The Seven Damning Sins of Soka Gakkai-Komeito
In Policies And Production -Always The Fesitival Mood
As slogans which essentially explain Soka Gakkai are the following list
of nine subjects:
Soka Gakkai Based on Nichiren Shoshu.
Soka Gakkai to Fulfill Saint Nichiren's Dying Injunction.
Soka Gakkai of Obutsu Myogo.
Soka Gakkai of Kosen Rufu.
Soka Gakkai, The Philosophy of Life of The World.
Soka Gakkai, The Essence of Oriental Buddhism.
Soka Gakkai, The Creator of Gain, Goodness, Beauty.
Soka Gakkai of Mercy and Philosophy.
Soka Gakkai, The Thought of The Twenty First Century.
In a word, their aim is to thoroughly hammer these into the membership.
It is correct to say that Soka Gakkai intends to "breed" their membership
to conform to the "owner's
thought."
It is much simpler for the leaders of Soka Gakkai, by the magic of
words and the display of slogans, to control and mainpulate the membership
than it is for them to teach them what religion is really all about.
The membership sees only the slogans and as a result they give the staff
a carte blanche. As far as the uncritical membership is concerned, the
meaning of the slogans is irrelevant. We may say that they could
care less about the slogans. Since they are completely ignorant about their
meaning it does not matter too much about their form. Once a member has
been brain-washed by Soka Gakkai, it is Soka Gakkai itself which becomes
the object of the fascination. Therefore all slogans serve to fasten them
to Soka Gakkai. Soka Gakkai forever!
The most important work of the staff, even more important than their
own religious service, is that of thoroughly indoctrinating the membership
with these slogans. For the membership, their life is mainly concerned
with chanting these slogans and "Nam-myoho Renge kyo." Besides, they
directly relate religion to material gain and loss in their lives, and
Buddhism for them means victory or defeat in life. They spend their
days, from morning till night, always denouncing other religions as evil
religions, and unreservedly displaying their fighting spirit.
The original task of religion is to help human beings, but for the
Soka Gakkai member it is the mounting pressure of "business" which is the
principal activity of their daily lives. Perhaps in repeating this ceaseless
struggle they are aiming at profit and gain. This activity is in
sharp contrast to the expressions of their slogans. Nevertheless,
every time they open their mouths, the staff members utter such expressions
as: "It is you, the members, who are the Soka Gakkai." However, up to the
present time, it is the staff rather than the membership which has been
propping up Soka Gakkai. So when someone among the membership does
something disgraceful they will nonchalantly reply: "among so many members
there are a few crude ones," implying that only among the enlisted ranks
are there a few soldiers who are crude, but not one amongst the officers
and non-commisioned officers. It is not exaggerating to say that the members
exist only for the purpose of being ordered around by the staff.
The "support by the members is mostly in the form of their purchases, which
consume the vast output of publications of Soka Gakkai, and their offerings
which are necessary to maintain the organization. That is to say,
they are esteemed as "osaisen teikyo sha" (contributors of offerings).
Soka Gakkai's charity follows the system of always giving priority
to the merit of the group, rather than to the expedience and merit of faith.
After all, the first consideration is the maintainence of the organization
and the cultivation of its power. Under such circumstances it is
required of the member that he incessantly practice shakubuku, and
by so doing may become a "hancho" (group captain) or a "butaicho" (corps
leader). In ordinary life members who would never be able to gain
any title, of a kind can through the favor of Soka Gakkai, have the honor
and responsiblity of such a title as "chief" and it is for them a deeply
emotional experience beyond our imagination. The performance of Soka Gakkai's
staff in stimulating moderately a desire to succeed in life and a dissatisfaction
with society in general, and in concentrating on these slogans, is indeed
a skilful one.
Such stimulation and caressing of the membership, and the manner in
which this tactic is increased or decreased in tempo, according to the
existing state of things, is displayed to the highest degree at election
time.
"Victory through the efforts of the Youth Division."
"Victory depends upon the Women's Division." "Toward complete
victory by united efforts of all members." Such inspiring words,
one after the other, fairly leap out of the mouths of the staff members,
and when they come from the lips of President Ikeda, the members are deeply
moved, and are much more zealous, so that with a sincerity that borders
on stupidity, they engage feverishly in election activities that come close
to violating the election laws. For the member, Soka Gakkai is absolute,
and it is not necessary that he know what the policies are all about.
A friend of mine did a rather mischievous thing. It was on the
occasion of receiving a telephone call with this request:
"Please vote for the Komeito candidate."
"Did you call me up on your own volition or were you asked to do so?",
my friend inquired.
"I called you up on my own," came the reply after a pause. My friend:
"Do you know your candidate's platform?"
Caller: "Yes."
My Friend: "Please explain his platform to me."
Caller: (Apparently consulting with someone) "He stands for cleaning
up politics and establishing clean government." My friend: "So do
all the other candidates. Any other policies?"
Caller: (Consulting with someone for a while). "To defend the
Constitution and promote peace.
My friend: "All the other parties advocate this too. Any more?"
Caller: (Again after consultation with someone) "Reduce taxes and lower
prices.'
My friend: "All the other candidates advocate this too. Any others?"
Caller: (After being silent for a while) "Welfare economy and welfare
of the masses.
"What is the difference between your platform and that of the Democratic
Socialist Party?"
Caller: (No reply)
My Friend: "Is there some policy which is characteristic of your candidate
which is different from the policies of the others?"
Caller: (Silence)
After a while slams down the receiver.
My friend's mischief might have been carried to the extreme, but members
engaging in electioneering, in spite of being unable to answer even such
simple questions, embarrass themselves, and in a way, we can't help feeling
sorry for them.
At the present time, Komeito's earnest activity in the Diet and Soka
Gakkai's serious movement is mainly concentrated on four points: Opposition
to the minor constituency system; prohibition, except by individuals, of
political contributions; relaxing rectrictions of election campaigning;
and investigation of political corruption.
At present, the minor constituency system poses a certain danger which
could mean the downfall of Komeito. Under the minor constituency
system Komeito has no real capacity to send successful candidates in large
quantity into the Diet. In this regard, they cooperate in a frantic effort
even with the Communist Party, although ordinarily they find it difficult
to live under the same sky with them.
By revising the law concerning the Regulation of Political Funds and
Expenditures and limiting contributions to individuals and amounts they
can contribute, and finally, in the future an attempt to abolish
political contributions altogether, would mean the end financially for
the other parties. If political contributions from the financial world
and the labor unions are prohibited, the Liberal Democratic Party, the
Socialist Party, and the Democratic Socialist Party will all be dealt a
hard blow. These three parties put in an extraordinary amount of money
into elections in comparison to Komeito. If they should be limited
in their financial support, they would find themselves in a most difficult
position.
If contributions by individuals were prohibited, the amount of money
which parties other than Komeito can receive from their members would be
so small that it would be out of the question, since the other parties
are not well established in their organization. Even the Communist Party,
in order to carry on their political activities and campaigning, is using
ever larger sums of money, and they would certainly suffer. The number
of the Communist Party's members who pay membership dues, is, as a practical
matter, very small. By comparison, Komeito does not need to spend large
sums in elections, and it is so well organized and flexible that it at
any time can mobilize millions of its party members, so that if contributions
were prohibited, they would suffer hardly at all. Soka Gakkai with
this setup would well prepare Komeito's fund.
Relaxation of restrictions of election campaigning refers to freedom
of house-to-house canvassing, unlimited advertising and freedom of repeated
calls, etc. The principle tactic used by Komeito in election campaigns
is the house-to-house canvass, which they devoloped in their shakubuka
activities and which they can use to great advantage. In the present
election law, to practise this type activity is difficult and even if the
term is limited during election, is a severe blow to them. At any rate,
in their assertions about freedom of election campaigning, it is the house-to-house
canvass which comes to the surface very clearly.
Finally, the investigation of political corruption refers to a clean
up in the political world. Since Komeito is a new political party,
they have little temptation toward corruption. For this reason, they are
in position with peace of mind to make their entrance to purify the political
world. Being in such a position they can in their own way, seriously
injure the other parties. Demand for clean up of the political world
would be most profitable to Komeito.
Concerning the controversial small electoral system: 1) Votes for unsuccessful
candidates increase 2) a great danger of one-party dictatorship 3) gerrymandering
for a party's interest is practised. 4) factional strife is intensified
5) corrupion of elections increase 6) regional bosses have an advantage
7) election campaigns become fiercely contested, etc. These are the
reasons for their opposition to the small electoral system.
They say that the reason that the Liberal Democratic Party supports
this system, in spite of its harmful influences, is no other reason than
that they are aiming at one-party dictatorship, the revision of the present
Constitution for worse, not better, to promote military re-armament. For
these reasons, Komeito opposes it, but finally in introducing the Opposition
of re-armament, they are the same as the Socialist and the Communist Party.
In so far as other parties are opposed to this small electoral system,
they will work together with them.
In the long run, Komeito's tactics of raising political movement is
completely self-centered. There is no other party which shows so
openly their party interests and party concerns. Besides, their party policies
and interests are thoughtless. They really care very little whether
the people of the nation appreciate them, and speaking excessively, if
only President Ikeda praises them, they are satisfied, and so they will
continue th~ir present course.
Political leadership with a view to heightening the political consciousness
of the members is almost unpracticed Instead they prefer that they
become and remain ignorant. Perhaps we could express their desires
thus: "Become more foolish! Then you will follow us silently". It
is no exaggeration to say that they are leading the party members in their
own way
to follow ignorantly, silently, and to gather votes as Komeito orders
and are keeping them under the party's control.
If democracy takes one false step, there is a good possiblity that
it will turn into mob rule. One of the problems lurking behind the
motives for which the Soka Gakkai, as a religious power itself, entered
the Diet, is that of ~~ignorantization" of the people concerning Democracy.
If Soka Gakkai~Komeito is not in the vanguard of the popularization of
politics, but is rather benighting the people, then we must admit that
this is a most serious problem.
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