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Shavoy
Hello, KR....I find the fact that they are still sending you these talking points, despite the fact that they know how you feel about the whole thing, mind-boggling. I let my subscription to the pubs go a long time ago---good thing I haven't missed much---it's only getting worse. But then, go figure, right?
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KR
I can only say that 5% who were in SGI really bought into the hype of Ikeda and the Mentor/Disciple thing. Then again, life in Mid-City, USA is a lot more different than Japan.
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tsukimoto
Shavoy, KR, Anticult,
These posts make me think of a discussion that I had with a friend over the Christmas holidays. She and I had been SGI members together in our hometown, some years ago. She moved to another state a few years ago, and is still involved in an SGI group there. We talked about SGI...and this thread. I asked her, "Do you really believe all the hype about Ikeda...that he's your mentor? Do you really think that you need him as your mentor to reach enlightenment?"
She said, "No, I kind of ignore that talk."
I asked, "Then why do you stay in SGI?"
She answered, "Oh, I like the people in my group. I like to chant, and it's nice to have people to do it with. A lot of people in my chapter feel the same way."
She does do a lot of activities for SGI, and does contribute money, and probably a lot of her friends in that chapter do too. So Anticult is right -- SGI doesn't need them to believe in Ikeda as super- mentor and savior.
I think a lot of SGI members see SGI as just, "Hang out with my friends and chant." I might have done so for longer too if I'd felt more of a bond with the people in my group. Knowing what I know now, though, I couldn't stay in SGI, even if I did find a group of members that I loved. I could not give my time and money to an organization that essentially exists to provide wealth and adulation for a billionaire.
My friend thinks that she can be an SGI member and not be affected by SGI's manipulations. I used to think that too...then when I began to question SGI, I found myself panicking that terrible things would happen to me because of my "disloyalty" and "slander." I thought that I hadn't bought into SGI's lies and manipulations that something bad would happen to me if I did not support SGI 100%. I was wrong. I'd taken in that notion -- and not even realized it.
I tried to explain this to my friend. She became defensive and said, "I'm not you! I'm happy to be in SGI; it's not hurting me in any way." I had to drop the subject. Clearly, I wasn't going to get anywhere. She was not ready to hear this, nor was she interested in looking at this thread. At least she knows it's here, if she ever is ready to question SGI. I remember how I was back in my SGI days.
It's hard to face that you have been wrong about something -- for years, or that you've been manipulated by people you trusted. If you've got friends in a group, it can be hard to leave your friends. If you've been actively involved in SGI, it's taken over much of your free time. Just walking away from all that can be difficult. What DO you do with all the time and energy that you put into SGI? The SGI leaders know all this, of course. It's a fiendishly clever system.
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The Anticult
That is planned Social Engineering by SGI-USA.
It really is.
After all, in Japan, there are planned socially engineered SGI towns, right? People live and breathe SGI in those areas, that is the mothership.
Of course that doesn't work in the USA, and the west.
So SGI-USA studied what works, and what works, is having a type of social community group.
After all, a lot of people go to various churches for the social connections too, with only a few hours of commitment a week.
Many regular folks in SGI in the west, it is like a social club. They meet at eachothers places, chant, joke, recruit, etc. They invite people, implying its a "party" or almost a dating event. Then try to get them into SGI chanting.
But this didn't happen by accident. That is planned by SGI-USA, that model is planned. And not by Ikeda either, he would not understand that. But they hired smart people to design the SGI-USA structure.
In a sense, its almost like Amway.
Invite people to your home, and then sell them stuff. But of course its different than Amway too.
So a person might say, well then SGI is not really a cult, due to its low demand on those people. But one has to look at the ENTIRE SGI picture, not just the isolated chanting group.
As at the same time, the senior SGI people are on the lookout for people for a deeper involvement, and "promote" them to run the office, and load them up with work. Those are the people who start to get REALLY exploited by SGI and start to believe the Ikeda junk.
They are the ones to give SGI all of their money.
So SGI is a complex organization, much more sophisticated than most. They are actually more intelligent than a Scientology, who does drive everyone really hard. SGI is smarter. They have designed an entry level SGI membership, where its not that demanding.
- pay your SGI dues.
- recruit your friends for fake SGI karma.
- give SGI money
- do free labor for SGI, etc.
That is merely the entry level position, and then the SGI leaders poach people from that level, and move them up the ladder.
So it is a brilliant org, as they can say...hey we are not a cult, its low demand.
But in fact a lot more is going on, as proven in these threads and elsewhere.
So the meeting groups, are the bottom rung of the ladder, for revenue generation, and are only a tiny part of SGI.
All the power is in Japan.
Even SGI-UK, the 40 million from SGI is totally controlled from SGI-Japan, as shown here.
SGI-UK Charity Number 1104491
[forum.culteducation.com]
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tsukimoto
Shavoy, KR, Anticult,
These posts make me think of a discussion that I had with a friend over the Christmas holidays. She and I had been SGI members together in our hometown, some years ago. She moved to another state a few years ago, and is still involved in an SGI group there. We talked about SGI...and this thread. I asked her, "Do you really believe all the hype about Ikeda...that he's your mentor? Do you really think that you need him as your mentor to reach enlightenment?"
She said, "No, I kind of ignore that talk."
I asked, "Then why do you stay in SGI?"
She answered, "Oh, I like the people in my group. I like to chant, and it's nice to have people to do it with. A lot of people in my chapter feel the same way."
She does do a lot of activities for SGI, and does contribute money, and probably a lot of her friends in that chapter do too. So Anticult is right -- SGI doesn't need them to believe in Ikeda as super- mentor and savior.
Quote
tsukimoto
Shavoy, KR, Anticult,
These posts make me think of a discussion that I had with a friend over the Christmas holidays. She and I had been SGI members together in our hometown, some years ago. She moved to another state a few years ago, and is still involved in an SGI group there. We talked about SGI...and this thread. I asked her, "Do you really believe all the hype about Ikeda...that he's your mentor? Do you really think that you need him as your mentor to reach enlightenment?"
She said, "No, I kind of ignore that talk."
I asked, "Then why do you stay in SGI?"
She answered, "Oh, I like the people in my group. I like to chant, and it's nice to have people to do it with. A lot of people in my chapter feel the same way."
She does do a lot of activities for SGI, and does contribute money, and probably a lot of her friends in that chapter do too. So Anticult is right -- SGI doesn't need them to believe in Ikeda as super- mentor and savior.
I think a lot of SGI members see SGI as just, "Hang out with my friends and chant." I might have done so for longer too if I'd felt more of a bond with the people in my group. Knowing what I know now, though, I couldn't stay in SGI, even if I did find a group of members that I loved. I could not give my time and money to an organization that essentially exists to provide wealth and adulation for a billionaire.
My friend thinks that she can be an SGI member and not be affected by SGI's manipulations. I used to think that too...then when I began to question SGI, I found myself panicking that terrible things would happen to me because of my "disloyalty" and "slander." I thought that I hadn't bought into SGI's lies and manipulations that something bad would happen to me if I did not support SGI 100%. I was wrong. I'd taken in that notion -- and not even realized it.
I tried to explain this to my friend. She became defensive and said, "I'm not you! I'm happy to be in SGI; it's not hurting me in any way." I had to drop the subject. Clearly, I wasn't going to get anywhere. She was not ready to hear this, nor was she interested in looking at this thread. At least she knows it's here, if she ever is ready to question SGI. I remember how I was back in my SGI days.
It's hard to face that you have been wrong about something -- for years, or that you've been manipulated by people you trusted. If you've got friends in a group, it can be hard to leave your friends. If you've been actively involved in SGI, it's taken over much of your free time. Just walking away from all that can be difficult. What DO you do with all the time and energy that you put into SGI? The SGI leaders know all this, of course. It's a fiendishly clever system.