Abstract
This paper analyzes the activities of Soka Gakkai International (SGI) in South Africa, a largely Christian country with the presence of very strong African Independent and Pentecostal churches, where Buddhism has mostly attracted the attention of a small minority of white middle-class people interested in meditational practices. By focusing on SGI South Africa, which has been able to reach out to a significant number of black, and, to a lesser extent, Coloured and Indian/Asian members, this ethnographic study aims to contribute to the understanding of Buddhism’s interplay with a broader cross-section of post-apartheid South African society, and, secondarily, to add to the existing literature on this Japanese new religious movement overseas. After a brief overview of the historical development of SGI in South Africa, my analysis focuses on SGI South Africa’s main ritual, social, and missionary activities; its interplay with local religions; its attempts to establish a meaningful link with South African culture; and, finally, on the religious experiences and narratives of SGI’s South African members.
Highlights
Among the myriad of contemporary Japanese new religious movements Sōka Gakkai (ValueCreation Society) is the largest and probably one of the most widely known
We find Mathole Motshekga, former African National Congress chief whip and chairperson of the Kara Heritage Institute, and Mmatshilo Motsei, author, activist, and spiritual healer, who were invited in October 2017 as guest speakers to the Soka Gakkai International (SGI)-SA “Hope Talks” series to discuss the topic of “African Spirituality and Buddhism: The True Spirit of Ubuntu”
This aspect is by no means marginal to SGI-SA’s concerns especially in view of the important role played by the native heritage and spirituality in the cultural narrative of the new South African democracy, which finds one of its most forceful expressions in the Freedom Park in Pretoria, a huge national memorial and heritage destination established by the South African government in 2004 to honor those who sacrificed their lives for freedom
Summary
Among the myriad of contemporary Japanese new religious movements Sōka Gakkai While these forms of Buddhism have mostly appealed to white middle-class South Africans or ethnic Asian communities, it is especially SGI, which was first introduced in South Africa in the early. 1980s, that has been able to attract a significant number of black, and, secondarily, Coloured and Indian/Asian members.2 Against this background, this study of SGI in South Africa aims to add to the existing literature on Sōka Gakkai overseas, and to contribute to a better understanding of the interplay of Buddhism with a broader cross-section of post-apartheid South African society.. On the religious experiences of SGI’s South African members
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