Soka Gakkai

**Soka Gakkai**  adalah sebuah gerakan-gerakan keagamaan baru Jepang yang berdasarkan pada tulisan-tulisan Nichiren dan pengajaran dari presiden-presiden organisasi tersebut yakni Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, Jōsei Toda, dan Daisaku Ikeda. Gerakan ini adalah salah satu gerakan keagamaan baru Jepang yang besar.

Soka Gakkai International (SGI) didirikan pada tahun 1975. Atas dukungan semua anggota, pada tahun 1979, SGI menjadi anggota lembaga swadaya masyarakat di Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa, berusaha sekuat tenaga mempromosikan berbagai kegiatan perdamaian, kebudayaan dan pendidikan, dan karenanya mendapat perhatian dan pujian besar dari banyak kalangan di dunia. Sejak tahun 1983, PBB menganugerahkan "Penghargaan Perdamaian", "Penghargaan Kemanusiaan", dan gelar "Duta Perdamaian" kepada Presiden SGI Daisaku Ikeda atas kontribusinya dalam mempromosikan perdamaian.

Sebagai seorang aktivis dan filsuf Buddhis, Presiden SGI Daisaku Ikeda telah mengadakan diskusi-diskusi mengenai perdamaian, hak asasi manusia, peran agama dalam masyarakat, astronomi, hingga kekuatan budaya dengan tokoh-tokoh terkemuka dari berbagai negara. Dialog-dialog terkemuka dari berbagai Negara. Dialog-dialog tersebut beserta karya lainnya telah diterbitkan dalam lebih dari 32 bahasa di seluruh dunia dan banyak digunakan sebagai buku pelajaran ataupun bahan penelitian di berbagai tingkat institusi pendidikan. Untuk memperingati hari berdirinya SGI, setiap tahun pada 26 Januari, Presiden Ikeda memberikan proposal yang menyoroti inisiatif-inisiatif perdamaian kepada Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa.

## Referensi
* *Sōka Gakkai in America: Accommodation and Conversion* By Phillip E. Hammond and David W. Machacek. London: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-829389-5
* "The Sōka Gakkai: Buddhism and the Creation of a Harmonious and Peaceful Society" by Daniel A. Metraux in *Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia.* Christopher S. Queen and Sallie B. King, eds. SUNY Press, 1996.
* *The New Believers: A survey of sects, cults and alternative religions*. David V Barrett. Octopus Publishing Group, 2003
* *The Lotus and the Maple Leaf: The Sōka Gakkai in Canada* by Daniel A. Metraux (University Press of America, 1996)
* *Fundamentals of Buddhism* (second edition) by Yasuji Kirimura (Nichiren Shōshū International Center [now SGI], 1984). ISBN 4-88872-016-9
* *Sōka Gakkai kaibō* ("Dissecting Sōka Gakkai") by the editors of *[[Aera (magazine)|Aera]]* (Asahi Shimbun, 2000). ISBN 4-02-261286-X (Japanese)
* *A Public Betrayed: An Inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West*. Adam Gamble & Takesato Watanabe. Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2004. ISBN 0-89526-046-8
* (SERA) Southeast Review of Asian Studies 29 (2007). "Religion, Politics, and Constitutional Reform in Japan," by Daniel Metraux, 157-72.
* Westward Dharma: Buddhism beyond Asia. Charles S. Prebish and Martin Baumann, eds. 2002.
* Igami, Minobu. 1995. Tonari no Sōka Gakkai [The Sōka Gakkai Next Door], Tokyo: Takarajima.

## Bacaan tambahan

### Buku
* Strand, Clark: *Waking the Buddha - how the most dynamic and empowering buddhist movement in history is changing our concept of religion*. Strand examines how the Soka Gakkai, based on the insight that "Buddha is life", has evolved a model in which religion serves the needs of its practitioners, rather than the practitioners adhering to dogma and traditions for their own sake. Middleway Press, 2014. ISBN 978-0-9779245-6-1
* Editors of *AERA*: *Sōkagakkai kaibai* (創価学会解剖: "Dissecting Sōkagakkai"). Asahi Shimbun-sha, October 1995. ISBN 978-4-02-261286-1. *AERA* is a weekly investigative news magazine published by one of Japan's leading news organizations; this book attempts to present a dry, fair assessment of Sōkagakkai and Daisaku Ikeda and contains several interviews with Gakkai leaders.
* Shimada, Hiroki: *Sōkagakkai no jitsuryoku* (創価学会の実力: "The true extent of Sōkagakkai's power"). Shinchosha, August 2006. ISBN 5-02-330372-0. Argues that the Sōka Gakkai is not (or is no longer) as powerful as many of its opponents fear, and that it is losing ground internally as all but the most dedicated are turned off by the leadership and fewer members need the organization for social bonding. Also notes that it is becoming more like a civic rather than a religious organization, and that inactive members don't resign because they want to avoid the ostracism and harassment that can result.
* Shimada, Hiroki: *Kōmeitō vs. Sōkagakkai* (公明党vs.創価学会: "The Kōmeitō and the Sōka Gakkai"). Asahi Shinsho, June 2007. ISBN 978-4-02-273153-1. Describes the relationship between Kōmeitō and Sōka Gakkai and the development of their history. Touches on the Sōka Gakkai–Nichiren Shōshū split, describing it as the result of a power struggle and financial constraints, as well as on the organized harassment of opponents by Sōka Gakkai members, the organization's use of its media vehicles to vilify opponents, and Ikeda's demand for unquestioning loyalty.
* Taisekiji: *Shoshū Hashaku Guide* (Jp: 諸宗破折ガイド: "Guide to refuting [erroneous teachings of] other schools"). 2003 (no ISBN); pp.&nbsp;160–164. Published by the Buddhist school formerly associated with Sōka Gakkai and presents details of Sōka Gakkai's gradual distortion of the school's teachings and reasons for its severing of ties.
* Tamano, Kazushi: *Sōkagakkai no Kenkyū* (創価学会の研究: "Research on the Sōkagakkai"). Kodansha Gendai Shinsho, 2008. ISBN 978-4-06-287965-1. This book is an attempt to review scholarly studies of Sōka Gakkai from the 1950s to the 1970s and shifts in perceptions of the organization as journalists took over from scholars. Tamano takes the perspective of a social scientist and describes Sōka Gakkai as a socio-political phenomenon. He is also somewhat critical of some views Shimada expressed in the latter's recent publications.
* Yamada, Naoki: *Sōkagakkai towa nanika* (創価学会とは何か: "Explaining Sōkagakkai"). Shinchosha, April 2004. ISBN 4-10-467301-3
* Yano, Jun'ya: *Kuroi Techō—Sōka Gakkai "Nihon Senryō Keikaku" no Zen Kiroku* (黒い手帳 創価学会「日本占領計画」の全記録: "My black notebooks: a complete record of Sōka Gakka's 'Operation Occupy Japan'"). Kodansha, February 2009. ISBN 978-4-06-215272-3. Yano is a former secretary-general of Kōmeitō.
* Yano, Jun'ya: *"Kuroi Techō" Saiban Zen Kiroku* (「黒い手帳」裁判全記録: "The whole record of the trials concerning 'My black notebooks'"). Kodansha, 7/2009. ISBN 978-4-06-215637-0.

### Media berita (situs web)
* "Risky alliance for Japan's ruling party" BBC News report, June 22, 2000
* "The Power of Sōka Gakkai: Growing revelations about the complicated and sinister nexus of politics and religion"  *[[Time]]* Magazine, November 20, 1995
* Soka University of America Is A School On A Hill 
* "Celebrating in Earnest: Buddhists Mark the Start of a New Year With Joy and a Strong Sense of Purpose" *by Michelle Boorstein, The Washington Post, January 1, 2008
* [http://www.culteducation.com/reference/gakkai/gakkai39.html The Value of a Grandfather Figure by Polly Toynbee, Manchester Guardian/May 19, 1984]
* [http://www.globalbuddhism.org/2/victoria011.html Brian Daizen Victoria, Senior Lecturer Centre for Asian Studies, University of Adelaide, *Engaged Buddhism: A Skeleton in the Closet?*] 
* [http://www.globalbuddhism.org/3/miyata021.htm Koichi Miyata, Soka University, Department of Humanities “Critical Comments on Brian Victoria's "*Engaged Buddhism: A Skeleton in the Closet?"] ''
* Lecture by Levi McLaughlin on SGI, Princeton University
* Dragan Todorovic; Soka Gakkai - Mystery with a Reason?

## Pranala luar
* Soka Gakkai International
* SOKAnet - Sōka Gakkai's official website (dalam bahasa Jepang)
* Soka Spirit, published by SGI-USA
* Soka Gakkai, published by The World Religions & Spirituality Project (WRSP)
* http://sgi-indonesia.or.id/