Soka Gakkai in America Accommodation and Conversion

by Hammond, Phillip E.; Machacek, David W.

• ISBN13: 9780198293897
• ISBN10: 0198293895
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-05-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This is the first in-depth study of the Soka Gakkai Buddhists in the United States. Drawing on unprecedented access to the organization through surveys and interviews, it provides a definitive and revealing picture of one of the fastest-growing religions in the world. The authors shed light on contemporary American society and show how many members of this sect are drawn from a growing "transmodern" subculture in America. In addition, the book traces the development of the organization in the US, examining how it adapted to the peculiar circumstances of America's cultural life showing how it has now become a very American phenomenon.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(12)
I SGI-USA: The Organization and its members
Soka Gakkai History and Philosophy	13	(23)
The Membership of SGI-USA	36	(19)
The Practice of Soka Gakkai Buddhism	55	(34)
II SGI-USA: Its Converts
Supply-Side Influences on the Development of SGI-USA	89	(21)
Values and Conversion: The Question of Demand	110	(32)
Encounter, Recruitment, and Conversion	142	(31)
Conclusion	173	(44)
Appendices
A. About this Study	182	(3)
B. The Representativeness of the Respondents	185	(6)
C. The Survey Instrument	191	(26)
References	217	(6)
Index	223