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3. A Control Issue |
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By Craig Green & Jeff
Farr
Los Angeles
Why did the priests have this underlying prejudice against
the SGI? It stands to reason that the SGI members must
have done something to incur such contempt. In fact, they
did — they dared to propagate the teachings of Nichiren
Daishonin.
Nichiren Shoshu was a small order of priests until the
Soka Gakkai initiated the spread of the Daishonin?s teachings,
encouraging the burgeoning membership to help suffering
friends. No one can deny that little propagation was done
before the Soka Gakkai was formed; and that from 1930
up to the split in 1990, the SGI members did the lion?s
share of propagation, introducing more than 10 million
people worldwide.
The organization?s growth, especially in the postwar years,
changed everything — men who had been priests of
a dormant sect found themselves stewarding millions of
people. For many of the priests, it became a question
of how to control the people.
A case in point: the Soka Gakkai?s donation of temples
to the priesthood. From 1930 to 1970, the Soka Gakkai
donated more than 320. Not until the 1970s did the Soka
Gakkai begin to focus on building its own community centers.
The priesthood became anxious over this, seeing it as
a move toward the Soka Gakkai?s independence. This concern
turned to something darker when the priesthood started
publicly attacking the Soka Gakkai in the late 1970s.
The sheer growth of the organization and its proactive
efforts for world peace meant that reforms in the priesthood
would be necessary. It was a loss of control the priests
were not willing to accept.
No. 3 in a series
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(Originally published, World
Tribune, May 2, 1997)
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