It could be some of those people are running the mass "influence" operations in the USA.

Of course, the SGI "religion" in the USA, is 100% secretive, and SGI conceals all of their operations. This has been shown and proven in this thread.
They refuse to publish any proper documents to show where their assets are, and what is going on with the donations. Its all secret and concealed by SGI.

But one can smell ONE poison pen in the main SGI propaganda in the USA. Its very consistent. That level of skill in group persuasion is hard to come by, and its very distinctive.
Just like Byron Katie has her own style, others also have their own style.

An actual person is writing the SGI-USA material, like that was just posted in this thread. Of course its not Ikeda, that is impossible and absurd.
Its probably one main person in the SGI-USA offices who is in charge of that area, someone who really knows what they are doing.

Quote
Nichijew
Dear all:

There are a few "general members" that have tremendous power and influence in the Soka Gakkai. Greg Wolpert, for one. He is a financial real estate genius who is on the board. I have seen for myself, such high level leaders as David Kasahara, a Vice General Director, literally fawning over him, approaching him as if he were a living god. Greg may go to a zadankai or even host one but he surely is not pushed to do anything he might not want to do. Even a Territory Leader, should he state, even in passing, "we have promoted enough World Tribunes for the month", will get a good scolding from a Vice General Director. Money talks in the Soka Gakkai. I could venture a guess as to those others who really wield power and influence in the SGI-USA but I have not observed their interpersonal dynamics lately. They proclaim that they eschew secrecy and criticize secretive organizations like the Freemasons but every two levels or so of leaders have meetings that are never attended by leaders of a lower level [by invitation only]. They are quite compartmentalized, like the terrorists or the Mafia.

Nichijew.

Well certainly you must have people who can give advice on legal matters. In almost all countries SGI is tax exempted, so that donations can be made that one can even reclaim in their tax form. What is certain is that in the HQ in Tokyo you do have foreigners too. The Williams incident in the early ninties actually shows what will happen if one national SGI does not follow the party line. Before that there was much more independece at leats to the observer, but from then on ... .
What is certain though that one would have that inner circle, thats obvious. I think the only country SGI had real problems to get the tax exempt status was in Japan itself, ever after they became tremendously wealthy. And almost ceratinly you would have the odd ghost writer. There is no doubt on that anymore. It seesm to me the US to SGI is like a testing ground. As I said remember Williams in order not to overestimate the independenc of national SGIs.
I remeber those meetings were we got cake or biscuist from "Sensei" .... hmm come on fat chance, I doubt he even knew the meeting was held. Ot the rumour that he erads every letter from the members. Here the Santa comparisson soemone made earlier fits perfect.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/02/2009 02:59PM by Rothaus.

tsukimoto, in the credits for The World Tribune no one is listed as an editor. The first name on the list is General Director Danny Nagashima so maybe it's him. There is a Managing Editor (Monica Soto Ouchi) and Editorial Advisor (Jeff Kriger). Guy McCloskey is still the current publisher. Others listed are Senior Advisor Fred M. Zaitsu and Assistant Publisher Margie Hall.

On the issue of money, the SGI has recently developed a new way of getting more. Several months ago I read guidance that Ikeda gave about showing appreciation. In it, he stated that showing ingratitude was the worst thing a human being could do. Silly me - I always thought the worst thing a human being could do was, oh I don't know, commit murder. But not so, says Ikeda! He stated how important it was to show appreciation and that he always showed his appreciation to his mentor Josei Toda. Ever since then, the articles in the World Tribune have been abundant with people talking about how much they appreciate the SGI, their mentor Ikeda, and so on and so forth. And then came the 11/20/09 issue of the World Tribune with an article (by Danny Nagashima) on the front page entitled "With a Heart of Appreciation." A flip to the last page reveals an article announcing that a new brochure is available for the Sustaining Contribution Program. What is that, you ask? Well now you can sign up to contribute to the SGI on a regular basis by giving them your credit card number or having them withdraw it directly from your bank account! What convenience for all those members who were pounding on all the kaikan doors across the country, begging to give more of their cash to the SGI! And just in case any members were on the fence about contributing, Nagashima writes in the aformentioned article that "Your sincerity of heart in contributing to the SGI-USA is noble beyond measure." Hmmm...the SGI is about Buddhism, right?

Just wanted to say hello to everyone again. Its been a long while since I last posted. For some reason I didn't get updates to my email that there even was discussion that had continued on this thread.

Well after catching up on forty plus pages of reading that I missed, I found myself sometimes laughing, sometimes angry, sometimes near crying. You all have done a wonderful job with a lot of research to sift through. I have to say I missed you all (especially tsukimoto). I hope I can be of assistance to anyone in the future. You all really helped me more than you know.

I am still practicing on my own. My former leaders now know that I want to end my affiiliation. It was the responsible thing to do. I am being bombarded with requests to home visit me, or texts, or calls. They all know I am leaving. My parents do not. Not yet anyway. I guess I just have to let them know I'm leaving and everything will be alright. Or rather, I will be embarking on another terrifying journey to communicate my intentions to my parents, both thoroughbred SGI folk. I'm sure they will be absolutely thrilled. All in all it sounds like it we be a lot of fun.

All jokes aside, I find that I am enjoying chanting daimoku more than I ever had in my life. I do still get publications, but they get thrown away. I can't stand the titles of the articles, the think speak of SGI, and the bad writing style/translations of the articles themselves. I can't even read an experience anymore. When I was younger I used to skip everything in the World Tribune or Living Buddhism so that I could get to the "good part" or the experience. Now the good part, or experiences, are summed up with something like "along side my mentor in life, President Ikeda, I was able to...." This mentor disciple stuff is the straw that broke the camels back initially. Now I'm learning all the real history of the SGI, and for that matter starting to question how SGI interpreted and distorted all the doctrine in a manner that supported their own needs. Thank goodness I am a how do you say "Shari hotsu" and proud of it. Looks like reading the Daishonin's writings and the Lotus Sutra on my own with out my mentor/savior's distortions really payed off in the end.

I look forward to being a part of this great "dialogue" (get it? the reference is to dialogue in SGI which is supposed to happen at monthly discussion meetings)

evergreen

Hi Evergreen,

Good to see you back – was wondering what had happened to you. I think the trick is to click on the box below one own messages saying that replies to your message should be sent to your mail address. "Send replies to this thread to me via email
".
If you happen to pass a book store you might want to look at “The writings of Nichiren Shonin” published by the University of Hawaii Press. I believe they are by Nichiren Shu. Each volume seems to have a theme to it. To my taste there is less interpretation in them, slight differences in translation and more historic info on the translated Gosho itself, even when its just a fragment.

I wish you good luck with your parents, I have similar situation in my family. The best is to voice your decision, it will cause tears and anger and they will be disappointed to have raised an enemy of the law – according to the world of sensei (me being cynical here). Afterward do not mention SGI in a big way or get into quarrel because of it. What may happen is that you will all have suddenly less to talk about (Especially when both are heavily engaged in activities). This may actually get them thinking – just a guess though – but it won’t happen over night. Once they get past the idea that their child was not hit by lightening and even lives a normal life without great catastrophes being brought upon you they might come at least to the realisation that the world is not as black and white as (some) people always made it out to be. This might not cause them to leave themselves, but will get them a bit closer to the ground again.
Gassho
Rothaus

SGI strikes again.
They are trying to use GUILT as leverage to get more free money "donations".
Ingratitude is redefined as not giving SGI enough money in appreciation, the WORST thing you could ever do to Ikeda and SGI.
For Ikeda, he probably does see ingratitude and "disloyalty" as the worst thing you could do to him, as that is disobedience to the commands of the Master. To Ikeda, that is a fate worse than death, he'd be out of business.

Does SGI use a specific donation percentage? Many sects use a 10% number, as in you should give them 10% of your gross income.

There are numerous variations on this theme used by these groups. What Byron Katie and many others due, is "allow" people to attend expensive seminars, and then pay for them with a monthly payment on their credit card, that can last for several years.
That is diabolical genius, as it legally locks people into the sect for YEARS.

So SGI want that direct deposit, or credit card information, as they know that is the way to keep the money flowing.

Someone could get the FINE PRINT of the SGI document about how to cancel the automatic "donations" to SGI.

Can you imagine the phone calls from SGI you would get when trying to cancel your monthly donation from your bank account or credit card?
Its more diabolical brilliance by SGI, as then they will know when a person is trying to leave SGI, when they try to cancel their automatic donations, so they can contact that person directly.

No one knows where the donations SGI receives goes. There are no audited financial records. Where have all the billions gone?

Quote
SGBye
On the issue of money, the SGI has recently developed a new way of getting more. Several months ago I read guidance that Ikeda gave about showing appreciation. In it, he stated that showing ingratitude was the worst thing a human being could do. ...He stated how important it was to show appreciation and that he always showed his appreciation to his mentor Josei Toda. Ever since then, the articles in the World Tribune have been abundant with people talking about how much they appreciate the SGI, their mentor Ikeda, and so on and so forth. And then came the 11/20/09 issue of the World Tribune with an article (by Danny Nagashima) on the front page entitled "With a Heart of Appreciation." A flip to the last page reveals an article announcing that a new brochure is available for the Sustaining Contribution Program. What is that, you ask? Well now you can sign up to contribute to the SGI on a regular basis by giving them your credit card number or having them withdraw it directly from your bank account! ...

Hello evergreen, your situation is almost an exact carbon copy of mine. Since I'm a fortune baby (are we called that because we'll bring great monetary fortune to Ikeda?), my family is also heavily into the SGI. I, too, have not told them that I have left the organization yet. It's guaranteed that they will try to talk me out of it, but knowing what I know now, I could never ever go back. I also enjoyed reading experiences in the past but see them in a totally different light now. I'm currently enjoying just simply practicing Buddhism: chanting, studying the Daishonin's words, making good causes, and trying to be a better and calmer person. No more filling out daimoku charts, informing the leaders how many people attended what meeting, or being asked to home visit people who don't want you anywhere near their house.

And I get your joke about the word "dialogue." I knew one leader who used that word so much that I put him into my cell phone as "Dialogue Man."

Quote
SGBye
tsukimoto, in the credits for The World Tribune no one is listed as an editor. The first name on the list is General Director Danny Nagashima so maybe it's him. There is a Managing Editor (Monica Soto Ouchi) and Editorial Advisor (Jeff Kriger). Guy McCloskey is still the current publisher. Others listed are Senior Advisor Fred M. Zaitsu and Assistant Publisher Margie Hall.

My guess would be that SGI-USA's chief propaganda writer would be Monica Soto Ouchi, Jeff Krieger, or Margie Hall. I think that the writer would have to be American-born, so probably it's not Danny Nagashima or Fred Zaitsu. Guy McCloskey would most likely have to approve everything that SGI publishes, but given his jobs as chief publisher and board member, does he have time to do all the writing too? Nagashima as director for SGI-USA would also be busy; I can't see him checking every comma and apostrophe in the World Tribune, nor doing the actual writing or translating.

This is just an educated guess; I could be wrong, of course. SGI's practice is to use ghostwriters, who are paid well for writing what SGI wants -- and not telling anyone outside of SGI's publishing department that they've written something for SGI. Page 53 of this thread has quotes from Lisa Jones and Charles Atkins about ghostwriting for SGI. So maybe we'll never know the chief propagandist's true identity.


Evergreen, welcome back.

SGI has been collecting money from members' bank accounts since 1985 in Japan...really, I'm surprised it's taken them this long to start the practice of collecting from members' accounts or credit cards in the United States.

I don't recall ever being asked to donate a specific figure, or a certain percentage of my income. SGI does get quite manipulative on the subject of "gratitude" and "loyalty." They also have the annoying "experiences" -- testimonies where members make a big donation and then later get some great piece of good fortune, often financial.

-------------------------From www.mombu.com/religion--------Fundraising in SGI Japan-----Quote------------------------------------------------------
At any rate, the Soka Gakkai's tremendous money
collection activities, which they call "zaimu" (financial affairs), is
already common knowledge. Moreover, their current method
of collecting money consists of "bank transfers." It is extremely
efficient, organizationally.

Journalist Isao Dan says, "To begin with, I have never heard of a
religious corporation which collects donations through bank
transfers.

From 1985, they instituted the "bank transfers" in big cities
such as Tokyo on an experimental basis. From 1990, this was
carried out on a nationwide basis. Mr. Okkotsu explains,
"Before the 'bank transfers,' Gakkai members would assemble at
the districts and chapters on the last Sunday of July and
make cash donations only on that day. They would stuff their money
into a cardboard box, and it would be conveyed to the Gakkai
Headquarters, but leaders would pilfer the cash enroute to the
Headquarters. This happened frequently. In addition, there was
the danger of transporting large amounts of cash in an
automobile, so they hit upon the idea of 'bank transfers.'"

The Soka Gakkai is referred to as a money collecting religious
body, but with the bank transfers, they have further increased
their efficiency.

However, a financial expert says that most of the money
collected is invested in financial markets. "In the case of last year,
money transferred to authorized accounts at banks in Tokyo
was added up twice between September and November. The
three extra months' worth of zaimu was received as 'pennies
from heaven' and kept idle in the usual accounts. They thought it
would be profitable if they lumped it all together and invested the
large amount at fixed intervals. The money from the banks in
Tokyo was amassed together at the Yotsuya branch of Mitsubishi
Bank, the Gakkai's main bank and then invested in the
zaimu department of each of the Tokyo banks. Then, in
accordance with instructions from Mitsubishi Bank, the money was
returned to the Yotsuya branch, and then remitted to banks and
securities firms which pay high interest. Then it was deposited
in a fixed account in the Postal savings system. There is also a
recent report that it is being invested as a hedge fund for
overseas, where they are speculatively vigorous."

Famous quote of the month:

"As an eternal principle, the Soka Gakkai will never ask for even
the tiniest contribution of offering from the members."
Daiskau Ikeda
Seikyo Shimbun, June 16, 1962
--------------------------------------------End of Quote--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/quote]

Lisa Jones information has been very accurate, so it makes sense that SGI uses ghostwriters, and hired writers to smooth over the text.

But there has to be someone far above that, who is highly experienced and trained in the methods of powerful group influence, thought reform, brainwashing, or whatever you want to call it.
SGI is using techniques very similar to Sai Baba, in the sense of deliberately injecting the image/imago of the Guru deep into the psyche of the followers, with massive repetition, visual images, and anything else they can think of.
SGI is also trying to "fuse" Ikeda right into the core identity of the SGI follower, and to do it for life, and make SGI-Ikeda the center of their life.

So whoever is doing this, knows that whether Ikeda is alive or dead is not even relevant to that method. As to the average SGI person, they are never going to meet Ikeda of course, but just create a mental contruct of "Ikeda" in their minds, which they then organize their lives around.

For someone who watches these things quite closely, someone at SGI is using the latest techniques that are being used by others to do this.
And when Ikeda dies it will have no impact on those techniques at all, they will get even stronger. All they have to say is "you can directly contact Ikeda in the inner realms" or whatever, and it makes it more powerful. They will fuse the concept "Ikeda" with "Buddha", and keep raking in the billions.

So of course, senior SGI are all true believers in SGI.
But there is someone at the top of SGI-USA, who understands all of the latest techniques in powerful group influence. To the trained eye, the 900 lb gorilla is jumping up and down and waving its arms.