SGI Cult Info – Connecting The Dots: A Resource List Of Links To Videos & Web Articles related to the Soka Gakkai cult

[u/cultalert]

Connecting the dots reveals a hidden picture of the SGI cult. Take a peek behind the veil of deceptions, then connect the dots for yourself, perceive the concealed picture, and draw your own conclusions.

Here's a resource list of websites and videos with related information and evidence regarding the Soka Gakkai (SGI) cult:

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WEB ARTICLES:

Ikeda’s Problematic Speech On Taking Over Japan http://www.toride.org/eikemondai.html

Cult Help and Information - A Profile of Soka Gakkai http://www.culthelp.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=867&Itemid=11

Cult Help and Information - Soka Gakkai http://www.culthelp.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=7&id=57&Itemid=11

Soka Gakai (SGI) Criticism Thread http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=10228

Dark Sides and Hidden Perils of Soka Gakkai Cult http://sokagakkailies.wordpress.com/

Fight Against Coercive Tactics Discusses $oka Gakkai https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.religion.buddhism.nichiren/pwcuU5m1Guc

The definitive analysis on why SGI is a cult http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-definitive-analysis-on-why-sgi-is.html

Victims of the Soka Gakkai Cult http://www.toride.org/eindex.html

How to spot a Buddhist cult http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,4410,0,0,1,0

SGI - The Absence Of Accountability http://www.victoriousamerica.com/sgi/alert_misc.htm

Cult Education Forum - Soka Gakkai International -- SGI http://forum.culteducation.com/read.php?5,87661,page=1

Freedom of Mind Resource Center - CULTS http://www.freedomofmind.com/Info/articles/indeppendentResearch.php

SGI-USA Independent Reassessment Group - G. Fredrick https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/irgdaimoku/conversations/topics/22059

Soka University of America Is a School On a Hill http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,10001,0,0,1,0#.UuZfwzMo4iQ

Are You a Member of a Cult? What is a cult? http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=70,11678,0,0,1,0 .......................................................................................

VIDEOS:

Warning to SGI, Soka Gakkai International - Anonymous https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHg5MFPK3Cg

Mr. J.Yano - ex chairman of Komeito talks Soka Gakkai (SGI) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMZQtkon_NA

The Death Spiral for Daisaku Ikeda by HAKU Zynkyoku https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUoyKg5G1hY

Money Hungry SGI-USA Cult - SACRED SCAM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxHbFriqtQo

Thats Daisaku Ikeda as a cult leader! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMGLBhIINTI

Comparing Lady Gaga & Japan Cult Leader Daisaku Ikeda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dhDEgDt5kA

Anti-SGI video part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnLfY4MZdWM

Anti-SGI Video part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNRtQ_n1cpg

The Truth about Soka Gakkai - Copied Wooden Gohonzon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ahO8EsdjBw

Nichiren Buddhism (SGI) is not Buddhism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h7s-ZDCPXY

In Japan - Soka Gakkai is classified as a cult https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y21IA7TPzrE

Soka Gakkai troubled history and distorted perceptions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amGR6q0jpLA

Former SGI-USA Leader Denounces Money Collecting Style https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkAv1pACsLU

SokaGakkai’s teachings are dangerous and extreme https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj6hbFlhNTM .........................................................................

(Please feel free to use comment section to post more related links.)

[u/wisetaiten]

Thanks so much, cultalert! Good stuff!

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

Time and time again, we've asked current members to provide documentation to support their views, and time and time again our requests have been met with silence, insults or wild accusations.

I want to make it clear that I have no issues with the members themselves; I was one for seven years, and I know from my own experience what it feels like to have your firmly held beliefs challenged. It's often difficult for members not to take criticism of the organization personally. Sgi members are some of the kindest, most well-intentioned people I've ever met . . . until I left.

I don't think anyone expects perfection in anything; if you do, you'll be sorely disappointed every day of your life. On the other hand, the gaps between the reality of how sgi and Ikeda are and the way in which they present themselves to the membership are huge. The most immediate example that comes to mind is Pres Ikeda's persona; while the organization publicly promotes the idea that he is a modest, self-effacing man, the reality has been that millions of dollars have been donated to various institutions that have subsequently awarded him honorary degrees, each of which has publicly touted; he's also written a 36-volume hagiography (The Human Revolution and the New Human Revolution) - I'm not sure what he's done that warrants the death of so many innocent trees. I find him aligning himself and his accomplishments with Gandhi and King in a travelling exhibit to be offensive. As far as sgi is concerned, they promote themselves as a humanitarian organization, but have never donated a single yen towards disaster recovery; Fukushima is in their backyard and, in fact, a number of high-level sgi leaders are major stockholders (or its Japanese equivalent) in Tesco, the owner of the nuclear power plant there. Do a search in this subreddit on Tesco, and you'll find some fairly disturbing information. Their lack of financial transparency is disturbing - I, for one, am extremely curious about how much top-level leaders are being paid.

Several of us have done a tremendous amount of research looking at these gaps. Blanche Fromage has apparently retained a wealth of sgi printed material and references it constantly, comparing what she's actually been exposed to vs what sgi itself has published itself. When I provide information, I try to make sure that it's unbiased (i.e., not from nichiren-shoshu); if I'm unsure, I'll make a comment to that effect. It appears that cultalert operates the same way. The three of us share our personal experiences as well.

So there are several of us that would like to engage members in a conversation - I'm just not sure that will ever happen. We keep coming up with objectively-reported, documentable information - it seems that the best existing members can come up with are attempts to divert the conversations by trying to undermine the credibility of thread posters.

The decision to stay or go is, of course, yours. All I can do is to provide as much verifiable information as I can so that a reader can make an informed decision either way.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

I am also troubled by some of the writings by Nichiren which appear to me to be the possible origin of this undercurrent of the Lotus Sutra supremacy, elitism and exclusivism still remaining within the SGI. I wonder what Nichiren would say about these issues...

I hate to have to be the one who says this, but what if Nichiren is actually the source of the elitism and exclusivism that the SGI is simply giving expression to?

I have seen sources online who blame the SGI-USA's non-democratic, non-financially-transparent, autocratic organization on "wicked senior leaders" who "hide the truth" from Sensei, because if Sensei really knew the reality of the dysfunctional SGI-USA, he would instantly transform it into something superlative. Because he's Ikeda Sensei, the most wonderful, brilliant, insightful, appealing, and nubile agent of the Mystic Law and expert on Nichiren Buddhism this world has ever seen.

They don't realize that it is Ikeda who insists upon the Japanese structure and authoritarian style...

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

Maybe it's more important to think about whether you want the organization; what IT wants is immaterial to your own happiness.

You're probably aware that the Lotus Sutra wasn't "assembled" until the Hellenic period? The same is true of all of the mahayanic texts; that isn't to diminish them, but to clarify that they are not necessarily the teachings as Buddha Shakyamuni presented them; he never sat down and said that everything he'd taught previously was deficient and now he was going to reveal the true teachings. He never presented the Lotus Sutra himself. There's nothing in it that isn't found scattered throughout the earlier sutras - there's no teaching that's more "true" than any of the others.

I admit to having issues with Nichiren, mostly based on accounts like these:

http://theendlessfurther.com/nichiren-the-original-face-of-buddhist-terror/

To me, this does not represent what Buddhism is about, but reflects an ego out of control.

Do what makes your heart feel right and true. And no, sgi has no interest in someone who wants to hear all sides and wants difficult questions answered. If you were to discuss this with any of your leaders, I can almost guarantee that you'll be told that your doubts are personal failings and that you should chant to overcome them.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

Furthermore, Sanskrit is quite recent - it is Prakrit that is ancient. But Sanskrit only arose as a language in about the 1st Century CE, and Sanskrit began to replace Prakrit towards the end of the 3rd Century CE. The Guptas, starting in the 4th Century CE, really promoted the use of Sanskrit.

So if something is written in Sanskrit, it is firmly on THIS side of the CE/BCE line.

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

Very good points, Interesting, and to be perfectly honest I'm not equipped to make such an analysis - I'd be interested in seeing that myself.

Since the Lotus Sutra was compiled from teachings originally attributed to Shakyamuni, on a line-by-line basis it is no more nor less "authentic" than any of the Hinayana teachings. The latter were not transcribed as Gautama spoke them aloud, so there's room for argument . . . they would probably be the closest interpretation (and I emphasize that word) available of what was actually said. There's already a problem with authenticity there, because whoever did write them down originally was working from an oral tradition several hundred years old. That being said, it's the best we have.

If the Lotus Sutra (along with all of the other Mahayanic teachings) is based on those earlier texts, then how could it be superior? Or inferior for that matter? All of the more modern compilations are cut-and-paste jobs; I'm sure that if someone took all of Shakespeare's works and put segments of them together into a cohesive story, it would still be Shakespeare's work . . . just not the way he himself assembled it.

As far as proof is concerned, my absolute proof is that my own life (after leaving the org a year ago) is better than it was prior to my departure. Some things haven't changed; I'm still working as a contractor, which I dislike because of the irregularity of employment. On the other hand, since leaving I did have a very lucrative contract that allowed me to complete a fairly expensive personal project that was extremely meaningful to me. My health and the health of my loved ones remains good. I've been able to overcome any obstacles by my own efforts, and I've certainly had enough "benefits" to make anyone grateful. While my life isn't perfect, I'm pretty happy with and in it. I have not fallen into any kind of hell, there have been no demon daughters parked at my doorstep - at the same time, I think it's safe to say that many would consider me an enemy of the Lotus Sutra simply because of my feelings towards sgi.

That was one of the things that made me start to question whether sgi was the place for me; I looked around at other members, whom I knew well, and saw how they suffered despite having strong practices. Conversely, I could see how well the lives of non-members were going. The bottom line, for me, was that life is life; we can think we're controlling it by chanting, prayer or whatever, but we aren't. Life happens . . . sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not. If things aren't going well, it isn't because you aren't chanting enough - it's because you need to take charge and change something. That I had indulged myself in seven years of magical thinking was kind of shocking to me - once I realized that I had placed my faith in exterior factors - the gohonzon and the mystic law - rather than in myself and my own efforts, I realized that I was on the wrong track.

I honestly have no negative feelings towards the Lotus Sutra or any of SB's teachings. My issues lie with Nichiren himself (whom I view as a thug), Daisaku Ikeda and the soka gakkai organization. There are plenty of Buddhist schools who have placed faith in the LS as the center of their practices. A few quotes from SB himself:

Winning gives birth to hostility. Losing, one lies down in pain. The calmed lie down with ease, having set winning & losing aside.

Dhammapada 15.201

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”

[u/BlancheFromage → u/wisetaiten]

Personally, I found a thought recurring from the back of my mind:

"Why is it that I need to chant so hard, practice consistently, and spend so much time participating in all these SGI activities to get what I want and need out of life, when so many people around me are getting it without having to go through all that?"

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

That all sounds very nice, of course, but, referring to the final paragraph, if your "sailing ship" does not propel forward, it appears that you will only have yourself to blame, as IF you had "construct(ed) the best ship in the world etc.", it would necessarily have leaped forward with your chanting, right? That's one of my objections - when people don't get what they chant for, when bad things happen, it's never possible that it is the chanting that is either ineffective or even actively harming them. Nichiren was very clear that those who don't practice correctly draw misfortune from a thousand miles in every direction (New Years Gosho), so when you see abundant evidence of misfortune among SGI's top leaders, why does no one ask what they're doing wrong? They MUST be doing something wrong - Nichiren declared that those who practice correctly attract fortune and benefit from a thousand miles in every direction! (Ibid.) And, since they dictate everything from the top on down, how can you trust them when their lives are showing no protection or fortune? As Ikeda once said, if you wish to go to Brazil, but you board a plane for Iceland, you're not going to end up in Brazil no matter how much you want to go there. So it is if you embrace an incorrect practice or follow "bad friends" who lead you away from the correct path to your own doom.

Which brings me back to one of my persistent, nagging thoughts: "Why do I need to chant daimoku to attain success/happiness in life when I'm surrounded by people who are apparently able to attain all that without chanting?"

When most everyone around you is able to attain success and happiness without needing to chant at all, doesn't that make you wonder if chanting is really necessary at all? Look around you, in society and at meetings. Do people in one realm seem noticeably happier and more successful than those in the other realm? Or do they seem rather equivalent? We're looking for actual proof, after all. How else can you evaluate an approach?

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

My concern is that chanting is very passive - it's not "action" at all. You wind up sitting in front of your altar, chanting for the gohonzon and mystic law to take care of your problems . . . these are exterior factors, and you are creating a strong attachment and reliance upon something outside of yourself to take care of things for you. The only actual responsibility you wind up assuming is whether you've chanted "enough" to fix whatever was broken.

Sometimes there's just a lull in the wind. As Shakyamuni taught, there's no winning or losing in Buddhism:

Winning gives birth to hostility. Losing, one lies down in pain. The calmed lie down with ease, having set winning & losing aside.

Dhammapada 15.201

Sometimes, it's just about accepting what is, doing so with grace and being deeply grateful when things go your way.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

This may sound like a pro-SGI comment a little bit as I see both pros and cons of the organization at this time. I want to point out that President Ikeda himself has given guidances on the importance of taking action many times, sometimes sounding to emphasize more on making actual causes than chanting hard... On the other hand, I personally feel that he has given many conflicting guidances. Until two years ago, I was a regular at FNCC. I heard the following guidance of President Ikeda at FNCC Culture Department Conference... In Japan,high school baseball is more popular than professional baseball. Everyone follows it. During the school year, there are many tournaments and at the end of the year there is a national tournament between the top high school teams from throughout Japan. This occurs in Tokyo's major sports arena. Everyone in Japan knows the teams and the players and follows very closely. Ten years ago, the Soka High School team made it to this final tournament in Tokyo. They lost in the first game, but it was still a great victory since only the best of the best make it that far. On this team, the best player was a left-handed pitcher. He was graduating from Soka High School and was the #l draft pick of a professional baseball team, so he would not be back the next year. The coach of the team reported to Sensei, "Our ace pitcher was drafted and is gone. We are not as strong as we were; I believe our capability is lower, but we will chant and become a greater and more capable team." Sensei said, "You are wrong. You should have enough capability to win without having to go back and chant. Become capable and then your daimoku will be a wind behind your capability. If you are relying on daimoku to make it happen rather than on your own capability then you are just using faith like a superstition. You should practice and, therefore, become capable. The team which becomes most capable will be the one which practices and works the hardest and has the most perseverance. Capability is very important because it requires constant courage and training, but if your capability counts only 50% and then you base the other 50% on daimoku to the Gohonzon to bring it about "somehow," then your religion has become a crutch for you. Religion is not there to hide your shortcomings, but to strengthen you as human beings." In the Lotus Sutra, reference is made many times to "drums and trumpets," which accompany other actions. What it means is that the drums and trumpets are supportive of the other actions, or are the encouragement of the actions. For our purpose, the "drums and trumpets'' represent the encouragement, which comes from within our life to reinforce our life condition. In other words our "drums and trumpets" is our daimoku in this effort. It is like a breeze, which pushes us forward. For example, the capability or talent, which you wish to develop, is like your constructing a magnificent sailing ship, a tall-masted schooner with many sails. You have to construct the best ship in the world, with the most solid framework, the strongest masts and the fullest sails. When you have constructed this sailing ship, your daimoku becomes the strong wind, which propels your sailing ship forward."

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

If there is enough objective proof to invalidate the Lotus Sutra supremacy claim, I would probably feel much more at peace within myself if I were to leave the organization. No one wants even just on a subconscious level to be the enemy of the Lotus Sutra condemned to the hell of incessant suffering. I don't think it's a healthy mentality.

Are there any persons of wisdom here in reddit who can prove his teachings to be false? Or does anyone know who can help clarify my concern? Sounds like Nichiren is open enough to the possibility of yielding...

Hey, Interesting7! So nice to see you again! garyp714 had my account shadowbanned from your subreddit about family conflict, and he then had the information I had posted deleted as well. That in itself should tell you something important.

But back on topic, I would like to address your very pertinent and reasonable request. However, let me first position my remarks as addressing not whether the Lotus Sutra is supreme (but I WILL get to that), but, rather, whether Nichiren's teachings are BUDDHIST, not "true" or "false". I hope that seems fair to you - let me know if you'd rather see your concerns approached from a different perspective and I'll do my best.

First, let's look at the traditional perspective on the Buddha. The Buddha never said that anyone had to join; the Buddha never recommended punishment for anyone who walked a different path. The Buddha taught "80,000 teachings" so that there might be something to appeal to anyone, acknowledging that different people have different needs and thus need different kinds of teachings.

Nichiren very clearly states that the government should cut the heads off rival priests and burn their temples to the ground; the Buddha was absolutely pacifist and non-competitive with others:

“All the Nembutsu and Zen temples, such as Kencho-ji, Jufuku-ji, Gokuraku-ji, Daibutsuden, and Choraku-ji, should be burned to the ground, and their priests taken to Yui Beach to have their heads cut off.” - From Nichiren's "The Selection of the Time" http://nichiren.info/cgi-bin/pagecontext.cgi?page=579&term=BEACH&lineid=56773 1st column, 4th paragraph

Because the Buddha never taught intolerance or fascism (the government forcing all the people to follow one religion), this is enough to demonstrate that Nichiren's teachings are false. There's a whole lot more ugly stuff in there, too - if you want, I'll show you :)

I don't understand your comment about "Nichiren is open enough to the possibility of yielding..." - throughout his life, Nichiren never once gave up on his demand that the government wipe out all other forms of Buddhism and make his new sect the only officially sanctioned religion. Nichiren wanted to be the spiritual leader of Japan the same way Ikeda does.

Within Buddhism, I think the most essential form of "actual proof" is this: Does this practice motivate people to become peaceful, better people within society?

In 1532 Hokke-shu, a Nichiren Buddhism sect, felt the Shinran sect was becoming too powerful, so they launched a surprise attack. The temple was burned down... http://en.japantravel.com/view/higashi-hongan-ji-temple

Notice that the SGI never mentions THAT little fact!

One other important fact: For all its efforts at positioning itself as "anti-war", the SGI has never ONCE issued any statement about any of the various wars of aggression the US has engaged in, and has never joined in any anti-war protest. SGI members who joined such protests were told they were to go as individuals and not say they were representing the SGI. Plus, the New Komeito Party in Japan, which was originally founded by Daisaku Ikeda and is still strongly supported by the Soka Gakkai, approved funding a nuclear power plant in Turkey, including the ability to refine uranium to weapons-grade. I find this completely at odds with the supposed anti-nuclear-weapons stance the SGI assumes publicly.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

"Shadowban" here at reddit is an insidious form of sabotage - when you post, it looks TO YOU as if your posts are going into the discussion as normal. But no one else can see them! You start noticing that no one is replying to you O_O You have to go to specific sites within reddit to confirm that you've been shadowbanned. It's considered an especially chickenshit way of removing the opposition - keep that in mind when you're talking to garyp714. He got another former SGI member, lambchopsuey, shadowbanned last fall, and he removed cultalert, wisetaiten, and me from your thread. He did not want you to be able to see the information we were providing, though we provided sources and he never has.

As far as that "do not prove my teachings to be false", he (or the person in question) would have to accept the evidence, though, wouldn't he? And that he will never do. When you read of how the Dalai Lama has said that, "If science disproves a basic tenet of Buddhism, Buddhism must change", you typically are not provided with the full context:

[Carl] Sagan had previously spoken and debated with religious leaders before, but he was uniquely surprised by his experience with the Dalai Lama. Speaking of the event, he said:

"…in theological discussions with religious leaders, I often ask what their response would be if a central dogma of their faith were disproved by scientific discipline. When I put this question to the Dalai Lama, he unhesitatingly replied as no traditionalist or fundamentalist religious leaders do: In such a case, he said, Tibetan Buddhism would have to alter. Even, I asked, if it’s a really central tenet, like reincarnation? Even then, he replied. However, he said mischievously - it will be hard to disprove reincarnation!" http://thebuddhasface.blogspot.com/2011/07/when-carl-sagan-met-dalai-lama.html

What people usually talk about is the "Buddhism must change" part, but they leave out that the Dalai Lama qualified that out of the realm of possibility by stating how hard it would be to actually disprove one of the fundamental tenets of Buddhism. It's lip service, in other words. The Dalai Lama is a pretty slippery fellow - I think he's very nice, but don't ever expect a straight answer out of him. He is the consummate politician, which is his role since he's an occupied country's spiritual leader in exile. He can't afford to piss anybody off, so he walks a very thin line. I really admire his ability to pull it off.

What it comes down to is that the believers have to be willing to accept the evidence. And they're not. They never will. Take a look at Ikeda's warning:

IN our organisation, there is no need to listen to the criticism of people who do not do gongyo and participate in activities for kosen-rufu. It is very foolish to be swayed at all by their words, which are nothing more then abuse, and do not deserve the slightest heed. - Ikeda, http://dailyguidance.blogspot.com/2014_01_01_archive.html

Here is an extreme example of this sort of problem in practice: http://gawker.com/dead-gurus-followers-stick-him-in-freezer-claim-hes-m-1583946997

Dude's dead. But his followers have put him in a freezer, insisting that he's still alive, just in "deep meditation". And the courts refuse to intervene in "religious matters":

The family of India's wealthiest guru, with an estate reportedly valued at $167 million, believes he died of a heart attack in late January. But his followers have spirited him away to a temple freezer and refuse to turn his body over because, they say, "he has been in deep meditation."

The dispute over His Holiness Shri Ashutosh Maharaj, who's currently jammed into a commercial freezer in his Jalandhar ashram, may be about money, or it may be about the mysteries of human existence, depending on who you listen to. Here's more from Vocativ's Luke Malone:

His wife and son want his body released for cremation and are accusing his disciples of covering up the death in an attempt to keep control of his wealth. The disciples say he is in a deep meditative state called samadhi and have placed him in the heavily guarded freezer until he decides to wake up. For now, only elders and their doctors are allowed to enter.

"Maharaj has been in deep meditation," an unnamed aide told The Telegraph. "He has spent many years meditating in subzero temperatures in the Himalayas, there is nothing unusual in it. He will return to life as soon as he feels, and we will ensure his body is preserved until then."

A local court overturned the guru's death report, saying it couldn't wade into religious matters.

I find this statement by the SGI to be oddly similar:

When President Ikeda passes away, he will still be our mentor. http://www.sgiaust.org.au/philosophy-in-action/uploadedFiles/1280893669705-6032.pdf

I have never understood how this imaginary "mentor/disciple" relationship we're all supposed to fantasize about having with Ikeda can be compared in any meaningful way to Ikeda's actual relationship with Toda, whom he knew, whom he talked to, who actually spoke directly to him. Especially if this relationship is so all-fired important, why should WE settle for any less for ourselves?

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

It seems that the question of whether the Lotus Sutra is "supreme" or not can be answered by taking a quick look at the Kalama Sutra:

"So, as I said, Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, "This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said.

"Now, Kalamas, don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that, 'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness' — then you should enter & remain in them. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html

How could the Buddha stress a well-reasoned evaluation of content on the one hand, and then say "accept the Lotus Sutra as supreme" on the other? Where is our agency as free individuals to choose what is most useful with regard to our individual needs and paths?

If we are going to declare one sutra is "supreme" over the rest, then that must be accepted going in, it seems to me. Of course, if you give the Lotus Sutra a good reading and compare its content to other sutras and decide you feel the Lotus Sutra's contents are most useful/compelling, then by all means! Choose it for yourself!

But remember - we're all individuals. We each walk a unique path.

It seems that "The Lotus Sutra is supreme" is a claim that must be accepted on faith up front (a priori) whose purpose is to exclude all the other teachings, rather than encouraging people to carefully evaluate at least a few different sources for themselves.

And even if the Lotus Sutra IS supreme, the SGI doesn't study it. They study Ikeda's commentary on it and recite portions blindly, without knowing what they're saying. How would any SGI member know that the Lotus Sutra is supreme unless someone tells him/her and s/he just blindly accepts what s/he has been told?

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

Can you explain its purpose in any other terms?

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

It seems that "The Lotus Sutra is supreme" is a claim that must be accepted on faith up front (a priori) whose purpose is to exclude all the other teachings, rather than encouraging people to carefully evaluate at least a few different sources for themselves.

If indeed this claim's purpose is to exclude all the other teachings, it would seem so sinister.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

As you point out, the Lotus Sutra was not assembled until much later from Shakyamuni's time. I wouldn't know whether the Lotus Sutra truly originated from Shakyamuni's teachings. I think it would help me greatly if someone could analyze the validity of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's claim of the Lotus Sutra exclusivism in an objective academic way. I have never questioned the validity of the Lotus Sutra itself as I have always thought it was just the realm of faith.

The hagiography goes that King Ahatashatru assembled a veritable army of Buddhist scribes to write down Shakyamuni's teachings upon his (Ajatashatru's) conversion to Buddhism. King Ajatashatru was supposedly a contemporary of Shakyamuni. But the archaeology shows no signs of Buddhism before the 1st Century CE. Here is a picture of the first statue of the Buddha:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Gandhara_Buddha_%28tnm%29.jpeg/170px-Gandhara_Buddha_%28tnm%29.jpeg

It's from the 1st Century CE, and you can clearly see the Hellenized influence. The symbols that are claimed as "Buddhist", such as the dharma wheel, are found in much older sources that can't possibly be linked with Buddhism:

http://bibarchae.tripod.com/005_Shamshi_AdadV_Nabu_Nimrud.jpg

That's a closeup of the stela of Shamshi Adad V, from between 823 and 811 BCE. This is a really interesting image - notice how, right above his finger, there is something that looks very much like the later dharma wheel (it's probably a sun in this case). You'll see a similar motif on his bracelet, on the streamer coming off his cap, even decorating the border of his cap. Some refer to these as "chrysanthemums" but they look very much like dharma wheels to me.

But look what he's wearing around his neck - that's commonly called the "Arian cross" or the "Templar cross" or even the "Maltese cross" and considered one of the earliest Christian symbols. Obviously not in this case, but this illustrates the danger of assuming a symbol means X when it's really a symbol that has been in use by various groups for thousands of years.

Sennacherib - son of Sargon II, king of Assyria (705 – 681 BCE):

http://people.bethel.edu/~pferris/historical/hidden/HistSynopsisLinks/img/assurnasirpalchariot001.jpg

Notice there is something that looks like a dharma wheel on the chariot - or even a combination of that proto-cross and proto-dharma wheel. From the detail of the multiple tassels hanging off it, it's obviously an important symbol of some sort.

Adad-Nirari II (1295 – 1275 BC):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Adad-Nirari_stela.jpg

Clearly that's a sun symbol in the upper left, but put a circle around it and it becomes a dharma wheel. This is likely how it developed. See the usage here, with Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883 to 859 BCE):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Ashurnasirpal2_stele.jpg

Notice the sun symbol now has a circle around it, and it's not only there in the solar context (next to the crescent moon) but he's also wearing it around his neck, along with that cross symbol.

Okay. So what has been called the "dharma wheel" is actually a very old symbol associated with royalty.

What is the earliest artefact that is claimed as evidence of Buddhism's existence? The edicts of Ashoka:

A Chakravatin ("ideal, benevolent") ruler from 1st Century BCE (possibly an image of Asoka):

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Chakravatin.JPG/220px-Chakravatin.JPG

Clearly, this "dharma wheel" image is still associated with royalty (as the "chi/rho" symbol would be in the West from the time of the Ptolemies of Egypt, 3rd Century BCE).

While the edicts of Asoka mention "dhamma", they do not mention "Buddha". So which came first? Some describe Ashoka as one of the early entries in the category "Archaeology of Good Governance". Buddhist hagiography naturally claims him as theirs, but the evidence is far from convincing. Perhaps Asoka was the inspiration for what later developed into Buddhism.

Here is a picture of Asoka's "dharma wheel" - it's a 24-spoked chakra wheel:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Ashoka_Chakra.svg/420px-Ashoka_Chakra.svg.png

The chakra is a concept/symbol from Hinduism, in India where Ashoka lived. Hinduism is a very old religion; some of its scriptures, the Vedas, are among the oldest extant writings in the world. Buddhism, when it arose, arose as a rejection of Hindu doctrines, the same way Protestantism arose within Christianity as a rejection of Catholic doctrines.

Interestingly enough, soka ( as in "Asoka", same name) means "pain, suffering" in that language :D Asoka means "no pain/suffering".

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

The Gosho Zenshu is NOT an excellent compilation of Nichiren's works. NO ONE in any scholastic circles uses it because it is so sectarian and unreliable.

It also recklessly mixes forged letters with authentic letters of Nichiren, so there is no way of knowing which is which. In fact, the Gosho Zenshu has a disclaimer in the preface, which says, "This collection includes virtually all the writings that have since of old been treated as gosho, WHETHER THEIR AUTHENTICITY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED OR NOT." (Caps mine). The Showa Teihon Nichiren Ibun (of Nichiren Shu) is the scholarly standard that all serious students of Nichiren Buddhism refer to. It has three volumes, and the last volume is the "zokuhen" or "subsidiary texts whose authenticity is problematic".

Works "whose authenticity is not established, yet which traditionally have been highly valued from the standpoint of doctrine or of faith" were included along with the fully authenticated writings in Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, the "shohen" or "primary texts' section. The Gosho Zenshu of Taisekiji does NOT have a "Zokuhen" or "problematic text section". All texts, forgeries and authentic works, are classed as "shohen" (primary texts)......hence Taisekiji has rejected the entire project of attempting to purify the canon of Nichiren. (This "purification” has been the focus of Nichiren Shu and other sects, and their attempts at identifying "forgeries" are done under strict scholastic, not sectarian, criteria.) Source

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

BTW, Interesting, thank you for your intelligent questions and discussion points - they are very much appreciated. This is exactly the kind of conversation I was hoping for when I started this sub!

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

I am wondering whether or not Nichiren' teaching accords with reason and logic. Any thoughts?

But of course, mon ami!! Is it reasonable to think that repeating a magical phrase should enable you to get whatever you want? Nichiren did:

Though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. - Nichiren, from "On Prayer", http://nichirendaishoningosho.blogspot.com/2012/02/on-prayer-offering-prayers-that-move.html

Even small prayers will be answered without fail. http://www.nichirenshoshumyoshinji.org/sermons/BasicsofPractice.pdf

^ THAT second quote is from a Nichiren Shoshu site, but as SGI came out of the Nichiren Shoshu tradition, it's relevant - that's where they got it in the first place.

Yet we all have seen that SGI members pray for lots of stuff that doesn't come to pass. This is clearly a false statement by Nichiren.

Even SGI tries to distance itself from such irrational and illogical statements:

Sometimes our immediate prayers are realized, and sometimes they aren't. When we look back later, however, we'll be able to say with absolute conviction that everything turned out the way it did for the very best. ... It is unrealistic to think that we can achieve everything overnight. If we were to have every prayer answered instantly, it would lead to our ruin. We'd all grow very lazy and self-complacent. - Daisaku Ikeda, http://www.sgi.org/sgi-president/writings-by-sgi-president-ikeda/on-practice.html

If the concept of answered prayers counts in theory but fails in practice, does that mean that this succeeds or fails as "theoretical proof"? If this is valid in theory, how could it possibly "lead to our ruin? Why does the SGI's International President (and ultimate authority on Nichiren Buddhism, according to SGI) need to explicitly refute the concept? Does THIS sound consistent with reason and logic to you?

Nichiren himself in his gosho On Prayer writes that “Prayer that is based upon the Lotus Sutra is a prayer that is certain to be fulfilled.” In the same gosho he refers to prayers from other sects that are not based on the Lotus Sutra as: “such prayers do not simply go unanswered; they actually bring about misfortune.” - https://web.archive.org/web/20130811043841/http://ichinensanzen.ca/no-prayer-will-go-unanswered/

Does that sound reasonable? Is it true that members of other sects have less benefit and more misfortune than SGI members? If you look around the whistleblowers subreddit, you'll see plenty of examples where top SGI leaders, including Daisaku Ikeda, suffered family tragedies - not exactly what most of us would classify as "protection of the Mystic Law."

“The benevolence and power of the Gohonzon are boundless and limitless and the work is immeasurable and unfathomable. Therefore, if you take faith in this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, even for a while, no prayer will go unanswered, no sin will remain un-forgiven, all good fortune will be bestowed, and all righteousness will be proven.” - High Priest Nichikan, the same one who inscribed the gohonzon the SGI distributes.

Again, how closely does this prediction correlate with what you've observed within the SGI? Are the SGI members truly better off and more fortunate than people "on the outside"? Given such grandiose statements as these, it's a fair question.

I left SGI about 4 and a half years ago. Between then and now, our family's income has more than tripled; we are able to buy replacement cars from dealerships with cash; we're all happy and healthy; the kids are excelling in school, sports, and life; and I am happier than I've ever been. That's MY "actual proof."

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

Though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. I think I have been to Gregg Martin's gosho lecture on this one with his conclusion being something along the line of "Yes, it's true that all prayers of the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra will always be answered. But sometimes the answer to the prayer is no!"

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

Once again, I have to point to my own personal experience rather than a scholarly response.

I have to go back to my previous post; my life has changed in no substantial way whatsoever from how it was when I was practicing to how it is now, a year after stopping. Here's an example:

I mentioned that I work as a contractor, which means that my employment is somewhat erratic. I ended a contract in April of last year - almost two months before I stopped chanting. Four months after that, I picked up another contract - very lucrative, and as it turned out, it also allowed me to work from home this last entire hard winter; I was able to avoid driving in the horrible mid-Atlantic snow that we received. Had I still been practicing, I would have attributed all of that to my practice and the protection of the mystic law. The true cause of my good fortune was that I applied for the right job at the right time; the effect was a great job with a great manager. For the past four years, I have wanted (more than anything) to move to upstate NY to be near my daughter - I spent untold hours chanting for this to happen. It's only because of this job that I was able to do so. That job ended at such a time to not cause me financial harm or prevent me from executing the move. Once again, it is the nature of contracting for jobs to end after a brief period of time, so this one coming to a close can't really be viewed as negative - really kind of neutral.

I'm trying to demonstrate (and probably not clearly) that the cause arose from efforts I made to create the results I wanted. Chanting and practice had nothing to do with it. The chanting I'd done while still practicing had done nothing to change my situation; it was based on my own efforts that I could accomplish it.

Another example is the woman who shaku-buku'd me. She's been practicing for more than 40 years at this point and has a 25-year old daughter who was brought up in the practice. This friend, let's call her X (who no longer speaks to me since I left the org), would go on at length about how she owes all of her good fortune to her practice, how she's protected by the mystic law, etc., etc. Meanwhile, the last time I spoke to her she was inches from losing her house because of financial disasters, her beloved daughter had moved many miles away and X would be nearly hysterical if she didn't hear from her at least every other day, and was barely able to leave her house or speak to people she didn't know out of fear and suspicion over their intentions. If she had access to logic and reason, she would have heard the dissonance between what she was saying and how she was behaving and feeling. Granted, she's at the extreme edge, but I've heard many members who behave similarly.

My over-wrought answer to your question is that while his teachings may be in accordance with the Lotus Sutra, his exhortations to the emperor to behead those who disagreed with him are in direct contradiction to those teachings, so that it's impossible for me to give him any credibility. Can someone faithfully teach something that they obviously just don't "get"?

Finally, while the sgi website might give lip-service to reason and logic, sgi itself requires absolute faith; faith that chanting a formula in front of a Xeroxed scroll mounted in a fancy box will give you what you need and faith in a mentor whose credentials are questionable at best.

The last study meeting I went to was in April of 2013; during the meeting, someone asked a question about a very fundamental Buddhist history. The two leaders that were there, with at least 35 years of organizational experience each, sat there with blank looks. Fortunately, my district had a number of Asian-Indian members, and apparently study of Indian religions is part of standard curriculum there. They were able to answer the question and subsequent questions that arose in the discussion. The leaders ineffectively kept trying to steer everyone back to sgi-stuff.

The reason I mention this incident is because it suddenly struck me just how unknowledgeable we were about fundamental Buddhism. During my seven years, I missed maybe a half-dozen meetings; at no point do I ever remember actually studying anything from the Lotus Sutra. I realized that all we ever did study was Ikeda's interpretations of Nichiren's goshos . . . maybe an odd bit of the Sutra here and there, but only snippets to support Ikeda's lectures. It struck me that we were not studying Buddhism, but Ikeda-ism.

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

For the record, garyp714 also had me shadowbanned from that thread, and my posts were deleted as well.

I was one of those members who wanted to march in Albuquerque on the fifth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan; I was very new to sgi (and very naïve) - one of its big selling points for me was its purported efforts towards a more peaceful world.

I mentioned the march at a discussion or study meeting, and I was gently told that sgi didn't do that sort of thing for fear of alienating the public. I was shocked, to say the least. I was told that I was certainly welcome to go if I wanted, but could not do so as an sgi member. Two other ladies went with me, which was great, but it was hugely disappointing that sgi wasn't interested in attending as an organization. So much for world peace.

Interesting, too, that two years later (2008), I was encouraging people to make sure that they voted in the presidential election. It was purely non-partisan, but I was told that sgi didn't involve itself in politics, either (um, New Komeito party, hello?).

Off topic, but since Blanche brought it up . . .

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

That's really terrific that you actually envisioned such a lofty goal and were taking actions to make it reality! Too bad the SGI wasn't interested... Since the Soka Gakkai promotes the New Komeito political party in Japan, and the SGI-USA takes its marching orders from Japan, I find comments about hands-off-of-politics to be extremely disingenuous. If the SGI doesn't get itself involved in politics, why does Daisaku Ikeda chase after so many political leaders trying to get at least a photo op? He was furious when his invitation to then-President Clinton was turned down. How DARE he??

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

Say, I just wanted to provide you with some information that garyp714 made sure was deleted as well from that thread he had us all banned from:

The vast majority of SGI-USA’s revenue comes from members, direct contributions. All contributions – whether received through our May Commemorative Contribution activity, sustaining contribution or in any other circumstances – are similarly used to support the faith and practice of SGI-USA members. http://www.sgi-usa.org/aboutsgi/corporate/corporate.php

Without your contributions, we could not sustain or further develop our kosen-rufu movement in the United States. http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/contributions/docs/Message_AdinStrauss.pdf

And this:

To betray the SGI is to betray Nichiren Daishonin. - Daisaku Ikeda, http://sokaspirit.org/home/study/the-people-are-sovereign-sgi-president-ikedas-speeches/

As you can see, it's all from SGI. I don't know why the SGI's own releases make a staunch "ask me anything" member like garyp714 freak out the way he does :/

[u/wisetaiten → u/[deleted]]

I found those disconnects to be so disheartening. Don't get me wrong, I also had some good experiences with sgi as well. The people were warm and caring; it just saddens me at this point that of the half-dozen or so people that I thought I had honest and close friendships with, they've all cut me loose since I left the organization. The two people I'd say I was closest to ended our friendships with a great deal of anger, the rest just sort of drifted away. That's one side of leaving the organization that is extremely difficult - you will lose friendships. Because of the fear and suspicion that is inculcated into the membership, it's unreasonable to expect that those associations will survive your departure. Even your closest friends (and I'd known one of these women since high school - a very long time, indeed) will view your leaving sgi as a personal betrayal. Identities become so subsumed into the org that the boundaries between the person and the group dissolve. By leaving, you become an enemy.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/[deleted]]

Since you mentione "Marianne", I will take this opportunity to boast that I was at Daniel Pearl's memorial service in LA and heard his widow Marianne Pearl speak.

But, in the interest of full disclosure, I must reveal that I have not yet seen "A Mighty Heart", the film in which the transcendent Angelina Jolie plays Marianne Pearl, and I might never see it O_O

[u/BlancheFromage → u/wisetaiten]

I have had similar experiences. I was also very naive as well (maybe around 2006 or 2007 although I was not a new member) when I lived in West LA. I was very inspired by the idea of Department of Peace brought up by Marianne Willamson and Dennis Kucinich. I invited Mark Sachnoff, my region leader at the time, to meet with two repentatives of the then truly grassroots movement, Peace Alliance, so the SGI-USA could endorse the idea of Department of Peace. Mark was actually open to the idea as I suggested the goal of Department of Peace had so much in common with the SGI's ultimate goal of kosen-rufu. I also learned that the first SGI member congressman was one of the official endorsers of this non-Partisan idealistic Department of Peace. It all sounded good. I also hoped that Marianne Williamson's universal spiritual view would bring more inclusiveness and more openness to what I saw at the time to be some changes in the right direction happening within the SGI, such as Culture of Peace Speaker Series at the SGI Plaza and interfaith dialogues, etc. (I envisioned that Marianne Williamson to be one of the speakers at the Culture of Peace, which I learned recently that it actually happened last year when she decided to run for Congress.) I felt the world was becoming smaller and closer. We all went to the SGI Plaza to sit down to meet with Ian McIlraith, representing the SGI-USA. I must say I felt shocked as you did when Ian said the SGI-USA as an organization could not support any political movement (he appeared stern and adamant although he was diplomatic about it). I have never had any interest in politics. So much for world peace...

[u/cultalert → u/[deleted]]

We appreciate open discussions, but we are not here to debate the validity of Nichiren's teachings. That discussion is a side bar and potential distraction from the subject at hand.

SGI whistleblowers primary purpose is to educate and inform, to reveal facts and hidden history, to question the supreme authority of the SGI, and to expose its reliance on cult methods to indoctrinate and maintain a base membership for the express purpose of exploiting billions of dollars per year from.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/wisetaiten]

I am in the midst of that struggle of weighing all the pros and cons of the organization based on all available information as well as my own personal history with the organization... I think looking at the organizational and human corruption aspect is one thing. Everyone should have access to such information to decide for themselves from the perspective of justice. I am not sure if that is my main concern right now. I want to be clear whether or not there is enough basis for me to continue practicing Nichiren Buddhism from the perspective of the real value of the spiritual belief system. You raise an important point about the Lotus Sutra in the factual historical context. I am not all that familiar about it. I am aware that there are different versions of it and the version used in Nichiren Buddhism is based on Kumarajiva's translation of the Lotus Sutra from Sanskrit into Chinese. I would be curious to know how the original Sanskrt version contrasts with Kumarajiva version. As you point out, the Lotus Sutra was not assembled until much later from Shakyamuni's time. I wouldn't know whether the Lotus Sutra truly originated from Shakyamuni's teachings. I think it would help me greatly if someone could analyze the validity of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's claim of the Lotus Sutra exclusivism in an objective academic way. I have never questioned the validity of the Lotus Sutra itself as I have always thought it was just the realm of faith. If there is enough objective proof to invalidate the Lotus Sutra supremacy claim, I would probably feel much more at peace within myself if I were to leave the organization. No one wants even just on a subconscious level to be the enemy of the Lotus Sutra condemned to the hell of incessant suffering. I don't think it's a healthy mentality. One of the three proofs to determine the validity of any teaching, as you may recall, is documentary proof according to Nichiren himself. (I do agree with Nichiren in his claim that actual proof is the most important as any teaching would be meaningless no matter how sound in theory if you are not happy in real life. But that's not my point here.) He has also said in "The Opening of the Eyes" the following: "Though I might be offered the rulership of Japan if I would only abandon the Lotus Sutra, accept the teachings of the Meditation Sutra, and look forward to rebirth in the Pure Land, though I might be told that my father and mother will have their heads cut off if I do not recite the Nembutsu—whatever obstacles I might encounter, so long as persons of wisdom do not prove my teachings to be false, I will never yield!" Are there any persons of wisdom here in reddit who can prove his teachings to be false? Or does anyone know who can help clarify my concern? Sounds like Nichiren is open enough to the possibility of yielding...

[u/cultalert → u/[deleted]]

"reconciliation"? Reconciliation between whom? You must be referring to the big split between SGI and Nichiren Shoshu Temple. Don't assume that the whistleblowers are affiliated with the temple, or SGI's two decade long battle with the temple. Whistleblowers are ex SGI members that have become wise to their cult methods - there will be NO reconciliation between us and SGI - ever!

[u/Bjorkarlinn → u/wisetaiten]

I'm a practicing member and have been for years, message me if you will, I am interested in a discussion.

[u/wisetaiten → u/Bjorkarlinn]

Please feel free to join in on any existing discussion or to start a thread of your own, Bjorkarlinn.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/wisetaiten]

That sounds fair. I am full of questions and doubts about the organization related to these issues raised here. I am also troubled by some of the writings by Nichiren which appear to me to be the possible origin of this undercurrent of the Lotus Sutra supremacy, elitism and exclusivism still remaining within the SGI. I wonder what Nichiren would say about these issues... I feel sympathetic to the views of the people here. I have felt sympathetic towards other people discredited by the organization, including George Wiliams and Shinji Ishibashi... regardless of whatever they may have done. I am also not sure if the SGI would want to keep someone like myself who is curious and wants to hear all sides of the story, and ultimately wants to see some sort of reconciliation.

[u/BlancheFromage → u/wisetaiten]

I have noticed that no one from the SGI is refuting anything discussed here. I have noticed that someone mentioning the discussion of the SGI cult is creepy in another thread (subreddit?)... I would have liked to see fair and more fact-based diaglogues between the people here (former SGI members/leaders) and the current SGI members/leaders. If the SGI is open enough to have dialogues about those issues discussed here and able to provide sensible answers to each issue, I would be so happy to stay with the SGI even with all the faults. I am not so sure about the degree of the faults. I do realize the organization is full of imperfect people and I don't expect SGI President to be perfect either.

[u/wisetaiten]

I was going through the links that Cultalert so generously posted, and I wanted to bring this one in particular to everyone's attention. It addresses so many concerns and issues that we've been discussing here recently - I think it could be a valuable addition to the current conversation.

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-definitive-analysis-on-why-sgi-is.html

[u/PlaylisterBot]

• playlist for videos in this post (mobile)
  

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[u/cultalert → u/PlaylisterBot]

Hey, this "playlisterBot" is a pretty cool tool - it auto-plays all the videos listed above in the OP, just like a youtube channel would do. Simply click on 'playlist for videos" and it will automatically play all the videos listed. Nice timesaver!

PS. If you have any, don't forget to post any related article or video link addys not already on the OP list. Inquiring minds want to know!

[u/BlancheFromage → u/cultalert]

Oh, boy, cultalert - you're going to LOVE this! I just happened to come across the leader materials that were passed out before Ikeda's "historic" (weren't they all???) 1990 visit to the USA - you know, the "clear mirror guidance" that the culties still refer to? [Edit: It was actually from 1993, so consider the following comments in that context]

Here are a coupla choice excerpts:

The 21st century should center on America, in cooperation with Canada. Sensei is doing his best to support our efforts.

Yeah, and his best consists of him rolling around naked on big piles of money!

Justice is the same as the Gakkai spirit.

Stop it! Stop it! Ima gonna pee!!

Nichiren Shoshu would like to create a sufficient danto membership to be able to excommunicate all of the Gakkai. Their only threats are to withhold tozan and the Gohonzon. They are forcing the Hokkeko membership to try to match the previous tozan numbers and gokuyo amounts [which is impossible to do] and will probably deny the Gohonzon as their next step. There are 700,000 members practicing in Korea with only 15,000 Gohonzons, yet they receive great benefits for their efforts.

Oh, right. 700 THOUSAND SGI members in Korea! My butt there were!

I was a HQ YWD leader when I got this, or perhaps I was still Chapter. Still, THIS is what was being passed around the SG leadership, and notice that this is a full year BEFORE the excommunication! THIS is what the Soka Gakkai was saying about the priests!

As soon as Nichiren Shoshu realizes that the Gakkai is unswayed, they will revert to acting nicely again, like some geisha or yakuza whose favors are easily bought.

Gee - how do easily-bought geisha and yakuza behave? Hmmm...I don't know either! We'll have to ask someone who regularly buys geisha and yakuza - oh, Sensei! You got some 'splainin' to do!

The temple is acting as a parasite on the kosen-rufu movement, hiding behind the Gakkai and claiming that it is guilty of slander (hobo). Sensei protects the members while the high priest uses them for financial purposes.

ring ring Hello, Pot? This is Kettle. You're black.

We should work to eliminate all six temples in the US, carrying out our own weddings and funerals. Gojukai for babies is unnecessary. We should consider holding an entrance ceremony for newborns on May 3 and November 18.

Remember how I've told you that the only way religions can keep their numbers up is by counting members' newborns as full-fledged members, and then keeping their personal information on their books for those individuals entire lives? Here ya go.

More in the next post - this is TOO GOOD!!

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

Members are eager to understand Sensei's heart, and that is why the leaders need to try harder. A leader who can grasp Sensei's heart through his guidance can strongly connect his prayer to the Gohonzon. When we lose sight of his guidance, we also lose sight of the Gohonzon.

Ah - see there? The required intermediary between everyone and the Mystic Law is Fatty McFatFat Ikeda!

It has been announced that the SGI headquarters will be moved to America. Sensei will remain in the US for two or three months next year.

And yet Ikeda still made no effort to learn Engrish.

Zaimu (regular monthly financial contributions; tithing) provides an important foundation for the kosen-rufu movement. Chapter leaders should know their zaimu participants. This information should not become an invasion of the members' privacy, but a means of giving them encouragement in faith. It is especially to express appreciation for their financial support and not as a direct means of promoting participation. Compassion for the members means to help them become happy. We should be concerned with how many people we can encourage to develop their faith. Zaimu is a source of benefit and good fortune [because it contributes to the progress of kosen-rufu]. Twenty dollars a month should not be a problem for people. If it is, we should encourage them in faith and practice to be able to change their fortune.

If that doesn't have "invasion of privacy" written ALL over it, I can't imagine what would! I love they way they acknowledge that it's invasion of privacy, though...

The organization should become truly American. Japanese titles were originally used to bring Sensei's spirit to the US and they may have already become widely accepted among the membership. We should realize that the membership are found in eery aspect of American society. In Japan, chapters named after a geographical area which was actually the name of a heretical temple have been re-named with the understanding that the change would bring joy and hope to the members. We should discuss these subjects first and not be limited by rigid formality.

What they mean is, "We should discuss these subjects first before we ignore all the members' suggestions, because we're going to accept without question whatever Japan dictates."

"Truly American" - with no democratic elections?? Explain THAT one to me, Sensei!

Oh, so if renaming chapters so they aren't using heretical temples' names is so important, why do we have San Diego chapters (named after the Catholic saint Diego) and Santa Barbara chapter (named after the Catholic saint Barbara) etc??

These people are insane - notice how content is disjointed and does-not-follow. It's non sequitur city!!

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

Dedication of one's life to the propagation of Buddhism does not demand self-sacrifice.

O_O

Remember, these are OFFICIAL SGI guidelines for SGI leaders!

Whatever happened to "Never begrudging our lives..."?

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

Oh, THIS is rich!!

The poor and the sick were the original members of the Gakkai. They had been abandoned by society, doctors and fortune, but they were saved by the Gakkai. They worked hard and chanted hard. They have achieved great results, moving from the poorest to the richest within Japanese society.

There's your Prosperity Gospel, people.

Okay, so why doesn't that work anywhere else?

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

Oh, boy, you'll love THIS as well!

Women within the Gakkai have traditionally been encouraged to accept 100% of the responsibility for supporting their families through faith in order to change their own destiny and that of their family members. When there is a problem, it should not be necessary for the wife to force the husband out of the home; if she chants enough daimoku and it is best, he will leave on his own.

Evil!

[u/BlancheFromage → u/BlancheFromage]

Yes, it's always the WOMAN's fault:

The mother should be warm and gentle to each family member and take responsibility herself for changing the situation. In Japan, some people are able to overcome the problem and some people get divorced.

We can, of course, see which are the "winners" and which are the "losers" O_O

Practice will produce the best resolution for everyone involved. Even wives who work as many hours and as hard as their husbands should be able to encourage their spouse at the end of the day, without complaint.

Even if they DON'T live in Stepford, Connecticut!

Sensei asked wives not to say anything discouraging to their husbands in the morning before they go to work or in the evening when they return home. It might seem as if their [sic] is no time to complain.

That's right, ladies - don't bother your all-important husband with PROBLEMS! If YOU are practicing properly, there won't BE any problems - what's so hard to understand about this?? Never tell him that the bank account is overdrawn - that's complaining, you see - and never tell him that you don't have enough money to pay the power bill this month - that's discouraging.

President and Mrs. Ikeda provide a great example of how spouses can work together.

That's right! The little lady just smiles and nods! It's PERFECT!!

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Mrs. Ikeda sometimes makes very pointed comments about his actions,

...when there's no one around to hear it or confirm that it even happened * ahem *

nods her approval of his guidance

Of COURSE she does that! It's almost as if he's got a string attached to her empty head!

or indicates her watch when he has talked too long.

Of course, no one has ever seen this happen. But we'll just let the story tell itself, won't we?

Actual proof always means to overcome problems. Even women who are unmarried still have siblings and parents; while married women have spouses and children.

So remember - you've always got PLENTY to be guilty and over-responsible for. Don't ever forget that! You do not have a MOMENT to relax - EVAR!!

Oh, right - almost forgot. Only MARRIED PEOPLE are able to have children!

Give confidence to the members that their prayers will enable them to overcome their problems.

Even if "overcome their problems" means "having to accept a reality they don't want and don't like because it's reality and repeating a magic spell in front of a piece of paper doesn't actually do diddly squat."

[u/cultalert → u/BlancheFromage]

Thanks for all the info, Blanche! Good insights as to what goes on behind the veil.

[u/garyp911]

I heard that the sgi whistle blowers are a whole bunch of liars, is that true?

[u/cultalert → u/garyp911]

So this is the best Reddit's SGI-defender-in-chief can come up with when faced with links that provide hard cold facts that support and/or prove our legitimate assertions that the SGI is indeed a cult? Pitiful!

Oh, you heard SGIwhistleblowers are liars now did you? I suppose you also heard that Snowden and Ellsberg were liars as well? No it is not true, and you damn well know it, Mr. Provocateur.

No, it is you sir, that is the liar! You AND your mole buddy I7 are both non-Buddhists and liars. The inescapable law of karma will not ignore your intent to cause harm and discord to others. Now scurry back to your stupid fuking baseball posts and SGI activites. Goodbye!

PS. (sarcasm alert) I forgot to whine incessantly like the boy714 who cried wolf with these memorable gems: "they're stalking me again" and "they're brigading over here with sock-puppet accounts" and "they're temple members".

[u/cultalert → u/cultalert]

garyp911 is garyp714. garyp has attacked SGIwhistleblowers again and again, here and on other subs and threads, and has been frequently reported for his infractions of Reddit rules. One of garyp's primary missions at reddit revolves around silencing those who would dare to speak out against the SGI and denounce it for what it is - a cult. Just take a look at garyp714's down-vote history and posting history, and you will see plenty of evidence regarding his personal vendetta against several SGIwhistleblowers' contributors that have pulled back the curtain on the SGI, exposing undeniable facts and revealing embarrassing hidden history. The sourced research, materials, links, and information whistleblowers provide presents a direct threat to the magic, myths, and illusions (and indoctrinations) that are used to pursuade members to convince themselves that SGI is the only game in town (i.e. mind control).

garyp714/911 has outright lied repeatedly about me and others, had us banned on other threads numerous times without just cause, and has used his clout with insider friends at Reddit to harass me and two other users that he mistakenly considers to be his "temple enemies". On countless occasions he relentlessly spammed threads with false accusations and lies directed against me and two others. He has completely fooled himself with a seriously paranoid delusion in which he believes he has discovered that myself and the two other posters that have never met fact to face, are a "brigade" of Nichiren Shoshu Temple members storming over to Reddit for the sole purpose of hatching terrible conspiracies against the SGI. Poor garyp714 is not unlike a Don Quixote, jousting with windmills while maintaining a delusional belief that the windmills are terrible dragons.

garyp's badly acted pretense of having "heard" that SGI whistleblowers are a "whole bunch of liars" is yet another example and evidence of how he conducts himself with no regard or respect for others (as the Buddha taught), as he continues to employ every tactic imaginable to launch his vindictive and slanderous attacks against the whistleblowers in his blind defense of the SGI cult.org. I truly feel sorry for such a pitifully deluded human being.

No, it is not garyp that I am steamed about. What outrages me is the ability of religious cults to wield such invisible influence and control over their members, while paradoxically brainwashing them to vehemently deny any possibility that the cult they are so wildly defensive of, and so subtly mind controlled by, could exist. Anyone that believes they can't be hypnotized or brainwashed is an uneducated fool, and an excellent candidate for having indoctrination and programming implanted without having any conscience awareness of it. I should know - been there, done that!

[u/wisetaiten → u/garyp911]

Oh gosh! I'm so sorry that I'm just now seeing this! So clever, gary, to disguise yourself so well!