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TaitenAndProud
THAT's the one I was talking about - Shin Yatomi. Good guy. I was sad to see him pass on in so untimely a fashion. I called him "The Shin Man" :D

Yeah, it's a shame he was so deluded - I really liked him. But in the end, we're all deluded, aren't we? And it's the delusions we don't recognize as such that drive us around like little cars. One of the "prime points" (ugh - more gakkaispeak) of Buddhism is to become aware of your delusions, because once you recognize them for what they are, they lose their power to influence you.

We should be asking questions like, "Why is this so important to me? What's going to change in my life if I get it?" and "Why am I clinging to this so strongly? Why do I feel I *need* this in my life?" and, most importantly, "What am I afraid will happen if I *don't* have/get this?"

Shin Yatomi stated that he would definitely overcome his cancer by virtue of his relationship with Sensei [nothing about his relationship to the the Law, Gohonzon, Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin, etc].

I never heard that and, frankly, it doesn't sound like something the Shin Yatomi *I* knew would have said. Do you have a source for that?

[www.shinyatomi.com]

The exact quote is not in this video but you can extrapolate from the video that what I say is true. I will find it. I never make anything up about the SGI or I would lose my credibility. There is no doubt he said that he would definitely overcome his illness [a rare type of lung cancer] because "I am a disciple of Sensei." Why disbelieve it? Would it be out of character for one of Sensei's most faithful disciples to believe in the saving power of Daisaku Ikeda?

Mark

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rattyboy
In the late 80s, NSA days, I remember at least one leader telling YMD after big activities: "No accidents!". There was this idea that we might be spaced out after activities, or the cosmic forces would try to sneak in after our good causes, or maybe this was because something had happened (?) after some leader's skiing accident (?), - but there was this knowing look from some YMDs and a vague explanation from the leadership to be careful after strenuous activities for cousin rufus. The 'No accidents' guidance didn't last long, unless it had been around before my time.

"NO ACCIDENTS" didn't exist in NSA during the early 70's. And many accidents did occur, especially traffic accidents, when members fell asleep at the wheel (often while traveling to or from an endless stream of cult activities). Sleep deprivation from obsessively doing non-stop cult activites causes eyes to uncontrollably slam shut as the brain shuts down. Makes it pretty tough to navigate the highway.

I know how exactly how this can happen - it did happen to me. I was driving home one Sundayafternoon from my senior leaders house - only about a 10 minute trip. But after only 3 or 4 miles on the highway, I passed out from sleep deprivation. I awoke with a start as the sound of my VW bug scraping the guard rail screamed at me. Luckily the car had drifted to the right, and not across the median into oncoming traffic. I wasn't hurt but the fenders on the right side of my car were both toast. Naturally, the cult convinced me that I was "protected" since I wasn't hurt.

The same thing happened to another Dallas area leader back then. He was on his way to lead a daimoku toso and fell asleep at the wheel. He drifted over into another lane right into a semi truck rig. He wasn't hurt but it left a huge amount of tire marks all over the side of his car. Again, it was explained how some magical protection had been applied by the Buddhist gods.

During a fanatical weekend trip to L.A. for a leader's HQ meeting (a 3,000 mile round trip that started in Dallas on Friday afternoon and ended with a return by 6 AM on Monday morning - just in time for work and school), I was driving back out of L.A. Everyone in the car was asleep but me, and I was completely exhausted as well. I actually began to hallucinate as I fought to stay awake. Chanting wasn't helping at all, and everyone else in the car had totally passed out. When we finally stopped and changed drivers, I realized that couldn't recall the last 30 or 40 miles at all. I had been sleep-driving in some semi-aware half-awake half-asleep state. Damn dangerous!!! I put all our lives in great jeapordy, believing that we would be magically "protected".

Accidents did happen in Dallas, and were certainly must have happened all around the country as well. So when the "No Accident" policy came around (I dont recall what year), I was relieved to see it, as I knew how many people were wrecklessly endangering themselves while driving under the delusion of special protection from the gods.

Cults are hazardous to your health.

Spartacus

Naturally, the cult convinced me that I was "protected" since I wasn't hurt.

Well, IMHO, REAL protection - or at least the only kind of "protection" worth having - would have protected your car, too!

Which brings us to the topic of "ichinen" - this concept, meaning simply "life moment", seemed to have taken on more of a "commitment" or "determination" kind of meaning. I remember one of the other YWD leaders telling me about big joint territory YWD meeting a year or two before where a YWD stood up and said, "Our ichinen to get here was so strong that we got SEVEN speeding tickets!! Isn't that AWESOME???"

Ugh.

Would it be out of character for one of Sensei's most faithful disciples to believe in the saving power of Daisaku Ikeda?

Yes. Yes, it would. I have been around *loads* of leaders and pioneers and national level leaders, and I have *NEVER* heard of such a thing.

That's just bizarre.

So, yes, I'll be needing an actual quote, not a "Here - listen to this and see if you can't extrapolate 'Ikeda is Jesus' out of it". Thanks just the same.

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Shavoy
@Taiten--in reference to Guy McCloskey, yes, it was his son's issues.

When bad things happen, die-hard SGI-ers don't know how to handle it. Because it flies in the face of everything mentioned in the above posts. They have to pull a Frame out of the hat.

I remember in the WT, after Mr. Aoyama's passing, there was one article about it. Not very big. It seemed to me that there was the hushed tone surrounding it, that Hitch spoke about. It didn't escape me then.

We've all known pioneer Japanese who have fought their own battles with sickness and cancer and succumbed.

I've written here earlier about when a member commits suicide. Hush AND confusion.

Yes, that's spot on! Especially that part, "when bad things happen, die-hard SGI-ers don't know how to handle it." I knew a YMD leader from New Mexico. He suddenly died from a burst artery in his brain. All I heard from the senior leaders was incoherent muttering and rambling. The general members didn't even get to hear about his death at all, as the news ofhhis demise was kept hush-hush.

There was something else that strangely connected this young man to me. Before this YMD leader died, he had given a beautiful and very expensive new leather jacket with fringed trim to VP gen dir. Kikumura during a guidance tour. After arriving in Dallas the next day, Kikumura promtly got rid of his valuable new gift by handing it to me with a quip, "Hey Texas, you're a cowboy, right? I don't want this jacket, you want it?" I snatched it up. Later it seemed really weird how Kikumura offed a heartfelt gift that was so expensive without any apparent consideration or respect for the orginal intention of the loyal giver. Then after this YMD leader died, there was no remorse or sense of loss from the cult senior staff. Seems he was just another mark to be used up and thrown away, as happens when one no longer serves any useful purpose for the cult.

Spartacus

[[sub]quote Hitch]

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TaitenAndProud

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sleepy skunk
I kind of feel for the poor lower level leaders who had to maintain that kind of unhealthy fake enthusiasm (of which I wanted no part). I imagine the youth leaders have it worse since they also have to act as if they were role models which would just add more pressure, more stress, more "enthusiasm".

That's another thing that was always a bit of a pet-peeve of mine - the feigned enthusiasm. I used to think the same think, that it must get tiring after a while to always have to be "on" and a complete fake. Salaried gakkai cult leaders are never allowed to be a complete human in front of the membership, only an entity skewed toward the positive bright light of their "Sun" in life, The Dear Leader, Ikeda.

In order to be a "good"member and climb up the leadership ladder, it's an understood rule that you have to adopt and incorporate this fake demeanor as an inherent part of your personality and daily life, especially in front of other members.

A condescending gakkai cult org. (salaried) leader? Is there any other kind? Arrogant, fake and condescending - it's all part of the job description (after all, they *are* following their "mentor" in life - The Poseur-In-Chief, Ikeda-sama).


- Hitch

[/sub]

I can attest to this leadership role-model thing. During my first three years in the cult, I was continuously shaped and molded - literally groomed to present the required "perfect appearance" of an up and coming leader. After a while, the entire game of power began to make me sick. Sick of my leadership position and my false face. I began to have a breakdown from my ensuing identity crisis. The cult had slowly drained and devoured the real me, replacing my persona with a fake. I was so entrapped by the SGcult that I knew I had to run for my life. I had nowhere and nobody to turn to for help. I'm glad that these days people have a place like this forum to turn to when they need support to exit the SG cult.

Spartacus



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2013 02:45PM by Spartacus.

Spartacus, do you have a perspective on the Japanese members who are shipped over here and who then enjoy a blazing-fast ascension through the ranks to even national leader status, with little accomplishment to show for this result? I'm thinking David Aoyama and Danny Nagashima in particular. It appears that a member of European heritage can get so far, and then all of a sudden, all the senior leaders are on the lookout for flaws, weakness, and other reasons to divert that person's trajectory straight down...

Later it seemed really weird how Kikumura offed a heartfelt gift that was so expensive without any apparent consideration or respect for the orginal intention of the loyal giver.

Surely you noticed that heartfelt gifts that were generously sent to "sensei" were acknowledged only with an inventory accounting, right? "I have received a painting, 8 letters, a box of chocolates, etc." Not even a "thank you"! Did you see the first Harry Potter movie? Where his disgusting cousin Dudley counts up his birthday presents and says, "There are only 42! Last year there were 44!" and then throws a big tantrum because this year's number of presents is less than last years? Even though his father assures him that some of THIS year's presents are quite a bit more expensive than last year's? And his mom ends up promising to take him straight out to the store and buy a couple more presents just to make the total work out??

Sort of like that O_O

Say, anyone remember how the "Mystic Law" is referred to in the Lotus Sutra (I think) as a "wish-granting jewel"? From the "Jewel in the Robe" parable, if memory serves. Well, here's what some artisan in Japan thinks it looks like:

[www.ebay.com]

I think that this parable, comparing the "Mystic Law" to a "wish-granting jewel" really underscores the magical thinking ability required to participate in this belief system.

One of the things I have enjoyed most about my life since leaving SGI and (finally) outgrowing magical thinking is that I can just experience each moment and each day for what it is, without subjecting every event to a critical cross-examination to see what significances it might have, you know, pointing toward *this* confirmation or *that* option... Life is so much better without the belief that everything is "mysteriously" pointing us toward some imagined ideal or desired goal. I realize not everyone might have had this same reaction to the SGI's teachings, but it was mine.

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TaitenAndProud
he (David Aoyama) must have had some serious connections to be rushed up the ladder to a national leadership position so quickly. Was it because he was Japanese and, thus, got special consideration? Why did he come over here in the first place? It would be really interesting to know the backstory, but I'm sure that's not the sort of thing we'll ever be privy to. I think that perhaps he and Danny Nagashima were exported to the USA to rapidly move into position to take over from Mr. Williams (heir and a spare). There aren't any "homegrown" members who advanced that rapidly to such prominent positions - why is it that the USA's national leaders are all ethnic Japanese? Spartacus can, I'm sure, comment on how he's observed that the Japanese members always were given special accommodation and treated with deference, something no [i
gaijin[/i] apparently merited.

Yes, I've often witnessed the Gaijin prejudice of the SGcult. But sometimes even Japanese women are lower in the pecking order than Gaijin. Around '74 there was a desire to get an American man into the top leadership role in Texas (taking the place of Japanese women). That suddenly changed and appointments by HQ for male Japanese as top leaders began. In Texas, after resigning, our new American born leader was swiftly replaced by a youthful male Japanese member (having been sent by Big Leader to America of course!). As a Sokahan chief, I had trained this guy when he was a fresh face in Dallas. Now he had suddenly shot over every other local gaijin candidate for the top leadership position in Texas. At the time, I suspected the reason he was jumped ahead of everyone else had been based first and formost on his Japanese heritage. Now in retrospect, when I add in the part about his being "sent by Sensei" into the equation, it is apparent that there may indeed have been a plan in effect by Tokyo cultHQ to make sure that senior positions in NSA would be held only by selected Japanese plants from Soka Gakkai's Japan youth division. Diabolical? Aren't all cults?

Spartacus

Now in retrospect, when I add in the part about his being "sent by Sensei" into the equation, it is apparent that there may indeed have been a plan in effect by Tokyo cultHQ to make sure that senior positions in NSA would be held only by selected Japanese plants from Soka Gakkai's Japan youth division. Diabolical? Aren't all cults?

"Diabolical" in the sense of "inept" or perhaps "naive", I guess :/

Let's face it - a Japanese-trained and Japanese-style-loyal SGI drone may well follow through and put the ordered plans into place HAI!! But isn't there something *more* required to realize the Grand Plot of the Supreme Leader? What good are all the plans and strategies if no one in the target country is signing up?

I think the problem was in thinking that the Japanese model would work overseas in a country with a completely different cultural heritage. Boy, was THAT an ignorant boner of a move!! Fail, Sensei!!