Contents.BeliefsThe belief of the Soka Gakkai centers on recognizing that all life has dignity with infinite inherent potential; this immanent 'Buddhahood' exists in every person and can be awakened through the Buddhist practice prescribed by Nichiren. Further, a person's social actions at every moment can lead to soka, or the creation of value (the theory of the interdependence of life). Societal change is facilitated through 'human revolution', a way of living in the world that creates value.The doctrine of the Soka Gakkai derives from Nichiren, who promulgated the Lotus Sutra as he perceived its application to the epoch in which he and people today live. Main article:Gakkai meetings have been called 'formal liturgies' in that their format—'chanting, relatos (experiences), teachings, inspiring entertainment'—is identical from place to place. Discussion meetings are among the most important activities of the Soka Gakkai.

• Faith Into Action Daisaku Ikeda Pdf To Word Converter

Professor of philosophy at Virginia Tech University Jim Garrison writes that John Dewey’s belief “that the heart and guarantee of democracy is in free gatherings of neighbors and friends in the living rooms of houses and apartments to converse freely with one another.” Garrison points out that the Soka Gakkai grew out of precisely such gatherings. 'Soka Gakkai discussion meetings are a wonderful example of grass-roots democracy.' At discussion meetings, participants are encouraged to take responsibility 'for their own lives and for wider social and global concerns'. The format is an example of how the Soka Gakkai is able to 'dispense with much of the apparatus of conventional church organization'. ProselytizingAt one time, the Soka Gakkai's expansion methods were controversial, as it employed a Buddhist method called, a term employed by Nichiren, translated as 'break and subdue (attachments to inferior teachings).' The reason for propagation, as explained by Josei Toda, is 'not to make the Soka Gakkai larger but for you to become happier.

There are many people in the world who are suffering from poverty and disease. The only way to make them really happy is to shakubuku them.' In 1970 Ikeda prescribed a more moderate approach, 'urging its members to adopt an attitude of openness to others'; the method Soka Gakkai prefers since then is called shoju - 'dialogue or conversation designed to persuade people rather than convert them', though this is often referred to still as 'shakubuku spirit.'

In 2014 the Soka Gakkai changed the 'Religious Tenets' section of its Rules and Regulations as regards propagation. Formerly, the Tenets said the Soka Gakkai 'would seek to realize its ultimate goal - the widespread propagation of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism throughout Jambudvipa (the world), thus fulfilling the Daishonin's mandate.' The new version says 'it shall strive, through each individual achieving their human revolution, to realize as its ultimate goal the worldwide propagation of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, thus fulfilling the Daishonin's mandate.' According to Soka Gakkai President Harada, 'worldwide propagation' is a function of individuals undergoing positive change in their lives. The belief of the Soka Gakkai, then, is that propagation activities give meaning both to the activity itself and to the personal lives of its members. HistoryThe following are categorized records of the first three presidents of the organization, their leadership and list of contributions. Makiguchi years: 1930–44.

First President of the Sōka GakkaiIn 1928, educators Tsunesaburō Makiguchi and both converted to Nichiren Buddhism. Main article:was released from prison on July 3, 1945, after serving two years of imprisonment on the charges of.

His health had been severely compromised and businesses destroyed. He immediately set out to rebuild the organization that had been repressed and dismantled by the government during the war.

From this start Toda served as the link between the movement's founder, Makiguchi, and Ikeda who led its international evangelism. The reconstruction of the organizationWhile imprisoned, Toda studied a passage for the Immeasurable meanings sutra (considered the introduction to the Lotus Sutra) that describes Buddhahood by means of 34 negations – for example, that it is 'neither being nor non-being, this nor that, square nor round'. From this, he concluded that 'Buddha' is life, or life force.The 'philosophy of life' restates principles formulated by Nichiren: 'three thousand conditions in a single moment' ( ichinen sanzen), and 'observing one's own mind' ( kanjin)The concept of life force is central to the Soka Gakkai's conception of the role of religion and the application of Nichiren's teachings. 'Our health, courage, wisdom, joy, desire to improve, self-discipline, and so on, could all be said to depend on our life force,' Ikeda says.The groundwork for the organization's growth can be found in Toda's work during the years between his release from prison (1945) and his inauguration (1951). Daisaku Ikeda receiving 'Leonardo Prize' in 2009 from Alexander YakovlevJōsei Toda was succeeded as president in 1960 by the 32-year-old. Ikeda would come to be a moderating and secularizing force.: 77 Ikeda formally committed the organisation to the principles of free speech and freedom of religion and urged, from 1964, a gentler approach to proselytizing.

Under Ikeda's leadership, the organization expanded rapidly, both inside and outside Japan during the 1960s.Within the first 16 months of Ikeda's presendency the organization grew from 1,300,000 to 2,110,000 members. By 1967 it grew to 6,240,000 families according to its own reporting. In 1968 over 8,000,000 people contributed to the construction of the Sho-Hondo. Between 1961 and 1968 the organization's Study Department (members who sit for graded examinations on doctrinal matters) grew from 40,000 to 1,447,000. By 1968, under Ikeda's leadership, the daily newspaper attained a circulation of 3,580,000.

Today, it has a circulation of 5.5 million copies, making it Japan's third largest daily. International growth. Main article:In October 1960, five months after his inauguration, Ikeda and a small group of staff members visited the United States, Canada (Toronto), and Brazil. In the United States he visited Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles, meeting with members, the vast majority Japanese war brides, at discussion and guidance meetings, setting up local organizations, and appointing leaders to take responsibility. He encouraged attendees to become good American citizens, learn English, and get driving licenses.Ikeda also expanded the scope and pattern of the Gakkai's activities. In 1961 Ikeda created an arm of the organization, the Culture Bureau, to accommodate nonreligious activities.

It had departments for the study and discussion of Economics, Politics, Education, Speech, and, later in the year, the Arts.Ikeda and his team visited countries in Europe and Southeast Asia in 1961 and the Near and Middle East in 1962. By 1967 Ikeda had completed 13 trips abroad to strengthen the overseas organizations.

Parallel to these efforts Ikeda attempted to find the universal aspects of Nichiren Buddhism stripped away from Japanese context.The Gakkai's first overseas mission, called 'Nichiren Shoshu of America' (NSA), grew rapidly and claimed some 200,000 American adherents by 1970. Ikeda founded Soka Junior and Senior High Schools in 1968 and Soka University in 1971. 'Soka Gakkai International' (SGI) was formally founded in 1975, on Guam. Founding of the Komeito. Main article:The Soka Gakkai practices what has been called ' Soka Humanism', which it attributes to Lotus Sutra teaching that the 'Buddha is life itself'.Accordingly, the organization also claims that the goal of human activity and religion is the welfare of human beings. Daisaku Ikeda writes:'Nichiren Buddhism is about human beings. The human being is most important.

Nationality, social position, ideology - none of that matters. The human being is the foundation.' Nichiren wrote 'if you think the law is outside yourself. It is an inferior teaching.' The movement is seen as the basis for a global 'intellectual humanism' movement, espousing 'sympathetic action' of removing suffering and imparting joy. Epp says of Ikeda 'He always shows concern for 'the human element', which allows him to avoid proselytizing; he does not “indulge in ritualistic phrases”; (p. 71) and “. Man’s wholeness and happiness are absolutely central” to his philosophy.In May 1970, Daisaku Ikeda clarified the Soka Gakkai's role, transcending proselytizing, was to create a foundation of humanism in all aspects of society.

In addition, the cultural endeavors of the Soka Gakkai are viewed by its adherents as expressions of Buddhist humanism and are aligned to creating a peaceful and more humane society. 'Peace, culture, and education'In the 1970s, the Soka Gakkai began to re-conceptualize itself as an organization promoting the theme of 'Peace, culture, and education.' In later years, the three themes were institutionalized within the 1995 charter of the. Peace activitiesThe group's peace activities can be traced back to the Toda era – at an athletic meeting in 1957, Toda called for a complete ban on nuclear weapons.

A 1975 petition drive against nuclear weapons by the Gakkai's youth division garnered 10 million signatures, and was handed over to the United Nations.: 84 Culture of peaceThe Soka Gakkai was included in a collective Buddhist response to UNESCO's 'Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace', established in Barcelona in December 1994. The Soka Gakkai's contribution to building a culture of peace is summarized by person-to-person diplomacy, the promotion of small community discussion meetings with egalitarian mores reflecting the Lotus tradition, the promotion of the values of compassion, wisdom, and courage to promote action to nurture world citizenship, and participation in cultural events to foster the culture of peace.

Peace and human rights activists such as Dr. Lawrence Carter of Morehouse College and Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who partnered with the Soka Gakkai in various exhibits and presentations, praise the organization's efforts. Support of United NationsSGI has been in consultative status with the since 1983. As an NGO working with the United Nations, SGI has been active in public education with a focus mainly on peace and nuclear weapons disarmament, human rights and sustainable development.Each year, Ikeda publishes a peace proposal which examines global challenges in the light of Buddhist teachings. The proposals are specific and wide-ranging, covering topics as constructing a culture of peace, promoting the development of the United Nations, nuclear disarmament, the prohibition of child soldiers, the empowerment of women, the promotion of educational initiatives in schools such as human rights and sustainable development education, and calls to reawaken the human spirit and individual empowerment. The complete texts of recent proposals are available at the SGI website. The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research has published a compilation of topical excerptss.

ExhibitionsThe Soka Gakkai uses its financial resources for a number of civic activities. As a of the United Nations, it has participated in many activities and exhibitions in conjunction with the UN.The Soka Gakkai has been active in public education with a focus mainly on peace and nuclear weapons disarmament, human rights and sustainable development. It has sponsored exhibits such as 'A Culture of Peace For Children', which was featured in the lobby of the UN Building in New York and 'Nuclear Arms: Threat to Our World'.

Soka Gakkai also contributed to The Earth Charter Initiative with the 'Seeds of Change' exhibit, 'a 'map' showing the way towards a sustainable lifestyle'.SGI promotes environmental initiatives through educational activities such as exhibitions, lectures and conferences, and more direct activities such as tree planting projects and those of its Amazon Ecological Conservation Center run by SGI in Brazil. One scholar cites, SGI's president, to describe such initiatives as a Buddhist-based impetus for direct public engagement in parallel with legal efforts to address environmental concerns. In India, Bharat Soka Gakkai (SGI in India) debuted the traveling exhibit 'Seeds of Hope', a joint initiative of SGI. At the exhibit opening in Panaji, the Indian state capital of, regional planning head Edgar Ribeiro spoke of lagging efforts to implement environmental laws and that: 'Only a people's movement can take sustainability forward.' In Malaysia, President Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok said that this exhibition helped 'to create the awareness of the power of a single individual in bringing about waves of positive change to the environment, as well as the society.'

Faith Into Action Daisaku Ikeda Pdf To Word Converter

Establishment of institutionsThe Soka Gakkai has established multiple institutions and research facilities to promote its values of peace. By the SGI team at, on October 30, 2011. Performance art is one of Soka Gakkai's peace activities.The Soka Gakkai sponsors many cultural activities for its membership as well as the general public.Cultural institutionsThe Soka Gakkai's subsidiary organizations also have a social presence. The is a subsidiary of the Soka Gakkai which Ikeda established in 1963. Microsoft sql server 2005 compact edition download. It claims to sponsor over 1100 concerts each year. It has sponsored tours by international artists such as the La Scala Opera Company, about which Ikeda told Min-On's director that he 'wanted average Japanese people to see first class art, even if we lost a lot of money'.Ikeda also founded the in 1983.

It houses collections of western and oriental art, and has participated in exchanges with museums around the world. Performance artSoka Gakkai considers and other genres of to be a major aspect of its peace activities. It has a long tradition of 'culture festivals,' originating in the 1950s, which take the form of group gymnastics (through its world-famous ), marching bands, traditional ensembles, orchestras, ballet, or choral presentations. The Soka Gakkai perceives these activities as vehicles for its members to experience the skills of cooperating with others, opportunities to engage in the personal discipline that performing arts provide, and occasions to overcome obstacles and to undertake one's own 'human revolution.' They enhance peer networks and understanding of and commitment to the goals of the organization. Soka Gakkai's Tokyo headquartersFormally, the is the umbrella organization for all national organizations, while Soka Gakkai by itself refers to the Japanese arm.

Soka Gakkai maintains an international political presence as a registered with the United Nations.: 273The basic functional organizational unit is the Block – a group of members in a neighborhood who meet regularly for discussion, study and encouragement. A number of Blocks form a District, and Districts are grouped into Chapters. From there the Soka Gakkai is organized into Areas, Regions, Prefectures and, finally, Territories – all under the umbrella of the national organization. Discussion and study meetings, the basic organizational activities, are conducted mainly at the Block level, though there are occasional meetings held at every level. MembershipSoka Gakkai has, together with its international offshoot (SGI), been described as 'the world's largest Buddhist lay group and America's most diverse'. Soka Gakkai International claims a total of over 12 million adherents. The majority of these belong to the Japanese organization, whose official membership count is 8.27 million households.

According to statistics from the (a body of the ), the Japanese organization had 5.42 million individual members in 2000.A study in Europe found that most of new members joined because of the personalities of the people they met within the organization; but the biggest reason for continuing is the positive changes they see in their own lives. List of Soka Gakkai presidentsThe following are the list of the presidents of the Soka Gakkai:. – (18 November 1930 – 2 May 1944). – (3 May 1951 – 2 May 1960). – (3 May 1960 – 24 April 1979) + ( Honorary President of the: 1979 – Incumbent). – (24 April 1979 – 18 July 1981).

– (18 July 1981 – 9 November 2006). – (9 November 2006 – incumbent)Economic and social influenceThe Soka Gakkai's newspaper, the Seikyo Shimbun, has a readership base of 5.5 million. Forbes magazine estimated that the organization has an income of at least $1.5 billion per year. Religion scholar Hiroshi Shimada has estimated the wealth of the Soka Gakkai at ¥500 billion.SGI's president, Daisaku Ikeda, has been described by journalist Teresa Watanabe as one of the most powerful and enigmatic individuals in Japan. A 1995 San Francisco SFGate article describes Ikeda as a 'charismatic leader' who can display a violent temper in private. According to religious scholar Jane Hurst, there is no indication he has exploited his position and his home has been described as 'modest'. Japanese politics.

See also: Humanitarian workThe Soka Gakkai conducts humanitarian aid projects in disaster stricken regions. As an organization it is not only dedicated to personal spiritual development but also to engaged community service.

After the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Soka Gakkai facilities became shelters for the displaced and storage centers for food and supplies for the victims. The relief effort also included community support by youth groups, global fundraising for the victims, and spiritual support. SGI-Chile members collected supplies to deliver to a relief center after the country's 2014 earthquake. Public perceptionToday, Soka Gakkai is rarely criticized in mainstream news media. Ikeda occasionally contributes editorials to major newspapers, which also print reports on Gakkai business.

Since the Komeito Party joined the ruling government coalition in 1999, widespread criticism by the media of the Soka Gakkai has abated and the Soka Gakkai is gaining acceptance as part of the Japanese mainstream. There has been a 'fractured view' of the Soka Gakkai in Japan. On the one hand it is seen as a politically and socially engaged movement; on the other, it is still viewed with suspicion by some Japanese. Claims the Soka Gakkai's perception has suffered from sensationalist and often irresponsible treatment by the media even though the group has matured into a responsible member of society. Other scholars reject the cult label.

Some scholars who utilize the typology of newly emerging denominations categorize it as 'gnostic-manipulationist', a category of teachings holding that the world can improve as people master the right means and techniques to overcome their problems. According to Anne Mette Fisker-Nielsen, 'Soka Gakkai's relentless, but highly successful, proselytizing in the 1950s stirred up fear in wider society. Soka Gakkai was portrayed by the mass media as aggressive even violent – although it is difficult to find evidence.' Throughout the 1950s, the Soka Gakkai was a relatively radical movement that remained outside mainstream Japanese society, but since the foundation of the Komeito in the 1960s, it has considerably moderated its activities and has become a very mainstream movement, especially after the Komeito joined the coalition government in 1999.Soka Gakkai has long been a subject of criticism in the Japanese weekly tabloid news/magazine press. Press criticism of the Soka Gakkai should be seen against the backdrop of negative press coverage of new religious movements in general. It is important to understand that Japanese journalism is unlike that of the West. Scholars point out that less than two percent of journalists in Japan have degrees in journalism.

That plus feeble libel laws leave little recourse for the victims of malicious defamation. Associate Professor of Religion at Hamilton College, Richard Seager writes that it is time to cease being overly intrigued by the Soka Gakkai’s history of controversy. “Over the course of a relatively short period, the Soka Gakkai moved from the margins of Japanese society into its mainstream.” Cult appellationDuring the early postwar decades, the Soka Gakkai found itself embroiled in various controversies and appellations of 'cult' and 'cult of personality' have become attached to it. Claims of personality adulation towards is among the centerpoint of criticism from outsiders and former practitioners of the organization. Some criticism are also sourced from its former affiliate, Nichiren Shoshu who shared the same negative sentiment in 28 November 1991 citing claims of.Nevertheless, in accordance to the organization's views, these charges have largely resulted from both negative and distorted media coverage.Newer scholarship has generally refuted the Soka Gakkai's former cult appellation, noting the organization's maturation, progressive qualities, and its calls to its membership to be excellent citizens.

Criticism of the organization continues to exist, to which the organization describes its vision and structure as a continuing work of humanistic progress and continuous improvement.International perceptionThe Republic of honored the 25th anniversary of the SGI's founding with a commemorative postage stamp. The stamp was issued on October 2, the anniversary of SGI President Ikeda's first overseas journey in 1960.In 2005, award the youth of Soka Gakkai in Singapore for their 'community and youth services' work.The Soka Gakkai of the Republic of Cuba (SGRC) attained juridical recognition in 2007, following an official visit of Daisaku Ikeda in 1996. It has a membership of approximately 500 individuals spread throughout most of the country's provinces.In 2008, Ikeda was a recipient of the, a state-issued award of the Russian Federation bestowed on foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people.In 2012, President Ma Ying-jeou of The Republic of China (Taiwan) commended the Taiwan Soka Association for many years of effort in the areas of public welfare, education, and religious teaching.

FAITH INTO ACTION By Daisaku Ikeda Eternal Ganges Press Pvt. Ltd.Indeed, Buddhism came into being some 2, years ago as a teaching to liberate people from life's inevitable sufferings. Despite its universal concerns and long history, for the most part Buddhism has remained, in Western perception, an Asian religion tightly bound up in Asian culture. Ikeda has been noted for his success in recasting and expanding the cultural context in which Buddhism functions as a living faith. Certainly, among members of the SGI, Buddhism is practiced and applied today in a wide variety of cultural settings by people from all walks of life.

Ikeda's philosophy is inseparable from the teachings of the thirteenth-century Buddhist sage Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra from which Nichiren's teachings are derived. His achievement has been his ability to understand and express the essence of these teachings as a philosophy of human development and social engagement in a way that offers a vigorous response to the challenges of contemporary society. Two men representative of East and West embarked in on what would become a dialogue continuing over a five-year period, evaluating the influences of philosophy and religion on the human condition in their respective cultures. Search for a New Humanity presents their insights and conclusions about human potential amidst the then emerging crises now faced in the twenty-first century. The exchanges between educationalist and philosopher Josef Derbolav and Daisaku Ikeda are engagingly ordered, examining ways sweeping currents of modernity have revealed 'the nature and value of humanity and of life,' then piecing together streams of intellectual history and their influence on daily living and actual practice.

In the section on the origins of humanism, they squarely deal with the social consequences throughout history of religious as well as philosophical imperatives to rein in and control what is base or 'evil' in humanity. The authors take a civilizational view of Christian and Buddhist societies, how the two traditions can lead not only to moral insight but to moral improvement and therefore the betterment of humanity. Ikeda makes the case for dialogue between Buddhism and Christianity not merely as contrasting partners but as 'variant currents of life' principally converging to learn together and from each other toward self-reflective aims. The discourse then turns to the Buddhist doctrine of cause and effect and the Western ethic of happiness and misfortune, and how the two approaches treat the connection between human nature and moral activity.Ikeda was born in Tokyo, Japan, in, to a family of seaweed farmers. He survived the devastation of World War II as a teenager, which he said left an indelible mark on his life and fueled his quest to solve the fundamental causes of human conflict. At age 19, Ikeda began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined a youth group of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist association, which led to his lifelong work developing the global peace movement of SGI and founding dozens of institutions dedicated to fostering peace, culture and education.

Ikeda's vision for the SGI has been described as a 'borderless Buddhist humanism that emphasizes free thinking and personal development based on respect for all life. In, he established the Soka Gakkai International, and throughout the s initiated a series of citizen diplomacy efforts through international educational and cultural exchanges for peace.First, it stems from strong faith.

Having strong faith means, in a sense, making the conscious effort to chant with deep trust that our own lives are the Mystic Law or the Gohonzon itself. This enables us to better appreciate the sanctity of our lives.

Second, it relates to having a determination to win with clear goals for the future. As indicated by the Buddhist principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, ichinen sanzen, the future evolves in accord with our ichinen or determination. Third, it finds expression in taking action—working hard for our goals.Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. See a Problem?Ikeda realizes the vision of his mentor, Josei Toda, to propagate Nichiren Buddhism throughout the globe for the happiness of humanity.

It is so that each of us can become truly happy and enable others to become happy. Faith is the driving force that lets us apply what we gain from our studies to truly serving people. In fact, nothing important can be accomplished if you allow yourself to be swayed by some trifling matter, always looking over your shoulder and wondering what others are saying or thinking. The key to achievement is to move forward along your chosen path with deep determination.

To develop a bigger heart, please try chanting, even a little at a time, for the happiness of your friends. Gradually, you will cultivate tolerance and broad-mindedness.FREE shipping on qualifying offers.

Excepts of the works of the Soka Gakki. Faith Into Action has ratings and 3 reviews. Kiki said: This is such an amazing book of quotes! With almost every type of life challenge listed ther.