Plenty of crazy pot smokers in SGI.How did you stand it for so long?Apart from the organisational crap and weirdness of some members I was troubled by the fact I never once heard the word 'dharma' and noone seemed interested in enlightenment. A Buddhist who is not interested in enlightenment is like a Christian not interested in heaven i. e. not one at all.

It's official now. Today I've sent my resignation papers to the district administrative authority. They offer a standard form you can download when you want to leave a church. In a legal sense you have not to justify your resignation from a religious church that is "official". For the official acceptance of a religious group in my country, the so called church or group has to grant the members religious freedom ( codified into law). Soka gakkai boasts to be a legal official group in the Buddhist Community, I'm not a lawyer, but I suppose a legal limbo in my resignation papers. Just in case I have not to discuss on phone and bear their pushy doorstep encountering.

@WaywardBuddhistWoman - had a similar experience with abusive behaviour and I can relate to your hurt. I spent a long time reflecting about the plains of morality of Sokaland and came to the result to GIVE UP on those people who lost the grip to reality. I wish you good luck!

Still waiting for the chapter leader to call.Ill call him soon to arrange a visit.Cant wait to get rid of the magic scroll.

Hes coming at 4 pm.The pressure is on-had missed call from disrict leader earlier.

Watch out. If you schedule a time for someone to come and pick up the scroll, they may try to throw you off balance by keeping you waiting or by skipping the appointment.

(I was never in Sokka Gokkai. But have been in a situation where a guru showed up half an hour late for a scheduled talk--despite my having seen the guy standing off to one side, half an hour before his scheduled talk, peeping out, spying on the auditorium full of devotees. He was early for that talk, yet deliberately arranged to appear at the microphone half an hour late--to build up anticipation.)

Interesting that some coped with the tension by smoking pot.

Would be interesting to know if stressed out members of Sokka Gokkai suppress their suffering by resorting to lots of palliative massage or acupuncture treatments? It is possible to use massage and some acupuncture protocols the way others would use tranquillizers---for temporary relief of stress symptoms so as to remain in the diseased situation.

The inner circle around the Dear Leader must need all the palliatives they can get.

Wonder if there is a network of Sokka Gokkai body workers (massage, acupuncture, doctors willing to write RX for tranquillizers) all the to keep these inner circlers comfortably numb so they can remain in the hell realm?

PS There is probably going to be a doozy of a succession battle when someone else has to take over from Ikeda.

If he cancels ill just head to my local post office and return it to HQ.Either way its gone today.

Stay calm leeduffield, you owe him nothing. No explaination, no justification. If he suggests you to keep it for a while longer, say you will sell it on ebay. Take care and good luck!

sixtyseven-thank you for your support.i hope you manage to extricate yourself without difficulty.You stay strong as well.Stay Buddhist if you can,dont let Ikeda-san put you off altogether.

How cruel of parents to leave their children outside in the dark. I've seen a lot of abusive behaviour in the gakkaikingdom, just say the magic phrase and your children are protected!
Son of my now ex-chapterleader is binge drinker since he is fifteen, fortune baby whatelse. Wonder if he will live out the twentyone

Is all the fortune baby stuff based on the Gosho?

Anyway the gohonzon is gone.Chapter leader came and went in a minute with no questions.To be fair SGI in the UK is less pushy than a lot of places,us Brits hate being badgered.