In my experience, they've always presented themselves as a lay organization, and all of their promo material say the same thing. I really think that they'd at least have to go through the same (laughable) process that I did.

You get a hang-tag, a bumper sticker, an o-ffical ID card and a press pass. You can go to themonastery.org and get yours today!

Saw your post on reddit today - good one.

I want to say that I highly value this forum and the support that it offers those of us who've chosen to leave sgi; I certainly plan on staying as active here as always.

That being said, there's another valuable conversation to join at [www.reddit.com] STAP and I have been posting there lately, too (under the Info about soka gakkai thread). This is a real opportunity to engage with people who are not members, but may have been approached by a member and invited to meetings. They are looking for information on sgi, and it's a chance to let them in on what the real deal is. It's not a moderated forum, so it isn't quite as polite as it is here, but - once again - this is our chance to inform people before it's too late.

BTW, at that reddit site, there are Ikedabots claiming that "chant for what you want" is a "bad interpretation." Here's what went down:

"That something you head is called daimoku "Nam myoho renge kyo" which is not a mantra but rather the title of the Lotus Sutra and yes, it is a very "Buddhisty" thing. That it fulfills wishes or whatnot is matter of bad interpretation.
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If you actually looked up Nichiren's writings and what this school of Buddhism was about, you'd see many concepts about ku (emptiness), law of impermanence and suffering. Instead you're opting to go with what someone told you what it was all about instead of doing your own research."
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I HAVE read Nichiren's writings - I was a member for over 20 years, and I was one of the only ones who actually studied on a regular basis. For example, Nichiren promoted the whole "chant for what you want" himself:
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“Prayer that is based upon the Lotus Sutra is a prayer that is certain to be fulfilled.”- On Prayer, p. 336.
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"Whether or not your prayer is answered depends upon your faith; if it is not, the fault in no way lies with me, Nichiren." - Reply to Nichigon-ama, p. 305.
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"Daigaku and Uemon no Tayu had their prayers answered because they followed my advice. Hakiri seems to believe my teachings, but he ignored my suggestions about his lawsuit, and so I have been concerned about its progress. Some good seems to have come of it, perhaps because I warned him that he would lose unless he followed my advice. But because he did not listen to the extent I had hoped, the outcome has been less fruitful than he expected. If lay believers and their teacher pray with differing minds, their prayers will be as futile as trying to kindle a fire on water. Even if they pray with one mind, their prayers will go unanswered if they have long made the error of attacking greater teachings with lesser ones." - The Eight Winds, pp. 794-795.
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See?
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If you want a fascinating discussion of emptiness, see this article on the brilliant Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna: "The Roots of Zen Buddhism" at thezensite. Just type those words into your search engine :)

One of the good folk on reddit provided this link for a little insight on Nichiren:

[theendlessfurther.com]

Very interesting read. I did start a thread on reddit titled "Is SGI a Cult?" and have had some interesting responses. Very mixed, but all polite (so far).

I love "the fault in no lies with me, Nichiren." Is that the beginning of sgi's inability to accept responsibility for anything?

If any of you want to see cultie behavior in action, take a look at the content of these two sites:

[www.reddit.com]

[www.reddit.com]

As you can see, if someone tells of negative experiences from having been an SGI member, the response is "Untrue.This is nothing more than a smear and you are lying."

When I provide sources from SGI's own publications that show I was telling the truth, I am met with whining about "wall of text." No acknowledgment that what I said was true and that the attack against me was both uninformed and unwarranted.

The behavior of the Ikedabots over there is about as textbook-cult as you will see.

Some valuable information originally posted at a reddit board, with the lead-in comments for context:

Quote

They have a very active political wing, and they pressure their members to get involved on the political side of things, thus creating a conflation of politics and religion that historically Japan hasn't liked too much.

Quote

Not in the USA they do quite the opposite. Any proof of this?

In 1964 Ikeda founded the Komeito political party which, on a religious agenda, ran and elected Soka Gakkai candidates. Apparently it wasn't quite as clean-cut as Ikeda wanted people to think:

Quote

Then there was a scandal in which there was an attempt [[i]by politicians promoted and elected by Soka Gakkai's Komeito party[/i]] to obstruct publications critical of Soka Gakkai and Komeito, followed by the deliberation of this matter at the Diet, and the declaration by Soka Gakkai and Komeito that they would follow the principle of their separation. [www.politicsandreligionjournal.com]

In short, everything overtly religious had to be removed from Komeito and it was stripped down to just a political party, rather than a political party with religious goals that would be used to promote the SG's view of what society should look like. More detail:

Quote

New Komeito's predecessor party Komeito was formed in 1954. In 1957, the party was penalized in Osaka for bribing voters with money and tobacco. In 1968, fourteen of its members were convicted of forging absentee ballots in Shinjuku, and eight were sentenced to prison for electoral fraud. In the 1960s it was widely criticized for violating the separation of church and state, and in February 1970 all three major Japanese newspapers printed editorials demanding that the party reorganize. It eventually broke apart based on promises to segregate from Soka Gakkai. [en.wikipedia.org]

The person in the second comment (the challenge) is all over that site, censor and shut down everything and anything critical of the SGI the exact same way the Soka Gakkai in Japan tried to censor unfavorable opinions and analyses over 40 years ago, probably before s/he was even born. Some things never change.

Well, it's been a hound's age since anyone's posted! I hope that everyone is well, happy and having a serene and contented winter!

Hello Mey! Good to hear from you. Good to hear anyuthing from anybody for that matter. Its been somewhat painful to stop by here almost everyday for over month and not find one single new post. I really miss all the wonderful and insightful comments and links by the awesome posters that used to regularly appear here before the great purge.

This used to be a place I could rely on for much needed support from former cult members that totally understood where I was coming from. Discovering the beautiful enlightened people that populated this thread was one of the greaatest benefits I've ever experienced. I have never found a gemstone as valuable as this thread was to me. You folks helped me to advance my ex-cult healing process by lightyears. Because of all of you, for the first time in forty years, I didn't feel so alone and isolated by my horrendous SGIcult experiences. The comfort and support I found in friends here moved my soul, and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

The irreplacable loss of hundreds and hundreds of our heartfelt posts by the site host seems to have devastaed this diamond thread. I miss connecting with all the wonderful people that used to come here for many years to share and learn. The depth and wealth of the knowledge and experience of so many insightful posters was phenomenal. A huge emptiness has replaced all the life and energy that nourished and sustained me and so many others here. It saddens my soul. I wish I could just go someplace else and find you all there again, but of course, that's not very likely. I truely miss all you cool Bodhisattvas so very much - writing this brings tears to my eyes. Again, thanks to all of the posters for your help, kindness,and friendship.

I hope everyone is doing well - please know that all of you and your presence here are sorely missed. Have a happy and joyful Soltice - wherever you all are!

Spartacus

Hi, Spartacus! I know - right? I hope that this is just a temporary lull and that things pick up again in the new year. If it hadn't have been for this thread, I'm not sure what I would've done. It gave me the courage to leave sgi and to stay away, and it helped me to realize how many bright and intelligent people had been duped by similar organizations. Initially, there was a great deal of shame for me, thinking that I must have been a real idiot to have been sucked in . . . the kindness and compassion here, from so many worthy people, brought me through all of that. I still check in, Spartacus, so you aren't on your own, by any stretch! It is a shame that so many wonderful posts were lost, but as far as I'm concerned, they're still in my mind . . . not gone, not forgotten.

Thanks Meg. Fragments of those lost posts live on in my mind as well. Originally. it took me weeks to read through the enormous amount of posts before I eventually made my first post. What really bugs me the most is the loss of ALL the posts I made, mostly because I had planned to use them as a reference. Many of my posts were the manifistation of so many forgotten SGIcult experiences that had been triggered by reading about other people's almost identical experiences. I had intended to use those triggered memory posts as a recall aide to help me someday organize and finish my dormant book project, "Cult of the Master".

The incalculable hours and hours of pouring my soul into intensive meticulous writing and proofreading never came easily to me. I'm a very slow writer - so putting up a single post often took hours of effort for me to compose. (I wish I could churn out my opinions as quickly and efficiently as our friend Taiten can - she's an amazingly insightful and prolific writer.) I would have made backups of all those posts, but I erroneously believed that they were safe and sound, and that access would always be available in the future, so I didn't bother. Now I regret having trusted this forum to retain and safeguard the blood sweat and tears I poured into writing those lost posts. But as you pointed out, the effects of reading and writing them still live on within my being. I have always been grateful for the existence of this forum, as I have clearly stated on many, many occasions.

The most important reason for this forum still exists - to help those that are going through, or that have been through the SGI cult meatgrinder. I hope that a rebirth of activity will soon grace us here. I pledge to remain here and join together with my kindred spirits in an effort to continue the important work and tradition that need to be carried on in order to provide support and assistance to all those past, prestent, and future ex-cult members that will require our help. I have already made it my mission to help enable SGIcult victims to understand, counteract, and find closure to the negative effects of their cult experiences.

Tommorow is the Winter Soltice. I will celebrate the return of our rejuvenated Sun to a higher position in the sky and the rebirth of life, as I refect upon and resolve to enjoy life to the fullest. Best wishes to all as the wheel of life turns yet again.

Spartacus