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Nichijew
I don't know if I read this experience here or somewhere else but it is instructive about the reality of the Soka Gakkai practice and resulting effect. I titled this experience,


Able Enough To Do a Zillion SGI Activities But Not Able Enough To Work

"My mother is a member and put our whole family in hell! They have meetings every single week and tell you that you are to spread happiness from the family, out to the community, and then to the world, for creating world peace. YES! That is a wonderful idea! The thing is, my mother is like a freak! She is soo 2 faced! On the outside, at the meetings, she is a leader, and acts like an angel who is trying to help people. At home, she is not!!! She is the devil!!! Because she is a leader, she is always away at meetings, never cooks , cleans, she just sits there in front of the butsudan (alter) chanting, thinking that is helping our family! I used to chant, but then, they gave me a leader position, and when I said, I have to work and dont have the time for being a leader, my mom yelled and said i was the reason our family is bad. get that!!! Its my fault for wanting to stay home with my kids, when i have a day off from work! By the way i have 2 kids and a good husband. The only reason we moved in was because we had to help with my dads illness, and housebills. But my dad died a couple of years ago and we are stuck with her. She doesn't work and says she is handicapped (full of bs is what she is) And when i got fed up with her spending OUR money, I told her to go out and get a JOB! she waited til my husband got home and started crying to him saying I dont respect her, the old mother who is crippled and cant work If she is energetic enough to do all that crap that the soka gakkai is doing, she surely has an ability to get a paying job!!!! We ( me and my husband ) are paying for mortgage, gas , electric phone, everything! (food and even her car!) She bought a brand new car and I am paying 350 dollars a month on just that! She told everyone its a benefit from the gohonzon.. (buddha) REDICULOUS! Her benefit is not my benefit! It is a money debt! Then they say joining this religion doesnt cost money!!! WELL! let me tell you! It cost very much! You have to buy all the publications, dvds, magazines, newspapers, and if you dont, you are not making a good cause for the soka gakkai. so you will slip back into the hell state of life ( which i am already in because of this stupid cult) then!!! at the end of each year, you have to make a contribution called zaimu! FIrst year members dont have to, coz they dont want to scare you off, but after that, watch out! the lowest money you can give is 1man yen, which is about a hundred dollars. and if you want to give more, it cant be 1man 5000yen, ( you can only give in ten thousand yen, twenty thousand or thirty thousand yen etc... My mom gives over 10 thousand dollars a year!!!! (she calls that a benefit to give, even though she is very much in debt. they say the more she gives money, the faster her debt will be resolved! HOW STUPID CAN YOU GET>???? Now! You members out there, try to convince me that this is NOT a cult!!!! And oh! The leader positions are given to you are supposed to be a big honor. Well, what it is is, they get you to do all the work and THEY collect the money. Of course its brainwashing! If they make you feel like you are sooo important, and you are saving the world, a lot of people will be sucked in!!! DONT believe this!!! All my friends are the same, and are suffering at home and have to smile and act like everything is bright and dandy in front of everyone. It is all a lie!!!!!!! AND! My mom is not crippled at all. She is a manipulator!"

Nichijew

The bolded comments above are all right on the money (pun intended). I've seen quite a few gakkai families like the one being described above. A deluded family member (or members) devoting their entire life to the practice in terms of time and $$$$$$, with very little to show for it all after a lifetime of practice. It's usually a facade: outward appearances of fortune and family harmony, but the reality is the exact opposite. "Leadership" positions are you just working your butt off, free slave labor, for the "benefit" of the cult. The longer you practice and the longer you hold onto your position, the more you are expected to give (or at least keep giving as much as you can, $$$$$ wise). Zaimu ($$$ donation campaigns) seemed to come around and be HEAVILY promoted every several months back in my time. On top of that, you are also expected to take all the subscriptions and occasionally support special DVD releases, books, etc., etc., etc.. In Japan, you are additionally expected to also be a citizen foot soldier for Komeito election promotion, supporting public awareness about all the Komeito has done/accomplished and their goals between elections (handing out pamphlets on the street, going door to door), and getting out the vote during critical election times (telephone calls), etc.. The membership is used solely for the benefit of those at the top, but they have their own spin to deny this (you're creating fortune for yourself, the Komeito's programs benefit you, society, you family, future generations, & on & on). The gakkai is the body, the Komeito is the right arm and the members are the left arm. Anyone who tries to say otherwise, is lying thru their teeth.

Isn't it ironic that some members (as evidenced in the above story shared by Nichijew) have mastered the manipulation, just as they themselves have been manipulated their entire lives by the organization/cult. That's some pretty odd fortune being accumulated there, isn't it.

And the brainwashing continues [www.youtube.com]. Danny Nagashima's speech starts at around the 2:00 min. mark. What drivel. Are people really impressed by this crap? I have another general question: are they going to ever get a general director that can speak English properly? That accent and grammar, drive me up a wall. I really feel sorry for those kids, too (and not just because they got to listen to Nagashima's voice and nonsense). This abuse (ignorant indoctrination) of youth should be illegal.

The lady described in "Able Enough To Do a Zillion SGI Activities But Not Able Enough To Work" -- she has been turned into a robot by SG and has no income of her own. So with a feeling of mission, she drains money and freedom from the rest of her family.

To help her give up the 'rush' the excitement of being on a mission would require the utmost care. She'd probably have to face awful guilt for the pressure endured by her other family members.

And she'd have to face, without the SG high, all kinds of feelings she could ignore, such as mortality, time lost with her family, the loss of old friends. All the emotions she chanted away would be facing her and that would be brutal. Facing that she was used to enrich a selfish inner circle would be brutal.

But what the family is going through is brutal too.

From the description, even a non SG person or non SG family is indirectly supporting this cult, if the rest of a family has to work (and do eldercare) so as to free up the chanting, donating SG member.

Families in that predicament, even if not SG believers, become collateral casualties.

In a way, this sounds very much like a process addiction, such as gambling. But when it is sanctioned as a world saving religious mission and a sense of belonging that is similar to that enjoyed by soldiers in an elite regiment--thats hard to get through.

All this gives support for the SG addiction that gamblers and drugs addicts in most societies do not have. (A drug counselor who ran a recovery house said part of his job was to review movies and music and not allow the patients to view anything that glamorised drugs or addiction or the outlaw lifestyle. It would screw up their recovery.)

To carry the addiction analogy yet further, in the old days, and perhaps still, they'd say of an addict looking to score, "He/She is on a mission."

Turn addiction into a religion/feudal clan, as it seems with SG and its an even tougher nut to crack.

"Whoremongers and money grubbers rarely feel proud of their activities. But only the most insightful practitioners have understood the dangers of ego centrism when indulged at one remove, indulged in service to a nation, to a sect, to a dictator." (paraphrased)

Aldous Huxley, Grey Eminence: A Study in Religion and Politics.

Corboy, your post reminded me of the fact that when not all family members practice, they (other gakkai members) make a point of coming around to say thank you and express their appreciation for the family's "cooperation" & "understanding." They are also instructed (from higher leaders) to do this and make an extra effort in such cases. They use it as an opportunity to introduce themselves to you, become an "acquaintance" and then, every time they see you, turn it into a mini-shakubuku chance. If they don't ever happen to just "run into" you, not to worry, then they just might home visit you to express their "gratitude" in person. When it comes to the gakkai, nothing (and I mean nothing) is random or coincidental; it's all highly orchestrated and polished, right down to the finest detail.

All I have to say is.....Wow. These last posts have summed so much up. It is like an addiction! And when you are in the throws of addiction, all affairs, painful and not, are thrown to the curb. So family karma stays...family karma. Complicated personal issues tend not to get tended to. You are in a whirlwind which seems so fantastic and full of promise---the better life, and an even better next life.

You can chant until the cows come home, but if you can't address the things that are really hurting your inner life, and/or the lives around you, then it's all for naught. Nichiren said "unless you can perceive the nature of your life.."well, he was talking about Buddhahood, I surmise, but the same goes for life outside Buddhahood.

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Hitch

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Shavoy
Hitch, you are right on again with your explanation of the leader's behavior with ScoobyDooby. The whole purpose of shakabuku is to help others become happy/change poison into medicine/double and triple the shakabuku-ers' fortune and benefits. That's what we were told, right?

Double and triple the benefits....that's a huge dangling carrot right there. Because leaders are on the hamster wheel to chase that fortune-- those pesky obstacles, i.e. people who just aren't buying it, can definitely cause cases of the crankies. Which, of course, derails their efforts even more. If someone does not buy into SGI, being treated as if they are poor and deluded ain't gonna make a change of heart.

You're right, too Shavoy. I had completely forgotten about the "double and triple the benefits" spiel. Heard that stuff all the time, too!

For some of the supposedly enlightened bodhisattvas of the earth, with sensei engraved in their hearts, they sure can metamorphosize into some cruel cold-blooded individuals if you are ever against them. I've seen it firsthand.

Hitch, it just seems like the destination for said leaders is inevitable....this whole thing breeds superiority, "We've got something better than you've got..la-la-la", the pressures to show actual proof, to protect Sensei no matter what, to achieve those goals....most of all, now, it is Protect Sensei with Your Lives...Protect SGI with your Lives...no wonder the nasty leaks out!

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Shavoy
You can chant until the cows come home, but if you can't address the things that are really hurting your inner life, and/or the lives around you, then it's all for naught.

I've actually had this discussion with members. Their response: "Well, then if I can't change my karma in this life, then I will at least cut it and lessen it for the next." There is always a philosophical "exit" door for them to conveniently open and use for dodging when confronted.

*******

With regard to the addictive properties: I think once you reach a certain point and have invested the majority of your life (40, 50, 60 years) to a false belief system, the vested interests in terms of emotions, time, finances, family relationships, friendships, all the way to the very core of how one's lives and views their life (personal identity), can literally permanently seal your mortal and psychological bond with the cult/belief system. It takes enormous courage to even be able to admit that you have been wrong/fooled. You'd also have to find an entirely new way to restructure your world view in order to continue living.

That's not to say that it can't be done, but I think it becomes increasingly more difficult the longer you have been under the spell. The longer you have lived with that belief system, the deeper and more complex your spiritual addiction. It may even be impossible for some to admit that they have been taken in, so deeply, for so long. These individuals are not only incapable of going "cold turkey", but it may even be acutely harmful to them. Can they be weaned off? In some cases, maybe not; it may be just something that has to slowly die out with successive generations. The cult's simple solution to this, however, is to focus on and heavily cultivate the youth (see clip posted above as a case in point). For every ONE person that it doesn't work with (like me), how many others DOES it actually convert and successfully ensnare? In a way, it IS an addictive numbers game. The sad thing about it is, these are people's actual lives, though.

One reason I post here is to add to the chorus about the dangers of this toxic, harmful and manipulative cult. People need to educate themselves, beware and stay far away from this pseudo-buddhist cult.

I have to say that the longer I am away from it the more I realise how distorted my thinking was when I was in the organisation.

Hitch - it's true what you say, if one has invested so much of their life in this belief system it is so difficult to admit that they were wrong. I think I was lucky in that I got to a stage where I could clearly see that my practice was having absolutely no positive effect on my life and that I could only gain by taking a step back from it. But in order to do that I needed to be in a situation where I wasn't being constantly influenced by other members and leaders (who would have told me not to listen to my doubts but to chant about it and do extra activities or take on a new responsibility).

Since then I have more time for family, friends and career. I can use my critical thinking in working out what are the best steps for me to take. Like other people on this forum I have developed great skills of b***s**t detection, which I'm sure stems from these earlier bad experiences of trying to 'open my heart' to all the crazy thinking.

My mind feels so much freer than when I was a leader, I can be myself and say what I think to people without filtering it first thinking 'is this right for kosen-rufu?'

I still care about and respect people, and I am still trying to develop my life but I don't have the same sense of utter desperation about it all - the feeling that I was one of Sensei's disciples and I must save all these unhappy people from their karma and show proof with my life was exhausting. It also set me up for feeling like an utter failure when my life inevitably didn't show these miraculous changes that I had been chanting for. Then it was back on the treadmill for even more chanting, meetings, activities etc.

I realise now (and probably did then, deep down) that a lot of the people who I was worrying about and chanting for when I was a leader either because they didn't practice or didn't have the 'master/disciple' spirit were a lot happier and more grounded than I was at the time. I feel embarrassed that I had the attitude that 'I knew better' than those people but I do realise that it was drummed into me somewhat.

But I think it would be difficult to 'wean' somebody else off the practice as there is so much peer pressure and fear of stopping. I know when certain people did try to persuade me that I should do less in the organisation (friends, family etc) I would just see them as 'the devil of the 6th heaven' and dig my heels in and commit myself to even more. If someone had pointed me to this website when I had felt like that I would have seen it as the ultimate manifestation of 'fundamental darkness' ;)

That's why I am relieved that I came to my senses and made the decision for myself to break away (although the journey getting there was rather painful).

I just wanted to ask people, how do you handle seeing friends or other SGI members, etc who are still practicing? Do you try to keep off the subject or do you welcome a discussion about it all to put your side across?

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Shavoy
All I have to say is.....Wow. These last posts have summed so much up. It is like an addiction! And when you are in the throws of addiction, all affairs, painful and not, are thrown to the curb. So family karma stays...family karma. Complicated personal issues tend not to get tended to. You are in a whirlwind which seems so fantastic and full of promise---the better life, and an even better next life.

You can chant until the cows come home, but if you can't address the things that are really hurting your inner life, and/or the lives around you, then it's all for naught. Nichiren said "unless you can perceive the nature of your life.."well, he was talking about Buddhahood, I surmise, but the same goes for life outside Buddhahood.

I hadn't thought of the SGI in terms of being addictive but it makes sense. And, for me at least, there was an element of fear. There was a time that I absolutely KNEW that the health issues I was struggling with would get worse if I ever stopped chanting. However crappy my life was, it would be one thousand times worse if I wasn't chanting. With that kind of fear hanging over me I put up with all sorts of ridiculousness from the SGI.

The video Hitch posted brought back a lot of memories. I remember having to plaster on a smile and feign enthusiasm to "encourage" others. I met Danny Nagishima about 8 or 9 years ago. He is looking much older. I'm sure constantly "encouraging" others to be "victorious in overcoming obstacles" takes a toll on his health.

I know it's wrong, but, while I was watching the video, I couldn't help but imagine an SGI drinking game: Watch an SGI video and every time someone says "mentor and disciple" or "President Ikeda" take a drink. We'd be completely hammered in about 2 minutes I think!

Hitch wrote:

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The cult's simple solution to this, however, is to focus on and heavily cultivate the youth (see clip posted above as a case in point). For every ONE person that it doesn't work with (like me), how many others DOES it actually convert and successfully ensnare? In a way, it IS an addictive numbers game. The sad thing about it is, these are people's actual lives, though

.

Persons who have served in the military will tell you that 18 to 22 year olds are the ideal recruits - young enough to feel immortal, full of energy craving outlet, craving mentorship.

Young men in that age bracket, especially. Older soldiers are great, too. But they are more cautious. They have a perspective that the young bucks just do not have.

Society imposes endless restraint on boys and young men. Cool it. Dont fight. Dont get dirty. Be nice. You're too noisy, you're too loud, don't stomp so hard, dont yell, sit still, etc, etc.

Boys and more girls than one realizes, want to LET IT OUT.

Kick ass. Rave.

Fight.

An honorable outlet where you can let that yang energy surge is sweet indeed.

Karl Marlentes has a great little volume entitled What it is Like to Go to War.

He remembers himself when in combat in Vietnam and how intoxicated he felt at his ability as squad leader, to call in staggering amounts of firepower, the rush of it all.

He has met other veterans who admit they still feel that surge, decades later.

Another resource on the intoxication of crowds:

Bob Buford's book, Among the Thugs (he participant observed British football mobs and ran with them during street battles), Buford admits, with humility, that he found the violence to be enjoyable - a crowd drug.

And unlike Marlantes, Buford was in his early thirties. If you want a description of how addictive crowd/mob energy is, and how it develops a rhythm and carries you away into some state beyong conscious personality, Buford may give insights into why those SG rallies are so addictive.

He witnessed and did horrible things. His buddies terrorized entire Italian cities. He watched and described the process of how a mob forms, rouses itself, builds and crests its adrenaline into a surge.

Many of the rioters were family men, had good jobs, such as with British Telecom or worked in very skilled, well paying trades.

Their commitment to football, tickets, drinking (oceans of beer) and travel was very expensive.

And here is the thing: there were Jekyll-Hyde personalities.

Some of these men were sweet and wonderful to their wives, children and turned turned into eye gouging, bone crushing monsters while 'going off'.

One man Buford met seemed a quite nice man. He got barbarously drunk went into riot mode, did something hideous to a British police officer.

Then, this same man went home, paternal as could be, took his missus to dinner at a restaurant. She could not understand what was going on when the place was surrounded
by riot police and her husband arrested.

He wasnt a monster to her. But hours before, that same night. he had bitten into and eaten the eye out of a living police man's face..

Without telling her.

He became different in a crowd that had practiced routine intoxication through rioting.

The SG probably use crowd ecstacy in more disciplined channels, but its probably just as addictive in its way.

And if someone has spent his or her entire life in it, its hard to get away.

Probably all a family can do is protect itself and its financial assets from being tapped into by the one member who has become an SG robot.

If a family limits the amount of money an SG can get from them, at least the SG person will gain less prestige because they wont have as much money to contribute, due to their family setting limits.

But the only way to do this is to have a full on family meeting with everyone present so that all agree at the same time as to what to do.