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Sensei standing on his Malibu lawn?

heh heh heh Hey, remember when we'd hear about or see a video clip of Sensei leading "exercises" with some group? Those always made me laugh. So ridiculous! But, of course, as loyal SGI members, we were not permitted to do anything but gasp in awe at Sensei's great compassion and brilliance in thinking to do some (what was referred to as) exercises (it was, at best, the most mild and superficial of stretching, actually) with the group! I remember one article in the World Tribune or perhaps the Seikyo Times, from years back, where the interviewer was asking Sensei for nutritional advice. Now, Ikeda has never presented himself as having any sort of actual training in nutrition - or anything, really - but we were all expected to believe that his GREAT PRACTICE had resulted in him becoming the wisest person in the whole world! So of COURSE he could answer questions on nutrition - or anything! Wisdom - it's great! So anyhow, he was saying that people shouldn't eat late at night, or, if they must, they should just limit themselves to some vegetables O_O



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2013 02:57AM by TaitenAndProud.

There is really no NMRK anymore, really. It is all Repaying the Mentor the Eternal Debt of Gratitude that is "owed" to him. It is all about praising him--always praise, NEVER (constructive, even) criticizing! Where's the NMRK?

It is ALL about Daisaku Ikeda.

Hilarious photo of The Dear Leader. If one were to casually, yet seriously, make the truthful comment that he is overweight, guaranteed you would get glared at by fellow members who overheard you.

A google Earth search for the former "Malibu Training Center" yields nothing I recognize. Unless I'm mistaken, it looks to be gone (cult org. moving real estate for profit?, errrrr .... I mean investment purposes for Cousin Rufus) entirely.

FNCC is the new cult retreat for "training" and "dialogue" to capture The Dear Leader's spirit. From all accounts, the cult org. appears to be promoting the place much like they did tozan of the past. It all serves the same purpose, except that the Nichiren Shoshu wrapping paper has now been replaced with deluxe Ikeda wrapping.

A cursory glance on YouTube for the topic FNCC $GI will turn up videos of testimonials to The Dear Leader, Ikeda museum displays, $GI 3 President centric propaganda and some seriously stupid cultie bonding behavior and activities. The end result is the same theme from all who go, a "new" understanding of the Master (now mentor) and Disciple relationship and a renewed sense of determination to respond to one's own "mission" for Sensei. I'm sure that behind closed doors are "discussions" about members' doubts or personal issues, reframing them into a proper $oka Philosophy perspective / mindset. I'm also sure that the cult org. promises karmic breakthroughs and big changes for the positive in one's life if they make the effort and "cause" to visit the cult retreat.

It's all the same algorithm of manipulation, just another time and a different place, tailored to the cult org. host country's tastes.

Basically, the FNCC cult retreat is the all purpose general member brainwash center. Motherland "training" courses are for the higher-ups in the cult org. (national, salaried leaders, or those on track for it). If you are a VIP (Orlando Bloom, Herbie Hancock) with deep pockets and have exploitation potential for the cult org., you can get an actual personal meeting with The Dear Leader. If you are a credentialed scholar, you can get dialogues with The Dear Leader that are later re-written up and published (for $$$$) as Ikeda latches on to your coattails, again for public image and status exploitation by the cult org. (good for Ikeda, but not for you). If you are an obscure institution who wants to give Ikeda an honorary degree or award, you can get a cult org. hosted trip to visit Japan. If you want to name a park for or erect a statue of Ikeda (or one of the cult org.'s 3 presidents), a high level $oka leader will come to smile for the cameras (for the eventual write up in the $eikyo Shimbun - the official cult org. newspaper). If you are a person of influence or status, that The Dear Leader would like to meet, the cult org. will approach you to make a "donation" to a cause close to your heart, as an incentive to meet The Dear Leader. If you are a Nobel Peace Laureate, The Dear Leader will be drooling to meet you and establish a "working" relationship, so that he can hit you up for official nominations to the Nobel Swedish Academy selection committee.

Nowadays, however, The Dear Leader isn't receiving visitors or accepting honors, his son Hiromasa is.

(Oh, I almost forgot to mention, the cult org. also gives out its own meaningless awards in return, to VIP's - various "$oka" awards. What a crock!)



- Hitch



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2013 06:55AM by Hitch.

From my years in Soka Spirit, I can tell you that one of the serious criticisms being levied toward the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood was about the nepotism of (married) priests fast-tracking their own sons to lucrative, prestigious positions of honor on the basis of family ties rather than merit.

The fact that lumpy Hiromasa Ikeda is now being shoved into the spotlight, despite having done *nothing* to earn it (aside from getting half his DNA from Dear Ol' Leader - I mean "Dad") is true irony. THIS is rich! Daisaku Ikeda is far more interested in his own immortality via dynasty than he was ever concerned about the honesty/legitimacy of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood.

I don't see how there can be any further doubts about Ikeda's motivations, now that his son's pasty mug is being plastered all over official SGI publications.

Physician, heal thyself.

Back to that passage from the Nirvana Sutra about how King Virtuous was rewarded for virtuously killing a dozen Taoist priests by being reborn as Shakyamuni Buddha... Considering that the definitive text for Daoism, the Dao-De-Ching, wasn't written until the late 4th Century BCE, that means that, when Taoism started, the Buddha had already been dead for decades, if not a century (according to the traditional dating). So that means that...King Virtuous...was rewarded...FOR KILLING OTHER PEOPLE...by being born as someone who was already dead! Makes *perfect* sense!

When I was still an SGI member, one of my favorite stories was about how King Ashoka, after killing so many people in wars, was so distraught etc. that he broke out in painful boils. Shakyamuni Buddha went to visit him, had compassion for him, and entered into a "moon-loving meditation", and a brilliant moonbeam burst forth from his forehead (or something), illuminating King Ashoka, who was in that instant healed of his boils. Only problem is, King Ashoka wasn't even born until a good 200 years after the Buddha had died!

I was rather shocked and disappointed when I learned about the mismatches between people and centuries, but now that I know a lot more about religions and how they will typically write in important people or rival religious leaders as subordinate (and even grateful!) to their own central figure, it makes perfect sense. For example, in the Christian scriptures, we find the Gospels telling about how John the Baptist, who had his own religious movement and his own disciples, was so in awe of Jesus that he basically started acting as his cheerleader. Yet he never sought to become his disciple, never sent his own disciples on over to the Jesus camp. Deuced odd! The sect that holds John the Baptist as its central figure, the Mandaeans, still survives to this day, in Iraq. It is a small sect, but its survival is striking, considering that it was never so fortunate as to secure government endorsement.

King Ashoka came before Buddhism - it is from Ashoka's edicts that we see the first expression of humanistic ideals that we will later refer to as "The Enlightenment." I refer to this as the "Early Enlightenment." Ashoka's influence spread all the way through the Mid-East, through the Mediterranean; King Menander of Greece was affiliated with him, for example. It was this precedent of humanism that became the earliest expression of Buddhism; all that intolerant stuff came into the picture later. As is usual with religions, their founding myths are written into the distant enough past to be separated from potential converts. No way to check the details, you see! How convenient! And of course their origin had to be shrouded in antiquity, so as to lend the veneer of age and respectability to the doctrines and tenets.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2013 02:59PM by TaitenAndProud.

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Shavoy
There is really no NMRK anymore, really. It is all Repaying the Mentor the Eternal Debt of Gratitude that is "owed" to him. It is all about praising him--always praise, NEVER (constructive, even) criticizing! Where's the NMRK?

It is ALL about Daisaku Ikeda.

The NMRK is here. For those who can not see it, you are the NMRK and it illuminates and permeates ALL, the light of peace, culture and education:

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sixtyseven

Quote
Shavoy
There is really no NMRK anymore, really. It is all Repaying the Mentor the Eternal Debt of Gratitude that is "owed" to him. It is all about praising him--always praise, NEVER (constructive, even) criticizing! Where's the NMRK?

It is ALL about Daisaku Ikeda.

The NMRK is here. For those who can not see it, you are the NMRK and it illuminates and permeates ALL, the light of peace, culture and education:

That is a seriously fucked up image. Anyone sucked in by that is a real idiot. Where are they showing that picture. It cannot be in the US.

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sixtyseven

Quote
Shavoy
There is really no NMRK anymore, really. It is all Repaying the Mentor the Eternal Debt of Gratitude that is "owed" to him. It is all about praising him--always praise, NEVER (constructive, even) criticizing! Where's the NMRK?

It is ALL about Daisaku Ikeda.

The NMRK is here. For those who can not see it, you are the NMRK and it illuminates and permeates ALL, the light of peace, culture and education:

HAHA!

That photo about sums it up, although the brainwashed gakkers certainly will not see it that way.

On that note, here is The Dear Leader receiving another honorary doctorate [www.youtube.com]. He appears to be having some serious denture issues and (in keeping with sixyseven's photo above) be sure to check out the portion from the 8:00 min. mark, as all the culties salute their Leader. "HAIL VICTORY!" "SENSEI!!"


- Hitch

Attachment: [forum.culteducation.com]

OMG, sixtyseven!! Now where's that Bridge over the River Ku?

Okay, because I'm an intellectual nerd, I went over to the ichinensanzen.org forum, I made an informative post on primary sources on the board "for discussions related to study of texts and other primary sources." I at first thought they'd deleted my post, but they put it in its own topic (!) and now it actually has responses! They're not pleased, but they're being cordial, so I think I will continue to interact with them.

If any of you want to wallow in the muddy pond, it's here