Comments on: Give us our daily bread http://www.easterwood.org/hmmn/2003/04/give-us-our-daily-bread/ hmmn: musings from the far east(erwood) Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:42:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Kurt http://www.easterwood.org/hmmn/2003/04/give-us-our-daily-bread/comment-page-1/#comment-426 Kurt Mon, 14 Apr 2003 04:01:13 +0000 http://72.18.130.52/~zxmarkxs/hmmn/?p=257#comment-426 Bob and Nils, thanks for adding the personal experiences with Komeito and their relationship with Soka Gakkai. Reading the Komeito site and others last night it was obvious close ties remained, as do the questions, but not knowing any of it I refrained from comment. Suffice it to say, like both of you, I don't feel comfortable in the slightest with strong relationships between religious organizations and political ones. Bob and Nils,
thanks for adding the personal experiences with Komeito and their relationship with Soka Gakkai. Reading the Komeito site and others last night it was obvious close ties remained, as do the questions, but not knowing any of it I refrained from comment. Suffice it to say, like both of you, I don’t feel comfortable in the slightest with strong relationships between religious organizations and political ones.

]]> By: nils http://www.easterwood.org/hmmn/2003/04/give-us-our-daily-bread/comment-page-1/#comment-425 nils Sun, 13 Apr 2003 23:18:51 +0000 http://72.18.130.52/~zxmarkxs/hmmn/?p=257#comment-425 Because of its cult associations, Komeito isn't going to go anywhere but back to the recycling bin to be melted down and reformed into another party (wasn't it "Sakigake" a few years ago). The Komeito candidates in my area seem good on paper, my wife said, but the idea that you would be putting power in the hands of a religious organization is scary to the average Japanese, after the murderous Aum and the bizarro Ho-no-hana. My wife got a telephone call on Friday night from an old college friend she hadn't heard from in years. The conversation quickly changed from "How are you" to "Please vote for the Komeito candidates in our area, because they are struggling." No. 1, what the hell kind of endorsement is that? No. 2, she's lucky my wife is a polite person, I would have responded considerably less kindly. BTW, I used the word "cult" above because Soka Gakkai seems to be more than buddhism, it seems to revolve around this one man, Daisaku Ikeda. When I first arrived in Japan, I dated a girl a few times who tried to get me in, and gave me some magazines. every single picture in the magazine was a photo of Ikeda looking resolute and majestic, or Ikeda doing the city council stytle grip and grin photo-op with Spanish royalty, diplomats, heads of South American states. It was creepy, in a way that became creepier a few months later with the subway gassing by a different personality cult. I don't mean to suggest that Soka Gakkai would do such a thing, just that pursuit of political power by a religious group is scary. Because of its cult associations, Komeito isn’t going to go anywhere but back to the recycling bin to be melted down and reformed into another party (wasn’t it “Sakigake” a few years ago). The Komeito candidates in my area seem good on paper, my wife said, but the idea that you would be putting power in the hands of a religious organization is scary to the average Japanese, after the murderous Aum and the bizarro Ho-no-hana.

My wife got a telephone call on Friday night from an old college friend she hadn’t heard from in years. The conversation quickly changed from “How are you” to “Please vote for the Komeito candidates in our area, because they are struggling.” No. 1, what the hell kind of endorsement is that? No. 2, she’s lucky my wife is a polite person, I would have responded considerably less kindly.

BTW, I used the word “cult” above because Soka Gakkai seems to be more than buddhism, it seems to revolve around this one man, Daisaku Ikeda. When I first arrived in Japan, I dated a girl a few times who tried to get me in, and gave me some magazines. every single picture in the magazine was a photo of Ikeda looking resolute and majestic, or Ikeda doing the city council stytle grip and grin photo-op with Spanish royalty, diplomats, heads of South American states. It was creepy, in a way that became creepier a few months later with the subway gassing by a different personality cult. I don’t mean to suggest that Soka Gakkai would do such a thing, just that pursuit of political power by a religious group is scary.

]]> By: UltraBob http://www.easterwood.org/hmmn/2003/04/give-us-our-daily-bread/comment-page-1/#comment-424 UltraBob Sun, 13 Apr 2003 20:07:08 +0000 http://72.18.130.52/~zxmarkxs/hmmn/?p=257#comment-424 I actually recently had a conversation with a Komeito candidate for local office in Yokosuka, and we talked about a number of the things that Komeito has done, and is doing. Through what I've found, I also feel that support for Komeito is a good thing. On the other hand, I think that the very close to institutionalized support of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist Sect (which I beleive in and practice, so this is not slander) for the party is wrong, and kind of scary. I am a strong believer in the seperation of church and state, and having been to a meeting or two where the assumption that everyone who was a member of the religion would support komeito was pretty strong, I can honestly say that Komeito is a little bit too closely intertwined with SGI for my taste. UltraBob I actually recently had a conversation with a Komeito candidate for local office in Yokosuka, and we talked about a number of the things that Komeito has done, and is doing. Through what I’ve found, I also feel that support for Komeito is a good thing. On the other hand, I think that the very close to institutionalized support of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist Sect (which I beleive in and practice, so this is not slander) for the party is wrong, and kind of scary. I am a strong believer in the seperation of church and state, and having been to a meeting or two where the assumption that everyone who was a member of the religion would support komeito was pretty strong, I can honestly say that Komeito is a little bit too closely intertwined with SGI for my taste.

UltraBob

]]> By: Ken Loo http://www.easterwood.org/hmmn/2003/04/give-us-our-daily-bread/comment-page-1/#comment-423 Ken Loo Sun, 13 Apr 2003 10:15:25 +0000 http://72.18.130.52/~zxmarkxs/hmmn/?p=257#comment-423 Not very sure, but the "yo" in "yotou" is ataeru, which might carry a meaning of, the party that provides your daily life. Also means a party that protects your life, something like that. Your life is secured if you vote us! Not very sure, but the “yo” in “yotou” is ataeru, which might carry a meaning of, the party that provides your daily life. Also means a party that protects your life, something like that. Your life is secured if you vote us!

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