Soka Gakkai International

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was formed at a conference on January 26, 1975, on the island of Guam. Representatives from 51 countries attended the meeting and chose Daisaku Ikeda, who served as third president of the Japanese Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai, to become the SGI's founding president. Its founding meeting in Guam is a symbolic gesture referencing Guam's history as the site of some of World War II's bloodiest battles, and proximity to Tinian Island, launching place of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

The Soka Gakkai's initial global expansion began after World War II, when some Soka Gakkai members married mostly American servicemen and moved away from Japan.{{cite book |title=Religion and American Cultures: An Encyclopedia of Traditions, Diversity, and Popular Expressions |first=Gary |last=Laderman |publisher=ABC CLIO |year=2003 |isbn=9781576072387}} Expansion efforts gained a further boost in 1960 when Ikeda succeeded Jōsei Toda as president of the Soka Gakkai.{{cite journal |title=The transplantation of Soka Gakkai to Brazil: building "the closest organization to the heart of Ikeda-Sensei" |author=Ronan Alves Pereira |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |year=2008}}{{cite news |title=Faith in Revolution |date=Winter 2008 |first=Clark |last=Strand |work=Tricycle |url=http://www.tricycle.com/interview/faith-revolution |access-date=18 February 2015}} In the first year of his presidency, Ikeda visited the United States, Canada, and Brazil, and the Soka Gakkai's first American headquarters officially opened in Los Angeles in 1963.{{cite book |title=Luminous Passage: The Practice and Study of Buddhism in America |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780520216976 |url-access=registration |first=Charles |last=Prebish |publisher=University of California Press |year=1999 |isbn=9780520216976}}

In May 2015, the SGI-USA was one of the organizing groups for the first-ever Buddhist conference at the White House.{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/12/125-u-s-buddhist-leaders-to-meet-at-the-white-house/ | title = U.S., Buddhist Leaders to Meet at the White House | newspaper = Washington Post | access-date = 10 August 2015}}

In June 2015, the SGI-Italy was recognized by the Italian government with a special accord under Italian Constitution Article 8, acknowledging it as an official religion of Italy and eligible to receive direct taxpayer funding for its religious and social activities. It also recognizes the Soka Gakkai as a "Concordat" (It: "Intesa") that grants the religions status in "a special 'club' of denominations consulted by the government in certain occasions, allowed to appoint chaplains in the army{{Snd}} a concordat is not needed for appointing chaplains in hospitals and jails{{Snd}} and, perhaps more importantly, to be partially financed by taxpayers' money." Twelve other religious denominations share this status.{{cite web | url = http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religion-in-the-italian-constitution | title = Religion in the Italian Constitution | publisher = Georgetown University | access-date = 10 August 2015 | archive-date = 26 November 2016 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20161126191359/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religion-in-the-italian-constitution | url-status = dead }}{{cite web | url = http://www.governo.it/Presidenza/USRI/confessioni/intese_indice.html | title = Istituto Buddista Italiano Soka Gakkai | publisher = Governo Italiano | access-date = 14 August 2015}}

In 2000, Uruguay honored the 25th anniversary of the SGI's founding with a commemorative postage stamp. The stamp was issued on October 2, the anniversary of SGI President Ikeda's first overseas journey in 1960.{{cite web | url = http://www.correo.com.uy/index.asp?codpag=detProd&smen=filatelia&idp=701&s=1 | title = Sello - 1975-2000 Soka Gakkai Internacional 25º Aniversario | publisher = Correo Uruguayo | access-date = 3 February 2016}}

The Soka Gakkai International comprises a global network of affiliated organizations. As of 2011, the SGI reported active national organizations in 192 countries and territories with a total of approximately 12 million members.{{cite web |title=Soka Gakkai |first=Andrew |last=Gebert |publisher=Oxford Bibliographies |url=http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0053.xml |access-date=18 February 2015}} The SGI is independent of the Soka Gakkai (the domestic Japanese organization), although both are headquartered in Tokyo.{{cite journal |title=Soka Gakkai International: The Global Expansion of a Japanese Buddhist Movement |first=Daniel |last=Métraux |journal=Religion Compass |year=2013|volume=7 |issue=10 |pages=423–432 |doi=10.1111/rec3.12070 }}

National SGI organizations operate autonomously and all affairs are conducted in the local language. Many national organizations are coordinated by groups such as a women's group, a men's group, and young women's and young men's groups.{{cite journal |title=Soka Gakkai International: Japanese Buddhism on a Global Scale |first=Daniel |last=Métraux |journal=Virginia Review of Asian Studies |year=2013}} National organizations generally raise their own operational funds, although the SGI headquarters in Tokyo has awarded funding grants to smaller national organizations for projects such as land acquisition and the construction of new buildings. SGI-affiliated organizations outside Japan are forbidden to engage directly in politics.

The election or nomination of leaders is typically not decided by the SGI's general membership but by a board of directors.{{Cite web|url=http://constitution-sgic.org/PDFs/G3%20policy%20on%20leaders%20-%202014%2009%2027.PDF|title=Governance Policy #3 - Leaders}} Leadership below national staff, however, has been liberalized; in the United States for instance, the nomination and approval of leaders includes both members and organizational leaders in the process.{{cite book|last1=Dobbelaere|first1=Karel|title=Soka Gakkai|date=1998|publisher=Signat}} Author Karel Dobbelaere notes the election of the presidents,{{cite book|last1=Dobbelaere|first1=Karel|title=Soka Gakkai|page=9|quote="H. Hojo. . . was elected president. Ikeda became honorary president. . . At the death of Hojo in 1981, E. Akiya was elected president. . ." . .}} as well as a process of "nomination, review and approval that involves both peers and leaders" in choosing other leaders.{{cite book|last1=Dobbelaere|first1=Karel|title=Soka Gakkai|page=78}}

The Soka Gakkai International is notable among Buddhist organizations for the racial and ethnic diversity of its members. It has been characterized as the world's largest and most ethnically diverse Buddhist group.{{cite book |title=Religion and American Cultures: An Encyclopedia of Traditions, Diversity, and Popular Expressions |first=Gary |last=Laderman |publisher=ABC CLIO |year=2003 |isbn=9781576072387}}{{cite news |title=Faith in Revolution |date=Winter 2008 |first=Clark |last=Strand |work=Tricycle |url=http://www.tricycle.com/interview/faith-revolution |access-date=18 February 2015}}{{cite news |title=Diversity and a Buddhist Sect |first=Daniel |last=Burke |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=24 February 2007 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR2007022301394.html |access-date=18 February 2015}} Professor Susumu Shimazono suggested several reasons for this: the strongly felt needs of individuals in their daily lives, its solutions to discord in interpersonal relations, its practical teachings that offer concrete solutions for carrying on a stable social life, and its provision of a place where congenial company and a spirit of mutual support may be found.{{cite journal |title=The Expansion of Japan's New Religions into Foreign Cultures |first=Susumu |last=Shimazono |journal=Japanese Journal of Religious Studies |year=1991|volume=18 |issue=2–3 |doi=10.18874/jjrs.18.2-3.1991.105-132 |doi-access=free }} Peter Clarke wrote that the SGI appeals to non-Japanese in part because "no one is obliged to abandon their native culture or nationality in order to fully participate in the spiritual and cultural life of the movement."{{cite book |first=Peter B. |last=Clarke |title=Japanese New Religions in Global Perspective |publisher=Curzon Press |year=2000 |chapter='Success' and 'Failure': Japanese New Religions Abroad |isbn=978-0700711857}}

In 2015, Italian newspaper la Repubblica reported that half of all Buddhists in Italy are SGI members.{{cite web | url = http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2015/06/27/news/firenze_renzi_firma_l_intesta_tra_lo_stato_e_l_istituto_buddista_d_italia-117841335/?refresh_ce#gallery-slider=117843818 | title = La Soka Gakkai entra nell'8x1000, Renzi a Firenze firma l'intesa con l'istituto buddista| publisher = Repubblica | access-date = 10 August 2015| date = 2015-06-27}}

File:SGI-D Kulturzentrum Villa Sachsen, Bingen am Rhein.jpg, Germany]]

The SGI defines itself as a "movement for contributing to peace, culture and education" based on its "interpretation and practical application of the ideas in the Lotus Sutra."{{cite journal |last=Kawada |first=Yoichi |year=2009 |title=The SGI Within the Historical Context of Buddhism—and Its Philosophical Basis |url=http://www.totetu.org/assets/media/paper/j019_103.pdf |journal=The Journal of Oriental Studies |volume=19 |page=103 |access-date=April 26, 2017}} SGI promotes its engagement on issues including human rights, sustainable development and peace building.{{cite web |url=https://www.sokaglobal.org/resources/sgi-charter.html |title=SGI Charter |author= |date=n.d. |website=Soka Gakkai International |access-date=6 February 2021}}

According to Yoichi Kawada, director of the Tokyo-based Institute of Oriental Philosophy, the SGI defines itself as a "movement for contributing to peace, culture and education" based on its "interpretation and practical application of the ideas in the Lotus Sutra."{{cite journal |last=Kawada |first=Yoichi |year=2009 |title=The SGI Within the Historical Context of Buddhism—and Its Philosophical Basis |url=http://www.totetu.org/assets/media/paper/j019_103.pdf |journal=The Journal of Oriental Studies |volume=19 |page=103 |access-date=April 26, 2017}} SGI engagement as a religious NGO affiliated with the United Nations in policy discussions on issues including human rights, sustainable development and peace building is similarly described, in the phrasing of its Charter, as contributing to peace, culture and education.{{cite journal |last=Berger |first=Julia |date=March 2003 |title=Religious Nongovernmental Organizations: An Exploratory Analysis |journal=Voluntas |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=15–39 |doi=10.1023/A:1022988804887 |s2cid=145398156 }}{{rp|15,16,30}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sokaglobal.org/resources/sgi-charter.html |title=SGI Charter |author= |date=n.d. |website=Soka Gakkai International |access-date=6 February 2021}}

This social and cultural projects also appear to be part of a strategy, according to some scholars and critics of Soka Gakkai, which "uses the image and practice of an NGO (to respond) to its own necessity: the recruitment and maintenance of membership" and "tries to create the image of an institution engaged in activities to promote peace, culture and education based on Buddhism, clearly following the tendencies of national politics",{{Cite book |last=Ramos Coutinho Bornholdt |first=Ramos Coutinho Bornholdt |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277056784 |title=Japanese Buddhism and Social Action: the case of So |date=Sep 2008 |publisher=Revista Nures nº 10 |year=2008 |location=Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo |publication-date=2008 |language=EN}} analyses scholar Suzana Ramos Coutinho Bornholdt in Japanese Buddhism and Social Action: the case of Soka Gakkai.

Since 2007, the SGI has collaborated closely with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) to develop educational programs and raise awareness on nuclear disarmament, particularly among young people. The SGI also partnered with ICAN to promote the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted at the United Nations in July 2017, and for which ICAN was awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. Beatrice Fihn, executive director of ICAN, stated in a July 2017 interview that the "SGI has been one of our greatest partners in the fight to abolish nuclear weapons."{{cite web | url = https://www.lionsroar.com/ican-partnered-with-sgi-wins-2017-nobel-peace-prize-for-work-toward-abolition-of-nuclear-weapons/ | title = ICAN Partnered With SGI Wins 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for Work Toward Abolition of Nuclear Weapons | publisher = Lion's Roar Magazine | access-date = 28 December 2017| date = 2017-10-31 }}

To further increase public awareness of the anti-nuclear movement, the SGI also created "The People's Decade" campaign, which since 2007 has developed a global grassroots network of people dedicated to abolishing nuclear weapons.{{cite web | url = http://www.peoplesdecade.org/ | title = People's Decade for Nuclear Ambition| publisher = People's Decade | access-date = 15 August 2015}}{{cite web | url = https://www.wagingpeace.org/five-million-voices-for-nuclear-zero/ | title = Five Million Voices for Nuclear Zero| publisher = Waging Peace | access-date = 15 August 2015| date = 2014-12-18}} In 2014, an SGI youth delegation met with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) regarding coordination of the SGI's efforts and the UN efforts to increase grassroots movements for nuclear abolition.

In 2008, then-High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio Duarte characterized SGI's work toward nuclear disarmament as linking human security with the fundamental goal of eliminating nuclear weapons.{{cite web |last=Duarte |first=Sergio |author-link=Sergio Duarte |title=Opening Remarks | url=https://www.un.org/disarmament/HomePage/HR/docs/2008/2008April30_Geneva.pdf |website=United Nations |date=30 April 2008 |access-date=11 March 2016}}

According to Pax Christi International, on March 28, 2017, a joint statement of Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons, initiated by the SGI, was delivered by Pax Christi Philippines during the first UN negotiating conference for the treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons.{{cite news |author= |title=Watch: Interfaith statement delivered at UN nuclear weapons negotiations |url=http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=32236 |work=Independent Catholic News (ICN) |date=2017-03-29 |access-date=2017-03-30}} More than 20 religious leaders affirmed through the joint statement their shared "aspirations for peace and for a world where people live without fear," praising world leaders in attendance for "the courage to begin these negotiations" and calling on States not in attendance to join the June–July session of the conference.{{cite web |last=Kenny |first=Peter |title=Faith groups call for action at UN atomic weapons' talks that nuclear-armed nations boycott |url=http://www.ecumenicalnews.com/article/faith-groups-call-for-action-at-un-atomic-weapons-talks-that-nuclear-armed-nations-boycott/60210.htm |website=Ecumenical News |date=2017-04-02 |access-date=2017-04-03}}{{cite web |author=Faith Communities Concerned about Nuclear Weapons |title=Public Statement to the First Negotiation Conference for a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons leading to their elimination |type=Statement |url=http://www.sgi.org/content/files/resources/ngo-resources/peace-disarmament/ptnw-public-statement-march-2017.pdf |date=March 2017 |access-date=2017-04-03}}

The group's peace activities can be traced back to the Toda era – at an athletic meeting in 1957, Toda called for a complete ban on nuclear weapons. A 1975 petition drive against nuclear weapons by the Gakkai's youth division garnered 10 million signatures, and was handed over to the United Nations.Richard H. Seager, Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism, University of California Press:2006, p. 83{{cite book|last=Kisala|first=Robert|title=Prophets of peace: Pacifism and cultural identity in Japan's new religions|year=2000|publisher=University of Hawaiʻi Press|location=Honolulu, HI, USA|isbn=978-0-8248-2267-5}}{{rp|84}}

AS 6,494 NGOs, SGI has been in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 1983, one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization. The council does not make decisions, but can provide the Economic and Social Council with recommendations.

As an NGO working with the United Nations, SGI has been active in public education with a focus mainly on peace and nuclear weapons disarmament, human rights and sustainable development.{{Cite web|last=UNODA|first=update|title=UN Office for Disarmament Affairs Meets Youth Representatives of Soka Gakkai Japan and of SGI-USA Engaged in Disarmament Issues|url=https://www.un.org/disarmament/update/20140321/?lang=en|access-date=24 March 2014|date = 18 March 2014}} SGI benefits from the roster status, the least close to the decision-making body (UN Consultative Status, art.24).

Each year, Ikeda publishes a peace proposal which examines global challenges in the light of Buddhist teachings. The proposals are specific and wide-ranging, covering topics as constructing a culture of peace, promoting the development of the United Nations, nuclear disarmament, the prohibition of child soldiers, the empowerment of women, the promotion of educational initiatives in schools such as human rights and sustainable development education, and calls to reawaken the human spirit and individual empowerment.Anwarul K. Chowdhury, "Introduction," Olivier Urbain (ed), A Forum for Peace: Daisaku Ikeda's Proposals to the UN. IB Tauris, 2013, {{ISBN|978-1-78076-840-3}}, pp. xi-xiv The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research has published a compilation of topical excerpts.Olivier Urbain (ed), A Forum for Peace: Daisaku Ikeda's Proposals to the UN. IB Tauris, 2013, {{ISBN|978-1-78076-840-3}}

The SGI also promotes environmental initiatives through educational activities such as exhibitions, lectures and conferences, and more direct activities such as tree planting projects and the SGI's Amazon Ecological Conservation Center, which is administered by SGI-Brazil.{{cite journal |last=Dessì |first=Ugo |date=2013 |title='Greening Dharma': Contemporary Japanese Buddhism and Ecology |url=https://www.academia.edu/11283180 |journal= Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture|volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=339–40 |doi=10.1558/jsrnc.v7i3.334 |access-date=March 2, 2016}} The center is engaged in reforestation, the creation of a regional seed bank, and experiments in sustainable agroforestry.{{Citation |last=Seager |first=Richard |year=2006 |title=Encountering the Dharma |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley |pages=192 }}

File:Reflecting pool and visitor center at the Dr. Daisaku Ikeda Park in Londrina Brazil.jpg at the Ikeda Ecological Park in Londrina, Brazil, named in honor of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda]]

One scholar cites Daisaku Ikeda, SGI's president, describing such initiatives as a Buddhist-based impetus for direct public engagement in parallel with legal efforts to address environmental concerns.{{cite journal |last=Dessì |first=Ugo |date=2013 |title='Greening Dharma': Contemporary Japanese Buddhism and Ecology |url=https://www.academia.edu/11283180 |journal= Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture|volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=334–355 |doi=10.1558/jsrnc.v7i3.334 |access-date=March 2, 2016}}

In India, the Bharat Soka Gakkai (the SGI of India) debuted the traveling exhibit "Seeds of Hope," a joint initiative of the SGI and Earth Charter International. At the exhibit's opening in Panaji, the state capital of Goa, regional planning head Edgar Ribeiro spoke of lagging efforts to implement environmental laws and stated that "Only a people's movement can take sustainability forward."{{cite news |last=Ribeiro |first=Edgar |date=2016-02-12 |title=Edgar Riberio pushes for mapping Goa |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Edgar-Ribeiro-pushes-for-mapping-of-Goa/articleshow/50956381.cms |newspaper=Times of India |access-date=2016-03-02}} In Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College President Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok said that this exhibition helped "to create the awareness of the power of a single individual in bringing about waves of positive change to the environment, as well as the society."{{cite news |title=Sowing the seeds of hope |url=http://www.thestar.com.my/news/education/2014/11/16/sowing-the-seeds-of-hope/ | newspaper=The Star online |date=2014-11-16 |access-date=2016-03-02 }}

In November 2015, the SGI signed on to the Buddhist Climate Change Statement representing "over a billion Buddhists worldwide" in a call to action submitted to world leaders at the 21st session of UN climate change talks held in Paris.{{cite web| title=Buddhist Climate Change Statement to World Leaders|url=https://gbcccdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/buddhist-climate-change-statement-to-world-leaders-nov-25.pdf| publisher=Global Buddhist Climate Change Collective| date=November 25, 2015| access-date=May 4, 2016}} The statement affirms that Buddhist spirituality compels environmental protection and expresses solidarity with Catholic and Muslim leaders who have taken a similar stance. Described as "one of the most unified calls by a religion's leadership,"{{citation| last=Schouten| first=Lucy| title=Why climate change unites Buddhists around the world| newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor| date=October 30, 2015| url=http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/print/Environment/2015/1030/Why-climate-change-unites-Buddhists-around-the-world| access-date=May 4, 2016}} the statement draws on the 2009 pan-Buddhist statement, "The Time to Act is Now: A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change," to which SGI-USA among others became a signatory in early 2015.{{cite web| title=A Buddhist Declaration on Climate Change| url=http://www.ecobuddhism.org/bcp/all_content/buddhist_declaration/| website=Ecological Buddhism: A Buddhist Response to Global Warming| access-date=May 4, 2016}}

The SGI conducts humanitarian aid projects in disaster-stricken regions. After the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, local Soka Gakkai facilities became refugee shelters and distribution centers for relief supplies. Efforts also included worldwide fundraising for the victims, youth groups, and spiritual support.{{cite web|url=http://www.panorientnews.com/en/news.php?k=2364l|title=Sendai UN Disaster Panel.|work=Pan Orient News|access-date=15 February 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/13739/1/fisker-Nielsen%2520PROOF2.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603184010/https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/13739/1/fisker-Nielsen%20PROOF2.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 3, 2023 |title=Grassroot responses to the Tohoku earthquake of 11 March 2011.|work=Anthropology Today Vol. 28, June 2012|access-date=15 February 2016}}

In 2014, SGI-Chile members collected supplies to deliver to emergency services and refugee centers after that country's devastating Iquique earthquake.{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/17/100-religious-groups-doing-good_n_5460739.html|title=Yes, Religion Can Still Be A Force For Good In The World. Here Are 100 Examples How|newspaper=The Huffington Post|access-date=5 February 2016|date=2014-06-17|last1=Blumberg|first1=Antonia}}

In 2015, SGI-USA was part of the organizing committee that convened a day-long conference in Washington, DC of 125 Buddhist leaders to discuss Buddhism and civic activism in the United States. The conference identified climate change and the environment, education and peace and disarmament as popular priorities.{{cite news |last=Boorstein |first=Michelle |date=2015-05-12 |title=A political awakening for Buddhists? 125 U.S. Buddhist leaders to meet at the White House |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/12/125-u-s-buddhist-leaders-to-meet-at-the-white-house/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=2017-05-17}}

File:Tower Rio50.jpg by the Brazil SGI team at Rio de Janeiro, on October 30, 2011. Performance art is one of Soka Gakkai's peace activities.]]

The Soka Gakkai sponsors many cultural activities for its membership as well as the general public.

The Soka Gakkai's subsidiary organizations also have a social presence. Several educational institutions were either founded by the Soka Gakkai or were inspired by the educational writings of the Soka Gakkai's three presidents.{{cite web|url=http://www.soka.ed.jp/english/index.html|title=創価学園 SOKA GAKUEN|access-date=27 February 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.daisakuikeda.org/main/educator/edu/edu-07.html|title=An Educational Legacy - Daisaku Ikeda Website|access-date=27 February 2015}} The Min-On Concert Association is a subsidiary of the Soka Gakkai which Ikeda established in 1963. It claims to sponsor over 1100 concerts each year.{{cite web|url=http://www.min-on.org|title=Min-On Concert Association|website=www.min-on.org}}

The Min-On Concert Association is a subsidiary of the Soka Gakkai established in 1963. It claims to sponsor over 1100 concerts each year.

Ikeda also founded the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum in 1983. It houses collections of western and oriental art, and has participated in exchanges with museums around the world.Karel Dobbelaere, "Toward a Pillar Organization?" in Global Citizens, Machacek and Wilson (eds.), page=245

Soka Gakkai considers dance and other genres of performance art to be a major aspect of its peace activities. It has a long tradition of "culture festivals", originating in the 1950s, which take the form of group gymnastics, marching bands, traditional ensembles, orchestras, ballet, or choral presentations. The Soka Gakkai perceives these activities as vehicles for its members to experience the skills of cooperating with others, opportunities to engage in the personal discipline that performing arts provide, and occasions to overcome obstacles and to undertake one's own "human revolution". They enhance peer networks and understanding of and commitment to the goals of the organization. In addition, they are viewed as expressions of Buddhist humanism and are aligned to the Soka Gakkai's ideals about creating a peaceful and more humane society.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Szm2BQAAQBAJ&q=soka+gakkai+festivals&pg=PA68|title=Religion and American cultures: tradition, diversity, and popular expression |isbn=978-1-61069-110-9|edition= Second |location=Santa Barbara, California |publisher=ABC-CLIO |oclc=897907045|page=68|last1=Laderman|first1=Gary|last2=León|first2=Luis|date=2014-12-17}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHNeOx8UZJYC&q=soka+gakkai+%22fife+and+drum+corps%22&pg=PA159|title=The Future of new religious movements|date=1987|publisher=Mercer University Press |editor=Bromley, David G. |editor2=Hammond, Phillip E. |isbn=978-0-86554-237-2|location=Macon, Ga.|page=159|oclc=15081992}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h2nFCwAAQBAJ&q=soka+youth+festival&pg=PA154|title=Japan's Demographic Revival: Rethinking Migration, Identity And Sociocultural Norms|date=2015|publisher=World Scientific|editor=Nagy, Stephen Robert|page=153 & 154|isbn=978-981-4678-89-6}}

The tradition, which began in Japan, has been copied in other Soka Gakkai organizations in the world.[https://www.academia.edu/5285382/The_nationalization_of_religion_Cultural_performances_and_the_youth_of_Soka_Singapore Cultural performances and the youth of Soka Singapore], 26ff{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportsingapore.gov.sg/Newsroom/Media-Releases/2015/1/28th-SEA-Games-Opening-Ceremony-to-Break-Records-with-Spectacular-Show|title=28th SEA Games Opening Ceremony to Break Records with Spectacular Show|website=Sport Singapore|access-date=2022-06-20|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092643/https://www.sportsingapore.gov.sg/newsroom/media-releases/2015/1/28th-sea-games-opening-ceremony-to-break-records-with-spectacular-show}}{{cite web|url=http://staging.ndp.org.sg/show.php|title=NDP 2014 Show - The show is testimony to how everyday Singaporeans can come together to create something extraordinary…|access-date=27 February 2015|archive-date=5 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205071642/http://staging.ndp.org.sg/show.php}}{{cite news|url=http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/giving-back-to-society-in-more-ways-than-one|title=Giving back to society in more ways than one|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=2015-11-25|last1=Seow|first1=Bei Yi}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.mmg.mpg.de/research/all-projects/community-engagaement-aspirations-and-the-youth-of-soka-singapore|title=Community engagement, aspirations, and the youth of Soka Singapore|access-date=2018-08-02|archive-date=2018-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802162800/http://www.mmg.mpg.de/research/all-projects/community-engagaement-aspirations-and-the-youth-of-soka-singapore/}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sgm.org.my/en/?cur=news/view&id=352&title=SGM_Participates_in_57th_National_Day_Celebrations|title=SGM Participates in 57th National Day Celebrations|access-date=27 February 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2008/09/06/soka-gakais-merdeka-show-features-multicultural-performances|title=Soka Gakai's Merdeka show features multi-cultural performances|first=Yee Xiang|last=Yun|website=The Star|date=6 September 2008 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/shimmering-splendour|title=Shimmering splendour|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=10 August 2018}}{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/making-their-voices-heard|title=Making their voices heard at NDP's first rap, hip-hop segment|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=2 August 2019|last1=Lim|first1=Min Zhang}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/08/29/look-out-for-street-performances-by-soka-gakkai-at-icity-tomorrow|title=Look out for street performances by Soka Gakkai at i-City tomorrow|website=The Star|date=29 August 2018 }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/09/04/40000-at-colourful-nday-countdown-celebrants-at-icity-enjoy-free-park-rides-street-performances-as|title=40,000 at colourful N-Day countdown|first=M.|last=Kumar|website=The Star|date=4 September 2018 }}{{cite journal|title=A New Home for New Immigrants? A Case Study of the Role of Soka Gakkai in the Integration of Japanese and Mainland Chinese Immigrants in Hong Kong|year=2018|doi=10.3390/rel9110336|last1=Ng|first1=Ka|journal=Religions|volume=9|issue=11|page=336|hdl=10069/38710|hdl-access=free|doi-access=free}}{{cite news|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ndp-2021-a-parade-to-lift-spirits|title=NDP 2021: A parade to lift spirits|newspaper=The Straits Times|date=21 August 2021|last1=Qing|first1=Ang|last2=Lim|first2=Jessie|last3=Iau|first3=Jean}}{{cite news|url=https://www.scmp.com/article/339738/soka-gakkai-international-hong-kong-marks-anniversary-grand-cultural-presentation?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article&campaign=339738|title=Soka Gakkai International Hong Kong marks anniversary with grand cultural presentation|newspaper=South China Morning Post|date=21 February 2001}}{{cite news|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ndp-2023-national-day-parade-spectators-performers-light-padang-3668981|title=Singapore shines its light on the future with NDP 2023}}

The organization's musical and dance wings are organized into ensembles or groups in the local and national levels and are categorized as:

• Women's Corps of Drums/Fife and Drum Corps/Marching Bands (Kotekitai Corps of the SG)
• Marching Bands/Concert Bands (Taiyo Ongakutai Bands of the SG)
• Drum and Bugle Corps
• Symphony Orchestras
• Pop bands
• Traditional groups
• Male/female/mixed choirs
• Youth Dance groups
• Adult dance groups/ballet ensembles
• Gymnastic formation groups (all-male/mixed)

{{Main|Soka School System}}

The educational activities of the Soka Gakkai are often subsumed under the title of Soka education. Several educational institutions were either founded by the Soka Gakkai or were inspired by the educational writings of the Soka Gakkai's three presidents.

• Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje{{Snd}} British-Nigerian actor best known for his roles on television, including Lost, Oz, and Game of Thrones{{cite news |title=Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje not lost in L.A. |first=Mark |last=Sachs |date=7 August 2009 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-aug-07-et-fave7-story.html |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Angelica Ross - American first transgender actress to be cast in a Broadway leading role and founder of the TransTech Social Enterprises, also known from TV series Pose and American Horror Story{{Cite web |date=2020-10-08 |title=Angelica Ross on How to Get the World to See You as YOU |url=https://buddhability.org/podcast/angelica-ross-on-how-to-get-the-world-to-see-you-as-you/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=buddhability |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=White|first=Abbey |date=2022-08-04 |title=Angelica Ross to Make Broadway Debut in 'Chicago' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/angelica-ross-chicago-musical-broadway-debut-1235192647/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}
• Anne Louise Hassing{{Snd}} Danish actress, best known from her roles in movies such as The Idiots and The Hunt{{cite journal|last=Steinthal|first=Vibeke|date=April 2011|title=Skuespilleren Anne Louise Hassing: "Vi Har Alle En Mission"|journal=Liv & Sjæl|pages=31–35|url=https://d3gqux9sl0z33u.cloudfront.net/AA/AA/magasinetlivogsjael/downloads/177453/Hassing.nr._3_-_2008.pdf|access-date=26 January 2016|language=da|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071451/https://d3gqux9sl0z33u.cloudfront.net/AA/AA/magasinetlivogsjael/downloads/177453/Hassing.nr._3_-_2008.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016}}
• Belinda Carlisle{{Snd}} American singer, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame best known as the lead singer of The Go-Go's{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-cMXGiLWs9oC&q=belinda+carlisle+soka&pg=PA222 |title=Lips Are Sealed: A Memoir|access-date=16 March 2015|isbn=9780307463500|last1=Carlisle|first1=Belinda|date=April 2011|publisher=Crown }}
• Betty Faria - Brazilian actress, best known for the lead role in the soap opera Tieta, and Gramado Film Festival winner for Anjos do Arrabalde.{{Cite web |title=Meio século de conquistas |url=http://www.bsgi.org.br/noticia/meio-seculo-de-conquistas-20111030/ |access-date=2022-08-22 |website=www.bsgi.org.br}}
• Beverly Glenn-Copeland{{Snd}} U.S.-born Canadian musician, songwriter and singer{{cite web |url=https://www.lionsroar.com/were-all-different-musician-glenn-copeland-on-his-journey-as-a-black-buddhist-transgender-artist/ |title=We're All Different: Musician Glenn Copeland on his journey as a Black, Buddhist, transgender artist |last=Negru |first=John Harvey |date=March 31, 2018 |website=Lion's Roar |access-date=June 4, 2018}}
• Buster Williams{{Snd}} American jazz bassist{{cite news |title=Celebrating a Saxohonist's Art and Heart |first=Ben |last=Ratliff |date=22 February 2007 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/22/arts/music/22brec.html |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Carmen Consoli{{Snd}} Italian singer and songwriter who sold two million albums in Italy{{cite news |title= Carmen Consoli Buddista e antinucleare la mia protesta cantata contro guerra e machismo |first=Carlo |last=Moretti |work=Repubblica |date=4 April 2011 |url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2011/04/20/carmen-consoli-buddista-antinucleare-la-mia-protesta.html|access-date=15 October 2015}}
• Celeste Lecesne{{Snd}} American actor and writer{{cite web |title=Celeste Lecesne: About |url=https://www.celestelecesne.com/about |access-date=22 July 2021}} of the Oscar-winning film Trevor, co-founder of The Trevor Project{{cite web |title=James Lecesne |work=Speaker Profile |url=http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/booking-request.php?SpName=James-Lecesne |access-date=16 March 2015}}
• Cheryl Boone Isaacs{{Snd}} American film executive and the first African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences{{cite news |title=Celebrating Diversity |first=Blaine |last=Charles |date=12 March 2014 |url=https://elementsoffierce.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/celebrating-diversity-86th-oscars-fab-five-favs/ |access-date=16 March 2015}}
• Christine Rankin{{Snd}} Former head of the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development and politician{{cite news |title=Free-range soul searching replacing organized religion in NZ |first=Claire |last=Harvey |date=31 December 2005 |work=The New Zealand Herald |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10361977 |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Claire Bertschinger{{Snd}} British nurse whose work inspired the formation of Live Aid and Band Aid and was named a dame by Queen Elizabeth II for "serving to Nurse and to International Humanitarian Aid"{{cite news |title=Journey from famine to the hunger of the soul |first=Andrew |last=Heavens |date=29 January 2005 |work=The Times (UK)|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/faith/article2099773.ece |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Claudia Jessie{{Snd}} British actress, best known from the TV series Bridgerton{{Cite web |url= https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/shondaland-bridgerton-behind-the-scenes/a35193536/claudia-jessie-bridgerton-interview/ |title=Interview|website=www.shondaland.com|date=14 January 2021|access-date=24 January 2021}}
• Courtney Love{{Snd}} American musician, songwriter, actress, and artist, she is known as the lead singer from Hole and for her roles in movies like The People vs. Larry Flynt and Man on the Moon, and was also nominated for four Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe{{cite news |title=The Chanting Buddhas |first=Charlie |last=Ulyatt |date=9 January 2007 |work=BBC |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/articles/2007/01/09/buddhism_of_nichiren_daishonin_feature.shtml |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Craig Taro Gold{{Snd}} American best-selling author, entrepreneur, actor, singer-songwriter, producer, and philanthropist{{cite web | last =Gold | first =Taro | title =A Golden Renaissance: Renaissance Man Taro Gold | url =http://www.tarogold.com/renaissance-man/ | access-date =15 February 2016}}
• David Bennett Cohen{{Snd}} blues musician{{Cite web | url=http://www.qchron.com/qboro/stories/buddhist-peace-group-hosts-art-shows-performances/article_15d4be13-a78d-50ae-baea-88c22d131863.html | title=Buddhist Peace Group Hosts Art Shows, Performances| date=21 November 2007}}
• Duncan Sheik{{Snd}} American Grammy Awards nominated singer-songwriter and composer{{cite news |title=Sheik scores on Broadway |first=Jeremy |last=Cowart |date=30 January 2007 |work=USA Today |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/theater/news/2007-01-30-duncan-sheik_x.htm |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Hank Johnson{{Snd}} United States Congressman for Georgia's 4th congressional district{{cite news |title=A Congressman, a Muslim and a Buddhist Walk Into a Bar... |first=Sarah |last=Wheaton |date=2 January 2007 |work=The New York Times |url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/a-congressman-a-muslim-and-a-buddhist-walk-into-a-bar/?_r=1 |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Hayley Mills{{Snd}} English actress, best known for performances in movies such as Tiger Bay and Pollyanna, who received a Disney Legends Award and won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe{{cite web|url=http://ftworthbuddhas.tripod.com/fwbuddhaspage/id12.html|title=Myo in the Media|website=Ft Worth Buddhas|publisher=Soka Gakkai International-Fort Worth|access-date=7 April 2020}}
• Herbie Hancock{{Snd}} American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer who won 14 Grammy Awards and an Oscar{{cite news |first=James D. |last=Davis |date=24 May 1996 |title=Enriching The Soul |work=The Sun-Sentinel |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-05-24/news/9605230673_1_soka-gakkai-buddhist-shopping-center-retreat-center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213020651/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-05-24/news/9605230673_1_soka-gakkai-buddhist-shopping-center-retreat-center |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Hisashi Iwakuma{{Snd}} Major League Baseball player, pitcher for the Seattle Mariners{{Cite web | url=http://sgiusapublications.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/iphone/homepage.aspx#_title823520130601000000000010011/watitle823520130601000000000010011/8235/82352013060100000000001001/1/true | title=Sgi USA}}
• Howard Jones{{Snd}} English musician, singer and songwriter who had top ten 40 hit singles in the United Kingdom{{cite web | last =Jones | first =Howard | title =Howard On Buddhism | url =http://www.howardjones.com/buddhism.html | access-date =16 March 2015}}
• Isabela Garcia - Brazilian actress known for her work on television soap operas, she was called "the Brazilian Shirley Temple" on her youth.{{Citation |title=Teaser {{!}} Entrevista: Isabela Garcia {{!}} Brasil Seikyo 31 dez. 2018 {{!}} Ed. 2448 | date=19 December 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ-1tw-WMO8 |language=en |access-date=2022-08-22}}
• John Astin{{Snd}} American actor best known for playing Gomez Addams on The Addams Family{{cite news |title=Enriching The Soul |first=James D. |last=Davis |date=24 May 1996 |work=The Sun-Sentinel |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-05-24/news/9605230673_1_soka-gakkai-buddhist-shopping-center-retreat-center |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213020651/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1996-05-24/news/9605230673_1_soka-gakkai-buddhist-shopping-center-retreat-center |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Letícia Colin - Brazilian actress, nominated for the International Emmy Award for Best Actress for her role in the series Onde Está Meu Coração{{Cite web |last=Autista |first=Mundo |date=2020-02-03 |title=Victor Mendonça lança, nessa semana, o livro "Ikeda - Um Século de Humanismo" |url=https://omundoautista.uai.com.br/victor-mendonca-lanca-nessa-semana-o-livro-ikeda-um-seculo-de-humanismo/ |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=O Mundo Autista |language=pt-BR}}{{Cite web |title=Letícia Colin é indicada a Melhor Atriz no Emmy Internacional por 'Onde Está Meu Coração': 'Imensamente feliz!' |url=https://gshow.globo.com/tudo-mais/pop/noticia/leticia-colin-e-indicada-ao-emmy.ghtml |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=gshow |date=29 September 2022 |language=pt-br}}
• Marcia Wallace - American actress, voice artist and comedian, who won an Emmy Awards for The Simpsons{{cite web |title=Excerpt from Chapter 10: Our Love Is Here to Stay" from Don't Look Back, We're Not Going That Way, by Marcia Wallace, Marcia Wallace's Super Fine Wedding by Pamela Dumond, June 30, 2011, www.thepopculturedivas.com |url=http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/2011/06/marcia-wallaces-super-fine-wedding.html |access-date=August 20, 2022 |archive-date=November 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105022556/http://www.thepopculturedivas.com/2011/06/marcia-wallaces-super-fine-wedding.html |url-status=dead }}
• Mariane Pearl{{Snd}} French freelance journalist and former columnist and reporter, also known from the memoir A Mighty Heart{{cite news |title=Widow's Strength Inspires Faithful: Public Statements Demonstrate Pearl's Buddhist Beliefs |first=Bill |last=Broadway |newspaper=the Washington Post |date=23 March 2002}}
• Néstor Torres{{Snd}} American jazz flautist
• Nick Jago{{Snd}} British drummer known for being a former member of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/noneon |title=Nick Jago (@NONEON) |publisher=Twitter |access-date=2017-02-26}}
• Orlando Bloom{{Snd}} British actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador known for his roles in film, including Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Troy{{cite news |title=Miranda Kerr Chants With Baby Flynn And Husband Orlando Bloom! |author= |work=Hollywood Life |date=1 December 2011 |url=http://hollywoodlife.com/2011/12/01/miranda-kerr-orlando-bloom-chants/ |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Orlando Cepeda{{Snd}} American former Major League Baseball first baseman and member of the Hall of Fame{{cite news |title=Baby Bull: From Hardball to Hard Time and Back |first=Orlando |last=Cepeda |publisher=Taylor Trade Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=9781461625131}}
• Patrick Duffy{{Snd}} American actor best known for his roles on television, including Dallas and Step by Step
• Roberto Baggio{{Snd}} Italian footballer and member of the FIFA World Cup Dream Team{{cite news |title=Budddisti Soka Gakkai. Una Sabina vi con convertirà |first=Sandro |last=Magister |date=4 September 1997 |work=Espress Online |language=it |url=http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/205886 |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Ron Glass - American actor best known for his roles as literary Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982){{Cite web |date=2020-10-25 |title=Ronald Earle Glass (1945-2016) • |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/ronald-earle-glass-1945-2016/ |access-date=2023-03-27 |language=en-US}}
• Sabina Guzzanti{{Snd}} Italian satirist, actress, and writer{{cite news |title=Buddhisti Soka Gakkai |first=Sandro |last=Magister |work=Espress Online |date=2 December 2008 |url=http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/205886?refresh_ce |access-date=15 October 2015}}
• Shan Serafin{{Snd}} American film director, screenwriter and novelist{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3565777/bio?ref_=nm_ql_1 |title=Shan Serafin: Biography |date=n.d. |website=IMDb |access-date=2017-07-05}}
• Shunsuke Nakamura{{Snd}} Japanese soccer player, midfielder for the Scottish team Celtic F.C.{{cite news |title=Soka Gakkai keeps religious, political machine humming |first=Minoru |last=Matsutani |work=The Japan Times |date=2 December 2008 |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2008/12/02/reference/soka-gakkai-keeps-religious-political-machine-humming/#.VOS3yfnF-ap |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Sophia Mendonça {{Snd}}Brazilian author who focuses on the experience of being autistic and trans and how that affects communication and sociality between individuals and groups.{{Cite web |title=https://genialcare.com.br/blog/autista-e-lgbtqia/ |url=https://genialcare.com.br/blog/autista-e-lgbtqia/ |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=genialcare.com.br |language=pt-BR}}
• Steven Sater{{Snd}} American playwright, lyricist and screenwriter best known for the Tony-winning musical Spring Awakening{{cite news |title=Storming Broadway From Atop a Fortress |first=Joyce |last=Walder |date=14 December 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/garden/14dakota.html?pagewanted=1 |work=The New York Times |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Suzanne Vega{{Snd}} American folk singer-songwriter{{cite news |title=Japan Sects Offer Personal Path in Rudderless Society |first=Maggie |last=Farley |date=26 March 1995 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-03-26-mn-47348-story.html |access-date=18 February 2015}}
• Tina Turner{{Snd}} American singer, dancer, actress, and author, who sold over 100 million records worldwide and received 12 Grammy Awards{{cite news |title= What's Love Got to Do With It? |first=Andrea |last=Miller |date=March 2016 |url=http://www.lionsroar.com/tina-turner-whats-love-got-to-do-with-it/ |work=Lion's Roar Magazine |access-date=2 March 2016}}{{cite news |title= The Queen of Hope |date=August 2018 |url=https://www.worldtribune.org/2018/07/queen-hope-tina-turner/ |work=Living Buddhism Magazine |access-date=8 August 2018}}
• Vinessa Shaw{{Snd}} American actress, best known from her roles in films such as Hocus Pocus and Side Effects{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-feb-12-et-performance12-story.html|title=Performance: Vinessa Shaw, by Michael Ordona, February 12, 2009, Los Angeles Times|website=Los Angeles Times|date=12 February 2009 }}
• Wayne Shorter{{Snd}} American jazz saxophonist and composer, who won 11 Grammy Awards{{cite news |title=Major Jazz Eminence, Little Grise |first=Nate |last=Chinen |date=31 January 2013 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/arts/music/wayne-shorters-new-album-is-without-a-net.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=18 February 2015}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Causton, Richard: The Buddha in Daily Life: An Introduction to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Rider, 1995; {{ISBN|978-0712674560}}
• Dobbelaere, Karel: Soka Gakkai: From Lay Movement to Religion. Signature Books, 2001; {{ISBN|978-1560851530}}
• Seager, Richard: Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism. University of California Press, 2006; {{ISBN|978-0520245778}}
• Strand, Clark: Waking the Buddha: How the Most Dynamic and Empowering Buddhist Movement in History Is Changing Our Concept of Religion. Middleway Press, 2014; {{ISBN|978-0977924561}}

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