review of new Soka Gakkai book

The Japanese news site, Asahi, has posted a review of a new book, "Encountering the Dharma", on the controversial "Buddhist" group, Soka_Gakkai:

Nikken and Nichiren are roundly criticized here, with reason, but by the end of
the book Seager is so clearly spouting the Gakkai line that this reader becomes
suspicious. Here he is addressing a group of young Gakkai members in Singapore:
"The working title of my book is 'Nichiren's Lions,' an image in the plural,
because I want to draw attention to you, members and disciples, as the builders
of the Soka Gakkai. I want neither to startle nor to offend but Makiguchi, Toda
and Ikeda would be nothing without you and the millions of others who answered
their call."
Ikeda himself could not have said it better.
Did that
cherry tree and 100 daimoku buy Seager's sympathies?
"Encountering the
Dharma" begins as an informed inquiry into the history and workings of an
interesting movement, then drifts into cheerleading for its successes. I leave
it to more qualified sources to state the charges against Ikeda and Soka
Gakkai--there are many--but this I say with conviction: The last third of this
book makes for very boring reading.

It's good to see an opposing viewpoint on Soka. I do have a copy of the 1968 book: Soka_Gakkai;_Japan's_Militant_Buddhists, and would like to get a copy of the 1970 book: I_Denounce_Soka_Gakkai, but the vast majority of books on Soka are either published by them or their fans.
Perhaps I'll pick up some critical Japanese language info on Soka when I visit Nichiren_Shoshu's Taiseki-ji temple at the base of Mt. Fuji.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Losar Tashi Delek, everyone! As of last night, I am finally done celebrating the Lunar New Year. The Tibetan party was certainly the most enjoyable for me (the Taiwanese one was boorring).
As part of the mainland Chinese festivities, I did see "The Knot" Friday.

Free Keith Henson ! ! !

Via Instapundit:

February 04, 2007
SCIENTOLOGY CRITIC
KEITH HENSON has been arrested.
The whole story seems rather fishy to me, as is so often the case where these
guys are involved.
There's also a Free Keith Henson
blog.
posted at 10:08 PM by Glenn Reynolds

(I added the link to Rick Ross' "Scientology" database to my paste of Glenn's post)

Oh, and Soka_Gakkai? Eat me, baby. . .

(old draft) The "passivism" of the Left

I have about three drafts in my queue, and though a bit old, this will be the first one I publish.

From Christopher Hitchens:

http://www.slate.com/id/2159082/

In many other people's minds, too, there is the unspoken assumption that what
the United States does in Iraq is a fully determined action, whereas what other
people do is simply a consequence of that action, with no independent or
autonomous "agency" of its own. This mentality was perfectly expressed, under
the byline of Marc Santora, in the New York Times of Jan. 31. Santora explained the background of the murderous attacks on the
Shiite festival of Ashura: "At Ashura, Shiites commemorate what is for them the
most formative event of their faith, a celebration that had been banned under
Saddam Hussein. In recent years, Sunni militants, caught up in a
renewed sectarian split, have attacked worshippers on the
holiday." (My italics.)

I would say this is an even better example (about the 1960s Kent State shootings) of the Left's passivism:

Some rocks were thrown, some windows were
broken, and an attempt was made to burn the ROTC
building.

(Italics mine) Yep, the rocks just threw themselves, didn't they?

a quick post on "Court-Martial Looms for War Objector"

I'd intended to post my draft on the Washington Post's Arkin blog for about a week now, but just too darn busy.

This morning brings us "Court-Martial_Looms_for_War_Objector" from the Associated Press' Melanthia Mitchell.

The case illustrates why my support for the troops only goes so far- that once they disregard the authority of their elected civilian leaders, it's time for a serious smackdown of the military in this country.

More later. . .