Nichijew,

I tried sending you a PM but it said your storage space was full. Would you mind sending me a PM with whatever materials you may have as well as a link to your blog?

Hi Mitchel. I don't speak Japanese but I imagine the violence is directed at those who left the SGI to join the Temple. The more insidious and sometimes more damaging violence perpetrated by SGI members is psychological violence. For example, blaming the victim rather than the abuser. Who is it that is abused? Whomever is lower in the SGI hierarchy is invariably blamed for a complaint against a leader except in the most egregious circumstances [criminal prosecution bringing public shame to the SGI organization, for example]. It is is akin to blaming a woman who is raped for no fault of her own or blaming an innocent country for some made up transgression as an excuse to invade that country. Shifting causality in such ways the SGI leaders maintain their power over members and the illusion of their infallibility.

Nichijew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/2011 03:15PM by Nichijew.

@snagdude

Thanks so much for the links and information. I checked out the links and will continue to read and try and learn more. One thing that puzzles me still regarding the gohonzon: I thought I read somewhere here in this thread that at the time of the split in 1991 the gohonzon was altered and it was this altered version that was considered the fraudulent one. The geocities site detailed a lengthy history that honestly went over my head; it reminded me of christians bickering over which version of the bible is more authentic...


Hi Mitchell,

You are most welcome. I really hope that all the information will help you and your wife. As for the question on the split in 1991 and the altered gohozon, I think you mean that SGI have asked members to replace the Nikken Gohonzon with the Nichikan Gohonzon because of the priesthood issues. It is not a fraud or rather 2 different versions of Gohonzons written by 2 different high priests - Nikken and Nichikan. SGI regards Nichikan as the restorer of Nichiren Shoshu school by reorganize the whole NS temple and doctrines which I personally think that actually Nichikan reorganize the so call forgery gohos and documents on their lineage from various sources. Btw you can download a number of authentic Nichiren Daishonin Gohozons from the internet which was uploaded by some kind Nichiren practioners. These are even more authentic to the ones that was given out by NST/SGI because they are inscribe by Nichiren Daishonin to his disciples. I personally believe that NST/SGI actually do not have any authentic Nichiren Daishonin personal inscribe Gohonzons and they can only used gohonzons written by NST priests previously and that is why they fabricate all those lies and forgeries about the Dai-Gohonzon and transfer documents. Take yr time to read the lengthy history. To me, I dun take sides but I do want to know the real history of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism, not some fabricated history or lies by any Nichiren Buddhism Sects.

Just another note, Komeito party and SGI are defintely link. As a matter of fact, SGI seem to have links to alot of commerical companies espeically Japanese companies such as Mitsuibishi and etc. However I think SGI have done a good job of covering most of these links up to make itself seems to be a spiritual/buddhist organization. It may need to take some digging before you can find the links which some of the people have done a magnificent job I would say. There are also a number of scandals with regards to the companies and SGI in Japan too.

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Mitchell
Just a note on my wife: she has spent a lot of time reading and thinking and is making a lot of progress. We talk openly without fighting. She mentioned this morning that she was reading about the Komeito party on the Japanese wikipedia site and that while it had a lot of good, eye opening for her, information it said something like in the late 80s that the government made it illegal to have religious groups affiliated with political parties. I checked the english wikipedia and all I saw was that the SGI and Komeito are independent. Thoughts?

Also, my yesterday my wife shared something pretty significant for her. She talked about all the literature and the speeches from PI that stressed the importance of respecting other peoples' religions. She then talked about how SGI goes on and on about rosen kufu (sp?). She came to the conclusion that your really cannot respect another person's religion AND at the same time tell them to replace it with SGI. I think this is a huge step for her. She, a fortune baby no less, said this!

Additionally, I asked her about the Gojukai ceremony and she confirmed that she had done it. Yesterday she said that felt terrible for doing it behind my back and that she was feeling really bad about naming our daughter the way she did. She called it a day of guilt and lamented on in her words "what kind of religion can make it okay to lie?" She told me that she would call and have our daughter's name removed from her "card". I guess that's some membership card.

Step by step...

@Mitchell, you and your wife are very inspiring. It appears that, with the love you share between you, and for your child, you are sowing powerful seeds to break out of the trap that SGI's darker, more culty side has instilled in your lives. I'm not suggesting your wife will stop chanting or even leave SGI necessarily, but it definitely appears that she is willing to open her eyes and take an honest look. I applaud her for that, and you for the courage and love it has taken to help her get to this point.

Despite the negativity and greed that drives so much of SGI on a leadership level, it is my personal belief that everyone, regardless of how deluded or twisted their motives may seem, is really nothing less than absolute Love at the very foundation of their existence. For various reasons this powerful Center that we all share too often becomes twisted and distorted in the way it is expressed through the low frequency, dualistic planes of physical reality. Regardless of where you go from here, in this moment you and your wife are currently expressing something much more powerful than the cult energy of SGI, and it's something to be learned from.

It is absolutely necessary for this group and others to keep on exposing SGI and groups like it for their deception and negativity. Yet, it helps me to recall that the whole point of exposing it is to help people restore peace and balance in their lives by showing them how the cult energies have gradually, imperceptiblly clouded their minds and bound their hearts through the use of subtle fear tactics and other methods. After all, IMO, that natural, loving human instinct for freedom is the whole reason people get sucked into cults in the first place -- even those who go off track, as so many SGI leaders and members unwittingly (or not) have done.

Quote
Nichijew
Hi Mitchel. I don't speak Japanese but I imagine the violence is directed at those who left the SGI to join the Temple. The more insidious and sometimes more damaging violence perpetrated by SGI members is psychological violence. For example, blaming the victim rather than the abuser. Who is it that is abused? Whomever is lower in the SGI hierarchy is invariably blamed for a complaint against a leader except in the most egregious circumstances [criminal prosecution bringing public shame to the SGI organization, for example]. It is is akin to blaming a woman who is raped for no fault of her own or blaming an innocent country for some made up transgression as an excuse to invade that country. Shifting causality in such ways the SGI leaders maintain their power over members and the illusion of their infallibility.

Nichijew

Hi, Nichijew. Isn't blaming a rape victim akin to the idea of everything is your karma and it's no accident? Like you chose to have that karma and everything in life you are responsible for?

I ask because that's how it had been taught in SGI. I am not condoning that!

Hi Shavoy. Although the web of karmic causality is quite complex, one characteristic of awakening is the ability to know the way of the world and to see reality as it is. For example, Nichiren teaches, "And that will in no way be her fault [if she talks bad about her husband], but solely the result of his own reprehensible behavior.” Being able to correctly ascribe blame is part of knowing the world and being able to see things as they really are, I believe.

Nichijew



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2011 02:52PM by Nichijew.

Hi Mitchell -

Your situation is very similar to mine, except my wife is American. It's great that your wife is at least willing to read this forum and any criticism of SGI, mine will not. I've been married for nearly 20 years and still have not drunk the kool aid. Hang in there.

@ScoobyDooby

I'm sorry to hear that she won't even have an honest look at the material. For me there are two parts to this: 1) the religious practice and 2) the organizational machine SGI. I suppose one could come to the conclusion that the religious thinking is okay, but I am pretty sure if one looks at the evidence, one will see nothing but cultish behavior from the SGI. Have you considered this approach? One thing my wife is seeing can be summed up with "where there's smoke, there's fire". There are just too many signs to ignore.

One thing that I considered when I left my cult and something I brought up with my wife was the simple question "what would happen if my group had all their desires fulfilled?" Imagine a world where SGI really did convert the whole world. Is that *really* a place you'd want to live? These fascist goals were the same as Hitler and co. Oh, but the rebuttal will be "Hitler was responsible for so many deaths! PI is all about peace." I don't know for sure, but I would suppose that Hitler didn't get to his leadership on the "let's exterminate Jews" platform. Like a slow dripping faucet, people like this, PI included, slowly condition their followers to do things they ordinarily would not do.

@Nichijew...thanks for answering my query. This leads to another question, I'm sure I saw it addressed over this thread, but I'll ask: Are there more than one Gosho? In other words, what SGI has as the Gosho is SGI-sanctioned, correct? So is there another version as well?

@Mitchell....what you said about the entire world converted to SGI/Ikeda is right on. No, it is not a place where people would want to live. Any other beliefs other than SGI-Buddhism would be considered inferior, therefore severely discouraged, no? "Oh, but the rebuttal will be "Hitler was responsible for so many deaths! PI is all about peace." Peace at the cost of bowing down to another authority, which would be just another leader veneration, which is what PI wants. Bowing down to his glory. Any natural, differing view would be squashed and people would be deemed traitors. It is a story as old as time.

Your wife sounds like her gut is starting to speak louder and louder. And when the gut speaks....SGI would try to say that's fundamental darkness. It is not.

@BeingAdagio...that was a wonderful response to Mitchell's situation. Many great points you made.

I have another question I want to put out. Yes, yes, I'm a broken record on this concept, so forgive. In the overkill emphasis of Mentor/Disciple, which has reached a seemingly unending crescendo, this is supposed to burn in members' minds the greatness of Sensei, to crowd out their own views and thoughts, so that Sensei is the domination in their heads?

How ironic that they excoriate the principle of "intermediary" but no one believes more in an intermediary than they: [www.youtube.com]