Re: Soka Gakkai International -- SGI
Date: December 16, 2010 06:55AM
@TheVoid and @chooselife You wrote, "did it never cross your mind as odd, that you had pics of Ikeda and his wife on you ALTAR!!!" Okay, I am guilty as charged. I still have a pic of Ikeda in the room where I chant but I never put it anywhere near the altar at anytime in the past 21 years of my practice. I always had a feeling that would be wrong. However, I did really like the black and white pic of him doing the fan dance when he was young-ish. I still have the pic there and will probably not take it down. Some out there might say that has been brainwashing, but I will not go through my whole life tearing out every trace of SGI in my life. Simply put, I got a lot out of the experience, especially being introduced to the practice, and I do still see Ikeda as an important part of that experience. Furthermore, I simply like the picture, but not because it inspires me to chant or because it makes me think he's chanting for me etc. However, when any images or text deal with Gandhi-King-Ikeda, Ikeda's poetry, mentor-disciple or his honorary doctorates that's another story. He is the same man in those representations--I know. I do also think it's cultish and inconsistent for SGI to be so against any Buddhist icons near or on the altar but to encourage placing images of Ikeda there. It's funny. I used to have a condescending attitude whenever I would encounter ANY Buddhist images, icons, statues, or temples--even though I knew NOTHING about them. I had this oh-that's-so-quaint mentality which I had no basis for. Since I left SGI, I feel more open to seeing the spirituality in other faiths instead of getting caught up in some delusion of particulars. BTW, thank you Rothaus for warning people about communicating with aliciaenfermeira or anyone else who wants us to use a method which will break anonymity. I know for a fact SGI reads this forum. While I can now say that it does not matter that they know who I am, I cannot presume everyone else feels that way, especially those who are in the preliminary stages of leaving SGI.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2010 06:56AM by doubtful.