This one is funny too...funny but true!! Really, you've got to watch it. Everything that's been said here is included :)

[www.veoh.com]

This one is kinda stupid but also true:

[www.veoh.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/21/2009 11:14AM by sushigrl.

I've been reading back in the thread a bit to last year. Gosh I've repeated alot of the same stuff said there. But it has felt good to research a little and find things out on my own too. We have to keep this thread going and review certain things from time to time for the help of any new eyes that might happen on it.

If I lived in Japan, and I were critical of Soka Gakkai, I think I would be afraid of them. When I was on tozan there, I once asked a taxi driving to take us to the Gakkai meeting place. He snarled at me and drove a bit and dropped me off at some other sect's temple instead. He dropped us off not accepting any pay. I also mentioned Soka Gakkai to some other people in Tokyo and they all snarled and made faces like we were crazy.


Soka Gakkai in Japan is not about peace and love and light. Not according to my experiences. It's not that popular among the rest of the Japanese society who are not enamored of it..I really do believe that in order to protect the org, some Japanese types would be willing to bully or even kill to get a troublemaker out of their way. That truly does seem to be the atmosphere there.

Really thanks to all the posters here I feel a fresh feeling of freedom from the dogma and catfights I was having with myself all these years after I left the ORG. Whenever I would think about SGI, I always assumed that they were "advancing over my taiten body" and that I was just like a worm on the ground ready to be squashed. That's because in SGI you were either really great, or really not. The leaders either liked you or not. If you were not liked by leaders, your scope of activities would be very limited. If you found favor with a chief, great fun and fortune was to be had.

I am now seeing how ridiculous my thoughts have been about the quality of Gakkai life, and even about the sanctity of Mr Ikeda and the Gohonzon. No, I am not going to de-enshrine it and throw it in the face of a leader and say HA! Take that you smarmy one!! No, I will hang on to it, but I will not stick that little piece of paper in my mouth so as to not breath on it (the Gohonzon). That's a little extreme. :) I would though like to take a pic of it to see if anyone else has one similar on this board...

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anticult
What is up with that [www.gakkaionline.net] website by Terry Ruby and Kathy Ruby.
Is it supposed to be a satire, or is she serious?

It not satire - sad as it is. I remember that finacial disclosure was a top subject in the SGI yahoo group. I gues thats the best that they could come up with.

One thing it does show though is that SGI is aware of the discussions in the internet going on and that the resposes they come up with official or unofficial are not realy convincing.

I just thought of something yesterday. All of you who have been in SGI know of the talking going on about "enemies", may it be a Nichiren Shoshu priest or NST-member or those who have gone independent, "taiten" or joined other schools - they are all enemies. The talk of persecusion being on the horizon. The funny thing is though that there is no persecision against SGI at all. I sometimes wonder if that bugs them or not. In SGI's interprtation of Nichiren the 13th century has not ended and a "votary of the sutra" is going to face persecusion. Now there is no real persecusion - so why not act as there is one to show that SGI is the votary of the lotos sutra.
Now how sick is that I ask? Mr. Ikeda is the universal mentor and you sure get persecuted for that since he his the only true votary of the Lotus Sutra - hmmmm

As mentioned before, the wikipedia entry on Ikeda is also laughable.
[en.wikipedia.org]
The criticism section is as small as it can get. It would be interesting to see the response if some of the real criticism of Ikeda were added to Wikipedia, like the nude guidance sessions in his hot-tub, or the billions of dollars, and many of the other controversies around Ikeda.
Within minutes, someone from SGI would try to remove anything critical of Ikeda, of course. But if there is a reference they can't keep it removed.

Also, the 12 million members comment from Wiki for SGI could be removed, as there is no proof of that. As well, the finances of Soka U could be added.

One thing amusing about the wiki article on Ikeda, is they say that about Ikeda that... "His interests include art, philosophy, photography, and music".
They forgot to mention that his interest is in photo's of IKEDA and art dedicated to IKEDA, SGI "philosophy" about Ikeda, and songs about Sensei Forever.
Literally.

Another Guru Rating website gives Daisaku Ikeda the lowest rating. This website has shown a bias for Osho, but it does gives Ikeda a rating of...
BOGUS
The same as Sai Baba, and one step away from Reverend Moon. That is pretty accurate.
___________________________
[www.globalserve.net]
Daisaku Ikeda
b1928

SGI
Japanese heir of Josei Toda, "president" of Soka Gakkai Int'l, hugely influential multi-tentacled org. Though nominally about peace and dedicated to the teachings of obscure 13th c Buddhist monk Nichiren, SGI is only thinly a spiritual org, with deep connections to the Komeito (Clean Government) Party, the third largest political party in Japan. Right-wing politix + newspaper, celeb wooing for photo ops, big money
__________________________

Quote
Rothaus

Quote
anticult
What is up with that [www.gakkaionline.net] website by Terry Ruby and Kathy Ruby.
Is it supposed to be a satire, or is she serious?

I just thought of something yesterday. All of you who have been in SGI know of the talking going on about "enemies", may it be a Nichiren Shoshu priest or NST-member or those who have gone independent, "taiten" or joined other schools - they are all enemies. The talk of persecusion being on the horizon. The funny thing is though that there is no persecision against SGI at all. I sometimes wonder if that bugs them or not. In SGI's interprtation of Nichiren the 13th century has not ended and a "votary of the sutra" is going to face persecusion. Now there is no real persecusion - so why not act as there is one to show that SGI is the votary of the lotos sutra.
Now how sick is that I ask? Mr. Ikeda is the universal mentor and you sure get persecuted for that since he his the only true votary of the Lotus Sutra - hmmmm

I think most of the criticism "persecution" is in Japan. The Gakkai is most hated in Japan, where it originated. There are many internet postings in Japanese about the sneakiness of the Gakkai and Komeito Party. I wish some ex Japanese member could post here, but English is necessary. They have LOTS if stories.

@ sushigirl

True. But is it not strange how obsessed they are with that even in the West? Like if they are longing for it. Even the world war II episode was not a persecution due to their belief but for not supporting the "war effort".

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Rothaus
@ sushigirl

True. But is it not strange how obsessed they are with that even in the West? Like if they are longing for it. Even the world war II episode was not a persecution due to their belief but for not supporting the "war effort".

You're right Rothaus, here they do have to invent things to use their "fighting spirit" to crush. The main enemy they have to fight right now is the apathy of their members. Otherwise all the rhetoric that sensei has used is useless! Got have something to struggle against.

Its been known since ancient times that the best way to organize/control a group of people, is with fear/hatred against a perceived enemy which is out to get them.

Very clearly, Ikeda knows this, and has milked that cow for decades. Ikeda always has known, that a very powerful technique is to scare your ground troops and make them believe that they will be persecuted and have to eat grass, and so they better organize and follow their dear leader, who will save them.

Ikeda magnifies the honest criticism of SGI, into an entirely imagined persecution of SGI members from the evil outsiders, like the press and other groups.

Every demagogue has knows since ancient times, that the best way to control large groups of people is through fear of a perceived enemy, that is going to persecute them.
If there is no enemy, they manufacture one.
That is an old school tactic Ikeda has used countless times, and it works.
Ikeda even reinforces it with group chanting against his constructed enemies.

The irony is that obviously Daisaku Ikeda has been the aggressor 100% of the time, in his quest for power.
Daisaku Ikeda is a demagogue.

The main enemy they have to fight right now is the apathy of their members. Otherwise all the rhetoric that sensei has used is useless! Got have something to struggle against.

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sushigirl

Well ist been a few years since I left. Does that mean that in your opinion there is a growing number of people being more chritical?
I noticed that a lot of people with academic background leave and those who have a true seeking spirit in the sense that they investigate for information and want to learn as well as those who got unhappy with the SGI hate propaganda. Years ago Ikeda apparently said that he thought the internet stands for democracy - never heard that guidance from SGI anymore, as there is so much info out there by now which does not make them look good and that without japanese tabloids ;-)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2009 07:17AM by Rothaus.