Zadankai (座談会, discussion meetings) are monthly group discussions held by the members of the buddhist organization Soka Gakkai.
The tradition of zadankai was started by the Soka Gakkai's founder Tsunesaburō Makiguchi in the late 1930s. The tradition of holding zadankai was continued by the second Soka Gakkai president Jōsei Toda after World War II.[1] Under Daisaku Ikeda's presidency, they are the central activity of the Soka Gakkai.[2]. Ikeda organized discussion meetings for Japanese emigres during his first overseas trip to the United States and Brazil in 1960. The first zadankai conducted in English was held in the United States in 1963.[3]
Zadankai have been the preferred place to practice shakubuku, a controversial method of religious propagation sometimes considered aggressive.
Format
Zadankai are held at neighborhood "district" or "group" levels, and attendance has been estimated at between 20%[4] and 80% of the total membership.[5] In 1998, attendance was between 10 and 20 people[6][7].
Meeting agendas are planned, but with autonomy and room for improvisation.[8] Typically, a discussion meeting consists of sutra recitation and chanting daimoku, sharing of experiences and encouragement, study and guidance, and efforts at encouraging new attendees to start their Buddhist practice.[2][9][10] There is a meeting leader whose job it is to encourage discussion.[11]
Religious significance of discussion meetings
Discussion meetings have been likened to the "formal liturgy" of the Soka Gakkai.[12]
Evaluations
The impressions of scholars who have observed Soka Gakkai discussion meetings vary. Seagar at first found them akin to a "consciousness raising" group[13] and Metraux likened them to group therapy – albeit in a "wonderful" form, with a congenial, "family" atmosphere.[14] White states that they encourage free intercourse and self-expression,[15] and Ramseyer found the participants open and trustful.[16] Carter points out that the primary congregational emphasis rests not on any temple, church, monastery, mosque or synagogue but on small group gatherings in the homes of practitioners, particularly because it is a lay-based movement. Gathering in formal temples or churches confers a special power on the clerical authority residing in those sanctuaries.