My experience with Soka Gakai

This morning I attended the 3rd week prayer for my FIL and when I reach the temple with my wife, her step mother was already there chanting the Soka Gakai togething with her friend. My wife told me that the chanting during the 7 weeks of mourning period will bring my FIL’s soul to a higher realm. Of course, I can understand this purpose as some chants are very powerful as it has been chanted by millions of people and have be transmitted into Universe and saying out this chant will have very positive effect.

My problem is that the way of chanting and the uncoordinated chanting of the believers have a very disturbing effect on me. I feel very comfortable as it was a pain to my ear. Yes, I know that for some people, it is music to their ears. Nevertheless, some of my relatives who have experienced this chants could feel the un-calming effect on my mood or sentiments.

During the wake of my FIL, a lot of the literature from Soka Gakai was given to us and I was told that this religion is the same as Buddhism except the believers pray to the scriptures and not Buddha. Their repetitious six words vow means “ the believer devote their life to the dharma”. I think some of the believers misunderstood Buddhism , as Buddhist believe there is Buddha nature in all of us and praying to Buddha is only expressing a respect to the idol. A respect to the Great Teacher. This is the true belief and if one is praying to Buddha for wealth and miracle, this belief is wrong. But, from the literature of Soka Gakai , there is this belief that by repeating this chant , it will bring great fortune on the believer. This is something , I cannot understand or accept. When we pray with our compassionate heart , it should be for the well being of the entire living being and not for one self. Every living being is inter-connected in one way or another and the pray is for all good things for every being.

The chanting of “ namo oreng ge keo “ in Japanese is equivalent to “ namo amitabah” but the chanting tone and the feeling is different. The Sanskrit version is more pleasing and have a more calming effect , maybe it is because it has not self promotion effect on the Sanskrit version. I have heard about a lot of strange things happening to the believers of the Soka Gakai sect and this something I would want to avoid.

I asked my wife why my FIL can believe in this sect and she told me that her father is a non believer in all the religions and he only occasionally go to the Quan Ying temple. He was from China and live under the communist regime for a large part of his younger days and there is no religious under the communist regime. Religion under communist is a waste of time and effort. Only recently, China have relax this rules and allow the restrict freedom of religion in their country.

Nevertheless, whatever is the belief , it has ended for my FIL and we are not sure where is he now. Some Buddhist belief is that part of his soul is wondering around during the 49 days after his death and we do not know whether this is true or not. If his consciousness is still around, I wish him rest in peace.

Namaste.