The heart of the mentor or buddha from one point,can mean the daishonin,but from a strickter point of veiw it can mean a teacher or any one since we all have a buddha nature,the concept of teacher and student is that the students are equel to the teacher,and they strive to surpass the mentor,,,......there is nothing hinky about that statment,of the heart of the mentor or buddha......its just how your interpetation is.,,thanks

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Dioforever
The heart of the mentor or buddha from one point,can mean the daishonin,but from a strickter point of veiw it can mean a teacher or any one since we all have a buddha nature,the concept of teacher and student is that the students are equel to the teacher,and they strive to surpass the mentor,,,......there is nothing hinky about that statment,of the heart of the mentor or buddha......its just how your interpetation is.,,thanks

Mmmm not sure how to take this one, from one angle I can think fair enough but from the SGI angle i think no way, it's about Ikeda, no doubt at all, just look at how they are pushing him as the eternal mentor. It's not how we are reading it, it is how they are potraying him!

LOL !,all i mean is it could be taken that way,void evrey one should be able to think for them selves thats for sure,but i remember that shyakammuni,made a vow in the lotus sutra to make all liveing beings eqel to him self with out any distinctions so thats where i kinda get my idea of this. I dont know LOL,i should of been a lawyerLOL Sorry for my crappy spelling i enjoy your posts veary much thanks.

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Dioforever
The heart of the mentor or buddha from one point,can mean the daishonin,but from a strickter point of veiw it can mean a teacher or any one since we all have a buddha nature,the concept of teacher and student is that the students are equel to the teacher,and they strive to surpass the mentor,,,......there is nothing hinky about that statment,of the heart of the mentor or buddha......its just how your interpetation is.,,thanks

If another Nichiren sect said that, I might believe it -- that the "mentor" or "the buddha" can mean the Daishonin, or even any of us, because we have a Buddha nature.

From SGI, though? No way. That is disingenuous. It's like the school bully, pushing and tripping a smaller kid -- and then telling the teacher, "Oh, we were just playing." No. The High Priest reprimanded Ikeda back in the 1970's for allowing members to refer to him as the Buddha. Since the split in the 1990's, the emphasis on Ikeda has only intensified. Leaders told me that I would not attain enlightenment unless I accepted Ikeda as my mentor! Now, if they really believe that I have the Buddha nature, that I'm equal to Ikeda, and that I can surpass him -- why can't I reach enlightenment without accepting Ikeda as my mentor?

No, the way SGI is pushing Ikeda as the Buddha and Eternal mentor -- SGI's statement means that Ikeda is the Buddha. It CANNOT mean anything else.

FOR SURE Over the past few years I have also heard for example - if you want true happiness then you need to accept IKEDA as your mentor! Another you must accept IKEDA as your personal mentor to achieve enlightenment. AND yet another all YD to practices properly must take IKEDA as their mentor! Of course all of these are bogus premises. Because YOU are the one to select a MASTER that you would like to advance oneself in Buddhist practice and of course the MASTER must also take you under their tutorage. SO charades all around when it comes down to SGI truism : / SIDE ORDER - another charade is that SGI doesn't have a political party or agenda heard that all the time from Sr. Leaders - can anyone say New Komeito Party - SGI run FOR SURE............. I have had Japanese friends tell me that they are pressure by SGI to volunteer both time and money to the New Komeito Party candidate and to run for an office you have to be a SGI member! But nothing to see here RIGHT!

@tsukimoto who wrote "I feared that bad things would happen to me because I left -- and criticized SGI. I worried that I wouldn't be able to maintain the positive changes I'd made in my life without SGI. So much of my time had been taken up by chanting or SGI activities -- what was I going to do without SGI? I spent so much time with SGI members -- wasn't it going to be lonely without them?What I've discovered in the past few years? I'm capable of making good decisions, without guidance from leaders. I can set goals and achieve them. I've criticized SGI, and nothing disastrous has happened to me. The people that I knew in SGI were not my real friends. I enjoy having more free time to pursue my own interests -- and to spend time with people who care about me, not just what I can be persuaded to do for SGI. It feels so freeing to live without the guilt and fear that SGI promotes in its members.None of this happened overnight...it took time. Posting in this thread helped me so much. Reading different forums and threads on this website helps. Writing always helps me see my life more clearly. I think that just the passage of time helps."
As usual tsukimoto, you have captured my feelings exactly. I hope I am accurately paraphrasing you by saying that recovery takes time and multiple sources/perspectives(vigorous exercise helps too). I agree that talking to non-SGI people can be difficult since many of them simply cannot relate. Some might even question our sanity for our continued participation but that too can be problematic because those people don't see the positive things we may have gotten from the organization, meetings, guidances etc. As I have discovered, anything involving people is bound to end up with some bizarre personalities and odd ideas, practices, or customs. This message board has probably been the number one tool in my recovery from 21 years of active participation in SGI. I have dissolved much of that magical thinking. I confided in one friend who is active in her church and she reported their problems. She did help me a bit, but some others will find SGI's focus on someone called "President" Ikeda quite odd. I have tended to leave that part out because it never sat well with me either. I have not started missing the meetings yet, but I still enjoy my Nichiren practice without the personalities. SGI is full of really nice people who are deluding themselves into thinking that what the world needs is Daisaku Ikeda's leadership. I actually have a lot of respect and gratitude for the man but I don't see him as the most enlightened man, Buddhist or non- that has ever existed--and SGI does. I won't bother listing the things I have posted numerous times already. Suffice it to say life has gone on very well for me. Naturally I don't expect it to be easy for anyone, but SGI is an experience I don't need to have anymore. By the way, does anyone know whatever happened to Nichijew? He has not been posting openly or privately for quite some time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2010 01:01PM by doubtful.

Very good posts all. I prefer forceful dialogue with SGI cult members but you are right, it is not for everyone.

Nichijew

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Dioforever
The heart of the mentor or buddha from one point,can mean the daishonin,but from a strickter point of veiw it can mean a teacher or any one since we all have a buddha nature,the concept of teacher and student is that the students are equel to the teacher,and they strive to surpass the mentor,,,......there is nothing hinky about that statment,of the heart of the mentor or buddha......its just how your interpetation is.,,thanks

You got it all backwards from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's teachings. The stricter point of view is that Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin are the masters of the votaries of the Lotus Sutra and no one else. From the general [less strict] point of view, we can learn from anyone. I learn from Ikeda and SGI members, what not to do.

Nichijew

hi everyone!

just wanted to know if there is anyone on this thread that left while in a leadership position.

i dont know if i can deal with the guilt of "abandoning" my members.

please help, im a bit of an emotional wreck here:)

thanks guys

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chooselife
hi everyone!

just wanted to know if there is anyone on this thread that left while in a leadership position.

i dont know if i can deal with the guilt of "abandoning" my members.

please help, im a bit of an emotional wreck here:)

thanks guys

I was a district chief when I left but held YMD positions up to area leader. I know a vice region leader, Frank Recchia, who left and joined the Nichiren Shu. The general director of Spain and Ghana left the Gakkai but unfortunately, the Ghana general director went over to the Nichiren Shoshu. It is easy to leave if you have a great vow and you can positively influence your members in the Buddhist faith as long as you develop the same faith and similar practice to Nichiren Daishonin [it would be nearly impossible to maintain the same practice as he, don't you think?]. Nichiren teaches in On Repaying Debts of Gratitude:

"If one hopes to learn and master Buddhism, then one cannot do so without devoting time to the task. And if one wants to have time to spend on the undertaking, one cannot continue to wait on one’s parents, one’s teachers, and one’s sovereign. Until one attains the road that leads to emancipation, one should not defer to the wishes and feelings of one’s parents and teachers, no matter how reasonable they may be.

Shakyamuni Buddha too left his comfortable life as a prince to seek the Way. The important thing, from my perspective, is to continue to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo and develop a correct faith [from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's teachings].

Mark



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/2010 08:57AM by Nichijew.