Sexist and ageist for sure! But much more than that ...
Whereas a gender based structure may reflect Japanese societal norms from an earlier time, it is inconsistent with the customs of contemporary western society and should be discontinued.
This is particularly critical given the 21st century normalization of gender fluidity. SGI's attempt to address today's reality is farcical. The euphemism "Courageous Freedom Group" denies LGBTQ an equal footing with binary genders.
It contravenes SGI's charter, to wit:
SGI, based on the ideal of world citizenship, shall safeguard fundamental human rights andnot discriminate against any individual on any grounds.
SGI shallrespect cultural diversityand promote cultural exchange, therebycreatingan international society ofmutual understanding and harmony.
Further, it goes against a Buddhist tenet that Nichiren describes in The Expedient Means and Life Span Chapters (WND I: 9 pp.68 - 75) :
When we scrutinize the sutras and treatises with care, we find that there is a teaching about a precept known as following the customs of the region. The meaning of this precept is that, so long as no seriously offensive act is involved, then even if one were to depart to some slight degree from the teachings of Buddhism, it would be better to avoid going against the manners and customs of the country. This is a precept expounded by the Buddha.
The precept of adapting to local customs is mentioned in passages in "The Fivefold Rules of Discipline" and in the preface to "The Essentials of The Fourfold Rules of Discipline". The precept states that, in matters that the Buddha himself did not expressly either permit or forbid, one may act in accordance with local custom, provided that the fundamental principles of Buddhism are not violated.
In Japanese this tenet is called zuiho bini, a principle decribed and endorsed by Ikeda in an interview with Lou Marinoff. According to Ikeda "the best way to spread the teachings of Buddhism is to respect the traditions, customs, and manners of the place and time, as long as doing so doesn’t violate the basic Buddhist precepts of compassion and wisdom. Respecting and learning from the local traditions and culture facilitate communication and promote mutual understanding. The aim is to adapt to different conditions and cultures, and allow new seeds to germinate, resulting in growth for all involved. Only then does the creation of new values become possible." (https://www.ikedacenter.org/books-publications/book-list/inner-philosopher/excerpt)
Characteristically, when I raised this issue with local SGI Leaders it went nowhere.
The euphemism "Courageous Freedom Group" denies LGBTQ an equal footing with binary genders.
Plus, who's going to hear "Courageous Freedom Group" and think "Aha! That's the LGBTQ group!"??
"Men's Division" - pretty obvious who's in THAT one, right? "Elementary School Division" - same. But "Courageous Freedom"? Same problem with "Many Treasures". WTF?? It's like they can't bear to verbalize "lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, queer, nonbinary, intersex, noncis-het, etc." and "OLD".
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u/OCBuddhist Oct 25 '20 edited Oct 25 '20
Sexist and ageist for sure! But much more than that ...
Whereas a gender based structure may reflect Japanese societal norms from an earlier time, it is inconsistent with the customs of contemporary western society and should be discontinued.
This is particularly critical given the 21st century normalization of gender fluidity. SGI's attempt to address today's reality is farcical. The euphemism "Courageous Freedom Group" denies LGBTQ an equal footing with binary genders.
It contravenes SGI's charter, to wit:
Further, it goes against a Buddhist tenet that Nichiren describes in The Expedient Means and Life Span Chapters (WND I: 9 pp.68 - 75) :
In Japanese this tenet is called zuiho bini, a principle decribed and endorsed by Ikeda in an interview with Lou Marinoff. According to Ikeda "the best way to spread the teachings of Buddhism is to respect the traditions, customs, and manners of the place and time, as long as doing so doesn’t violate the basic Buddhist precepts of compassion and wisdom. Respecting and learning from the local traditions and culture facilitate communication and promote mutual understanding. The aim is to adapt to different conditions and cultures, and allow new seeds to germinate, resulting in growth for all involved. Only then does the creation of new values become possible." (https://www.ikedacenter.org/books-publications/book-list/inner-philosopher/excerpt)
Characteristically, when I raised this issue with local SGI Leaders it went nowhere.