Thank you all for welcoming me. I spent the last 22 years as a leader in SGI. An experience of feeling taken for granted, condemned when I tried to take time for myself to attend to my own life, feeling like I neglected my children but couldn't say no. Was often ostracized when I went against things I didn't like. I also was subjected to sexual harassment from two different men's division leaders at different points. Disgusted by that to the point where I didn't want to be at meetings where they were in attendance. Complained to more senior leaders about the first one, but it didn't stop. He just waited and ran his game on me again. Opportunists abound in this organization. The last straw for me was at a recent activity when a "pioneer" leader mocked me for having "no common sense" when I said I was going to go back to school for my doctorate. Anti-intellectual, jealous of member's success especially when they can't attribute it to cult-drone behavior, if your a person who stays on the fringe. I have rolled up my Gohonzon. De-friended all the Gakkai hack friend on Facebook, stopped responding to phone calls and texts.

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WaywardBuddhistWoman
The last straw for me was at a recent activity when a "pioneer" leader mocked me for having "no common sense" when I said I was going to go back to school for my doctorate.

My "experience" with pioneer members, is that they are some of the most ignorant, intolerant, brainwashed, misguided, manipulative, jealous, insecure, rude and most lacking in "common sense" group of people in the cult org.. What does this say about their lifelong "practice"? As a result, I'd take it as a compliment, WaywardBuddhistWoman, and as a sign that you are doing something right. To be attacked by a "pioneer" member, is a badge of honor, in my book. What you see is what you get - an unfortunate glimpse into the true nature of the cult org..

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WaywardBuddhistWoman
Anti-intellectual, jealous of member's success especially when they can't attribute it to cult-drone behavior, if your a person who stays on the fringe.

Most definitely, especially when it comes without the magic chant, a less than completely "devoted" practice, or better yet, completely without the cult org.'s toxic influences.

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WaywardBuddhistWoman
The last straw for me was at a recent activity when a "pioneer" leader mocked me for having "no common sense" when I said I was going to go back to school for my doctorate.

For an org. apparently supporting education they do show a tremendous fear when one does seek higher education. Education is only supported when it means money etc. .
Even the cults own ideology does not stand a chance when faced with serious academic buddhist studies.

[calipatriot.wordpress.com]

Others share our bitter experiences with the "enlightened" SGI pioneer members.

"Thank you for your comment. However, the intent of this blog is not to have “open and honest dialogue.” I was told by a top leader there is no dialogue in the SGI. Meetings serve as a vehicle to promote publications and activities. That is all. All my attempts over the years to promote dialogue at meetings were squashed. Group think over-rides individual’s feelings and experiences. Who refuses to look in the mirror is the SGI. The agenda is set by the leaders of the SGI and there is no room for individuals’ opinions, thoughts, or anything. All the SGI wants are sock puppets and members’ effort, time and money. That is one definition of a cult. Another definition of “cult” is the verbal, emotional and physical abuse that SGI leaders heap on their members. If the SGI were a corporation, they would be sued.

I also grew weary of the spying and gossiping that goes on among 20-30+ year members — maybe like you. I’m only pointing out inconsistencies and hypocrisy that I noticed in an organization that prizes itself on morality and world peace for all humankind. You know as well as I that small groups in the organization can’t get along, so obviously, the SGI is not working. Something’s wrong. My other friends who commented here pointed out because the SGI is practicing Ikedaism.

My assertion that the SGI is linked to communism may sound far-fetched, but it isn’t. If you take a closer look at the United Nations and what there goal is, you will see how Ikeda fits right in with their agenda21. Some people are admitted communists and think a one world government would be great. I used to buy in to all that garbage, but since I am a recovering liberal, the idea of controlling the world’s population and exterminating most of it, doesn’t sit well with me. The United Nations is a corrupt organization that supports and participates in genocide in third world countries, ex. NATO, and yet pats themselves on the back that they are humanistic. They make me want to vomit. I’ve come to see the SGI and the UN as one.

When a member of 40 years practice can hit me in the stomach after I recently gave birth to a baby: that’s evidence enough for me that people who chant and practice for many years can be filled with hate and avarice. I suppose you would say the reason she hit me was because of my “karma.” No, the reason she hit me was she was filled with envy and hate, which has nothing to do with me. If I buy in to the SGI “canned” reason of “it’s your karma,” then I become the problem: I can never escape the vicious circle because every bad thing that happens I must say it is a result of my bad karma. When I look in the mirror I see a reflection of my physical self, but I know I am an individual on a path to seek truth. To discover truth, I have to pull away lies, and the SGI was one big lie that sadly, I bought at one time, and others I love bought too." -- Administrator Conservative Patriot and Non-Apologist from Cali



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/13/2012 10:57PM by Nichijew.

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simplify
The trouble is that the chanting actually helps to suspend one's critical faculties, so it is very hard to really look at the evidence unless you stop chanting. $GI has very clever techniques to make sure it's members keep chanting 'no matter what' - which means they are prevented from thinking critically.

There is no question, it is a hard FACT, that SGI in fact uses their "SGI-Chanting" as a technique of thought-control of their members.
Its used as a thought-stopping technique, and not in a good way.

SGI has very carefully planned out a comprehensive system, that when people start to think critically, or doubt the SGI propaganda, to BLOCK those thoughts out with obsessive chanting.
Some vulnerable people get sucked into this, and start SGI-chanting all the time.
Some people are a bit obsessive, and start doing it under their breath constantly, any time they have some anxiety or any issue in life.
They are taught to believe by the SGI manipulators, that this type of Magical Thinking will solve their problems.
It won't.
It makes your problems worse, as instead of doing something about them, you avoid it, and just do SGI chanting.

There is no question SGI uses SGI-chanting as a thought-reform mind-weapon to control the SGI followers.


Does this mean "all" chanting is bad? No of course not, various religions have done chanting for eons.
But one needs to apply critical thinking to it, and figure out what it is, and isn't.
All the Magical Thinking stuff...

It could be that chanting makes people feel ok short-term, as its just controlled deep breathing. Maybe that is all there is to it?

But what is the harm in quitting chanting for 6 months, just to see?
There is no harm in that.

But SGI tries to scare people and make them more superstitious and paranoid and afraid.

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[calipatriot.wordpress.com]

When a member of 40 years practice can hit me in the stomach after I recently gave birth to a baby: that’s evidence enough for me that people who chant and practice for many years can be filled with hate and avarice. I suppose you would say the reason she hit me was because of my “karma.” No, the reason she hit me was she was filled with envy and hate, which has nothing to do with me.

Being mocked, having hatred thrown your way and even being physically set upon, are common dysfunctional behavior reactions from "pioneer" members. Have witnessed it (and been on the receiving end of it) numerous times (it became more commonplace during the priesthood breakup). It is because they are used to being catered and deferred to within the confines of the cult org., always getting their way. When they just can't control somebody with their usual hollow metaphysical threats, or by pulling strings within the cult org., or if any peon member has the insolence to challenge their fake authority, they simply go berserk, because their coping mechanisms have reached rope's end. (I've mentioned it before, but all "authority" in the gakkai cult is smoke and mirrors, with no substance.) The first couple of times, it just shocked me; thereafter, I realized that some of them have legitimate psychological problems.

Case in point, the above quote about being hit in the stomach after giving birth. That's pure immature mental and physical projecting, lashing out due to destructive jealousy and envy. How utterly sickening can a person get? Just take a look around in the cult org., especially at the "pioneer" members' mental and dysfunctional behavior and you, unfortunately, have your answer.

(By the way, such dysfunctional, bizarre, psychological behavior, extends all the way up right into the halls of gakkai cult salaried leader domains, at least in the United States branch.)

- Hitch

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The Anticult
There is no question, it is a hard FACT, that SGI in fact uses their "SGI-Chanting" as a technique of thought-control of their members.
Its used as a thought-stopping technique, and not in a good way.

But SGI tries to scare people and make them more superstitious and paranoid and afraid.

Absolutely. Agreed.

One of the first questions you always get when you start to veer away from the cult drone, automaton, group-think is:

"How much daimoku are you chanting everyday?" (Daimoku is the superstitious magic chant, NMRK.) Or, have you been missing morning / evening gongo recently? (Gongyo = reciting portions of the sutra and prayers, which incidentally also include silent devotionals to the gakkai cult org. AND its "Presidents"!!). If you don't give the "right" answer, expect a "home visitation" by a "leader" to sit down and chant with you; the ultimate unspoken goal being to turn your brain back into mush again. If you happen to be doing your prayers and an adequate amount of the magic chant, they'll just up the subjective amount for you to do and still come to investigate, because you surely must be doing something wrong, regardless (your posture, your attitude, your voice, where you look when you chant, how you hold your hands, etc.). It can be a never ending game of attempted manipulation, if you are susceptible and let it.

On the topic of "pioneer" members, here they are being feted within the cult org. [www.youtube.com]. (I see Ted Fujioka is still plugging at it.)

Enjoy.

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Anticult
There is no question, it is a hard FACT, that SGI in fact uses their "SGI-Chanting" as a technique of thought-control of their members.

If I heard it once I heard it a hundred times, the guidance about linking worries to chanting:

"When I begin to worry about something I begin to chant and if I've chanted enough, the worries go away and I know I've changed my Karma".

Worries about paying the rent, getting that medical operation, paying for medicine, staying employed, managing relationships, etc.?

I guess the old saying "no brains, no headaches..." would apply here :-)

Wakatta1

500 pages..whoo-hoo!

I have posted a couple of times about my experience as a high school student in NSA, where no one in the org supported my efforts to go to college. It is indeed an anti-intellectual organization, which is quite hypocritical since the founders were educators and the org sponsors educational institutions. Without questions, and lots of them, there can be no knowledge, learning, or education. Stifling questions and all expressions of intellectual curiosity, the hallmark of cult N$A/$GI, is a key sign of anti-intellectualism.

Congrats to those now smelling the coffee, better late than never. Welcome!