Total Pageviews

Monday, March 30, 2020

Soka Gakkai members will suffer a higher mortality than the general population in the Covid-19 epidemic

2500 SGI members died in the Tohoku region alone during the earthquake and tsunami.
An SGI leader told me that more than 2500 SGI members died in the Tohoku region during the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. About 27,000 people died in total. There are about ten million SGI members in Japan which has a population of 127,000,000 people. Statistically, SGI members died at a significantly higher rate than those of the general population. Nichiren writes about a similar situation: 

"One would therefore expect to find more victims of the epidemic among Nichiren’s followers than among the believers of Nembutsu, or priests of the True Word, Zen, and Precepts schools. For some reason, however, there is less affliction and death among Nichiren’s followers. It is indeed mysterious. Is this because we are few in number, or because our faith is strong?' 

Regardless of whether or not this report [and principle] of Nichiren is true, SGI members [and many other Nichiren Buddhists believe it to be true. Let's for a moment accept that it is true. Therefore, here is further proof that SGI members are not Nichiren's followers. SGI members are prone to arrogant licentiousness, animality, greed, and even misfortune because they are not followers of Nichiren or Shakyamuni Buddha.

I suspect the same will occur regarding the coronavirus epidemic. SGI members will suffer a higher mortality than the general population.

How different my life experience than that of the SGI members, the Oguchi's
"Additionally, what the Oguchis said and how they expressed themselves did not cohere neatly with a satisfying narrative arc of ruination leading into spiritual renewal that is common in member testimonials promoted by Soka Gakkai administrators. As the Oguchis spoke to me of their experiences with the tsunami and its aftermath, strong emotions rose to the surface easily and often. They derive joy from their daily work, and they clearly place a great deal of importance on their new, elevated role within Soka Gakkai, but years after 3.11 they remain fragile, prone to expressing profound grief. Unlike many survivors who have moved into reconstructed homes or far away from the disaster area, the Oguchis never escape the voices of the bereaved infiltrating their home at all hours, and they themselves are still visibly distraught. They shed tears of joy at having rediscovered their faith by gaining purpose in aiding others after the tsunami, but speaking with the Oguchis, hearing their anguished stories, and witnessing their wrenching mix of gratitude and sorrow, one might think the tsunami swept through weeks ago, not years. Summaries of their aid efforts do not convey this lingering trauma, nor do they do justice to the layers of life experiences that may explain why the Oguchis remain in their tiny temporary housing unit." -- Professor Levi Mclaughlin expert and sympathizer of the Soka Gakkai,  from his tome, Religious Responses to the 2011 Tsunami in Japan
How different my experience: The pure inexpressible and near permanent joy of faith after leaving the Gakkai for Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism and overcoming similar life and death hardships

No comments:

Post a Comment