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TaitenAndProud
Say, one of the standard Buddhist statues that I bought toward the end of my SGI tenure was of the "Weeping Buddha." Here is what it looks like, for anyone who isn't familiar with this concept:

Or else he is crying because he realized how much hard-earned money he's sunk into a rosewood box that now is only good for keeping a door propped open <grin>

All kidding aside, that is a powerful physical image once it is mated up with a powerful mental image.

I recall how I would look at the cranes on my butsudan while chanting, thinking about the one crane with an open mouth and the other closed, and then the crane brushing the mountain with its wings, etc. etc. My point is that there is a big internal experience, totally personalized to the individual. Filling all the blank spots in with convenient details. How easily we can furnish our little pointed heads with stuff. Right now my head is furnished with an air mattress and a mini fridge with chips and salsa <grin>.

Not to shift the topic too far, I recall someone on here talking about the TV series KungFu and how it inspired him/her back "in the day".

I too had a similar moment. To set the scene, Kwai Chang had a friend who died and he was very troubled about life and death. He mentions this to his blind teacher, Master Po (I think - Keye Luc was the actor) and the payoff shot was done with the sun shining in over his shoulder, and his line was "A man with no regrets never fears death"... I was in my 30's then and was realizing I was not going to live forever (that was a transition period for me with the death of my mother and such) and I shuddered seeing that. Afterwards however that image really kept popping up whenever I thought about my mortality. Definitely helped something in my noggin deal.... still with me until today.

Sorry for the digression.

Wakatta1

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Not to shift the topic too far, I recall someone on here talking about the TV series KungFu and how it inspired him/her back "in the day".

That was me O_O

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I too had a similar moment. To set the scene, Kwai Chang had a friend who died and he was very troubled about life and death. He mentions this to his blind teacher, Master Po (I think - Keye Luc was the actor) and the payoff shot was done with the sun shining in over his shoulder, and his line was "A man with no regrets never fears death"... I was in my 30's then and was realizing I was not going to live forever (that was a transition period for me with the death of my mother and such) and I shuddered seeing that. Afterwards however that image really kept popping up whenever I thought about my mortality. Definitely helped something in my noggin deal.... still with me until today.

I think that's the power of media - good writing/acting can distill down the essence of an emotion and help us better understand it. Not to digress too far further, but I found this emotional clarity, for lack of a better term, one of the most compelling aspects of the original "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series. In the scene where Buffy and Willow are in Willow's bedroom, right after the person Buffy loves has decided to leave forever, and...here, I'll let them tell it:

[www.youtube.com]

Please forgive this long post.
Reproducing here for posterity, as evidence of $GI Cult Leader Daisaku Ikeda's questionable mental state:

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SGI PRESIDENT IKEDA’S POEM
THE VICTORIOUS FUTURE OF MENTOR AND DISCIPLE
Commemorating the 70thanniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s founding.

"I have a mentor: Josei Toda. I have given my whole life To my mentor! To carrying out his instructions! To perpetuating the noble spirit Of mentor and disciple! To overcoming and crushing Devious and base persecutions! To the oneness of mentorand disciple! To leaving behind a history of kosen-rufu Of eternal glory and splendor! To vanquishing arrogant authorities And the three powerful enemies Who inflicted such suffering on my mentor! To the correct teaching of Buddhism! To my selfless, hard-working comrades in faith! To those disciples who are striving to widen The path to the eternal future still further! We stood up resolutely. We fought resolutely. We were ready to die for our cause As we pushed onward in our struggle. What regrets could we have? What hesitation? This indeed Is the pride of disciples Who carry on the spirit And the work Of Nichiren Daishonin.

This is the solemn, trial-filled path Of mentor and disciple Who together Energetically wage An unrelenting struggle for good, Following the Buddha’s will and decree. My mentor called out to us: Do not become blank-eyed Spiritual sleepwalkers! Do not become people Whose minds are closed and rigid, Who are unable to dream! Always look far into the future And never lose your inner spark. Treasure every day, Bidding a solemn farewell To each as it passes. Do not give up! Never let yourself be defeated! Love the struggles and challenges of your life So that you never tire! Exhaustion Is a sign of spiritual defeat, And gives rise to sighs Of weary old age. With such a spirit, You cannot hope to overcome The manifold difficulties ahead. You must live on, With vitality and energy! Do not walk through life Pitifully stumbling overeach setback! My friends! Though you may encounter People who are derisive

And arrogant in attitude, Each of you is a person of mission Whose life emanates virtue and good. Spreading your wings and soaring To the world’s loftiest heights, You will most certainly Develop into a person Who is praised and lauded By countless heavenly deities. Your spirit, Your faith, Can never be broken, Even by the heaviest of blows; Can never be shaken, Even by the most relentless of lashings. No matter how cruelly your spirit Is thrashed and beaten, You remain undaunted. Your eyes, Lit by a passionate flame, Will shine only brighter And more beautifully. You are a champion of life Who fears nothing. Let persecutions come! Let trials befall me! I have the means to generate Powerful and lofty hope. I can see Those who are like demons Milling around what, Unbeknownst to them, Is only an execution block. They trample The noble spirit Of the Daishonin And have become

Pitiful robbers of the Law. Like a rapacious swarm of locusts, High Priest Nikken Abe and his cronies Have exploited and persecuted And even plotted to destroy The Soka Gakkai, An organization of the highest good That has made unprecedented contributions To spreading the Law And worked so hard To support and protect the priesthood. Their evil deeds Will go down forever in history And they will be severely judged According to the law of cause and effect. This I believe To be the unwavering position Of the Daishonin. It will be just as he states In the writing “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage”: They “seem to be free from punishment at first, But eventually they are all doomed to fall” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 997). The plots and schemes of High Priest Nikken and his cohorts, Spinning a web of the most base lies And vicious slander, Were designed to bring us down. Yet We shone on brightly Like the morning sun! We rose boldly to the challenge, And began our battle! The Daishonin, too, Was slandered as an immoral priest, And his struggles amid

persecution Were beyond description. Our first president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi Used to strictly remind us That in comparison The persecution we encounter Is truly small and trivial. With silent forbearance, The firm resolve demonstrated by the Buddha Engraved in our hearts, We waged an arduous struggle To overcome Every imaginable Haughty and arrogant utterance. We will not be defeated. We are fed up With the clamoring and abusive foolishness Of these spiritual paupers. In fact, our mighty, passionate spirit Only burns all the brighter. They who are At times frenzied, At times coldly silent, At times filled with excuses, Will eventually depart this world, Gasping and trembling in fear. Backsliders in faith! Are you satisfied To lead a life Trapped in a maze Of hellish depths? Slanderers of the Law! Having corrupted theDaishonin’s teachings And veered from the eternal truth, Are you prepared To drift along forever in a state of life Of agonized defeat?

Traitors! Having turned your backs On the Daishonin’s golden words, Are you ready To be burned in the fires Of the hell of incessant suffering? To be imprisoned in a cavern In the hell of extreme cold? To be shut off in the darkness Of misery and strife, Forever deprived of the sun’s light? Our faith and conviction, Blazing like a flame, Like molten sunshine Flowing down from the heavens, Has opened the eyes Of many who were ignorant of the truth, Has brought light to their darkened homes And melted away the slanderous words Of publications that have defamed us. Illuminated by the sun, Illuminated by the moon, Illuminated by the great spirit Of humanity, Illuminated by the uncompromising spirit Of history, Ignoring the pitiful sighs Of those who act against the Law, Eventually the dawn Of the triumph of humanism Will come. We have won! Without a doubt The power of the sun Rising over the new century

Is limitless. We have triumphed! Today Our brave Soka alliance Of champions of justice and truth Has spread to 163 nations! My friends! Once more today, As strong and generous allies of the people, Cheerfully, positively Throw yourselves into the challenge Of fighting against evil! Break through all walls of obstacles! O storm, Rage if you will! O pounding waves, Crash upon us with allyour might! Our march forward, Yours and mine, A march of nameless heroes, May seem quiet and sedate, But our hearts are a fire, For the jeweled sword of justice and truth Shines in the depths of our lives. Our banner of glory Flutters in celebration of The 70th anniversary Of the Soka Gakkai’s founding. The crown of life Each of us wears Sparkles ever more brilliantly. We will forever strive to achieve Our most solemn And noble undertaking.

Our struggle will resound Throughout eternity —An enterprise without parallel, That will spread far and wide, Ever increasing in its golden splendor. The Daishonin declares: Haven’t we been bound by a promise To be mentor and disciple From the beginningless past? My friends! Lead a life Burning with amagnificent mission! My friends! Shun a life Headed toward the gallows of suffering! My friends! Summon your courage! I, too, Regardless of the insults showered upon me, Am determined To build a glorious Monument of achievement In the depths of my life. Ah! How incredibly bright Are the skies of our future!"

Daisaku Ikeda
November 7, 2000


Victorious Future of Mentor and Disciple, The Ikeda
World Tribune 12/01/2000 p.6 (Poetry)"

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Notice, this so-called "poem" was composed shortly after the breakup with the priesthood. Sounds the ranting of a petulant, delusional individual. Someone who didn't get his way and set pen to paper to let off steam as a stress releasing exercise. As such, it should never have been published. It was, however, and it is kind of hard to find (?) nowadays, so .... here it is in full (perhaps again).

I have bolded some of the more offensive and inflammatory portions. These portions reveal a pathologically unstable mindset. Many of them are projecting onto the priesthood and could easily be applied to The Dear Leader himself and his cult org.. Also, delusions of grandeur.

Got to love those appeals to adverse consequences, the last refuge of someone with no more armament in their argument, an act of desperation once all options have been deployed. (To be expected by gakkai cult org. members, because this tactic is very closely related to "wishful" and "magical" thinking, that permeates their lives.)

This "poem" reminds me how much The Dear Leader loves his,

"Oh, This ..."
"Oh, That ..."

Phraseology. It makes me want to say, "Oh brother!"

I also love the "cohorts" and "spiritual paupers" remarks. A PERFECT example of psychological projection, aptly describing Ikeda and is cult org., as well.

The above ranting "poem", is the product (as stated before) of a sick mind. That is one disgusting "poem" from the gakkai cult org. "Master", to his slaves, also saying in desperation, don't leave me (Ikeda - the daishonin), .... or else ...


- Hitch

Ugh. I'll say it again - his "poetry" is *TERRIBLE*!!! >.<

I never could wade through that puerile dreck. He's truly got no talent for this, and if he weren't such a big fat tool, he might recognize that. But I think he's actually started to believe his own self-promotion and created image, that everything he does is stellar and deserving of the highest praise and recognition. Barf.

Hey, you know what? I'll bet someone could easily make up a database of militaristic catch-phrases and write a simple "President Ikeda Poem Generator" program!

If you read more widely throughout the Buddhist scriptures - the REAL ones of the Pali Canon, you'll find that the REAL Buddha never threatened anyone. Never demanded that people cling to HIM. Never expected anything from others. He simply offered his own insights to help where they could.

All that "You'd better do as I say or you'll be sorry!" is emotional manipulation of the most despicable and repellent sort. Ikeda's religion is no better than the most deplorable and sneer-worthy Evangelical Christian sect.

Hitch,

It looks like he's been studying American televangelists as well. I have never seen this "poem" until now. In my mind I had a minister emotionally laying on the hellfire and damnation on his sheeple. It would have been funny to imagine if not for the fact this isn't a funny thing to read at all. It's no wonder it's well hidden. It would scare off anyone looking for Buddhism when this is more like the polar opposite. It's good to have this out forever as this shows his true mindset while he is possibly at one of his weakest moments, raving like a lunatic. Too bad there isn't more of this kind of thing in video. I realize they can have the videos removed as they already do so I guess this kind of thing will have to do until there's a video website that can't be threatened with legal action. What about Scientolgy videos, are there places where even they haven't been able to remove content from?

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Traitors! Having turned your backs On the Daishonin’s golden words, Are you ready To be burned in the fires Of the hell of incessant suffering? To be imprisoned in a cavern In the hell of extreme cold? To be shut off in the darkness Of misery and strife, Forever deprived of the sun’s light?

"How could you turn your backs on the Living Lord of all reality, the One Lord Jesus Christ? When you die, you'll stand in judgment before the heavenly throne. And you'll cry like a baby. I'll be there, too! And you'll crawl to me and wrap your arms around my ankles, wailing, 'Help me! Do something! Oh, WHY did I not listen when you wisely and compassionately tried to talk sense to me? How could I have been so foolish, so stupid? SAVE ME!!' But I'll just laugh in your face. We'll all have a good laugh at your helplessness and misery, because it's so much fun to laugh at people suffering. Even your own mother will be laughing at you! And then you'll be kicked into hell to be violated with red hot iron pokers for all eternity. All because you weren't willing to unquestioningly discard *everything* you believed in in favor of adopting all of MY beliefs instead, so that YOU could be more like ME! Yeah, you'll be sorry, all right!"

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sleepy skunk
Hitch,

It looks like he's been studying American televangelists as well. I have never seen this "poem" until now. In my mind I had a minister emotionally laying on the hellfire and damnation on his sheeple. It would have been funny to imagine if not for the fact this isn't a funny thing to read at all. It's no wonder it's well hidden. It would scare off anyone looking for Buddhism when this is more like the polar opposite. It's good to have this out forever as this shows his true mindset while he is possibly at one of his weakest moments, raving like a lunatic. Too bad there isn't more of this kind of thing in video. I realize they can have the videos removed as they already do so I guess this kind of thing will have to do until there's a video website that can't be threatened with legal action. What about Scientolgy videos, are there places where even they haven't been able to remove content from?

The fact that this particular "poem" and the "Eccentric Ikeda - early 90's, Santa Monica" video clips are hidden out there on the net, keep disappearing, are being suppressed and gakkai cult org. members brainwashed to "report" them and have them removed whenever they appear: speaks very clearly about their (self-inflicted) damaging content and is outward demonstration of the rabid inner intolerance of the cult org. of freedom of speech, freedom of information, free dialogue and free thought.

All the evidence revealing the true nature of the $oka Gakkai Cult Org. is out there, for those able to evaluate and think critically about it. One of the most telling indicators of the cult org.'s current status, is that the membership is now having to resort to protect The Dear Leader, from himself (which is a fool's task) and even craft artificial alternate histories (hiding his health problems, etc.), so that The Dear Leader can forever remain "Victorious!" in the eyes of membership and gakkai mythology, until the very end. Somehow this is very fitting to an "organization" that, from the beginning, was always based on a lie and manipulation.


- Hitch

I think these damning videos are all going to have to be hidden under such names as "Funny Kittens" and "Cutest Puppies" O_O

Any religion that has to resort to threatening people to validate itself demonstrates its own worthlessness. If it has value, that will stand without people needing to be manipulated and browbeaten into accepting it against their will.

The larger venue U.S. east coast "YOUTH!" $oka Gakkai Cult Org. mtg. continues (previous 5 parts posted earlier) -

Part VI [www.youtube.com] Nauseating, creepy introduction to a song, performed by "Angels Of Peace."
11:28 minutes.

Part VII [www.youtube.com] Another creepy performance introduction. "We're all in the ship together, let's cross the sea." Typical cult regressing ritual, requesting the entire auditorium join in, ... "You & Me, You & Me ..." Taiko drum performance (the gakkai cult org. really likes its taiko drums, see my comments about part IX, below). 8:46 minutes.

Part VIII [www.youtube.com] YWD experience. Notice how these experiences are almost always about them accepting the cult org. and Dear Leader Savior at a time in their life when they were especially vulnerable (depressed, down and out, etc.). Lots of cult speak. Bodhisattva cult rap-like song follows. 13:32 minutes.

Part IX [www.youtube.com] Ever wonder *why* the cult org. has a weird obsession with taiko drums? It's because its convenient, anybody can do it. This is where they funnel the people who they have no where else to put them for cult activities (those who don't want brass band or kotekitai, gajokai, byakuren, etc.). Sometimes, just sometimes, you get a result (of the manipulation) like the boy's experience at the start of this clip.

Giggling girl YWD reads "special" Dear Leader Guidance especially for this cult org. mtg. (have heard all this before), "To "YOUTH!" of America, May Total Victory Be Yours!, Daisaku Ikeda, March 2013!" WooooHooooooo!!!!! . Dear Leader Cult Fan Dance follows, by ESD (Elementary School Division), all wearing tri-color gakkai cult color shirts. Clip time, 8:13 minutes.

I find this particular clip (part IX), extremely sad.

Part X [www.youtube.com] Typical gakkai cult org. over the top MC-YMD YOUTH "leader." "So, that was amazing, riiiiight?! Once again, Thank You So Much! So, how's everybody doing??? Once again, I really want to thank everybody coming such long distances, I heard some people took buses and cars, over 7 hours to get here! SO, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! And especially, you know, to all of our friends and guests, you know, who took time out of your busy schedules to be here, you know."

Quintessential gakkai cult org. MC-Leader cult-speak, right down to the gestures, mannerisms and semi-broken English patterns. Another "fortune baby" (so-called) is pulled into the cult org.. This also explains the prototypical gakkai cult automaton personality and speech patterns. Guy gets home-V'ed for years and eventually caves in to start practicing and climbing up the cult org. leadership ladder.

Les Misérables song for revolution & hope, by cult members, follows. Cult org. regional meeting concludes with everyone singing the new "YOUTH!" cult song, "RISE!"

"Like SENSEI, Rise Up America." 13:29 minutes.

(Even the classic soka-han bluecoats appear at the very end to make a special $oka-han controlling announcement, earpieces, walkie-talkies, urgent messages, it's all right there happening again, just like I remember it all. HAHA! The only difference now, is that the main cheese speaks with and Indian English accent.)

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The gakkai cult org. marches on, entrapping another generation. Absolutely nothing has changed.



- Hitch

Does that mean there is nowhere is safe from video removal? What about Wikileaks? I looked up Scientology on Wikipedia for a brief look at what happens when they try to get things taken down. It seems like the moment they get threatened to remove content they don't take it too well as they didn't consider Scientology to be an issue until they sent their attack dogs in. I know SGI's reputation is nothing compared to Scientology and people might laugh at the idea of a (supposedly) Buddhist group being a threat to anyone. For right now, that is. If someone could find those videos and take it from there myabe this would finally put SGI on the radar. I like T&Ps idea of alternate names, but if if they are combing this thread looking for the videos they will find them through us no matter what we call them. I'll continue to look around for ideas.