If a person gives money to SGI for karma-for-cash, then they are looking for something to happen, and if it does, the mis-attribute it to SGI Karma-for-cash.
They are also encouraged and rewarded from SGI leaders for sharing those Stories, they get lots of attention for saying stuff like that about SGI.

Like if you need a new DVD player, and are visualizing getting one for free, and chanting for it, and it appears in your building from someone putting it in the hallway. A miracle of SGI chanting!
No, happens all the time.

Confirmation Bias.

The entire idea of Karma-for-cash is so crude and absurd, but its great for SGI.
People are as superstitious as hell, just watch them when they buy lottery tickets at the store.


Confirmation Bias

[www.sciencedaily.com]

[www.skepdic.com]

[en.wikipedia.org]

It seems to be an essential strategy of getting rich running a cultic sect.

You have to convince your members that giving you their money will make them rich, if they chant hard enough. And the more money they give you, the richer THEY get.
That way you appeal to their greed and wishful thinking.

If they don't get rich, then you just blame them for not chanting hard enough, and for not giving you enough money. Give until it hurts, right?
So give more money, and chant harder.

And as an example, you tell them, look at all the billions we at SGI have!

(of course, SGI got a chunk of their billions from telling people to give them their money, but don't think about that)

If people weren't losing so much, it could be a comedy skit on Saturday Night Live.
Hey, you want to be rich? Give me your money!
If it doesn't work, give me more of your money!
After all, look at me, look at all the money I have gotten for free. (from you).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/01/2011 03:28AM by The Anticult.

Wow a load of comments to read. My friend is involved in it and so is her mother. Her husband is going to be getting stationed in Japan in 2012 (Shes happy to be going home) but I am afraid for her if she does think for herself and tries to leave. I was told the Japan SGI owns a whole city and they have meetings everyday, also you HAVE to attend all the activities. This is what one of the other Japanese members told me. She even told me she misses it because SGI-USA is too lax.

Hi Jeenia,

Don't be too disheartened if your friend isn't interested in reading about all the culty aspects of SGI. Those who are really engaged in it have quite a distorted view of the organisation. As Anticult reminds us, SGI are masters at mind control and public relations. I know this because I can remember how I perceived things when people suggested I was in a cult (before I saw the reality of what SGI was, that is - and I was a member for 20 years!). I just didn't get it because I was so involved in the whole SGI-World view and felt sorry for those who weren't members and weren't chanting! Ugh, how sickening and embarrassing. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to learn the lesson of being very, very wary of any religious group.

Good for you getting out of SGI after only a year. However doesn't Falun Gong have quite a dodgy reputation?

For those of you with strong stomachs.

My district leader still sends me links to our UK SGI e-bulletin every fortnight. I clicked on it and wish I hadn't. But maybe you might enjoy trying to find if there is anything about Nichiren Buddhism in the bulletin. Here's the link.

It seems to be all about 'Sensei' (surprise) including this wonderful quote "“Youth of Europe: Towards 2030, let’s show indisputable victories as disciples of President Ikeda. Do you agree?” (enthusiastic applause)."

By the way, one of the leading articles is about Ick-eda getting yet another honorary doctorate. The University of Buckingham is the only university in the UK that does not receive state funding from the government. I should imagine in these credit crunch days that all donations are being very gratefully received at this particular University. But glancing through the article on page 4 of the bulletin it looks worse than that.

It looks like Ikeda is getting a foothold in English academia. I don't like this at all. It all looks like a a very cosy arrangement. Ick-eda has given the vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University "the Award of Highest Honour of Soka University" (so they swapped bogus academic honours) and the article goes on to say:

"After this there was a formal signing of a memorandum of understanding of the dual degree that will start next year when five students from Soka University will undertake four years of study – two at each institution – which will culminate with them gaining a degree from each institution."

I note that two of the members from the delegation of Buckingham University are Mrs Anne Matsuoka and Mr Kazuo Tobisawa. Hmmmmm.

I doubt that they would get away with this sort of thing in the State Funded University system that all other UK universities are a part of. But this will legitimise Ick-eda even more - well done SGI PR department.

It is all very Icky and Gakky.

I'm wondering if it is worth writing to Prof. Kealy (vice Chancellor of Buckingham University) to ask him if he has researched the true nature of SGI? But maybe he's an Ikedabot too.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/2011 01:22AM by simplify.

Quote
Jeenia
Wow a load of comments to read. My friend is involved in it and so is her mother. Her husband is going to be getting stationed in Japan in 2012 (Shes happy to be going home) but I am afraid for her if she does think for herself and tries to leave. I was told the Japan SGI owns a whole city and they have meetings everyday, also you HAVE to attend all the activities. This is what one of the other Japanese members told me. She even told me she misses it because SGI-USA is too lax.

Jeenia, whoa....in Japan you have to attend all the meetings? Yikes! But I can understand how that member from Japan feels SGI-USA is too relaxed. In Japan, it's a different story. They probably feel well-fortified with those daily meetings. Constant enlightenment!

@simplify...We certainly did feel like ours was the better way, no?

I wonder, do members really feel happiness, or are they chasing the promised carrot? Just saying, hold on, it'll be here annnyday now!

@The Anticult...great posts on karma-for-cash! My Christian friends tell me about tithing a lot. Like I said, they feel they get protection from their giving. They are totally confident about it.

SGI probably took a hard look at tithing and repackaged it as Zaimu/Monthly Sustainable Contributions!

5 foreign students x 2 years at a private university, that is quite a bit of cash right there.
Some non-resident students have to pay 40 grand a year, so that's half a million.

Be sure that SGI-ikeda is backing up this partnership with cash.
Just like a robber baron can buy a building for a university, they'll take it.

This is nothing for Soka U, they have over 1 billion invested.
5% interest a year, is 50 million bucks a year from that alone.

So a few million here and there is nothing for Soka U.

So Ikeda gets some propaganda points for marketing.
Buckingham University gets some cash.

Ikeda and other cult leaders know the reality, that money talks.

@Anticult

I wonder. Given the size of SGI's cash holdings and the returns it enjoys from the financial advantages they provide (i.e. interest, turnover of "community centers", etc.) is it reasonable to assume that there will come a day when collecting the money from the membership will simply represent gathering "chump change"?

I suppose that is the reason why they want to get people to donate through automatic deductions, and likely why they want to be sitting there at the members death-bed waiting with pen in hand for their final "ACK....." scrawl.

I'd be interested in seeing what the "official" membership numbers look like from over the past 10 years. I'm certain the US organization has been contracting significantly. SGI of course will either refuse to provide an actual number, or provide one that is inflated since they would want to continue the illusion that the organization is growing. If shrinking then you'd wonder if there is a point of diminishing returns (yes, I know the Japanese WD beats the bushes for free but those gals gotta be getting pretty old these days...)

Anyone want to comment on the growth aspect? Out here in the boondocks I haven't encountered even a single SGI person although I suppose there are some aging hippies hiding outsome where that can account for at least one or two.

Wakatta1



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/04/2011 05:54PM by wakatta1.

Quote
simplify
For those of you with strong stomachs.

My district leader still sends me links to our UK SGI e-bulletin every fortnight. I clicked on it and wish I hadn't. But maybe you might enjoy trying to find if there is anything about Nichiren Buddhism in the bulletin. Here's the link.

It seems to be all about 'Sensei' (surprise) including this wonderful quote "“Youth of Europe: Towards 2030, let’s show indisputable victories as disciples of President Ikeda. Do you agree?” (enthusiastic applause)."

By the way, one of the leading articles is about Ick-eda getting yet another honorary doctorate. The University of Buckingham is the only university in the UK that does not receive state funding from the government. I should imagine in these credit crunch days that all donations are being very gratefully received at this particular University. But glancing through the article on page 4 of the bulletin it looks worse than that.

It looks like Ikeda is getting a foothold in English academia. I don't like this at all. It all looks like a a very cosy arrangement. Ick-eda has given the vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University "the Award of Highest Honour of Soka University" (so they swapped bogus academic honours) and the article goes on to say:

"After this there was a formal signing of a memorandum of understanding of the dual degree that will start next year when five students from Soka University will undertake four years of study – two at each institution – which will culminate with them gaining a degree from each institution."

I note that two of the members from the delegation of Buckingham University are Mrs Anne Matsuoka and Mr Kazuo Tobisawa. Hmmmmm.

I doubt that they would get away with this sort of thing in the State Funded University system that all other UK universities are a part of. But this will legitimise Ick-eda even more - well done SGI PR department.

It is all very Icky and Gakky.

I'm wondering if it is worth writing to Prof. Kealy (vice Chancellor of Buckingham University) to ask him if he has researched the true nature of SGI? But maybe he's an Ikedabot too.

One hand washes the other. It seems that Buckingham, in their position, was a natural, vunerable target for the SGI. If one looks at allllllll the honorary doctorate stuff PI has received, it's been brought out here that so many of them are off-the-map universities in struggling countries, who certainly will not turn down a needed helping hand in return for the Doctorate du jour. So I guess this is why he's also known as..Dr. Daisaku Ikeda??

@Wakatta1...the membership seems to be holding steady, not explosive growth by any means. Long-timers are still there. Newbies for the most part come around for awhile. I can only speak for the area I'm at, so I don't know about the larger metropolises, i.e. L.A., New York, etc. That would be interesting to know.

SGI would never release the real membership numbers if they were going down. Never.
That's bad karma! You must think-chant positively against all the enemies of SGI! yadda yadda.

But SGI will continue to push for maximum donations and sales.
SGI does collect a lot of money. Even in the smaller SGI-UK, they are collecting millions a year.

The USA might be 20x bigger? The assets certainly are.
So SGI Karma-4-cash will live on no matter what.

Also, Ikeda would be PISSED at the recent investment losses, so guess who has to make up for that?
More donations.

And in any complex "money-washing" system, lots of clean money, has to be mixed in with the dubious money. So donations will always be sought.

SGI wants direct deposit for many reasons.
#1) it stops any local SGI from stealing the Rev Dr. Ikeda's money. (formerly your money). Yes, some SGI senior people have and will steal that cash-money.

#2) makes it harder to stop giving donations, and more automatic.
#3) save money in administration.

SGI is not in any way mysterious. Everything makes perfect sense, if you are Ikeda and his family. Its all designed to make people believe giving SGI their cash/labor will clear their bad karma. If course, it doesn't work, so that just means you need to give SGI more cash and harder labor. The system is rigged, like a casino, the House-SGI always wins.

SGI = Karma-4-cash.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2011 07:06AM by The Anticult.