It has come to my attention that I should be digging up information about the religion I’m part of. I’ve rejected organized religion ever since I can remember. I fought my parents when they signed me up for Sunday school; I was yelled at, hit, they were even ashamed of me. They didn’t want anyone to know, so in others’ eyes, I was enrolled in Sunday school. So you kind of get the idea of what I’m about.

Last summer, I went through, what is now known as my darkest period in time. I was suffering in a shitty relationship and adjusting to a brand new continuation school. My previous year in high school was a total failure. I couldn’t balance work and love-making, I was distracted by my now ex-girlfriend (Not to say it was her fault). I was in this deep pool of self hatred and depression, and I’m not going to lie, I was suicidal as well. I was in need of a way to cope with my mental status.

I've been with the SGI since September 2011, I received my Gohonzon in November. I joined SGI because I was in a really bad depressed stage. It was the first time I ever felt suicidal. I called doctors to schedule appointments but I was not 18 at the time. I've been an Atheist ever since I can remember but I guess I was in such a bad stage, I did what I never thought I would do. I decided to join a religion. I found out about Buddhism through my 9th grade history teacher; we had a project on religion. I was automatically attracted to Buddhism. One day I just couldn't handle it so I Googled "Buddhism". I found out there was a "Friendship Center" a couple blocks from my house, so I walked. As soon as I entered, I was hit with tons of smiles (To the point where it got creepy). I've never met people so nice, I wanted to be like that, so I spoke to a worker there. (Deep down I thought these people were crazy. How can someone be this happy?) When I told them my story, I kid you not, they thought I was some sort of reborn Buddhist. They rarely get random walk-ins by people, and especially not people this young. I was saddened when they told me about the chanting. I thought it was going to be like traditional Buddhism where you meditate and learn from monks. All the leaders look like uptight businessman. When they told me about chanting and how it is "GUARANTEED" to make you happy, I was instantly hooked. They took me into the chanting room and I quickly started chanting... I cried, I guess it was because I knew I was going to get saved from my depression. I seriously thought that destiny was what brought me to the SGI, and I thought that WAS the CORRECT religion. I was treated like a celebrity, people knew my name and they always complimented on my age. I felt like I belonged. A couple days after I shakubukued myself, I shakubukued my 15 year old brother. He was hooked too.

It's now April and I want out. Although I met some very nice, sane people. I mostly encountered "not-so-sane" people. I was scared. I didn't want to end up like that. So I took everything they told me, and didn't do it how they told me to do it. I was doing it my way. Some of them weren't so happy of me doing this. The entire time I was there, I kept a close eye on the behavior of people in high ranks. One time, there was a lecture by a leader named Greg Martin. After the lecture we were encouraged to ask questions. This middle aged man got up and suggested that instead of just chanting, we actually do something for world peace. He was INSTANTLY shut up and kicked out of the auditorium. I was appalled by the way these "Buddhist" behaved. They called him names and booed him! After the meeting was over I went looking for this guy to listen to what he had to say and tell him that the people were assholes. I couldn't find him. You guys will not believe this story: I would go to the friendship center every morning ( I was a local for a couple of months). Everyday I met someone new and one day I met this old man from Holland. He approached me with "You have the eyes of an actor". I was flattered that someone would say that. He told me he was a physcologist and that he would treat members for free. I saw this as my first real benefit because before I became a Buddhist, I wanted a doctor. We met every other day. He looked creepy. One time I asked him to evaluate me and he said okay. He asked me a series of questions that haunt me to this day. "What would you do if a male friend told you to have sex with him?", "What if he gave you 10,000 dollars?". I said no to both and then he said, " Okay, this means you're a man who sticks to his true nature". I didn't want to be rude and leave, so I stayed until I could come up with a GOOD reason to go home. This guy was a fucking CREEP! He invited my brother and I to the Getty Villa, we didn't want to be rude so we said yes. The worst mistake ever. The whole trip was a soft molestation of the mind. He calls me at least once a week, I deny his calls. He sometimes even calls me on a private number.

Enough about the creeps and jerks that I've met through the SGI. All the SGI cares about is chanting chanting chanting! I once was worried that I was getting a bit dependent on chanting and ALL the leaders said that there is no such thing as being dependent of chanting, instead I was "lucky" to feel like this because it would encourage more chanting. I hate the idea of worshiping someone and yes, the SGI worship Ikeda. I never liked the dude, I don't worship ANYBODY, yet alone someone I don't personally know. I became a Gajokai last month. I wanted the work experience and discipline. Knowing now about the amount of money the SGI makes, I'm pissed at the fact that I was cleaning up after crazy people without pay! Chanting seriously cannot be healthy, I just worry for the people would chant for hours on end and still have no job or home. Like, INSTEAD of chanting, why not go OUT and look for a job?! I'm fed up with the money and time I need to put in. I've met a couple of cool people, I know they're cool when I have them on Facebook and they have a life outside the SGI. I'm thankful for the help I got when I needed help. I'll tell you this, chanting did not cure me of my depression, it was the fact that I was interacting with people. I really want to believe that the SGI is a cult so I can contact my district leader and announce that I will be leaving.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2012 07:45PM by rrmoderator.

It is because of people like you and what they have done to the Sublime Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra that I will continue to fight them until my last dying breath. Thanks for your experience. Study the teachings as did Nichiren and fight the SGI with us.

Nichijew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/18/2012 10:18PM by Nichijew.

sirmrtony - I'm glad I read your entire post. What helps me from what you wrote, besides reading this anecdote of recent events, is reading: "I didn't want to be rude and leave. I stayed until I could find a GOOD reason to go home". Like my experience of feeling trapped in an auditorium and countless other incidents, there was basic social politeness besides the SGi's built in self-doubt reinforcers that would keep me from protecting my self from this drivel and control. Some more SGI cliches are "devilish functions" or more specifically and archaically "the devil of the sixth heaven", "low life condition", "having a karma attack", "organizational karma". At least five mindbending ideas that even if you disagree 90% with that dogma that leaves 5x 10% of each or 50% keeping you at least half-way hooked. (This funny math is no way "guidance", just a framework) .
Another cliche is having "seeking spirit" or "Suuuch SEEEEEking SPIIiiiiirit!" with a grin acting as a wall between your question and any answer. ANY answer.
While "devilish functions" or "Devil of the Sixth Heaven" may be a respectable bit of Nichiren study, it seems to me that SGI abuses it. As usual.

And MY finding a GOOD reason to go home...?...something so blatantly criminal, cultish, outlandish, just not right for me and my development, unjust, undemocratic...I don't know WHAT I was waiting for. Certainly not a kosen-rufu wife. (Some of my fellow young men's division said they would be afraid to have a strong practicing girlfriend - LOL! more SGi in-joking). Maybe I stayed to see how far they could take it or hope that I would somehow find something profound in their tactics.

@sirmrtony - I'm sorry you had this bad experience. I think the SGI has to very careful in approaching young people esp. those under the age of 18. I've seen the love bomb many times. With any religous group you're always going to have the "creeps" and I would hope that there would be some policing of that but you can't control everything when the meetings are in private homes. Just as a side note, some of my best friends are SGI and the others I leave behind. The RTE is what scares me and it's business as usual when anybody and everybody is told to participate for the big event just to have numbers up.

I also experienced first hand the trickle down effect of higher up leaders being abusive to members and then the local leaders would use the same behavour. The chanting of daimuko is good, just don't become obbsesive about it. Remember when NSA/SGI would always talk about the "middle road", what happened to that. I see too much extreme.

Re Young young division. Another straw, thanks for the memory! I recall the day I recived the WT or LB with the children all pumping their fists in the air! The hair stood up on the back of my neck. That was the day I started to back out......very very creepy, wrong & whatcan I say? I forgot about that.

Next time I feel bad for "letting members down" I will just remember that & know I made the right decision.

Jlynneda

Can anyone tell me why the page after 383 won't come up? I've tried loggin out then in & can't pull it up to read the posts! Tks

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sirmrtony
Please read this, I know it's long, sorry. Wow, am I glad I found this forum. I've been with the SGI since September 2011, I received my Gohonzon in November. I joined SGI because I was in a really bad depressed stage. It was the first time I ever felt suicidal. I called doctors to schedule appointments but I was not 18 at the time. I've been an Atheist ever since I can remember but I guess I was in such a bad stage, I did what I never thought I would do. I decided to join a religion. I found out about Buddhism through my 9th grade history teacher; we had a project on religion. I was automatically attracted to Buddhism. One day I just couldn't handle it so I Googled "Buddhism". I found out there was a "Friendship Center" a couple blocks from my house, so I walked. As soon as I entered, I was hit with tons of smiles (To the point where it got creepy). I've never met people so nice, I wanted to be like that, so I spoke to a worker there. (Deep down I thought these people were crazy. How can someone be this happy?) When I told them my story, I kid you not, they thought I was some sort of reborn Buddhist. They rarely get random walk-ins by people, and specially not people this young. I was saddened when they told me about the chanting. I thought it was going to be like traditional Buddhism where you meditate and learn from monks. All the leaders look like uptight businessmen. When they told me about chanting and how it is "GUARANTEED" to make you happy, I was instantly hooked. They took me into the chanting room and I quickly started chanting... I cried, I guess it was because I knew I was going to get saved from my depression. I seriously thought that destiny was what brought me to the SGI, and I though that WAS the CORRECT religion. I was treated like a celebrity, people knew my name and they always complimented on my age. I felt like I belonged. A couple days after I shakabukued myself, I shakabukued my 15 year old brother. He was hooked too. It's now April and I want out. Although I met some very nice, sane people. I mostly encountered "not-so-sane" people. I was scared. I didn't want to end up like that. So I took everything they told me, and didn't do it how they told me to do it. I was doing it my way. Some of them weren't so happy of me doing this. The entire time I was there, I kept a close eye on the behavior of people in high ranks. One time, there was a lecture by a leader named Greg Martin. After the lecture we were encouraged to ask questions. This middle aged man got up and suggested that instead of just chanting, we actually do something for world peace. He was INSTANTLY shut up and kicked out of the auditorium. I was appalled by the way these "Buddhist" behaved. They called him names and booed him! After the meeting was over I went looking for this guy to listen to what he had to say and tell him that the people were assholes. I couldn't find him. You guys will not believe this story: I would go to the friendship center every morning ( I was a local for a couple of months). Everyday I met someone new and one day I met this old man from Dutch. He approached me with "You have the eyes of an actor". I was flattered that someone would say that. He told me he was a physcologist and that he would treat members for free. I saw this as my first real benefit because before I became a Buddhist, I wanted a doctor. We met every other day. He looked creepy. One time I asked him to evaluate me and he said okay. He asked me a series of questions that haunt me to this day. "What would you do if a male friend told you to have sex with him?", "What if he gave you 10,000 dollars?". I said no to both and then he said, " Okay, this means you're a man who sticks to his true nature". I didn't want to be rude and leave, so I stayed until I could come up with a GOOD reason to go home. This guy was a fucking CREEP! He invited my brother and I to the Getty Villa, we didn't want to be rude so we said yes. The worst mistake ever. The whole trip was a soft molestation of the mind. He calls me at least once a week, I deny his calls. He sometimes even calls me on a private number. Enough about the creeps and jerks that I've met through the SGI. All the SGI cares about is chanting chanting chanting! I once was worried that I was getting a bit dependent on chanting and ALL the leaders said that there is no such thing and being dependent of chanting, instead I was "lucky" to feel like this because it would encourage more chanting. I hate the idea of worshiping someone and yes, the SGI worship Ikeda. I never liked the dude, I don't worship ANYBODY, let alone someone I don't personally know. I became a Gajokai last month. I wanted the work experience and discipline. Knowing now about the amount of money the SGI makes, I'm pissed at the fact that I was cleaning up after crazy people without pay! Chanting seriously cannot be healthy, I just worry for the people would chant for hours on end and still have no job or home. Like, INSTEAD of chanting, why not go OUT and look for a job?! I'm fed up with the money and time I need to put in. I've met a couple of cool people, I know they're cool when I have them on Facebook and they have a life outside the SGI. I'm thankful for the help I got when I needed help. I'll tell you this, chanting did not cure me of my depression, it was the fact that I was interacting with people. I really want to believe that the SGI is a cult so I can contact my district leader and announce that I will be leaving. So I'll be reading closely to this forum. Please reply to this.

Tony....just reading your experience so far is telling me that your gut is screaming VERY loudly. We are given an instinct to sense when something's not right for a reason. As you stated, you were in a very vunerable state when you encountered SGI. I was curious, too, about the "psychologist"....he is a member?? Obviously, no Human Revolution being done there. He's free and able to practice his seduction techniques. Who calls him out?

No. Instead, they boot a gentleman who was only speaking his mind after being encouraged "to ask questions" out the door---and booing, no less.

Tony, SGI may not seem cult-like on the surface, as it is not obvious like cults the West has been made aware of. But you've already seen, there is no free speech. They want free labor. And, of course, there is the the issue of The Mentor.

You are free to make your own mind up and decide what you want for your life. SGI should NOT do that for you.

"SirMrTony", you've just described the same ol' creepy cult that I remember and encountered, ESPECIALLY down in the L.A. area.

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sirmrtony
It has come to my attention that I should be digging up information about the religion I’m part of. I’ve rejected organized religion ever since I can remember. I fought my parents when they signed me up for Sunday school; I was yelled at, hit, they were even ashamed of me. They didn’t want anyone to know, so in others’ eyes, I was enrolled in Sunday school. So you kind of get the idea of what I’m about.

Well, now you are "officially" a member of an organized pseudo-religious cult. I was "signed up" as a kid and actually grew up in it.

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sirmrtony
One day I just couldn't handle it so I Googled "Buddhism". I found out there was a "Friendship Center" a couple blocks from my house, so I walked. As soon as I entered, I was hit with tons of smiles (To the point where it got creepy). I've never met people so nice, I wanted to be like that, so I spoke to a worker there. (Deep down I thought these people were crazy. How can someone be this happy?)

WELCOME (!) to "Disney-Cult-Land: The Magical Chanting Kingdom!" where everything is fake and not as it appears. Fantasy fun for the entire family, but this is like a nightmare park that never ends, never goes away, becomes your daily life for as long as you remain a practicing "member" and wants you, your entire family and your future kids to join in, too.

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sirmrtony
When I told them my story, I kid you not, they thought I was some sort of reborn Buddhist. They rarely get random walk-ins by people, and especially not people this young. I was saddened when they told me about the chanting. I thought it was going to be like traditional Buddhism where you meditate and learn from monks. All the leaders look like uptight businessman. When they told me about chanting and how it is "GUARANTEED" to make you happy, I was instantly hooked. They took me into the chanting room and I quickly started chanting... I cried, I guess it was because I knew I was going to get saved from my depression. I seriously thought that destiny was what brought me to the SGI, and I thought that WAS the CORRECT religion. I was treated like a celebrity, people knew my name and they always complimented on my age. I felt like I belonged. A couple days after I shakubukued myself, I shakubukued my 15 year old brother. He was hooked too.

Acting like a sincere believer from the get-go is always a sure fire way to get them to instantly start gushing about you and fawning over you from the outset. Have seen it many times, it won't last and it is only a matter of time before the manipulation sets in (if it hasn't already). If you keep shakubuku'ing people, you'll quickly become a walking legendary member figure yourself.

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sirmrtony
It's now April and I want out. Although I met some very nice, sane people. I mostly encountered "not-so-sane" people. I was scared. I didn't want to end up like that.

Exact same experience on my end. The L.A. area seems to be especially so. The weirdos are everywhere in the organization, though (U.S.A nationwide and also in Japan).

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sirmrtony
So I took everything they told me, and didn't do it how they told me to do it. I was doing it my way. Some of them weren't so happy of me doing this. The entire time I was there, I kept a close eye on the behavior of people in high ranks. One time, there was a lecture by a leader named Greg Martin. After the lecture we were encouraged to ask questions. This middle aged man got up and suggested that instead of just chanting, we actually do something for world peace. He was INSTANTLY shut up and kicked out of the auditorium. I was appalled by the way these "Buddhist" behaved. They called him names and booed him! After the meeting was over I went looking for this guy to listen to what he had to say and tell him that the people were assholes. I couldn't find him.

On a humorous note, I wish I had learned this easy method to get shown the door early on. I would have willingly used it to get myself ejected, pronto.

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sirmrtony
You guys will not believe this story: I would go to the friendship center every morning ( I was a local for a couple of months). Everyday I met someone new and one day I met this old man from Holland. He approached me with "You have the eyes of an actor".

This guy is definitely a predator and you must avoid at all costs. He should also be reported to the police.

This kind of stuff doesn't surprise me. I've seen my share of shady members and always knew instinctively to avoid. This is especially true if you are a young adult (~ early 20's, etc.), idealistic and naive.

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sirmrtony
I really want to believe that the SGI is a cult so I can contact my district leader and announce that I will be leaving.

Contacting your "leader" is definitely NOT the way to go. If you really want out, just leave, sever the ties and fade away. Take your brother with you and protect him from the same.

SirMrTony, whether you believe it or not, you and your brother are in a cult and need to get out.

***********

PS - A "chanting room"???? The image that that now conjures up in my mind, just leaves me shaking my head.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/19/2012 07:18AM by Hitch.

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rattyboy
sirmrtony - I'm glad I read your entire post. What helps me from what you wrote, besides reading this anecdote of recent events, is reading: "I didn't want to be rude and leave. I stayed until I could find a GOOD reason to go home". Like my experience of feeling trapped in an auditorium and countless other incidents, there was basic social politeness besides the SGi's built in self-doubt reinforcers that would keep me from protecting my self from this drivel and control.

Regarding the bolded above, I found that one has to ditch this way of thinking in order to get rid of these people quickly and efficiently, for them to receive the message clearly. Common social courtesies should never be applied to gakkai members when they are manipulating you and they will NEVER give you the same "courtesies" in return, if you try to do so. Therefore, I simply stopped doing it. In my experience, they are very quick to reveal their claws and show their fangs.