How gakkai cult-speak is actually used (Hitch's explanations bolded) within the cult org.

"Hello, my name is _______ and I attended the 'YOUFH! Leader Study Conference at The FNCC with (insert Japanese named 'leader') a study dept. chief in Japan ..."

(Translation = I went to the cult retreat, because I'm being cultivated as a cult org. "YOUTH!" "leader" and had focused indoctrination sessions with a top brainwasher from the cult motherland.)

"United as North America, the 'YOUFH!" of $GI USA and the 'YOUFH!' of Canada studied the VOLUME 1 & 2 of 'The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra"

(Translation = The Dear Leader's 'wise' slant of the lotus sutra.)

"I took many, many different things away and was able to refresh my determination."

(Translation = this is 100% quintessential gakkai cult-speak coached bullet points, right down to the stressed emphasis 'many, many'.)

"I want to share with you one key-point that hit home for me."

(Translation = lame, meaningless, superficial analogy follows. Keep in mind, this is the KEY POINT, too. It's basically a dressed up and veiled order to do shakubuku - get more people to join the cult.)

"So I left FNCC really refreshed."

(Translation = the indoctrination worked. And incidentally, I've mentioned before how all of the youth leaders tend to copy their leaders, who copy their leaders, who copy their leaders (and so on), with most people picking up the habit of inserting "You know", "You know" before many of their phrases. You can also hear it here. Many do this without even realizing it. Again, it's the indoctrination and mirroring what's drilled into them, constantly. I first noticed this when I was in the cult org. youth and it is still going on.)

"I really chanted that I have to do my 'human revolution' and summon up this courage to be able to DIALOGUE and SHARE the GREAT AMAZING philosophy of this practice."

(Translation = more 100%, right down to the emphasized words, gakkai cult-speak standard parroted phrases.)

"Upon my return to work, a coworker just asked me, "so, how was your trip to Florida?" So naturally, I shared with him everything I learned. And I felt really refreshed, that this is my mission."

(Translation = a fellow worker makes friendly, casual small talk and it is interpreted as a mystical chance to shakubuku, plant a seed, create fortune and 'fulfill a mission' - see below. Btw, if this guy just happens to be interested in her (not saying this is the case here), he can also be strung along into the cult (I've seen it happen more than once).)

"And so this month I'm really determined to CHALLENGE myself and bring my friend to discussion meetings so they can experience this AMAZING practice for themselves and really have an encounter an amazing mentor in life."

(Translation = up until the very last words, it has all been about the lotus sutra, bodhisattvas and daishonin's buddhism. But then it finally comes out, the Ikeda connection. Mmm-Hmm.)

"THANK YOU SO MUCH! BYE-BYE!!"

(Translation = believe it or not, even the sign-off is typical gakkai cult programmed cult-speak, right down to the smile, gesture and mannerisms.)

[www.youtube.com]

For anybody out there who doesn't really know what the $oka gakkai cult is about, you don't need to go to a gakkai cult zandankai (discussion) meeting now, because this clip is the exact same thing you'll hear for an hour after doing the prayers and magic chant for 20 or 30 minutes.


- Hitch

At 67's link, above (The Great Harvard Hoax), did you read through the 5 or 6 comments below? THOSE are an eye-opener as well!

I clearly remember when I first learned of the SGI's excommunication. I was still a Chapter YWD leader, I think, about to be promoted to YWD HQ leader. It was right around that time frame. Anyhow, because I was such a high level leader, I attended upper level leaders' meetings. This was one of those - Chapter and HQ only. And they told us about the excommunication - I felt like I'd been kicked in the teeth!

Now, why was this such a trauma? I never really thought much about it, but srsly - why should it have been any sort of big deal? There was no temple in town (Minneapolis) - the closest one was Chicago. We had few dealings with priests - they only came for gojukais every year or so. For a day at a time. I think that what I understood subconsciously but was never really aware of consciously was that, no longer with the venerable tradition and authority of a Temple to give our lay organization legitimacy, we were really no different from the Moonies - down to our own Rev. Sun Myung Ikeda! I noticed the Harvard thing, but never really understood it. But by then, I was aware that the Gakkai was always off doing something bizarre - the Malibu Training Center was the weirdest, from my perspective - so I didn't pay much attention to it.

Brilliant article, BTW - it's now so clear! And the perspective on the "cultspeak" of "reporting" on these "dialogues" - both from within the article and from the comments below. I always wondered who would buy those "Dialogue" books - certainly not me! I must say, I'm glad that he wasn't able to buy his way into Harvard. Fortunately, there are still a few things in this world that must be earned. And nobody takes an "honorary doctorate" seriously - even our Dr. Ikeda surely realizes that.

One thing - those reports DO convince the membership. The members are typically good-hearted, sincere people who believe what they're told. And when they're sold the SGI's image and story line, it's certainly not phrased in terms of "We're going to get all your money so that we can buy nice things for ourselves!" Nobody would sign on if that were the case! No, these sincere-but-gullible (and typically quite vulnerable) babes-in-the-woods wouldn't recognize the wolf if it were to walk up and bite them. Especially not when it's dressed in Grandma's (pioneer) clothes! They truly want to do good in the world, and they believe what they've been told - that their practice and their organization are the best way to create value within society. So when they see a report of some famous person praising Ikeda and making plans for future dialogues, that reinforces the organization's glowing image of its international president-for-life. It's consistent. The members never see anything that might create cognitive dissonance - they are presented with a unified, consistent image, in part because no dissent is permitted. Depending on a person's level of damage and need, it can take a long time for the person to become aware of what's going on - and then to take the steps necessary to separate from what has by now become a part of his/her identity. We're more likely to stick with something unpleasant that we're familiar with than to strike out into the terrifying unknown, after all.

Quote

Btw, if this guy just happens to be interested in her (not saying this is the case here), he can also be strung along into the cult (I've seen it happen more than once).)

I remember our local pioneer in Minneapolis saying that we didn't need to bother shakubukuing YMD - if we had enough YWD, we'd naturally get YMD!

I don't think she was aware that fully HALF our YMD were gay!! :D

The Dear Leader's son, Hiromasa Ikeda (Dear Leader Jr. / Soon-to-be-Dear-Leader-II?), filling in for dai-papa in China.

[www.youtube.com]. Gakkai cult org. English news about same mtg. [www.sgi.org]. Notice it's only Mr. Hiromasa Ikeda, "Vice General Director of $oka Gakkai" Cult, right now, but I'm pretty sure it will be "Dr." someday, too, just like father Dai-chan.)

(Clip is in Chinese, but you can turn off the Japanese notations on top to get an unobstructed view of Hiromasa-in-training.)

The "official" cult propaganda machine states that Hiro-kun is only filling in for daddy, because papa is too old and tired now. He's just being daddy's helper, nothing more than just "representing the Ikeda family."

Yeah, right.


- Hitch

It will be interesting to see the repercussions when Hiromasa is installed as 2nd International President, given that there are so many leaders from ever-victorious Kansai who have many more decades of experience and actual proof than Hiromasa does. I believe the Japanese will accept it, as they are more accustomed to such dynasties, what with Japan's Emperor and whatnot, but I don't see that sort of succession playing well here in the US, especially since one of the major bases for criticizing the NS priesthood was that they wanted to promote their own sons to leadership positions without merit!

Quote
TaitenAndProud
It will be interesting to see the repercussions when Hiromasa is installed as 2nd International President, given that there are so many leaders from ever-victorious Kansai who have many more decades of experience and actual proof than Hiromasa does. I believe the Japanese will accept it, as they are more accustomed to such dynasties, what with Japan's Emperor and whatnot, but I don't see that sort of succession playing well here in the US, especially since one of the major bases for criticizing the NS priesthood was that they wanted to promote their own sons to leadership positions without merit!

The succession will work in the US if they want it to work. Just reframe or ignore NS priesthood issues from the past in the name of a glorious new future.

I was reading about the Harvard Hoax and the comments with it. We have discussed how SGI can shape its image in the media, and this is a prime example. The 'media' usually being the SGI publications anyway. I think one of the quotes arguing against the article was from the WT press. I'm not sure anyone pointed out, as most of us know, that WT is World Tribune and is an SGI newspeak word scramble operation.
One of the comments refers to a questionnaire being sent to a world leader after a business meeting with Ikeda and then turned into an interview. The one Ikeda article/ "interview with Ikeda in the Buddhist publication Tricycle is also a pieced together portrait of an interview. There's countless others and references to individuals like Toynbee who are stunned to see their picture in The Weird Tribune or some other Gakkai publication put in such a glowing context.
I think that as members we noticed the inflation of these events, at times, but interpreted it as seeds for the eventual flowering of Kosen Rufu (Cousin Rufus).
The outsiders don't realize what a great cause they are making. The doubting side that WE have must let go of the doubt. Only SGi can help you create the Whole Being with one unified thought. Yikes.
"Value Creation". Making things have value.

That comment about the 'experience video' posted recently ending with a Gakkai 'Bye-Bye' might seem like a strange detail to point out, but I agree. That cute sing-songy delivery has the SGI TM (trademark) on it. Even if the individual is inherently nice and cute and sincere, there's something about it that smacks as disingenuous .

"Refreshed" after FNCC or what have you. It always sounded to me like they took a shower with some brand new shampoo. All that dirt of critical thinking washed out of the pores. The chanting and average SGI activities alone obviously couldn' t
be powerful enough to keep you going. What an opportunity to do shakabuku at the airport and on the plane, before and after the FNCC 'refresher'. Being a world traveler like your mentor.
Sorry about my writing of little snippets. The feelings about this shape my delivery, I think.

I love the shower part! I heard it so often.That was guidance all the time, you were told, that morning gongyo is the shower to clean your life from fundamental darkness of the nights and start fresh for Cousin Rufus' new day. The evening gongyo was the shower for wash the negativity away. All time the same phrases and associations linking to the manipulative chanting.

I had a rummage in Ikedas photo boxes on fb the last days. And found thousands of them, really I scrolled up 5,000 photos of Ikeda the Master! Only one photo is different in the tone, I would say the expression of the faces and the body-language is about what Polly Toynbee described in her article, how she felt. The woman in the middle, don't know who she is, looks rather unaffected by Sensei's charisma.

Good photo, sixtyseven! And what about that concerned yesman/handler in the background ? What is his body language saying?

Quote
rattyboy
Good photo, sixtyseven! And what about that concerned yesman/handler in the background ? What is his body language saying?

Watch it the woman is armed with a hand bag.