"SGI in Japan are regarded something like the Jehovah Witnesses, or indeed Scientology. Buddhists of mainstream churches find their interpretations embarrassingly naive.
In the West, SGI tends to be quite upbeat and kind of peace / self improvement focused. The SGI in Japan is very different. In a society which is generally rather conservative, they are ultra-conservative.
To hear the SGI talk about it themselves, one would think they were being persecuted. But at the same time, they constantly boast of “A year of Total Victory” and over time, work out they can’t be such endless underdogs, while simultaneously taking the world by storm.
Their split with the mainstream Nichiden Shoshu sect was a temporary success. They could make a lot of noise about how corrupt the Priesthood was, as if their own history was spotless purity. (It is when it’s them reporting it).
But again, they can’t have their cake and eat it. If it was obvious the Priesthood were so corrupt, they should have left by choice. It’s like complaining that food tastes horrible, but you’re disappointed there weren’t bigger servings. The salient fact is, it was the Priesthood who excommunicated them, not them who walked out.
They aren’t being persecuted. They wish they were. I lived in Japan for 11 years and the truth is nobody wants to talk about them at all.:
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