Cuban Buddhists Acknowledge Gov''t Support and Religious Freedom

[Mika]

Cuban Buddhists Acknowledge Gov''t Support and Religious Freedom
http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1337861&Itemid=1

In Cuba, there are more than 500 people who have joined Soka Gakkai, legally instituted in 2007. It has members in 13 of the 15 Cuban provinces and the majority of its representatives are found in Havana, Holguin and Camaguey, in that order, she said.

Regarding international relations, she said that there are good bonds with other societies and the International Soka Gakkai, the entity that is led by Daisaku Ikeda and has its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.

"The religious freedom that we have experienced here contrasts with the anti-Cuban propaganda that people are given abroad; that is why the approaches to Cuban reality are so important", she said.

A group from the United States' Soka Gakkai branch visited the island recently, and witnessed the progress of Nichiren Buddhism, but also the difficulties caused by the US blockade, said Delgado.
The US visitors did not know about the blockade and its multiple restrictions, which they experienced personally when they returned to their country and tried to send us some books, she said.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Crazy, isn't it? They got trouble from the Gubmint in trying to send books to Cuba

from the US. These things just never get heard unless someone knows one of the people involved usually.

Disgusting. Maybe they could take them to the Cuban Interests Section, have a diplomat send them in his/her diplomatic mailbag, just as the US used to send U.S. torturer Dan Mitrione articles he needed to torture leftist political prisoners in Uruguay where they had been torturing leftists prisoners with assistance from the Office of Public Security, under USAID, since 1965.

If the US gov't can send things into countries like that why wouldn't the Cuban diplomats be O.K. for sending in books on Nichiren Buddhism? It's a hell of a lot more decent than torture materials!

You know, it's likely that in time they are going to get those books, even if it means they get them from someone in Japan!

The U.S. American Buddhists can spread their newly acquired knowledge of the U.S. blockade and its far reaching applications of repression of exchange between the citizens of both countries. What a damned shame they had to learn that, themselves, also.

[Mika]

2. Glad you commented on that aspect.

Was just about to post something along that line too.