The Soka Gakkai Teachings Are a Danger to Children

The SGI could never make their arguments without use of the forged writings such as the True Aspect of all Phenomena or at best, a snippet here or there from a personal letter intended only for the recipient. They can never make their outlandish claims utilizing the Five Major Works of Nichiren Daishonin, the treatises that are the bedrock of Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism.

Let me give you a glaring example of the danger of such a religion as the SGI:

One of the questions on the SGI childrens multiple choice learning exam, Who Wants to be a Trillionaire is, "Who is a Buddha?" The "correct" answer is "Everybody". Teaching this to young children is a sure way to increase their chances of being sexually assaulted or murdered. The SGI misunderstands Buddhism. The SGI is a zennification of Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism. It is the teaching of human devils.

Bodhisattva Never Despise never said, "You are all Buddhas." He said, "You are all to become Buddhas." Everybody is not a Buddha, least of all those in the SGI who so misunderstand Buddhism that they put our children in jeopardy.

I have received lots of flack from this post, even a stern rebuke from the Nichiren Shu priest Ryuei. Here is my rebuttal:

When children go to the SGI Elementary School Division Web site, they find the game, Who Wants To Be A Trillionaire:

[www.sgi-usa.org]

Leaving aside for a moment that becoming a "trillionaire" [like the SGI mentor] is not a goal of Buddhism, the children eventually come upon the question, Who is a Buddha? The answer given is "everyone". I then criticized this false teaching as a danger to children. I knew I would get a lot of flack but my purpose was to stir up the SGI members, to get them to think and, to point out that from top to bottom, the SGI is mistaken about Buddhism and a danger to children.

One SGI member wrote a nasty letter but failed to include my discourse on Bodhisattva Never Despise. I wrote back:

Do you have young children? If you are an SGI member, you tell them that everyone is a Buddha,

"Honeybear, the pedophile Jimmy who lives down the street is a Buddha, the violent sexual deviant six houses down is a Buddha, and so too is your uncle Tony G who is a Crip."

Better to teach the children about Goldilocks and the big Bad Wolf which, at least, is a practical teaching that might one day protect (awaken) the child about the bad people out there. He failed to include the rest of my discourse:

Even Bodhisattva Fukyo NEVER says, you are all Buddhas. He says, "You are all TO BECOME Buddhas."

The SGI teaching that everyone is a Buddha is as evil as the Zen teachings, "If you see a Buddha on the road kill him." Both teachings deprecate the lofty condition of Buddhahood. This is tantamount to destroying the Buddha seed by making people indiscriminate and stupid. This is exactly what the SGI wants. They don't want people to discriminate. "President Ikeda is a Buddha, he is infallible", "your Territory Chief is a Buddha, you shouldn't disagree with him or you lack faith" [if you don't see it his way] or "the Human Revolution is the Gosho of modern times."

Another called me names and stated, the SGI teaches that we are all potential Buddhas. I wrote:

The answer to the question, Who is a Buddha, was, "Everyone". This is on the Official SGI-USA website and this is what is being taught to the elementary school children [not, as you say, that everyone is a potential Buddha]. The child is left with a nondiscriminating mind based on the SGI fantasy that "we are all Buddhas". I suggest you no longer screen SGI members who supervise and teach children because you are all Buddhas.

We of the Kempon Hokke will teach the children the difference between a Buddha and a common mortal: "A Buddha is Enlightened and would never harm you, a common mortal is deluded so be very careful." I suggest the SGI takes down their children's learning quiz from their web site or alter it to reflect Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism, the Latter Day, and common sense.

Then Rev. Ryuei of the Nichiren Shu wrote that because some other Buddhists teach that everyone is a Buddha it is ok and he too asserted that I was a deluded bigot.

I wrote back,

Nichiren states that most people pass so much time in the Lower Worlds that it is as natural to them as playing in a garden. If you taught my grandchildren that new age silliness that we are all Buddhas, I would withdraw from your temple. First and foremost, Buddhism is about seeing things the way they are. The fact is that, as an ER doctor, I see many children injured and abused by people that SGI calls "Buddhas".

Protecting the children of the Buddha [in this case literally] is teaching them the reality of the world. The reality is, most people are potential Buddhas and few are Buddhas. Potential Buddhas are common worldlings and are capable of anything like the Islamists who strapped a mentally retarded man with explosives and sent him into the pet market and killed dozens of people or the pedophiles who abuse and sometimes kill children..

Someone else wrote, "this is a crock of doo-doo. Nichiren wrote, Myoho renge kyo is the innate Buddha-nature of all beings, I would want my children to feel this way about others."

I replied,

Still, innate Buddha-nature is a far cry from Buddhahood. A roach and a stalk of stinkwood too have innate Buddha-nature. You don't have children and maybe you haven't seen what I've seen, things that would curdle your blood. The fact remains that not everyone is a Buddha, not even everyone who chants Namu Myoho renge kyo and, in this Latter Age, you can count the number of Buddhas on your hand.

If you want to believe Madoff, Ikeda, Bush, little Casey's mom, and Osama Bin Laden are Buddhas, rather than potential Buddhas, then there is not much I or anyone can say to you to convince you otherwise.

Someone wrote that he was a buddha before he received the Gohonzon and after but only realized it after.

I replied,

Nichiren also said of one of his deceased disciples, he was a Buddha in life so surely he is a Buddha in death. Could you please point out, however, where he called Hei No Saemon a Buddha? How about the Soga family? Oto Jomyo? Devedatta while alive? What about the Great Arrogant Brahmin or Kobo Daishi?

One other person wrote a second time, an even nastier letter than the first time. I responded:

No matter how grand the intentions of the people who practice with the SGI, as long as their teachings are in error, you should not follow them. Your attacks of me are a reflection of your anger. I have presented a reasoned argument why the SGI children's teachings, Do You Want To Be A Trillionaire, is neither Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism nor healthy for children. Why don't you step up to the plate and argue the matter instead of hiding behind personal attacks



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2012 03:02AM by Nichijew.

That "trillionaire" kids game is beyond disgusting. How can people not see this cult for what it is? It doesn't get much more blatant than that so-called kiddy game (fortune points in the form of $$coins$$ and the question, "do you want to continue making fortune?"). Sums up the practice perfectly (pun intended).

jlynneda63 - I remember Mike Kikumura, a lanky guy with glasses. He was always talking about "spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti!" He even looked like a walking spaghetti noodle, with glasses.

**********

Freeheartandmind - Your story is very sad and one that, unfortunately, was quite common. I saw stuff at meetings that I haven't ever seen again my entire life. Things like a couple bringing their fight over to a meeting (I guess they just couldn't turn it off for an hour and half or skip the meeting entirely that night) and screaming at each other . . . . . and a crazy person literally feigning a psychosomatic collapse on the living room floor pretending to be unconscious. I'm not making this stuff up; if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it myself.

The Japanese WD sometimes treated activities like glorified parties. The often sold things to each other and other members. They used to bring a bunch of Japanese food over to a meeting and the meeting would end at 8:30 p.m. ON THE DOT so that they could start their mini "impromptu" little party that would have them talking loudly and bursting into spasms of collective laughter at regular intervals for hours afterwards. Meetings were an excuse for many of these women to have a social life with like minded people. It was common for the after meeting party to last twice as long (or longer) than the actual meeting itself.

I, too, remember being packed into overloaded cars, vans, the back of trucks, etc., and being driven 2-3 hours to meetings each way. All for the privilege of going to a youth practice to be physically used, mentally abused and manipulated for a whole day. I absolutely hated and dreaded it. They only thing that made it slightly more tolerable was when I started driving myself and had the freedom to come and go and decide whether or not to stay on my own. Had it not been for that, I'm sure I would have stopped going entirely.

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Freeheartandmind
I remember when George Williams name change was announced. We were told he selected the most generic name possible (well, maybe Jim Smith is even more generic) so the NSA would be more americanized. This was a really big deal back then, him changing his name. Although I had a picture of Ikea (lmao again) on the table where my altar was, I probably respected Williams more because he was more real.

Isn't it funny. Change your name to become more "Americanized", yet still sit on the floor for everything, bow to leaders, run around yelling "HAI" while being "trained" and having psycho anglo saxons suddenly turn into broken English speakers. I remember Sadanaga-Williams often speaking to Japanese members in attendance in his native tongue first, with a wink and smile, before delivering his own thick accented, truncated, broken English version.

Freeheartandmind -

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Freeheartandmind
No peace, no joy, just pressure to chant and do the daily prayers and guilt if you fell short.

You just perfectly crystallized my own feelings, thoughts and experience for my entire time growing up in the cult. Thank you. You are definitely NOT alone.

The SGI has a very sophisticated and targeted brainwashing system aimed at children.

All the way from the SGI cartoon propaganda to these vile SGI mind-washing games about being a "trillionaire" to warp the values and minds of SGI youth.
And of course the concept of the SGI Fortune Baby, where a child is labelled, targeted and brought up in the SGI system, and used psychologically by the SGI sect to influence the parents.

Ikeda must have studied other sects and cults decades ago, and realized that targeting children has to be a primary focus. It builds the sect for the future.
But more importantly, every child has parents, and by targeting the children and youth, who are easier to brainwash, you also lock the parents into SGI more deeply.
Some of those born and raised in the sect, become aplogists for the sect, as can be seen in another thread here currently.


Every sect self-righteously tries to brainwash their kids into the sect, but not sure how well it works in the long run. It seems that many of them grow up and come out hating the sect, and speaking out against the abuses of the sect.
Because they are trying to block the youth and people from thinking for themselves and using critical thinking.

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Nichijew

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Spartacus
A warm welcome to Freeheartandmind.

We joined only a year apart. Looking forward to reading more of your story. I am currently writing my story. Since it is a bit too lengthy to post, I am putting it up under its own web site:

spartacusrebeldotweeblydotcom

The first three chapters are already up. I invite one and all to have a sneak peek, and to offer any feedback.

Spartacus

Yes, welcome freeheartandmind.

Can't get to your website with that web address Sparticus.

Sorry you couldn't get to my book website. It is free to view at spartacusrebel.weebly.com

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Hitch
I saw stuff at meetings that I haven't ever seen again my entire life. Things like a couple bringing their fight over to a meeting (I guess they just couldn't turn it off for an hour and half or skip the meeting entirely that night) and screaming at each other . . . . .


The Japanese WD sometimes treated activities like glorified parties.

I had the same experience in my area. Our district leaders were a married Japanese couple who could barely stand to be around each other. Whenever the wife made a point during the meeting, he would react condescendingly and dismiss what she had said. So then she'd challenge him to give his opinion and would then attack him about it. Real petty, childish stuff that would always make me cringe. Not exactly a shining example of "actual proof."

And, yes, it seems like many Japanese ladies went to the meetings to socialize more than anything else. I always thought that one should be quiet and respectful when you're in the kaikan Gohonzon room when others are chanting before Gongyo, but no. They'd talk loudly, carry on, exchange money, and twist and crane their necks to see who's entering the room or where their friends are sitting.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2012 03:26AM by SGBye.

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The Anticult
Some of those born and raised in the sect, become aplogists for the sect, as can be seen in another thread here currently.

The saddest thing about it is that they may never even realize that they are sipping the kool-aid from a poison chalice.

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The Anticult
Every sect self-righteously tries to brainwash their kids into the sect, but not sure how well it works in the long run. It seems that many of them grow up and come out hating the sect, and speaking out against the abuses of the sect.
Because they are trying to block the youth and people from thinking for themselves and using critical thinking.

Exactly.

A number of the cult "leaders" (especially salaried ones) are threatened and definitely insecure around members who have educated themselves and are able to think critically. The more you can think critically, the more the "power" of the cult dogma and leaders' ability to manipulate, declines. There is absolutely no defense against it. Zero.

I've seen responses ranging from pathetic resignation (salaried leaders), grasping of straw men, non-sequiturs, and other fallacies, to outright anger and stomping away huffing and puffing (unsalaried leaders and deeply brainwashed common members), when confronted. The very first time I used it against a "leader", I was stunned as to the effect and power it had. Up until then, I had looked up to them and even been a bit scared of them. Thereafter, no more and never again.

Being able to think critically = being able to see clearly all of the bull-s*** in front of you and all around you.

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Spartacus
Sorry you couldn't get to my book website. It is free to view at spartacusrebel.weebly.com

Would love to check it out and read it, Spartacus. Still can't locate it. Can you post a direct link?

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Nichijew
Some interesting reading Hitch but I have to think SGI's tentacles are around the throats of many of the participants of these symposia, preventing open dialogue. Also the problem of SGI secrecy, power, money, and influence thwarts any thorough investigation into their inner workings. Fortunately we can deduce their inner workings from their outward appearance. I couldn't access the book on the SGI Catholic dialogue. I was familiar with the brazilian piece. I like the title, Building “the Closest Organization to the Heart of Ikeda-Sensei”. ugghh

Agreed. With "friends" like the gakkai, who needs enemas!

Outstanding, Spartacus. Agree with EVERYTHING you wrote in the first 4 chapters. Keep up the good work!!

[spartacusrebel.weebly.com]

or

[www.google.com]

Btw, found your site Nichijew. Boy oh boy, the gakkai must LOVE you!! (HeHeHe!) Well done!