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doubtful
@Nichijew who wrote, "Now I spend my time refuting SGI and their leaders and praising the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha, and Nichiren Daishonin." All I can say is give 'em hell Mark! Your devotion to refuting SGI's claims and actions should be welcome even by SGI leaders. One of the things that makes us special(especially Westerners) is our ability to open ourselves up for debate, criticism, and scrutiny. It's a very healthy thing. The moment an individual or an organization feels beyond reproach or criticism danger lies ahead. Each person has to decide what to do with contending views but those views should be available. The history of the world has shown that secrecy and presuming the best interests of others never lead to anything but disillusionment. Perhaps I could have developed better or faster sooner had I left SGI early on. I know some of the doctrinal basis for your point of view so I know you don' t say it lightly. Typically people who get or have a better understanding of Buddhism tend to find SGI's version of Nichiren baffling to say the least. Perhaps I let them off the hook a lot simply because I accept that what SGI promotes is not Buddhism but it's not a bad thing in and of itself. It does does encourage people to be happy and to face their challenges with a sense of mission (sorry that's Gakkai speak) and singular optimism. If you can ignore the MDM, which some do, the rest is not bad--and most of the members are really nice people. Okay enough. I am glad we can run the range of responses to our time with SGI.@The Anticult, I reiterate: Give'em hell! You wrote, "Sadly, so many in SGI-USA seemed to be totally absorbed with SGI-chanting, and trying to change their own karma, that they don't look up at SGI and wonder where their 'donations' are going." Even if the members heard about the destination of their donations, most would not believe it. I thank you for the startling info you provided. When I got wind of some of this last year, before I left SGI, I decided to never donate to SGI again simply because the technique used typically made it sound like SGI needed the money. Not even the blindest member could honestly believe that in the face of your data. However, in the real world even supposedly peaceful politicians and organizations have suspicious backers, lobbyists, and investments. I agree that what makes SGI noteworthy is the ridiculous comparison to men like Gandhi and King while sitting on billions. I agree that this will only broaden, "The disconnect between reality and illusion...to the point of an engineered delusion." Ultimately members will lose faith in SGI and any benevolent sounding organization or person. I suppose we did not need our experience with SGI to tell us this but deep down some of us thought we had found something nobler when we found SGI.

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tsukimoto
It's interesting to look back at SGI speeches and actions from the 1950's, when Josei Toda was president and Ikeda was Young Men's Division leader. The writing was on the wall, even then.

From page 163 of this thread:

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[forum.culteducation.com]

Toda was also not speaking metaphorically about material benefits. For Toda, true faith should bring rewards in terms of health and wealth,as is made clear in another talk ;When I meet you, I don't ask: "Are you keeping faith?" The reason is that I take your shakubuku for granted. What I really want to ask you is how your business is, whether you are making money, and if you are healthy. Only when all of you receive divine benefits do I feel happy. A person who says "I keep faith; I conduct shakubuku" when he is poor - I don't consider him my pupil. Your faith has only one purpose: to improve your business and family life.Those who talk about "faith" and do not attend to their business are sacrilegious. Business is a service to the community. I will expel those of you who do nothing but shakubuku without engaging in business. (Murata, pp.107-8)

[Toda said] How can we live happily in this world and enjoy life? If anyone says he enjoys life without being rich and even when he is sick - he is a liar. We've got to have money and physical vigor, and underneath all we need is life force. This we cannot get by theorizing or mere efforts as such. You can't get it unless you worship a gohonzon...It may be irreverent to use this figure of speech, but a gohonzon is a machine that makes you happy. How to use this machine? You conduct five sittings of prayer in the morning and three sittings in the evening and shakubuku ten people. Let's make money and build health and enjoy life to our hearts' content before we die! (Murata, p.108)

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"Your faith has only one purpose -- to improve your business and family life"......."we've got to have money...." "The Gohonzon is a machine that makes you happy....." "Let's make money....." Can't get much clearer than that!

SGI is, and was, even in the 1950's, a business that sells "a machine to make you happy." Like a lot of 'get rich quick" schemes, SGI seduces you with tales of how you can make money and make your dreams come true....and in the end, you find that you've just worked really hard to make someone else rich!

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The Anticult
Anyone know if this is a new post by "Lisa Jones" about how Ikeda doesn't write his own stuff, or just a repost of an article from before?

How SGI members are deceived
[fraughtwithperil.com]

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The Anticult
http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/choices-really-soka-gakkai-cult-charter-schools/
Choices? Really? Soka Gakkai Cult Charter Schools
March 5, 2011 by Brenda J. Elliott

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The Anticult
Doesn't the general public in Japan see SGI accurately, as a sect, cult, dangerous group?

In the west, many Swami's who are seen as conmen in their homeland, put on a robe in the USA, and those who don't know any better project their fantasies of holiness onto them.

But SGI global has too many billions in wealth to vanish, and its invested globally. SGI is probably growing more rapidly in countries who are trying to get a rise in the standard of living, as they can sell the "chant for stuff" gag there.

But SGI won't fade away by magic, it needs to be actively exposed and opposed.

For example, if the SGI-USA members, who are decent folks, the local people in groups, all got together, and went on STRIKE and did no more UNPAID LABOR by refusing to work-for-free, and did a total financial BOYCOTT of giving SGI one more dollar, until all their finances are made open...that would get the attention of SGI.
Someone might even tell Ikeda if thousands of SGI-USA members were in revolt.

Of course, he would then just kick them out, and add them to his enemies list.

But when the members of SGI-USA start to withhold all donations, withhold unpaid labor, reports labor violations, speak out, and leak documents, that is how to get at SGI.

SGI is a corporation, and its currency is deception.
Exposing the truth vigorously, and not giving them even ONE more dollar, that is all SGI understands.
If SGI-USA went on a free labor strike and boycotted their donations, then some folks in SGI HQ might wonder what is going on. Otherwise its business as usual for SGI Inc.

Maybe one day SGI will get some headlines like this, for any labor code violations?


Scientology: Slave Labor, Beatings, and an FBI Investigation? [www.theatlanticwire.com]