Expert Perspectives

Interviews with activists and scholars on topics of shared concern as well as publications offering viewpoints and perspectives on the Soka Gakkai.

Articles

A Blueprint for Hope: Mirian Vilela on the Earth Charter’s Vision for a Thriving and Sustainable Future
Mirian Vilela, executive director of the Earth Charter International, on why we can be hopeful and why the Earth Charter is crucial to driving global change.
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Iceland’s Pursuit of Gender Equality: A Conversation with Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir
Former Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the second woman to hold this position in Iceland, shares insights into the country’s bold steps toward gender equality.
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The Guiding Light of the Lotus Sutra: A Conversation with Lokesh Chandra
Buddhist scholar Lokesh Chandra talks about the significance of the Lotus Sutra and the Soka Gakkai’s promotion of its core spirit.
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Stewarding Our Future: A Conversation with Jeffrey Sachs
Economist and sustainable development expert Jeffrey Sachs discusses the urgency of the moment and the need for a shared ethical framework to navigate it.
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Living the Bodhisattva Ideal: A Conversation with Prof. em. Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer
Helwig Schmidt-Glintzer, supervisor of the German translation of The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, on the relevance of Nichiren’s philosophy today and what we can gain from living the bodhisattva ideal.
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No Action is Too Small: Vanessa Nakate on Combating the Climate Crisis
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate talks about impact of the climate crisis in Africa and how no action is too small to combat it.
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A Window on the Future: President Tommy Remengesau on the Plight of the Pacific Islands
Tommy Remengesau, former president of the Republic of Palau, describes how climate change is altering life in the Pacific Islands and what gives him hope.
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A Compassion Revolution: Carlos Rubio on the Universality of Nichiren’s Teachings
Carlos Rubio, supervisor of the Spanish edition of The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, talks about what we can learn from Nichiren’s compassionate spirit.
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Doing What We Can: A Conversation with Beatrice Fihn
Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN, on the work of securing a world free from the threat of nuclear weapons and ICAN’s partnership with the SGI.
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Upholding Human Dignity: A Conversation with Rev. James Lawson
American civil rights leader Rev. James Lawson discusses social divisions, the Civil Rights Movement, nonviolence and the Soka Gakkai.
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Rediscovering Your Way: Dennis Gira on the Value of Interreligious Dialogue
Dennis Gira, a French theologian and specialist in Buddhist studies discusses why he has devoted himself to the study of Buddhism, the value of interreligious dialogue and his reflections on the French translation of The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin.
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Cultivating a Humanism of Hope: A Conversation with Prof. Jim Garrison
Jim Garrison, a professor of philosophy of education at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, describes why the global crisis is a result of a crisis in education, and how the ideas of John Dewey and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi sought to respond to this.
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On the Soka Gakkai

A selection of books offering viewpoints and perspectives on the Soka Gakkai, its development and core philosophy.

Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism

by Richard Hughes Seager

In Encountering the Dharma, Richard Seager, an American professor of religion trying to come to terms with the death of his wife, travels to Japan in search of the spirit of the Soka Gakkai. This book tells of his journey toward understanding in a compelling narrative woven out of his observations, reflections, and interviews, including several rare one-on-one meetings with Soka Gakkai president Daisaku Ikeda. Along the way, Seager also explores broad-ranging controversies arising from the Soka Gakkai’s efforts to rebuild post-war Japan, its struggles with an ancient priesthood, and its motives for propagating Buddhism around the world.
Waking the Buddha: How the Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History Is Changing Our Concept of Religion

by Clark Strand

Waking the Buddha tells the story of the Soka Gakkai International, the largest, most dynamic Buddhist movement in the world today—and one that is waking up and shaking up Buddhism so it can truly work in ordinary people’s lives. Drawing on his long personal experience as a Buddhist teacher, journalist, and editor, Clark Strand offers broad insight into how and why the Soka Gakkai, with its commitment to social justice and its egalitarian approach, has become a role model, not only for other schools of Buddhism but for other religions as well.
How Soka Gakkai Became a Global Buddhist Movement: The Internationalization of a Japanese Religion

by Daniel A. Métraux

This work examines Soka Gakkai International chapters in Australia, Southeast Asia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Quebec to determine why the movement has developed strong roots among people from widely divergent cultures.

“. . . clearly explains the origins and expansion of arguably the least understood, yet most ethnically diverse form of Buddhism practiced [in] North America. Dan Métraux’s extensive research about this lay-led religious community provides an important scholarly explanation of why this hopeful, empowering movement has spread beyond Japan.” – Prof. Bruce Dorrries , Mary Baldwin College
Global Citizens: The Soka Gakkai Buddhist Movement in the World

by David Machacek (Editor) and Bryan Wilson (Editor)

Edited by David Machacek and Bryan Wilson, two well-known and respected authors in the sociology of religion, this collection of essays provides an historical overview of the importance of the development of the Soka Gakkai movement internationally. Global Citizens is a study of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist movement, which was founded in 1930 in Japan, spread rapidly after the Second World War, and has since developed a world-wide following.