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holly_golightly
Now, I am happy to say it has lost its power on me. But it really does encapsulate the SGI mentality about people who leave. It could never be that it was actually a good thing for their lives, it would have to be due to something being terribly wrong with them like fundamental darkness or delusion, or not trying hard enough - always a personal failing.

Whenever the "fundamental darkness" line was used on me, I always responded to the person that they were suffering from "fundamental ignorance." True to form, they invariably never got it.


- Hitch

Once you walk away, you'll eventually ask yourself one day, "How did I ever fall for it and what was I scared of?"

Hitch,
It's hard to find the words to describe how true this statement is for me. I was going to say, "Amen Brother!" but then thought that a little too religious. I also thought of saying, "HAI!" but that made me laugh.

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Thatsmeinthecorner
Once you walk away, you'll eventually ask yourself one day, "How did I ever fall for it and what was I scared of?"

Hitch,
It's hard to find the words to describe how true this statement is for me. I was going to say, "Amen Brother!" but then thought that a little too religious. I also thought of saying, "HAI!" but that made me laugh.

I proudly admit that I was a (mis)fortune-baby cult org. dupe for a long time. Better a former or ex-dupe, than a permanent or lifelong one.

(The Gakkai would want you say, "HAI!!! Wakirimashita Sensei! GANBARIMASU!!!" Translation: "YES!!! I understand Master! I'LL DO MY BEST AND FIGHT!!!" - for Cousin Rufus.)

****

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TaitenAndProud
WTF?? Where is the "protection of the Gohonzon"??? What's the deal when people who presume to be models for the rest of us aren't even taking basic, necessary care of their own bodies??

That was a great (not for the people in it though) story that illustrates perfectly how the cult org. works.

In her case, the "leader" "guidance" would be:

A) She either didn't practice 'diligently', faithfully or correctly enough to reap proper benefit from "The Mystic Law" or "Gohonzon."

B) Her 'karma' was so heavy and thick that it will take a lifetime of hard 'practice' to lessen it; successive lifetimes to really change it.

C) A variation or combination of A & B above. (Of course, one "leader" might tell her "A", another one "B" and yet another "C." It's the equivalent to pulling a lever on the gakkai cult "leader" automaton slot machine and seeing what combination pops up.)

Oh, I almost forgot "D."

D) If you (TaitenandProud) had remained in the cult org., you would be her "zen-chishiki" (good friend in 'faith) to help her see the way. But since you left the cult, you'll just have to settle for being taiten scum (from gakkai cult members' perspective) instead.

All the gakkai cult org. "leaders" are winging it and mindlessly parroting what they've always been fed themselves.



- Hitch

Yes, I don't know if that friendship can be resuscitated. Given her willingness to cut off all contact with me at Blubber Boy's order, and now - is she just trying to be MY "zenchishiki" to bring me back to the "correct orbit of faith" around the ever-larger Daisaku Ikeda??? Because he'll never get THAT big, I can tell you that!!

Did I mention that she told me that my former WD District Leader, the wife of ol' Toothless I mentioned above, *died*? I knew she had high blood pressure, but she was, like, 10 years younger than I was! I was shocked! And the shock lingers, because no one bothered to inform me. They surely had a "memorial service" with full honors at the local kaikan. Don't you invite a person's friends to that person's funeral? I haven't moved; I'm still living right here where I used to have district meetings *ahem*. In fact, my former friend dropped by with her kids trick or treating on Hallowe'en night to get in touch with me!

I can't really put it into words, but to be fawned over and stroked about how "valuable" you were, and how important EVERY member of the district is, and how "oh, we NEVER leave anyone behind" - the fact that no one made any effort to let me know of MY former district leader's funeral service is...weird and off-putting. Did they decide that I was a "dangerous person" because of my "heretical" gohonzons that I refused to take down in obedience to a direct order by a "fujimbuchu" - was that the term?? :D Or was it "jojibuchu"??

It's just so weird. It's antisocial. Creepy. I guess if I was under any delusion before that anyone held any sort of actual affection for me, that anyone had actually *liked* me within the organization, I'm over that now.

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Hitch

All the authority in the cult org. (The Mystic Law / The Dear Leader / etc.) is nothing but smoke and mirrors. Clear the fog from your mind and you'll eventually see that there is nothing there. It's ridiculous psychological manipulation. Once you walk away, you'll eventually ask yourself one day, "How did I ever fall for it and what was I scared of?"

You fall for it, because you are brainwashed and conditioned to by the cult org.. You were scared, much like a child is of the dark before they grow up - to later realize that there is no monster lurking under the bed.

It's all a psychological construct. A prison to control your mind and keep you shackled to the cult.

Again, once they have to resort to fear tactics, the have lost the game. It's a tactic of desperation and last resort, employed only for one reason - to control you / put you back in your place.

It's disrespectful to human dignity, dysfunctional, abusive and just plain wrong. I would never stay with ANY "organization" that treated people in such a manner.


- Hitch

About the psychological construct I'd like to add what I've read in a neurobiological book, our human brain has still in it's deepest layers, the core of the brain, a system of attack and defence .Our prehistorical ancestors survived because of this fight or escape mode, the system is very close to our emotional controlling centers. I think as far as I can remember, Anticult mentioned it before. The chanting/ meditation technique can switch off our higher intelligence, the reasonable mind, the critical thinking and operates directly on those deeper layers - far beyond the good and the evil. So when you ask yourself, how did I ever fall for it , I claim that everybody can fall for it. You have not to feel ashamed for it. The human mind is easily manipulated by those who know about the techniques - the advertisment specialists, religions, politians and so on. By singing the magical chant (your voice,your auditive and your breath controlled) and gazing at the paper (visual senses controlled) and following the strict order of half an hour(female) an hour (male) conditioning - voilà you are in the soup! The cult has recruited you for the battle. I do not agree that it is ridiculous psychological manipulation, I say it is excellent studied and exercised crime against humanity.

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Hitch

I've watched members collapse on the floor, others crying with tears flowing down their face and limbs shaking as they gave some delusional experience, bring their dysfunctional family fights to a meeting and go stark raving nuts on each other, have seen hardcore gakkai kamikaze members practically physically attack temple (danto) members, and have witnessed more than my fair share of seizure-like NMRK chanters.

I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that some are out of their minds.



- Hitch

You are very good in discribing the Cult scenery!
In those deeper layers of our brain, the core, that is closely connected to our emotional control system we have no language. We talk and communicate with our bodies: we sweat, hyperventilate, we cry and weep, we have visual and auditive hallucinations, or collapse. That is not seizure like that is real seizure! caused by digging in the fundamental core of our brain.

Yeah you are so right Hitch, they are out of their minds and they are completely under control by the cult.

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sixtyseven
I think as far as I can remember, Anticult mentioned it before. The chanting/ meditation technique can switch off our higher intelligence, the reasonable mind, the critical thinking and operates directly on those deeper layers - far beyond the good and the evil.

The gakkai cult org. also has a trick to deal with members who attempt to switch back on their higher intelligence / critical thinking. It was used against me a number of times.

If you start to think for yourself and begin to question things, one of the first things they ask you, is if you are doing morning & evening gongyo everyday and how much daimoku (extra magic chant) everyday. If you're missing gongyo (which was a 30-40 min. ritual in the morning and another 20 minutes in the evening, minimum = easily an hour a day PLUS the extra magic chant), or not doing enough subjective daimoku, then they use that as a psychological weapon against you.

You were supposedly breaking your 'connection' with the gohonzon and letting 'negativity' and 'doubts' in. The beginning of bad things setting in. "Reconnecting" with the gohonzon (it's probably The Dear Leader now) mandated never missing gongyo and increasing your daimoku. And, of course, with time, you stop thinking for yourself, push the doubts out of your mind and stop trying to analyze things. Essentially, repent for being a bad person and having the arrogance to think for yourself, doubt and question things.

The cult org. definitely wants your critical faculties shut down. There was a common phrase I often heard, "don't use your head too much, just chant."

Critical thinking got me out. I agree, however, it only looks 'ridiculous' with 20/20 hindsight. It's a pretty potent manipulation tool.


- Hitch

The cult org. in America, is almost like a bastardized joke compared to the motherland. For a glimpse as to how slick the gakkai cult org. machine is in Japan, take a look at these two clips.

Public reach out performances by The Soka Renaissance Vanguard (V = symbol on their uniforms, aka: Victory!) Brass Band:

1. Performing for the opening and celebrations for Tokyo Sky Tree Tower last year - [www.youtube.com] (The start playing the song "Forever Sensei" at the 0:40 sec. mark and repeat it at the 3:20 min. mark. The Dear Leader's song, played for the public, by the cult org. official band.)

2. Performing for the 66th annual "Rice Bowl" football league championship at Tokyo Dome just a few weeks ago - [www.youtube.com]

These are major public events with thousands of spectators in attendance. Huge publicity and PR opportunities for the $oka Gakkai Cult Org..

I guarantee you that every single member in that band is hardcore brainwashed and performing their heart for The Dear Phantom Leader and Cousin Rufus.


- Hitch

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Hitch
The Dear Leader = Fraudulent shell game huckster.

The $oka Gakkai's version of buddhism [www.youtube.com]. (The chanting starts about half-way thru.)

And on the topic of nutso gakkai members:

Let's mispronounce gongyo to the sunset in Santa Monica [www.youtube.com]. (Gongyo mercifully finishes around the 4:24 min. mark, then she sees a boat in the ocean and goes off on a tangent about "a ship to cross the sea of suffering", next, she mentions dolphins, then finally, a crazy scooter couple appears.) This is the typical kind of gakkai cult member I remember most and this clip is as crazy as she is.


- Hitch

The video of the friends with the doggies reminds me of the old SGI site, KANSAI SUPER FRIENDLY SPACE and their slick TV ads of super friendly super happy people. The advertising company for Bud Light has nothing on SGI's.

Nichijew



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/26/2013 12:19AM by Nichijew.

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Hitch

Public reach out performances by The Soka Renaissance Vanguard (V = symbol on their uniforms, aka: Victory!) Brass Band:

1. Performing for the opening and celebrations for Tokyo Sky Tree Tower last year - [www.youtube.com] (The start playing the song "Forever Sensei" at the 0:40 sec. mark and repeat it at the 3:20 min. mark. The Dear Leader's song, played for the public, by the cult org. official band.)




- Hitch

What are the guys at 1:42 min.mark busy with? White guns or stylized mp's? Cannot see it clear in the blurred video.