Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Date: August 19, 2010 12:32PM
@cyclops, You wrote about the upcoming MD activity in August, "Every man who participates in these meetings will have an opportunity to sign his name on a special signature sheet to mark his participation and express appreciation to his mentor at this historic time." So they are putting pressure on MD to put their devotion to Ikeda, not to Nichiren Buddhism, in writing. Why? Why? Why? Do they really believe that Santa will then know they are nice and not naughty and shower them with benefits later. This is what I cannot take. I would not sign such a thing or encourage anyone to. It's a good thing I left when I did because this little activity would have expedited my departure. All of this, just like RTE, seems so desperate, so sad. I continue to suspect that SGI is at a loss. They cannot understand why the organization has not grown significantly, why so many have left, why so many never return--and all while Ikeda is alive and leading. Are they terrified of what will happen when he departs? Doesn't Buddhism discourage attachment? Isn't impermanence a Buddhist concept? Isn't death an inevitable suffering? Isn't change the only thing you can count on? Okay, I may get some criticism from some of you, but I don't believe in world peace through individual happiness. I did, kind of, when I first joined SGI. It sounded so lofty and I was so young. Now it sounds plain ridiculous. My experience of Buddhism is an inside job, which only has external evidence sometimes, sometimes not. I am not necessarily contributing to a more peaceful world. I am not an activist on any level. I am not political. I don't volunteer. I barely vote. I don't even recycle, though I know I should. I do gongyo, chant, study Buddhism in general, read a lot, exercise, listen to music, stay connected to my family, work on my personal issues and work hard at my job. That has been it even at the height of my Gakkai participation. Furthermore, I have this feeling that my experience has not been unique in or out of SGI. @Morgaine, You wrote about a member gearing up for a meeting, "but as he kept talking and was so animated/aggravated it actually made me realize how peaceful my life has become over the last few months...I am really enjoying all the free time. Maybe we should think up a motto, like AA has, 'one day at a time'." Sometimes I wonder if my departure was fueled by a desire to just be left alone, to take a lazy approach to making the world better. Then I wake up! I say all this because I find something baffling: Why does SGI think it is making this world more peaceful? Do they think that peace is taking place by having people sign pledges to Ikeda, watch his videos, read The Human Revolution, revere Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit, devote too much time to Gakkai activities, chant endlessly, study the redundant and simplistic publications, and chant to make your dreams come true? However, the idea of simply practicing Nichiren Buddhism to become happy sounds good, so what happened? Why does it need to be loaded down with so much other stuff? SGI members are not happier than other people I know. In fact, if one considers how much time they devote to these "peace" activities they actually come up short compared to others. I too have been happier and lighter in the past few months than I have been in years. I know longer feel the need to control the meetings, newer members, and the guests. I know longer feel obligated to find a way to get strangers or friends or colleagues to a meeting, only to resent them for never returning. I no longer have to sit through speeches, publications, or videos about Ikeda's greatness. I no longer think that I am entitled to get everything that I want simply because I chant. Yes, I am happier and more peaceful--now.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/19/2010 12:49PM by doubtful.