Santa Monica Mirror: Soka Gakkai International Has Long, Deep Roots in Santa Monica

   Walking into the office building at 6th and Wilshire does not feel like going to church or synagogue, but it is here that Soka Gakkai International-USA (SGI) has its national headquarters. Santa Monica has been home to this religious sect since 1968 and it appears they will be staying a while longer.
   I was there to meet with Ian McIlraith from the office of the General Director and Al Abrogate, Director of Community Relations, who proceeded to show me the administrative headquarters for this Buddhist sect that claims a membership of 400,000 in America and 10 million worldwide.
   The most incredible smell filled the SGI offices -- blooming Jasmine. It felt like a bustling office, but there were no people, no ringing telephones. It was quiet, peaceful and seemingly prosperous, SGI’s objective made manifest: "To help people become happy and contribute to prosperity and health in America and the world".
   How exactly does an organization go about accomplishing such an extraordinary task? And why had SGI chosen Santa Monica for its American base?

History

In 1963, SGI moved into an old U.S. Post Office building in East Los Angeles near the large Japanese community. Almost immediately, younger Americans of various nationalities and races became SGI’s principal constituency. Since a number of them lived in or near Santa Monica, SGI followed them to the beach in 1968, moving into a building at 1351 Ocean Front Walk, and, in 1975, from there into their current HQ, the all-white building at 525 Wilshire Boulevard.
It houses their large auditorium (1300 seats), room of worship and bookstore and is now undergoing extensive renovation to make it more pleasant and a "source of pride to the community".

Community Involvement

   1. Working with the Sister Cities program, SGI reached out to Fujinomiya, Japan back in 1975 and assisted in coupling it with Santa Monica. They currently help to provide interpreters-visitor guides and transportation for visitors from there.
   2. SGI has been a member of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce for 30 years, first joining the organization in 1969.
   3. It provides volunteers for SMARTS, the city’s art festival, and participated in the 1968 Global Family Festival which drew 5,000 people and featured nearly 600 kids performing music and dance.
   Their latest community project is "Victory over Violence." Operating out of its Pico Boulevard Community Center, it is designed to break the cycle of violence and provide young people a place of peace.

What they believe

Soka Gakkai members believe that by chanting a particular phrase, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they put their lives into harmony and unlock their hidden potential. SGI suggests that people chant twice a day for approximately 20 minutes in order to achieve a calm center, a clear focus and a spiritual fulfillment. Further, they claim that by doing this, one person at a time, the world as a whole will become more peaceful, as each individual affects another and another until a peaceful world is achieved.

Not without controversy

   SGI -USA has made two controversial moves in the last decade.
First, it split with the main sect of Nichiren Buddhism in America The authority of the priesthood was threatened by SGI's teaching that "We can connect to our Buddha nature on our own and require no intermediary". The 50-year partnership was ultimately shattered as this belief contradicted the priesthood's belief that the individual needs the intervention of a priest.
   The second source of controversy is perhaps more relevant to Santa Monicans as it revolves around the building of SGI’s new school-campus in the Santa Monica Mountains next to Malibu Creek State Park. There has been much discussion of the site being used as the headquarters for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, but SGI insists on building it out as a campus. The size and scope of the proposed school brought the development to the attention of Conservancy organizations which want to preserve the site as open space.
   From the SGI offices above Wilshire, views of Santa Monica are abundant. One can see the entire panorama of the city. Directly beneath them is the white building that has been their home for 24 years, at the end of a palm tree-lined residential street. unity. With the renovation in process going forward, Soka-Gakkai appears to be settling in as a permanent part of the diverse religious community of Santa Monica.

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