Clark Strand, former Zen monk, journalist and American writer, guides us in discovering the Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Buddhism from a unique perspective: that of an "unconverted" sympathizer. Strand emphasizes that the strength of the Soka Gakkai, which in a few decades has become a global movement, lies in the fundamental tool of discussion meetings, based on sharing experiences and mutual encouragement. In his journey into a movement and teaching that have often generated misunderstandings and incomprehension in other Buddhist schools, Strand starts with Makiguchi, the educator who opposed militarism, then portrays his disciple Toda and his intuition of who or what the Buddha truly was, and arrives at Ikeda's global vision and his redefinition of the role of religion. The resulting picture reveals qualities and strengths that even members of the association are often unaware of, and indicates the Soka Gakkai as an example of a modern movement dedicated to the good of humankind.

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This volume, the third in the series on the history of Buddhism published by Soka Gakkai, describes the fascinating transformation of Buddhism into a world religion through its spread from India, the Buddha's homeland, to China and beyond.The author Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International, vividly narrates the stories of the merchants and monks who first brought Buddhism to China along the Silk Road, as well as the lives of Chinese Buddhist masters of that time, the development of various Buddhist schools - especially the Tiantai school, which later exerted great influence in Japan - and the subsequent decline of Buddhism in China after the harsh persecutions it suffered in the 10th century.In the text, the wisdom and vision of key figures such as the great translator Kumarajiva and the Buddhist master Tiantai Zhiyi are highlighted, and in this way the author offers significant reflections on the role of Buddhism in Chinese society and, by extension, in its entirety, and charts the course that religion should follow to meet the needs of the times, then as now.

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The book discusses the development of Buddhism after the death of its founder Shakyamuni. Starting from the first council, organized by Shakyamuni's direct disciples, which brought order to the complex system of the Buddha's teachings, up to the birth of the Mahayana movement, whose origins remain poorly defined. Daisaku Ikeda examines the sparse historical information that has reached us and interprets it with his characteristic originality and intuition. He expounds the essential principles of the Lotus Sutra, the fundamental scripture of the Great Vehicle, and retraces the events of some of the protagonists in the history of Buddhism: King Ashoka and the philosophers Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, who contributed to its affirmation as one of the major world religions.

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An interpretive biography of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. Daisaku Ikeda, a contemporary Buddhist leader and thinker, attempts to trace, using the scarce biographical information available about Gautama Siddhartha, known as Shakyamuni or the Buddha, the motivations that led a man who had every earthly wealth and privilege at his disposal to abandon palaces, his princely title, wife, and son. He likely did so in reaction to the discovery of the fundamental sufferings of life, which spare no one, not even those who enjoy a privileged existence. Ikeda retraces the steps of the young man in search of the enlightenment that can free human beings from every bond of suffering, engaging in a quest based on sparse sources and his own experience as a Buddhist practitioner. Can what drove Gautama Siddhartha almost three thousand years ago to undertake a arduous struggle to overcome the impermanence of life and find the supreme happiness represented by "awakening," or Buddhahood, still be valid today? Can his message, which has changed the lives of millions of people over the centuries throughout the East, also inspire the West? The author, and we with him, believes it can and helps us understand the essence of the "Enlightened One's" illumination. The original title of the work, My View of Shakyamuni, suggests the spirit with which the author approached the historical Buddha, who lived in India approximately twenty-five centuries ago. Indeed, there is very little data about his life, and the only sources are texts transmitted for centuries solely in oral form. Reconstructing the life of the "Sage of the Shakyas" therefore means trying to go far beyond what the news and hagiographic accounts have handed down to us, and making a considerable effort to interpret the many important choices Shakyamuni made throughout his life. Ikeda undertakes this journey based on his own experience as a contemporary religious leader, and it is precisely by virtue of this role that he guides us to understand the deepest meaning of the "Enlightened One's" illumination.

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  A collection of excerpts from The New Human Revolution on President Ikeda's travels in Europe and Italy.

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This book is rooted in the need to delve deeper into the historical events that led the Soka Gakkai to emancipate itself from the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and what its intentions are as a lay religious association that concretely promotes peace, culture, and education worldwide. The first part of the volume offers an overview of the history of Buddhism, Nichiren Shoshu, and its patriarchs up to the present day, with particular regard to the narration of the events that recently led to the separation. The second part, on the other hand, deals with doctrinal aspects, specifically: the Gohonzon as an object of worship for the happiness of all humanity; the Gongyo ceremony, the meaning of daily practice; the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, their composition and translations. The topics covered, also developed based on sources external to the Soka Gakkai, aim to make this text a valuable consultation tool not only for those who wish to have an exhaustive overview of the events with Nichiren Shoshu, but also for those who need to find philosophical-religious information.

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