Isn't it amazing that what they told me all those years about "high life condition" after chanting and especially after activities was only adrenaline (adrenaline = ichinen) or being mesmerized by chanting with a group (itai doshin). Finally I can sit here and say that my life condition is higher after I have left!!! I have the hope that my future internal life will not be dictated by some past slogan that was drilled into me.

We were constantly being challenged to maintain "a high life condition" even in the midst of the insanity of conventions or during especially stressful times of organizational chaos, and to whitewash the bad behavior of "leaders". It was just a call to arms to activate the adrenaline and superficial "happy face" so that we could impress our leaders.

Good luck with the "Code of Conduct". More whitewashing and excuses and favoritism for the leaders to play with.

This forum is great. It's a great thing to be able to write these things for other to read and understand.

@evergreen

well if I were to guess the brown shirts would refer to the nazis in the 1920s ans 1930s the one that did the propaganda and beating up. Reading what seesm to be common in Japan the term seems to fit - only in those days you were to read 'Mein Kampf' by Adolf Hitler.
I think the comparison is not even that far fetched in terms of method and organisational structure.

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DrJesusEsq

In the SGI, there is something called the Gajokai (protectors of the fortress). For awhile, to me it seemed like an overblown term since here (at least in CT) most of the time gajokai just watch the center and sit in the reception area asking people to sign in. If they have the time, they would clean the center.

Apparently, and I was just told this, in Japan it is more serious. They are the corp d'espirit. In order to get in, not only do you have an interview process, but you are also to read both the Human and the New Human Revolution, Ikeda's personal manifesto.

I never really understood the whole Gajukai thing anyway. A friend in another city talked about taking turns spending the night there -- guarding the community center. Why? Fine, maybe there are some hours when SGI would want the building to be open, and there'd have to be a person at reception to talk to whoever called or came in. The rest of the time, why not just lock the doors, set the alarm, and turn the answering machine on? You don't have someone staying at your house all the time to guard it.

I suppose part of it's SGI's mania for shakabuku -- if someone should call the kaikon at midnight, wanting to join SGI -- God forbid someone wouldn't be there to take the call. It also seems like another way for SGI to intrude on members' lives -- just another demand to make on Youth Divison members, another thing to keep them focused on SGI.

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sushigrl
I think this impression by Polly Toynbee, Arnold Toynbee's granddaughter really sums it up for me ( I found it on this website)

Years after Prof. Toynbee's death, and to their great surprise, Polly Toynbee and her husband were invited to visit Mr. Ikeda in Japan.

POLLY TOYNBEE: I think it would be hard to imagine a less spiritual man. He was in every way earthy. A powerful megalomania; we got this aura of power from him that was extremely alarming. We then went, on another day with him, to some huge Nuremberg style rally in a stadium, where everything was to the greater worship of him. And again, what he really liked was this feeling of power.

He met with thinkers and politicians who didn't even know who he was really, all to promote himself around the world. How sad.

That was a great article, Sushigrl! It was interesting how Polly Toynbee says that Ikeda really only met with her grandfather a few times. Yet Ikeda spun a few short conversations into a book -- and makes it seem like he and Arnold Toynbee are longtime friends and collaborators. As Polly said, using people who don't know who he is to promote himself.

I remember when Ikeda met with Castro and with Manuel Noriega. He even gave Castro an award. I remember some SGI members complaining "How can he do that, with Castro's human rights violations?" The SGI loyalists insisted, "He's opening the way for Cuba to chant." Yeah, right, when cows fly. The dream of Cousin Rufus in Cuba and Central America! The reality? Ikeda playing at being a great statesman in troubled spots of the world, and getting publicity for himself.

Once after I left the org, I attended a "special" womens' division meeting designed to attract people to the org. I had not been practicing for a while, but decided to give it a shot again. When I attended the meeting, I was assigned to a new member who had recently been appointed to a Jr Group Chief. She had been chanting 6 months. I instantly remembered why I left the org in the first place. I did not want to participate in tiny jr group ra ra meetings led by my new jr group chief, nor did I want home visits from her or to be badgered by phone calls. Neither did I want a person I had not even met properly delving into my personal life to see if chanting could "fix" something. This is the way of life in the Gakkai. Information gathering for the purpose of membership control and manipulation. No code of conduct crap will ever heal the "information about members" driven organization that is the SGI.

The org had and I think still has a structure dividing areas in the country in to Areas of course, and then it would be territories within those areas, then Headquarters, Chapters, Districts, Groups, Jr Groups, individuals. Each level of the org had mens' division, young mens' division, womens' division, etc. Often as a jr group "chief", you were given a list of "taiten" members in your division to chant for and recruit back to the org. I have heard lots of stories where well meaning new members would call older non practicing members because it was their "responsibility" to "help" them.

"how ARE you?" "I'd like to invite you to a meeting we're having about blah blah blah that's going to be really great. Blah Blah is going to be there...we miss you! (I've never met you)

Each level of the org would have meetings designed to encourage that level to progress in their propagation efforts. It was a well oiled machine. Often though, the districts were comprised of more leaders than membership warranted, all because certain members were able to stick to the regime long enough and were rewarded with position. This is where things got really hairy and boring. At times, certain non producing districts would be absorbed into larger districts, more leaders made, some positions lost, even to the point of telling members which meetings they could attend as residents in a certain area.

Friendships got ripped apart in the name of organization and efficiency, especially in the early 80s with the grand organizational reorganization brooha.

I could never go back.

Hey all,

I just contacted a Nichiren-Shu temple in New York city, so if you guys want to find out more let me know. I think Nichijew, you go there as well, right?

I plan to make my way to the Sunday services after New Years when I have more time. I just got a new job and I need to get my cash flow regulated as well.

Here is their website:

[www.meetup.com]

And here is their contact info if you guys are interested:

[www.nichiren-shu.org]

I was reading this info on the website and found it especially helpful to me regarding what happened during my lengthy time in SGI:

Six conditions are simultaneously present in a thought reform program:

* obtaining substantial control over an individual's time and thought content, typically by gaining control over major elements of the person's social and physical environment,

* systematically creating a sense of powerlessness in the person, (sgi did this by requiring us to follow leaders no matter what, especially Ikeda.

* manipulating a system of rewards, punishment. and experiences in such a way as to promote new learning of an ideology or belief system advocated by management, (reinterpreting our lives to create experiences for meetings, being scolded for lack of enthusiasm etc)

* manipulating a system of rewards, punishments, and experiences in such a way as to inhibit observable behavior that reflects the values and routines of life organization the individual displayed prior to contact with the group,(we had to confirm that our lives were better because we chanted, not because we did anything before we joined)

* maintaining a closed system of logic and an authoritarian structure in the organization and (anything written or produced outside the SGI about buddhism was NOT based on any truth or value)

* maintaining a non-informed state existing in the subject.(not many of us could even discuss the Lotus Sutra or what gongyo meant; it simply was not important. No knowledge of religion or buddhism was of any value to the practitioner to attain enlightenment, SGI knew it all.)

The last two conditions work because there is no effective way for the subject to influence the system and because the program moves along in such a way that the subject is unaware of being changed for a hidden organizational purpose. In a closed system of logic, criticism or complaints are handled by showing the subject that he or she is defective, not the organization. Observations may be turned around and argued to mean the opposite of what the critic intended. When a subject questions or doubts a tenet or rule, attention is called to factual information that suggests some internal contradiction within the belief system or a contradiction with what the subject has been told: the criticism or observation is turned around and the subject made to feel he or she is wrong. In effect the subject is told, You are always wrong; the system is always right. The system refuses to be modified except by executive order. In addition, by keeping a subject in a non-informed state, he or she functions in an environment to which he or she is forced to adapt in a series of steps, each sufficiently minor so that the subject does not notice change in him- or herself and does not become aware of the goals of the program until late in the process (if ever). The tactics of a thought reform program are organized to destabilize individuals' sense of self by getting them to drastically reinterpret their life's history, radically alter their world view, accept a new version of reality and causality, and develop dependency on the organization, thereby being turned into a deployable agent of the organization operating the thought reform program.

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sushigrl
The last two conditions work because there is no effective way for the subject to influence the system and because the program moves along in such a way that the subject is unaware of being changed for a hidden organizational purpose.

In a closed system of logic, criticism or complaints are handled by showing the subject that he or she is defective, not the organization. In effect the subject is told, You are always wrong; the system is always right.

The system refuses to be modified except by executive order.

In addition, by keeping a subject in a non-informed state, he or she functions in an environment to which he or she is forced to adapt in a series of steps, each sufficiently minor so that the subject does not notice change in him- or herself and does not become aware of the goals of the program until late in the process (if ever).

The tactics of a thought reform program are organized to destabilize individuals' sense of self by getting them to drastically reinterpret their life's history, radically alter their world view, accept a new version of reality and causality, and develop dependency on the organization, thereby being turned into a deployable agent of the organization operating the thought reform program.

Oh God, yes! This is exactly what happens!

--SGI has the nerve to tell members who have complaints with the organization, "Be the change you wish to see." Hah! There's NO way for members to change SGI. Everything is so top-down!

--If you question, criticize, or disagree with anything in SGI, you are always wrong.

--SGI just gets you one step at at time. Would you just go to a meeting? Then, why don't you just try chanting? If it doesn't help, you can always quit! Would you give an explanation of the practice at a meeting, would you give an experience, could you invite a friend to a meeting? Say yes to one of these, and then they'll have more things that they want you to do....it just escalates until you're working long hours for SGI, and pestering everyone you know to join....you've reframed your experiences in SGI language, changed your worldview...and turned into a deployable agent, recruiting for SGI.

From "A Chapter Leader's Diary, www.fraughtwithperil.com

------------------------Beginning of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------
Recently, Pres. Ikeda wrote a message to the Central Executive Committee of SGI. In this message, he talks about the need to develop new leaders. He stresses that the leaders are going to have to lead this organization into the future. The man keeps telling us to stand up and take responsibility for this organization. Maybe he is getting through to some of us.

Due to many factors, many of which I do not understand, my local organization is a very top down, managed area. It just worked out that way.

That may be changing. The local leadership is going to attempt to give the next step down, chapter leaders, autonomy. They are going to let the chapters move in their own direction, create their own culture, and thereby grow new capable leaders.

One of my districts has already struck out on their own. Three members from the district went to a local coffee shop Sunday afternoon and talked about The Buddha in Your Mirror. . The idea is to get the members out in public talking about Buddhism. We start by just talking amongst ourselves, then move to talking to our friends about Buddhism and then, gasp, inviting them to a meeting.

I attended my monthly women's study meeting last week. We had a guest and the meeting was good. I always have trouble with some "shakabuku" concepts and this time I spoke up. When talking about what to chant about or for, the leader said to chant for your wishes. OK, kinda old school, but OK.

At this meeting, there was talk of SGI being an organization that promote peace. I started thinking, what do we actually do to promote peace? As an organization, nothing really. Pres. Ikeda has his peace proposals, but what do we do?
------------------------------------End of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------

SGI is changing? To me, it sounds like new trash can, same old garbage. The local organization is very top-down, it "just worked out that way"? No -- it's top down because that's SGI -- SGI makes the Marine Corps look democratic! And they're talking about how they're NOT going to be top down because President Ikeda is telling them not to be? Lord, does anyone in SGI get the irony of that?

And why does Ikeda want a change -- not enough members, and enough money coming in! What else would it be?

Change? What's changed? SGI is still doing the same things that have not worked for the past twenty years. Ikeda is the most wonderful thing since sliced bread. Shakabuku,shakabuku, shakabuku -- let's pester people while they're in line waiting for their latte. Let's drag our friends to meetings. Let's tell people that they can get whatever they want if they chant. Let's blather on about world peace, and admire Ikeda for writing wordy, useless peace proposals.

Chapter leaders are to move in their own direction, and create their own culture? Yeah, sure, as long as they're doing the "Rah Rah Rah Sensei, yay, Mentor and Disciple," song and dance, dragging guests to meetings, and sending in contributions.

Ikeda keeps "telling us to stand up and take responsibility for our organization"? Bah...you stand up, and SGI will just push you down.

It's SGI's way or the highway...why is SGI surprised that so many of us choose the highway?

I do not believe that SGI is capable of change. Ikeda loves his wealth, the audulation of the members, and his power far too much; he could never give them up. After his death? The toughest, smartest and most ruthless of his subordinates will win the power struggle -- and that man won't change anything either. He'll just want to keep the gravy train going.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2009 07:58AM by tsukimoto.

And don't forget, whenever you criticize our friend Ikea, you would inevitably get the lecture, "How can you be so ungrateful to Sensei?? It is because of Sensei that this Buddhism can be bought to our country and made so many happy . . . ." Then, time willing, you have a resume of a bunch of awesome things he may or may not have done.

Am I mistaken there?

The thing is, it does come down to how the teachings and lectures are done in meetings, the newspapers and magazines, and the leaders. Time after time we hear the same phrases, words, and style that it does become more ingrained in our psyche. Take a look on youtube vids criticizing SGI, messages boards on beliefnet.net, and even a few here and you could see that all these posters from different parts of the world sound like one person. If not, someone has too much time post 10,000 rebuttals a day.