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Soka Gakkai, New Youth
MX_83
Explorer
Where are all the youth from the SGI at online? Is no one having discussions about Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism under the age of 35? What's up with that?
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The only thing I can suggest is doing a Google search for "nichiren and forum" and checking any forums that come up to see if they have recent posts.
Best of luck.
here seems to be a nice place to discuss...
And here's some useful and relevant info from the SGI-USA website: http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/resources/indiatoamerica/
I used to be an SGI member; I've changed schools within the last decade. From what I remember, SGI-USA was recommending that members not spend much time online - they had a tendency to run into ideas and concepts which didn't sit well with how SGI was teaching at the time.
10 years later, I can't tell you what they do, except that like you I notice few younger SGI members online.
Choose Life (Dialogue with Arnold Toynbee)
http://www.sokaeducation.org/index.php?title=Writings_of_Daisaku_Ikeda#Choose_Life_.28Dialogue_with_Arnold_Toynbee.29
Some folks don't think that chanting can be a form of meditation. Others of us do think so; I personally believe that Nichiren thought so, but can't prove it right this minute.
Hi, Ren - the Nichiren community online is very quiet at the moment. From my school, people are worrying more about daily practice and less about online discussions; can't really say what's going on with the other schools.
Nichiren says in his writings, called Gosho, that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo contains the benfits all other practices. It's calming, develops concentration, insight, and brings "benefits" or "blessings" like prayer. People chant for things, about things, and just to chant because it makes one happy and improves oneself and one's life. However chanting is a powerful, outward directed practice - rather than a passive, introspective one - that causes our darkest karma to come forth so that we can challenge it directly and overcome it in this lifetime.
It's certainly easy to waste time online. It makes sense that members might be advised to avoid the web because of that, but the internet is the best way to connect over long distances. With this new "Rock the Era" movement going on, I'm surprised that I haven't seen a national or international dialogue happening online. I would expect to see people sharing experiences and ideas about how best to relate Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism to the next generation, but I don't.
No one has ever told me not to talk about the practice online, though I could understand why people might be given that guidance. If the leaders are constantly confronted by members holding ideas contrary to the way things are taught by the organization, it would certainly make things hectic.
My suspicion is that the reality of the situation is different. I suspect that there simply aren't enough youth who care much about Buddhism or who feel they understand it well enough to have a dialogue. I suspect that the power of Nichiren Buddhist practice isn't being conveyed to the "youth" (35 and below) in a way that appeals to them - or that makes sense to them.
I could be wrong, but if so, I wish I knew why.