From eddiv.homestead.com (SGI Culture Department website)

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SGI-USA Culture Department
The SGI-USA Culture Department was established on February 17, 1990 by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the president of the Soka Gakkai International. The Culture Department is composed of SGI-USA members who work in the fields of education, the healing arts, and law. To support these members the Culture Department has four divisions: Education (pre K-12 education), Academic (college, university, and adult education), Healing Arts, and Legal.

The purpose of the SGI-USA Culture Department is to foster a steady stream of promising capable people of faith and intellect who can contribute to the development of a new hope-filled era in America.

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I'd forgotten about these groups. Starting in the 1990's, SGI members working in the fields of law, medicine and education were encouraged to meet regularly to discuss how to apply the principles of Buddhism (actually President Ikeda's ideas) to their work. Apparently, they were thinking about how to apply the above-mentioned paradigm of humanitarian competition to education, medicine and law.

And isn't it interesting that Long Beach School District, Ingenium Schools and Good Samaritan Hospital are included in the conference at Soka University? All they needed was a law firm!

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the founder and first president of SGi, and Josei Toda, the second SGI president, were both principals and teachers who wanted to create a more humanitarian education system in Japan...Ikeda is returning to his roots. And please note, it's DR Ikeda to you!

Sure, Ikeda wants power and wealth, but that is not all. He literally wants to change how the world thinks. He wants us all to see the world...not even in terms of Buddhism, but through the lens of his (and Makiguchi's) blend of socialism and capitalism.

If the allegations prove to be true, that SGI may already be in the education business in the U.S. (besides Soka University) by holding shares in existing companies, it would be a full blown scandal.

I admit though that its up to you guys to judge that – I can only relate to this from a European perspective.

The more I learn about SGI, its sources of income, its dubious political ambitions and the systematic efforts to keep its membership uninformed the more appalled and disgusted I am. Labelling itself a humanistic organisation is such impudence, but it does need a very close look to highlight those issues.

In many ways SGI does come across as “Buddhist” answer to Scientology – were we not all told to take part in those courses to polish our karma, and they were not cheap. Interestingly enough I read an article in a newspaper, that there most be a sort of exodus of top level Scientology leaders leaving the organisation.

Even if it may just be a coincidence in terms of the time line the same sort of thing seems to happen in SGI now. It’s the long-time members that are leaving SGI and I know that there are a great number of active members who do share their doubts on some of SGI’s activities and adoration for Ikeda.

On the other hand I can relate to those who willingly close their eyes as to some SGI is their life their home and without it they would be like a fish without water.

Do you remember those slogans along the line to bring about capable people for the 21st century and towards a victorious whatever … Is it not truly sad to see how an organisation can make its members so dependant. It may be cruel to say that but the tactics work – if you have nothing else to show for in your life one becomes part of a “family” which is “superior” to everybody else. So it is not about working on your personality and outlook on life but your personality is filtered through the Gakkai perspective so that the individual becomes inseparable from the organisation – after all “its for such a noble cause” (Please note the irony).

And what’s the reason for all that? An eccentric old man in Japan who believes he is the best that ever happened to the world since sliced bread.

I really do hope that parts of the media would pick up on those issues in a serious way and by thorough investigation. SGI was always quite successful to ridicule its critics so an investigation would have to be water proof.

Good grief this all has nothing to do with Buddhism anymore – if it ever had that is.

By the time I left SGI I learned a lot more on Buddhism than in my active times in this organisation.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/28/2009 11:17PM by Rothaus.

Quote
Rothaus
If the allegations prove to be true, that SGI may already be in the education business in the U.S. (besides Soka University) by holding shares in existing companies, it would be a full blown scandal.

Is it not truly sad to see how an organisation can make its members so dependant. It may be cruel to say that but the tactics work – if you have nothing else to show for in your life one becomes part of a “family” which is “superior” to everybody else. So it is not about working on your personality and outlook on life but your personality is filtered through the Gakkai perspective so that the individual becomes inseparable from the organisation – after all “its for such a noble cause” (Please note the irony).

Good grief this all has nothing to do with Buddhism anymore – if it ever had that is.

Rothaus, I don't know how much of a scandal it would be -- SGI funding charter schools. They can't overtly push religion, or Ikeda's philosophies, but if they use discretion and common sense, they should be able to avoid trouble. I know many Americans who would like to see the states give vouchers to parents, so that parents could send their children to a church school and have it subsidized by tax funds. So why would people necessarily care if a Buddhist group contributes money to a charter school? You and I don't like the idea because we know SGI, but there are a lot of SGI members who would love to send their kids to an SGI school -- and there are also other parents who really wouldn't care, so long as the test scores are good, the teachers are nice, and the child's happy there.

If inappropriate things are going on at the school, they won't be able to hide it for long. That principal in New York got busted for over-the-top behavior and poor leadership...you just don't spend hours in your office, chanting for bad things to happen to people you dislike...in any field or profession. Not when you've got work to do.

I used to think that the SGI was about Buddhism...my thoughts have changed since I first posted in this thread. Now, I think that Ikeda's real mission in life is to be a philosopher-king, spreading his so-called capitalist-socialist-humanitarian ideas worldwide. Buddhism...or rather, his interpretation of it, perhaps always was the means to that end.

"Your personality gets filtered through the Gakkai..." that sounds a lot like what Lisa Jones wrote in her "Sokacult" entry, on page 37 of this thread. Anticult once said that we should make a list of SGI's tricks, how they manipulate members to their viewpoint; I think Jones's list is excellent.

what ever happend to Lisa Jones ... can she be contacted?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/29/2009 03:25AM by Rothaus.

Quote
tsukimoto
__________________________Quote, LisaJones.com____________________________________________________________________________
December 5, 2004

Oblivious to the Irony

Your enlightenment, salvation, or worth does not depend on your involvement with a particular group or organization. No matter how "liberating" the teachings of a group may sound, if the group fosters emotional dependence on the group itself (telling you "we're the one true sangha," etc.) run and don't look back.

If a friend or co-worker says "Ever since I joined this group, my life has gotten much better," be cautious. Members of cults have learned to re-frame their lives in terms of the group and its teachings. All life-events (good or bad) are looked at as opportunities to deepen one's involvement with the group, and thereby become "more enlightened." When you hear testimonials from group members, pay attention to how often they praise the group and its leaders, and how they attribute their own happiness and success to involvement with the group.

When people say "I am the organization" a red flag should go up. Cult members are taught to merge their personal identity with the group identity. Any criticism of the group, then, becomes a personal attack.

Members of cults are not consciously aware of their emotional dependence and have learned to dismiss or ignore critical information about the group. Members usually have to keep selling the group to themselves and to other people as a way of reinforcing or justifying their emotional dependence on the group.

Be extremely cautious around groups that use "lovebombing" -- excessive displays of warmth, kindness and concern -- to get you to "overcome your mistrust" and ignore your qualms about the group.

Does the group provide full financial disclosure? Are there dozens of negative news reports about the group? Does the group appear on cult watch lists? Are dissent and debate of policies and beliefs welcome?

In short: Beware of groups that appeal to emotion or "tolerance" to override your suspicions. "Trust us because we're nice and we mean well," is not a valid resolution to informed concerns about the group.

Cult members aren't stupid. In fact, studies show that they are often intelligent and more likely than other people to be open to new experiences and take personal risks, especially if they are in a period of transition such as starting college, losing a job or ending a marriage.

Cult groups exploit this openness and seeking spirit. Some groups misrepresent themselves -- claiming, for instance, that they are a humble, informal gathering of people who care about world peace when in fact they are a multibillion-dollar religio-political corporation. But the central deception propagated by all cults is the lie that members need the group.

Through "fellowship," "guidance," and "training," cults groom "deployable agents," people who have internalized the message of the cult so deeply that their self-interest and the cult's interests are one and the same. This is why it's so hard to leave a cult after you've been a member for years -- it's hard to sort out what's genuine religious faith, what's cult-serving programming and what's "you."

Cults make it all very simple, black and white. Cults regard people who have left the group as traitors, betrayers, deluded ones or enemies. You're either with us or against us. Cults do not recognize the possibility that a reasonable, healthy person might choose to dissociate from the group based on honest disagreement with the group. On the contrary, anyone who has left the group is regarded with pity, contempt or anger.

It's not wacky rituals or peculiar doctrines that define a cult. Rather it's the whole bundle of messages and peer pressure tactics that foster dependency: Without us and our special interpretation of truth you cannot achieve your potential. Our critics don't know what they're talking about. If you want to be happy, you must surrender yourself to your special mission which you can understand only within the context of the group. When you and the group/leader become one, all your doubts will be resolved and you will be able to accomplish absolutely anything.
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***To me, the absolutely critical section is: "It's not wacky rituals or peculiar doctrines that define a cult. Rather, it's the whole bundle of messages and peer pressure tactics that foster dependency:'Without us and our special interpretation of truth, you cannot achieve your potential.' " (salvation, enlightenment, happiness, whatever.)

SGI's messages and peer pressure tactics:
--Love-bombing, especially of potential and new recruits
--Black and White thinking: "You're either for us or against us."
--Merging your identity with the group: "I am SGI." "SGI is my life."
--Reframing your thinking: Everything good and bad that happens is because of what you did, or didn't do for SGI.
--Misrepresentation: "We're all about Buddhism."
--Simple Solutions to complicated problems.
--Negative fortune-telling: "Bad things will happen to you if you leave the group/stop chanting."

In 1993, President Ikeda gave a lecture at Harvard University. This, of course, was a huge deal in SGI's publications. The truth? I heard later that even the heads of Harvard's Religious Studies department and the Asian Studies department didn't even consider it important enough to attend. He addressed some students and members, and it happened to be on Harvard's campus. I've seen many SGI meetings and activities that were held on college campuses, and yet they're not official activities of that college. If you have a member who works on a campus, it's not hard to get permission to use a lecture hall or classroom on a weekend or school break. Many schools will also rent space for meetings or activities, and they don't look too closely into the group sponsoring the activity.

The Ikeda Center is on Harvard Street in Cambridge. A friend who lived in Cambridge told me "This address is NOT on Harvard's Campus. It's not a part of Harvard University." But, many people would look at that address and think that it is! Byron Katie did exactly the same thing, having a lecture in a room at the edge of the campus. These group leaders just want to associate themselves with an Ivy League school, to make themselves look more legitimate!

Anyway, Ikeda opened the Boston Research Center in Cambridge in 1993. Note the name change: now is is the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning and Dialogue. He has to put his name on everything. The center publishes books and hosts public seminars -- all on his liberal, "humanistic" philosophies. John Dewey wrote extensively about education...significant, considering SGI's interest in opening charter schools.

I'll say it again: Ikeda's goals in life are wealth, power -- and becoming a philosopher-king of the world. As he said in the Forbes.com article (posted by Anticult, on page 32 of this thread):

I am the king of Japan; I am the president; I am the master of its spiritual life; I am the supreme power who entirely directs its intellectual culture.

Well, really, he didn't mean that. Substitute WORLD for Japan...and you get what he really meant.


-------------------------------Begin Quote: Ikeda Center For Peace, Learning and Dialogue--------------------------------------------------------------------
Through the hosting of public seminars and the creation of multi-author books, the Ikeda Center gathers diverse, international perspectives in open-hearted and open-minded dialogue. The goal is to create a global culture of peace and creativity during the twenty-first century.

Ikeda Center investigations often build on the most compelling aspects of our intellectual, spiritual, and cultural heritage, drawing out those strands that resonate with the needs of our time.

Events

The Ikeda Center provides a space for scholars, social innovators, activists, and community members to come together in seminars and discussions that transcend boundaries of discipline, culture, nationality, and more. Topics of inquiry have included religion and ecology, women’s leadership for peace, and the ethics of globalization, to name just a few. At present, the Center’s signature event series is the annual Ikeda Forum for Intercultural Dialogue, now in its sixth year. The 2009 Forum will explore connections between John Dewey's philosophical naturalism and Daisaku Ikeda's Buddhist humanism,
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/30/2009 12:11AM by tsukimoto.

On the East Coast, SGI has the Boston Research Center, renamed the Ikeda Center. On the west coast, SGI has its own university, Soka University, and its' research center, the Pacific Basin Research Center. This center studies politics, religion, current events, economics, etc. in countries that have a coast on the Pacific Ocean. Here are some links from the Pacific Basin Research Center's page www.pbrc.soka.edu

_________________________Beginning of Quote, Pacific Basin Research Center's links__________________________________________________

RESOURCES

Pacific Basin Research Groups:
Pacific Basin Institute at Pomona College
UCLA Pacific Basin Law Journal
Pacific Rim Law and Policy Journal
Pacific Basin Economic Council
Pacific Basin Finance Journal
FRBSF Economic Research
The Pacific Basin Consortium
Canada and the Pacific Basin
Pacific Rim Voices
Center for the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim Digital Library Alliance
Asia Pacific Policy Program – Harvard University
Asia-Pacific Research Network APRN
Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
The Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center
Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies
The Australian National University
Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific
Pacific Island Development Program
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Other Related Links:
Soka University of America
Soka University (Japan)
The Boston Research Center for the 21st Century
Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research
The Institute of Oriental Philosophy
_________________________________________End of Quote______________________________________________________________________

For "Other Related Links," Soka University of America, and Soka University of Japan are, obviously, the Soka Gakkai's universities. The Boston Research Center has been renamed and is now the Ikeda Center -- of course, belonging to the Soka Gakkai. Josei Toda was the second president of SGI, so this institute is also SGI. The Institute of Oriental Philosophy is located on the campus of Soka University, so again, it's under the control of SGI.

The other organizations -- I don't know if -- or how much SGI controls them. It's certainly interesting how diverse they are -- many different countries and areas of study are involved -- from Canada to Australia, from law, to aquaculture to libraries.

As an SGI member, I thought (and was encouraged to think) of SGI as a group of people who chanted, and took our turns cleaning the community center a couple of towns over. It turns out, that's just the tip of a very big iceberg. While my friends and I were mopping, chanting, and trying to talk our friends into coming to meetings, what was the senior SGI leadership doing? Buying and selling real estate, investing, setting up front groups and research centers, starting charter schools, infiltrating into many levels of society....and keeping members' attention diverted with lots of activities and hating Nichiren Shoshu.

Well, the king's throne is wobbling. In Japan's August 30th election, the Soka Gakkai's political party, the New Komeito Party, and its partner, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost heavily to the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan (DJP). The Japanese Soka Gakkai leaders will probably be scolding their members for not chanting enough for the New Komeito's candidates' victory -- but hopefully, the Japanese people as a whole will begin to see some of the changes that they're hoping for.

----------Begin Quote, www.japantimes.com--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Democratic Party of Japan won the Lower House election by a landslide Sunday, grabbing more than 300 seats in the 480-seat chamber.

The victory by the main opposition party will end more than half a century of almost uninterrupted rule by the Liberal Democratic Party.It will also usher in DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, 62, as the new prime minister by mid-September.

The DPJ-led opposition camp secured 340 seats against just 140 for the LDP-New Komeito ruling bloc. In the opposition camp, the DPJ alone had 308.

Flush with victory, DPJ executives started full-fledged preparations for launching a new administration in the evening, party sources said, adding that talks were also planned with its two allies — the Social Democratic Party and Kokumin Shinto (People's New Party) — on forming a coalition government.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Taro Aso said he will step down as LDP president to "take responsibility" for his party's defeat. An election to pick his successor as LDP chief will be held soon, he said.

LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda also said on NHK the party's top three executives have all told Aso they plan to resign.

"We'd like to straightly face the severe results. We will search our souls and start preparing for the next election," Hosoda said, adding that the LDP will overhaul its policies to gain more support.

The LDP also lost some big names in single-seat races, including former Foreign Ministers Nobutaka Machimura and Taro Nakayama, as well as Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano and former Finance chief Shoichi Nakagawa.
However, Machimura and Yosano regained their seats in proportional representation.

New Komeito suffered even worse, with party chief Akihiro Ota and heavyweights Kazuo Kitagawa and Tetsuzo Fuyushiba all defeated in their single-seat districts. They didn't "insure" themselves by putting their names on the party's list of proportional-representation candidates.

DPJ deputy chief Ichiro Ozawa declined comment before the poll results were complete but said "there is nothing (for voters) to worry" about concerning an impending change in government.

"We'd like to steadily implement what we have promised to the nation," Ozawa told NHK.

Pre-election media polls showed the DPJ leading the LDP thanks to strong populist tail winds propelled in part by frustration with years of stagnation and mismanagement under the LDP.

As many as 1,374 candidates, including a record 229 women, competed for seats in the 480-member chamber — 300 in single-seat districts and 180 in the 11 proportional representation blocks nationwide.

Due to strong voter interest, voter turnout was estimated to have reached 69.29 percent, exceeding the 67.51 percent in the previous general election in 2005.

A record 13.98 million people, or 13.4 percent of all eligible voters, cast early ballots.

Most of the nearly 51,000 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 8 p.m.

The DPJ, which had just 115 seats before the election, secured 308.

The LDP, in contrast, captured as few as 119, a shocking decline from its 300 seats before the race. New Komeito won 21 seats, far short of the 31 seats it had before the election.

The LDP's fall from power was only its second since it was founded in 1955. It was out of power for about 11 months between 1993 and 1994.

After campaigning officially began Aug. 18, Aso made clear his priority was to stimulate the economy, saying the economy is only halfway through its recovery.

He argued against giving a popular mandate to the DPJ on the grounds that the opposition party tends to waver on national security matters, and that his LDP is the only party responsible enough to govern.

The DPJ's Hatoyama promised to up support to households, saying a DPJ-led government will "cut waste created in bureaucrat-reliant politics and reorganize the budget in such a way as to spend money on what's really important."

The change in the Lower House will clear the legislative deadlock in the Diet, which has plagued the LDP-New Komeito ruling bloc for the past two years, when the less-powerful Upper House came under control of the opposition.
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2009 08:22AM by tsukimoto.

I became a member of SGI in May of this year and had my Gohonzon enshrined the following week. I've known about the practice for years but started chanting with a friend in April and attending meetings.

But there are a few things that I have found troublesome. I have been exposed to a wide variety of types of Buddhism over the years and I've never heard a meditation teacher, monk, nun or layperson speak ill of another type of Buddhism. In meetings I continually hear how "this practice" is the only true Buddhism. When people here that I am new they ask me how I heard about Buddhism. I tell them I first heard about Buddhism from a Tibetain teacher in Nepal at the birthplace of the Buddha. They then say something to disprage Tibetain Buddhism. This is bizarre to me. I know for a fact that I wouldn't be praticing this type of Nirichen Buddhism if it weren't for Tibetan Buddhism and all the other forms of Buddhism that I have practiced. I still have great respect for these traditions although I am praticing Nirichen Buddhism now. For this is also goes against the Buddhist concept of dependent origination.



Second. There is such an empahsis on recruiting people into the practice. I had a friend who joined recently but it wasn't due to me hounding her about the practice. We talk several times a week and during conversations I'd mention that I was going to a meeting to chant. It was basically a how's your day going what are you doing today conversation. At the time I was going through a crisis (a dear pet had recently died) and I mentioned that I felt better after chanting. One day she wanted to go to meeting and she came with me. It was her first meeting and first time chanting. She ended up getting her Gohonzon that very night. There were all these people congratulating me, praising me, wanting to me share my experience. How did I get her to join, etc. It was a little weird. I didn't do anything.

Third. President Ikeda. My problem isn't with Ikeda. It's with the hero worship. I watch the videos and frankly I am not moved. When I see people like the Dalai Lama or Mother Amma I am filled with an incredible since of joy. I look at them and can tell there is something differnet about their being. But there is nothing like that with Ikeda. I don't see him as my mentor.

Fourth. Ragging on the priesthood. Ok. I get there is still some level of bitterness about the split/excamunication. And learning about this is important to the history of SGI but it's been 18 years (I think) why is still such a dominate part of conversation? SGI is apparently doing very well. Again for me it's falling into the realm of disparaging one group to make your group look better. Here is why they are wrong and we are right. They speak all the time about seeing obstacles as opportunities except in this case.

Fifth and most disturbing. I had a room I wanted to rent out. One of the members said he was intrested. He came by to look at the place. Not knowing him I asked two ladies in our district about him. One had known for close to 10 years the other for 5 years. He is a men's division leader in the community and very well respected. They have nothing but good things to say about him. He decides to take the place telling me he only needs it for a few months as he is getting a VA loan and will be looking for a house. He moves in. Come to find out he was evicted from his last apartment and was arrested for hitting his wife. He only tells me this because I told him he needed to fill out out a rental application at my complex leasing office. He then proceeds to compare himself to Nirichen Daishon, i.e. he's been persecuted because of his faith. When I told him I wanted him out (my father was a batterer and I was severely abused mother and his second wife. As a child I was abused by mother. I've done extensive amounts of volunteer work in the fields of combating child abuse and domestic violence which has been instrumental in my healing. And had been successful up until this point at never living with an abusive person -- roommate or signficant other. I also have a former acquinentace whose daughter was murdered by her husband. It was his second marriage. He had been arrested several times for abusing his first wife.) He gently inisusted the situation was my fault because I insisted on him filling out the application. The man is delusional.

Now I am not saying that Buddhist are perfect and do not have issues. One of the benefits all the various mediative and chanting practices I have done over the years (Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh) is that they have helped me see clearly aspects of myself. Sometimes I have been delighted about what I have seen. Other times I have been appalled and/or horrified. In those cases seeing these more negative aspects of my being and facing them has given me the courage, wisdom and insight to make appropriate changes. Sometimes the mere act of looking at the "dark side" moves one into the light.

This man has been practicing for 20 yrs and is a somewhat prominent leader in the community. How can someone who has been practicing for 20 yrs. still not take responsibility for his actions? It's "cute" to chant for stuff and I do chnat for stuff and I also want to see my true self. I ended up telling two of the ladies in our district (the two who vouched for him) not in effort to disparge him but in the hopes that they knew a friend he could discreetly offer him a place to go. Since he was so delusional I was very, very concerned that he might retaliate against me. They were very supportive of and extremely shocked and surprised. One to her credit even told me if had problems getting him out to call the cops if necessary which I had planned to do anyway. He left peacefully but since then I have heard little or nothing from my district. One woman told me that he never shoudl have moved in with me because it violates some of the rules for SGI leaders. Yet, the last time I went to her house there he was leading gongyo. I am not a fake person and don't feel comfortable at all socializing with someone like that.

Back to the priest. I know there is tension because of the split but one of the things I really appreciate about other types of Buddhism is the priesthood. I am not saying priest or better than laypeople but priests, teachers, nuns and monks have devoted their entire life to these practices therefore I believe they can offer profound hows and whys to the aspects of any practice. The whole "just chant" answer for everything is annoying.

Another thing...At one "Sunday w/ Sensei" meeting a young woman gave her experience. Apparently her parents were involved heavily in SGI as she grew up. She described herself as teen as having normal teen angst about things and her parents instructed her to chant. She talked about how her parents were conducting or at meetings all the time, etc. Then she said, "One day I tried to commit suicide and was taken away from my parents by the state." This blew me away. It was heartbreaking. She smiled the whole time while she was telling this story. Since I used to volunteer in the field of child abuse and neglect, I know that the state doesn't remove a child from the home except in the case of severe neglect. They fact that these parents had a child who was clearly in such state of despair and they told her to just chant was appalling to me. I remember looking around and seeing people smiling and nodding there heads in agreement as she touted the benefits of chanting. Lie I said above meditative practices/chanting should be used as tools to take appropriate action. It seems that the way SGI teaches in some cases, chanting should be used a crutch to not do anything.

So. I enjoy chanting. I like how I feel when I chant. Daimoko brings a sense of peace. I also notice that my mind literally dumps a lot of the chatter. But the SGI aspect I'm not so sure about. So I am intersted in getting some reading materials on the Lotus Sutra from non-SGI sources. I just want some balance. Also are there any books on the how and why chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo works? A

I'd appreciate if someone could address my concerns. The whole experience has gotten me a more than a bit rattled. One lesson I defintely learned in regards to roommates is always do the credit/background application before anyone moves in even if the Pope himself vouches for them.



Thanks.

Fifth and most disturbing. I had a room I wanted to rent out. One of the members said he was intrested. He came by to look at the place. Not knowing him I asked two ladies in our district about him. One had known for close to 10 years the other for 5 years. He is a men's division leader in the community and very well respected. They have nothing but good things to say about him. He decides to take the place telling me he only needs it for a few months as he is getting a VA loan and will be looking for a house. He moves in. Come to find out he was evicted from his last apartment and was arrested for hitting his wife. He only tells me this because I told him he needed to fill out out a rental application at my complex leasing office. He then proceeds to compare himself to Nirichen Daishon, i.e. he's been persecuted because of his faith. When I told him I wanted him out (my father was a batterer and I was severely abused mother and his second wife.

I think you should report the behavior of this member right away! [...]

Although this person has been practicing for 20 years, that doesn't mean anything. Nichiren Daishonin writes in his letter "The Three Kinds of Treasures": "What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging's profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."

I hope you do so right away. One of the first things I learned, after being discouraged by the behavior of another member, is never to seek the Law outside myself. You have discovered a philosophy that could enable you to unlock your most beautiful potential. Please don't give that treasure way based on the poor behavior of someone else. It would be like, as Nichiren Daishonin explains, "exchanging gold for rocks." The SGI is like any other community in that it's a microcosm of society as a whole. That means there will be sincere people and not-so-sincere people. But I have come to appreciate it as a collection of ordinary human beings, each doing his or her best to change their lives. Doing so, with people far different than ourselves, is not always easy. But it is a noble undertaking. If we can learn to help one another and transcend our differences—not supress them—we become proof that world peace is possible.

I wish you the best of luck!

Commongirl



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/03/2009 03:46AM by rrmoderator.