For many years, the Soka Gakkai was part of Nichiren Shoshu, a Japanese Buddhist sect. The Soka Gakkai is an organization of lay members. In the early 1990's, the Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu split -- very bitterly. The leaders had told us for years to support the Nichiren Shoshu priests -- suddenly we were being told that the priests were corrupt and evil. And apparently the senior Soka Gakkai leaders had known this for years! It didn't add up.

WOW..i didnt know this!
one more reason to ' avoid' this group or groups!

Quote
greg hamond
For many years, the Soka Gakkai was part of Nichiren Shoshu, a Japanese Buddhist sect. The Soka Gakkai is an organization of lay members. In the early 1990's, the Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu split -- very bitterly. The leaders had told us for years to support the Nichiren Shoshu priests -- suddenly we were being told that the priests were corrupt and evil. And apparently the senior Soka Gakkai leaders had known this for years! It didn't add up.

WOW..i didnt know this!
one more reason to ' avoid' this group or groups!

The largest group of corrupt priests are the business suited high salaried lay priests of the Soka Gakkai. When the Soka Gakkai talks about all priests being corrupt, I point out that that Nichiren Daishonin was a priest. Hundreds if not thousands of Nichiren Priests died for the sake of the Lotus Sutra and their members, many more were tortured, exiled and banished without even a thought for their person, land, or treasure.

I posted this [below] several weeks ago. Parallels between SGI and fascism can easily be made. When I first posted this I left it up to the readers to make the associations between the Soka Gakkai and fascism. I will now point them out for those who are unable to see the parallels.

From Scruton:

"[Fascism is] more notable as a political phenomenon on which
diverse intellectual influences converge than as a distinct idea;
as political phenomenon, one of its most remarkable features has
been the ability to win massive popular support for ideas that are
expressly ANTI-EGALITARIAN."

Despite their rhetoric, there is a huge chasm between general members and their religious leaders in the Soka Gakkai. If a general member or lower level leader disagrees with a higher level leader, it is always the general member who lacks faith or should reflect. If a leader visits the home of a member, the leader always leads prayers even if the member has been practicing many years more than the leader.

"Fascism is characterised by the following features (not all of
which need be present in any of its recognized instances):
nationalism; HOSTILITY TO DEMOCRACY," TO EGALITARIANISM"

Not one leader has ever been elected in the Soka Gakkai but they call themselves the flower of Buddhist democracy. Whenever members like the IRG group or individuals bring up elections of leaders, the higher level leaders, questions their faith or spins it that, "the SGI is already a Buddhist democracy, of what use are elections." A leaders term is indefinite and the higher level leaders serve at the whim of the unelected "President". Some leaders have been Vice General Directors, General Directors, or Vice Presidents for decades.

'and to the VALUES OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT" [The Age of Reason]: Another name for this age is the Age of Free Thought. As we have seen there is no free thought in the Soka Gakkai. See how far one gets in the organization were one to take Shakyamuni, Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, or Michio Kaku as their mentor instead of Daisaku Ikeda. Free thought extends to the sphere of freedom of study. One can not even study the various extant Gohonzons in the Soka Gakkai because it is forbidden to photograph the Gohonzon. Even an independent study of the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin is frowned upon. One must utilize the commentaries of the Mentor. There were dozens of debating societies during the Age of Enlightenment. There is no debate in the Soka Gakkai. It is the mentors way or the highway and they are loathe to debate the other Nichiren sects, particularly the Kempon Hokke.


"the CULT OF THE LEADER,"

One need only go to my website to see the 20 foot banners, monuments, plaques and reliefs of Ikeda to know that the Soka gakkai is a cult of personality. The teachings of the Onness of Mentor and Disciple are likewise a manifestation of this reality. The memorizations, "fusing with", "burning into ones life", the guidance and aphorisms of Ikeda as well as his poems, is another example. Naming dozens of parks, buildings, schools, and monuments after Ikeda, is yeyt another example.

"AND ADMIRATION FOR HIS SPECIAL QUALITIES;"

His voluminous and often ghost written books, his hundreds of paid for honoraria; "his ability to read minds and know what others are thinking."; "'The sun always shining when he comes to visit."; His fidelity; loyalty; sincerity; never erring on religious or secular matter; the list literally goes on and on.

"A RESPECT FOR A COLLECTIVE ORGANIZATION, AND A LOVE OF THE SYMBOLS
associated with it, such as UNIFORMS, PARADES and ARMY DISCIPLINE."

One can find hundreds of references to the inability to attain Buddhahood or Enlightenment outside of the organization of the Soka Gakkai. Every Division has their own flag and special symbols. The SGI has a flag and a symbol. Uniforms were a big part of the organization for years and uniformity, especially among the young men's division who couldn't move up in the organization if they had a moustache or beard. Their parades are legendary and their young men's and young women's division are run with the a military inspired discipline.

"The ultimate doctrine contains little that is specific, beyond AN
APPEAL TO ENERGY AND ACTION."

'Victory or defeat'; "ever victorious"; "life condition"; "take action today"; "It is essential for our members to raise their voices and take action."; "Develop the will and spiritual energy to guide your members."; give your very life for the Soka Gakkai."

"Another way to look at fascism is as a movement of extreme racial
or CULTURAL NATIONALISM, combined with ECONOMIC CORPORATISM
and AUTHORATARIAN AUTOCRACY;

The Soka Gakkai is a country within the countries to which it has spread. There most definitely is a culture of Soka. The minor differences in the organizations of the various countries is window dressing rather than a true cultural assimilation. We would not be wrong to say it is an organization based on the Japanese cultural baggage of Bushido or way of the warrior [fierce loyalty, honor, feudalism].

"masked during its rise to state [world] power by PSEUDO-RADICAL
POPULIST appeals to overthrow a conspiratorial elitist regime;

Anyone who opposes the goal of "world peace" based on the Soka "value creation" philosophy are elitists, intellectuals, or priest-like.

SPURRED BY A STRONG CHARISMATICLEADER

Duh!

WHOSE REACTIONARY IDEAS ARE SAID TO ORGANICALLY EXPRESS THE
WILL OF THE MASSES

Nothing could be more reactionary than the autocratic pyramidal structure of the Soka Gakkai formulated by Three Presidents and perfected by Daisaku ikeda, "The Buddha of the modern age" who looks upon all the people as his children.


WHO ARE URGED TO ENGAGE IN A HEROIC COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO ATTAIN
A METAPHYSICAL GOAL against the machinations of a SCAPE GOATED
DEMONIZED ADVERSARY.

I just read, Buddhist Cosmic Philosophy and Daisaku Ikeda’s Concept of Peace Cosmology. You can't get a more metaphysical goal than that envisioned in this essay. This latest writing doesn't even limit the metaphysical goal to the earth but the entire cosmos thanks to the Soka Gakkai faith and practice. However, in his internal speeches since 1991, and in the latest Human Revolution series, we come to see that the evil Nichiren Shoshu priests and the the other evil Nichiren sects, in general, are the only thing preventing the realization of the worldwide actualization of Soka peace cosmology or the spread of the true teachings [Kosen Rufu].

"In any case, in most definitions of fascism the themes of
conspiracism and a NEEDED SCAPEGOAT emerge."

The Nichiren priests, according to the sGI are the Third of the Three Powerful Enemies, to be crushed.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2009 11:44AM by Nichijew.

From the looks of it SGI really does have fascist tendencies. Of course they are extremely sugar coated in the organization that works for peoples' "happiness" but when the rhetoric of the mentor is stripped away, it is fascism. I was reading on the Nichiren Shoshu website that they are also at it again with a new recruitment goal for the members. Ick. Ick ick ick!!! Who would want to go to the Buddhist Temple for serenity and peace and have someone bitching at you about goals?

Why don't they just say heh money is tight, give us more money.

Prez Ikeda is worse than the televangelists. At least they tell you what the money is being used for and declare it on websites, the larger ones anyway. NOOOOO....SGI is too "enlightened" for that. The money is for cousin rufus and his hanchos who needs to eat and wear nice clothes and travel and have biiig meetings so he can feel important.

I used to know someone who worked at the Gakkai HQ in Shinanomachi as a ywd. When she came here, she was asked to work in a similar position in a kaikan here. She flatly refused saying that she had had enough "training" for one life. I asked her if she enjoyed her time so close to Ikea, of course assuming that she would be gushing about sensei's wisdom etc etc. She paused and halfheartedly responded with a nod. But the pressure? not something she wanted again. She was here in the states to enjoy her life.

Wow. That says it all for me. At the time I thought she was nuts. Who wouldn't want to work around someone so enlightened and special. Someone at the heartbeat of Buddhist wisdom and the turning wheel of buddhist prayer? I do believe that Ikea and the other leaders think that they have the monopoly in the action packed world of Buddhist infighting and they do. They also think that they have the monopoly on compassion and insight into people's lives.

THAT they don't. I still remember someone saying how kind Prez Ikeda looked when he was patting some little kids on the cheek with mochi after the new years gongyo in Japan. Yes he has his ticklish side, the warm fuzzy "we can do it " side. He also has his henchmen of leaders and an entourage that would make it virtually impossible to approach him as a human being. I wonder if he even knows what is going on really within the SGI? It could be something like the last emperor of China where it is so complex that the eunuchs and controllers only know what is going on in the Palace. Or maybe I am cutting him too much slack.

Its always a mistake to underestimate guys like Daisaku Ikeda.

For example, the ruler of the media world Rupert Murdoch is 78, and going strong running his global empire.

Daisaku Ikeda is only 81.

Ikeda has had an iron grip of everything for many decades, and these guys only lose power as it is taken from their cold, dead hands.

Ikeda will stay in charge of SGI for life. As in L-I-F-E.
He might install his brother Raul Ikeda as a front, but he'll be there to his last breath.

Then the fight for the billions begins. Guys like Ikeda seem to like to leave things up in the air, so the strongest takes over when he dies.
Although Ikeda probably thinks he'll live forever, that is why he is naming every building after himself.

The comments above by Toynbee were right on the money, that's the truth.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2009 02:46PM by The Anticult.

my goodness, look at the SGI propaganda about Polly Toynbee. [www.gakkaionline.net]
In reality, its very easy for a con-artist like Ikeda to fool and dupe an intellectual, its very simple.

Look at the strange and vile material here.
ANTISOCIAL: INSTRUCTION TO GAKKAI LEADERS
[www.gakkaionline.net]

The guy who writes that website, Jim Celer even has the nerve to say the website is not approved by SGI-USA or SGI.
That is literally a bald-faced lie, but of course the first casuality of war is the truth.

If SGI did not approve of it, they would get it taken down, like other websites.
They just want that disclaimer there as it makes it look arms-length.

The further you go up the SGI rabbit hole, the weirder it gets.

by the way, this thread is going to give SGI-USA a heart attack.
It comes up on the first page of google searching for...

SGI cult

and there is an enormous amount of information in the thread, and SGI cannot do anything about it, other than run their own SGI propaganda websites.

Actually its quite pathetic what SGI (unofficially) says about Poly Toynbee. She was associated with the BCC and the Guardian being one of the most important journalists and political comentators in the UK.
Its all so typical for SGI, as soon as somebody says something chritical they start bitching.
Where there is sun there is shadow and if one negates the fact that there is shadow has a serious problem with reality - SGI's shadow gets bigger day by day by day...

His brother's name is "Raul"? Anyone know how that came about? Not very Japanese sounding. Small point, but interesting to me, at least.

Anticult: Yes, you're right. It was just a little nostalgia about Ikea tinted with years of propaganda coming out at the holidays. I have a tree with lights, Ikeda has billions. Funny that one could be a member sincerely chanting for 20+ years like me and be derailed so thoroughly. Back in the 70s, we had no internet. Very little way to find alternate information about the org or big box Ikea. (my new borrowed nickname for the honorary prez). I also used to think that people posting on the internet were just deluded and unhappy. I was desperately trying to hang on to my indoctrination from the ORG about it's validity.

YAY those rose colored glasses have been permanently lost!! And I'm not going back for new ones. People may be anonymous posters but still there is courage here to expose the truth of our experiences and the rawness of emerging from the emotional choke hold of the Choka Spirit. Choka Gakkai. "Choka Spirit till their minds collapse" is their motto of control. YAYAYAY!!! We aren't listening anymore!!!!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2009 03:16AM by sushigrl.

Oh yes and any members reading this would say that I am going to fall into the hell of incessant suffering or at least develop bad eyesight. Or maybe I'll get brain cancer and my fingers will fall off. FINE!!! Finally I have freedom of speech and thought and a forum to question and expose the machinations of the ORG!!!CGI "Choka Goofkai Imperial" Yay there I've said it. Although maybe Goofkai is a bit kind...maybe Choka Goldkai Imperial would be better. Or how ab out Choka Godkai. With the prez as God. :) Ahh to be able to speak irreverently about the old gang. Hmm...put some bling bling and give em some heat and....Voila!! Choka Gotchakai Impervious the new "Buddhist" gang!!. "We Protect and Serve". Oh that would be the police. hmmm.