Question Tina Turner, RIP

[nedkelly]

Articles about Tina Turner often say that She was a follower of Soka Gakkai International. However there are some reports which suggest she remained a follower of Nichiren Shoshu after it split from SGI. Maybe some fans can shed more light on this question?

 

[mdchachi]

When in doubt, ask the AI.

According to the web sources I found, Tina Turner was a follower of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a form of Nichiren Buddhism, since 1973¹². She credited her Buddhist faith with helping her leave her abusive relationship with Ike Turner and finding happiness and peace¹³. She also collaborated with other Buddhist and Christian faith leaders to produce a CD of prayers and mantras².

However, there was a major conflict between SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu sect, which was the priestly branch of Nichiren Buddhism, in the early 1990s⁴⁵⁶. The high priest of Nichiren Shoshu ordered SGI to disband and excommunicated its leader, Daisaku Ikeda⁴⁵. There were also rumors that SGI members were not welcomed at the Nichiren Shoshu temples and that they had to renounce their SGI allegiance to enter⁴.

The sources do not indicate whether Tina Turner remained loyal to SGI or switched to Nichiren Shoshu after the split. However, one source mentions that she met with Daisaku Ikeda in 1987 and received words of wisdom from him². This suggests that she had a close relationship with the SGI leader before the conflict. Another source states that she continued to chant the basic prayer of Nichiren Buddhism, "nam-myoho-renge-kyo", until her death in 2023¹. This implies that she did not abandon her Buddhist faith despite the division.

Therefore, based on the available information, it seems more likely that Tina Turner stayed with SGI rather than Nichiren Shoshu after the split. However, this is not a definitive answer and there may be other sources that provide more clarity on this question.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 5/25/2023
(1) How Tina Turner's Buddhist faith helped her leave Ike Turner - Los .... How Tina Turner's Buddhist faith gave her the strength to leave Ike Turner.
(2) Tina Turner | The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies. Tina Turner | The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies.
(3) Tina Turner, the queen of rock and roll, dies at 83 - TheGrio. Tina Turner, the queen of rock and roll, dies at 83.
(4) Conflict in Japan Affects U.S. Buddhists - Los Angeles Times. Conflict in Japan Affects U.S. Buddhists : Religion: The Santa Monica-based wing changes its name. Another group weighs legal action..
(5) Infighting, Division, and Scandal Afflicting Nichiren Shoshu Buddhists. Infighting, Division, and Scandal Afflicting Nichiren Shoshu Buddhists - Christian Research Institute.
(6) BBC - Religions - Buddhism: Nichiren Buddhism. BBC - Religions - Buddhism: Nichiren Buddhism.
(7) Soka Gakkai International | The Pluralism Project. Soka Gakkai International.

 

[nedkelly]

Thank you for the references. Maybe there are some SGI or NSS devotees or TT fans out there who can comment.

 

[johnnyG]

A fun cover: