Rothaus, I can think of many instances. A while ago, I was being "home visited' (which I still occasionally am, BTW, after leaving SGI nearly 2 years ago) by a "senior" leader and some other leaders. She and the others were at my house for a couple of hours. Before she left, she admitted that her husband was home alone as he was often. Another visitor admitted the same. They had this real look of guilt and stress on their faces. I thought, why are you not with your families? Instead here wasting your time with me or with doing other "activities"???

The unresolved issues that are in one's life is what makes people get sucked into and stick with SGI. Guilt is promoted. If you don't focus on others, you are told, your own life will be a disaster. So you focus on others, but focusing on others and neglecting your own life creates problems that aren't being addressed. Then, to remedy the disaster of your life, you are told to focus more on helping others practice. Endless circle.

I heard things like "that divorce was meant to happen to show you how the practice can help strengthen your determination" Bu***ht! Nothing is meant to happen or that something in my karma caused me to have chronic jaw/facial pain for 14 Years!! Like there is a reason for it and it was penance for something one of my past lives did. >>>> IT WAS CAUSED BY A PHYSICAL PROBLEM THAT WAS RESOLVED BY BRAIN SURGERY<<<< And it wasn't a) meant to be b) in my karma c) to ensure I have more determination in my practice etc etc. They are all things that "keep you cemented in" to SGI. If things are going well in your life then its because you chanted and if things are not going well then you need to chant more.
If things aren't going well for you or others then you need to strengthen your practice.... or in other words, attend more activities, encourage more newcomers, give more money, spend hours and hours of your life chanting! I'm sure anyone can increase this list.

Oh and I wanted to add that I don't see NMRK or Chanting as SGI although it's easy to confuse the two. SGI is not ND Buddhism. Chanting IS a positive thing to do. :)

It's been a while since I read the thread or posted.
Just kinda felt the need this morning.
I left the SGI officially about 6 months ago after the huge campaign last summer...Rock the Era. I was actually in Chicago.
My SGI sponsor is apparently trying to get me to come back.
I have decided I will never go back to the SGI. There were a lot of lingering doubts in my mind for a while
that I might give it another try, but I have made up my mind now not to ever get involved with this group again.
I can't wait until the World Tribune stops arriving in my mail box...
Anyways, finally took down my Gohonzon, respectfully stored away, I just couldn't keep it there anymore.
Now, I just have my Buddha sculpture.
I don't want to feel bitter about my experience with SGI, but it's hard sometimes to not feel sort of spiritually violated.
No offense to any of you that stayed in SGI for years, and felt like you were changing the lives of folks by getting them to join.
At the time I joined SGI, I kind of felt as if they saved my life from when I was in deep despair.
Only to be completely let down after discovering this forum and finding out the truth.
SGI was wonderful for prolonging my inability to face and deal with my issues directly, relying on chanting and hoping for the magical change.
Thank you to the people of this forum for helping me open my eyes to the fraud of the SGI. I'm a much better person for having
this experience. Beware of any spiritual group that touts its ideas as the best, only, or easiest way to enlightenment.
The SGI promises a spiritual shortcut to eliminating suffering, but the reality is nothing is that easy. I find it hard anymore to declare myself a spiritual person after some of the experiences I've had dealing with organized religious groups and cults, but I know now that
human spirituality is so much deeper than all of that. I am not afraid any more.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/03/2011 01:03AM by overthetop.

Quote
quiet one
The unresolved issues that are in one's life is what makes people get sucked into and stick with SGI. Guilt is promoted. If you don't focus on others, you are told, your own life will be a disaster. So you focus on others, but focusing on others and neglecting your own life creates problems that aren't being addressed. Then, to remedy the disaster of your life, you are told to focus more on helping others practice. Endless circle.

Exactly...it's just this loop of illogic that members can get sucked into, and then have trouble escaping.

I was always struck by how many leaders had kids with serious issues....flunking out of school, substance abuse, running away. These were leaders who were out nearly every night at meetings, or on home visits. When they were home, they were still doing Soka Gakkai business -- phone calls, paperwork, or chanting for hours. I wondered, "When do you spend time with your kids? Is getting into trouble the only way that they can get you to notice them?"

To: OVERTHETOP

That is a big step you've taken and I imagine you will go through various ups and downs from an emotional and spiritual point of view and I wish you a much happier and peaceful life. I am a little sorry that you felt that leaving the SGI meant rolling up the Gohonzon. But I understand how warped they have made the practice. "Chant this way, or this way and then try it this way, just chant more and do shakubuku and never give up and your big dream will happen especially if you have the right connection with your mentor and declare yourself as his eternal disciple."

But Stop. Chanting daimoku can be just to connect with yourself, your own enlightenment, and to just plain feel better. Nothing more, nothing less.

If anything, I enjoy chanting more because now it is me and the Gohonzon, not me and the leaders, the members, the responsibility to do this, do that, say this, be there by 7 p.m and eventually take care of my personal life, etc.

Good Luck!

@overthetop who wrote, "finally took down my Gohonzon, respectfully stored away, I just couldn't keep it there anymore.
Now, I just have my Buddha sculpture. I don't want to feel bitter about my experience with SGI, but it's hard sometimes to not feel sort of spiritually violated. No offense to any of you that stayed in SGI for years, and felt like you were changing the lives of folks by getting them to join. At the time I joined SGI, I kind of felt as if they saved my life from when I was in deep despair. Only to be completely let down after discovering this forum and finding out the truth." I agree with backnforth that it's too bad that you identify the Gohonzon with SGI so exclusively, but I also understand that this forum exists to allow us to make the break or adjustments we need to make. I have kept my Gohonzon up and continue to practice to it daily. Like you I have also introduced Shakyamuni (and Jesus, God, or any positive force in the universe) into my practice as you may have with the sculpture(unless you meant something else). It's totally natural to feel "spiritually violated" if you were led to believe that chanting, MDM, and shakubuku would make all your dreams come true. Hard work, talent, commitment, and a little bit of luck make your dreams come true. Anything or anyone else claiming otherwise is lieing to you. Focusing so narrowly on SGI's version of Buddhism can also be very disappointing when you start reading what other sects and teachers have to say about Buddhism. I can see why you would be so disillusioned. (Now this is aimed at hertford65 too) Nevertheless, any organized religion or teaching is bound to offer explanations of illness, misfortune, accidents, success, relationships, etc. SGI is not unique in trying to couch those things in its own terms. Some members really do believe in MDM and that all or most incidents or experiences have a meaning relative to their faith in SGI's version of Buddhism. Sects of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam do the same. A closer look at any of their explanations of sin, free will, salvation, redemption, and the end of time (WHOA!!!) would lead any rational person to walk away from ALL world religions. But faith is a good thing, regardless of what Anticult loves to post. Overly intellectual or objective explanations of human suffering or experience don't help you when you are terminally ill, when your parents are dieing, when your child is sick, when your world is turned upside down and you don't understand why. Feeling liberated simply because you can decode the motivations behind everything may feel liberating, but it's not very encouraging and life is hard. Good luck with figuring out which way of thinking, living, or practicing makes your life move forward. I agree with you that this forum has been indispensable in that regard.

backnforth - how do you chant for self and others if you aren't part of a group?

Quote
evergreen
backnforth - how do you chant for self and others if you aren't part of a group?

Well, where do you see a problem in that? When Nichiren first chanted he was alone. The group to chant for can be your partner, family and even community you live in – your environment. That's what others in a true sense would mean. Its not restricted at all to the Sangha.

Why do we need a group at all? I know that many people feel more like they are a part of and belong if they are joined to a group. I suppose it's human instinct to be with a group when practising something. Buddhism is no exception as in Catholocism and Christianity etc it is rare for someone to follow their religion alone as they feel compelled to attend meetings/rituals/services in a building somewhere. So why the need to attend one of these meetings or services in one of these religious and/or designated buildings? If I'm chanting it's ok for me to chant alone, I think. I don't think I will get any more from chanting whether I am in a room filled with a 100 people or whether I am alone in my living room. It doesn't make it any less powerful. Personally I don't feel the need to chant for hours on end. I remember reading once in the writings of Nichiren Daishonin that if you recite NMRK once it is enough. You will feel the benefit in your life. But practising Buddhism, for me, goes beyond just chanting. It's about how I act/interact with other human beings, how I speak, whether I love and respect all life in this universe. I don't feel the need to chant in a building as I can chant anywhere if I choose.