Richard Causton (author)

Richard George Causton MC (17 February 1920 – 13 January 1995[1]) was a British author, businessman, and the first chairman of the Soka Gakkai International in the UK (SGI-UK).[2]

Richard Causton circa 1946

Early life

Causton was born in London on 17 February 1920. Educated at Dulwich College, Causton attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. During World War II, at the age of 24, he was stationed on the borders of India and Burma. He served as a Brigade Major of the Allied Forces. In northeast India, he experienced the attacks of the Japanese army. In 1958, he retired from the army.[2]

Career

At 38, Causton began a career in business. After working as Vice General Manager of the department store Harrods in London, he became a representative of Dunhill in the Far East. While in Japan, he met his future wife, Mitsuko, who introduced him to Nichiren Buddhism, and the Soka Gakkai in Japan. These experiences led him to become a practicing Buddhist in 1971.[2]

In March 1974, Causton moved with Mitsuko to London. In 1975, the SGI-UK was officially founded and Causton became its first chairman. He directed numerous cultural activities of SGI-UK, and co-founded the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Commonwealth Human Ecology Council together with other humanitarian organizations.[2]

In 1995, Causton authored a book about the Soka Gakkai International and Nichiren Buddhism titled The Buddha in Daily Life.[3]

Publications
  • Causton, Richard: Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, HarperCollins Publishers, 1989; ISBN 9780062501431
  • Causton, Richard: The Buddha In Daily Life: An Introduction to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, Rider Publishing, London, 1995; ISBN 978-0712674560

References
  1. Daisaku Ikeda (2013). "A Gentleman Who Fought To The End". My Dear Friends in America: Collected Addresses to the SGI-USA Since 1990. Middleway Press. ISBN 9781938252259.
  2. Penfold, Ted (26 January 1995). "Richard Causton". Eaglepeak. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  3. "The Buddha in Daily Life". Rider / Penguin Books. 26 January 1995. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
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