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bribri
Thanks for the greeting Shavoy,
Interesting, your name, if it really is Shavoy. It looks like it may be a more phonetic pronunciation of Chavoix, a French family name.
Many supporters of SGI will claim that there was never a policy of encouraging members to think of Ikeda as the True Buddha, but there was. As I mentioned before, things like this are not written down, just like so many other things which the more senior members were cognizant of. I mean we all know, or I presume that we all know, that of all the religious organizations in the world the SGI is run like a machine. It would be unthinkable for senior leaders not to have been aware of what people were saying or doing. The admiration for people like Sadanaga was of rock star quality - actually more so. Young men and women (when I joined I was 18) easily emulate those they admire the most and people did in fact do just that. For me, when I was first told that Ikeda was the true Buddha, I felt like I was being included into the circle of the true believers - a privilege for sure.
About being held back from assuming higher leadership roles, well of course, why would they want a rebel to poison the fragile minds of newer members. But yet maybe they were right as when the split occurred, the region we were part of broke away en masse and gave their support to the temple.
Here in Montreal the SGI headquarters's chief hounded me for a few years and even said he would try to get me fired from the college where I work.
I still chant, wife too, but my ideas about Nichiren Buddhism have changed radically over the last 20 years.
What about you?
Brian
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Findingmywaytoday
Interesting always to read the different posts from people. Today, I made the decision actually to cancel my SGI subscriptions. I thought they were gonna put up a fight on the other end, but they didn't. They said they will send me a check for the remaining amount. Wow! They did ask if I was still practicing, and I said a little. Huh, I wonder what is going to happen next.
I remember the lady who sponsored my Gohonzon saying that it isn't a big deal to get a Gohonzon. I think it is, as in one regard it is a representation of your life, or so I think it still is a little, but I don't know if that is some brainwashing that happened to me. My gohonzon has caused me to have more fear in my life than before, and good things happened before I received Gohonzon. This whole practice for sure has messed with my mind, and I am trying to pick up the ideas.
Let's see, what else? Let me ask any of you here who had been in the SGI longer than I have. I am and was always told that you can combine SGI with any other spiritual/ emotional thing, for example: yoga or other belief system. What I found was that this was hard for me. I would ask the leaders, and they would say: chant about it. It was and is hard for me to combine SGI with other belief systems because SGI members tend to feel that the SGI is the best thing out there, and nothing else.
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backnforth
I don't visit this board that often anymore; I got a little tired of the negativity and hate that also live here.
As I understand it, the purpose of the Rick Ross forums is to provide support and help to people who want to leave cults. It is not a "kumbaya" board -- it can't be, and still serve its purpose. The distortions and fear tactics of SGI, the cult to which most of us either currently or previously belonged, must be exposed over and over so those who remain in the shadows, afraid to speak out, can feel comfortable finally stepping into the light. They need to see that nothing horrible is happening to people who speak out, even quite strongly. If you don't personally see SGI as a destructive cult, or don't need to hear it as often as it is stated here, great. Hopefully, people won't need to come here forever, because they are finally ready to move on. But to my mind, this does not add up to "hate." I think it is "negativity" with the very positive purpose of helping people free themselves from fear.
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bribri
Hi everyone,
So, I don't know who any of you are and you certainly don't know me, but you have an interesting board here and I hope that we can have some really good exchanges.
A little about myself:
I became a Nichiren Shoshu - Sokka Gakkai Buddhist in 1969 when I was still in High School. Eventually I, like thousands of others, was a dedicated member and devoted nearly all of my free time to activities, which meant pretty well every evening and weekends too. The influence of a strongly organized and dynamic organization, like the Gakkai and Nichiren Buddhism, for a young and idealistic young man is overwhelming, but then again I'm sure there are many amongst you that know that already.
After a few years my natural skepticism came came back to life and I began asking questions on all aspects of what it meant to be a NS Buddhist. There were prolonged and heated arguments with my seniors, which resulted in them relegating me to a junior status, even though I was the first gaijin to become a member with 500 miles and had lead the development of the local movement. I took a strong dislike to the secrecy and mumbo-jumbo the Japanese brought with them from japan, The whole bullshit thing about Ikeda being an incarnation of the "True Buddha" was most concerning. The gakkai had (has) a way of not putting into print what it really wants to transmit to its followers and I was informed on more than one occasion by seniors I trusted that Ikeda was indeed Nichiren Daishonin.
After marriage at the age of 29, my wife, who became a member too, and I took our young family to live in France. Once we were settled we became local SGI leaders, but everything came to an end a few years later when the split arrived. After months agonizing over what to do, I decided that the information furnished by the SGI was at best misleading, so I opted for going over to the temple side. In fact I became a co-founder of the first French temple and am technically still a registered member there.
Now after 43 years I would like to see a reconciliation of all Nichiren groups. Seems we lost our way long before the split. Maybe now after we've had all this time to reflect, we can get ourselves into a new space and respond the the wishes of the Daishonin and finally do something we can all be proud of.
Looking forward to hear from you.
Brian
btw - we now live in Montreal Canada
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wakatta1
@BeingAdagio
Nicely said, nicely said.
Sadly, being politically correct is really just ignoring an obvious truth in order to avoid "unpleasantness". Wrap it in a euphemism and presto, you've sidestepped the issue. In particular, the codeword "negativity" is just a call for people to "shut the heck up" because the topic is unpopular. The Japanese are very good at understating things and avoiding going to the heart of the matter. It has been bred into them over generations. Avoiding confrontation is a prime directive in their society. American leaders who pressed their luck with the Japanese leadership usually got firm but vague answers and within months found themselves demoted. That's how it works...
I'm also sure SGI truly would love for the sordid details about the NSA/Temple split as well as the shaky justifications for their almost-gohonzons would just fade away into silence - then they can continue merrily on their way collecting dues for their little club and telling their M/D stories to the remaining members with a straight face.
Never mind the members who invested their lives and money in the old "true buddhism" on the belief that it meant something. We have moved beyond that, it's the new & improved buddhism. Anyways it sounds like all those old timer "pioneers" will soon be in retirement homes and then pushing up daisy's so who cares what those old fogey's say, just drown them out or wait them out. What is the old saying? It's a all Mind over Matter - they don't mind so it don't matter.
All that matters is that the zaimu, seikyo times dollars and function money continues to roll in. Leave them your estate and do your part for cousin rufus.
I guess Ikea will become a "forever sensei" if he can outlast all of those who remember the organizations original roots?
Wakatta1