and if it doesn't occur it's
not meant to be.
John Magon
I think if I hadn't been practising
I'd probably be like in a bad circle of friends, pretty much doing the same
thing I was doing say 5 or 10 years ago, drugs, parties, crime.
James
Greening
This practice is actually quite a difficult practice to do,
because it's stark. It's like looking in the mirror every day very very clearly.
You don't always like what you see. It's a difficult practice but I find, I
think I'm a better person, I think I act in a better way now,
consistently.
Narr:
To most Westerners, Japanese Buddhism is
personified by the austere practices and aesthetic beauty of Japanese Zen. But
recent decades of industrialisation and westernisation has meant that for most
Japanese, traditional Buddhism plays little or no part in their lives.
Victor Hori
Former Japanese Rinzai Zen Priest
Important temples continue to remain but they're becoming more tourist
sites and museum pieces than anything else. More and more people in the general
population know less and less about Buddhism, the doctrines, the practices.
However there's lots of other Buddhism going on, and in the last century we've
seen major Buddhist new religions form and catch the attention of the general
population in Japan. Groups like Sôka Gakkai, which has millions of members.
Narr:
Soka Gakkai is the largest and most successful of the
Japanese new religions which flourished after World War 2. It now has more than 12 million
followers in 188 countries. Members claim it empowers them to take
responsibility for their lives, to achieve, happiness and success in the modern
world, not as some kind of religious panacea, but as a practical system of
thought and deed with direct application to daily life.
Wayne
Hudson
Professor, Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities
Griffin
University
It's certainly true that the kind of movement that Soka
Gakkai is becoming does not sit easily with traditional Buddhism because apart
from anything else it has a very strong orientation to this world, it's very
much into changing history by doing things now, it's not into the pure land in
the sense of a land that's elsewhere, it's not very focused on reincarnation and
karma, which of course are essential to historical Buddhism. So it is by its
very nature a highly modernist movement.
Narr:
Its origins go back
to a thirteenth-century Japanese monk called Nichiren Daishonin. At a time of
famine and starvation he insisted that the purpose of Buddhism was to protect
the lives of ordinary people and advocated faith in the Lotus Sutra alone, which
teaches that enlightenment is open to all people. This veneration of the Lotus
Sutra is the core practice of Soka Gakkai.
John
Powers
Professor, Centre for Asian Studies
Australian National
University
Well it's a religion that can appeal very easily to people,
to a wide range of people, and particularly people in the modern world. It sees
itself as a stripped down form of Buddhism. It focuses on one practice, that is
the practice of chanting the homage to the Lotus Sutra. It focuses on our direct
worldly benefits. And Soka Gakkai promises that, that is if you come, you do the
practises you will see a return on your investment.
Narr
Soka
Gakkai came to Australia with Japanese war brides following World War II and has
grown steadily ever since. With around two thousand members here, it may not be
large but it's not short of money. Three years ago, with the help of Japan, it
was able to build this multimillion dollar community centre at Homebush Bay in
Sydney.
Elaine Starr believes that chanting has literally saved her life.
Thirty six years ago she had a serious heart condition and doctors gave her only
six weeks to live. Her neighbour Sumi Mac, discovered Elaine one day crying in
her backyard.
Sumi Mac
That was 1966. And I meet Elaine,
and Elaine was in the dressing gown and she said that, 'Doctor tell me only have
about six months to live.'
Elaine Starr: Six weeks.
Sumi
Mac: Well six weeks to living. So I say, 'I don't know this help you, but I
practice Namyo-ho-renge-kyo, so, doesn't cost any money, which you like to
try?' That is the beginning. That is the beginning we set up, start
up.
Narr:
Elaine became one of the first non-Japanese members of
Soka Gakkai in Australia. She joined Sumi and a small group of believers who
travelled all over Sydney to meet and encourage new comers. But it was Elaine's
health that was a constant focus of their chanting.
Elaine
Starr
I persevered and you know we'd sit sometimes for five hours, didn't
we Sumi, in the beginning, at people's places, chanting, just Namyo-ho-renge-kyo.
Sumi Mac
When Elaine was sick second time, she went to
hospital for operation, we chanted for seven hour. Seven hour, right through.
Until success in her operation.
Elaine Starr
After the second
operation I suddenly started to get better and the doctors couldn't understand
it. Especially my heart man. He said to me, he said I can't understand it. We
can't understand how you are living 'cause you should be dead, you know. But in
actual fact I was better than ever.
When I told him I was going out and
I was doing this and I was doing that with the Buddhism, he said to me 'well
something is working, so whatever it is don't stop'. So I did, I kept going and
going all the time, and Sumi kept encouraging me. She said you'll get better
you'll get better, and as the years went by I did, I got better and
better,
Narr:
Now in her sixties, Elaine does volunteer work for
charities and is still an active member of Soka Gakkai. She says that chanting
helped her survive two life threatening rounds of heat surgery and gave her two
healthy sons. But it wasn't until a severe stroke paralysed her in 1980 that her
husband Raymond also became a believer in the power of
chanting.
Raymond Starr
Well she was in such a bad way
after the stroke and she couldn't talk or use her left side at all. And she was
there crying one day and I thought well what have I got to lose, I'll just
support her if nothing else, what have we got to lose. And I was pleased I did
because I found out that it did help. And then after a while - it didn't happen
overnight - but after a few years she was back to where she is today where she's
almost normal.
Narr:
The words 'Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo' translates as
'I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra'. Members like Elaine and Raymond believe
these words alone have the same effect as saying or even understanding the
entire Sutra, and is a powerful way of getting in touch with the Buddha nature
within each of us.
John Powers
Professor, Centre for
Asian Studies
Australian National University
It's a strange sort of
idea. It's a bit like a Christian saying that you shouldn't read the bible
because it's too difficult. And instead the whole message of the bible is
contained just in the title, and people be urged to say bible, bible, bible in
order to tap into the eventual power of the bible. But this is exactly what
Nichiren said. That is that by chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra you tap
into the natural power of this text and you would then be able to gain any sort
of benefits that you wanted, including personal enlightenment.
Wayne
Hudson
Professor, Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities
Griffin
University
Chanting is a way of opening the unconscious mind and
orienting your spiritual life and developing future spiritual capacities. That's
what it does. And in all the major traditions the most powerful mantras are
frequently sentences that you wouldn't think would do anything for anybody. But
when they're repeated constantly they become like buttons in the mental capacity
of the person. They open up perspectives that weren't there before and they have
cumulative effect. Of course members of the movement often believe that by
repeating the mantra they'll be able to get a car or a girlfriend or succeed in
their careers. Whether that's a wise interpretation is another
matter.
Narr:
Soka Gakkai don't deny that many new members begin by
chanting for tangible benefits. John Magon and his partner Ayuna have no doubt
that their good jobs and happy family life is entirely due to this regular
ritual. They believe that chanting has given them a positive future and
direction in life.
John Magon
I used to run out with my
mates. We had a gang sort of thing, vandalized public property basically and
stole things and truancy from school all the time. Yeah it wasn't an extreme
sort of violent attacks or anything but just not doing anything positive for
myself, definitely.
Narr:
Seven years ago, when Ayuna was just 14,
she found out she was pregnant.
Ayuna Jonsson
I didn't
think it would happen to me, you know. Especially like I thought I had a very
good, you know, life and everything was going smoothly. And then suddenly for
that to happen it was a surprise, it was a shock.
Narr:
But to
their surprise, Ayuna's parents were both positive and supportive.
Hisako Jonsson
And I said you must be joking are you
sure. Then they said yes. Are you sure? Yes. Well if it is true,
congratulations. Do you want to have baby? Then they said, yes. I said alright
then I'll help you.
Tage Jonsson
I feel that when you have the
opportunity to receive life this way, you know life is so precious that it never
even entered my mind that we would have a termination. You know life is really
as I said so precious that whatever hardship we would have to encounter I would
never give it up.
Ayuna Jonsson
I didn't want to have an
abortion, but I guess I just thought you know the child came for a reason and I
just thought I want to have the baby.
Narr:
Ayuna's parents, Tage
and Hisako took John into their home and for the next five years, shared their
tiny two bedroom unit with him and Ayuna, the baby, and their other two
daughters.
Hisako Jonsson
I feel one part very
uncomfortable because first of all so much washing, so much things to do they
were almost like double as before. And where do I put things? We had a shortage
of space to put things.
Tage Jonsson
I must say that it was
crowded and there were certainly complaints and a little bit irritation. But my
philosophy is that when the children move out eventually they are not likely to
move back again. So every moment that they were with us I tried to enjoy as much
as I could.
John Magon
I was going to school and Ayuna was at
school, she was doing correspondence and her sisters were at school as well. So
it was busy and I didn't have a strong relationship with them at that time too,
so I was like an outsider sort of thing.
Narr:
What John didn't
know was that Ayuna’s parents were committed members of Soka Gakkai and had been
chanting for over thirty years. They encouraged John to try chanting for
himself, but it wasn't until the frustration and humiliation of failing his
drivers licence, that he decided to give it a go.
John
Magon
I'd seen Ayuna's parents practising chanting and I'd ask little
questions here and there about it. You know what does it do, why should I do it
sort of thing. And they said you know, you get things from it, you get results
from your chanting. So after failing the second time I decided one day I was in
my garage and I decided to do, I think it was around five minutes just chanting
to myself, just low and sort of thing. It was really strange but I had, I wanted
to see for myself basically. And yeah I did five minutes chanting by myself, and
next day I went and got my licence and I passed, no worries yeah. I was
sceptical definitely. But I knew that I felt different.
Narr:
But
a much bigger challenge was finding a job.
John
Magon
While I was looking for work I was chanting 20 minutes in the
morning and 20 minutes in the evening. So yeah I would get up and do 20 minutes
chanting and go look for a job
Narr:
After a year of searching, he
finally landed an apprenticeship as a mechanic with Mercedes
Benz.
John Magon
I've been here for six years, this is my
seventh year now. I started as an apprentice mechanic, I’m actually a road
tester now so I check over the mechanics work when its finishes. Great job great
cars. Get to still be with the mechanics but you mingle with the customers as
well, so I'm in a good position to make my career go places off the tools or on
the tools. Without a doubt I don't think I'd be here without chanting, without a
doubt.
Narr:
This young couple have come a long way in the last
few years. Both are now doing further study to better their careers, their
daughter Tira is now seven and they’ve bought their own home unit next door to
Ayuna’s parents. They have no doubt their good fortune is all due to their daily
ritual of chanting.
Hans Van Der Bent
Soka Gakkai
International, Australia
It's true that our members are sometimes
encouraged to set themselves a goal. Within the concept of Buddhism of course or
within the concepts of our teaching the happiness actually comes from within and
is not given to you actually by external factors, whether you're wealthy or non
wealthy, it's not the true course of happiness. However having said that we do
recognise that to have a nice home, to have a family, these are things that
people do wish to have. But if we cut that off, if we say that your happiness
doesn't come from your family or your happiness doesn't come from these other
things then it becomes like a complete separation.
Narr:
The leader
of Soka Gakkai since 1960 is President Daisaku Ikeda. He's written over a
hundred books and is regarded as a great spiritual leader by his followers. But
over the past 30 years, he's established a publishing empire, communications
network, art museums, schools and universities. In 1964 he formed his own
political party, which became the third largest in Japan and although the
association was dissolved, many Japanese remain sceptical of Ikeda's power and
influence.
John Powers
Professor, Centre for Asian
Studies
Australian National University
SGI is extremely wealthy. They
also own two mainstream newspapers. This of course has been very important in
its ability to reframe itself. The fact that it now has a significant media
presence in Japan. It owns TV and radio stations. It also has a political party
associated with it. All of these things have been very very important in
transforming its image. In order to go from a religion that is seen as being a
cult and has a very negative image, to being one that is seen now as being part
of mainstream Japanese religion, requires money. You need to be able to change
your corporate image and that's one of the things they have done very
effectively.
Hans Van Der Bent
Soka Gakkai International,
Australia
Ikeda is viewed most probably by some sectors as being a
dangerous person because he has the potential to have a lot of power. But the
reality is he has never ever used that power for anything other than doing good.
Many people seek the message that he gives, and that message is of peace, of
cultural exchange and cultural understanding and of education, of education
people for what is good for humanity for a whole. So in that he is quite
respected both in the world, and also within Japan by many prominent people.
Narr:
But it was under president Ikeda, that the organisation
undertook an unorthodox recruitment program. While the general Buddhist attitude
is that people should come to Buddhist practice only when they are ready, Soka
Gakkai until fairly recently pursed an aggressive policy of conversion known as
'Shakubuku'.
John Powers
Professor, Centre for Asian
Studies
Australian National University
The term in Japanese means
'smash and subdue' and it was a very aggressive form of proselytising in which
great pressure was put on people by numbers. They were often harassed into
joining until they, well harassed until they finally joined. It got them a huge
number of new members, sometime 50,000 within seven years. But it also brought a
lot of criticism from people who were put off by these aggressive practices.
It's also been de-emphasised in recent years too, and I think that's important
to mention.
Hans Van Der Bent
Soka Gakkai International,
Australia
We now use the term more of dialogue, being able to talk to
people. If we receive a benefit or receive something good in our life, naturally
we like to talk to people about that. So we see rather than using foreign terms
like the word Shukubuku, we see dialogue as the way to be able to expand our
membership.
Narr:
Today Soka Gakkai has a far more laid back
approach to introducing new members. Greg Johns is a professional musician. He
holds a regular weekly meeting of like minded musicians to share ideas and
support one another in their faith.
Greg Johns
We started
this meeting at my house once a week and it's benefited everybody from the
perspective of friendship. I think that everybody seems, certainly they have
expressed it to me in individual ways is that they value the meeting because of
the expansion of friendship, the possibility of open dialogue in a very relaxed
if you like atmosphere where we can just really express ourselves as musicians
without having to necessarily watch our p's and q's if you like.
James
Greening
There's 4, 5, 6 or 7 musicians who practise the same philosophy
or religion. You know. And we get together and discuss things. Health, politics,
all the things you're not supposed to discuss at dinner parties, politics and
religion and philosophy. And the way I see it it's like, you know, polishing of
stones together. You know, we get there and through discussion we slowly polish
each other. You know our ideas and the way we see things.
Narr:
For
new comers like Bruce, this regular meeting has been a gentle introduction to
the philosophy of Soka Gakkai.
Bruce Fraser
There is no
mysticism, there is no saffron robes. It is just people wearing jeans, t-shirts
and getting down to it, getting down to understanding this difficult life.
David Weir
When I don't chant I find that the wheels fall off
the cart a little bit, I lose direction. When I'm chanting I find it easy to get
up in the morning and spend lots of hours working on stuff. When I'm chanting I
focus on what's important in my life all the time, and when I'm not, I sometimes
lose direction.
Mervyn Sequeira
I was brought up a Catholic
so when we first started practising Buddhism it was very very strange to me. You
recite Nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo and all your problems are solved. At the time however
when I first started practising no one told me how to actually use it. And then
I met Greg Johns and he actually started giving me ideas on how to actually use
it in my daily life. It was then, through using these ideas that Greg was
throwing at me that I started to find the benefits of Buddhism.
Greg
Johns
Personally the greatest difference from my perspective, and I'm
sure other people have other perspectives. But my perspective is that I have a
great deal of hope. It's something that I never really lived with I don't think
for a long time. I used to do things just as a matter of course and that's what
I did. I think everything I do now has more meaning, or I give it more meaning.
I certainly empower myself with the idea of what I do is important. And in
particular when I am trying to contribute to other people and assist them in any
way that I can, that's essentially where I feel the most empowered is where I
can actually contribute - both to my friends and society in general I
think.
Narr:
Soka Gakkai describes itself as socially engaged
Buddhism and is founded on the belief that genuine spiritual practice requires
an active involvement in society.
To this end they host forums and
education campaigns on such things as drug abuse, reconciliation and the
environment.
Professor Wayne Hudson teaches history and philosophy at
Griffith University. He’s a supporter of Soka Gakkai and attends functions like
this anniversary of the Sydney centre, to encourage members in their aims. He
says the world religions are in decline and something called post religious
spirituality is emerging, with Soka Gakkai leading the charge.
Wayne Hudson lecture
You were one of the only groups in
Australia who are really working for the peace of the land. You are unusual, you
are special, you are strange. Be a bit more strange and a bit more special, work
for the peace of the land…(applause)
Wayne
Hudson
Professor, Centre for Advanced Studies in Humanities
Griffin
University
In Australia I think we have to understand that there are
very significant social groups who are looking for some kind of orientation. A
lot of people in the arts a lot of people in the caring professions, a lot of
people who have fallen out of religion or who have never found religion. There
are people out there who would like to have a firmer basis for their present
life. Soka Gakkai is able to meet that need for them by giving them the
spiritual practice, by giving them a way of orienting and organising the week
and the year. It's a very associational form of religious practice. On the one
hand you do the chanting, on the other hand you go to meetings. In addition you
read, and then you become involved in social transformative work. This is a
fairly powerful combination.
Narr:
For the past two and a half
thousand years Buddhism has been interpreted, re-interpreted and adapted to
different cultures and societies. Whether this particular take on the Buddha's
teachings, with it's emphasis on chanting for benefits is a distortion or a
powerful ancient philosophy modernised to fit the changing times, there’s no
doubt that Soka Gakkai is reaching out in an effort to become a relevant part of
the Australian community.
Victor Hori
Former Japanese
Rinzai Zen Priest
You do hear this complaint, it's possible to complain
that the new religions are distorting the Buddhist message. But that kind of
interpretation - distortion if you want to call it - has been going on since the
time of the Buddha himself. You can look upon it as distortion, and the other
way of looking upon it is expedient means, skilful means. One person's
distortion is another person's skilful means.
Hans Van Der
Bent
Soka Gakkai International, Australia
As long as it
doesn't go against the Buddhist precepts actually you can adapt many of your
practices to the local culture. So on the Buddhist concept actually that is
quite acceptable.
Maybe it doesn't sound Buddhist, but in Australia
having a barbeque is a wonderful gathering. We regularly hold barbeques. We do
things in society which are very natural in Australia. So we see that as not
being a negative, we see that as being a positive. We can grow and as well we
can reach out to more people.
Sign My Guestbook
View My Guestbook
Go Back
