Geez it gives the concept of mentor a bad name!! As youth division we were encouraged to write monthly letters to Ikeda outlining all our determinations and hopes and obstacles. Not that he would ever read them, but what a joke to entrust someone like that with personal stuff. Some goof in Japan would read all the stuff and throw it out I'm sure, or maybe not even read it. Who knows. But what a stupid thing to tell a young person to do.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2009 06:18AM by sushigrl.

You know, it reminds of a time I was asked to write a letter to that guy. So I did. I first told him I'm a siggy at such-and-such place and had my gohonzon for this amount of time. I also said in my heart I'm a ronin. This would probably tee him off as ronin means a wandering samurai who calls no one his master. I then asked him the meaning of enlightenment and wrote a famous Chinese Zen argument on that. It might have scared the crap out of him as I wrote in classical Chinese and wrote about something that has nothing to do with bagging a hot model or getting a Mercedes Benz.

Later, after a mock-the-error meeting, I was "encouraged" to write to him. Even though I told them I am waiting for his reply to my last letter, I decided to have fun and write another one. I then wrote about how I think Ichinen sanzen is similar to the first line of the Tao Te Ching and asked for his opinion on it.

I have still yet to get a reply from both of these letters.

Guess what, sensei, I have a library card and I know how to use it!

@wayfarefree, I am so sorry to hear about what's going with you. I had a similar experience in Korea where a woman in my neighborhood harassed me (and used her friends as well) almost 24/7 to go to a Presbyterian church service with her. It went on for about 7 months until I one day had enough and decided not to care if they liked me or not. I simply walked in the church with her one day and bowed to everyone saying, "May Buddha bless you." Maybe you should find a way to massage that guy's ego to make him think he's better than you and you "are not worthy" of the SGI? Obviously use this as an emergency if talking to the leaders don't work and the guy still bothers you.

PM me also to for other "contingent" plans to make those guys leave you alone. If not, you can always rent Monty Python's "How to Irritate People".

This montage of "mentor/disciple" quotes is genuinely scary.

Quote
SGBye
See if you can spot the common denominator from a few sentences I've extracted from the latest World Tribune (1/1/10). And keep in mind that this is all from one single issue that's only 12 pages long (actually, only 10 because the front and back pages have no articles)!

"With the same heart as our mentor, let's unite with our youth..."

"Together with our mentor, let's lead lives without regret this year."

"In 2010, we will double the number of American youth who live each day with a direct connection to their mentor, SGI President Ikeda..."

"Together with our mentor, the youth of America will achieve overwhelming victory..."

"I am so happy to be a young woman who is alive during this significant time, when I can advance the cause of peace alongside the greatest mentor in the world, SGI President Ikeda..."

"Let's open the future together victoriously with our mentor!"

"Many young women around the world...have determined to learn as much as they can from their mentor about how to live brilliant, victorious lives."

"I look forward to advancing...as we open the future victoriously with our mentor..."

"Let's...open a new era together with our mentor, President Ikeda."

"Let's exude conviction that the oneness of mentor and disciple is indeed the primary quest of our lives."

"With unending gratitude for my mentor, SGI President Ikeda, I am determined to fully support our SGI-USA Young Women's Leader..."

"As I developed my faith...I began to see SGI President Ikeda as my mentor in life."

Quote
sushigrl
Geez it gives the concept of mentor a bad name!! As youth division we were encouraged to write monthly letters to Ikeda outlining all our determinations and hopes and obstacles. Not that he would ever read them, but what a joke to entrust someone like that with personal stuff. Some goof in Japan would read all the stuff and throw it out I'm sure, or maybe not even read it. Who knows. But what a stupid thing to tell a young person to do.

It must be close to 20 years ago that this one happened. A couple of very enthusiastic YMD wrote diaries for a week or two after being assigned chapters out of The Human Revolution. They read them at the district meeting. Who did they sound like? Certainly not like themselves. There's an adage that says that emulation is the highest form of flattery. But even then I found those readings by these young men nauseating. If only I could go back to that day and yell at them to find their own voices.

Well you do know that if they use their own voices, their connection with sensei will be weak and their fundamental darkness is taking them over right?

Yeah, still it is scary how they all talk the same. That's probably why reading other books is "discouraged" from the leaders. I find it unfair that only Ikea can quote from Spanish literature in his talks and I can't.

Many in body, one in mind, eh?

well even if they would think for themselves thats the very first sign of fundamental darkness and the devilish functions taking over. sounds like struggle.

Writing a letter to Ikeda, sounds exactly like writing a letter to Santa for pre-schoolers.
Santa receives the letters at the North Pole and is able to magically read them all, just like Santa-Ikeda.

There are few certainties in life, other than that Ikeda does NOT read any of those letters from the rabble!
That is another SGI technique, writing letters to absent Daddy, to build one-way false-intimacy to Ikeda, along with gazing at Ikeda's photo's and praying to Ikeda everyday.

SGI-Ikeda probably ordered local people to keep those letters in each person's file, for future reference. In the olden days, as in 10 years ago, most of them probably got lost on the local level.
But cults now are much more organized and digital.

For example, the Byron Katie LGAT seminar system, takes neutral PHOTO's of everyone at their seminar. These would go into a digital dossier/file for each person, that can be called up when the person phone's in, or by a salesperson.
If a person has filled out forms, financial or psychological information, or written letters, those would go into the same file, like with a customer relations management software system. This way all of the information about each member is at their fingertips.

So these days with SGI, they could also start a digital file on key members, who are involved. When these people write their letters to Santa..um, Ikeda, then those could easily be scanned into their file, as it could contain important information about the person.

SGI harrassment:
As far as being harrassed by an SGI member, if a person has any serious concerns after a person is told to STOP contacting you, there is no harm in contacting the local police to ask about the policy on harrassment.
The person who is harrassing can be given WRITTEN notice to "cease and desist" from contacting you in any way. Harrassment and stalking do happen, that is why there are things like restraining orders, in serious cases.

SGI does not have a right to harrass people, and to keep contacting them after you tell them to STOP, they must stop. That is illegal.
And if they keep calling, they are breaking the Do Not Call telemarketing laws.
No one has to take any harrassment from SGI or their members.

National Do Not Call Registry [www.donotcall.gov]
[www.fcc.gov]

Anticult is right.

Looking back, I'm more angry at myself , maybe, than anything else. I could certainly cite other situations Ive encountered over the years in SGI, that are actually much worse than what Im experiencing at the moment.

I took pre-emptive action yesterday, and visited my local Police Station. I think it would be of some help to people who get "in the path" of over zealous SGI members, to know where they stand, and what they can do about it.

For one thing the desk sergeant actively encouraged me to NOT wait for things to get any worse, and take action now.
I think he referred to the situation as "First Case Harrassment".
He also suggested I contacted someone "above him" (the member in question), to ask officially for him to back off.
The officer proceeded to explain that after he has been made aware (which he has) that I wish no further contact, from him, in any capacity, that any subsequent contact would be cause for the Police to visit him to issue a warning. Any further contact after this would justify an arrest.
Im speaking from the perspective of the UK. I dont know how things work elsewhere, but Im sure its quite the same.
Extreme cases could be addressed, as Anticult mentioned, by serving a restraining order.
But I'm sure that the prospect of Police involvement would, or should, be enough to get the Leadership to reign in their little "Kosen-Rufu Front-Line-Warrior-With-Fighting-Spirit-Of-Lion-King". You are not entitled to inform your harrasser you have approached the Police, by any means.

I always found doing large, prestigious activities with other YMD slightly disconcerting, the whole repeatition of jargon very worrying, yet I wore the silly uniform, and tried to pour myself into the Ikeda-clone mold (mould?). Im proud to say that I couldnt fit inside it, but the process of breaking the mold, is or can be very confusing and agonising.

So the young gentleman in question has a warning/request approaching him down the line of "command".
If this ellicited any shocked, offended, even apologetic communication from him, to me, I would still be entitled to take the Police up on the next part of the process, since he has still ignored my wishes.
I think this is also important to note, since SGI will try anything to keep their hooks in you.

In days gone by, I would have criticised myself for taking what I would have deemed to be such heavy actions. But, when I remember how much crap Ive already taken from so called "friends in faith", I realise I am the only person who can stop it, here and now.
I would encourage any other members to draw the line, and to respect their own identity and, rights.

An additional word of advice, however, on the above process:

-It is important that you adhere to your own wishes too , i.e. that you yourself refrain from any form of contact with the person harrassing you, even in response (such as replying to text messages, emails* or left voicemails).
(*note that emails are also another form of harrassment. Just because its done online, that dosnt make it OK, or "untouchable" in some way.)

-It may be a good idea to record all instances of contact or harrassment, if they become too frequent, as a personal record. If you need to go down the route of getting a restraining order issued by the courts, this is essential.

I'd also like to convey my thanks to my old HQ leader, who was able to see my point of view, and respect it, and allow for my wishes to be conveyed.
By comparison, why cant SGI see that the insane over-zealous drives that Youth Division are involved in only serve to create a negative (and scary, in the "glazed over eyes" sort of way) image. Theres a world of difference in approaches here. Are the older leaders comfortable with the youth being so manipulated?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/29/2009 11:23PM by wayfarerfree.

That is how it works.

If an SGI person is harrassing you, tell them and SGI to STOP RIGHT NOW.
Tell them to cease and desist all contact, and do it in writing with registered mail that requires a signature, so there can be no confusion.

If they violate that, then contact the police with the proof they are violating the order to NOT CONTACT you in any way.

Its not up to each citizen to handle personal harrassment, as that can lead to violence, as some people are unstable.
Its up to the police.
So they will warn that person, and its up to the police to control that person, if they refuse to control themselves.

SGI counts on people being "too nice" and letting SGI members contact and harrass them for months and years to lure them back into SGI. Other cults and sects do that as well.
But they can be stopped.

No person or group can legally harrass you or contact you without your consent.
If someone from a cult is harrassing you, perhaps a knock on their door by a couple of police officers will fix it.