The second page of the text.

correction: the Heritage of the ultimate law....

What a strong statement to say the organization is more important than my life.

Dangerous Cult!

Quote
TheVoid
'Makes Sensei's heart your own'
'We can make a connection'
'We can make a dialogue'
'try not to think just chant'
'Sensei's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!!!'
'Make a connection with Sensei'

Eeeesh why did I ever bother with these fruitcakes!

You've reminded me of another one

'We've just received a message from Sensei. He sends his regards to all of the young women's/young men's/women's/men's division in the HQ/the Region/the area/the country' (delete as necessary).

and of course

'Sensei has kindly provided you all with refreshments after this meeting'.

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holly_golightly
You've reminded me of another one

'We've just received a message from Sensei. He sends his regards to all of the young women's/young men's/women's/men's division in the HQ/the Region/the area/the country' (delete as necessary).

and of course

'Sensei has kindly provided you all with refreshments after this meeting'.

And YOU've reminded ME of another!

You know how we were supposed to write letters and send gifts to "Sensei", like to commemorate some big meeting or activity? Well, we had a big youth conference up at the Boundary Waters of the mighty Mississippi river, there at Itasca. That's where I heard that Kansai woman telling us what an accomplishment it had been for her to have achieved the status of "beautiful carpet" *eye roll*

Well, anyhow, after, this one YMD determined to paint a painting for Sensei. I knew he painted - I'd seen him dabbling, but that was as far as I knew of his abilities. Then that next KRG, there it was, at the kaikan - he'd made this wonderful, colossal painting, utterly realistic, of the boundary waters under a blazing, fiery sunset. It was about 4' x 2.5' - really BIG - and I couldn't stop looking at it. The clouds all pink and red and orange, the rays of the setting sun, all reflected in the rippled water underneath - it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

So what happened? Later, we got a letter from Sensei: "I have received a painting and some letters." That's it. Boy, that wouldn't even qualify as a "Thank You" note in MY family! But someone as great as Sensei shouldn't *have* to thank the faceless members, right? He just reclines on his piles of money and drinks pearls dissolved in champagne and waits for ever more loot to roll in from the idiot sheeple. Like this: [upload.wikimedia.org]

I remember reading an article in the Weird Tribune by a man who had Native American ancestry. So he collected an eagle feather in the wild (or something similarly spiritual for his heritage) and made it into *something* special (can't remember) and sent it off to Sensei. Got the standard message: "I have received a feather thingie." The End. Well, he was really hurt! This had been something really *special* to him, and he'd put a lot of time and effort into it! So the article went on that there was then, a coupla weeks later, some article by Sensei that mentioned Native Americans or something, and so he knew that Sensei had really understood his heart after all. Barf!

It's really no different from someone who becomes infatuated with a celebrity. She imagines she has a love relationship with, say, Tom Cruise. She maybe writes him letters, and if his publicist sends her a signed picture, she'll make a shrine to it. She imagines that he's sending responses to her letters and secret messages to her through his movies and interviews, and that he really loves her just as much as she adores him - for whatever reason (oh, she'll tell you one!), he simply has to keep his distance. How is this pathetic deluded person any different from the one determined to "Make a connection with Sensei"?? "Mentor and disciple" MY ASS!

The only real rule about discipleship is that it must be sought by the disciple. It can't be ordered or coerced by any would-be "master".

Say, this is off the subject, but I ran across this page with numerous artworks and historical details about Sado Island! Did you know there was an infamous gold mine there, for example? There are a couple of very nice artworks depicting Nichiren arriving and at his humble abode - the one in the hut is particularly moving, I think. Did you see "Spirited Away"? Do you remember the scene where Lin appears in a round "tub boat" to rescure Chihiro (Sen) from the pursuing No-Face (or is it Noh-Face? *wink*) That kind of boat is a feature of Sado Island! Enjoy! Sado Island Art

If that link doesn't work (the original site has kanji in the address), you can just type this into your Search engine: "vegder's blog sado island". It will probably be the first one to come up.

Quote
Nichijew
I can pat myself on the back and kid myself that I was the most wonderful person in the whole world [which is exactly what they want you to believe] but, at best, I was an enabler, greedy for personal gain, and one of the unthinking masses. I believe there are parallels to the "good" German citizen who watched idly by as their neighbors had their shops destroyed. Are you telling me at the height of your cult indoctrination you wouldn't have columniated a difficult member or reported him or her for their perceived transgressions [because "failure to report" --Daisaku Ikeda, is evil]? Honest self reflection is a virtue. I would have had none of that.
Nichijew

I was coached on the basics as to what I was supposed to say, to give encouragement after a big event. Only problem was, I didn't agree with, nor really believe in my heart with what they were feeding me and wanted me to say. So, I generalized it, but I still felt like a slime ball afterward. Their eyes, their faces, and how much they believed (or wanted to believe) what I was saying, really got to me - I can still see some of their faces, too. It was shortly thereafter that I handed the position back. I couldn't do it and live with myself. It instinctively felt wrong to me. I couldn't shake the feeling that they just wanted me to be a good bull-sh***er and serve as a mini-pied piper to do their bidding. It was also a turning point for me, I never quite looked at the cult org. with same eyes ever again.

****

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Nichijew
Here is another translation of the above passage:

"Not only I, Nichiren but also my disciples will reach the land of Buddha unfailingly so long as we hold on to unwavering faith no matter what difficulty confronts us. I have always told my disciples not to have doubts about the lack of heavenly protection and not to lament the lack of tranquility in this world. I am afraid, however, that they might all have doubts about this and no longer listen to me. It seems only natural that ordinary people, in face of harsh reality, will forget what they had promised..." -- Kyotsu Hori

The only difference with this passage and the SGI passage is that the SGI passage is translated from the modern Japanese translation and the Hori translation is from the Chinese original and the part about listening to Nichiren. They don't listen to Nichiren. That is not to say that all the SGI translations from the modern Nichiren Shoshu translations are faithful to the originals. I have many examples of significant deviation from the originals but it is beyond the scope of this forum to go into details. Suffice it to say that those passages that agree with SGI [Daisaku Ikeda] doctine are left unaltered but those don't are changed subtly or not so subtly.

This passage has been twisted by the SGI interpretation to mean unyielding allegiance to the Soka Gakkai and mentor Daisaku Ikeda rather than the Law and Nichiren.

Nichijew

Appreciate the follow up, thanks. Quite a different nuance, that's for sure.


- Hitch

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Spartacus
Just as Williams handed the Omamori to me, Kikumura said, "Now you must swear to "never go taiten", to which I gleeful complied.

Mike Kikumura was a lanky, bespectacled, nerd-type of sidekick shadow to Williams. In the '80's, he gave the same stupid speech over and over, something about "spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghetti ..." - I kid you not. Us YMD nicknamed him "The Spaghetti Guy", because he looked like a walking spaghetti noodle that wore glasses. He always seemed to show up and be pushed to the podium to speak whenever Williams couldn't be around, kind of like a second choice.

HA!

****

Quote
holly_golightly

Quote
TheVoid
'Makes Sensei's heart your own'
'We can make a connection'
'We can make a dialogue'
'try not to think just chant'
'Sensei's SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GREEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!!!'
'Make a connection with Sensei'

Eeeesh why did I ever bother with these fruitcakes!

You've reminded me of another one

'We've just received a message from Sensei. He sends his regards to all of the young women's/young men's/women's/men's division in the HQ/the Region/the area/the country' (delete as necessary).

and of course

'Sensei has kindly provided you all with refreshments after this meeting'.

I've heard this same spiel in different parts of the U.S. and in Japan. It's all a con. It was like Santa Claus singling you out or The Romper Room Teacher [www.youtube.com] saying your name in the magic mirror. Members often went ga-ga over it all, too. I think I caught on after the first few times they did it.

They also sometimes used Williams on us "YOUTH!", "this lunch is from Mr. Williams" or "Mr. Williams has suddenly appeared because of your ichinen and will take a photo with you."

Boy, what dupes we were.


- Hitch

PS - (Edit) They also use a different version of this same con on some of the salaried "leaders." If you do sensei's bidding well enough, you might get a magically signed gift in the mail or a special gift delivered to you via another higher level gakkai leader automaton in person. Sensei wrote a special message to you in Japanese (never mind if you can't really read it) or chose a specific type of gift especially for you (wow! sensei knows your name, who you are and really cares about you!). Cue in the senior salaried leader turning on the tears now, too (others, maybe secretly jealous).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2013 07:13AM by Hitch.

"I too held various positions T&P, including briefly a YMD headquarters level position. I can pat myself on the back and kid myself that I was the most wonderful person in the whole world [which is exactly what they want you to believe] but, at best, I was an enabler, greedy for personal gain, and one of the unthinking masses. I believe there are parallels to the "good" German citizen who watched idly by as their neighbors had their shops destroyed. Are you telling me at the height of your cult indoctrination you wouldn't have columniated a difficult member or reported him or her for their perceived transgressions [because "failure to report" --Daisaku Ikeda, is evil]? Honest self reflection is a virtue. I would have had none of that. "
Nichijew

I have always been the sort of person who likes to help others. And I did this both within and without the SGI, even when I was a YWD leader. Serving the Thanksgiving meal at a homeless shelter, for example. That was my focus, and it continues to this day. While I liked the affirmation of being appointed (never elected) YWD HQ leader, the fact is that, the higher your leadership position, the more sh!t you get from the older members. I remember when I was planning a camping trip for the YWD, the weather began to change in the week leading up to the weekend we'd chosen, and this one fatass WD, a teen YWD's mom and a WD Chapter chief, called me up and chewed my butt about how it was "too risky" "must always keep the welfare of the members in mind" etc. etc. As if I could control the weather. As if it was so *easy* to plan a camping trip for over a dozen YWD of various ages! What was SHE doing for the YWD? NOTHING!! I mentioned it to our pioneer, and WD Chapter chief got HER ass chewed. But she really had it coming. That's the only situation I can think of that involved "reporting". So what I did was to make a day-trip option - YWD could come up for the day and then go home at night to sleep instead of sleeping there in the tent. Of course, the adult division had to provide transportation, but that's how it was back then. Now? They seem to expect the Youth Division to do *everything* themselves, even though the youth don't have the means! All because PRESIDENT Ikeda says, "The youth should lead." Stupid!!

Sorry, but while I appreciate your perspective and believe that it's what you experienced, it doesn't apply to me. I never put the organization first, except in how I could use it to create more opportunities for the YWD. I realize we each have the all-too-human tendency to regard our own experience as the norm, which nicely explains why YOU think of the membership as evil but *I* think of them as good (if naive), you'll notice. Each person's experience is different, and each person reacted differently to his/her experience inside the cult. And each person's path to healing is different.

We don't all have to agree. That said, we don't all have to just sit by while someone else accuses us of being "evil", without even knowing us O_O

I never heard that "failure to report is evil." I honestly self-reflected ALL THE TIME. I was perhaps more critical of myself than anyone else was. I *wanted* to change my life for the better, and I did. I had heard that you get more benefit from taking on leadership positions, so that aspect of my leadership was selfish; however, my goal was always to make things better for my YWD and help/encourage them in any way I could. I helped girls with homework. I helped girls practice the flute music for kotekitai (I played the flute myself). One girl, from the other HQ, even called *ME* when she discovered she was pregnant at age 15. I was *there* for my YWD - and they were *all* MY YWD. That's honestly how I felt about it. I truly believed that what we were all doing was good and helpful, that it could enable us to improve our lives. I used it to improve MY life, so naturally, I thought that's the effect it would have on everyone else, too. Discovering incest, rape, adultery, and experiencing the *murder* of one of my group members by her husband helped me overcome THAT delusion. But the fact that someone is deluded doesn't translate into "that person is deliberately and determinedly evil."

I think I'm done weighing in on this topic. If you want to think I was necessarily an evil corrupt minion, you go right ahead. Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Quote
sixtyseven
What a strong statement to say the organization is more important than my life.

Dangerous Cult!

Agreed. It's sickening and all the doublethink and inflammatory language ("betrayers, slanderers, destroyers", etc.) nauseating.

Evil and manipulating = $oka Gakkai Cult Org..


- Hitch

I found this link elsewhere on the site which definitely applies here between Ikeda and the sociopathic leaders. It tells you what to expect and how to deal with them. I certainly found this useful.


This excerpt from an interview with Martha Stout was so good we are reposting it here. Many of these rules can be applied to relationships with cyberpaths, online bullies or predators.

Twelve Rules
by Martha Stout
Author of THE SOCIOPATH NEXT DOOR.


1 - The first rule involves the bitter pill of accepting that some people literally have no conscience, and that these people do not often look like Charles Manson or a Ferengi bartender.

They look like us.


2 - In a contest between your instincts and what is implied by the role a person has taken on -- educator, doctor, leader, animal-lover, humanitarian, loving parent, activist, religious person -- go with your instincts.

Whether you want to be or not, you are a constant observer of human behavior, and your unfiltered impressions, though alarming and seemingly outlandish, may well help you out if you will let them. Your best self understands, without being told, that impressive and moral-sounding labels do not bestow conscience on anyone who did not have it to begin with.


3 - When considering a new relationship of any kind, practice the Rule of Threes regarding the claims and promises a person makes, and the responsibilities he or she has.

Make the Rule of Threes your personal policy. One lie, one broken promise, or a single neglected responsibility may be a misunderstanding instead. Two may involve a serious mistake. But three lies says you're dealing with a liar, and deceit is the lynchpin of conscienceless behavior.

Cut your losses and get out as soon as you can. Leaving, though it may be hard, will be easier now than later, and less costly.

Do not give your money, your work, your secrets, or your affection to a three-timer. Your valuable gifts will be wasted.


4 - Question authority.
Once again -- trust your own instincts and anxieties, especially those concerning people who claim that dominating others, violence, war, or some other violation of your conscience is the grand solution to some problem. Do this even when, or especially when, everyone around you has completely stopped questioning authority.

Recite to yourself what Stanley Milgram taught us about obedience. 'At least six out of ten people will blindly obey a present, official-looking authority to the bitter end.' The good news is that having social support makes people somewhat more likely to challenge authority.

Encourage those around you to question, too.


5 - Suspect flattery.
Compliments are lovely, especially when they are sincere. In contrast, flattery is extreme, and appeals to our egos in unrealistic ways. It is the material of counterfeit charm, and nearly always involves an intent to manipulate. Manipulation through flattery is sometimes innocuous and sometimes sinister.

This "flattery rule" applies on an individual basis, and also at the level of groups and even whole nations. Throughout all of human history and to the present, the call to war has included the flattering claim that one's own forces are about to accomplish a victory that will change the world for the better, a triumph that is morally laudable, justified by its humane outcome, unique in human endeavor, righteous, and worthy of enormous gratitude. Since we began to record the human story, all of our major wars have been framed in this way, on all sides of the conflict, and in all languages the adjective most often applied to the word war is the word holy. An argument can easily be made that humanity will have peace when nations of people are at last able to see through this masterful flattery.


6 - If necessary, redefine your concept of respect.
Too often, we mistake fear for respect, and the more fearful we are of someone, the more we view him or her as deserving of our respect.

I have a spotted Bengal cat who was named Muscle Man by my daughter when she was a toddler, because even as a kitten he looked like a professional wrestler. Grown now, he is much larger than most other domestic cats. His formidable claws resemble those of his Asian leopard-cat ancestors, but by temperament, he is gentle and peace-loving. My neighbor has a little calico who visits. Evidently the calico's predatory charisma is huge, and she is brilliant at directing the evil eye at other cats. Whenever she is within fifty feet, Muscle Man, all fifteen pounds of him to her seven, cringes and crouches in fear and feline deference.

Muscle Man is a splendid cat. He is warm and loving, and he is close to my heart. Nonetheless, I would like to believe that some of his reactions are more primitive than mine.

I hope I do not mistake fear for respect, because to do so would be to ensure my own victimization. Let us use our big human brains to overpower our animal tendency to bow to predators, so we can disentangle the reflexive confusion of anxiety and awe. In a perfect world, human respect would be an automatic reaction only to those who are strong, kind, and morally courageous. The person who profits from frightening you is not likely to be any of these.

The resolve to keep respect separate from fear is even more crucial for groups and nations. The politician, small or lofty, who menaces the people with frequent reminders of the possibility of crime, violence, or terrorism, and who then uses their magnified fear to gain allegiance is more likely to be a successful con artist than a legitimate leader. This too has been true throughout human history. (This applies to Cyberpaths who apply the 'if you do...., then I will...." to keep you silent about the truth about them. Or who threaten to tell your friends, coworkers or hurt your family & friends. This includes those who defame and libel your reputation to people who don't even know you and rewrite history in their favor!)


7 - Do not join the game.
Intrigue is a sociopath's tool.

Resist the temptation to compete with a seductive sociopath, to outsmart him, psychoanalyze, or even banter with him.

In addition to reducing yourself to his level, you would be distracting yourself from what is really important, which is to protect yourself.


8 - The best way to protect yourself from a sociopath is to avoid him, to refuse any kind of contact or communication.

The only truly effective method for dealing with a sociopath you have identified is to disallow him or her from your life altogether. Sociopaths live completely outside of the social contract, and therefore to include them in relationships or other social arrangements is perilous. Begin this exclusion of them in the context of your own relationships and social life.

You will not hurt anyone's feelings. Strange as it seems, and though they may try to pretend otherwise, sociopaths do not have any such feelings to hurt.

You may never be able to make your family and friends understand why you are avoiding a particular individual. Sociopathy is surprisingly difficult to see, and harder to explain. Avoid him/ her anyway.

If total avoidance is impossible, make plans to come as close as you can to the goal of total avoidance.


9 - Question your tendency to pity too easily.
Respect should be reserved for the kind and the morally courageous. Pity is another socially valuable response, and should be reserved for innocent people who are in genuine pain or who have fallen on misfortune. If, instead, you find yourself often pitying someone who consistently hurts you or other people, and who actively campaigns for your sympathy & compassion, the chances are close to one hundred percent that you are dealing with a sociopath.

Related to this-- I recommend that you severely challenge your need to be polite in absolutely all situations. For normal adults in our culture, being what we think of as "civilized" is like a reflex, and often we find ourselves being automatically decorous even when someone has enraged us, repeatedly lied to us, or figuratively stabbed us in the back. Sociopaths take huge advantage of this automatic courtesy in exploitive situations.

Do not be afraid to be unsmiling and calmly to the point.


10 - Do not try to redeem the unredeemable.
Second (third, fourth, and fifth) chances are for people who possess conscience. If you are dealing with a person who has no conscience, know how to swallow hard and cut your losses.

At some point, most of us need to learn the important if disappointing life lesson that, no matter how good our intentions, we cannot control the behavior -- let alone the character structures -- of other people. Learn this fact of human life, and avoid the irony of getting caught up in the same ambition he has-- to control.

If you do not desire control, but instead want to help people, then help only those who truly want to be helped. I think you will find this does not include the person who has no conscience.

The sociopath's behavior is not your fault, not in any way whatsoever. It is also not your mission. Your mission is your own life.


11 - Never agree, out of pity or for any other reason, to help a sociopath conceal his or her true character.

"Please don't tell," often spoken tearfully and with great gnashing of teeth, is the trademark plea of thieves, abusers -- and sociopaths. Do not listen to this siren-song. Other people deserve to be warned more than sociopaths deserve to have you keep their secrets. (i.e. - EXPOSURE WORKS!)

If someone without conscience insists that you "owe" him or her, recall what you are about to read here -- that "You owe me" has been the standard line of sociopaths for thousands of years, quite literally, and is still so. It is what Rasputin told the Empress of Russia. It is what Hannah's father implied to her, after her eye-opening conversation with him at the prison.

We tend to experience "You owe me" as a compelling claim, but it is simply not true. Do not listen.

Also, ignore the one that goes, "You are just like me." You are not.


12 - Defend your psyche.
Do not allow someone without conscience, or even a string of such people, to convince you that humanity is a failure. Most human beings do possess conscience. Most human beings are able to love.