The Translation and Domestication of an Oriental Religion into a Western Catholic Country: The Case of Soka Gakkai in Italy

 http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2403/1/WRAP_THESIS_Foiera_2007.pdf

Page 241 begins the observation of SGI as an authoritarian religion and page 249 begins the observation of SGI as not only authoritarian but fascistic.

Manuela Foiera concludes:

"The members of the party are the best among the citizens, every citizen can (or ought to) become a member of the party. But there cannot be patricians without plebeians. In fact, the Leader, knowing that his power was not delegated to him democratically but was conquered by force, also knows that his force is based upon the weakness of the masses; they are so weak as to need and deserve a ruler. Since the group is hierarchically organised (according to a military model), every subordinate leader despises his own underlings, and each of them despises his inferiors. This reinforces the sense of mass elitism. (Eco, Ibid. ) 

As has been highlighted in this dissertation, a parallel can be drawn between the mistica fascista and the mistica buddista as conceptualised by Soka Gakkai's Responsabili in Italy, who have gradually worked to create a strictly hierarchic army of Kosen rufu warriors, instructed to spare no efforts in the propagation of Soka Gakkai's vision of "Peace, Culture and Education" and to win new converts to the cause. In this, the use of Buddese, the jargon evolved from the interplay of Japanese vocabulary and Italian references, dovetailed perfectly to produce the sacral language through which the SG's Italian leadership now conveys the mystique of their movement to the faithful.

After having articulated a comparative analysis of the language of Fascism and the language of Soka Gakkai (see Chapter 5), I believe it reasonable to conclude the following: first, that the Italian Soka Gakkai "familiarised" its translations according to Italian cultural categories thus creating a grey area where the constant reference to a deeper well of Catholic religious language opened up the possibility for religious manipulation of its texts to attract new adherent. Second, following the textual manipulation to increase its membership -a membership drawn from those elements of Italian society who felt that their spiritual needs were not being met in the contemporary religious marketplace -, the Italian Soka Gakkai drew upon the more recent political language of Italian Fascism to regiment those adherents as much as possible into unquestioning acceptance of whatever religious pronouncements emanated from its leadership. 

No matter how anarchic they may appear to foreigners, it should never be forgotten that Italians invented Fascism. Certainly the Italian leadership of the SG did not overlook this fact. On the contrary, it drew upon the latent cultural and linguistic habits, obscure instincts and unfathomable drives that lay behind Italian culture's creation of Fascism to enable it to construct one of the most vibrant new religious movements the West has ever seen. In short, the Soka Gakkai movement in Italy can be seen as the rarest of things: a near perfect translation."

Having practiced with the Soka Gakkai in Italy from 1978 - 1984, I agree wholeheartedly with Doctor Foiera's conclusions.