Excellent research, very valuable.

The Noam Chomsky addition is interesting, [www.toda.org] certainly Chomsky is not a member of SGI.
For all anyone knows, he may not even know he is listed on that "council". Sometimes groups just stick famous people's names on their lists.
Or they just get added to a list, one of hundreds of lists they are on.


Someone could contact Chomsky's office, and ask if he even knows he's on that list, and that Toda Institute was founded/connected with Soka Gakkai.
One doubts he would know Toda Institute is controlled by Soka Gakkai and thus connected with the "New Komeito Party" in Japan.
Chomsky's email address is here. [web.mit.edu]

But that is all very valuable information, as the Toda Institute is certainly trying to go far beyond SGI itself.
Certainly, that is part of the "Culture Department".
Especially interesting is that the Toda Institute seems to be connected to the "left", while Soka Gakkai SGI is way out on the "right" of the spectrum in how their organization operates.
That might seem strange, but there are many sects/cults, who's main organization is basically a Totalitarian top-down power hiearchy like SGI, yet they use front-groups which seem to promote causes which contradict what they are all about, which serves as a type of fig-leaf.
Also, groups like Scientology and Landmark CYNICALLY exploit the naivete and good intentions of regular people to their own advantage.

Supposedly the SGI backed "New Komeito Party", is a centre-right party?

So its all a complicated, tangled-web of confusion, which is convenient.

Quote
tsukimoto

Noam Chomsky, the famous linguist at MIT, is on the council. I never heard that he was an SGI member -- and SGI would boast about something like that. Must be on the council because SGI feels that having a renowned scholar like him gives them added prestige. Also Soka U does train people to become English as a Second Language teachers. Chomsky has done considerable research on language learning. Maybe he should help Soka University improve their programs.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/15/2009 11:01AM by The Anticult.

In reading the list of the Toda Institute's council, the Mideast connection was most interesting.

Why does the Toda Institute have so many connections in Qatar, Jordan, and Iran? There can't be many (if any) SGI members in any of these countries. Why is a Japanese Buddhist organization interested in a professor in Iran, or a journalist in Qatar? Does President Ikeda believe that he's the person who can create peace in the Middle East? Or does he, with SGI's billions, want to buy the land for an oil pipeline -- that he can control? Sound crazy? It probably is, but if he could control that much oil -- think of the wealth and power. He really would be king of the world.

TODA INSTITUTE -- IRAN CONNECTION:

1. Dr. Ladan Abosiabi Parandoosh, Society of Iranian Professionals, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

2. Mr. Gagher Asadi, Ambassador of Iran to the U.S., New York, New York, USA

3. Professor Mohammad Este'lani, Professor of Persian (Iranian) Literature, retired, Montreal, Canada

4. Professor Richard Nelson Frye, Professor Emeritus of Iranian, Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA

5. Professor Ahmad Karim Hakkak, Director for Persian Studies, University of Maryland, USA

6. Professor Tschangiz Pahlavon, Tehran, Iran

7. Dr. Sayed Kazem Sajjadpoir, Director, Institute for Political and International Studies, Tehran, Iran

8. Professor Mahmood Sariolghalam, School of Economic and Political Science, National University of Iran, Tehran, Iran

9. Professor M. Hadi Semaiti, Faculty Law, and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10. Professor Belizad Shahadeh, Faculty, Law and Political Science, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- JORDAN CONNECTIONS

1. Dr. Kamel Abu Jaber, President, Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, Amman, Jordan

2. Ambassador A. Amir Alanbari, Vice Dean of Research, Jordan Institute of Diplomacy, Amman, Jordan

3. President Mohammad Adnan Al Bakhit, Al-al-Bayt University, Mafraq, Jordan

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- QATAR CONNECTIONS

1. Mr. Mohamed Al-Makhi Ahmed, Correspondent, Al Hayat Arabic Daily Newspaper, Doha, Qatar

2. Mr. Arvind R. Nair, Senior Reporter, Gulf Times, Doha, Qatar

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- PAKISTAN CONNECTIONS

1. Professor Syed Sikander Mehdi, Department of International Relations, University of Karachi, Pakistan

2. Ms. Ayesha Rauf, The Human Network, Peshawar Cantonment, Pakistan

3. Dr. Zubair A. Shaikh, Dean, Karachi Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- EGYPT CONNECTIONS

1. Professor S. Abdallah Schliefer, Center for TV Journalism, American University, Cairo, Egypt

2. Professor Mohammad El-Sayed Selim, Faculty, Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

3. Retired Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed Fouad Rashan, Cairo, Egypt

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- MOROCCO CONNECTIONS

1. Professor Mahdi Elmandjia, Universite Mohamed V, Morocco

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- CYPRUS CONNECTIONS

1. Dr. Hossein Alikhani, President, Center for World Dialogue, Nicosia, Cyprus

2. Dr. S.M. Farid Mirbagheri, Center for World Dialogue Intercollege, Cyprus

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- MALTA CONNECTIONS

1. Professor Hilal Elver, Mediterranean Institute of Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta, Malta

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- ISRAEL CONNECTIONS

1. Professor Dov Shinar, School of Media Studies, College of Management, Tel-Aviv, Israel

2 Reverend Naim Ateek, Director, Sabul Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, Jerusalem, Israel

3. Mr. Dmitry Epstein, Co-founder and Coordinator of The Human Network, Tel-Aviv, Israel

SGI TODA INSTITUTE -- CONNECTIONS WITH PEOPLE STUDYING MIDEASTERN, OR ISLAMIC CULTURE, HISTORY, LANGUAGE AND/OR LITERATURE: (besides those previously mentioned.)

1. Professor Wan Mohd Nor Wan Daud, Deputy Director, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

2. Professor Osman Bakar, Center for Muslim-Christian Relations, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA

3. Professor Amin Banani, Near-Eastern Languages and Cultures, University of California at Los Angeles, USA

4. Dr. Farhad Daftory, Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, England

5. Professor Amin Saikal, Director, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Australia National University, Canberra, AUS

6. Professor Carl W. Ernst, Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, Department of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

7. Professor Ibrahim Karaun, Director, Middle East Center, Department of Political Science, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

8. Mr. Nadeem Kazmi, Director, International Development, Al-Kholi Foundations, London, England

So what does all this mean? I don't know! Possibly, very little. Maybe it's just people with similar areas of study collaborating. If you're an economics professor, you'll keep in touch with other economics professors throughout the world -- you want to know what they are learning, thinking, studying, teaching. Some economics professors might also keep up with agricultural experts as a country's agriculture will affect its economics. Maybe another economics professor talks regularly with women's studies experts, because she's interested in how women's roles impact the economy -- what jobs women can have, what economic decisions women make, who owns property.

The Toda Institute brings together people from many backgrounds -- with all kinds of expertise. And maybe that's all it is -- smart people talking to other smart people, and maybe even coming up with some projects to help people now and then.

And then again, maybe it's not. Ikeda has plans; he always has. He got SGI religious, nontaxable status in 1952 -- and then began expanding SGI and demanding more zaimu from members. SGI became extremely wealthy, a fact that many members are unaware of. (and that SGI doesn't want you to know.) It's the tale of two SGI's -- the one that average members see -- and the one that most members will never see.

For years, I myself believed that sure, SGI owned some property, but really, it was all about people chanting to make their lives better and working for world peace. I didn't realize that there was this whole other side -- wealth, front organizations within the organization.

I encourage everyone to look at the list of the Toda Institute's council members. It's impressive, the connections that SGI has -- people from all over the world, with all kinds of expertise -- psychology, finance, education, agriculture, you name it.

I'm impressed, but I also have questions. WHY did SGI (Ikeda) create all these networks of people? WHAT does he want to use them for?

If it's only for the members' happiness and world peace -- WHY not be open about how much money SGI has, what's being done with it, and what organizations are actually part of SGI? Anyone reading this who is a member of SGI -- ask your leaders about this! Ask them to show you the 990, the financial statement for a nonprofit. Ask them what "The Human Network" is -- and why so many council members of the Toda Institute are connected with it. Ask them if the International Association of Educators for World Peace is part of the Soka Gakkai. Ask them why SGI won't agree to an independent audit. Ask them why Professor George Wolfe of Ball State University said that the Toda Institute was "partly sponsored by a Buddhist group," when it was funded, and created by President Ikeda.

I would bet my rent that they don't know, wouldn't tell you if they did, and most likely, will get mad at you for asking. I should amend this: Only ask your leaders these questions if you don't mind getting thrown out of SGI.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/16/2009 06:42AM by tsukimoto.

Hi Tsukimoto,

First of all, impressive research. What the SGI leaders would say? I guess someting along the line "Thats all for protecting the members of SGI". Strangely enough whenever I was told such an answer I never asked "protect from what"?
Noticed that the Toda Institute does not appear in Wikipedia though.
It would indeed be interesting to contact all those people and see if they are aware of that supposed connection and if yes see if they know who they affiliate with.

My guess is that they would say, "It's for world peace, what else? You need to trust Sensei's greatness."

Yes, excellent research, hundreds and even thousands will read that in the next year or so, as all of that info will get indexed into Google and the search engines. People have a right to know the facts of what is going on with SGI and its related front-groups, and companies, and its BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars invested in the world stock markets, and real estate markets.
SGI is just a massive tax-free "religious" capital investment corporation.

SGI-USA refuses to file an IRS form 990, simply to CONCEAL their massive real estate assets, financial investments, and how the donated money is spent, from its own SGI members.
Reputable "religions", churches, and charities voluntarily file a 990 form, so people who give them money, know where the money is being spent.
(even some Evangelical Churches are trying to open up the books, to stop the financial corruption, with audited financial statements, etc) Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability [www.ecfa.org]
SGI-USA conceals that information, as if SGI people knew how many billions they have in real estate, then those SGI "donation drives" would be more than a little absurd.
SGI-USA is a profoundly dishonest organization, that is reality.
Since SGI-USA does not file audited information, like the 990 form, no one should even give them even $1.



The SGI Soka Gakkai, "Toda Institute" does not pass the common sense test.
They say they are a "non-profit", but they are NOT. That appears to be a deceptive outright lie by the Toda Institute.
The Toda Institute is NOT LISTED BY THE IRS AS A NON-PROFIT. Anyone can search here.

(search for: Toda Institute) (option for: all of the words)
(search for Hawaii, search Japan, nothing comes up)

IRS Search for Charities [www.irs.gov]

Why are they being so deceptive, and lying like this? [www.toda.org] The Toda Institute is not a registered non-profit in the USA. (they are lying and being deceptive, either relating to Japan, or the fact that PRIVATE MONEY is spent to finance Toda).
That is NOT a non-profit.

There is a very good chance that many of the "famous" people in that list, like Noam Chomsky would have no idea they are on the Toda Institute list. There are not a "council", its just a list of people.

But most importantly, the Toda Institute website has to REMOVE that its a "nonprofit", or clarify it with the nonprofit registration number, and other facts.
But since nothing comes up in any nonprofit search, the evidence shows that The Toda Institute is lying about their status.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2009 07:55AM by The Anticult.

Its interesting how many front-groups that Daisaku Ikeda brags about creating, and how someone like George Wolfe tried to DEFLECT away from Ikeda and Toda, when in fact Ikeda himself says he founded The Toda Institute, among many others including the SGI schools.
[www.soka.ac.jp]
______QUOTE____________
"Ikeda founded the Soka school system on the conviction that humanistic, student-centered education is the foundation for the development of a peaceful, life-affirming society. The school system runs from kindergarten to graduate study and includes kindergartens in Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea, a kindergarten, elementary school and junior high school in Brazil, two co-ed elementary schools and high schools in Japan (Tokyo and Osaka), Soka University and Soka Women's College, and Soka University of America.

Ikeda is also the founder of a number of international non-profit peace and cultural institutions: The Boston Research Center for the 21st Century, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, the Toda Institute for Peace and Policy Research..."
________QUOTE______________



Majid Tehranian was given an "honorary doctorate from Soka University (Tokyo)". [www.toda.org]
As seen below, Majid Tehranian from Toda Institute, was simply a follower and shill for Daisaku Ikeda, SGI Soka Gakkai, even comparing Ikeda to Ghandi, like other SGI personality marketing.

He even does the standard SGI "lying" when he says Ikeda is not in politics.
One can see the standard SGI method of DECEPTION, where say something that is trickily worded, and deceptive. In fact, SGI and its many organizations are deeply involved in politics, and political lobbying with MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. THAT IS AN OBJECTIVE FACT. Soka University spends MILLIONS on lobbying.

Its a very special way the Soka Gakkai has of not telling the truth. They will make a carefully wirtten narrow statement, that is a lie of omission, or a deceptive misdirection.
Like when George Wolfe said that SGI only "helps sponsor the Toda institute".
[forum.culteducation.com]
That is careful and deliberate misdirection.

SGI is doing the same type of thing, in how they describe Toda Institute as a nonprofit, another lie.
When they say SGI was broke and needed money for centers, more lies, as they have billions.
Ikeda is not in politics, which is a lie, as Ikeda is deeply in politics in terms of organizations and money.
They says SGI is for World Peace, when they are invested with hundreds of millions and BILLIONS in companies involved in war-profits on the stock market.

There are dozens and dozens of these "narrow lies" of omission and comission done by SGI.
The SGI pattern is to make a carefully written narrow statement, that is trickily worded, that simply leaves out the facts, and misdirects the reader.

The Daisaku Ikeda Soka Gakkai are experts in deception.
And the evidence shows, the entire SGI global system, is a misdirection and deception, as its primarily a mechanism for Daisaku Ikeda to accumulate billions in tax-free financial assets which he completely controls.
When Ikeda dies, that money and his position will just be taken over by the next SGI leader, whoever has the internal political savvy to take SGI over, and then keep Ikeda as the "patron saint".
SGI is not going away, since it has so much wealth, it will actually get more powerful every year automatically.
The next SGI leader, if really clever, will misdirect away from himself, and focus SGI's attention on the dead Ikeda. Then he can do what he wants, and no one will have any idea of what he is doing, as its all done in secret.



_________________________________________________
[www2.hawaii.edu]
QUOTE:
"When I went to Tokyo in 1992 I met Daisaku Ikeda for a brief meeting. But our conversation lasted for three hours. We talked about the Silk Road and its role in the dialogue between Buddhism and Islam. I was astonished about his extraordinary knowledge of the culture of this area. We talked about Rumi (Jaalal ed-Din Rumi, Poesie mistiche, Bur, 1980, trad. A. Bausani), the great Sufi poet of the 13th century. Rumi wrote in a long poem, "Oh, I know not myself. I'm neither Muslim, nor a Christian, nor a . I belong to the Spirit of the spirits" (p. 63).

That kind of universal spirit, reflecting Buddhism and Sufism, is particularly represented by the Soka Gakkai. I found Ikeda sensei a kindred spirit to Rumi, Hafez, and other Sufi poets and philosophers. He knew them all. That delighted me. When I went back to my hotel I wrote a poem for him. I quoted Rumi, who sang in one poem, "there are many Turks who speak Turkish but don't understand each other. But there are many Hindus and Turks who speak differently but talk the language of the heart, and they understand each other." I told Ikeda, "We speak the language of the heart, you are Japanese, I am Persian, you are Buddhist, I am Muslim, but we come together, and we understand each other." That was the beginning of our friendship and collaboration."

...

Q. What do you think about the figure of President Ikeda as a messenger of peace and as a statesman in this period of history?

A. Ikeda sensei, before anyone else I know, has pioneered dialogue among civilizations. He has held about 1500 dialogues with world leaders. In all these dialogues, he has tried to demonstrate the essential unity of spiritual traditions. I think that is what this world needs at the present time. But he is not a woolly-headed philosopher just talking about abstract concepts. He is a very practical man. In his annual peace proposals he addresses practical issues. This combination of spirituality and practicality is unique. However, I am very happy that he is not in politics. Politics often corrupts you.

Look at Gandhi's choice at the time of Indian independence. Gandhi was perhaps the most popular Indian in all of history. He could have easily become the chief of the new independent Indian state. But he turned that down. He was intensely interested in political problems particularly those bearing on peace among Hindus and Muslims. But he wisely refused to accept any official position in independent India. He continued to be a spiritual leader, for which he paid a very high price by his martyrdom. He maintained an authentic voice for non-violence. When you are in politics you have to make all kinds of compromises. You cannot speak with a strong voice. Struggles for worldly power ultimately lead to the exercise of violence. That is the nature of politics.

In that sense, I think that Ikeda sensei is a very unique person. Very well equipped and positioned to look to the future, the distant future, hundred years, two hundred years, three hundred years. He can say, this is a global society. We need global institutions, we need to develop them, we need global citizens. SGI members are pioneers. A book has just come out on the SGI with the title of Global Citizens. I think that it is the best characterization of the SGI movement. However, that doesn't mean that you cannot be a loyal Italian, Persian, or Egyptian. In our globalizing world, local and national citizenships are necessary but not sufficient. We need to be global citizens at the same time. "

________________________________________



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/17/2009 10:36AM by The Anticult.

--------------------------------------Beginning of Quote, Cult Awareness and Information Centre website www.caic.org--------------------------------

Former SGI-USA Leader Denounces Money Collecting Style
TAWDRY FORMER SGI-USA LEADER DENOUNCES MONEY COLLECTING STYLE OF AMERICAN SOKA GAKKAI

Shukan Shincho, 8/4/94

"The Soka Gakkai is the world's largest cult." Scathing flames of denunciation blaze up from a former leader who engaged in activities in the U.S. for 20 years. Until three years ago, Mr. Frank Ross (46), who resides in Chicago, served as the Lake Shore Headquarters Chief in the American SGI (Soka Gakkai International). The money gathering style in the U.S. he speaks of is pernicious, the same as in Japan. He says Honorary President Ikeda is a "money-sucking vampire."

"It was 1968 when I first came into contact with the SGI. At that time it was known as NSA or Nichiren Shoshu Academy.

In 1991, because he followed up on the dishonest way the money collected from believers was being spent, Mr. Ross was instructed that he was excommunicated. However, Mr. Ross, as a leader, experienced the Gakkai's cruel money gathering activities.

At that time Mr. Ross, as well, threw himself into propagation activities, including donating to the Gakkai one-third of his $20,000 a year salary. "I naturally was often asked by believers, 'What's this money used for?' However, I had no authority over how the money was spent, so I could only answer, 'It's used for world peace.'"

In addition, the infamous money gathering activities in Japan known as zaimu [financial affairs] are also designated as zairnu in the U.S.

"Zaimu campaigns are conducted once a year. In September of both 1988 and 1989, large scale zaimu campaigns were conducted for a one month period. At that time, I was the Lake Shore Headquarters Chief with over 300 members. At that time, $3,500,000 was collected, and the purpose of the money was to construct a completely new Ikeda Auditorium on the site of the existing Chicago Culture Center. However, though it's now 1994, not a single structure has been built."

"The zaimu related to the building of this Ikeda Auditorium caused suffering for many people. For example, a young man named Jon Samos donated the entire inheritance, $40,000, he had received from his father who had just passed away. He told his leaders that it was too much to give, but a leader told him to give it to him, and the leader walked away with the check. In addition, a man and a woman sold their engagement rings and donated $5,000. Another young couple, despite having trouble buying milk for their child, somehow managed to donate $1,000. I myself took two mortgages out on my house, and in 1989 donated $2,500. I eventually went bankrupt with over $20,000 worth of debts. In spite of that, I still continued doing activities, because the Gakkai always taught that no matter what happens, it's your karma. When something bad happens, their explanation is that it happened because you don't have enough enthusiasm."

A Women's Division Chapter Chief under Mr. Ross continued to donate $100 a month, despite having no heat in her residence and her refrigerator being broken. In the end, she declared bankruptcy just like Mr. Ross, but currently she has yet to extract herself from Gakkai activities.

Mr. Ross repeatedly questioned the organization's upper echelon about how the money was spent, but what he received in reply was a notice that he was excommunicated.

"Since I joined, the total amount I paid out for the Gakkai exceeds $100,000. However, that is a trifle compared to the total of donations the Gakkai takes in, and they have never made public how that money was being spent, and they ultimately told me to resign my Headquarters Chief position. I've sent 15 letters to Mr. Daisaku Ikeda requesting that donations be returned, but I've never received even a single reply." is spent. Despite hiring a high-priced accountant, cash, checks and receipts frequently were lost. However, the Vice-General Directors and others are paid a salary, and when there is even a single conference in Los Angeles, they use high- class hotels, and they purposely hold some conferences in Hawaii.

Currently, Vice-General Director McCloskey took the previously mentioned zaimu and arbitrarily purchased a separate plot of land than the one for which the auditorium was previously planned, and says that they will build the auditorium there. However, even by Chicago standards, that location is famous for being in a high crime area overrun with drug dealers and prostitutes.

Mr. Toshimitsu Ryu, a former Komeito Party member of the Tokyo Diet, makes the following observation about the American Soka Gakkai of late. "In the U.S. they are saying that if money is paid to the SGI, benefit will result. This is worse than an 'Inspiration Business.' At any rate, in that country, they are stressing the adoration of Ikeda as a sage, and are teaching that kosen-rufu means spreading Ikeda's name, but Ikeda has been excommunicated from the sect, so to do such things cannot be justified. Originally, U.S. believers knew nothing about such things, but now the facts are coming to light.

Last year during a speech at the SGI-USA General Meeting, Ikeda called Clinton an idiot. His true image is becoming completely clear to U.S. Gakkai members. For that reason, Gakkai members are quitting one after another. In order to locally maintain the organization and paid staff, they have no choice but ignore appearances and collect money under the pretext of constructing buildings."

Of course, Mr. Ross himself is aware of such circumstances. He says that in the U.S. they are playing a "numbers game." "Just how many Gakkai members currently exist throughout the entire country presents a very interesting problem. In the 1980's, the current SGI-USA General Director Emeritus George Williams claimed a membership of 500,000 and a World Tribune subscription base of 100,000. However, it is a certainty that today in 1994, there are 20,000 World Tribune subscriptions. This is a surprising decrease. Furthermore, Vice-General Director McCloskey tells the mass media that the SGI-USA has 350,000 believers, but recently, he admitted to a certain group of people that the actual number of members is close to 20,000, the same number as World Tribune subscriptions."

Translated by: Michael Bowman; E-mail address: wtell@ix.netcom.com
[ Back ]

Copyright © 1995-2009 Cult Awareness and Information Centre
---------------------------------------------------End of Quote----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Malibu Training Center in California -- President Ikeda's private house there. (Testimony of former SGI leaders and members.)


-----------------Begin Quote, Cult Awareness and Information Centre website------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Local Leaders In Particular Are Not Allowed Near It

Even the caretaker first entered the Ikeda house after seven years on the job. I was able to meet with the person who carried out the renovations. His name is Mr. Steve Gore (46).

Mr. Gore joined NSA in 1965 at the age of sixteen. After graduating from UCLA, he became an employee of the NSA Headquarters. He is a former top leader who, at the age of twenty-one, became America's youngest Los Angeles Territory General Chapter Chief and who also worked on the planning staff of the Young Men's Division. He left the organization in 1974.

"The Malibu Training Center is a facility which used to be the villa of a famous playwright. NSA bought it in 1972 for $109,000. They built the training center building from scratch, and renovated the already existing building to be Ikeda's villa. An opening ceremony was conducted on April 19, 1972. When I was renovating the Ikeda house, I was instructed by Vice-General Director Mike Kikumura, 'Spare no expense. Take special care to use the best materials.'I remember purchasing the inside furnishings from Schneider Diamond Co., which handles only very top quality materials."

According to Mr. Gore's recollections, the house consisted of four spacious rooms: a living room, a dining room, a bedroom and a Gohonzon room, as well as a bath, a bathroom and a kitchen. (Translator's note: In Japan, the room containing the toilet is separate from the room containing the bath. Apparently, the Ikeda house in Malibu follows this pattern.) He says that, then, when they renovated it, they built a new open air hot tub lined with rocks, which Mr. Ikeda loved, and a sauna. "The interior had been built in the style of a cabin, with thick logs showing. But we renovated it in a semi-European style using plenty of top quality Japanese cypress."

Mr. Gore says that at the time they paid particular attention to soundproofing. "Ikeda hates noise, so we laid lumber over the wooden floors, spread sound proofing material over it, and then laid a double layer of three inch thick boards. We then put Japanese cypress on top of that, giving the floor four layers of wood. We put Japanese cypress on the ceilings and the walls for sound proofing. The bedroom windows were double paned as well. We covered the floor with thick white shag carpet. The bed was king size, with gold plated piping. We demolished a parking area big enough to hold three limousines and built a rock-lined hot tub. The water is always maintained at 102 degrees with a heater, and the hot water flowed down over the rocks like a cascade. Ikeda was extremely pleased with it, and often said, 'This is my home in America."'

When the Malibu Training Center was opened, local leaders and members gathered there and held a training meeting and garden party in the training center building and the Western style garden, but they were not allowed near the Ikeda house.

Even the leaders who accompanied him from Japan, except for the No. 1 General Affairs Dept. female employees who looked after Ikeda, all slept huddled together in the training center building.

**However, things were different for one portion of Women's Division leaders and Young Women's Division leaders. "From Friday night until Sunday, Ikeda would occasionally assemble a small number of top Women's Division leaders and Young Women's Division leaders and hold special guidance meetings. Since they would enter the stone hot tub together, they were called 'Nude Guidance Meetings.' This was an open secret between leaders in America." (Mr. Gore)

While the Ikeda house on the grounds of the Malibu Training Center is the possession of the religious corporation SGI-USA, it is, in actuality, used as a facility and villa for Mr. Ikeda's individual private use.

**"The privatization of a religious body concretely means that the head of the sect or the leaders personally use the religious group's assets, and that they receive excessive remuneration. Ultimately, it depends upon what sort of decision would be handed down by the American tax authorities, but if actual privatization can be proved, it is possible that their tax exempt privileges would be revoked." (the aforementioned Professor Ishimura)**

Mr. Gore, who majored in political science at UCLA, also says that he was encouraged by Mr. Ikeda to "Create an American Komei Party." In 1972 and 1974, he accompanied Mr. Ikeda to both England and Panama as a bodyguard.

**"During the '72 visit to England, Ikeda bought up paintings, bronze statues and the like. I suppose the total amount exceeded $10 million.** The No. 1 General Affairs Chief Shigeru Ishida (presently a Vice President), who traveled with us, wrote memos saying that Ikeda indicated, 'This one, this one and this one,' and they would be purchased with cash using dollars, yen and pounds."

Mr. Gore entertained doubts about Mr. Ikeda, who used money as freely as water, and determined to leave the organization over a certain incident. "In 1974, it was discovered that Brazil Soka Gakkai General Director Robert Saito (currently Honorary General Director) was embezzling the organization's money. Vice President Satoru Izumi (currently Chief of the Supreme Guidance Council) came from Japan to handle the incident, and the three of us, he, NSA General Director George Williams (currently General Director Emeritus) and I, set off for Brazil. In the end, he was told that if he returned the money, no questions would be asked, and we collected $1 million.

**We put it into 2 suitcases and conveyed it to Los Angeles. At the same time, Williams said that he had purchased uncut gems as souvenirs and he asked me to carry them. He handed 3 boxes of gems over to me. But when we arrived at the L.A. airport, the customs agent called out my name and told me to show him the boxes of gems. When I did, rings and such with processed diamonds were rolling around inside the boxes. The customs form said they were uncut gems, so I was immediately arrested as a smuggler. In the meantime, Williams and Izumi passed through Customs carrying the suitcases. They used me as a scapegoat."**
-----------------------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, you couldn't expect Sensei to conduct his nude guidance sessions in some cheap little hot tub from Home Depot, now, could you?

A week after I moved to Hollywood CA from New York in June of 1985, a random woman approached me in a store off Highland Ave with a card that said "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo: Peace through individual happiness". Took about 6 more months before my first meeting in a house near the Beverly Center district ...

That was almost 25 years ago. No, I haven't practiced continuously over that time (not even close) - but three years hard YMD practice in the mid 80's in LA, was more than long enough for a thorough education in what SGI is all about.

This thread is the first place I have actually seen with my own eyes, the true experiences and thoughts of people that echoed my own. I can totally relate to a lot of whats being said here because I lived it. But at the time, because of the structure of that organization and the lack of true dialogue about what was really going on with the leadership - and for the most part even among the members - I have never seen my experiences validated by other people publicly like this.

So I had to trust my own judgement. I did. I bailed out of the organization in about 1989 or so. Quit practicing because of the things that are being said here: the push push push to do more activities combined with the irrational lack of acknowledgement of the reality that "Umm ... if I am doing nothing but this stuff for you guys, where and when exactly am I going to make money or find a decent girlfriend?"

... the lack of real answers about legit questions coming from leadership; rather parroted answers that were cookie cutter one-size fits all platitudes that said nothing to my situation ... the claim that giving up the last of your money when you were flat broke would lead to financial gain (I went homeless over this for 3 months. Great story ... classic! lol)

Yeah I lived it. All of it.

And so it's very cool to be reading this thread after all of this time. Its like I've finally found a place where there are peeps that I can relate to about this period in my life that had a HUGE influence on me; a major chapter in my life that I have rarely tried to explain to anyone, because I have always felt the average person would have nothing to relate it to and therefore would never really understand the depth of the practice, or the ambivelant feelings that come from being a part of that massive, Japanese/American quasi cult juggernaut that is SGI (or NSA as it was called here back then, right?).

I have chanted off and on over the past 25 years. I have had two Gohonzons. One I ended up throwing in a river one dark, frigid Christmas Eve where I found God outside Philadelphia: renounced the thing in tears. The second one? I dont remember where it came from! But that one I gave away to a sweet Japanese woman who "just happened" to live right beneath my apartment in Clearwater Florida back in 2001 or so. At that point I was sure karma was all real. And figured I could do without the drama of drowning or burning the damn thing lol ...

So I have practiced with SGI in LA for 3 years - then Philly for about a year - then Clearwater for .. um .. well I went to a few meetings with Kaiko, thats it. And I have chanted here and there over the years - to try and influence fate (ie karma) in my favor.

I am chanting now again, however totally free and not affiliated with any other peops at all. I found a digital image of a Gohonzon on a Google search and thats what I chant to; simply set it up on my desktop and do 15 minutes when I get up, and 15 before I go out for the evening.

I have a lot to say about SGI. Some of it totally agrees with what is being said here. I've got stories to tell! Wow stuff I havent thought about in years ...

I also have a lot to say about the practice itself - which I am hearing a lot less about on here. But with that - the actual chanting (which, ultimately is supposed to be the entire point) I have some things to disagree with what I *have* read so far.

There are some misconceptions going around, which my personal experience shows are absolutely not true.

For now, I will leave a thought occurs to me reading all of this:


"Nowhere in the Gosho does it say anything about SGI"

.. or a lay organization, or any of it. That one truism totally eliminates most of the b.s. that organization has brought into the world :)

Try telling that to Ikeda.