A group is not necessary at all to practice a religion. Religious practice should be a personal, spiritual experience. However, most people enjoy the "fellowship" that they feel when they practice with others, whatever the religion it is. The interaction with others can be fun, meaningful, and a source of learning. On the other hand, one has to be careful because as we all know practicing with others can become practicing with a cult.

Evergreen:

Faith and daily life are one. My brother's child has an incurable disease, my boss lost her dad, my spouse is suffering, etc. I doubt I will ever run out of people to chant for, in addition for my own happiness.

However, I have not declared myself as officially leaving SGI. I attend only a district and stepped down from leadership years ago which allows much more freedom so I consider myself more as an independent because I don't go along with the mainstream at all. I stay to give support to a relative despite strongly disagreeing the what SGI is becoming. But I am more okay each day with where my practice is at. When I received my Gohonzon, I was committing to take care of it, respect it, and use it to become happy and experience my Buddhahood. I don't feel it's necessary to make a vow to idolize a mentor. I guess I'd rather become a Catholic (no disrespect) if I need someone in between me and my faith. At least I would be one of many in my town.

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

Hi Evergreen,

I'm just curious...why do you ask that question? I guess I thought the answer, as offered by several people, was obvious, so maybe I missed something :)

Thanks :)

Two thoughts came to mind :

1. If you are part of a group and chant for other people on the other side of the world how does that work? Presumably those members/people for whom the chanting is benefiting don't know that you're chanting for them? Kind of like "remote chanting". So why does chanting with a bunch of people enhance that or make it better?

2. I'm interested to know that if you are NOT part of a group will you not be able to practice? Or will your practice not be real? If you are not included as a signed/paid up member of SGi then does that mean that your Gohonzon, if you have one, has no real value outside of the fellowship of SGI? Presumably unless Gohonzon is issued by SGI it is not valid in their eyes.

I just feel that, as with a lot of organised religions worldwide that promise salvation and enlightenment, that if you are not a part of SGI then does that mean you will not become enlightened or achieve Buddhahood?

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

As I recall the dogma, when you chant for your own enlightenment you create a cause for others. The concept being that no matter how much you chant for others, the daimoku is just thrown into the universe like dust, whereas when you chant for your enlightenment there is a concrete goal for the daimoku.

Consider the prayer "please make the world happy". Nice sentiment but what is the point of chanting for a second, a minute, an hour, a year or an aeon? There is no focus of the prayer!

Praying for others to "recognize their error and turn to true Buddhism" is the same thing. As is Praying for your children to "someday snap out of it" or praying for the government to "clean up its act". Nice sentiment but truly wasted effort>

The only real buddhist prayer is to pray to eliminate the darkness in your own life, to dispell the mind's illusions and to search one's heart, to discover and to focus on the One True Law. That creates merit in a life. All the other mumbo-jumbo ("Oh Sensei!!!") is just a lot of distraction.

Pick a group, any group is as broad and diverse as any group can be, and chanting for that group is like sweeping the ocean off the beach with a broom.

Wakatta1

Thank you guys!

@Rothaus and @BeingAdagio and @hertford65 - I guess my need to chant with a group stems from the guilt I have of being born into the practice. Now that I am 37 I think its high time I give that guilt up.


@backnforth - faith and daily life have been my focus as well. But like many of us here, I will not make my vow as a bodhisattva of the earth to accept Ikeda as my savior/mentor. Idolizing people just isn't my style. I will make a vow continuosly during gongyo (AKA being an active participant in the ceremony in the air) or daimoku to become enlightened myself and also just as importantly lead others towards their own enlightenment....that's what boddhisattvas do.

@wakatta1 - I have been chanting to eliminate my fundatmental darkness (I have many), I have been chanting for my head not to split into 7 pieces, and to focus on the One True Law.

Are eSanghas allowed....bad joke

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evergreen
Thank you guys!

(snip)

@wakatta1 - I have been chanting to eliminate my fundatmental darkness (I have many), I have been chanting for my head not to split into 7 pieces, and to focus on the One True Law.

@evergreen

SGI pushes every angle they can. For those succeptable to group "responsibility" they argue you chant to build "unity" and through that act of mercy the "group" continues and can "save" more (unsuspecting) people.

For the solitary boddhisattva's they preach "save thine own ass first".

For the party people they preach "buddhism is like a barrel of potatoes rolling down a hill, they rub against one another and purify themselves as they roll".

For family types they preach "save your children by shakubuku-ing them and if possible, shakubuku their friends and their families too"

When you go into a big casino you can easily see that the odds are always in favor of the "house". If your odds of winning at blackjack are 1%, the odds are 99% in favor of the house. No matter which way you believe in SGI, they will win. The only way they lose is if you see through the illusion and take control of your own destiny.

So chanting for the "group" (han, district, chapter, hombu, whatever) merely is part of the spiderweb that members find themselves tangled up in. Living in confusion and illusion is roughly equivalent to having your head broken seven ways...

Wakatta1

Hello, everyone, very interesting and educating forum. The most important points that I've learned by reading this thread: 1. SGI is the richest and most powerful cult out there, even scientology can not compete with it. 2. It has a military structure - Generalissimus on top, his generals, then lower rank officers, then sergeants and privates. 3. Connection with organized crime - Yakuza, Noriega and other groups. 4. Use of simple brainwashing techniques, like uniting against common enemies. Enemies list is long, it's being read by Ikeda to his generals at the beginning of meetings. It includes other Nichiren sects, "traitors", "unloyal members", journalists, who writes against them, politicians, like Akiyo Asaki, who openly talk against them and simple random folks. 5. Taking action against enemies - harrasing, intimidation, threats, spying, defamation, demonizing and other techniques (though there is no evidence that SGI physically eleminates its enemies). 6. SGI is increasingly active politically - besides Komeito, it has more and more members within political circles in Japan and US.
Well, looks it's time for the Japanese and US governments to start paying more attention to this cult and to start taking some serious action, like putting this cult on FBI and CIA watch lists.

Hi, I haven't written for a while, but I wanted to say hi. I haven't been chanting at all, or participating. I feel fine without participating, but sometimes I miss chanting. I know there have been probably many posts on here discussing the idea that it is fine to possibly chant on your own without the organization, right? I so want to do this, but my fear in this is then I will just decide to call people, and get back into the organization. Actually, I am not overly concerned about this, however I was wondering if anyone here can suggest or recommend other forms of Nichiren's Buddhism without having to go back to the SGI? Where can I also get more information about the history of these other schools. You know, unfortunately the SGI has ruined the word Buddhism for me with their arrogant view on it.

I also wanted to add some recent happenings for me that just feel grotesque. I just want to vent actually.

I recently told someone who knew me well in the practice that before joining the practice, I drove and lived in a nicer neighborhood. Then, when I joined and got involved, within a month, I had a car accident that left me fearful to drive, and also moved to a rougher neighborhood. What was interesting, was that she said: I can't blame the practice. Perhaps, not...but when I had even the minorest of victories in my life, people in the practice surely celebrated the SGI, and said it was because of the practice, I had these victories. Logically, If the Gohonzon is my life, then it can be the reason for my victories, and it can also be the reason for my challenges. I don't know.

I also told this person that there was someone who unshakabukued me with her pushiness last year. She basically told me that I wasn't standing up for my life when I didn't want to drive her to a meeting. I just didn't want to. The person I confided in told me that I let the "Unshakabuku" happen, and I need to just understand that the other person is just pushy like that. Letting things happen shouldn't be seen by her as a bad thing, had I not let myself be shakabukued, I wouldn't have joined the practice in the first place, and I wouldn't be there.

Finally, this member said I am too intellectual, and I am too in my head, and I should just feel things in order to be happier. Perhaps, but coming from an SGI member, it made me mad. This same person has preached on a different day, that I should just be myself and accept myself. I was made to feel that what I was doing in the moment was never good enough. This is also why I got myself sucked into the practice. I now know I am good enough just as I am. I am not broken, and I don't need to shakabuku more. Also, I don't believe that everything good in my life is due to the practice.

I remember being so open about everything in my life to SGI members. I realize this wasn't the best thing in retrospect. I remember when I stopped the practice, and decided to seek counseling, someone in the SGI said, oh...good that you realized you needed it, and then she said I should really be chanting with the counseling. It will make it better. Whatever...thanks for listening. Hope I made sense.