What I wrote came out of Living Buddhism. It was 2 paragraphs long.. so that is how the lectures go. It starts off saying one thing and then moves into something else. Go figure.

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Rothaus
@ Blue Lady

Grin :-) have you noticed one thing in your message? You started of giving a gosho quote and ended up citing an Ikeda/Toda incident.
Maybe it happend without noticing it, at any rate it seems that anything these days Ikeda said is given the same importance than the words of Nichiren and teachings of Shakyamuni. But reading this Ikeda quote just shows me the content is the same as I left five yeras ago - makes me yawn actually.
But one thing Blue Lady ... being critical of SGI and still keeping a straight face in your position as a leader ... wow that must be difficult my respect for that honestly.
But I agree with you as it reflects what I said a few messages back ... the heads of SGI can be regarded as a SGI-priesthood and its true - I remember in the 90s one of the biggest issues was the impeccability of Nikken - it seems someone in SGI wants to talke over that role because the consequence of Toda being without error would result in an impeccability of Ikeda too or not?

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Blue Lady
There are many things that SGI is duplicitous about .W hen you tote out a picture of the High Priest drinking and having fun as all high priest should --with Geisha gals - send him to Seattle to hang out with prostitutes. How is that in any way different from Mr. Williams and National YWD chief Ms Inowashi having sex in a Chicago hotel? My mother use to comment on that very fact that why did the YWD chief travel alone with Mr. Williams and not his wife or an YMD leader. She knew then something was not right.

Mr. Williams don’t get me wrong I have heard rumors of stuff about him but I truly like him. He visited me in my home after his punishment from Pres Ikeda… Yes, I heard the whole thing when he came to the Chicago and let some YWD like cake icing off of his fingers? – which took my YMD shakubuku way , way off.

I am still waiting for the book that was to expose him for all the evil things he did for 30 years. I had heard that Pres Ikeda in one of the monthly meetings a few years back ranted and rave about him. But did not Mr Williams bring to the SGI table all those wonderful diehard youth. Did he not do with what the Head Master want? Which by the way SGI kept him in the position and paid him---so is Mr Williams any different than the High Priest. How do I not know that maybe Mr Williams was going to expose or ddid expose the underpinnings of the head office in Japan . We missed some much of the drama that New York and Los Angles were having. They had all kinds of falling outs and people leaving and splitting and hanging out with the Shoshunikai(?) we missed all the fun hear.

Everything happens in LA, Chicago, or New York! In my area, we had no priests with prostitutes, no icing-licking, no Shoshinkai cab drivers telling people to drive fast, but do slow gongyo. Our lives have been very dull. :-(

In this thread, we do have posts about President Ikeda conducting "nude guidance" sessions in the hot tub at the Malibu Training Center with YWD and WD. Another poster, I believe Sushigrrl, wrote about meeting a YWD from Japan who complained about Ikeda sitting around his house with his kimono hanging open while YWD were helping out at his house. Wakatta, I believe, made reference to not wanting to donate money to SGI just to have it given to the families of women that Ikeda groped. It could well be that Ikeda is guilty of far worse than he accuses the priests of.

This thread is like my grandmother's attic....all kinds of things in it, in no particular order.

I've heard that the latest volume of "The New Human Revolution" slams the George Williams character. Of course, the book calls him a different name. Williams and his family can't, of course, sue SGI for slander because SGI insists that the book is fiction.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/12/2010 01:54AM by tsukimoto.

Hi Ratty boy and all thanks for the replies, scary stuff.

@tsukimoto You quoted, "This honorary professorship brings to 288 the total number of academic honors
awarded to Mr. Ikeda by institutions in 51 countries and territories for his
contributions to building peace, cultural exchange and the promotion of
dialogue."

I do find the constant mentioning of Ikeda's honorary doctorates nauseating, given that these are probably solicited/bought by SGI members on behalf of the organization or directly by the organization. I do suspect they are basically trying to get Ikeda the Nobel Peace Prize since that provisional Buddhist, the Dalai Lama already got it. However, I do have to be fair. I just received the April 2010 SGI Quarterly, a glossy magazine that supplements Living Buddhism. You probably know what it is. Reading through it, I did discover some peace-seeking/humanitarian/ecological initiatives sponsored by SGI or particular SGI members. I shall just quote the titles of some of the articles:

"Creating Stablity" by E. Penioso Pernites, Phillipines and Japan
"Peace Proposal: Steps Toward a Nuclear-free World" by D. Ikeda
"Action for Nuclear Abolition" (to "raise awareness about the necessity for nuclear abolition in the run-up to the 2010 Nuke Non-Prolif Treaty Conference to be held in NY")

"SGI-South Africa Receives Gandhi Award"
"Art Exhibitions in Malaysia"
"Faith and Development in Southeast Asia"
"Ikeda's Center's Dialogue Forum on John Dewey"
"Recycling Trash for Groceries" SGI in Singapore
"Haiti Relief Efforts" (lists SGI's financial contributions to Haiti since earthquake)
"At the Parliament of World's Religions"
"Seeds of Change in Italy"

I am quoting these titles because the accompanying articles indicate some positive things SGI is doing in the world. I feel the need to be fair. If anyone has another view of these particular activities please communicate them. Is it possible that SGI is aware of its image and has been trying to make positive changes? If hope this is the case.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2010 01:19AM by doubtful.

@ doubtful

Well I guess those titles are what they are … headlines in a glossy SGI-publication not more not less.
SGI as such does is not DOING much in the sense of humanitarian relief … for all the wealth that is behind this organisation the donations it does give are a joke. The dialogues are nothing special nothing provoking the mind and theses days talking facts is a nice change.
As I said before especially in all areas of human suffering, human rights violations etc. SGI is careful not to take sides. And in my books one has to take sides when confronted with those issues. I once researched an honour he received supposedly from some sort of Gandhi foundation – it had nothing to do with the official Gandhi foundation. The prize he received in Paris 'Messenger of World Peace Award' by 'The Organisation for the Research of World Peace ' well the organisation has its seat in Nigeria - bit shady is it not?

Religious dialogue?
God grief get a life! Look at the language used and still being used against NST!!! SGI can not even hold a dialogue with other Buddhist traditions.

I would make an educated guess that 90% of the articles you mentioned lack substance. SGI is simply not actively engaged in any peace or humanitarian efforts. Again and again I must mention China --- SGI closes its eyes to human rights violations there big time. Now please take the time to look at the amount of honours he received from there !!! Shame on that !!

Quote
doubtful
@tsukimoto You quoted, "This honorary professorship brings to 288 the total number of academic honors
awarded to Mr. Ikeda by institutions in 51 countries and territories for his
contributions to building peace, cultural exchange and the promotion of
dialogue."

I do find the constant mentioning of Ikeda's honorary doctorates nauseating, given that these are probably solicited/bought by SGI members on behalf of the organization or directly by the organization. I do suspect they are basically trying to get Ikeda the Nobel Peace Prize since that provisional Buddhist, the Dalai Lama already got it. However, I do have to be fair. I just received the April 2010 SGI Quarterly, a glossy magazine that supplements Living Buddhism. You probably know what it is. Reading through it, I did discover some peace-seeking/humanitarian/ecological initiatives sponsored by SGI or particular SGI members. I shall just quote the titles of some of the articles:

"Creating Stablity" by E. Penioso Pernites, Phillipines and Japan
"Peace Proposal: Steps Toward a Nuclear-free World" by D. Ikeda
"Action for Nuclear Abolition" (to "raise awareness about the necessity for nuclear abolition in the run-up to the 2010 Nuke Non-Prolif Treaty Conference to be held in NY")

"SGI-South Africa Receives Gandhi Award"
"Art Exhibitions in Malaysia"
"Faith and Development in Southeast Asia"
"Ikeda's Center's Dialogue Forum on John Dewey"
"Recycling Trash for Groceries" SGI in Singapore
"Haiti Relief Efforts" (lists SGI's financial contributions to Haiti since earthquake)
"At the Parliament of World's Religions"
"Seeds of Change in Italy"

I am quoting these titles because the accompanying articles indicate some positive things SGI is doing in the world. I feel the need to be fair. If anyone has another view of these particular activities please communicate them. Is it possible that SGI is aware of its image and has been trying to make positive changes? If hope this is the case.

Dear Doubtful:

Peace sells, the authentic teachings of Nichiren Daishonin doesn't. Interfaith sells, the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra doesn't. Rock the Era for Sensei sells, rebuking slanderers of the Law doesn't. Living Buddhism, SGI quarterly, the World Tribune, Buddha in the Mirror, the Human Revolution, the new Human Revolution, the New New Human Revolution sells, the Lotus Sutra doesn't [because there are six or seven non-SGI versions out there]. Please don't be fooled.

post scriptum for doubtful

had to laugh at 'Recycling Trash for Groceries' in some corners of the world that has been done for more than 30 years and more ... for a city state like Singapore it might be a necessity instead of dumping it at their neighbours.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2010 04:27AM by Rothaus.

Doubtful, I don't know if there is validity to all of those things that SGI is claiming to do--I wouldn't be surprised if they are doing them, at least to some extent. But shouldn't an organization as big as SGI who claims to be humanitarian be doing more? During the May contribution, they should be telling the contributors what the money is going towards--not just vaguely saying it is for world peace activities. It seems that money collected is mostly to make SGI rich, and then maybe a small amount of it is used for these "humanitarian" activities. Who knows? If SGI would be honest and reveal how they really use the money, people like us would not have to speculate.

I though that SGI was finished trying to call me, but I have been contacted twice recently to contribute to the May campaign. I guess it officially ends mid-June.

Dear quiet one:

The Gakkai gave $50,000.00 dollars to the victims of the Tsunami. Let's say their revenue is $2,000,000,000.00. That is 0.0025% of their income. Now lets take a person who makes $100,000.00 per year. What is 0.0025%? That is $2.50. I give $10.00 a year (0.01%) to the Salvation Army santas alone and I don't have my wife photograph and video my "great" act of generosity and send it to the local newspaper, let alone USA Today. I don't go around telling everyone I gave $2.50 to the victims of Katrina (I'd be embarrassed). The Gakkai members don't give many charitable donations either, because their leaders tell them that the greatest act of charity is to support the Gakkai through their SGI contributions. They have no shame.

Nichijew



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2010 12:47PM by Nichijew.

@Nichijew
I remember when I first joined that we were discouraged from giving to those less fortunate. This was "buddhist mercy" vs. "christian charity". We had a much superior way of helping people than to just give them hand-outs. All we had to do was shakabuku them. Then they would gain fortune on their own. It didn't matter if they were really suffering. We were told that helping them financially was not going to really help, and we should not do it. The SGI of today does make token donations to devastated people, but I see other organizations really helping humanity and trying to make a difference in the world, as SGI does not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/13/2010 02:14PM by quiet one.