Bridging the Digital Divide
October 2000
Banner photo: ©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO
SGI-Spain--In the Spirit of Amistad
Madrid
This May, SGI-Spain held special meetings throughout the country, which were attended by more than 2,000 members and their guests. Over the last nine years, the membership of SGI-Spain has grown tenfold: at a recent study course for youth members, as many as 70 percent of the attendees had begun practicing Buddhism within the last five years.
Members from more than 10 different countries attend the discussion meetings of Diamante District, which was created just a year ago in the suburbs of the capital, Madrid. The SGI-Spain women's leader, Veronica Massini, is from Argentina; the vice women's leader, Paula Viola, is from the U.S.A.; and the vice men's leader is Jaime Sanchez from Peru. They all share the same strong determination to win trust in Spanish society. Veronica is a dance teacher, Paula an artist, and Jaime a baker. In each case, their activities in society and the contribution they make to their communities have enabled them to expand their circle of friendship. As a result of the activities of members like these, Diamante District's special May meeting was attended by 123 people.
Enrique Caputo, SGI-Spain's vice general director, who lives in the Canary Islands, says: "The places where we must demonstrate our faith are our workplaces, our neighborhoods and our homes." Enrique himself came from Argentina 10 years ago, at a time when the unemployment rate in Spain was around 20 percent and the economy was in a recession. The fact that he was able to find work with a major company became a source of great encouragement to other members. Several of Enrique's friends eventually decided to try practicing Buddhism, and later joined the SGI, since they saw that the practice was capable of actually making people happy.
Like Enrique, many of the young members in Spain are active in the forefront of society. Rio Matsumoto, the vice young men's leader for Spain, who lives in Seville, graduated from Osaka University, one of the top schools in Japan, and currently makes his living as a flamenco dancer. After joining the SGI, Rio devoted himself wholeheartedly to the practice of Buddhism, thanks to these words of encouragement: "You must be careful never to drift through life--faith means to become deeply grounded in society and everyday life." Five years later, he was finally able to obtain a work visa in Spain. He has now become one of the best-known Japanese flamenco dancers and is a respected flamenco teacher.
Youth members at the SGI-Spain Culture Center in Madrid (May 2000)
The young women's leader, Cathy Roche, is French. She originally came to Spain for a short-term language course, but has now lived here for nearly 10 years. After receiving guidance from her seniors in faith that you cannot practice Buddhism properly if you are isolated from society, she qualified out of a large field of candidates to become a stewardess on the Spanish high-speed train network, AVE, where she was the only French national to have passed the examination. She has recently set a new career target: studying business and languages with the aim of becoming a member of the prestigious Swiss Air flight crew.
Europe is currently on the road to unprecedented integration following the introduction of a common currency, and, as part of this process, the most crucial thing is learning to understand and respect other cultures and appreciate our shared humanity. In that sense, the process of SGI-Spain's growth and development can serve as a model for the creation of a single Europe, and our experience illustrates numerous lessons.
Spain is a highly diverse country with different languages, cultures and spiritual traditions in every region. Spain has also experienced separatist movements that sometimes spill over into violence.
When asked what is the greatest appeal of Spain, many Spanish people will answer, "Amistad." Amistad means "friendship," but this simple word contains within it such powerful emotions as the desire for harmony, peaceful coexistence and mutual prosperity--whether within the family, the neighborhood or in society at large.
Three years ago, the Madrid youth members designated Thursdays as "Friendship Days," and since then the SGI-Spain Culture Center has been kept open all day long for members and friends to hold study meetings, show videos and display mini-exhibitions. This practice has become so familiar that these Thursday gatherings are now a tradition, making the culture center truly a center for dialogue. SGI-Spain's recent growth is evidence that these activities rooted in friendship and trust are steadily beginning to spread throughout Spanish society.
Diamante District meeting (May 2000)
Dr. Francisco Rubio Royo, honorary rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, attended SGI-Spain's general meeting in the Canaries in October 1999 and lectured on the principles of Soka [value-creating] education.
Dr. Rubio Royo, who is also a physicist and a social critic, noted: "Tsunesaburo Makiguchi [the first president of the Soka Gakkai] independently developed a theory of education and dedicated his life to promoting the happiness of each individual. Given the conditions of [Japanese] society 70 years ago, it was only natural that his ideas would incur great opposition, but this only proves how genuine he was. This is the reason that I have been so impressed by the principles of the SGI and the theory of Soka education."
When Daisaku Ikeda, as third president of the Soka Gakkai, visited Madrid for the first time in 1961, no one in Spain was practicing Nichiren Buddhism. He later wrote in his novel The New Human Revolution that he sincerely prayed for bodhisattvas (those who lead others to enlightenment) to appear. "The seed of Buddhism, eventually planted in Spain in 1969, has weathered many storms to grow into a strong tree," says SGI-Spain General Director Yoshie Osanai. "I am truly happy to see so many young people sowing new seeds of Buddhism in my country, and I am eager to see them blossom in this new century. Amistad is the 'water' that will nurture them and make them grow."
