Its not enough for Ikeda to rob the SGI rich and give to the poor, like Robin Hood.

Ikeda has to rob the SGI rich, and rob from the SGI poor too...and pocket both.

Its like Caesar and other tyrants, who always raise taxes most on the poorest.
Ikeda and SGI knows most people with money are not idiots, and do not throw their money around, only a few do.
But they also know, many desperate and vulnerable people WITHOUT much money, will clean out their last few thousand bucks, in a desperate hope for a health miracle cure.
And many wealthy people who are sick and desperate, will spend a fortune on quackery in desperate hope.

So Ikeda is also robbing from those with serious and even terminal illness, with the SGI false promises of miracle healings, to those who give their last dollars to SGI.

How much lower can a person go?
To deceive desperate people with serious health issues, and manipulate them into believing giving SGI their last dollars, will lead to a miracle karma cure of their illness?
You have to be literally a psychopath to do that to vulnerable people.

Quote
The Anticult
Its not enough for Ikeda to rob the SGI rich and give to the poor, like Robin Hood.

Ikeda has to rob the SGI rich, and rob from the SGI poor too...and pocket both.

Its like Caesar and other tyrants, who always raise taxes most on the poorest.
Ikeda and SGI knows most people with money are not idiots, and do not throw their money around, only a few do.
But they also know, many desperate and vulnerable people WITHOUT much money, will clean out their last few thousand bucks, in a desperate hope for a health miracle cure.
And many wealthy people who are sick and desperate, will spend a fortune on quackery in desperate hope.

So Ikeda is also robbing from those with serious and even terminal illness, with the SGI false promises of miracle healings, to those who give their last dollars to SGI.

How much lower can a person go?
To deceive desperate people with serious health issues, and manipulate them into believing giving SGI their last dollars, will lead to a miracle karma cure of their illness?
You have to be literally a psychopath to do that to vulnerable people.

Daisaku Ikeda is the Bernie Madoff of pseudo-Buddhism.

Bernie Madoff used to tell the investors who wanted to invest a million dollars, for example, "I don't know you well enough and you don't know me well enough. Why don't you follow what we do with our investments for another year before you invest." or he would tell them, "It wouldn't be such a good idea for you to invest the whole million dollars. Invest just one hundred thousand dollars and if we make you money in a year and you still want to invest one million then I will allow you to invest more money." or he would play really hard to get and wouldn't let people get near to him or speak to him for years, then the investor would be so greatful to finally get to meet and talk to him, he would invest his life savings.

The Gakkai is not much different. They say officially, "No donations are accepted initially, even if you want to do so. After some time you become eligible to contribute to Soka Gakkai. It is not necessary to give offerings but generally members do so out of a sense of gratitude." or they say most disengenuously, "No donations required.. No donations to be made.. No voluntary donations to be made either." Then they have these grotesque May Contribution Campaigns where they practically put their hands down your pants to get into your wallet, saying to the members, "If you have been running into a wall, now is the time to break through. Through this contribution campaign, you can definitely change your karma." or, "You can change everything through your donations, realize your potential, become really happy, and contribute to world peace."

Nichijew

Robbing the members blind is "Ikeda Sensei's deep consideration for the members." -- SGI lowlife senior leader

Nichijew

Then, if you complain that you couldn't make the rent or the mortgage [after the hard sell], they admonish you for failing to say no.

Nichijew

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rattyboy

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ScoobyDooby

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tsukimoto

And didn't SGI-USA (back when it was NSA) do the same thing with the Liberty Bell? Back in the 70's, youth division members, dressed in clothing of the 1700's, offered to bring a replica of the Liberty Bell into schools? Again, they didn't really say clearly that they were part of SGI -- and most schools didn't ask. God knows how many front groups SGI has out there

I do remember the Liberty Bell thing - I believe it was the early 80s when I was first exposed to NSA. I remember that there was a very negative article in the Boston Globe which had a lot of people upset and on the defensive.

I wore one of the ill-fitting tri-corner liberty hats and handed a tourist the rope so they could ring the bell. 2 or 3 other stoicly smiling YMD and The bell was on a large platform with red, white and blue Patriotism smattered all over it. When our leader was asked "What is NSA?" he looked a little uncomfortable and replied that it was a World Peace Organization.

Regarding the "ill-fitting tri-corner liberty hats", the cult must recycle some of those American Revolution/Bicentennial [www.sgi-usa.org] /Minute Men uniforms and garb, because I remember having to don the full regalia from head (hat) to toe (black, gold buckle shoes). I couldn't stand it and felt like a fool. Wore it in the brass band for some nameless and numberless cult gig. Also remember thinking to myself at the time, wtf(!?!) am I doing this for?!?

Cult clown uniforms were common place: Saturday Night Fever white polyester 80's NSA suits (with emblem & name tags), sequined pants and bright neon red "official" brass band coats - later with fringes hanging from the arms, blue "SS"oka-han coats, milkman whites for "YOUTH!" meetings and guarding the castle gajokai, and Uncle Sam hats from my Junior Pioneer (cult club for the kiddos). I even remember those huge blue and white striped YMD shirts that everyone used to wear for building those Cousin Rufus pyramids on roller skates and stuff (those became favorites for many a poor ymd who couldn't afford any other clothes; it looked like they practically live in those shirts, wearing them every time you saw them).

Yup, definitely been there, seen and done that, too. Send in the clowns for Cousin Rufus and The Dear Phantom Leader.

"Together always we must fight
Together we must win.
Happy together side by side,
sharing tears of happiness.
Shining within our hearts,
Hope for all mankind.
Tomorrow's golden dreams,
Always higher than the sky.
Higher than the sky."

[Repeat endlessly]

Nobody crying tears of happiness, yet?

Next cult song: [www.youtube.com] VICTORY!! "Peace is the BATTLE CRY!!"

Cue in Cult Mini-Master Leader Mr. Williams/Sadanaga with golden fan, to the front of the stage, swinging right arm back-n-forth, up-n-down!

[www.sgi-usa.org]

NOW you've got tears in your eyes and are all pumped up!!

AAO!! Washoooooi! Shi-Shi Fun Jin! RAH! Shakubuku all the way!!!

See you at the next cult meeting! (Will advise as to next mandatory cult uniform to be required.) ;-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2012 06:26AM by Hitch.

Quote
Nichijew
Then, if you complain that you couldn't make the rent or the mortgage [after the hard sell], they admonish you for failing to say no.

Nichijew

This made me think of Von, a former YMD who posted on page 54 of this thread. He was a young man, struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles, and his leaders urged him to spend his last dollar on going to a big NSA convention. They told him that he needed to have faith and just spend everything he had on this convention -- that he'd break through his bad financial karma if he made a good cause like this.

He did so -- and ended up homeless when he returned from the convention. Of course, the leaders who'd urged him to spend his rent money on plane fare to the convention -- had no concern and no help for him.

---------------------beginning of quote---------------------------------------------------------------------

From page 54 of this thread:

[forum.culteducation.com]

So this was sometime in the [end of summer '87?] when I returned to LA after a weekend in Seattle with the NSA YMD for this big convention/celebration/promo display that we did. And common sense would tell you, that after giving almost every dime I had to NSA for the trip ... with the rent due ... and all of my roommates (timing, Murphys Law) simultaneously moving out from our house ...

.. that I would have nothing when I arrived back. And of course thats exactly what happened.

Well ... I got back to LA and [sic] had no money for the rent. No money to find a new place to live. And with all of my family on the other side of the country, and not long term friends in LA that would take me in ....
I had no place to go.

At 23 years old: all of a sudden I was homeless in LA.

And SGI was just about all I had. How did they respond?

NSA turned thier backs on me.

Members of my District knew what was going on ... but down to a person as I recall they had nothing of value for me to add other than "This is your karma, chant more" and "Do your human revolution" and other such platitudes.
------------------------------------end of quote------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Nichijew

The Gakkai is not much different. They say officially, "No donations are accepted initially, even if you want to do so. After some time you become eligible to contribute to Soka Gakkai. It is not necessary to give offerings but generally members do so out of a sense of gratitude." or they say most disengenuously, "No donations required.. No donations to be made.. No voluntary donations to be made either." Then they have these grotesque May Contribution Campaigns where they practically put their hands down your pants to get into your wallet, saying to the members, "If you have been running into a wall, now is the time to break through. Through this contribution campaign, you can definitely change your karma." or, "You can change everything through your donations, realize your potential, become really happy, and contribute to world peace."

Nichijew

Definitely not an over-exaggeration, nor very far from the the truth. I witnessed it, too. It reminded me of the "LBJ Treatment." [www.uiowa.edu] Looked exactly the same and was uncomfortable to watch. Was also always hooked to the fishing line "this is the way to change your life, once and for all."

For those that were convinced and donated an unusually large amount, they might be lucky enough to get a courtesy appreciative walk to their car by some Japanese WD and a deep bow as they drove away. You could tell when they finally went back in, they practically wanted to high five each other, but were suppressing the urge under a hidden, tight smile. (No exaggeration.)

Greedy, evil, manipulation.

Those stupid conventions were a source of wasted money for many of us who could ill afford it. I went to the LA convention (72, I think), San Diego Convention, and then the sho-hondo pilrimage in the fall of 73. I was a poor struggling high school student with aspirations of attending college, and had no business spending meaningful amounts of money on any of it. We were sold the good cause aspect of not letting anything stop you from going to these shindigs, little things like not having a hotel reservation or airline ticket (several of us went to LA not as part of the group but on our own and just showed up at the hotel, I think we slept on the floor. We were congratulated on our determined spirit).

The aggrandizement of the org was all that mattered, the financial condition of members, not so much. It bothered me that the org never recognized members for real accomplishments, like earning diplomas or degrees, but expected members to swoon over every fake degree received by Ikea. I am glad there was no May contribution back then, or I would have been even more broke than I was. I remember telling a WD leader that I wanted to go on pilgrimage but needed money, and her very harsh reply was "get a job". I was 17 and worked part time after school at Sears, how was I going to get $800 out of that when I had to buy my own clothes? Stupid me took the entire amount of one of the scholarships I received (I was a good student) and paid for the pilgrimage, with everybody in the org approving. My undergrad days would have been a lot easier if I had kept that money for my education. NSA sure wasn't giving out any scholarships! What makes it all the more terrible is that NSA/SGI is a multi-billion dollar organization! What a bunch of criminals, unethical immoral criminals.

To this day I stay away from any religious organization that requires or emphasizes compulsory giving. Some Christians do it by distorting the Bible to strong arm people into tithing, a totally false concept. Some Christians also encourage stupid giving, which is giving when you don't have it to give, saying that you will get it back many times over (except when you don't). I have had a problem finding a Christian group to fellowship with in my area because they all have compulsory giving and I will not practice in anything other than spirit and truth. I don't want to be a part of anything that financially exploits and victimizes people. So, I've been standing alone, but I would rather do that than sell my soul to be part of a group.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/19/2012 10:58AM by Freeheartandmind.

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Freeheartandmind
Those stupid conventions were a source of wasted money for many of us who could ill afford it.

My sentiments, exactly. I travelled all the way across the United States to attend the Washington DC "We Love America" rally and parade. What a colossal chaotic nightmare that was! Idiocy at every turn, the blind leading the blind. I felt like and was treated (not like a human being) like a sardine being herded around from bus, to hotel, to practice, to activity, everywhere. A little mindless marble being rolled around within a massive group of other non-thinking cult zombie members being pushed around for appearance purposes. Getting yelled at, treated like property and manipulated every step of the way. Lots of crazy stories from that trip. Suffice it to say, if some of those people had half a brain, they'd be dangerous.

I also have a vague memory of sitting on a bus, in a rainy fog, on top of a mountain somewhere, on a little road, wondering if our bus was going to fall off the side of the mountain . . . . on the way to some stupid morning sunrise gongyo somewhere for some purpose. I honestly don't remember any of the details (year, activity, exact location, etc.). Just another silly, mindless and dangerous activity that I look back on and shake my head over.

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Freeheartandmind
We were sold the good cause aspect of not letting anything stop you from going to these shindigs, little things like not having a hotel reservation or airline ticket (several of us went to LA not as part of the group but on our own and just showed up at the hotel, I think we slept on the floor. We were congratulated on our determined spirit).

They put men's division and YMD together, 3 to 4 to a double bed motel room one time. People were NOT happy! Many of the men's div. who had the foresight to drive down, decided to turn around and go home at that point. Not even the threats of the WD could keep them from leaving. It was hilarious to witness. Heard the same ol' stories and justifications, "it's all for Cousin Rufus."

Nowadays, I'd never stand for a lot of the stuff that I was put thru back in those days. In fact, I'd relish in telling some cult "leaders" where they could stick their shtick, too.

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tsukimoto

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Nichijew
Then, if you complain that you couldn't make the rent or the mortgage [after the hard sell], they admonish you for failing to say no.

Nichijew

This made me think of Von, a former YMD who posted on page 54 of this thread. He was a young man, struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles, and his leaders urged him to spend his last dollar on going to a big NSA convention. They told him that he needed to have faith and just spend everything he had on this convention -- that he'd break through his bad financial karma if he made a good cause like this.

He did so -- and ended up homeless when he returned from the convention. Of course, the leaders who'd urged him to spend his rent money on plane fare to the convention -- had no concern and no help for him.

---------------------beginning of quote---------------------------------------------------------------------

From page 54 of this thread:

[forum.culteducation.com]

So this was sometime in the [end of summer '87?] when I returned to LA after a weekend in Seattle with the NSA YMD for this big convention/celebration/promo display that we did. And common sense would tell you, that after giving almost every dime I had to NSA for the trip ... with the rent due ... and all of my roommates (timing, Murphys Law) simultaneously moving out from our house ...

.. that I would have nothing when I arrived back. And of course thats exactly what happened.

Well ... I got back to LA and [sic] had no money for the rent. No money to find a new place to live. And with all of my family on the other side of the country, and not long term friends in LA that would take me in ....
I had no place to go.

At 23 years old: all of a sudden I was homeless in LA.

And SGI was just about all I had. How did they respond?

NSA turned thier backs on me.

Members of my District knew what was going on ... but down to a person as I recall they had nothing of value for me to add other than "This is your karma, chant more" and "Do your human revolution" and other such platitudes.
------------------------------------end of quote------------------------------------------------------------------------

I remember that post - I felt so bad for that poster. So typical of the organization.

We had a couple of years in my family when we struggled badly financially. We could barely cover our mortgage. That didn't stop our oversized May contributions or trips to the FCC. You need to change your karma, don't you know? How? make bigger contributions, buy more publications, attend more meetings. I can't tell you how many "experiences" I've heard or read that giving more money changed their karma. It's bullshit.