David, this is on [www.joseitoda.org] (A website sponsored by the Soka Gakkai)

------------------------------------------------Beginning of Quote-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enlightenment
In July 1943, Toda was detained and imprisoned on charges of violating the Peace Preservation Law, a key tool for the suppression of dissent in wartime Japan, and showing disrespect to the Japanese emperor. Alone in his prison cell, he began to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo--the essential practice of Nichiren Buddhism--some 10,000 times each day, and to study the Lotus Sutra, its key text, intensely.

He read the entire Lotus Sutra several times, but was struck by a difficult passage in the Virtuous Practices chapter of the Sutra of Immeasurable Meanings, which serves as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra. This is a 12-line verse consisting of 34 negations--"neither existing nor not existing, neither self nor other, neither square nor round..."--describing the entity that indisputably exists despite all the negatives. He knew that the passage referred to the Buddha, but something that was represented by as many as 34 negations was difficult to grasp. After a process of repeated deep contemplation and prayer, he had a revolutionary insight: The Buddha is life itself. It exists within one's life and throughout the universe. It is the entity of cosmic life.

As Toda continued to read the Lotus Sutra, he focused his thoughts on the purpose for which it was expounded: to enable the enlightenment of all people without exception. He came to the realization that his mission was to spread the Lotus Sutra as widely as possible in order to lead people to happiness, and resolved to dedicate the remainder of his life to this endeavor.
----------------------------------------End of Quote------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David, this is what I was taught when I was in SGI in the late 1980's...can't tell you about the 1960's, as I wasn't practicing then. I have never heard a leader actually come out and say "Toda became a Buddha while in prison." I have heard leaders say that Toda became enlightened while in prison.

To me, that's splitting hairs. Having an awakening, a revolutionary insight...enlightenment...isn't that exactly what happens to a Buddha? The Indian prince, Shakamunyi, sat in contemplation under the Bodhi tree in India...Josei Toda sat in contemplation in his jail cell -- and both had a deep, radical insight about the nature of life that they then spent the rest of their lives sharing with the world.

And thus began the mythology of SGI.

So, according to the mythology, Josei Toda, second president of the Soka Gakkai, became enlightened while in prison during World War II in Japan. After the war, he began rebuilding the Soka Gakkai and spreading the faith. However, at many points, his behavior does not exactly seem Buddha-like:

Excerpts from an article by a Nichiren Shu priest, Ryuei, from [nichirenscoffeehouse.net]

-----------------------------Beginning of Quote, nichirenscoffeehouse.net-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Toda organized his Young Men and Young Women's Divisions like military units and sent them out to convert others and to debate with the leaders of other religions - even to the point of demanding written apologies from the losers of such debates. On October 31, 1954, a massive demonstration of thousands of young Soka Gakkai members gathered at Taisekiji. Like a commanding general, Toda reviewed his "troops" from horseback and made the following address:

In our attempt at kosen rufu, we are without an ally. We must consider all religions our enemies, and we must destroy them. Ladies and gentlemen, it is obvious that the road ahead is full of obstacles. Therefore, you must worship the gohonzon, take the Soka Gakkai spirit to your heart, and cultivate the strength of youth. I expect you to rise to the occasion to meet the many challenges that lie ahead. (Murata, p. 100)

The militancy of Soka Gakkai's shakubuku campaign during Toda's presidency was intense, unrelenting, and sometimes overzealous. In his book The Soka Gakkai and Mass Society, James W. White describes how shakubuku was conducted in those years:

Until the early 1960's the literal translation of shakubuku, "to break and flatten," was a reasonably accurate description of the proselyting process. On occasion Gakkai members would surround a home and make noise until one family member agreed to join. Or they would belabor a mark with argument and exhortation for hours on end. Sometimes threats of divine punishment were used: dire injuries and calamities might be predicted as the cost of resistance to the True Religion; a child's illness or death might be traced to the parents' heretical beliefs. In such instances the "fear of punishment [instilled] in a mind weakened and made receptive by hours of pressure" could lead to the collapse of the subject's critical faculties and intellectual defenses, and to his acquiescing in the demands of the proselyters. (White, p.82)


Though a formal political party would not be created until the next decade, the Soka Gakkai did begin to run candidates for elections at different levels of government starting in the mid-50's. They began with the successful campaigns of 55 Soka Gakkai members for ward assemblymen and city council positions in and around Tokyo in 1955. In 1956, they entered the national stage by winning three seats in the House of Councilors. They would win even more seats in 1958 on both the local and national levels of government. In light of Toda's stated goal of converting Japan to Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and establishing a national kaidan, the Soka Gakkai's political victories were viewed as alarming by many Japanese.

Conflicts with the Nichiren Shoshu, however, began almost from the very start with the Ogasawara Incident. In April 1952, the Nichiren Shoshu held a four day celebration at Taisekiji to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Nichiren Shonin's proclamation of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. . During the celebration, Toda learned that a priest named Jimon Ogasawara was present. During the war years, Ogasawara had been instrumental in pushing the Nichiren Shoshu into its compromises with the Imperialist government. Outraged, Toda sent 47 members of the Youth Division (perhaps a deliberate reference to the story of the 47 Ronin?), including Daisaku Ikeda, to track Ogasawara down so that he could confront him. The Youth Division members succeeded and found him at a priest's lodging house drinking with friends. Toda confronted him and demanded an apology for his actions during the war. Actions which Toda felt had resulted in the death of Makiguchi. Toda apparently admitted in an interview with Kiyoaki Murata that he had even struck Ogasawara during the confrontation. Since Ogaswara refused to apologize or admit to any wrongdoing he was stripped to his underwear by the Youth Division and carried to the grave of Makiguchi where he was forced to sign an apology.

Toda was also not speaking metaphorically about material benefits. For Toda, true faith should bring rewards in terms of health and wealth, as is made clear in another talk:

When I meet you, I don't ask: "Are you keeping faith?" The reason is that I take your shakubuku for granted. What I really want to ask you is how your business is, whether you are making money, and if you are healthy. Only when all of you receive divine benefits do I feel happy. A person who says "I keep faith; I conduct shakubuku" when he is poor - I don't consider him my pupil. Your faith has only one purpose: to improve your business and family life. Those who talk about "faith" and do not attend to their business are sacrilegious. Business is a service to the community. I will expel those of you who do nothing but shakubuku without engaging in business. (Murata, pp.107-8)

Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Shonin would probably have been startled to hear that the sole purpose of faith is to improve business and family life. In fact, both of them taught that faith in the Wonderful Dharma should transcend worldly considerations. Nevertheless, Toda taught a version of Buddhism that emphasized worldly success above all.

[Toda said] How can we live happily in this world and enjoy life? If anyone says he enjoys life without being rich and even when he is sick - he is a liar. We've got to have money and physical vigor, and underneath all we need is life force. This we cannot get by theorizing or mere efforts as such. You can't get it unless you worship a gohonzon...It may be irreverent to use this figure of speech, but a gohonzon is a machine that makes you happy. How to use this machine? You conduct five sittings of prayer in the morning and three sittings in the evening and shakubuku ten people. Let's make money and build health and enjoy life to our hearts' content before we die! (Murata, p.108)

More about paying $180,000 to name a gate for Ikeda, from Soka Gakkai Unofficial:

from [groups.yahoo.com]

-----------------------beginning of quote----------------------------------------------------------------------------

People's Park Re: [SGI] "Branding" Ikeda Park for $180,000


Stace: <<I remember one youth saying that by 2010 everyone will know who Ikeda
is. I wonder why is this important? Is it not the practice, individual
transformation and movement toward peaceful persons and world that are
essential?>>

"Why is this important?" Actual proof. "Appearance, the first of the ten factors
of life, is the most important of all."

Most people don't know that the firt meetings of Presidents Ronald Reagan and
Michail Gorbachev were held in Geneva, Switzerland, twenty-five years ago,
November 20th, 1985, following the advice given by an "Asian man" who
recommended it to Henry Kissinger. Of course now we know the "Asian man" had
been Daisaku Ikeda. Eventually you'll read the details of it in the New Human
Revolution series.

Most recently in the news it's been Medvedev and Obama signing nuclear
reductions deals. I'll bet if you look behind the scenes you'll find Ikeda's
influence.

"Eventual History" as it is called...that is, "history as it is being created
today."
----------------------------ending of quote-------------------------------------------------------------------

Second SGI President Josei Toda did stress how members must be successful to show "actual proof" that this Buddhism was true. An SGI member argued that all these honors given to Ikeda are "actual proof."

Well, maybe they would be if he had actually done something to earn them. What does buying a degree, or having someone pay many thousands of dollars to name a gate after you prove, though? Just that you, or your followers have money.

What has Ikeda actually done? Written books? Many were written by ghostwriters. His peace proposals? Probably also written by ghostwriters. Even if they weren't, what do they really say? That peace is a wonderful thing? Who wouldn't say that? Does he actually offer any concrete, practical steps to get there? Is the world actually any more peaceful because of Ikeda's peace proposals?

His schools? If the Spirit of Knowledge Academy in Worcester, Massachusetts is typical, the school will take tax money to simply duplicate what other schools in the area are already doing effectively and more economically. Spirit of Knowledge has no plans to help those students who are struggling academically. These kids can just drop out of school altogether, or go back to the public schools. People like Madonna, Oprah and the Bill Gates Foundation are at least building schools in places that don't have enough schools -- and they're using their own money to do it.

At the end of the day, Ikeda's real accomplishments are fundraising, and building a big organization that is devoted to him, an accomplishment equalled by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon of Korea. Yet some of his followers actually think he's a great man who has accomplished something!

Thanks for the info tsukimoto.

I was aware of some of the details about Toda's time in Prison. Reading it in more depth though, it doesn't sound like his time in prison led to him becoming enlightened, it sounds like he went slightly mad, which is understandable...

I think the extreme rhetoric and tone of Toda's admonishments regarding obtaining wordly wealth would have allowed Ikeda to be more 'gentle' in his rhetoric after Toda died. By that time SGI had become a very large, wealthy organisation, and would 'organically' grow as long as the wheels of SGI 'guidance' were oiled regularly.

And the whole 'actual proof' issue is just another straw man. For the lay members, no matter how much 'proof' they achieve there will always be more to be done, more activities, more shakabuku, more donations. From my introduction to SGI, your first 'determination' when you started chanting was allowed/encouraged to be something 'wordly', supposedly so that you could show a palpable change in your life. But the insinuation was that after that you would develop a 'deeper' practice in a spiritual sense. Never happened! And I can honestly say members who had been for years and were supposedly 'great leaders' were still struggling along with their 'wordly affairs'. Why? Because they weren't practicing buddhism, they were practicing SGI.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2010 04:18AM by DavidM.

Not sure if everyone is aware of this website: [www.buddhawill.com]

Maybe I'm just out of the loop but tonight was the first time I've come accross it.
Very strange, it has alot of 'general' info about SGI but the main purpose of the page is to attack SGI's critics. The section on 'The Ill Informed' is SGI rhetoric of the worst kind. It references the fraught with peril blogs and tries to attack them too, pretty unsucessfully, the old 'don't think for yourself' theme shines through.
It doesn't have any 'official' SGI stamp, the site author is credited as Safwan Zabalawi, doesn't seem to be much info about him.

David, I did not know about that website, and I don't know anything about Safwan Zabalawi either. He or she could be some ordinary member who has created the website independently. Or perhaps there is no person by that name; an SGI member, leader, or group could have just chosen that pseudonym. It's not an official SGI website, but it can say things that an official site couldn't. If someone complains, SGI can just say, "Safwan's doing this on his/her own. Hey, we don't love it either, but Safwan has the right to freedom of speech."

I copied this gem:

"The negative information about SGI can be easily traced to one or another of the three groups of Soka enemies:


The Japanese fascists, the arrogant priests and the ignorant mob."

Typical SGI debating style. Never address any of the concerns people raise about SGI....the audulation of Ikeda, SGI's wealth and unwillingness to be open about its finances, top-down management style, the emphasis on materialism. Let's just attack anyone who questions these things. Safwan would not come here and say that -- because we would call him/her/them on that.

Did you notice that buddhawill.com linked to this thread --and fraughtwithperil.com? We are becoming famous -- and people who need the experiences, information and support will find culteducation.com and fraughtwithperil.com!

"The negative information about SGI can be easily traced to one or another of the three groups of Soka enemies:
The Japanese fascists, the arrogant priests and the ignorant mob."

I guess I'm part of the ignorant mob and happily so.

"What matters most is one's heart" is repeated throughout the Gosho. Ironically this is what I attached to growing up and what I think of when Ikeda is discussed. I don't give a shit about what the man has supposedly done honestly. His guidance is always demonizing, polarizing, and fascist.

Tsuki you're right, we are becoming famous. The conference I attended - most of the moderators knew about SGI or in the very least NSA. One of them even knew that SGI was involved in the Komeito party. One facilitator spoke of Reverend Moon. If I had just happened to overhear her and didn't know any better I would have thought she was talking about Ikeda.

Forgive me if this was posted earlier on our forum. This is verbatim from a handout at my conference. Credit should be given entirely to Carol Giambalvo of the ICSA.

This is from Dr. Robert J. Lifton's "8 Criteria for Thought Reform"

1. Milieu Control. This involves the control of information and communication both within the environment and, ultimately, within the individual, resulting in a significant degree of isolation from society at large.

2. Mystical Manipulation. There is manipulation of experiences that appear spontaneous but in fact were planned and orchestrated by the group or it's leaders in order to demonstrate divine authority or spiritual advancement, or some special gift or talent that will then allow the leader to reinterpret events, scripture, and experiences as he or she wishes.

3. Demand for Purity. The world is viewed as black and white and the members are constantly exhorted to confrom to the ideology of the group and strive for perfections. The induction of guilt and/or shame is a powerful control device used here.

4. Confesstion. Sins, as defined by the group, are to be confessed either to a personal monitor or publicly to the group. There is no confidentiality: members' "sins", attitudes," and "faults" are discussed and exploited by the leaders. (guidance anyone?)

5. Sacred Science. The group's doctrine or ideology is considered to be the ultimate Truth beyond all questioning or dispute. Truth is not to be found outside the group. The leader. as the spokesperson for God or for all humanity, is likewise above criticism.

6. Loading the Language. The group interprets or uses words or phrases in new ways so that often the outside world does not understand. This jargon consists of thought-terminating cliches which serve to alter members' thought processes to conform to the group's way of thinking

7. Doctrine over person. Member's personal experiences are subordinated to the sacred science and contrary experiences must be denied or reinterpreted to fit the ideoloogy of the group. (not to be confused with SGI experiences at the meetings or in publications)

8. Dispensing of existense. The group has the preroogative to decide who has the right to exist and who does not. This is usually not literal but means that those in the outside world are not saved, unenlightented, unconscious, and they must be converted to the group's ideology. If they do not join the group or are critical of the group,, then they must be rejected by the members. Thus, the outside world loses all credibility. In conjunction, should any member leave the group, he or she must be rejected also.

Quote
tsukimoto
David, I did not know about that website, and I don't know anything about Safwan Zabalawi either. He or she could be some ordinary member who has created the website independently. Or perhaps there is no person by that name; an SGI member, leader, or group could have just chosen that pseudonym. It's not an official SGI website, but it can say things that an official site couldn't. If someone complains, SGI can just say, "Safwan's doing this on his/her own. Hey, we don't love it either, but Safwan has the right to freedom of speech."

I copied this gem:

"The negative information about SGI can be easily traced to one or another of the three groups of Soka enemies:


The Japanese fascists, the arrogant priests and the ignorant mob."

Typical SGI debating style. Never address any of the concerns people raise about SGI....the audulation of Ikeda, SGI's wealth and unwillingness to be open about its finances, top-down management style, the emphasis on materialism. Let's just attack anyone who questions these things. Safwan would not come here and say that -- because we would call him/her/them on that.

Did you notice that buddhawill.com linked to this thread --and fraughtwithperil.com? We are becoming famous -- and people who need the experiences, information and support will find culteducation.com and fraughtwithperil.com!

Dear Tsukimoto:

Safwan is an Australian member who was kicked off Sokagakkaiunofficial about a year ago. I have corresponded with him. He is a true son of Soka. He gives verbal expression to the thoughts of the top leaders. Whether he arrived at his ideas spontaneously or through discussions with his senior leaders is anyone's guess.

Nichijew

Stoic posted this on the Byron Katie thread of the "Cults, Sects and New Religious Movements" forum:

[forum.culteducation.com]

-------------------------------------------Beginning of Quote------------------------------------------------------------

This article on happiness and adversity presents a more realistic and long-term picture of the life events over which none of us, including Byron Katie, has any control and which can prove beneficial in the long run:

[www.policepsych.com]

(The entire piece addresses a state of emotional maturity and is worth reading)

'A balance between regret and contentment appears elsewhere as a hallmark of successful survival. Psychologist Jack Bauer, of Northern Arizona University, and Columbia's Bonanno interviewed people six months after they had lost a spouse in midlife and tallied the number of positive and negative comments each person made about the lost relationship. Those who initially generated about five upbeat remarks for each critical comment adapted best and were functioning most smoothly two years later. People who had only negative things to say were not doing so well-but neither were those with only positive assessments.

The widows and widowers who ultimately adjusted best to loss were those who could admit to the difficulty and sadness of the situation without being overwhelmed by it. "It's a growth-oriented attitude," says Bauer. "It allows you to take into consideration life's difficulties, while keeping in mind the rosier big picture."

The capacity to simultaneously embrace both loss and growth is an ordinary part of life-a complex, poignant emotional state that is perhaps the greatest reward of maturity. "Even positive memories of the past are bittersweet," says Laura King. "My little boy is now two years old, and I can already see his babyness slipping away. There's an incredible richness and warmth about those memories-but also sadness, knowing that they're tied to a particular time in your life and that you'll never have those experiences again."

Ultimately, that emotional reward can compensate for the pain and difficulty of adversity. This perspective does not cancel out what happened, but it puts it all in a different context: that it's possible to live an extraordinarily rewarding life even within the constraints and struggles we face. In some form or other, says King, we all must go through this realization. "You're not going to be the person you thought you were, but here's who you are going to be instead-and that turns out to be a pretty great life."
-----------------------------------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This made me think of Josei Toda's insistence that an SGI member had to be happy, healthy and successful -- or, as he said, "I don't consider him my pupil." Toda felt that sick, unhappy, or financially struggling members were not practicing Buddhism correctly. I also encountered this attitude in SGI-USA of the 1980's and 90's. You could say that you were depressed, sick, discouraged, broke, struggling --- so long as you could say "And now, thanks to my daimoku, SGI and my leaders' guidance, I'm happy, healthy, encouraged, and successful! Leaders did not have a lot of patience if your struggles just kept going on and on and you were not resolving them.

Yet, some things just can't be changed, and it's just not possible to be happy all the time. Nichiren Daishonin himself said, "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. " I think that some SGI leaders would like to forget this quote. Telling prospective members that they're still going to suffer sometimes, even after joining SGI? How's that going to help SGI groups meet their new member quotas?

I remember leaders telling us to be cheerful and enthusiastic at meetings when guests were present, and not to raise any controversial topics. We just had to show guests how happy and excited we were to be SGI members! To me, that created a phony atmosphere that probably turned off would-be members. People differ. Some people are naturally extroverted, lively, bubbly, and cheery -- and some aren't. And no matter what your personality, you feel better some days than others. In a roomful of people, it's just unnatural that everyone is going to be feeling gleeful and perky on the same day...seeing that would put me off, if I were attending some meeting.