Re: Former SGI members
Date: July 25, 2010 05:16AM
@Findingmywaytoday You wrote, "I told some people in SGI about counseling, and they said my counseling would go better if I would chant in addition to my counseling. I just laugh, and say: whatever." I agree that chanting can make anything, including counseling better. However, SGI does not end with chanting. It inevitably starts promising miracles, especially if you make Ikeda your mentor. For some of us with psychological or personal issues, I believe that the magical thinking/reward-punishment mentality promoted by SGI (and other religions) can be detrimental to inner peace. Some of us simply do not respond well to an exclusive "our way or the highway" approach to religion or personal growth. Some of us have a hard time just letting others rattle on about what is the right or wrong way to use our practice or view our problems without letting it get to us.
You also wrote, "I want to take my butsudan down, and my Gohonzon. Who has done this? Can you please give me tips on how to do this respectfully? Where do you store it? Not sure if I want to give it back or not." You may want to give back your Gohonzon, but I do want to know something. Have you actually practiced without SGI? I don't mean just away from the members. I mean without the SGI's ideas about Buddhism. These include mentor-disciple, RTE, fear of retribution, and materialism. This is what I have been doing for months now and I am loving it. I have come to embrace God, Shakyamuni, Nichiren, Jesus, the life of the universe, and anything and anyone that moves my spirit forward. Gone is the ignorance and the exclusivity I used to value way too highly. MY religious practice exists to make my life better from the inside out, not to tell other people what they should and should not believe or whom they should view as special.
You also wrote, "I was thinking that my life turned very sour after getting my Gohonzon. One month after getting Gohonzon, I moved to a neighborhood that is dangerous, dirty, and has made me feel miserable. I have tried my best to live here and survive, but it has seriously made my life worse. I don't mean to sound like a cry baby, but I feel like a neighborhood can make a difference in how you feel." As a member for over 20 years, I occasionally witnessed things like this. Sometimes someone would join and bad stuff would start happening. Most others, on the other hand, tended to experience lots of positive things internally and externally almost immediately. I will not resort to that tired explanation about getting dirty water and debris out of a hose that has sat outside during the winter. How the hell does anyone KNOW why bad stuff happens to some while good stuff happens to others when they begin practicing? Perhaps this practice does not work for everyone. Perhaps it does not work well on all problems. Perhaps this practice is not the right one for you. That's my explanation, but it is just mine. I don't know for sure. Therapy will help you, but therapy alone may not deal with any spiritual needs you have. Is it possible for you to create a practice to the Gohonzon that suits your needs? If not, perhaps you should shop around. If you return it to SGI, you can always download another one if you want to avoid being connected to another organization.
Finally, you wrote, "Perhaps someone might argue that this would be my karma without Gohonzon, but I have to tell you that my life was better before Gohonzon." You reveal here that you are prone to magical thinking or reward/punishment mentality. That is bound to wreck your serenity, your inner peace and this mentality can be dissolved. I have been experiencing that proof for months. When things go wrong I no longer think that it is a result of my leaving SGI or criticizing the organization or Ikeda. I accept that everyone experiences setbacks and disappointments. No SGI members I ever met were living without the same problems as everyone outside SGI: unemployment, family discord, health problems, financial problems, relationship problems, depression, etc. Your life without SGI or even without Buddhism shall continue to experience the same problems. See, I don't believe that a religious practice is supposed to produce things other than peace of mind, wisdom, self-confidence, and hope. I believe you can have these things, regardless of your circumstances.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2010 05:25AM by doubtful.