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Soka Gakkai is a Japanese Buddhist religious movement based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese priest Nichiren as taught by its first three presidents Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, Jōsei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda. It is the largest of the Japanese new religions and claims the largest membership among Nichiren Buddhist groups. The organization bases its teachings on Nichiren's interpretation of the Lotus Sutra and places chanting Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō at the center of devotional practice. The organization promotes its goals as supporting "peace, culture, and education".
A state religion is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion, while not a secular state, is not necessarily a theocracy. State religions are official or government-sanctioned establishments of a religion, but the state does not need to be under the control of the clergy, nor is the state-sanctioned religion necessarily under the control of the state.
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Japanese new religions are new religious movements established in Japan. In Japanese, they are called shinshūkyō (新宗教) or shinkō shūkyō (新興宗教). Japanese scholars classify all religious organizations founded since the middle of the 19th century as "new religions"; thus, the term refers to a great diversity and number of organizations. Most came into being in the mid-to-late twentieth century and are influenced by much older traditional religions including Buddhism and Shinto. Foreign influences include Christianity, the Bible and the writings of Nostradamus.
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Zadankai are community-based conventicles which serve as the grassroots activity of Soka Gakkai members. They are the means for propagation and deepening faith. Soka Gakkai literature also describes them as being sites for neighborhood revitalization.
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References
- ↑ "Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai" [Soka Gakkai Italian Buddhist Institute]. sgi-italia.org. 2010-10-29. Archived from the original on 2010-10-29. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ "Le Religioni in Italia - La Soka Gakkai" [Religions in Italy - The Soka Gakkai]. il-buddhismo-in-italia. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
- ↑ "Religion in the Italian Constitution". Georgetown University. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ↑ "Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai". Governo Italiano. Retrieved 14 August 2015.