I wonder if through the miracles of SGI that Ikeda™ will keep writing after he dies!! I'm sure there are many ghost writers needing to keep their jobs. Many "memoirs" will be pushed under the Ikeda™ brand. Ugh. Maybe he will get more "doctorates" too. They are pushing his image hard to keep the brand alive.

Quote
The Anticult
And yes, Ikeda is using more old school deliberate techniques of persuasion and manipulation.

The 3 hr drive for a "discussion" of Ikeda, is very simply, a basic technique of deep influence and persuasion. That could have been designed by one of the SGI-USA experts in group persuasion.
They stick people in a car for hours, as that prepares the mind, for those hours the person is thinking Ikeda Ikeda Ikeda, as the different aspects about him, even complaints and concerns.

And yelling at the Ikeda picture, that is another real technique. That does sound like it came from Ikeda himself. (no one else in SGI would have the courage to say that openly)
That just shows how clever Ikeda is.
He knows that when people yell at his photo, and then LOVE his photo, and worship his photo's, it creates a relationship in their minds. That is what its all about. Creating an imaginary relationship with "Ikeda" in the SGI members minds.
Ikeda knows that yelling and anger is good to, as its a powerful emotion that locks people into SGI even more.

Again, Ikeda knows what he is doing.
This is why Ikeda distributes so many photo's of himself, as it imprints those images in people's minds. That is group persuasion propaganda that's been known for 100 years.

Oh my God, after all these years, the penny finally drops!

For years, I wondered why we had to drive to the kaikon in another city, several hours, to see the simulcast of President Ikeda speaking! Clueless, bumbling SGI, making us drive this distance! The technology existed to show the simulcast in our home town! WHY were we driving six hours, round trip, to see a one hour broadcast!

Clueless, bumbling SGI -- NO!!!! Clueless US! That gave us six hours in the car....plus the hour-long simulcast to think of Ikeda and SGI! Six hours that we wouldn't have had if the simulcast were held closer to our homes. SMART SGI! Also, just the idea that you made such a long trip, and committed so many hours to an SGI activity. 1.) You don't want to believe it was for nothing, so perhaps you would think of the speech as being better than it really was. 2.) That was time you didn't spend on your own activities and goals -- or with people who disagree with SGI.

People from my area would go to these meetings -- and we'd be the group that came from furthest away! The emcee would announce it to a packed auditorium. Members who lived nearer would cheer for us, and give us the best seats. It was manipulation, of course. The senior leaders praised our dedication in travelling so far....we felt like we were super-devoted members. And of course it was holding us up as an example to the other members who lived closer -- "THESE people would travel this far....how can YOU justify missing a meeting when you live so much closer!"

Dick Sutphen, the master hypnotist, also said on his website that watching TV also changed people's brainwaves -- and made them more amenable to persuasion. That's why we watched Ikeda on the TV broadcast, rather than listening to a live speaker!

On the Coercive Persuasion board, someone (rrmoderator?) mentioned that individuals will try to conform with what the group thinks. If you're in a small group, as the people were at the New York community center -- and everyone else is expressing their love for Ikeda....you will feel wrong if you don't love him. In a bigger group, perhaps you can just be silent -- in a small group, you can't. You'll feel pressured to praise him because your friends, associates, people just like you are praising him.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2009 06:12AM by tsukimoto.

[media.photobucket.com] I love it! They should make one of "Team SGI". And then make people drive hours to see it. Maybe after he dies, they will make new broadcasts of him yelling at people.

Tsuki, I was one that lived close to a kaikan. I felt sorry for people who had to drive so far just to sit in a building and yahoo about this guy. I'm sure people are still doing it. Shame. Shame on the SGI for its pandering. Shame on them for boosting his image constantly even though he is on his way out. There is a whole machine behind his brand. Blecht. He reminds me of Alfred E. Newman. Mad SGI.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2009 06:19AM by sushigrl.

I was given a laminated placard devoted to listing Ikeda's honoury degrees.
This was seen as a "gift". I discretely gave it away, later: I was embaressed to have it in my possession.

One of you just mentioned the picture of Mr. Ikeda. I remember that a lot of members had it VERY close to the bustudan. I joined SGI in the mid 1980's - there was always the guidance not to have any pictures or statues near the butsudan so one would focus on the Gohonzon. Even then some odd members had an Ikeda picture up, some had pictures of relatives (parents or deceased relatives & freinds) the later did not realy bother me but the picture of Mr. Ikeda did irritate me even in my early days. For a brief period I did it myself as so many others had the picture beside the butsudan - it made me feel uncomfortable though and I removed it. After the split those pictures in SGI households moved to prominent positions in the altar settings - did you guys notice that too?

After I left SGI and rolled up the Gohonzon I put up a statue of Shakyamuni --- very nice to look at :-)

Another anecdote: a while after I left some members found out that I am in contact to another Nichiren School, they have priests (male and female). One member had the cheek to inform me that the law and not the person is central - in a way the member thought that this would be an argument against priests (I still do not see the logic). When I said that this rationale makes the whole Ikeda buisiness a bit shady I was told that that is soemthing entirely different (Oh is it ???!!!!???).
I mean honestly people the current situation of which all of give testimony just shows that waht is going on in SGI has littel to do with Nichiren-Buddhism let alone Buddhism in general. Its Ikedaism ... I mean if they would least admit it.
I noticed that alot of those leaving are longtime members, who are actually still practising but just can not take it anymore. What gets me angry at times is the way some of those people are sometimes treated (the name Byrd might be familiar to some here) and what also gets me is that SGI gives Nichiren and Buddhism a bad name :-(

Photos: Didn't Nichijew say that he'd once done gongyo (prayers) to a photograph of Ikeda? He was at some Young Men's Division activity, and the guys were away from a Gohonzon? Praying to Ikeda, making him the center of their faith and prayer? Isn't that really just what SGI WANTS members to do?

SGI sent me a Mothers' Day card back in May....calling me a "mother of Kosen-rufu" and enclosing a picture of Ikeda and his wife in cute little matching outfits? Ugh. I found it creepy. Who sends you a Mothers' Day card? Your children and grandchildren! These people are not my kids, much as they seem to think I should support them and devote myself to them. Mothers' Day can also be a painfully loaded day -- to women who cannot have children, to women who've lost children, to women whose children don't want anything to do with them, to people whose mothers have died, to people who have poor relationships with their mothers. So sure, stir up all that emotion --- and transfer it to SGI.

I haven't attended meetings for years, and I hardly ever hear from SGI -- and then to get a card out of the blue. It felt threatening, as if they were saying, "We know where you live."

It's amazing how many of the SGI members I knew had pictures of Ikeda on their walls. Creepy. Whose pictures do you usually have on your walls? Family, close friends. The Ikedas are NOT my family! I DON'T want them to send me cards (well, I don't want their flunkies to send me cards.) I don't want pictures of them!

OMG a gift?? honoring the SGI "President" who bends tax law by buying his degrees? I'm sure there is a tax haven in Japanese law for donations of this sort. Geez. What a nice token to his minions.

"I was given a laminated placard devoted to listing Ikeda's honoury degrees.
This was seen as a "gift". I discretely gave it away, later: I was embaressed to have it in my possession." Wayfarerfree



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2009 06:36AM by sushigrl.

Recently, here in the UK, there was some problem with the monthly "Sensei's Video" meeting.
The video, I learnt, was one of very few copies, and was shepherded around the country under close and quite paranoid guard of some leader or other, passing hands in this way as it "toured" through the various HQ, Chapters, etc. Before I moved, I was told by one leader-cum-courier that this method was going to change, because of some controversy surrounding the video being tampered with in some way. She seemed quite jaded at the time, and wary of being overheard. When I tried to make enquiries I was chastised, criticised and told that I was slandering SGIs name for bringing the subject up.
I hope to god (for want of another word) that some members from my old HQ end up reading this, especially in context with all the other posts here. There is nothing transparent about the organisation, and I'm sure such bullying continues.
I never learnt anymore of this. It may signify nothing.
It is the memory of the reactions that remains, though. I dont care what "pure", allegedly protective cause is held up to condone such actions.
I am not living in a Japanese culture, Im not a fan of mindless, fearful conformity. I have long distrusted Christianity for its more dubious actions towards so-called heretics throughout history, yet SGI seems to have its own in-built thought-police.

I read once that Ikeda remarked, when gracing the UK Centre at Taplow Court with his presence in the 80's, that the Brittish were stoic and stubborn, yet noble too. Its precisely this "stubborness" that turns people off when they come to meetings. Ive seen it happen, time and time again. This will be our saving grace, here in the UK. There was recently a huge drive to drive UK membership (ie: people with Gohonzons) up to and past 10,000 people, and this was achieved. I would be deeply disturbed if this headcount got higher than 20,000, but it may well be halfway towards that target by now.

Im glad I have managed to distance myself, but I do not like knowing that other people are being targetted and recruited. Ive lost friends, normally quite interesting and sane people, and watched as gradually all that was unique about them faded to be obscured by all the SGI programming. Sensei, you have a lot to answer for.

Wayfarerfree, I'm so glad you are posting this. It's great of you to share your recent experiences with SGI with the public. In America, there is the August Shakubuku campaign too. Just around about now, many of those 1900 people who joined will start to question the motives of their sponsors and the SGI. If they happen on this forum, they will be able to relate to what you and others are saying. :)

Tsukimoto "It's amazing how many of the SGI members I knew had pictures of Ikeda on their walls. Creepy. Whose pictures do you usually have on your walls? Family, close friends. The Ikedas are NOT my family! I DON'T want them to send me cards (well, I don't want their flunkies to send me cards.) I don't want pictures of them!"

In my area, we would vie for photos of Ikeda. Smiling, serious, waving, clapping, constipated, etc. It was felt that whoever got the best photo as a gift had the best fortune and was closest to Hentai.

It really was a cult mentality. Finally I got my picture, framed it and put it on the wall opposite the butudan (to me right by it was slander). Finally I had arrived to the "fortune" club.

Club Ikeda™.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2009 06:57AM by sushigrl.