The thing that really sticks with me from this forum is that NSA was pretty weak buddhism and SGI is not buddhism at all. Another thing is the staggering amounts of money that SGI has accumulated out of the pockets of unsuspecting members, to enrich Ikea and his cronies. There is not a speck of "religion" here. The fake relationships, the fake caring, all has the goal of ensnaring people in the SGI web to support SGI unstated objectives. Do people in SGI not know about the billions in Japan? Do they not care?

Quote
Freeheartandmind
"Gajokai [teeth of the castle]"

Nichijew, what is this? I don't think NSA had this position back in the 70's. It sounds scary too.

These are the YMD who guard the community centers. Back when I did it, you had to stay overnight, too. Clipboard, checklist, walk around checking if doors are locked, windows secure, all lights around the building (inside and out) functioning, clean any messes that were missed during the day, pick up stray gum wrappers blowing around outside in the parking lot and shooing the bums away from the property if need be.

(By the way, regarding bums, I once remember a homeless person walking up to the Santa Monica World Culture Center front entrance, which was all window from top to bottom, looking in, then proceeding to urinate right on to the building/glass in front of all the members and toban in the lobby. If I could go back in time, I'd shake their hand.)

"I absolutely hated mandatory street shakubuku. I remember meetings where the "leader" said right from the outset, there's going to be street shakubuku to get "guests" and if you didn't like it or had no desire to voluntarily "participate", then you could just get the hell out, leave and go home right now. Some people (the smart ones) did indeed leave."

Hitch, that is just so ignorant. I'm amazed anybody would stay in an org where they are talked to like this. It's rude, abusive, and manipulative. How can you have "mandatory" anything in an org where you are not getting paid, a volunteer org? I did street recruiting a few times and felt like a complete fool doing it, like a Hare Krishna or something (we thought we were better than them, but not really). To think that complete strangers, unvetted folks were being brought into member's homes...I would never take such a risk now. But anything for cousin rufus, right?

"By the way, regarding bums, I once remember a homeless person walking up to the Santa Monica World Culture Center front entrance, which was all window from top to bottom, looking in, then proceeding to urinate right on to the building/glass in front of all the members and toban in the lobby. If I could go back in time, I'd shake their hand."

LMAO

Hitch, what if you had a job to go to the next morning? Did you still have to stay all night? If the CC was in that bad of an area, the cheap ol' SGI should have hired a security guard. But no, that would be just that much less for Ikea and company. This all really turns my stomach, all the exploitation.

Quote
Freeheartandmind
Hitch, what if you had a job to go to the next morning? Did you still have to stay all night? If the CC was in that bad of an area, the cheap ol' SGI should have hired a security guard. But no, that would be just that much less for Ikea and company. This all really turns my stomach, all the exploitation.

It was all part of the "training" and making "fortune" (supposedly for yourself). It was definitely tough at times.

As for safety, there was an incident where a YMD was robbed at gun point going to his car the get something in the late evening, early morning hours. It was expected of the gajokai to park somewhere else, not in the kaikan parking, out of consideration so as to leave more spaces for members and the other VIP cult leaders. We also had to "escort" lady/elderly/family members to their cars at night and be prepared to sacrifice ourselves in protecting the members for cousin rufus if need be.

Stan Zir was stabbed in the chest in the New York Center, giving his all to protect the members and the Gohonzon and then 10 years later he complained to Mr. Kasahara that a senior leader raped his wife and he was excommunicated.

Nichijew

Quote
Nichijew
Stan Zir was stabbed in the chest in the New York Center, giving his all to protect the members and the Gohonzon and then 10 years later he complained to Mr. Kasahara that a senior leader raped his wife and he was excommunicated.

Nichijew

If somebody had raped my wife, I wouldn't even bother to complain about it. I'd handle it myself.

I know of a case where a mother and the children were members, only the father didn't practice. The devoted gakkai cult WD eventually had an affair with another MD member. Poor husband loved his wife so much, he stayed with her and forgave her (never joined though). Kids wound up hating their mother and the practice for what it did to their family.

Quote
rattyboy
Hitch - Even willing to accept all the superstitions and expectations around chanting I wasn't going to accept the conclusion written on that card as a reasonable summation. Maybe I was "out of rhythm", but I wanted my daily chant to not be stupidified.

Later,as part of my distancing process I felt I had to consider throwing out the idea of the chant also. Consider at first, I guess.

Being "out of rhythm" is the cult speak lingo for not being an exemplary sheeple and not towing the group-think mindset (i.e., thinking for yourself and exercising independent, self-determining will).

I started questioning the superstition and rituals in my teen years. The cultivation of critical thinking, self-education and college (in that order) all helped me to eventually shake the brainwashed crystals completely out of my head.

Generally speaking, you approach the world and view it differently when you are scientifically literate and skeptical. It definitely saved me from the cult.

Quote
Hitch
2. More brain washing - "Gajokai are an elite group of not so secret special agents, who have sworn to protect the citadels of sgi from invaders and threats. Their weapons are their strength, their faith and their determination. You might not always notice them, but they are always there, protecting us from the shadows."

[www.youtube.com]

I love how the slacker Gajokai member gets physically assaulted by his superior for goofing off. Is this supposed to encourage or discourage YMD from joining the “elite group“? At the end of the day, the Gajokai are just a bunch of glorified door openers.

I spent many nights doing Gajokai duty, sleeping over at a kaikan in the Midwest during the late 80’s. It was an hour and a half drive each way. I regret all the time and gas I wasted, not to mention the wear and tear on my car. Where’s all the good fortune that I was supposedly building up? Is it yet to come or did I already use it? Guess I’ll never know.