Welcome Upgrayed. That's a great first post and one that I'd like to add some of my own thoughts to.
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Upgrayed
Interesting how brainwashed members of this organization always have the same bullet point sheet that they use to espouse their cult head.
Agreed. I've heard it all. There isn't anything that they can say that I haven't already had thrown at me in the past. As a matter of fact, based on their stereotypical automaton patterns, I can usually quickly judge the base intelligence level of the "member" (or "leader) as they are actually doing it.
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Upgrayed
I have studied this forum for some time and I was at one time a SGI member. Aspects of the philosophy that they hijacked is very interesting and yet it's odd that an organization could be teaching something that goes directly against every action that the organization itself takes. The witches spell or evil eye scare tactic about leaving is horrid and definitely used to brow beat people from leaving.
On that note, gauging the intelligence level of the manipulators, the "witches spell or evil eye" tactics are the refuge of those who have run out of all legitimate (logical) arguments, have been exposed by critical thinking and have run out of cards to pull out of their pathetic cult playbook. It reminds me of the cowering con-man who has been forced into a corner and is desperately lashing out in the only manner he/she has as their disposal.
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What I found was odd manipulation, pressuring for money using simple yet effective tactics. Perhaps Zaimu, or the month of May contribution fund was indeed once a year but I think it's changing now as it has been every month since, with the money table out front so that everyone can see who is contributing and who isn't. Nothing private about the affair. Also, the born again, plant the money seed experiences are so cheap that you'd have to hate your life to sit through that crap. The "dear leader'" (got that from here) worship is ridiculous. Reading the same books over and over again, with the same meth head rhetoric, which is pathetic considering that the message is always to work hard for the cult and yet no one actually seems to be activating to the message. Just a tired loop of people who are too scared to leave and feel the price of worshipping a stranger is sufficient versus being home alone. Well, the SGI through the practice has the sneaky way of invading every aspect of your life as most people dump their entire being before the gohonzon. Very clever.
In the U.S.A, it seemed as if official contribution time slowly evolved from a few times a year, to every few months, then every couple of months and eventually every month. I personally very rarely gave ($$ - and when I did, it was only pocket change) and had no problem whatsoever about walking past those tables with the fake smiling (usually Japanese) member-leaders; the looks on their faces when I did so, was sometimes priceless.
As I grew up (because I literally grew up in the cult), the meetings slowly became less and less intellectually stimulating for me. It was the same shallow stuff, over and over and over again - with the same (sorry, this is going to sound harsh, but it is true) stupid people, who never changed and never grew. Sometimes, I felt like I was in a never ending version of romper room [
www.youtube.com] with a bunch of preschoolers (the magic mirror had the dear leader smiling back at you and the "senior leader" was like the host facilitator).
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Also, the ethnocentric japanophile type worship. Many of the Western Members talk like English is their second language, their arm and hand gestures, the karate chop motion and saying "hai", it's really fucking wierd. Or western members up on stage singing in japanese with no translation provided.
HAHA! It's a form of psychological identification and I actually witnessed new members descend into non-native speakers and wanna-be asians, over time, right before my very eyes (not to mention the occasional asian or japan-o-phile leering ymd - I've even seen a salaried leader like this - running around with their tongue hanging out salivating always looking for a girlfriend).
I agree, it was bizarre (and I'm sorry again if this offends anyone) and hilarious to see.
With regard to people singing in Japanese, hell even some of the people singing it sometimes don't even know what they are singing in the first place. It's just more of the cult automaton behavior on display, no thinking required (or desired).
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I think that anyone who is freethinking and creative and wanders upon the SUcKeRGI ends up running away. The only people who seem to stick are the one's that must be sufffering from some personality disorder, though I understand some people on this forum participated in the SGI for many years so there is most likely complex social dynamics that can keep a person within it's walls. Let's be clear though, there are some that are highly neurotic and I have seen people talking to themselves, crying while chanting, or just spending their life at the community center.
I know for a fact that a few of the salaried gakkai "leaders" are indeed walking textbook examples of DSM personality disorders. With regard to
members in general, I've seen the exact same thing. I've even seen people
talking to the gohonzon and sleeping in front of it while taking a break - in order to remain close - from a marathon chanting session). Have also seen the gakkai cult mini-equivalents to speaking in tongues and possession by the "holy spirit." IMO, it's pretty much a common theme that you see in any religion with whacked out zealots. Some are indeed out of their minds.
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I apologize for typing so much, but a first post contains a deluge of pent up experience. I could go on and on and will do so as a means to contribute to this forum and warn people. Not everyone will come into the SGI with critical faculties turned on and that is the danger. It looks harmless and inviting (sometimes).
Critical faculties are the only thing that will save anyone from this cult.
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Oh, and chanting , from my experience is unhealthy if done too much. Normally, if one has a problem, you fix it.
In the SGI,if you have a problem, you go to the gohonzon, or the middle man , the practice, SGI to then solve it. SGI gets a share of your success by virtue of including itself in your life through the practice. You then reward the SGI with money for your "success". It's dangerous and dissolves one's ablity to think and act on one's own, to think independently. It's something holding your hand 24/7.
It's wishful, primitive magical thinking ritual, with the gakkai cult leadership manipulating and molding your worldview into something that they can control you with. All success is because of them and all failures are because of you. And while you are struggling, give us your time and $$, we'll give you our so-called "support", a psychological crutch, and the illusion of a sense of community of like-minded "members" who can show you the way, have walked before you, or are on the same path as you. It's a slow rerouting of your neurons, repackaging and regressing your mind back into an infantile form of dependence on your surrogate father (the dear leader) and your adopted brothers, sisters and "wise" elders (members and "leaders", respectively). What a crock.