Monday, April 24, 2017

63 Famous People that Practice Nichiren Buddhism - Soka Gakkai

Americanos


1- Alvin Sykes


 

Alvin Sykes (21 July 1956 – 19 March 2021) was a civil rights activist who investigated unsolved murder cases of Americans that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement era within the United States. He was also the impetus for the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, a federal law enacted in 2008. The Emmett Till law is due to expire, and Sykes was seeking to expand the law and make it permanent.

Sykes was primarily responsible for Kansas City police reopening their investigation into the 1970 murder of politician and business owner Leon Jordan. In 2010, new evidence suggested local mobsters, or their associates were involved in his murder.

Sykes was born on July 21, 1956, to a 14-year-old girl who was a victim of rape. A family friend took him in when he was eight days old and raised him as his unofficial adoptive mother.

Clay Risen, he says: “Though he never took a bar exam, Mr. Sykes was a brilliant legal and legislative operator whose admirers included City Council members, politicians and U.S. attorneys general from both parties.” 

 Brian Levin, the director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, said, “Anyone who worked in civil rights during the last several decades knew Alvin Sykes. He changed the face of American law, and he learned it all in a Kansas City library.”



2- Cheryl Boone Isaacs 

Cheryl Boone Isaacs (1949) is an American film executive and the first Loving-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Honors
2013: Black Entertainment Sports Lawyers Association (BESLA)
2013: Essence Magazine's Trailblazer Award
2014: African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Horizon Award
2014: NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame
2014: Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts O.L. Halsell Filmmaker-in-


3- Belinda Jo Carlisle 


Belinda Jo Carlisle (1958) is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of The Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands of all time. A member of the Soka Gakkai International since 2002, and she often mentions in press interviews that she chants Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō daily.

4- Brandon Nicholson

Brandon Nicholson - Executive Director of The Hidden Genius Project
He has dedicated his life to promoting equity in the public realm, particularly in the education space. In his previous stint as a senior evaluator and consultant, Brandon conducted research, evaluation, and consulted on a range of projects related to intersections of education policy and workforce and economic development. It was there that he began to recognize the potential for technology to bolster the domestic and global economy as underrepresented populations gain more equitable access to growth sectors. Brandon has conducted substantial research in the areas of education and youth development, with a particular focus on issues of equity and access in K-12 education for underserved populations. He has considerable experience investigating linkages among race, class, and youth development. Brandon serves on the Board of Trustees/Directors of: Marin Academy (CA); the San Francisco 49ers Academy (CA); Great Oakland Public Schools; the Lorenzo Alexander ACES Foundation (CA); the GreenLight Fund (CA) and Aim High (CA).

5- Brenton Lange
Brenton Christopher Lengel (1983), is an American playwright, screenwriter, and journalist noted for his anarchist political views and participation in the Occupy Wall Street protest movement. He is best known for his play North to Maine, the first play ever written about the Appalachian Trail; his international anarchist radio program Insurrection with Brenton Lange.

6- Buster Williams 
Buster Williams - Charles Anthony Williams (1942) is an American jazz bassist.Williams was married in 1965 to Veronica, whom he met in junior high school, he lives in Camden with his wife.Introduced to chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō by his sister in 1972, Williams and his wife took up the Nichiren Buddhist practice after she suffered a concussion in a car accident, and he has continued the practice ever since. His 2004 album Griot Libertè was inspired by another health crisis when Veronica recovered from a coma following a heart attack.

7- Claire Bertschinger
Claire Bertschinger is a British nurse whose work inspired the formation of Live Aid and Band Aid (band). She became a member of the global Buddhist organization Soka Gakkai International in 1994.

8- Craig Taro Gold

Craig Taro Gold (1969) is an American author and entrepreneur. He is the author of several New York Times best-selling books including Open Your Mind, Open Your Life and Living Wabi Sabi. He is the co-founder of eVoice and Teleo along with other business ventures.Members of his extended family live around the world and come from a range of philosophical traditions, including Judaism, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Buddhism, which Gold says gave him "a keen awareness that there are many ways to view the same thing." He has self-identified as a "JuBu," a Jewish Buddhist. Gold knew he was gay from an early age and has written about growing up gay for the Gay Voices section of The Huffington Post. Since his teenage years, he has practiced Nichiren Buddhism as a member of  Soka Gakkai International.

9- Courtney Love
Courtney Love (1964) is an American musician, songwriter, actress, and artist.Love has practiced several religions, including Catholicism, Episcopalianism and New Age religions, but has said that Buddhism is the "most transcendent" path for her. She has studied and practiced both Tibetan and Nichiren Buddhism since 1989.

10- Ducan Sheik and 11- Steven Sater 

Duncan Sheik (born November 18, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Initially finding success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing", he later expanded to compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, such as the successful musical, Spring Awakening, where he won multiple Tonys and a Grammy.

Steven Sater
 Due to an apartment fire, Sater was forced to jump from his balcony and damaged his spine, as well as several other limbs. The months spent recovering from his injuries and burns inspired Sater to teach himself Ancient Greek and seriously pursue the arts. He went on to study English literature at Princeton University.  Sater took a position with a New York City literary agent but continued to write plays on the side. It was during this time that he joined the Soka Gakkai International. His membership brought Sater together with both his future wife, and his future creative partner, Duncan Sheik.
Sater and Sheik recently worked together on a new Broadway musical, "Alice By Heart". It was inspired by Lewis Carroll’s "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" .
They worked on a musical adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story "The Nightingale."


Following his parents' divorce, Sheik split time between his father's house in New Jersey and his mother's home in South Carolina. Sheik's Juilliard-trained grandmother introduced him to the piano, and he later took up the electric guitar. By age 12, he was playing guitar with high school students in a cover band. After graduating from Phillips Academy, Andover in 1988, Sheik studied semiotics at Brown University; while at Brown, he played guitar in a band with fellow Brown student Lisa Loeb. Following his graduation from Brown in 1992, he moved to Los Angeles.


12- Garry Morris


Garrett Morris (born February 1, 1937) is an American actor, comedian and singer. He was part of the original cast of the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live, appearing from 1975 to 1980, and played Jimmy on The Jeffersons (1983–1984). Morris also had a role as Junior "Uncle Junior" King on the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show, which aired from 1996 to 2001. Morris had a starring role as Earl Washington on the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls, from 2011 to 2017. He is also known for his role in the sitcom Martin as Stan Winters, from 1992 to 1995, and the film Cooley High. He played Slide in Car Wash (1976), and Carl in The Census Taker (1984).

13- Gene Kang

Gene Kang is an award winning journalist .

14- Herbie Hancock 

Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock (1940) is an American pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, composer and actor. Since 1972, Hancock has practiced Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International. As part of Hancock's spiritual practice, he recites the Buddhist chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo each day. In 2013, Hancock's dialogue with musician Wayne Shorter and Soka Gakkai International president Daisaku Ikeda on jazz, Buddhism and life was published in Japanese.

15- James Lecesne


James Lecesne (1954) is an American actor, author, screenwriter, and LGBT rights activist best known for his screenplay of the Academy-award winning short film Trevor. He has written several books including Absolute Brightness and Virgin Territory and is also active in the entertainment industry as an actor and producer. Lecesne practices Nichiren Buddhism and is a member of the global Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International. As part of his spiritual practice, Lecesne has stated that he recites the Buddhist chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo each day.


16- John Astin
 John Astin (1930) is an American actor best known for playing Gomez Addams on The Addams Family.  Astin is currently married to Valerie Ann Sandobal and lives in Baltimore.


17- Mickalene Thomas 


Mickalene Thomas (1971) is an American artist. Her work draws from Western art history, pop art and visual culture to examine ideas around femininity, beauty, race, sexuality, and gender.
The “Mama Bush” paintings are iconic symbols of the tall, beautiful woman I had known—until 2010, when Sandra started to show significant signs of declining health.
Though her resolve was strengthened by her faith in Buddhism as a productive life force, when her beauty started to fade, the real struggle began. At that moment I knew I had to make a film.
Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman is a short documentary that celebrates Sandra’s life, revealing a different type of beauty and a different type of aging through a different type of portraiture that I hope conveys the inspiration I continue to draw from Mama Bush.

18 - Naima Mora 

Naima Mora (1984) is an American fashion model and the winner of Cycle 4 of America's Next Top Model. The daughter of jazz vocalist and entrepreneur Theresa Mora and jazz percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett. Her  paternal-grandmother Elizabeth Catlett (1915 – 2012) was an Love American sculptor and graphic artist. She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., to parents working in education, and was the grandchild of formerly enslaved people. It was difficult for a black woman at this time to pursue a career as a working artist. I. Charles Wilbert White, Jr  (April 2, 1918 – October 3, 1979) was an American artist known for his chronicling of Love American related subjects in paintings, drawings, lithographs, and murals. II. Francisco Mora (1922 – 2002) was a Mexican artist of the "Mexican School" of mural painters.

Juan Mora Catlett is a Mexican film and documentary director. He is known for making films focused on artists and the pre-Hispanic peoples of Mexico.

Ifé Mora a singer Aarón Sánchez (born February 12, 1976) is a Mexican celebrity chef, restaurateur, television personality, cookbook author and philanthropist. He is the executive chef and part-owner of the Mexican restaurant Johnny Sánchez in New Orleans.Television show(s): Chefs vs. City (2009–2010) - Heat Seekers (2011–2012) - 

Taco Trip (2014–2015) - MasterChef (2017–ongoing) - MasterChef Junior (2018–ongoing)


19- Néstor Torres 
Néstor Torres (1957) is a jazz flautist born in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.

20- Peruchin
Orlando Manuel "Peruchin" Cepeda Pennes (1937) is a Puerto Rican former Major League Baseball first baseman and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. The 1958 National League Rookie of the Year, Cepeda was voted the National League Most Valuable Player in 1967, the year his team, the St. Louis Cardinals, won the World Series. Overall, he appeared in three World Series and was the first winner of the American League's Outstanding Designated Hitter Award in 1973. He batted .300 or better 9 times in the 14 seasons he appeared in over 100 games, much of it played in what is now called the "Second Deadball Era.Cepeda began practicing Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International in 1983.

21- Phoebe Snow



Phoebe Snow (1950–2011), was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.Between 1975 and 1978 Snow was married to Phil Kearns (who later came out as gay).She had a daughter, Valerie Rose, who was born with severe brain damage. Snow resolved not to institutionalize Valerie, and cared for her at home until Valerie died on March 19, 2007, at the age of 31. Snow's efforts to care for Valerie nearly ended her career.She continued to take voice lessons, and she studied opera informally. In her later years she embraced Buddhism. “…I thought I would rail against my religious practice. I questioned it at first for obvious reasons. But then my faith deepened. I became much more devoted. I found, almost… I’m trying to find the right word to describe it… sanctuary.”

22- Ron Glass
Ronald Earle "Ron" Glass (1945 –2016), was an American actor. He was known for his roles as literary Det. Ron Harris in the television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982), and as the spiritual Shepherd Derrial Book in the 2002 science fiction series Firefly and its sequel film Serenity.


22- Sharen Davis

Sharen Davis (born February 22, 1957) is an American costume designer. She has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Ray and Dreamgirls. She is a frequent collaborator with actor Denzel Washington, having worked with him five times; most recently on the film adaptation of Fences.


23- Suzanne Vega

Suzanne Nadine Vega (1959) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.

24- Tina Turner



What's Love Got to Do with It is a 1993 American biographical film directed by Brian Gibson, loosely based on the life of Tina Turner. It stars Angela Bassett as Tina Turner and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.The screenplay was adapted by Kate Lanier from the book I, Tina written by Tina Turner and Kurt Loder. 


How Music Icon Tina Turner Found Her Nirvana | Oprah's Next Chapter | Oprah Winfrey Network

25- Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw

Vinessa Elizabeth Shaw (1976) is an American film actress and model.

26- Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933-March 2, 2023 is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Many of Shorter's compositions have become jazz standards, and his output has earned worldwide recognition, critical praise and various commendations.Shorter has won 10 Grammy Awards. He has also received acclaim for his mastery of the soprano saxophone (after switching his focus from the tenor in the late 1960s), beginning an extended reign in 1970 as Down Beat's annual poll-winner on that instrument, winning the critics' poll for 10 consecutive years and the readers' for 18. The New York Times has described Shorter as "probably jazz's greatest living small-group composer and a contender for greatest living improviser." In 2017, he was awarded the Polar Music Prize.
                                                                 

Brazilians

1- Almir Rogério
Almir Rogério (born Nestor de Medeiros July 12), is a Brazilian singer. He began his career in the 1960s, but it was in 1982 that he devoted himself to the success Fuscão Preto, which fell in popular taste and sold about one and a half million records. The song earned the singer several awards, and he became a figure known throughout Brazil. Throughout his career, he has released more than thirty albums.The success achieved by Almir Rogério made the composition turn film of the presenter Xuxa. In the film Fuscão Preto, the singer acted under direction of Jeremias Moreira Son, playing the part of Lima.

2-Betty Faria

Betty Faria - Elisabeth Maria Silva de Faria  (1941), is a Brazilian actress.

3- Carmo Dalla Vecchia

Carmo Dalla Vecchia (1970), is a Brazilian actor.

4- Cláudia Raia


Cláudia Raia - Maria Cláudia Motta Raia  (1966), is a Brazilian actress.

5- Dentinho
Dentinho (Portuguese for little tooth) - Bruno Ferreira Bonfim (1989), is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a midfielder currently for Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukrainian Premier League.

6- Dhu Moraes

Dhu Moraes - Dulcilene Moraes  (1953), is a Brazilian singer.

7-Diogo Vilela

Diogo Vilela - José Carlos Monteiro de Barros, is a Brazilian actor.

8- Edson Celulari 


  Edson Francisco Celulari (born 1958), is a Brazilian actor.


9- Francisco Carvalho 
Francisco Carvalho (Teresina, November 15, 1951), also known as Chico Carvalho, is a Brazilian actor. He is known for his work in Salve Jorge (2012), História de Amor (1995) and Memorial de Maria Moura (1994).

10- Ju Colombo

Ju Colombo - Jucimara Colombo Ferreira (Sao Paulo, May 8, 1964), is a Brazilian actress.  Has three children: Gabriel, Alexandre and Lucas.
In 1996 she made her debut in television, on the soap opera Razão de Viver, at SBT, where he played Vitória.
 In 2000, she took part in the third season of sitcom Ô ... Poor guy, playing maid Val, who put her mistress's life in chaos with her messy way.

 In 2001 she played the cleaning lady Candinha in the children's series Acampada Legal. She then made a number of appearances in Senta Com A Comedia, A Diarista, Belíssima and Norma, as well as the movie The Storyteller. In 2009, she was featured in the educational series Almanaque Educação, from TV Cultura, playing the protagonist's mother, who explained facts about history, Brazilian culture and environmentalism.  In the third season the series changed its name to School 2.0 and changed its mood to a school where educational issues were most dynamically addressed.  In 2014 he signed with Rede Globo and integrated the soap opera Em Família como Ceiça. She then performed, in 2015, Grace in Seven Lives.  In 2016 she gave birth to the mother of Saint Esmeria in Liberdade, Liberdade, the leader of the quilombo who saved the escaped slaves.  Between 2017 and 2018 plays Das Dores in the twenty-fifth season of Workout: Live the Difference, which suffers from the prejudice suffered by his granddaughter by his girlfriend's family.

11- Lívia de Bueno
Lívia de Bueno (1983), is a Brazilian actress.

12- Luiz Paulo Lima

Luiz Paulo Lima Co-founder and Director Special Projects at Hud Entertainment / CDI- La Cité de L´image

13- Luis Vagner


Luis Vagner is a Brazilian  singer http://happyfamilyinheaven.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-guitarreiro-luis-vagner.html

14- Mera Teixeira 
Mera Teixeira is a journalist and TV presenter who has been a Buddhist for about 20 years. Mera was a journalist for:  O Estado de S.Paulo Newspaper, Agência Estado, Diário de S.Paulo, Editora Abril, SBT, TV Bandeirantes, Radio and TV Gazeta. Presently, she presents the Fatto Legal Culture and Variety show on Cable TV.

15- Milene Domingues 


Milene Domingues Aganzo (1979) is a Brazilian model and former footballer who played as a midfielder.

16- Vera Golik


Vera Golik is a Brazilian journalist, writer, Partner of the company Infinite Fund Text and Image, Author of the project "De Peito Aberto, Self-Esteem of Women with Breast Cancer", Editor of the Beauty Agency, State Counselor of the Women's Condition of São Paulo, Global Cancer Ambassador, by the American Cancer Society / UN
Based on the humanist philosophy and the dignity of life Golik writes and gives lectures on women's self-esteem and other issues related to the feminine universe. She mediates events, leading the audience to dialogue and interactivity.
Golik is the author of the books: The Discovery of Beauty (1992); Hair and Beauty Collection (1996); Everything you need to know about Celulite to stay well with your body (1996 and reissue in 2012 ); Corpo de Mulher - The Pleasure to Know (2000); and De Chest Open, the self-esteem of women with breast cancer, a humanistic experience (2010). Titles that approach the concept of Integral Beauty, seeking to enlarge the feminine consciousness and to value the woman as human being.

Britishers

1- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (1967), is a British-Nigerian actor best known for his roles on television, including Lost, Oz, and Game of Thrones. He grow up Catholic and his parents were Muslim Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

2- John Howard Jones


John Howard Jones (1955), is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He had ten top 40 hit singles in the UK between 1983 and 1986, including six which reached the top ten, and his 1984 album Human's Lib went to number one. Around the world, he had 15 top 40 hit singles between 1983 and 1992. He has been described by AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "one of the defining figures of mid-'80s synth pop." He also performed at Live Aid in 1985. Jones is a member of Sōka Gakkai International, and is musical director of one of its choirs, the Glorious Life Chorus.

3- Orlando Bloom 
Orlando Bloom - Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. After having his breakthrough as Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he rose to fame by further appearing in epic fantasy, historical epic, and fantasy adventure films. His other roles include Legolas in The Hobbit trilogy, Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and Paris in Troy.

Danish

1- Anne Louise Hassing

Anne Louise Hassing (1967), is a Danish actress best known for her award-winning roles in the films The Idiots (Danish: Idioterne) and Pain of Love.

French

1- Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl 



1- A Mighty Heart is a 2007 drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom; It is an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's memoir, A Mighty Heart.

Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl (born 23 July 1967) is a French freelance journalist and a former reporter and columnist for Glamour magazine. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist who was the Southeast Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. He was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002, during the early months of the United States' War on Terror.

Italians


1- Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio, is an Italian footballer and member of the FIFA World Cup Dream Team.After his career threatening injury in 1985, Baggio, formerly a Roman Catholic, converted to Buddhism, practicing Nichiren Buddhism, and is a member of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist organisation. Despite his conversion, he married his long-time girlfriend Andreina Fabbi in 1989 in a traditional Roman Catholic ceremony.In 2001, Baggio wrote an autobiography entitled Una porta nel cielo ("A Goal in the Sky", but also "A Door in the Sky"), including details about his career, childhood, religion, personal life, and rifts with managers. It won the award for best football book at the 2002 Serie A Awards.

2- Sabina Guzzanti
Sabina Guzzanti (1963), is an Italian satirist, actress, writer and producer whose work is devoted to examining social and political life in Italy.Since 1987, Sabina Guzzanti has practiced Nichiren Buddhism as a member of the global Buddhist association Soka Gakkai International.

India

1- Hansika Motwani
Hansika Motwani (born 9 August 1991) is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil films. Hansika participates in philanthropic activities. She provides monetary support for the education of 30 underprivileged children and also takes care of the medical needs of 10 women who are suffering with breast cancer.[26] She is the brand Ambassador of Chennai turns Pink, an awareness program to promote breast cancer awareness among women.

In 2014, she was featured in Forbes's 250 celebrities list.


2- Jeetendra

Jeetendra (born Ravi Kapoor on 7 April 1942) is an Indian actor and producer, known for his work in Hindi films. Famous for his dancing, he was awarded a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. He is known for his appearance in the remakes of Telugu films during the 1980s, in which he was frequently cast opposite Sridevi and Jaya Prada. One of the most successful film stars in the Bollywood film industry, he serves as the chairman of the Balaji Telefilms, Balaji Motion Pictures and ALT Entertainment. Father of:

3- Tusshar Kapoor


Tusshar Kapoor (born 20 November 1976) is an Indian actor and producer who appears in Hindi films.  He is the founder and director of the production house, Tusshar Entertainment House. The debut film produced by his production house is Laxmi Bomb. He also co-owned Balaji Telefilms and Balaji Motion Pictures from 2001-2019.

4- Shraddha Das

Shraddha Das (born 4 March 1989) is an Indian film actress, model and singer who appeared in different film industries like Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Bengali and Malayalam.


5- Tisca Chopra


Tisca Chopra (born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress, author and film producer. She has acted in over 45 feature films in different languages.

Her book Acting Smart (Harper Collins), is a best seller and is being translated into Hindi. Tisca has been nominated at the New York Indian Film Festival for Best Actress for her work in 10Ml Love. One of the most beautiful and stylish actresses, Tisca is often on the best-dressed list and is a favourite with advertisers, endorsing brands like Tanishq, Titan eyewear, Olay, Horlicks, Marks & Spencer, Bajaj Motors and Kellogg's.


Japanese


1- Daisaku Ikeda
 

Daisaku Ikeda ( born 2 January 1928) is a Japanese philosopher, educator, author, and nuclear disarmament advocate. He served as the third president and then honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, the largest of Japan 's new religious movements. Ikeda is the founding president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the world 's largest Buddhist lay organization.

After Daisaku Ikeda survived the devastation of World War II, he start quest : " How to solve the fundamental causes of human conflict ?". Ikeda began practicing Nichiren Buddhism and joined a youth group of the Soka Gakkai, which led to his lifelong work developing the global peace movement of SGI and founding dozens of institutions dedicated to fostering peace, culture and education. His accomplishments are honored internationally.

In the 1960s, Ikeda worked to reopen Japan's national relations with China and also to establish the Soka education network of schools from kindergartens through university levels, while beginning to write what would become his multi-volume historical novel, The Human Revolution, about the Soka Gakkai's development during his mentor Josei Toda's tenure. In 1975, he established the Soka Gakkai International, and throughout the 1970s initiated a series of citizen diplomacy efforts through international educational and cultural exchanges for peace. Since the 1980s, in his annual peace proposals marking the anniversary of the SGI's founding, he has increasingly called for nuclear disarmament.

in Japan he has been described as a "controversial figure" over several decades through the 1990s in relation to the political party Kōmeitō, which he founded, and has been the subject of libelous accusations in Japanese media.Ikeda's vision for the SGI was described in 2010 by Olivier Urbain, then director of the Toda Peace Institute founded by Ikeda, as a "borderless Buddhist humanism that emphasizes free thinking and personal development based on respect for all life."

Daisaku Ikeda had published more than 50 dialogues with scholars, peace activists and leading world figures. In his role as SGI president, Ikeda has visited 55 nations and spoken on subjects including peace, environmentalism, economics, women's rights, interfaith dialogue and Buddhism and science.


2- George Takashi and 4- Mika Mifune

George Takahashi / Joji Takahashi Birth Name: Kyoji Takahashi (

 August 13, 1958). Wife: actress  Mika Mifune 


5- Kayoko Kishimoto

Kayoko Kishimoto (岸本加世子, Kishimoto Kayoko, born 29 December 1960) is an actress.
She appeared in several of Takeshi Kitano's films, such as Hana-bi, Kikujiro and Dolls. She won the award for best supporting actress at the 23rd Japan Academy Prize for Kikujiro,


6- Linda Yamamoto

Linda Yamamoto is a Japanese singer and actress whose latest hit song was "Nerai uchi" ( meaning "Sharpshoot" in 1973). 

In 2001 Yamamoto tied up with the popular Harajuku toy store Kiddyland to make a line of Linda goods. She also married for the first time that year, at the age of 50, to a college professor seven years her senior. In 2005 she became the "image character" for Wanda coffee. Throughout her career, Yamamoto has appeared on Kohaku Uta Gassen five times. Her greatest hit, "Neraiuchi", was featured prominently in episode 48 of Ultraman Taro, used as a brass band version in the anime Ace of Diamond and is one of the songs in the Nintendo DS game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan.


7- Masami Hisamoto

Masami Hisamoto, (July 9, 1958 – ) is a Japanese actress, comedian and singer. She is also,

as of 2007, the head of the fine arts department of Soka Gakkai which she became an adherent

on September 28, 1984. She often promotes the conservative Soka Gakkai-backed political party

Komeito as a public speaker. She is unmarried.


8- Naoto Kine

Naoto Kine (尚登), the guitarist of the Japanese band TM NETWORK

9- 
Rie Shibata

Rie Shibata ( born 14 January 1959) is a Japanese actress and comedian who has appeared in a number of television programmes, feature films and stage productions. She is also the special deputy mayor of Toyama, Toyama.At the age of 28, she married a stage director of Wahaha-Hompo. She joined Soka Gakkai in 1987 and later joined the Central Committee of the Arts Department.

10- Shunsuke Nakamura 

Shunsuke Nakamura (1978), is a Japanese soccer player, midfielder for the Scottish team Celtic F.C


New Zealand 

1- Christine Rankin 
Christine Rankin (1954), is a Former head of the New Zealand Ministry of Social Development and politician. Rankin was raised Catholic, and in 2005 became a member of Soka Gakkai International.

Thank you!

 Thillai $andstrom


https://happyfamilyinheaven.blogspot.com/2017/04/buddhism-of-nichiren-in-american-pop.html

Saturday, April 8, 2017

Buddhism of Nichiren in Pop Culture





1- A Mighty Heart is a 2007 drama film directed by Michael Winterbottom; It is an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's memoir, A Mighty Heart.
Dan Futterman as Daniel Pearl
Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl
Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl (born 23 July 1967) is a French freelance journalist and a former reporter and columnist for Glamour magazine. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, an American journalist who was the Southeast Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal. He was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002, during the early months of the United States' War on Terror.
                                         A SONG FOR DANIEL PEARL


Atlantic City, starring Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon. The pregnant hippie,  friend of Sarandon, chants Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. 

The Last Detail is the film by Hal Ashby, starring Jack Nicholson and featuring Randy Quaid as the unfortunate sailor sent to seven years hard labor for trying to steal a few dollars from a charity collect box. On the way to prison, he, Nicholson and another sailor attend a (then) NSA) meeting. Randy starts chanting and does so devotedly for the rest of the film. 


Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer.
Tuck Pendlenton (Dennis quaid) , a pilot who is miniaturized in an experiment, panics and chants



What's Love Got to Do with It is a 1993 American biographical film directed by Brian Gibson, loosely based on the life of Tina Turner. It stars Angela Bassett as Tina Turner and Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner.The screenplay was adapted by Kate Lanier from the book I, Tina written by Tina Turner and Kurt Loder. 


How Music Icon Tina Turner Found Her Nirvana | Oprah's Next Chapter | Oprah Winfrey Network


The Guru (2002) with Heather Graham, Melissa Tomei and Jimi Mistry.  There was a part where Melissa’s Character Lexi was on the bed with Jimi Mistry and she was meditating.  They were about to make love and she suddenly started bowing to him and chanting Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo!"


The Out-of-Towners (1999) with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn has a scene where Steve overhears


Grosse Pointe Blank is a 1997 film, starring John Cusack and Minnie Driver John is a hitman, named Martin Blank, who is sent to do a job in Grosse Pointe where, as it turns out, his 10-year high school reunion is taking place. At one point fairly early in the film, Minnie says to John: 'You know what you need? Shaka buku.' He replies  'What's that?' People chanting.
 
The Monkees (1966)
In this episode, the Monkees chant to ward off an evil wizard. The musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork and British actor and singer Davy Jones. The band's music was initially supervised by producer Don Kirshner.

The Simpsons (TV,1993)


Absolut Fabulous

Absolutely Fabulous - Episode Fashion. 
Edina credits her house and her success in fashion with chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Edina is also seen in other episodes with a butsudan, prayer beads, and a bell in her bedroom.

Sunday, August 28, 2016

The Singer Luis Vagner


I was introduced to Luis Vagner by my friend Luis Carlos. Luis made me a cassette record playlist with music that was very special for him and that he loved very much. Within the tape there was this song, Mama África ,  that I myself was very fond of, and couldn't help to play it all the time.


                                         Mama África  -
One of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen was in which Luis Vagner was embracing  his partner, the actress Angela Correia,  and his little son. The three were naked. I made a copy and put it in my house.


My girlfriend Simone Barros came to my home and was shocked when she saw the picture. Simone was the current partner of Luis; she would introduce me to Luis Vagner in person- and to Buddhism.
 In my opinion, every person has a word, like a mantra, that we associate with other people. In the case of Luis, it wasn't just a simple word. The word expressed an attitude: SMILE. Luis always had a  smile on his face, and we always felt as though a bright light shined on us bringing us joy.
But what is the history of this fascinating man?
Vagner Luis Dutra Lopes ( April 20, 1948), better known by the stage name Luis Vagner, is a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist. He was born in the city of  Bagé, son of Sulema and Vicente Lopes. His father played Jazz, Choro, Mambos, guitar, and was in Brazialian Copacabana Serenadors orchestra. 
His first guitar was present from his grandfather Romario Lopes Brazil, a photographer, minister  and flutist, and since then he sought music on his own way. Still young, he left home to live in University City in Santa Maria, where he met several musicians like Cauby Peixoto, Lupicínio Rodrigues, among others. During that time, he listened to Severino Araújo and Tabajara Orchestra, as well as musicians like Zé Bodega, which greatly influenced his choice of artistic career.

 Luis Vagner discovered Rock when he saw the film Rock Around the Clock, directed by Fred F. Sears, and started writing some songs.
In 1963, he moved with his family to Porto Alegre and formed the rock band The Jetsons.
In 1966, the band moved to São Paulo and became the band Os Brasas.  The original formation of the Jetsons, were only Edson da Rosa and Luis Vagner, with two members: Anires Mark and Franco Scornovacca (who came to record a samba-rock album in 1978). Today he is producer and musical entrepreneur, and father to brothers trio the KLB. The band had its own repertoire, and Luis Vagner and Tom Gomes (his most constant partner at the time) as the main composers. 

In 1967, the singer and composer Demetrios recorded the song "I hurt your heart," first music  written by Luiz Vagner recorded in  disc .
In 1968, Os Brasas recorded their only album with their own compositions. 
That same year, the singer Ronnie Von  recorded the music Sylvia: 20 hours Sunday, written by Luis Vagner and Tom Gomes.
 In 1969, with the end of Os Brasas, Luis Vagner began working in studios as a musician and producer. Participated in some albums (such as the disc of the band of soul Os Diagonais
and his songs were recorded by artists such as the Carioca singer Simonal and Trio Irmãos Esperança.
In 1971, he participated in the album Life and Works of Johnny McCartney as a singer and guitarist along with Potiguar Gileno (Lily Knapp's former partner; They were  a famous young duo - Leno and Lily). The Life and Works of Johnny McCartney was to be the first album recorded in 8 channels in Brazil.
In 1972, he composed one of his most memorable songs: Como?. It was first recorded by the singer and composer Pernambucano Paulo Diniz and later by many Brazilian musicians, including composer and guitarist of Samba-Rock Bebeto.
 Luis Vagner was a hippie, Black Power, beatnik, Rastafarian, and was always in search of happiness, self-knowledge, and realization of all his needs and dreams.
 In 1973, Vagner wrote another song that would make a great success, It is Camisa 10. Vagner wrote the song in partnership with the Carioca composer Helio Mateus, and the song was launched by Santos's Sambista Luiz Américo. The song also became a football anthem.
Luis Vagner has always been passionate about football. He played in his youth in the junior division of Grêmio of Porto Alegre, and in 1989, after the death of his friend Branca de Neve, he moved to France, where he played for a third division soccer club, the Vaux Sur Senne.
In 1974, Vagner recorded his first album, Simple, and fused together the rhythms and musical genres that had accompanied him since childhood. In this disc, the Samba-rock Mas tem zero pro Bedeu as  tribute to Moacir Jorge da Silva, known by popular culture as Bedeu. The song resonates well with ethnic music in Brazil. This album, like some others, is one hundred percent original. That same year he played guitar for the song Experiencia in the album Projeto Salva Terra, sang and composed by Erasmos Carlos.
 In 1975, Vagner recorded the album Cousas e Losas, which is out of print.

That same year Luis Vagner, together with Bebeto, created and composed Segura a Negra, which was part of the Paulistano guitarist's debut album. The song was rediscovered by DJs and twenty-first century Samba-rock groups.
Paulo Diniz recorded the song As Estradas, which was written and composed by Luis Vagner and Tom Gomes.
In 1976 he recorded the album Luis Vagner, which became known as Guitarreiro, because of the success of the song that opens the album, also an autobiography. During this period, he was known as guitarreiro gaucho, a nickname that still accompanies to this day. He continued on the path of musical fusion, with influenced soul, guarânia, and reggae, which still have a great market.
In 1978, Vagner participated in the  Franco Scornovacca disc as a guitarist and had his song Guitarreiro re-recorded in this album. 
. . .and composes Se Você Chora por Mim and. . .
Gandaia, together with singer-songwriter Wando 's songs in the album Eu Gosto de Maçã.
Vagner's composition Guria is part of the soundtrack of Rede Globo's soap opera Dancin' Days.
In 1979, he recorded another album: Fusão de Raças, a more pop culture line of work, while facing more musical diversity.
In 1981, he was honored by the Carioca singer and composer Jorge Ben, with whom he lived during the time of the Jovem Guarda. The song Luis Vagner Guitarreiro started the album Bem-vinda Amizade.
 The samba songs Embrulheira and Como? were recorded by Bebeto in their eponymous album.
 In 1982, he recorded the album Pelo Amor de Novas Pessoas (for love of the new people) and participates in the MPB samba festival Criollo Glorioso by Jorge Ben.
In 1983 Vagner recorded the song made by Jorge Ben named Gretchen, as a feature in the album that bears the name of the singer, and recorded a clip.
In 1985, Luis Vagner was featured in another Brazilian music festival.
In 1986, Vagner released his first live album O som da negadinha, rebuffing the success of his career.

In 1987, Vagner had his song Oi recorded by singer Branca de Neve. And started to practice Buddhism.


In 1988, Vagner recorded the reggae album Consciência.
Vagner joins Tony Tornado, Lady Zu, Carlinhos Trumpete, and Tony Bizarro to record the vinyl Alma Negra.
 In 1989, Vagner conducted a tour to southern Brazil, on release of the album Conciência, which was boycotted by Copacabana Label, which did not send the album to stores.
In 1990 Vagner and producer Mauro Pinheiro, at the invitation of loyal friend and musical producer and percussionist Luiz Carlos de Paula, decided to make a trip to France and there they recordes "Framed" with the band Amis Fidelis. This work has not been released in Brazil. The work was recorded in two stages. First it was recorded  live in Jazz à Vienne, one of the biggest music festivals in France and the second in a studio on the outskirts of Paris called John Lennon. From 1989 to 1991, the musician and producer settled in the city of Vaux Sur Senne, a small village 40 km away from Paris.

In 1992, returning to Brazil, Vagner opened a show at Aeroanta which received the band Os Chorões

In 1994, released "Go tell that he did not see me ...,"  Vagner came back to his old partnership with producer Nilton Ribeiro and wrote the Paradox Brasil Afrosurrealism with the constant presence of reggae and "Swingante" which returns to samba rock.


In 2001, with the return of samba-rock to the music scene, he managed new projects and performed in several houses in São Paulo and Porto Alegre. At such times, he often had special features of São Paulo's band Balance Club, which had in its three songs debut from vinil Guitarreiro.
In 2009 , Luis Vagner was invited by musician-percussionist and producer Luiz Paula Carlos, to participate in an international project, part of "The Jamming Caribbean Group", a Bob Marley Tribute, performing 12 shows in Monte-Carlo.
In  2010 Vagner returned to Monaco and was called by Groupo Sandalhas Prateadas to attend their shows.
In 2011, Vagner was part of the project A Companhia Samba e Funk, performing 10 shows in Monaco. That same year Vagner returned to Brazil and shared the stage with his group Amigos Leais, touring multiple Brazilian cities.
In 2014, he returned to the city of Porto Alegre, where he currently resides.
He now had a Radio show called Na Trilha Guitarreira.





Sunday, June 5, 2016

Dance in Movies Biographical and Documentaries



 
.Dreams in Motion "In the Footsteps of Pina Bausch"



Pina is a 2011 German 3D documentary film about the contemporary dance choreographer Pina Bausch. It was directed by Wim Wenders. The film premiered out of competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.


During the preparation of the documentary, Pina Bausch died unexpectedly. Wenders cancelled the film production, but the other dancers of Tanztheater Wuppertal convinced him to make the film anyway. It showcases these dancers, who talk about Pina and perform some of her best-known pieces inside the Tanztheater Wuppertal and in various outdoor locations around the city of Wuppertal.
Philippina "Pina" Bausch (27 July 1940 – 30 June 2009) was a German performer of modern dance, choreographer, dance teacher and ballet director. With her unique style, a blend of movement, sound, and prominent stage sets, and with her elaborate collaboration with performers during the development of a piece (a style now known as Tanztheater), she became a leading influence in the field of modern dance from the 1970s on. She created the company Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, which performs internationally.



 
The Josephine Baker Story (1991) is an American television series . It stars Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker, who is regarded for being an international star. The film was generally well-received by critics and has become a success on home video and DVD. The original music score was composed by Georges Delerue. The film was nominated for several awards and won an Emmy Award for choreography by George Faison and for acting by Lynn Whitfield.

Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald (June 3, 1906 - April 12, 1975) was a French americana-, dancer, singer and actress who became known in many circles as the "Black Pearl".
She was a  star in a major motion picture, Zouzou (1934) and become a world-famous artist. She refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States and is known for his contributions to the civil rights movement. She also helped the French Resistance during World War II, and received the French military honor, the Croix de Guerre and was consecrated as a "Chevalier of the Legion of Honor" by General Charles de Gaulle.
In Josephine shows he had a couple of talented dancers Geoffrey and his wife Carmen. He did not believe the luck he was having to work with his idol and inspiration for many years. He was impressed by its simplicity and professionalism.
- "At the end of the show she never moved to the orchestra had finished playing, even if the curtain were lowered She did not leave the stage without apologizing for the driver to have gone out of tune.." said Geoffrey
                                          Geoffrey and Josephine
Josephine was also impressed with the couple, Geoffrey had told her:
- "I did not study, I can dance, I understand music I guess I learned by watching for theatrical analysis I want to work I want to dance like a child playing in the park...."
She saw Carmen as his natural successor.
- "Carmen, Paris will love you as they love me 40 years ago." said Josephine
                                          Carmen and Josephine
And Carmen admired Josephine even more.
- "Now she was a star Empress She already was in his 50s and was not jealous of me, around twenty years.." says Carmen
The next documentary film is about the couple
Carmen and Geoffrey this documentary follows the marriage five amazing decades of Carmen De Lavallade (06/03/1931) and Geoffrey Holder Lamont (08.20.1930 - 10.05.2014) and focuses on their careers as dancers, actors , choreographers and more.
  Packed with archive material depicting the artists at work, including clips from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as footage of their contemporary designs.
The greatest achievement of Carmen and Geoffrey was the passion for each other and for their art. This is what Geoffrey talks about his wife Carmen:
- "Carmen is my source of inspiration and  I preserve. Men when you marry keep his wife as beautiful as the first time you saw. Please do not change it ... Just hold she special. She.... is Carmen De Lavallade, she is not Carmen Holder. This title is from my mother. "
Brincante - Playful Self (2014) A musical journey in the work of Antonio Nobrega, led by the characters John Sidurino and Rosalina - parts of plays "Brincante" and "Second Stories." In a mix of fiction and documentary, presenting diverse cultural expressions like this artist is part of the Brazilian cultural imaginary.
The Soul of the People - Alma da Gente is a Brazilian documentary of 2013, directed by Helena Solberg and David Meyer, which shows the different destinations of people marked by transformation through art. His characters are the 60 adolescents Tide Dance Corps, group coordinated by choreographer and educator Ivaldo Bertazzo in Complex Maré. Em 2002, the choreographer Ivaldo Bertazzo coordinated a dance project with Favela residents adolescents Tide, leading to the presentation of show "Dance of Tides." The documentary shows the routine training and interaction among participants, revealing the dreams of these young people for the future. Ten years later, in 2012, the directors sought the dancers to understand the impact of this event in their lives, and to see if they were able to conquer childhood desires.

The Battle of Passinho - A Batalha do Passarinho (2013), Emílio Domingos, portrays the phenomenon of the Rio suburbs of culture known as small step. The funk dance style has existed since the early 2000s, but was known from the videos on the internet circulation. From there, the dancers began to appear even abroad.

São Paulo Dance Company -  São Paulo Companhia de Dança (2010), Evaldo Mocarzel depicts the hard work routine of the dancers. No interviews, the documentary focused on the visual account of the preparation for the choreographic creation of Polygon, Alessio Silvestrin.


Bolshoi Babylon (2015) A look at Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, and the events surrounding an acid attack with acid against its director took place in 2013.



Mao's Last Dancer is a 2009 Australian film based on professional dancer Li Cunxin's autobiography of the same name. Li Cunxin is portrayed by Birmingham Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Chi Cao ( Australian Ballet dancer Chengwu Guo ( and Huang Wen Bin. The film also stars Bruce Greenwood, Kyle MacLachlan, Joan Chen, Wang Shuangbao and Amanda Schull.

Li Cunxin (born 26 January 1961) is a Chinese-Australian former ballet dancer and stockbroker. He is currently the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet in Brisbane, Australia.

Mata Hari is a 1931 American film loosely based on the life of Mata Hari, an exotic dancer/courtesan executed for espionage during World War I. The film stars Greta Garbo in the title role. The film is credited with popularizing the legend of Mata Hari.
Margaretha Geertruida "Margreet" MacLeodbetter known bythe stage name Mata Hari (7 August 1876 – 15 October 1917), , was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy and executed by firing squad in France under charges of espionage for Germany during World War I.
Desert Dancer is a 2014 British biographical drama film directed by Richard Raymond and written by Jon Croker. Starring Reece Ritchie and Frieda Pinto, the film is based on the true story of Afshin Ghaffarian, a young, self-taught dancer in Iran, who risked his life for his dream to become a dancer despite a nationwide dancing ban.

Afshin Ghaffarian ( born 1986 in Mashhad) is an Iranian Choreographer, Director, Dancer, and Actor, participating primarily with the group "Rerformances".


The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle is an American biographical musical comedy, released in 1939 and directed by H.C. Potter. The film stars Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver, and Walter Brennan. The movie is based on the stories My Husband and My Memories of Vernon Castle, by Irene Castle. The movie was adapted by Oscar Hammerstein II, Dorothy Yost and Richard Sherman.
 William "Vernon" Blyth (May 2, 1887 - February 15, 1918) Norfolk, England. and Irene Castle was born Irene Foote (April 17, 1893 - January 25, 1969) in New Rochelle, New York, were a husband and wife team of ballroom dancers and dance teachers who appeared on Broadway and silent movies in beginning of the early 20th century They are credited with reviving the popularity of modern dance.

Flamengo (1995) As a hall fills with performers, a narrator says that flamenco came from Andalucia, a mix of Greek psalms, Mozarabic dirges, Castilian ballads, Jewish laments, Gregorian chants, African rhythms, and Iranian and Romany melodies. The film presents thirteen rhythms of flamenco, each with song, guitar, and dance: the up-tempo bularías, a brooding farruca, an anguished martinete, and a satiric fandango de huelva. There are tangos, a taranta, alegrías, siguiriyas, soleás, a guajira of patrician women, a petenera about a sentence to death, villancicos, and a final rumba. Families present numbers, both festive and fierce. The camera and the other performers are the only audience