Quote
holly_golightly
Well I think the older members were quite bored of the human and new human revolution, and didn't really bother with the books unless they were leaders.

Anyone who did express boredom with the books were advised that they weren't 'reading them with their hearts' and they 'needed to look beyond the words, to truly understand the heart of our mentor' and of course to 'chant about why you find them boring'.

The way I was taught to read was with my mind. And if the words were crafted beautifully enough, they would eventually reach the heart. Perhaps people found them boring, because they are boring. Maybe he's after the Nobel Peace Prize because he knows he doesn't ever stand a chance of winning the Nobel in Literature in this lifetime.

Quote
holly_golightly
No-one wanted to appear foolish and shallow by not seeing the true intent of our master.

It's a sad irony that the "foolish and shallow" are actually the members looking at themselves in a mirror.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 08:49AM by Hitch.

Quote
bobze39
People in a relaxed state of mind are not going to run to execute someone's orders, that's why you need to wind them up first - then they will get up and start running around following your orders.

The ymd, at least when I was in it, were programmed to run at full throttle from the minute you went into activity mode. You even had to go the bathroom and relieve yourself quickly. We ran everywhere, all the time, even if that meant knocking over other slower members. It was normal and expected. It was an unwritten rule. If you didn't, you got punished.

Here is a direct quote from Elie Weisel [en.wikipedia.org]:

Quote
Elie Weisel
I don't remember myself walking. Just running. When they order you or something, you had to run. A slave runs. And we were exemplary slaves, therefore you had to run. [www.youtube.com].

The analogy may be a bit extreme, but it is suitable. We may not have been physically enslaved, but we did indeed have our minds shackled in servitude.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 09:01AM by Hitch.

Hitch, in some ways it's true, people are slaving for SGI.
By the way, now I understand why leaders kept telling me, that I am not supposed to relax while chanting. "If you want to relax, go take a massage". They even recommended me to chant sitting on my feet, pretty uncomfortable position. That always puzzled me, because chanting has a great potential to relax mind. But that's not SGI purpose. That's why lots of people leave SGI and chant for themselves.
I run in the mornings, but I do it for myself.

You would think that's all that Nichiren talked about. Actually, there are only ~ ten phrases, "fundamental darkness"; one phrase, "possessed by devils"; and "fighting evil", zero phrases [in ~ 1000 pages of writings]. "Break and subdue" is one translation of shakubuku. Another is "forceful practices" and still another, "to refute." Nichiren rarely performed the forceful practices towards his own believers. Compare this to SGi leaders who are drunk on power and ego.

Nichijew



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/03/2012 01:40PM by Nichijew.

You guys just reminded me. We used to have an additional slogan that we shouted after "AAO."

It went like this:

AAO! AAO! AAO!
SHISHI FUNJIN! SHISHI FUNJIN! SHISHI FUNJIN!
RRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

(That last "RAAAH!" was supposed to be like the roar of the lion). (For those that may not know, Shishi Funjin = the fury of a lion).

Some really, really stupid crap (and I thought the same then, too).

Nowadays, they have made the "Shishi Funjin" theme into a ridiculous Taiko song. At risk of losing your lunch, watch these two clips [www.youtube.com] / [www.youtube.com]. The asian/japanophile's disclaimer on the second vid. reads "The Taiko song "Shishi-Funjin" is owned by Takiyama Daiko of Soka University in Japan and should not be performed without expressed consent from the Group's current President."

Yup, you need Ikeda's expressed consent to even "practice" (pun intended) now.

Back when I was in the youth division, the taiko drums were always pounded by the largest samoan type ywd and I think the minimum weight requirement to join was around 250 lbs.. Has this changed?

The Soka Gakkai incorporates varied and multi-levels of cultism into their overall structure. A partial list:

1. First and foremost, it is a cult that hides under the general banner of a mainstream eastern religion. A buddhist cult.

2. It incorporates elements of a political cult (Komeito) which manipulates to gain power for the very top (Japan) leadership.

3. It's a "peace" cult that exploits people's universal desires for world peace and human rights.

4. It's a financial cult, a pyramid scheme, that makes overt promises of monetary and worldly gain, exploiting one of the most basic of human desires - avarice.

5. It's an art based cult that uses creative-artistic angles to get people involved (e.g., music in the form of brass band/kotekitai, taiko drum groups / performing arts in the form of the cultural festivals / martial arts, they even used to have a kendo group that I recall).

6. It's a business-employer cult that exploits its salaried staff by taking over their entire lives, using them for its own gain and making them dependent on the organization for their livelihood. The further you rise and the longer you do their bidding, the more they literally own your soul.

7. It's a selling cult based on its sgi stores selling faith accessories, books (Ikeda's), multimedia (CD's/DVD's/etc.), newspapers (Seikyo Shimbun/WT), magazines (Daibyakurenge/SGI Graphic/ST). For those of you who may not know, their gakkai stores in Japan sell an entire line of gakkai-colored-themed goods (pencils, keychains, buttons, scotch tape, handkerchiefs, mini-flags, wrapping paper, posters, etc.) in red, blue and yellow. In many cases, the workers that staff these shops are unpaid member volunteers, as are the hundreds-thousands of members who deliver their organizational newspaper on their own time (and collect monthly fees) without monetary compensation.

8. A metaphysical-magical cult that teaches and encourages rituals (gongyo, daimoku, reading daily guidance, etc.).

9. A cultural cult that offers a community of like minded eastern based individuals (attitudes/outlooks/mindset/etc.) for those from those same countries or other ethnic groups that may be fascinated with such cultures.

10. A self-help & philosophical bent cult that proffers wisdom & guidance to its members.

Most cults only incorporate a single category or dual combination of the above, but the sg has woven them all into a complete monolithic manipulative machine that ultimately aims to subtly take away your autonomy, self control and self determination rights by way of engaging you in a long lasting (sometimes lifetime and even generational for families caught up in it) destructive, coercive, deceitful, exploitive and harmful relationship.

Having seen both the inside and outside of this monster cult, I feel sorry for anybody that gets mixed up in it and hope that they can eventually see the light and extricate themselves from it.

If anybody can think of further categories or examples, please feel free to add to the list.

@Hitch

Sadly, the "Gakkai Family" is probably the #11 element. They encourage members to strive to develop relationships with one another closer than would happen in a real organization, there is no "arms length" aspect to it. They are in your face, their hands are in your pockets, and they meddle with your life, your family and with your own self image.

Another item (#12) comes to mind in that the organization claims to operate in an above board way, and it polices its own, when in reality it is a free-for-all and there is little to no moderation. In some cases because the leaders are either cowardly or inept, in other cases I suspect people are played off against one another to keep the drama "going", like a soap opera that never ends.

I could think of more dysfunction but 12 things ought to be enough to make the point clear.

Wakatta1

"Better out than in I always say" -- Shrek

Hitch, don't forget number 13:
SGI is a cult that keeps a large ENEMY LIST, which includes Nichiren Shoshu and priests; journalists and politicians in Japan, who speak up against it (like Akiyo Asaki); also in this thread people talked about victims in America, like Lisa Jones and Byrd (for example first Tsukimoto's post on page 207); and just some random losers like me, who wound up on that list by accident.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2012 01:58PM by bobze39.

Thank you, excellent additions, fellow survivors.

11. Surrogate Family cult. (I can also add that when the chips are down, they will not be around, either. I've seen it a number of times and it's a harsh realization for the people that experience it.)

12. It's an autocratic cult with lower level hierarchies that pits even its own leaders against each other, playing off of their insecurities. (This is so true and I've seen evidence of this at the WCC.)

13. It's a vengeful cult that can manipulate its membership to wage personal wars against those that it chooses to set their sites on secondary to perceived wrongdoings or crossing the wrong person. (The most infamous being - the priesthood.)

And the list continues to grow . . . .

How true Hitch. One day they are your comrades, your best friends, your confidant, your brothers and sisters, the next day, when you are found to have Stage III or IV colon cancer and dying in the VA, they are no where to be found. When you no longer have anything to offer the SGI, when you fail to resolve or cure a serious problem or disease expeditiously, you are thrown out like an orange peel.

As an aside, NEVER share intimate personal information when you are receiving guidance because sooner or later, everyone in your circle [or should I say pyramid] will know your business and some WILL use it against you. This happened to my wife and even though I was a "good ikedabot" at the time, I was livid when I found out.

Nichijew