Word: gakkai
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...while Buddhism in the West might carry with it a hint of the exotic, here the appeal has more to do with its simplicity and pragmatism. That's what has drawn so many New Delhi yuppies to Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist movement whose extensive land holdings and political influence have sometimes made it controversial in Japan, where it was founded. Soka Gakkai has had a tiny presence in India for decades. But the group has blossomed in the last eight years, growing from 5,000 to 35,000 members - 20,000 of them in New Delhi alone...
...core of the Soka Gakkai practice is the chanting of the phrase nam myoho renge kyo - "I devote myself to the mystic law of the Lotus Sutra" - but it is otherwise stripped of mysticism or ascetic self-denial. It teaches a mix of personal affirmation, positive thinking, and the basic Buddhist principles of peace and non-violence. Saurabh Popli, a lanky, 34-year-old architect, says he found in Soka Gakkai "a philosophy that can help us navigate these incredibly complex lives that we're living." He adds, "It doesn't require me to live in the mountains...
...Meanwhile, the DPJ intends to exploit New Komeito's religious affiliations in attacking the ruling coalition. In a country without a strong evangelical tradition, the outreach efforts of the New Komeito's parent, Soka Gakkai, have earned it a reputation among many nonfollowers as a band of zealots...
...Little known outside Japan, the New Komeito is an offshoot of the country's largest lay Buddhist organization, Soka Gakkai. In the elections, the New Komeito was the only party other than the DPJ to pick up more seats, increasing its bloc from 31 to 34. But the New Komeito's influence radiates far wider than those numbers indicate. As most smaller parties drift into irrelevance or disband completely, the New Komeito, as a member of the LDP's ruling coalition, is cementing its role as kingmaker...
...interview to a journalist. A serious man in a business suit, he explains how the movement was started by his grandfather in 1957, when he and his acolytes splintered from the centuries-old Nichiren sect of Buddhism. Kenshokai differs from other Nichiren sects?especially the politically powerful Soka Gakkai?in that its practitioners see it as destined to become the national religion of Japan. "We still believe that," says Katsue Asai...