Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
tsukimoto
()
Date: December 27, 2009 09:07AM
This is from sokacult.com. It's long -- but Lisa Jones explains many of the issues we've discussed here so clearly!
-------------Beginning of Quote----From Sokacult.com 2004---------------------------------------------------------------
Manipu-Mentoring in SGI
SGI is emotionally manipulative, yet somehow SGI President Ikeda — leader of the organization for more than four decades — is never held accountable. He's painted as the hero.
As members and leaders tell it, Ikeda Sensei is good, right and incorruptible; he wants only for you to be happy. This is pretty funny, because if you look at who benefits from SGI, Ikeda undeniably does, in terms of wealth, adulation, luxury, fame, dozens and dozens of buildings named after him, etcetera. In fact, he and his top lieutenants are the only ones who indisputably, materially benefit from the Soka organization. Yet they are believed, by organizational lore, to be the most selfless and worthy contributors to SGI. Leaders who are corrupt or jerkish just "don't know Sensei's heart."
How does one come to know Sensei's heart? Leaders have advised members privately that one way to know Ikeda's heart is to read his writings and pray daily for his health and happiness. What really helps is to cut out a photo of Ikeda and keep it near your Buddhist altar or hang it up on a wall in your home. You should then have "conversations" with your photo of Ikeda, telling him all your troubles, hopes and dreams. You don't even need a photo, leaders will tell you — just open up a "dialogue" in your mind and heart with Sensei. Sensei is mystically psychic of course, so he will hear everything you say (or pray) to him/his photo, and soon you will come to know his heart.
Obviously the purpose is to get members to project their own fantasy of a perfect, wonderful "spiritual father" onto Ikeda. So I guess it's no wonder why most members have a hard time thinking critically about him. After all, the Ikeda they know is an Ikeda of their own creation/projection, an Ikeda about whom they have heard only wide-eyed fables of praise from trusted leaders.
One of Ikeda's recent speeches provides examples of some of the manipulative messages that are communicated to SGI members. Most of Ikeda's speeches follow the same pattern and say mostly the same thing, time after time. But the speech I refer to here was published in the February 27, 2004, World Tribune "special insert." It's SGI President Ikeda's address at a nationwide executive leaders conference held in Tokyo, November 25, 2003.
The paper says,"In this speech commemorating 12 years of the SGI's spiritual independence, SGI President Ikeda discusses the intense growth and development of our organization in accord with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin."
Right from the start, we are told, as always, that the SGI and its activities accord with the teachings of Nichiren. And of course "spiritual independence" is a big fat euphemism for excommunication from Nichiren Shoshu.
Ikeda begins: "Who are the worthiest of respect? It is those working for the happiness of others, those firmly dedicated to truth and justice. This describes our noble Soka members, each of whom is a priceless treasure."
So he begins with flattery, an example of what cult critics call "love bombing." According to Sensei, if you are a Soka member, you are dedicated to truth and justice; you are working for the happiness of others. ...All of this just by virtue of your membership in Ikeda's organization! How wonderful!
Ikeda continues: "It is imperative that we change the state of the world in which good-hearted ordinary people are oppressed and forced to suffer. This is an age of democracy, an age where people are sovereign. Those in even the most powerful positions of authority are there solely to serve the people. It must never be the other way around. Our second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, strictly taught us this point."
This is the classic Ikeda mixed message. Yes, democracy is a great thing, but Ikeda fails to mention that there is nothing even remotely approaching democracy in SGI. Leaders are not elected, and leadership appointments are not reviewed by the membership. There are no term limits. The membership is not polled or consulted regarding organizational policies. SGI finances are kept secret. Ikeda pays lip service to democracy and rails against authoritarianism -- yet he himself is not accountable to the membership. Say one thing, do another.
The next section is under the heading "We uphold true friendship." This imparts the familiar SGI message that SGI members are your real friends, your comrades in faith whom you should trust without question. In this section, Ikeda says: "The courageous German playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht, who vociferously opposed the Nazis, called out to the people, "It's yourselves you'll be deserting / if you rat on [betray] your own sort."
Hmm. Ikeda name drops a famous poet, suggesting a kinship between the two of them, and invokes the Nazis -- emotionally loaded in any context. Then he uses Brecht's words to send a strong message about "betrayal" (interesting editorial insertion by the World Tribune of the word "betray" for "rat on," by the way.) The implication is obvious: those who leave SGI are betrayers and deserters, akin to those who betrayed their neighbors to the Nazis.
Ikeda continues: "As comrades, family, brothers and sisters, fellow human beings, we will fight all our lives for kosen-rufu. This is our mission. This is what unites us. We are a fighting force, a fighting fortress."
What is kosen-rufu exactly? The SGI defines it in different ways, usually having something to do with world peace. Kosen-rufu is a vague goal, as is "world peace," a broad generalization, yet Ikeda declares that "this is our mission." There are no objective measures of progress, no benchmarking. So members are "united" by fighting all their lives for a non-specific goal. And how many peace organizations would brazenly declare themselves a "fighting fortress," I wonder? This rhetoric speaks to the siege mentality inculcated into SGI members: we are surrounded by enemies and we are the only ones who can save the world.
But now Ikeda returns to flattery and a show of humility, saying: "Allow me to deeply commend and thank all of you for your tremendous efforts this year. Our repeated triumphs in 2003, the Year of Glory and Great Victory, have indeed been significant."
He cites no examples of what has been accomplished, but goes on to say, "We have never before received such a flood of praise and congratulations from our friends, supporters and leading figures around the world."
What accomplishments? Which leading figures around the world? Ikeda does not say, but the message is clear: whatever vague things SGI members are doing, they are glorious, significant, global and widely celebrated. This is another example of flattery, with the added boost to member self-esteem of being "special" on the world stage.
Ikeda says: "The only way we can accumulate lasting and eternal benefit is through our Buddhist practice. Striving earnestly and humbly for kosen-rufu, without airs or pretensions, is what matters."
Hear that? Without your Buddhist practice as defined by SGI, you'll never have "lasting benefit." Also, you are profoundly special...but don't get a big ego about it. Meanwhile, Ikeda names buildings after himself and ranks himself alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the traveling SGI-sponsored Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit...
The exercise of critiquing one of Ikeda's speeches is exhausting...and there are three more text-crammed pages of this speech to analyze, including a section titled "To betray the SGI is to betray Nichiren Daishonin." Ikeda's long harangue is enough to make me turn off my brain and nod my head in passive agreement. Which may be the whole point...[/b]
Ikeda reportedly once said at a meeting that he didn't care if people fell asleep. People cannot close their ears, he said, and even when they are asleep his words will still penetrate their subconscious.
Yikes.
Who's In Your Head?
Hypnosis is little understood by most people, writes Steven Hassan in Combatting Cult Mind Control: "When the term is mentioned, the first image that may come to mind is of a bearded doctor dangling an old pocket watch by its chain in front of a droopy-eyed person. While that image is certainly a stereotype, it does point to the central feature of hypnotism: the trance."
Hypnosis applies to a hot topic du jour in SGI: the re-writing of the silent prayers that members read twice daily during sutra recitation or "gongyo."
Hassan writes: "People who are hypnotized enter a trance-like state which is fundamentally different than normal consciousness. The difference is this: whereas in normal consciousness the attention is focused outwards through the five senses, in a trance one's attention is focused inwards. One is hearing, seeing and feeling internally. Of course, there are various degrees of trance, ranging from the mild and normal trance of daydreaming to deeper states in which one is much less aware of the outside world and extremely susceptible to suggestions which may be put into one's mind."
In Buddhism, the word "samadhi" means a state of absorption attained through intense concentration. It's a type of trance that is beneficial and integral to Buddhist practice. When Nichiren Buddhists recite the sutra and chant daimoku, we enter, more or less, a trance. In this state, we participate in the "ceremony in the air" and commune with the Gohonzon. In my view, there is nothing wrong — and everything right — with entering a trance-like state as part of Buddhist practice.
Hassan continues: "Hypnotism relates to unethical mind control practices of destructive cults in a variety of ways. In many cults which claim to be religious, what is often called 'meditation' is no more than a process by which the cult members enter a trance, during which time they may receive suggestions which make them more receptive to following the cult's doctrine. Non-religious cults use other forms of group or individual induction. In addition, being in a trance is usually a pleasant, relaxing experience, so that people wish to re-enter the trance as often as possible. Most importantly, it has been clinically established by psychological researchers that people's critical faculties are diminished in the trance state. One is less able to evaluate information received in a trance than when in a normal state of consciousness."
You can see where I'm going with this: The silent prayers during gongyo are the best time to indoctrinate members with an unquestioning belief in the greatness and righteousness of SGI and its leaders.
So you can see why many people were alarmed when, without notifying members, SGI-USA suddenly changed the third silent prayer to read:
"I pray that the great desire for kosen-rufu be fulfilled, and that the Soka Gakkai International develop in this endeavor for countless generations to come. I offer appreciation and pray to repay my debt of gratitude for the three founding presidents -- Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda -- as eternal models of selfless dedication to the propagation of the Law."
Some SGI leaders have defended the new prayers, saying that the wording of the prayers is not important — rather, what matters is what's in one's heart. Which begs the question: Then why print up and distribute a canned set of prayers in the first place?
Do I think a nefarious plot is afoot, or that a mind-control strategy is consciously being applied by diabolical leaders in SGI-USA to convince people that they owe a debt to the SGI? Or that the SGI is deliberately distorting the concept of gratitude as taught by Nichiren to manipulate people into enriching the fortunes of a religious corporation?
No, I don't think this is happening consciously on the part of most leaders and members. But lack of conscious intent does not mean that mind-control techniques are not being used.
And who truly stands to benefit from the doctrines now stated in the SGI-USA silent prayers? The corporation itself and its top leaders.
It is not known whether Nichiren prescribed any sort of silent prayers during sutra recitation. All we know is that he urged people to chant and recite portions of the sutra, and he did not specify how often his students should do this. So silent prayers are not necessarily an orthodox element of Nichiren Buddhist practice.
Another interesting wrinkle to prayergate is that the new prayers announced in the official SGI memo were adopted in other English-speaking countries such as Canada. But in the United States, the prayers were changed yet again to underscore the message that SGI members must "repay their debt" to the eternal SGI leaders. SGI-USA leaders have explained away this discrepancy, claiming that the newer new U.S. prayers are a "better translation."
Perhaps the leaders of SGI-USA believe in all sincerity that SGI members should embrace the doctrines expressed in the prayers, for our own good. They only want to help us. Perhaps these leaders are not consciously aware of the power of suggestion during a trance, and these silent prayers just feel "right" to them.
That may well be. No group says: "Hey, we're a cult! We employ techniques to indoctrinate and manipulate your mind! Come on in!"
Cult mind control often relies on lack or suppression of conscious awareness. All the more reason to raise these issues for public discussion.
Plausible Cult Deniability
For years, I told myself that SGI wasn’t a cult, yet the functional reality of SGI was plain to see. For instance, President Ikeda would say that we should all speak our minds freely. But members would censor themselves out of fear of disrupting the group, keeping in mind that President Ikeda also often said that disrupting the unity of SGI was a grave offense against Buddhism. (He is, after all, a master manipu-mentor.) Top and mid-level leaders would frown on dissent, even going so far as to issue a memo saying that only “pertinent” dialogue would be permitted in official SGI meetings and publications.
In other words, SGI is a cult that pays lip service to the value of free speech and dissent – just enough lip service, perhaps, to make people doubt the applicability of the word “cult.” Even so, members who express criticism of the organization are demoted, marginalized, ridiculed, insulted or defamed.
Simply, SGI’s stated goals and values are not its functional goals and values.
If you’re an SGI member, you are probably aware of the dichotomy between stated values and actual values in the organization. You may have learned to rationalize this dichotomy as a conflict between “ocean” and “village” cultures, or a conflict between “American” values and “Japanese” values, or the difference between those who “know Sensei’s heart” and those who don’t.
By rationalizing the dichotomy in this way, members can be persuaded that the “heart” of the organization is in the right place and that somehow, eventually, the organization will become the type of open, supportive sangha that it claims to be. It's easy to believe this when you want to believe it -- despite all evidence to the contrary -- to preserve your sense of having made a free, informed and correct choice in committing to SGI.
Over the past 15 years, things have changed for the better in the SGI, many members tell themselves. This is what I call the Myth of Substantive Change in SGI, the belief that the SGI used to be a cult but is no longer. People point to the fact that inane songs are no longer (routinely) sung at meetings, and SGI members no longer stand on street corners trying to recruit new members. In other words, the SGI leadership has come to realize that these activities scream "cult" to most observers, thus necessitating a change in window dressing.
Many SGI members tout the apparent acceptance of gays and lesbians — and the active recruitment of new members at Gay Pride celebrations — as a jaw-dropping miracle of positive change in SGI. For decades, gay SGI members remonstrated with SGI leaders about organizational hostility toward gays. Did these sincere efforts finally bring about a major change in SGI?
I think not. After all, this “change” benefits the organization by opening up a new constituency of eager recruits, many of whom are idealistic and have felt alienated from traditional religion and are seeking a spiritual “home.” Many have significant disposable income and often fewer family obligations. Plus, gays are a demographic group renowned for loyalty to organizations and advertisers who reach out to them (as many marketers have learned so lucratively over the past decade.)
In my opinion, informed by the fact that I'm a lesbian: “Acceptance” of gays is not a fundamental change in the SGI. Rather, it’s a sign that SGI recognizes a cult-recruitment jackpot when they see one. So don’t hold your breath waiting for the SGI to take a stand against the Federal Marriage Amendment. (SGI claims to be apolitical, despite their history of hiring lobbyists in the U.S.) Besides, discrimination against gays has always been and always will be indefensible in light of Nichiren Buddhist teachings. So with social attitudes toward gays becoming more accepting, SGI had no doctrinal leg to stand on, and was quickly losing it's social excuse for discrimination. Welcome to SGI, homos!
When I worked for SGI-USA in 1998, I requested that they expand their health insurance policy to cover the same-sex domestic partners of their gay and lesbian employees. The proposal was rejected by the SGI-USA Board of Directors. Gays and lesbians can get "married" in SGI, sure. But the SGI doesn't put its money where its mouth is and actually recognize these relationships as equal to heterosexual marriage.
So. Read newspaper reports about Soka Gakkai going back more than forty years. You'll see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Since 1963, when Daisaku Ikeda first came to the U.S., Soka Gakkai has been interested in expanding its political power in Japan and throughout the world. Since the very beginning and all the way up to the recent lawsuit and trouble at Soka University of America, Soka Gakkai has proven itself to be an aggressive, deceptive organization concerned with wealth, political power and secular influence.
Who Benefits?
Who benefits from the SGI? Members have been told time and again that they themselves benefit, and that society benefits. But the members and society do not control the purse strings on SGI’s billions. They do not make the organization’s policies. They are not on the organization’s payroll.
Who controls the money? Who has final say on organizational policies and activities? Who benefits from being able to say that he has profound influence over millions of people across the globe, including more than 300,000 people in America? Who benefits from a billion dollars worth of real estate in the United States? Whose name is on buildings and auditoriums and monuments built with SGI money?
SGI members have been trained to dismiss these questions as destructive innuendo. They’ve been programmed to think that any criticism of Daisaku Ikeda is unfair and motivated by anger or jealousy.
It’s not unreasonable to hold the leader of an organization responsible for its failings. Even the Pope takes heat from Catholics. It’s not unconscionable to suggest that a Chief Executive Officer has a self-interested involvement in his own corporation. In fact, it’s common and customary for shareholders or members to demand accountability from the top dog of an organization. Dictatorships and cults are the exceptions.
--------------------------------End of Quote----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------Beginning of Quote----From Sokacult.com 2004---------------------------------------------------------------
Manipu-Mentoring in SGI
SGI is emotionally manipulative, yet somehow SGI President Ikeda — leader of the organization for more than four decades — is never held accountable. He's painted as the hero.
As members and leaders tell it, Ikeda Sensei is good, right and incorruptible; he wants only for you to be happy. This is pretty funny, because if you look at who benefits from SGI, Ikeda undeniably does, in terms of wealth, adulation, luxury, fame, dozens and dozens of buildings named after him, etcetera. In fact, he and his top lieutenants are the only ones who indisputably, materially benefit from the Soka organization. Yet they are believed, by organizational lore, to be the most selfless and worthy contributors to SGI. Leaders who are corrupt or jerkish just "don't know Sensei's heart."
How does one come to know Sensei's heart? Leaders have advised members privately that one way to know Ikeda's heart is to read his writings and pray daily for his health and happiness. What really helps is to cut out a photo of Ikeda and keep it near your Buddhist altar or hang it up on a wall in your home. You should then have "conversations" with your photo of Ikeda, telling him all your troubles, hopes and dreams. You don't even need a photo, leaders will tell you — just open up a "dialogue" in your mind and heart with Sensei. Sensei is mystically psychic of course, so he will hear everything you say (or pray) to him/his photo, and soon you will come to know his heart.
Obviously the purpose is to get members to project their own fantasy of a perfect, wonderful "spiritual father" onto Ikeda. So I guess it's no wonder why most members have a hard time thinking critically about him. After all, the Ikeda they know is an Ikeda of their own creation/projection, an Ikeda about whom they have heard only wide-eyed fables of praise from trusted leaders.
One of Ikeda's recent speeches provides examples of some of the manipulative messages that are communicated to SGI members. Most of Ikeda's speeches follow the same pattern and say mostly the same thing, time after time. But the speech I refer to here was published in the February 27, 2004, World Tribune "special insert." It's SGI President Ikeda's address at a nationwide executive leaders conference held in Tokyo, November 25, 2003.
The paper says,"In this speech commemorating 12 years of the SGI's spiritual independence, SGI President Ikeda discusses the intense growth and development of our organization in accord with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin."
Right from the start, we are told, as always, that the SGI and its activities accord with the teachings of Nichiren. And of course "spiritual independence" is a big fat euphemism for excommunication from Nichiren Shoshu.
Ikeda begins: "Who are the worthiest of respect? It is those working for the happiness of others, those firmly dedicated to truth and justice. This describes our noble Soka members, each of whom is a priceless treasure."
So he begins with flattery, an example of what cult critics call "love bombing." According to Sensei, if you are a Soka member, you are dedicated to truth and justice; you are working for the happiness of others. ...All of this just by virtue of your membership in Ikeda's organization! How wonderful!
Ikeda continues: "It is imperative that we change the state of the world in which good-hearted ordinary people are oppressed and forced to suffer. This is an age of democracy, an age where people are sovereign. Those in even the most powerful positions of authority are there solely to serve the people. It must never be the other way around. Our second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, strictly taught us this point."
This is the classic Ikeda mixed message. Yes, democracy is a great thing, but Ikeda fails to mention that there is nothing even remotely approaching democracy in SGI. Leaders are not elected, and leadership appointments are not reviewed by the membership. There are no term limits. The membership is not polled or consulted regarding organizational policies. SGI finances are kept secret. Ikeda pays lip service to democracy and rails against authoritarianism -- yet he himself is not accountable to the membership. Say one thing, do another.
The next section is under the heading "We uphold true friendship." This imparts the familiar SGI message that SGI members are your real friends, your comrades in faith whom you should trust without question. In this section, Ikeda says: "The courageous German playwright and poet Bertolt Brecht, who vociferously opposed the Nazis, called out to the people, "It's yourselves you'll be deserting / if you rat on [betray] your own sort."
Hmm. Ikeda name drops a famous poet, suggesting a kinship between the two of them, and invokes the Nazis -- emotionally loaded in any context. Then he uses Brecht's words to send a strong message about "betrayal" (interesting editorial insertion by the World Tribune of the word "betray" for "rat on," by the way.) The implication is obvious: those who leave SGI are betrayers and deserters, akin to those who betrayed their neighbors to the Nazis.
Ikeda continues: "As comrades, family, brothers and sisters, fellow human beings, we will fight all our lives for kosen-rufu. This is our mission. This is what unites us. We are a fighting force, a fighting fortress."
What is kosen-rufu exactly? The SGI defines it in different ways, usually having something to do with world peace. Kosen-rufu is a vague goal, as is "world peace," a broad generalization, yet Ikeda declares that "this is our mission." There are no objective measures of progress, no benchmarking. So members are "united" by fighting all their lives for a non-specific goal. And how many peace organizations would brazenly declare themselves a "fighting fortress," I wonder? This rhetoric speaks to the siege mentality inculcated into SGI members: we are surrounded by enemies and we are the only ones who can save the world.
But now Ikeda returns to flattery and a show of humility, saying: "Allow me to deeply commend and thank all of you for your tremendous efforts this year. Our repeated triumphs in 2003, the Year of Glory and Great Victory, have indeed been significant."
He cites no examples of what has been accomplished, but goes on to say, "We have never before received such a flood of praise and congratulations from our friends, supporters and leading figures around the world."
What accomplishments? Which leading figures around the world? Ikeda does not say, but the message is clear: whatever vague things SGI members are doing, they are glorious, significant, global and widely celebrated. This is another example of flattery, with the added boost to member self-esteem of being "special" on the world stage.
Ikeda says: "The only way we can accumulate lasting and eternal benefit is through our Buddhist practice. Striving earnestly and humbly for kosen-rufu, without airs or pretensions, is what matters."
Hear that? Without your Buddhist practice as defined by SGI, you'll never have "lasting benefit." Also, you are profoundly special...but don't get a big ego about it. Meanwhile, Ikeda names buildings after himself and ranks himself alongside Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. in the traveling SGI-sponsored Gandhi-King-Ikeda exhibit...
The exercise of critiquing one of Ikeda's speeches is exhausting...and there are three more text-crammed pages of this speech to analyze, including a section titled "To betray the SGI is to betray Nichiren Daishonin." Ikeda's long harangue is enough to make me turn off my brain and nod my head in passive agreement. Which may be the whole point...[/b]
Ikeda reportedly once said at a meeting that he didn't care if people fell asleep. People cannot close their ears, he said, and even when they are asleep his words will still penetrate their subconscious.
Yikes.
Who's In Your Head?
Hypnosis is little understood by most people, writes Steven Hassan in Combatting Cult Mind Control: "When the term is mentioned, the first image that may come to mind is of a bearded doctor dangling an old pocket watch by its chain in front of a droopy-eyed person. While that image is certainly a stereotype, it does point to the central feature of hypnotism: the trance."
Hypnosis applies to a hot topic du jour in SGI: the re-writing of the silent prayers that members read twice daily during sutra recitation or "gongyo."
Hassan writes: "People who are hypnotized enter a trance-like state which is fundamentally different than normal consciousness. The difference is this: whereas in normal consciousness the attention is focused outwards through the five senses, in a trance one's attention is focused inwards. One is hearing, seeing and feeling internally. Of course, there are various degrees of trance, ranging from the mild and normal trance of daydreaming to deeper states in which one is much less aware of the outside world and extremely susceptible to suggestions which may be put into one's mind."
In Buddhism, the word "samadhi" means a state of absorption attained through intense concentration. It's a type of trance that is beneficial and integral to Buddhist practice. When Nichiren Buddhists recite the sutra and chant daimoku, we enter, more or less, a trance. In this state, we participate in the "ceremony in the air" and commune with the Gohonzon. In my view, there is nothing wrong — and everything right — with entering a trance-like state as part of Buddhist practice.
Hassan continues: "Hypnotism relates to unethical mind control practices of destructive cults in a variety of ways. In many cults which claim to be religious, what is often called 'meditation' is no more than a process by which the cult members enter a trance, during which time they may receive suggestions which make them more receptive to following the cult's doctrine. Non-religious cults use other forms of group or individual induction. In addition, being in a trance is usually a pleasant, relaxing experience, so that people wish to re-enter the trance as often as possible. Most importantly, it has been clinically established by psychological researchers that people's critical faculties are diminished in the trance state. One is less able to evaluate information received in a trance than when in a normal state of consciousness."
You can see where I'm going with this: The silent prayers during gongyo are the best time to indoctrinate members with an unquestioning belief in the greatness and righteousness of SGI and its leaders.
So you can see why many people were alarmed when, without notifying members, SGI-USA suddenly changed the third silent prayer to read:
"I pray that the great desire for kosen-rufu be fulfilled, and that the Soka Gakkai International develop in this endeavor for countless generations to come. I offer appreciation and pray to repay my debt of gratitude for the three founding presidents -- Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda -- as eternal models of selfless dedication to the propagation of the Law."
Some SGI leaders have defended the new prayers, saying that the wording of the prayers is not important — rather, what matters is what's in one's heart. Which begs the question: Then why print up and distribute a canned set of prayers in the first place?
Do I think a nefarious plot is afoot, or that a mind-control strategy is consciously being applied by diabolical leaders in SGI-USA to convince people that they owe a debt to the SGI? Or that the SGI is deliberately distorting the concept of gratitude as taught by Nichiren to manipulate people into enriching the fortunes of a religious corporation?
No, I don't think this is happening consciously on the part of most leaders and members. But lack of conscious intent does not mean that mind-control techniques are not being used.
And who truly stands to benefit from the doctrines now stated in the SGI-USA silent prayers? The corporation itself and its top leaders.
It is not known whether Nichiren prescribed any sort of silent prayers during sutra recitation. All we know is that he urged people to chant and recite portions of the sutra, and he did not specify how often his students should do this. So silent prayers are not necessarily an orthodox element of Nichiren Buddhist practice.
Another interesting wrinkle to prayergate is that the new prayers announced in the official SGI memo were adopted in other English-speaking countries such as Canada. But in the United States, the prayers were changed yet again to underscore the message that SGI members must "repay their debt" to the eternal SGI leaders. SGI-USA leaders have explained away this discrepancy, claiming that the newer new U.S. prayers are a "better translation."
Perhaps the leaders of SGI-USA believe in all sincerity that SGI members should embrace the doctrines expressed in the prayers, for our own good. They only want to help us. Perhaps these leaders are not consciously aware of the power of suggestion during a trance, and these silent prayers just feel "right" to them.
That may well be. No group says: "Hey, we're a cult! We employ techniques to indoctrinate and manipulate your mind! Come on in!"
Cult mind control often relies on lack or suppression of conscious awareness. All the more reason to raise these issues for public discussion.
Plausible Cult Deniability
For years, I told myself that SGI wasn’t a cult, yet the functional reality of SGI was plain to see. For instance, President Ikeda would say that we should all speak our minds freely. But members would censor themselves out of fear of disrupting the group, keeping in mind that President Ikeda also often said that disrupting the unity of SGI was a grave offense against Buddhism. (He is, after all, a master manipu-mentor.) Top and mid-level leaders would frown on dissent, even going so far as to issue a memo saying that only “pertinent” dialogue would be permitted in official SGI meetings and publications.
In other words, SGI is a cult that pays lip service to the value of free speech and dissent – just enough lip service, perhaps, to make people doubt the applicability of the word “cult.” Even so, members who express criticism of the organization are demoted, marginalized, ridiculed, insulted or defamed.
Simply, SGI’s stated goals and values are not its functional goals and values.
If you’re an SGI member, you are probably aware of the dichotomy between stated values and actual values in the organization. You may have learned to rationalize this dichotomy as a conflict between “ocean” and “village” cultures, or a conflict between “American” values and “Japanese” values, or the difference between those who “know Sensei’s heart” and those who don’t.
By rationalizing the dichotomy in this way, members can be persuaded that the “heart” of the organization is in the right place and that somehow, eventually, the organization will become the type of open, supportive sangha that it claims to be. It's easy to believe this when you want to believe it -- despite all evidence to the contrary -- to preserve your sense of having made a free, informed and correct choice in committing to SGI.
Over the past 15 years, things have changed for the better in the SGI, many members tell themselves. This is what I call the Myth of Substantive Change in SGI, the belief that the SGI used to be a cult but is no longer. People point to the fact that inane songs are no longer (routinely) sung at meetings, and SGI members no longer stand on street corners trying to recruit new members. In other words, the SGI leadership has come to realize that these activities scream "cult" to most observers, thus necessitating a change in window dressing.
Many SGI members tout the apparent acceptance of gays and lesbians — and the active recruitment of new members at Gay Pride celebrations — as a jaw-dropping miracle of positive change in SGI. For decades, gay SGI members remonstrated with SGI leaders about organizational hostility toward gays. Did these sincere efforts finally bring about a major change in SGI?
I think not. After all, this “change” benefits the organization by opening up a new constituency of eager recruits, many of whom are idealistic and have felt alienated from traditional religion and are seeking a spiritual “home.” Many have significant disposable income and often fewer family obligations. Plus, gays are a demographic group renowned for loyalty to organizations and advertisers who reach out to them (as many marketers have learned so lucratively over the past decade.)
In my opinion, informed by the fact that I'm a lesbian: “Acceptance” of gays is not a fundamental change in the SGI. Rather, it’s a sign that SGI recognizes a cult-recruitment jackpot when they see one. So don’t hold your breath waiting for the SGI to take a stand against the Federal Marriage Amendment. (SGI claims to be apolitical, despite their history of hiring lobbyists in the U.S.) Besides, discrimination against gays has always been and always will be indefensible in light of Nichiren Buddhist teachings. So with social attitudes toward gays becoming more accepting, SGI had no doctrinal leg to stand on, and was quickly losing it's social excuse for discrimination. Welcome to SGI, homos!
When I worked for SGI-USA in 1998, I requested that they expand their health insurance policy to cover the same-sex domestic partners of their gay and lesbian employees. The proposal was rejected by the SGI-USA Board of Directors. Gays and lesbians can get "married" in SGI, sure. But the SGI doesn't put its money where its mouth is and actually recognize these relationships as equal to heterosexual marriage.
So. Read newspaper reports about Soka Gakkai going back more than forty years. You'll see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Since 1963, when Daisaku Ikeda first came to the U.S., Soka Gakkai has been interested in expanding its political power in Japan and throughout the world. Since the very beginning and all the way up to the recent lawsuit and trouble at Soka University of America, Soka Gakkai has proven itself to be an aggressive, deceptive organization concerned with wealth, political power and secular influence.
Who Benefits?
Who benefits from the SGI? Members have been told time and again that they themselves benefit, and that society benefits. But the members and society do not control the purse strings on SGI’s billions. They do not make the organization’s policies. They are not on the organization’s payroll.
Who controls the money? Who has final say on organizational policies and activities? Who benefits from being able to say that he has profound influence over millions of people across the globe, including more than 300,000 people in America? Who benefits from a billion dollars worth of real estate in the United States? Whose name is on buildings and auditoriums and monuments built with SGI money?
SGI members have been trained to dismiss these questions as destructive innuendo. They’ve been programmed to think that any criticism of Daisaku Ikeda is unfair and motivated by anger or jealousy.
It’s not unreasonable to hold the leader of an organization responsible for its failings. Even the Pope takes heat from Catholics. It’s not unconscionable to suggest that a Chief Executive Officer has a self-interested involvement in his own corporation. In fact, it’s common and customary for shareholders or members to demand accountability from the top dog of an organization. Dictatorships and cults are the exceptions.
--------------------------------End of Quote----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
sushigrl
()
Date: December 27, 2009 09:40AM
I know this is long too...but it is relevant to those who have just left or thinking about leaving: SOKACULT's sick explanation of what one will go through after leaving...it doesn't happen that way. We are happier AFTER WE LEAVE:
You will be depressed. When you leave Soka, you will be overwhelmed with a sense of meaninglessness. You will feel regret for your lost years. Your self-esteem will suffer because you will foolishly think that you have been used. (you have been!)
You will be lonely. You will be leaving your "true" friends of Soka, people who understand the jargon of your religious faith. No one will understand what you are talking about and they probably will not care. Who will you talk to? People will shun you because they will sense your wounded dismay at having given so much of yourself to a questionable Japanese religious corporation. No one will want to be your friend. You will miss Soka and start questioning your decision to leave. We will welcome even stupid, angry people like you back to Soka. WE WON'T GO BACK
You will be indecisive. What would Sensei do? Ah, you can no longer base your decisions on what you assume Sensei might do (he'll collect money of course). You will be unable to challenge your problems with a resolute daimoku campaign, as is done in the realm of Soka. You will be torn, not knowing whether your Buddhist practice is based on self-serving Soka interpretations or on Nichiren's actual teachings and intent. You will no longer be able to look forward to a new, encouraging motto each year. You will have no chanting, study and shakubuku goals to challenge. You will no longer read the Soka publications. What will you do with yourself? (HA!)
You will not be able to concentrate. Soka has trained you to be happy and to look cheerfully on life. When you leave Soka, you will not know how to feel about life or how to deal with daily realities. You will be lethargic and Soka guidance will ring in your head much louder than your own intuitive faculties. You will be confused because you won't know which voices you should trust.
You will fear Soka. You will retain some residual belief in the Soka doctrines of strict punishment, and this will haunt you. You may experience mild dissociation, deep preoccupations and temporary altered states of consciousness. Some "sincere", caring members may make efforts to get you back by calling you, dropping by unexpectedly -- or even talking to family, friends, co-workers and bosses, telling them how concerned they are about your irrational action of leaving Soka. We stalk because we care!
You will feel ridiculous. New friends, co-workers and family members will be staring at you, wondering how you could have joined a cult.
You will have to explain yourself. You will be at a loss to fully convey the subtleties and power of cult recruitment procedures and how you were indoctrinated. People will mock you for your foolish belief in the existence of cults. You will not be able to explain why you did not simply walk away from a cult. You will have to give a long and sophisticated explanation about social and psychological coercion, influence, and control procedures, and no one cares enough or has time to listen to your pseudo-scientific drivel. (not really)
You will feel guilty. Significant parts of cult activity are based on deception, particularly fund-raising and recruitment. The dishonesty is rationalized as being for the greater good of the cult or the person recruited. As you take up your personal conscience again, you will be consumed with remorse. How pitiful that you did not understand the true nature of Soka! NOT!!!
Your altruistic spirit will be damaged. How will you be able to put your altruistic Bodhisattva spirit back to work without becoming a pawn in another manipulative group? Ah, Soka made it easy for you. Now you must suffer.
You will no longer be special. (HA!) As a Soka member, you could have saved the world. You were in the vanguard of history, a Bodhisattva of the Earth. But now you are nobody. Get used to it. WHAAA?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 09:43AM by sushigrl.
You will be depressed. When you leave Soka, you will be overwhelmed with a sense of meaninglessness. You will feel regret for your lost years. Your self-esteem will suffer because you will foolishly think that you have been used. (you have been!)
You will be lonely. You will be leaving your "true" friends of Soka, people who understand the jargon of your religious faith. No one will understand what you are talking about and they probably will not care. Who will you talk to? People will shun you because they will sense your wounded dismay at having given so much of yourself to a questionable Japanese religious corporation. No one will want to be your friend. You will miss Soka and start questioning your decision to leave. We will welcome even stupid, angry people like you back to Soka. WE WON'T GO BACK
You will be indecisive. What would Sensei do? Ah, you can no longer base your decisions on what you assume Sensei might do (he'll collect money of course). You will be unable to challenge your problems with a resolute daimoku campaign, as is done in the realm of Soka. You will be torn, not knowing whether your Buddhist practice is based on self-serving Soka interpretations or on Nichiren's actual teachings and intent. You will no longer be able to look forward to a new, encouraging motto each year. You will have no chanting, study and shakubuku goals to challenge. You will no longer read the Soka publications. What will you do with yourself? (HA!)
You will not be able to concentrate. Soka has trained you to be happy and to look cheerfully on life. When you leave Soka, you will not know how to feel about life or how to deal with daily realities. You will be lethargic and Soka guidance will ring in your head much louder than your own intuitive faculties. You will be confused because you won't know which voices you should trust.
You will fear Soka. You will retain some residual belief in the Soka doctrines of strict punishment, and this will haunt you. You may experience mild dissociation, deep preoccupations and temporary altered states of consciousness. Some "sincere", caring members may make efforts to get you back by calling you, dropping by unexpectedly -- or even talking to family, friends, co-workers and bosses, telling them how concerned they are about your irrational action of leaving Soka. We stalk because we care!
You will feel ridiculous. New friends, co-workers and family members will be staring at you, wondering how you could have joined a cult.
You will have to explain yourself. You will be at a loss to fully convey the subtleties and power of cult recruitment procedures and how you were indoctrinated. People will mock you for your foolish belief in the existence of cults. You will not be able to explain why you did not simply walk away from a cult. You will have to give a long and sophisticated explanation about social and psychological coercion, influence, and control procedures, and no one cares enough or has time to listen to your pseudo-scientific drivel. (not really)
You will feel guilty. Significant parts of cult activity are based on deception, particularly fund-raising and recruitment. The dishonesty is rationalized as being for the greater good of the cult or the person recruited. As you take up your personal conscience again, you will be consumed with remorse. How pitiful that you did not understand the true nature of Soka! NOT!!!
Your altruistic spirit will be damaged. How will you be able to put your altruistic Bodhisattva spirit back to work without becoming a pawn in another manipulative group? Ah, Soka made it easy for you. Now you must suffer.
You will no longer be special. (HA!) As a Soka member, you could have saved the world. You were in the vanguard of history, a Bodhisattva of the Earth. But now you are nobody. Get used to it. WHAAA?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 09:43AM by sushigrl.
Re: Former SGI members: sokacult.com
Posted by:
tsukimoto
()
Date: December 27, 2009 11:20AM
This information appears elsewhere in this thread -- but it's worth repeating. While you read it, remember Von's experience -- Von was a Young Men's Division member who was urged to spend his last dollars paying for an airplane ticket to a major SGI convention. His leaders assured him that if he did this, he'd triumph over difficulties in his life. Well...after the convention, Von was homeless.
And remember the gakkaionline.com experience -- someone had a fever that lasted three months. He gave his emergency fund to SGI -- and immediately his fever cooled!
------------------------Beginning quote, sokacult.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SGI-USA is a multimillion-dollar religious corporation
According to LA County tax records, SGI Plaza and adjacent properties around Sixth and Wilshire in Santa Monica are valued at over $20 million. (These are just tax valuations, not the market value.)
Just across the street, the World Culture Center and Ikeda Auditorium and the house behind the WCC are valued at more than $7 million.
SGI-USA’s Malibu Training Center, with a tax valuation of $1.4 million, was on the market in June 2003 for $21 million. It sold for $14.5 million in June 2003. SGI originally purchased the property in 1972 for a reported $109,000.
The LA Friendship Center -- $3,600,000
The Santa Monica Community Center -- $4,300,000
Soka University, Los Angeles in Calabasas -- $14,000,000
Plus, this other little bit of SULA -- $5,700,000
A quick search on hawaiipropertytax.com brings up results of "agricultural properties" owned by Soka Gakkai:
10 acres - parcel 220480940000
3 acres - parcel 160093950000
3 acres - parcel 160093960000
10 acres - parcel 220480950000
SGI-USA's main facility in Hawaii is the Hawaii Culture Center -- Market Land Value $2,318,800; Market Building Value $14,950,000
In Hawaii, Soka Gakkai also owns: Makaha Community Center; Maui Community Center; Pupukea Community Center.
The Soka University of America campus in Aliso Viejo, Calif., opened in 2001 with an endowment of $300 million to teach a class of fewer than 200 students. GuideStar.org reports that SUA has assets in excess of $700 million.
The Denver Culture Center ($2.5 million), the New York Culture Center ($5.7 million), the Florida Nature and Culture Center ($3 million) are all listed in tax records as being owned by Soka Gakkai International-USA. There are more properties in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, etc., but you get the idea.
False impressions, false promises
The pamphlet, “Contributing to the Future,” published by SGI-USA in 2003, states that member financial contributions make it possible to turn on the lights, keep copy machines running and pay the rent for meeting places. These examples give the impression of a small ministry struggling to make ends meet. Strangely, the pamphlet fails to mention SGI-USA’s millions of dollars worth of appreciating assets. In fact, SGI-USA declines to tell members anything substantive about the corporation’s finances.
The “Contributing to the Future” pamphlet tells SGI-USA members:
"With all of your contributions, you are making great causes for your own happiness... Some members may feel they can improve their financial situation by challenging themselves to contribute more money to the organization. It’s true that when you make offerings, you are making a cause to change your destiny -- just as it’s true that when you chant, you are changing your karma. How this change in karma will manifest, though, no one can readily predict. When we make offerings, we increase our fortune. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that we increase our bank balance.”
Who is the “we” in that last sentence? When you make a contribution to SGI-USA, you are most definitely increasing “their” bank balance. SGI-USA holds out a promise that many members have been hooked by over the years: Giving money to SGI-USA will change your life for the better. This assertion may fatten the religious corporation’s accounts, but it does not accord with the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism.
-----------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was published in the summer of 2004.
And remember the gakkaionline.com experience -- someone had a fever that lasted three months. He gave his emergency fund to SGI -- and immediately his fever cooled!
------------------------Beginning quote, sokacult.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SGI-USA is a multimillion-dollar religious corporation
According to LA County tax records, SGI Plaza and adjacent properties around Sixth and Wilshire in Santa Monica are valued at over $20 million. (These are just tax valuations, not the market value.)
Just across the street, the World Culture Center and Ikeda Auditorium and the house behind the WCC are valued at more than $7 million.
SGI-USA’s Malibu Training Center, with a tax valuation of $1.4 million, was on the market in June 2003 for $21 million. It sold for $14.5 million in June 2003. SGI originally purchased the property in 1972 for a reported $109,000.
The LA Friendship Center -- $3,600,000
The Santa Monica Community Center -- $4,300,000
Soka University, Los Angeles in Calabasas -- $14,000,000
Plus, this other little bit of SULA -- $5,700,000
A quick search on hawaiipropertytax.com brings up results of "agricultural properties" owned by Soka Gakkai:
10 acres - parcel 220480940000
3 acres - parcel 160093950000
3 acres - parcel 160093960000
10 acres - parcel 220480950000
SGI-USA's main facility in Hawaii is the Hawaii Culture Center -- Market Land Value $2,318,800; Market Building Value $14,950,000
In Hawaii, Soka Gakkai also owns: Makaha Community Center; Maui Community Center; Pupukea Community Center.
The Soka University of America campus in Aliso Viejo, Calif., opened in 2001 with an endowment of $300 million to teach a class of fewer than 200 students. GuideStar.org reports that SUA has assets in excess of $700 million.
The Denver Culture Center ($2.5 million), the New York Culture Center ($5.7 million), the Florida Nature and Culture Center ($3 million) are all listed in tax records as being owned by Soka Gakkai International-USA. There are more properties in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, etc., but you get the idea.
False impressions, false promises
The pamphlet, “Contributing to the Future,” published by SGI-USA in 2003, states that member financial contributions make it possible to turn on the lights, keep copy machines running and pay the rent for meeting places. These examples give the impression of a small ministry struggling to make ends meet. Strangely, the pamphlet fails to mention SGI-USA’s millions of dollars worth of appreciating assets. In fact, SGI-USA declines to tell members anything substantive about the corporation’s finances.
The “Contributing to the Future” pamphlet tells SGI-USA members:
"With all of your contributions, you are making great causes for your own happiness... Some members may feel they can improve their financial situation by challenging themselves to contribute more money to the organization. It’s true that when you make offerings, you are making a cause to change your destiny -- just as it’s true that when you chant, you are changing your karma. How this change in karma will manifest, though, no one can readily predict. When we make offerings, we increase our fortune. That doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that we increase our bank balance.”
Who is the “we” in that last sentence? When you make a contribution to SGI-USA, you are most definitely increasing “their” bank balance. SGI-USA holds out a promise that many members have been hooked by over the years: Giving money to SGI-USA will change your life for the better. This assertion may fatten the religious corporation’s accounts, but it does not accord with the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism.
-----------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This was published in the summer of 2004.
Re: Former SGI members: sokacult.com
Posted by:
tsukimoto
()
Date: December 27, 2009 11:27AM
In the summer of 2004, Lisa Jones published information on SGI's financial assets. Here's what she published on sokacult.com in September 2004.
------------------Beginning of quote, sokacult.com-------------------------------------------------------------------
I have concluded that it is in my best interest to no longer comment on Soka Gakkai International. I have no further comment.
Lisa Jones
----------------------End of quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interesting timing, yes? Clearly the Soka Gakkai threatened her with legal action. Now, isn't that a funny thing for an organization to do when it says it supports the people and democratic ideals? Yes, freedom of speech is wonderful....but I guess Soka Gakkai members are not free to ask about or post information about SGI's real estate holdings and finances.
------------------Beginning of quote, sokacult.com-------------------------------------------------------------------
I have concluded that it is in my best interest to no longer comment on Soka Gakkai International. I have no further comment.
Lisa Jones
----------------------End of quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interesting timing, yes? Clearly the Soka Gakkai threatened her with legal action. Now, isn't that a funny thing for an organization to do when it says it supports the people and democratic ideals? Yes, freedom of speech is wonderful....but I guess Soka Gakkai members are not free to ask about or post information about SGI's real estate holdings and finances.
Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
DrJesusEsq
()
Date: December 27, 2009 12:08PM
I checked out Sokacult.com. I know the guys who wrote it are supposed to be sarcastic when it comes to SGI rationalization. Yet, the irony of it is that Soka members really do talk and think like that, with a straight face! I looked it up on the year 2004 . . . .nothing has ever changed.
Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
The Anticult
()
Date: December 27, 2009 05:28PM
Its a good idea to archive that Sokacult info in this thread.
Its probably now going to get DISAPPEARED from the internet archive.
Also, some of the Sokacult stuff is supposed to be quite sarcastic, is it not? They are deliberately being sarcastic an darkly ironic.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 05:29PM by The Anticult.
Its probably now going to get DISAPPEARED from the internet archive.
Also, some of the Sokacult stuff is supposed to be quite sarcastic, is it not? They are deliberately being sarcastic an darkly ironic.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 05:29PM by The Anticult.
Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
Rothaus
()
Date: December 27, 2009 05:43PM
is it just me or has sokacult.com seized to exist?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 06:02PM by Rothaus.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/27/2009 06:02PM by Rothaus.
Re: Former SGI members:sokacult.com
Posted by:
tsukimoto
()
Date: December 28, 2009 12:13AM
Rothaus, the last sokacult.com post was July 29, 2004. Lisa Jones's next post was September 24, 2004 - that's where she says that she cannot comment on SGI anymore. The obvious conclusion is, SGI threatened her with legal action in August or September of 2004, forcing her to quit posting about the organization. She does post after that, but about things unrelated to SGI.
It's a shame. She knew a lot about SGI, and she had a great sense of irony too, making her site informative, insightful, and interesting.
This is a link from the June 18, 2004 sokacult.com
--------------------------------Beginning of Quote----------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is asking the right questions?
Imperial Valley Press
Thursday, May 20, 2004 2:40 PM PDT
Recently an elementary school in El Centro received a "peace garden" from a controversial Buddhist sect known as Soka Gakkai. Present at the dedication ceremony were school officials, city officials, including the mayor of El Centro, and county supervisors.
Around the garden are plaques that can be seen from the street with the names of Martin Luther King Jr., Matahma Ghandi and Daisaku Ikeda. There are three trees planted in the center of the garden representing King, Ghandi and Ikeda. Around the center circle is a path. Around the path are other plants and trees that represent the community. The symbolism, with the exception of King and Ghandi, is troubling. The community/people revolves around (but are separated from) King (deceased), Ghandi (deceased), and Ikeda (alive and well). But who is Ikeda? Did anyone research this man and his group beyond Soka's own propaganda literature before letting them onto a school campus full of children?
Besides now being an "honorary principal" at this school, Ikeda is the leader of a multi-billion dollar Japanese political/religious group, Soka Gakkai International. SGI is on almost every cult list around the world. They make no secret of their mission to create peace — at any price, by any means — through converting people to Buddhism.
"Conflict and strife on the long journey to peace" is a constant refrain in their writings. Ikeda's self-promotion as a "peace activist" is disgusting. King and Ghandi never pimped themselves around the globe handing out millions of dollars to legitimize themselves. Then again, neither King nor Ghandi had to. Neither collected millions of dollars from people nor ran on the message "Conquer the city (Tokyo)."
Both King and Ghandi struggled against injustice. They did not push/buy/bribe their way into credibility. Neither King nor Ghandi had to spend millions of dollars on public relations and propaganda. Besides linking his name with King and Ghandi to get into the schools, Ikeda has also had his name linked with convicted cocaine trafficker Manuel Noriega, when Noriega named a statue in Panama after Ikeda, and Ikeda returned the favor by presenting Noriega with a "humanist" award. Ikeda's chumminess with and admiration for Fidel Castro is also well-documented.
A German bureaucrat in an interview after World War II told his interviewer that in the beginning, as the Nazis rose to power, he and his fellow workers were skeptical and raised questions among themselves about this party that claimed to promote the good of the German people. However, rumors of false words and violent actions surrounded the Nazis. But the bureaucrats chose not to question the Nazi authority themselves, believing that, surely, someone else somewhere down the line would question the means to the end. Soon his co-workers seemed to forget their questions and pretended everything was fine. Later his country was destroyed.
Who was responsible for bringing SGI to this school? We have to hope that this lack of oversight was only due to incompetence. How can we have faith in our public schools if they do not protect our most vulnerable children — children of immigrants who lack the education, sophistication, knowledge and language skills to question such things? No one, to my knowledge, has risen to their duty to challenge what has happened at this school. Are they waiting for someone else to do it? Are they sticking their collective heads in the sand and pretending that this never happened? Where are the voices for the children? Are they complicit by their silence?
It takes only a light scratching of the surface to see the true character of Dr. Ikeda and Soka Gakkai. Don't wait until they come to your school.
These are excerpts from a poem by Dr. Ikeda:
The Victorious Future of Mentor and Disciple
I can see those who are like demons
Milling around what
Unbeknownst to them,
Is only an execution block
Traitors!
Having turned your backs
On the Daishonin's golden words,
Are you ready
To be burned in the fires
Of the Hell of incessant suffering?
To be imprisoned in a cavern
In the Hell of extreme cold?
To be shut off in the darkness
Of misery and strife, forever deprived of the sun's light?
"One who condones evil is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it." Martin Luther King Jr.
DALE CLIFFORD
El Centro
Source: Imperial Valley Press online
---------------------------------------End of Quote--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, this is exactly what SGI is accused of doing in other schools too. In the seventies or eighties, they had a "Liberty Bell" exhibit -- a replica of the Liberty Bell that SGI members, dressed in colonial clothes, took around to schools. Many schools did not even bother asking, "Who are these people, what is SGI, and what do they really want?"
Principals, teachers, and parents really need to be vigilant! They must look closely -- and ask a lot of questions regarding any group that wants to come into a school -- no matter how nice, and generous they may seem on the surface!
And that poem! Clearly Ikeda sees "traitors" as ANYONE who disagrees with him. And THIS is what he wishes upon us -- eternal misery and torture. Is there any doubt that he is an extremely vindictive man who controls people through whatever works, including terror!?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2009 12:17AM by tsukimoto.
It's a shame. She knew a lot about SGI, and she had a great sense of irony too, making her site informative, insightful, and interesting.
This is a link from the June 18, 2004 sokacult.com
--------------------------------Beginning of Quote----------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is asking the right questions?
Imperial Valley Press
Thursday, May 20, 2004 2:40 PM PDT
Recently an elementary school in El Centro received a "peace garden" from a controversial Buddhist sect known as Soka Gakkai. Present at the dedication ceremony were school officials, city officials, including the mayor of El Centro, and county supervisors.
Around the garden are plaques that can be seen from the street with the names of Martin Luther King Jr., Matahma Ghandi and Daisaku Ikeda. There are three trees planted in the center of the garden representing King, Ghandi and Ikeda. Around the center circle is a path. Around the path are other plants and trees that represent the community. The symbolism, with the exception of King and Ghandi, is troubling. The community/people revolves around (but are separated from) King (deceased), Ghandi (deceased), and Ikeda (alive and well). But who is Ikeda? Did anyone research this man and his group beyond Soka's own propaganda literature before letting them onto a school campus full of children?
Besides now being an "honorary principal" at this school, Ikeda is the leader of a multi-billion dollar Japanese political/religious group, Soka Gakkai International. SGI is on almost every cult list around the world. They make no secret of their mission to create peace — at any price, by any means — through converting people to Buddhism.
"Conflict and strife on the long journey to peace" is a constant refrain in their writings. Ikeda's self-promotion as a "peace activist" is disgusting. King and Ghandi never pimped themselves around the globe handing out millions of dollars to legitimize themselves. Then again, neither King nor Ghandi had to. Neither collected millions of dollars from people nor ran on the message "Conquer the city (Tokyo)."
Both King and Ghandi struggled against injustice. They did not push/buy/bribe their way into credibility. Neither King nor Ghandi had to spend millions of dollars on public relations and propaganda. Besides linking his name with King and Ghandi to get into the schools, Ikeda has also had his name linked with convicted cocaine trafficker Manuel Noriega, when Noriega named a statue in Panama after Ikeda, and Ikeda returned the favor by presenting Noriega with a "humanist" award. Ikeda's chumminess with and admiration for Fidel Castro is also well-documented.
A German bureaucrat in an interview after World War II told his interviewer that in the beginning, as the Nazis rose to power, he and his fellow workers were skeptical and raised questions among themselves about this party that claimed to promote the good of the German people. However, rumors of false words and violent actions surrounded the Nazis. But the bureaucrats chose not to question the Nazi authority themselves, believing that, surely, someone else somewhere down the line would question the means to the end. Soon his co-workers seemed to forget their questions and pretended everything was fine. Later his country was destroyed.
Who was responsible for bringing SGI to this school? We have to hope that this lack of oversight was only due to incompetence. How can we have faith in our public schools if they do not protect our most vulnerable children — children of immigrants who lack the education, sophistication, knowledge and language skills to question such things? No one, to my knowledge, has risen to their duty to challenge what has happened at this school. Are they waiting for someone else to do it? Are they sticking their collective heads in the sand and pretending that this never happened? Where are the voices for the children? Are they complicit by their silence?
It takes only a light scratching of the surface to see the true character of Dr. Ikeda and Soka Gakkai. Don't wait until they come to your school.
These are excerpts from a poem by Dr. Ikeda:
The Victorious Future of Mentor and Disciple
I can see those who are like demons
Milling around what
Unbeknownst to them,
Is only an execution block
Traitors!
Having turned your backs
On the Daishonin's golden words,
Are you ready
To be burned in the fires
Of the Hell of incessant suffering?
To be imprisoned in a cavern
In the Hell of extreme cold?
To be shut off in the darkness
Of misery and strife, forever deprived of the sun's light?
"One who condones evil is just as guilty as the one who perpetrates it." Martin Luther King Jr.
DALE CLIFFORD
El Centro
Source: Imperial Valley Press online
---------------------------------------End of Quote--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now, this is exactly what SGI is accused of doing in other schools too. In the seventies or eighties, they had a "Liberty Bell" exhibit -- a replica of the Liberty Bell that SGI members, dressed in colonial clothes, took around to schools. Many schools did not even bother asking, "Who are these people, what is SGI, and what do they really want?"
Principals, teachers, and parents really need to be vigilant! They must look closely -- and ask a lot of questions regarding any group that wants to come into a school -- no matter how nice, and generous they may seem on the surface!
And that poem! Clearly Ikeda sees "traitors" as ANYONE who disagrees with him. And THIS is what he wishes upon us -- eternal misery and torture. Is there any doubt that he is an extremely vindictive man who controls people through whatever works, including terror!?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2009 12:17AM by tsukimoto.
Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
tsukimoto
()
Date: December 28, 2009 12:40AM
This is also from sokacult.com, July 27, 2004. SGI leaders will tell you that SGI is always being attacked by tabloids in Japan. SGI SAYS that these people are jealous of SGI/Ikeda, and just making up sensationalized stories just to sell their papers. Besides, wasn't Nichiren Daishonin oppressed by the Japanese government when he tried to spread his Buddhism?
The problem with that analogy is -- Ikeda ain't the Daishonin. Also, these newspapers aren't all tabloids. SGI has been questioned by MANY media, in many countries -- for decades, and for legitimate reasons.
-----Beginning of quote, sokacult.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It takes only a light scratching of the surface to see the true character of Dr. Ikeda and Soka Gakkai. Don't wait until they come to your school."
Imperial Valley Press editorial, May 20, 2004
"A throng estimated by the police at 300,000 persons turned out today for the funeral of a religious sect leader. ...Josei Toda, the leader, died of a heart attack April 2....'Soka Gakkai' is derived from Buddhism, but its activities are more militant."
The New York Times, April 21, 1958
"Daisaku Ikeda, a confident young man of 34, will leave for the United States tomorrow to spread the doctrines of a militant Buddhist sect that has become a political force in Japan and, he hopes, will become a political force throughout the world."
The New York Times, January 8, 1963
"The growing strength of Soka Gakkai, the militant Buddhist organization that now puts its membership at one-tenth of Japan's total population, is being watched with fascinated attention and considerable trepidation."
The New York Times, November 17, 1963
"The militant Soka Gakkai group, one of the most dynamic forces in modern Japan, asserts that its membership has risen from 10 million to 15 million in the last year. Its aggressive conversion tactics and its highly-organized mass participation activities have caused concern among other civil and religious elements and its venture into politics has begun to disturb the dominant parties."
The New York Times, November 18, 1964
The Grand Main Reception Hall's "construction followed a four-day fundraising drive in July, 1961, in which Soka Gakkai members contributed almost $9 million."
The New York Times, February 7, 1965
"...In the last decade, Soka Gakkai's efficient organizational techniques and aggressive proselytizing have converted millions to its goal: 'To give absolute happiness to each individual.'"
The New York Times, July 18, 1965
"Officials of this earthquake-periled town in north central Japan are disturbed by the influx of representatives of some of Japan's aggressive 'new religions.' They accuse them of having tried to exploit the fears of nervous residents. Most conspicuous among the outsiders who have shown up here recently are members of Soka Gakkai...."
The New York Times, January 30, 1966
"Soka Gakkai, its rapid growth apparently slowing, appears to be entering a cautious stage of self-examination and reorganization."
The New York Times, April 3, 1966
"Eight years ago the Nichiren Sokagakkai movement was formally organized in this country with headquarters in Los Angeles. It disavows any of the political ramifications of the sect in Japan. Recent statements that the movement is 'the fastest growing religion in the country' turn out, on investigation, to be hard to corroborate."
The New York Times, March 3, 1968
"Although it ultimately aims at making the Nichiren sect Japan's state religion, its precise aspirations have hitherto been expressed in Boy Scout terms to attract voters to its Komeito ('clean government') party."
The New York Times, May 7, 1969
"The dispute, arising out of charges by the Communist party that Komeito representatives tried to suppress publication of a book critical of its parent religious body, the Soka Gakkai...has brought into the open widely entertained fears regarding tendencies toward authoritarianism within the Komeito and the Soka Gakkai. Analysis and criticism of both bodies in the Japanese press and other communications channels has long been muted, presumably out of fear of the massive economic and political power they wield."
The New York Times, January 11, 1970
"Japanese Buddhist Group Ending Close Ties with Political Party: ...Both party and Soka Gakkai officials have been increasingly concerned with repudiating charges that they planned to impose a fascistic politico-religious regime on Japan..."
The New York Times, December 17, 1970
"Three thousand paraders marched through downtown San Diego last Saturday in vivid costumes, made for the occasion. Most attention focused on Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai organization and of Nichiren Shoshu Academy, who is 'master' to millions of followers of the sect."
The New York Times, April 14, 1974
"The Socialists raised large amounts from labor unions supporting them, and the Komeito, or Clean Government Party, which is the political wing of the militant Soka Gakkai Buddhist sect, uses its religious organization. Their financing has been so well hidden that even the Japanese press has declined to speculate on how much money the Socialists and the Komeito have raised from their supporters."
The New York Times, July 14, 1974
"Though its tight organization and energetic proselytizing may give Soka Gakkai a superficial resemblance to the controversial Unification Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the basic nature of the organization is quite different, and Nichiren Shoshu has generally not obtruded on public consciousness in New York."
The New York Times, June 20, 1976
"'This is a totally corrupt religious organization," said Yukimasa Fujiwara, a member of the Tokyo municipal assembly, who was expelled from the Komeito party when he publicly criticized the Soka Gakkai's control over its policies and finances."
The New York Times, July 20, 1989
"'NSA is one of the largest destructive cults in the country,' says Steven Hassan, a former member of the Unification Church and the author of Combating Cult Mind Control. 'They like to talk about peace and democracy, but their beliefs at the core are antithetical to that. Like all other cults, they espouse wonderful ideas and worthy goals. The question is, what are they doing to meet those goals? Are they just espousing them to recruit people, to gain money and power? The difference between a cult like NSA and an aggressive religion is that the religion tells people up front who they are and what they want.'"
The Boston Globe, October 15, 1989
"Some former members and other critics maintain that all of the organizations are part of a coordinated effort to recruit members and make Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism the religion of the world. Compartmentalizing the various branches of the group is expedient, they say, allowing leaders to dodge controversies. Soka Gakkai International has been tainted by several scandals in Japan, involving allegations of wiretapping and tax evasion. The NSA has been accused of overly aggressive recruitment techniques."
The Los Angeles Times, November 17, 1991
Soka Gakkai "was ordered to pay millions of dollars in back taxes from undeclared income for its businesses of making gravestones, for instance. Two years ago, $1.2 million in yen notes found in a safe in a dump in Yokohama was traced to a Soka Gakkai member. More recently, $11 million paid by Soka Gakkai for two Renoir paintings disappeared, raising questions about whether the lay group was stashing sums away for political payoffs."
The New York Times, February 10, 1992
"People are approached from the standpoint of doing something for their personal lives, and, little by little, they are told that the only way they can advance their personal lives is to advance the organization. Once you've made that connection, that advancing the organization is advancing your personal life, then they have total control over you. So, watching the people who have been abused over time and just fleeced, you know, year in and year out for money, that certainly is a horrible form of abuse."
BBC World News, October 14th, 1995
"The debate about Soka Gakkai's intentions leads back to Ikeda, whose favorite phrase when exhorting his senior followers is Tenka o toru (conquer the country). In his rare public interviews, Ikeda presents himself as a moderate who has been miscast by the press. 'I am an ordinary and serious man,' he told the BBC in an interview this year. 'The mass media, with the exception of the bbc, make up this image of me as a dictator and so forth. This troubles me very much.'"
TIME Magazine, November 20, 1995
"Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist group with $100 billion in assets, has been accused of heavy-handed fund raising and proselytizing, as well as intimidating its foes and trying to grab political power."
The San Francisco Chronicle, December 27, 1995
"He is a grasping power-monger aiming for political control by rallying the 8 million families of the Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist organization, critics say. Ridiculous, his supporters retort: He is a crusader for common folk who unflinchingly fights the oppressive establishment."
The Los Angeles Times, March 15, 1996
"Now, it was panic button time because without a real lineage, he was just another private citizen with his own cult that happened to use methods pioneered and modernized by the Nichiren Sect. His entire international reputation rested on his recognition and respect as a Buddhist leader, and now he was just the Chantmeister of the Ikeda Society. He had to drop everything and do what he could to re-invent himself as the born again Secular Sort of Buddhist Leader respected by important academics and top universities around the world. "
CyberSangha: The Buddhist Alternative Journal, July 24, 1996
"'What we are talking about are not open organizations or democratic structures, but something like a Communist Party or worse,' said Seizaburo Sato, deputy director of the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies. ' We are dealing with a dictatorship built around the person of one man.' Soka Gakkai officials describe their organization in very different terms. For them, it is akin to a liberation movement and is an ardent promoter of social activism and human rights. They often describe their group as Buddhism's first Protestant movement, since its excommunication by Nichiren Shoshu, a Japanese strain of the faith, in 1991."
The New York Times, November 14, 1999
"Using the massive funds generated by its 8 million members, mostly housewives and small business people, Ikeda has been able to build Soka Gakkai into a giant global organisation, aimed at 'promoting peace through culture and education.' The expansion has not done much for its domestic image. Despite its lofty goals, some heavy-handed recruiting tactics in the 1970s and 1980s and its intolerance of criticism have left many Japanese deeply suspicious of the body and its leadership." Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, 2000
"Rebekah Poston was hired by Soka Gakkai, a large Japanese Buddhist sect, to obtain criminal justice records on a man named Nobuo Abe, the head of a rival Buddhist sect. Soka Gakkai hoped to use these records in a defamation lawsuit against Abe."
United States House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, July 27, 2000
"...Soka, first brought to the United States by Japanese war brides in the 1940's, 'is not nearly as well known in the United States as Zen or Tibetan Buddhism, but it has more members than any Buddhist sect in Japan' and claims 300,000 members in this country, though Professor Hammond said his surveys suggested the number was closer to 45,000. 'I don't think they would like this characterization but I think this campus is a step toward respectability, dignity,' Professor Hammond said."
The New York Times, July 25, 2001
"'I was led to believe this was a nonsectarian university,' said sophomore Murphy McMahon, who was among those who camped out in front of the cafeteria. 'But it's not. It's (Soka Gakkai International.)'"
The Orange County Register, February 8, 2003
"Thus the question: does Soka University of America sail under false colors? Joe McGinniss certainly thinks so. He maintains that the university has used its nonsectarian status to attract non-Gakkai faculty and students, many of whom have already left or are planning to leave because of the alleged deception."
Academe, March 2003
"Although more legal wrangling is still possible, last week’s victors are hopeful that the current economy and Soka’s internal conditions might create circumstances that would prompt the university ownership, Soka Gakkai, to consider selling the 214-acre King Gillette Ranch on which it now operates a language school and outreach program to the federal government."
Malibu Surfside News, March 6, 2003
"...Soka University hopes to boost its enrollment to 1,200 students within the next decade. As it grows, one thing this campus doesn't have to worry about is money. Just over a year old, the University already boasts a $300 million-dollar endowment -- funding that's been contributed to the school by Soka Gakkai and its members...Meanwhile, several teachers at the College have announced they are leaving because they don't feel free to criticize the Soka Gakkai sect."
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on PBS, May 2, 2003
"For the early faculty, there were kind of red flags right away, there were really deep concerns by some of the early faculty – all of whom have left now, either by being fired or by choosing to leave – they were really concerned about the relationship between the funding organisation, Soka Gakkai, and Soka University, and they felt that decision-making was happening in a very secretive and hierarchical way, and we weren’t being told a lot of what was going on, the faculty."
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, May 21, 2003
--------------------------------------End of Quote---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2009 12:42AM by tsukimoto.
The problem with that analogy is -- Ikeda ain't the Daishonin. Also, these newspapers aren't all tabloids. SGI has been questioned by MANY media, in many countries -- for decades, and for legitimate reasons.
-----Beginning of quote, sokacult.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It takes only a light scratching of the surface to see the true character of Dr. Ikeda and Soka Gakkai. Don't wait until they come to your school."
Imperial Valley Press editorial, May 20, 2004
"A throng estimated by the police at 300,000 persons turned out today for the funeral of a religious sect leader. ...Josei Toda, the leader, died of a heart attack April 2....'Soka Gakkai' is derived from Buddhism, but its activities are more militant."
The New York Times, April 21, 1958
"Daisaku Ikeda, a confident young man of 34, will leave for the United States tomorrow to spread the doctrines of a militant Buddhist sect that has become a political force in Japan and, he hopes, will become a political force throughout the world."
The New York Times, January 8, 1963
"The growing strength of Soka Gakkai, the militant Buddhist organization that now puts its membership at one-tenth of Japan's total population, is being watched with fascinated attention and considerable trepidation."
The New York Times, November 17, 1963
"The militant Soka Gakkai group, one of the most dynamic forces in modern Japan, asserts that its membership has risen from 10 million to 15 million in the last year. Its aggressive conversion tactics and its highly-organized mass participation activities have caused concern among other civil and religious elements and its venture into politics has begun to disturb the dominant parties."
The New York Times, November 18, 1964
The Grand Main Reception Hall's "construction followed a four-day fundraising drive in July, 1961, in which Soka Gakkai members contributed almost $9 million."
The New York Times, February 7, 1965
"...In the last decade, Soka Gakkai's efficient organizational techniques and aggressive proselytizing have converted millions to its goal: 'To give absolute happiness to each individual.'"
The New York Times, July 18, 1965
"Officials of this earthquake-periled town in north central Japan are disturbed by the influx of representatives of some of Japan's aggressive 'new religions.' They accuse them of having tried to exploit the fears of nervous residents. Most conspicuous among the outsiders who have shown up here recently are members of Soka Gakkai...."
The New York Times, January 30, 1966
"Soka Gakkai, its rapid growth apparently slowing, appears to be entering a cautious stage of self-examination and reorganization."
The New York Times, April 3, 1966
"Eight years ago the Nichiren Sokagakkai movement was formally organized in this country with headquarters in Los Angeles. It disavows any of the political ramifications of the sect in Japan. Recent statements that the movement is 'the fastest growing religion in the country' turn out, on investigation, to be hard to corroborate."
The New York Times, March 3, 1968
"Although it ultimately aims at making the Nichiren sect Japan's state religion, its precise aspirations have hitherto been expressed in Boy Scout terms to attract voters to its Komeito ('clean government') party."
The New York Times, May 7, 1969
"The dispute, arising out of charges by the Communist party that Komeito representatives tried to suppress publication of a book critical of its parent religious body, the Soka Gakkai...has brought into the open widely entertained fears regarding tendencies toward authoritarianism within the Komeito and the Soka Gakkai. Analysis and criticism of both bodies in the Japanese press and other communications channels has long been muted, presumably out of fear of the massive economic and political power they wield."
The New York Times, January 11, 1970
"Japanese Buddhist Group Ending Close Ties with Political Party: ...Both party and Soka Gakkai officials have been increasingly concerned with repudiating charges that they planned to impose a fascistic politico-religious regime on Japan..."
The New York Times, December 17, 1970
"Three thousand paraders marched through downtown San Diego last Saturday in vivid costumes, made for the occasion. Most attention focused on Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai organization and of Nichiren Shoshu Academy, who is 'master' to millions of followers of the sect."
The New York Times, April 14, 1974
"The Socialists raised large amounts from labor unions supporting them, and the Komeito, or Clean Government Party, which is the political wing of the militant Soka Gakkai Buddhist sect, uses its religious organization. Their financing has been so well hidden that even the Japanese press has declined to speculate on how much money the Socialists and the Komeito have raised from their supporters."
The New York Times, July 14, 1974
"Though its tight organization and energetic proselytizing may give Soka Gakkai a superficial resemblance to the controversial Unification Church of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the basic nature of the organization is quite different, and Nichiren Shoshu has generally not obtruded on public consciousness in New York."
The New York Times, June 20, 1976
"'This is a totally corrupt religious organization," said Yukimasa Fujiwara, a member of the Tokyo municipal assembly, who was expelled from the Komeito party when he publicly criticized the Soka Gakkai's control over its policies and finances."
The New York Times, July 20, 1989
"'NSA is one of the largest destructive cults in the country,' says Steven Hassan, a former member of the Unification Church and the author of Combating Cult Mind Control. 'They like to talk about peace and democracy, but their beliefs at the core are antithetical to that. Like all other cults, they espouse wonderful ideas and worthy goals. The question is, what are they doing to meet those goals? Are they just espousing them to recruit people, to gain money and power? The difference between a cult like NSA and an aggressive religion is that the religion tells people up front who they are and what they want.'"
The Boston Globe, October 15, 1989
"Some former members and other critics maintain that all of the organizations are part of a coordinated effort to recruit members and make Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism the religion of the world. Compartmentalizing the various branches of the group is expedient, they say, allowing leaders to dodge controversies. Soka Gakkai International has been tainted by several scandals in Japan, involving allegations of wiretapping and tax evasion. The NSA has been accused of overly aggressive recruitment techniques."
The Los Angeles Times, November 17, 1991
Soka Gakkai "was ordered to pay millions of dollars in back taxes from undeclared income for its businesses of making gravestones, for instance. Two years ago, $1.2 million in yen notes found in a safe in a dump in Yokohama was traced to a Soka Gakkai member. More recently, $11 million paid by Soka Gakkai for two Renoir paintings disappeared, raising questions about whether the lay group was stashing sums away for political payoffs."
The New York Times, February 10, 1992
"People are approached from the standpoint of doing something for their personal lives, and, little by little, they are told that the only way they can advance their personal lives is to advance the organization. Once you've made that connection, that advancing the organization is advancing your personal life, then they have total control over you. So, watching the people who have been abused over time and just fleeced, you know, year in and year out for money, that certainly is a horrible form of abuse."
BBC World News, October 14th, 1995
"The debate about Soka Gakkai's intentions leads back to Ikeda, whose favorite phrase when exhorting his senior followers is Tenka o toru (conquer the country). In his rare public interviews, Ikeda presents himself as a moderate who has been miscast by the press. 'I am an ordinary and serious man,' he told the BBC in an interview this year. 'The mass media, with the exception of the bbc, make up this image of me as a dictator and so forth. This troubles me very much.'"
TIME Magazine, November 20, 1995
"Soka Gakkai, a lay Buddhist group with $100 billion in assets, has been accused of heavy-handed fund raising and proselytizing, as well as intimidating its foes and trying to grab political power."
The San Francisco Chronicle, December 27, 1995
"He is a grasping power-monger aiming for political control by rallying the 8 million families of the Soka Gakkai lay Buddhist organization, critics say. Ridiculous, his supporters retort: He is a crusader for common folk who unflinchingly fights the oppressive establishment."
The Los Angeles Times, March 15, 1996
"Now, it was panic button time because without a real lineage, he was just another private citizen with his own cult that happened to use methods pioneered and modernized by the Nichiren Sect. His entire international reputation rested on his recognition and respect as a Buddhist leader, and now he was just the Chantmeister of the Ikeda Society. He had to drop everything and do what he could to re-invent himself as the born again Secular Sort of Buddhist Leader respected by important academics and top universities around the world. "
CyberSangha: The Buddhist Alternative Journal, July 24, 1996
"'What we are talking about are not open organizations or democratic structures, but something like a Communist Party or worse,' said Seizaburo Sato, deputy director of the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies. ' We are dealing with a dictatorship built around the person of one man.' Soka Gakkai officials describe their organization in very different terms. For them, it is akin to a liberation movement and is an ardent promoter of social activism and human rights. They often describe their group as Buddhism's first Protestant movement, since its excommunication by Nichiren Shoshu, a Japanese strain of the faith, in 1991."
The New York Times, November 14, 1999
"Using the massive funds generated by its 8 million members, mostly housewives and small business people, Ikeda has been able to build Soka Gakkai into a giant global organisation, aimed at 'promoting peace through culture and education.' The expansion has not done much for its domestic image. Despite its lofty goals, some heavy-handed recruiting tactics in the 1970s and 1980s and its intolerance of criticism have left many Japanese deeply suspicious of the body and its leadership." Sydney Morning Herald, July 1, 2000
"Rebekah Poston was hired by Soka Gakkai, a large Japanese Buddhist sect, to obtain criminal justice records on a man named Nobuo Abe, the head of a rival Buddhist sect. Soka Gakkai hoped to use these records in a defamation lawsuit against Abe."
United States House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, July 27, 2000
"...Soka, first brought to the United States by Japanese war brides in the 1940's, 'is not nearly as well known in the United States as Zen or Tibetan Buddhism, but it has more members than any Buddhist sect in Japan' and claims 300,000 members in this country, though Professor Hammond said his surveys suggested the number was closer to 45,000. 'I don't think they would like this characterization but I think this campus is a step toward respectability, dignity,' Professor Hammond said."
The New York Times, July 25, 2001
"'I was led to believe this was a nonsectarian university,' said sophomore Murphy McMahon, who was among those who camped out in front of the cafeteria. 'But it's not. It's (Soka Gakkai International.)'"
The Orange County Register, February 8, 2003
"Thus the question: does Soka University of America sail under false colors? Joe McGinniss certainly thinks so. He maintains that the university has used its nonsectarian status to attract non-Gakkai faculty and students, many of whom have already left or are planning to leave because of the alleged deception."
Academe, March 2003
"Although more legal wrangling is still possible, last week’s victors are hopeful that the current economy and Soka’s internal conditions might create circumstances that would prompt the university ownership, Soka Gakkai, to consider selling the 214-acre King Gillette Ranch on which it now operates a language school and outreach program to the federal government."
Malibu Surfside News, March 6, 2003
"...Soka University hopes to boost its enrollment to 1,200 students within the next decade. As it grows, one thing this campus doesn't have to worry about is money. Just over a year old, the University already boasts a $300 million-dollar endowment -- funding that's been contributed to the school by Soka Gakkai and its members...Meanwhile, several teachers at the College have announced they are leaving because they don't feel free to criticize the Soka Gakkai sect."
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on PBS, May 2, 2003
"For the early faculty, there were kind of red flags right away, there were really deep concerns by some of the early faculty – all of whom have left now, either by being fired or by choosing to leave – they were really concerned about the relationship between the funding organisation, Soka Gakkai, and Soka University, and they felt that decision-making was happening in a very secretive and hierarchical way, and we weren’t being told a lot of what was going on, the faculty."
Australian Broadcasting Corporation, May 21, 2003
--------------------------------------End of Quote---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/28/2009 12:42AM by tsukimoto.
Re: Former SGI members
Posted by:
Nichijew
()
Date: December 28, 2009 01:21AM
Dear All:
A former SGI member writes:
Upaya, skilfulness takes different forms depending on a person's role. It is the
role of a founder to organize a new group, learn insights which will benefit the
present age, teach disciples, and usually to die heroically. If the founder is
lucky he or she will have disciples who will carry on their work. However,
usually the pious disciples will follow the following role:
It is the role of disciples to make that founder into a deity, corrupt the
religion, teach that only the founder was enlightened, and that only they
understand what the founder was teaching so disciples better listen to them and
not the founder. They then edit the founders words so that nobody can tell the
difference, usually throwing lightening rods at rival groups in the process.
That way they can enjoy the temporal benefits of what the founder started and
feel the pride of being someone important.
Old stuff. Cultures are different so religions are different. However
spirituality is the same, so the real deal is the same world-wide. Counterfeits
are a different story.
Nichijew
A former SGI member writes:
Upaya, skilfulness takes different forms depending on a person's role. It is the
role of a founder to organize a new group, learn insights which will benefit the
present age, teach disciples, and usually to die heroically. If the founder is
lucky he or she will have disciples who will carry on their work. However,
usually the pious disciples will follow the following role:
It is the role of disciples to make that founder into a deity, corrupt the
religion, teach that only the founder was enlightened, and that only they
understand what the founder was teaching so disciples better listen to them and
not the founder. They then edit the founders words so that nobody can tell the
difference, usually throwing lightening rods at rival groups in the process.
That way they can enjoy the temporal benefits of what the founder started and
feel the pride of being someone important.
Old stuff. Cultures are different so religions are different. However
spirituality is the same, so the real deal is the same world-wide. Counterfeits
are a different story.
Nichijew
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