Illuminating an Age of Misinformation

Amelia Gonzalez Tesch (SGI-USA Young Women’s Leader): Peace movements and efforts to bring about change have always been met with opposition. Throughout the history of Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai, this has also been the pattern.

Ikeda Sensei was the target of slander from all angles—by the tabloid media, the corrupt and ossified Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and former Soka Gakkai leaders who, for reasons from hunger for power to petty jealousies, sought to tear down our peace movement. Still, Sensei remained undeterred in his efforts to advance kosen-rufu, leading the spread of this life-affirming philosophy to 192 countries and territories before his passing.

It reminds me of this passage from Nichiren Daishonin: “There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat.”^[1] 

Nichiren also often spoke of the three powerful enemies,^[2] the three types of arrogant people who persecute the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. Explaining how these individuals operate, Sensei wrote: “Without seeking to confront the Daishonin in person … they went crying to the authorities. Moreover, and most cowardly of all, they did so under the guise of ‘appealing for justice.’ Since this lobbying took place in clandestine meetings, the Daishonin and his followers who were the target of the slanderous rumors did not even have the opportunity to make a rebuttal.”^[3]

Just as Nichiren clearly explains, devilish functions are to be expected as we advance kosen-rufu. These claims against the SGI are just that. The individuals making these claims online do so anonymously and without any consequences, while denying any opportunity for SGI members to make a rebuttal.

Jiwoo Kim (West Territory Young Men’s Leader): I think a healthy level of skepticism is important. But that skepticism has grown into a mistrust of everything, and misinformation feeds on that.

There’s also this mental exhaustion that comes from being exposed to an abundance of information every day. It’s easy to feel indifferent or too overwhelmed to investigate the truth. The internet and social media have become our escape from reality, the place where we can spend hours mindlessly scrolling through posts served up by algorithms that determine what is filtered, ranked and recommended to us.

I think this mistrust, indifference and escapism in people’s hearts is at the root of it. Even if misinformation gets taken down, it’ll just show up elsewhere. That’s why, rather than getting swayed or worrying about it, we need to address the root, which means to use our Buddhist practice to transform those tendencies in our hearts.

WT: Let’s address a few claims made against the SGI.

Shota Okajima (SGI-USA Young Men’s Leader): The first one that comes to mind is the claim that the SGI is a cult, an inflammatory word that’s intended to provoke and confuse someone. But let’s look at the characteristics of a cult, defined by scholars: 1) authoritarian; 2) has dogmatic and extreme beliefs that cannot be questioned; 3) isolated from society, family and friends; and 4) has a charismatic leader who controls the followers. The SGI clearly does not align with these characteristics.

1) From the Lotus Sutra to Nichiren Daishonin to the three founding Soka Gakkai presidents, the unchanging belief is that all people possess the Buddha nature and can bring it forth through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It’s clearly written in Sensei’s guidance and affirmed in the SGI’s leadership manual that leadership in the SGI is a responsibility to support members in faith, and any abuse or manipulation is not tolerated.
2) Buddhism is a philosophy that welcomes and seeks out questions and discussion. Our philosophy is based on reason, not blind faith. We emphasize the pillars of faith, practice and study. Where study is concerned, there are no secrets. Nichiren’s writings and Sensei’s various books are equally available to all to read and discuss freely.
3) Principles such as “faith equals daily life,” “human revolution” and “kosen-rufu” all point to being active participants in our communities and cherishing our family and friends regardless of whether they practice Buddhism. Genuine Buddhist practice does not exist apart from society.
4) We look to Daisaku Ikeda as our mentor, but does this entail submission? No. To have a mentor in Buddhism is to have someone whose lived example inspires you to live fully, practicing for your own and others’ happiness. The mentor and disciple relationship in Buddhism is rooted in a shared vow to accomplish kosen-rufu—to enable all people to equally bring forth their Buddhahood. Rather than preaching empty rhetoric or claiming supernatural abilities, the mentor in Buddhism takes relentless action for the sake of peace and leads by example. The disciple responds by showing the greatness of their own life and teaching others to do the same.

Simone Obidah (East Territory Young Women’s Leader): Another claim is that our practice is about chanting a magical spell, and that it’s not Buddhism.

Sure, many of us, myself included, started our practice chanting for a job or relationship. Those things are absolutely important. But this Buddhism is ultimately about changing our karma and strengthening our inner core to the degree that we’re not swayed by problems and people.

For me, seeing conspicuous actual proof encouraged me to chant more earnestly. As I did, all of this karma—like my anger toward my dad—came up in my life. I tackled this aspect with my Buddhist practice and, over the years, transformed our relationship and generations of karma that cycled through in our family.

We all begin with wherever our life is, and through practice and study, we gradually deepen our understanding of the power of prayer and our life. We begin recognizing obstacles for what they are, believing in the potential of our lives and others, and seeing undeniable proof of our transformation.

Cam Morose (North Zone Young Men’s Leader): Then there’s the claim that we worship Daisaku Ikeda. I’d be happy to share my own experience. 

Raised Catholic, I begrudgingly attended Catholic classes, but never felt connected with the faith, which caused me to judge organized religion in general. So when my friend invited me to an SGI discussion meeting and I saw everyone chanting to a scroll, I was viscerally uncomfortable.

Still, I decided to try chanting, and I felt a positive change in my life. But I wanted to be 100% sure about joining the SGI, so I did some research. That’s when I came across these claims, and I was suddenly on rocky ground, doubting all the positive experiences I had with the SGI. Fortunately, I trusted my friend and the district men’s leader to honestly share my feelings. They patiently listened to me and compassionately addressed my doubts.

Even after joining, understanding the purpose of the mentor and disciple relationship took time. I felt a mix of fear of trusting one person for encouragement and pride for not needing a mentor. As I read Sensei’s works, though, I realized there was never anything I disagreed with. Then, a senior in faith encouraged me to read The New Human Revolution. This allowed me to learn about Daisaku Ikeda’s thoughts, efforts and behavior as he globalized Nichiren Buddhism. It completely changed my understanding of who and what a mentor is in Buddhism. This daily study of The New Human Revolution helped me come to choose Daisaku Ikeda, on my own accord, as my mentor.

WT: Devilish functions are likely to continue appearing in various ways online. What should we keep in mind?

Cassidy Bradford (Queens Region Young Women’s Leader): For starters, I generally have the mindset when navigating the web or social media that anyone can say anything on the internet.

Each person posting online or on social media has their own underlying motives, perspectives, biases or incentives. They may be the average person, an influencer, a professional or a bad actor looking to sow confusion. At the same time, some platforms or forums may appear more authentic than mainstream news outlets—but it can also be where misinformation spreads. It can all be so disorienting. Understanding this, I remind myself to not immediately accept things online as the truth.

For me, I feel wisdom—of courage, compassion and wisdom—is understanding that nothing is clearly black or white, or good or bad. What’s more important is: What is the most holistic view of this situation? What’s the most value-creative way forward? Chanting and striving to perceive everything through this lens keeps me from getting swayed.

Jiwoo: Building off Cassidy’s point, it’s important that we challenge ourselves to chant abundantly—it gives us the strength to take on any devilish functions. And together with study, we can recognize them for what they are.

At the same time, I don’t think such claims online are worth obsessing over. I’m not making light of it, but why waste our time and give it power when we can be reaching out to others, encouraging one another and breaking through together? Our life-to-life interactions are significantly more impactful than posting things online.

Also, posting such claims may make one appear righteous and just, but it comes down to what someone has actually done to help others. You can spend hours online criticizing and making up lies about others, or you can be someone who goes out of their way amid their own busy lives to help someone break through their suffering. People with good intentions don’t put others down. Our actions speak louder when it comes to who is right, and people will see the truth through our friendship and trust.

WT: What actions can we take then?

Cam: To me, it’s a battle of striking a chord in people’s hearts. That can only be done beyond the screen and through the unseen, consistent and sincere efforts to build trust with those around us. And it’s a long-term endeavor.

I feel it’s our shared mission as Sensei’s disciples to be trailblazers in building the most high-caliber friendships that this world has ever seen. When people know that someone genuinely has their back and feel they can share about anything on their mind, that friendship can unlock new different dimensions of untapped potential in their lives. That was the case for me.

But for most people, they might not have that privilege of being fully embraced by others. It’s a challenge to build genuine friendships in this high-paced and divided society. That’s why our efforts in the SGI to consistently home visit each person and create warm, familylike districts are so important.

Simone: It’s important that we read the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. Earlier in my practice, there were times when I was influenced by devilish functions, too. One time, I couldn’t even get myself to chant. But when I finally texted a senior in faith, they immediately responded: Let’s read Nichiren’s writings.

The reality is that devilish functions are always working overtime to prevent the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra from advancing. It’s about recognizing anything in our life that prevents us from going to the Gohonzon, from going to Sensei’s guidance or that disconnects us from the SGI community. Ultimately, they just make us doubt the Buddha nature in our own lives and others.

The more I chant, study and seek, the more I can recognize these functions for what they are. And when we recognize them, they lose their power and influence over us. It connects back to what Jiwoo said at the start: We can get caught up fighting what’s on the surface, or we can face what’s at the core. That’s what studying and seeking can help us do.

WT: What do you do when someone has been influenced by misinformation or disinformation?

Cassidy:It’s ineffective in any situation to just tell someone they’re wrong. It’s important to listen to them and, with compassion, unpack the issue together.

There’s most likely a reason why they believe it; maybe there’s some fear, a past experience or a mistrust of others. By listening thoroughly, we can discern the underlying issue and how to support them. It goes beyond being right or wrong; it’s about the person’s life in front of us. And again, engaging in such openhearted dialogue in itself goes against the claim that the SGI is a cult.

Misinformation and devilish functions are the antithesis to respecting the dignity of life. Society is at a crossroads with understanding what it means to be human. It really is up to us to expand our network of humanism and trust like never before to directly confront this challenge.

WT: Thank you for your honest perspectives. Any closing thoughts?

Amelia:Honestly, I get so upset when I hear these claims online attacking SGI members. To think that there’s some orchestrated conspiracy is absurd. People don’t have time for that. It’s just preying on people’s fears.

During SGI Youth Leader Mitsuo Nishikata’s recent visit to New York, someone asked about how to respond to this negativity online. He said: “The first thing is to burn with rage. How would you feel if there were people spreading lies about your parents, family or close friends online?”

Hearing that, I was so relieved because I couldn’t just pretend that it didn’t bother me. This is about my family, the people who have supported me directly and indirectly, and the members who gave their life to build this organization. This is about Sensei. We should feel this righteous indignation.

Mr. Nishikata then relayed Sensei’s guidance, which in essence was: “To avenge doesn’t mean to respond with violence or negativity. To avenge means to win and advance kosen-rufu. To win means to increase our allies in our community, even one more person.”

Holding on to anger is also just poison. But it can be fuel to spur me to reach out to one more member, one more friend in the neighborhood. It’s more of a reason to forge ties as good friends in faith, so we can together continue advancing toward victory.

Shota: In Sensei’s January 1993 speech at Claremont McKenna College, titled “Radicalism Reconsidered,” he talks of restoring human wholeness and countering the momentum of disintegration in modern society. He explains that “spiritual weakness causes a person to vacillate between undue trustfulness and suspicion of other people, thus becoming easy prey for the forces of disintegration.”^[4]

Sure, there are many things wrong in society and many reasons not to trust others. But just standing by and complaining doesn’t change anything. We need to be spiritually strong to win in society and over devilish functions. And the source of that strength is none other than doing morning and evening gongyo and chanting abundant daimoku.

Then we take that spiritual strength to engage with those around us every day and effect actual change. Sensei continues in the speech, referring to Socrates: “Socrates encourages his youthful disciples to train and strengthen themselves spiritually, to maintain hope and self-control, to advance courageously choosing virtue over material wealth, truth over fame.”^[5]

The greatest way to protect the SGI, our kosen-rufu movement and the world is to be on the offense—to actively go out among the people and engage in dialogue and build friendships, to become masters of creating allies and to become people who aren’t intimidated by anything. Awakening to our mission for kosen-rufu—that’s how we confront this issue.

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Like Runners in a Relay Race

Ikeda Sensei: Buddhism teaches the oneness of mentor and disciple. This is not a hierarchy, with the mentor above and the disciple below. Mentor and disciple share the same goal and advance together toward it. We also see many tales in the Buddhist scriptures in which the disciple in this lifetime is the mentor in the next. 

At the same time, the mentor must show decisive leadership or harmony is destroyed. Where the mentor is confident and resolute, things always move in a positive direction. Were that not the case, confusion would reign.

Mentors and disciples are like runners in a relay race. They are pressing ahead, passing the baton forward on the shared path of justice, happiness and peace for all humanity. The mentors run ahead to later pass the baton to the disciples. 

Nothing great can be achieved without mentors, and as such, they deserve the highest respect. Disciples put into action what they have learned from the mentor and carry on the work the mentor has left for them to accomplish in the future.

Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda would often say that disciples should seek to excel their mentors. Only smallminded mentors demand that their disciples follow them and accept everything they say with blind obedience. Genuine mentors urge their disciples to surpass them, to accomplish what they themselves could not accomplish. And genuine disciples earnestly strive to do just that. (The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, part 3, revised edition, pp. 210–11)

We Must Not Be Duped

Sensei: Nichiren Daishonin warned us time and time again that we must not be duped (Jpn taborakasu). … 

We must not allow ourselves to be tricked or confused. The essential requirement for attaining Buddhahood is whether we can continue our battle to achieve kosen-rufu with correct and courageous faith. That is what the Daishonin teaches us.

Taborakasu means to deceive others with clever words, to trick them, to hoodwink them.

Surprisingly, this word appears in the Gosho zenshu some 50 times.” (June 10, 1991, World Tribune, p. 4)

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A Practical Guide to Navigating Misinformation

Here are eight simple steps to discover the verifiability of media and information online, by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.

A Dialogue With Ourselves

Ikeda Sensei: Much of the information that floods our world has been selected and tailored to fit our preconceived notions and stereotypes. …

While the growth and development of the mass media has many positive aspects, it also carries the danger of widely spreading stereotypes and readymade images. This hazard lies in wait everywhere.

It is vital, therefore, to begin by asking yourself some important questions. Are you accepting without challenge the images provided to you? Are you accepting unconfirmed reports without scrutinizing them? Have you allowed yourself to become prejudiced? How much, when all is said and done, do you actually know? Did you confirm it yourself? Have you been to the scene? Have you met people involved? Have you listened to what they have to say? Are you being swayed by malicious rumors? This dialogue with yourself is very important.

Those who at least recognize that they may have all kinds of unconscious prejudices are likely to engage far more amicably in intercultural dialogue than those who are convinced that they have no prejudices. When we stop reflecting on ourselves and asking ourselves questions, we become dogmatic. We become like a one-way street. We don’t listen to others and cannot engage in dialogue.

Dialogue for peace starts with a humble and honest dialogue with ourselves. (December 2001 Living Buddhism, pp. 15–16)

October 18, 2024, World Tribune, pp. 6–9