Canadian scholar casts light on Soka Gakkai as group shows change

Canadian scholar Levi McLaughlin remembers intensive Sunday rehearsals he had in the early 2000s with a men's orchestra run in Tokyo by the lay-Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai.Because Soka Gakkai's charismatic leader Daisaku Ikeda is a Beethoven aficionado, the orchestra mainly played Beethoven symphonies. A violinist trained in Toronto, McLaughlin was the only foreigner in the Japanese religious group's music world."The rehearsal was from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, with many hours of Beethoven. Really intensive, amazing training and experience," recalls McLaughlin, the first non-member…READ FULL ARTICLE