QuoteThe Anticult Its also directly from behaviorism. They get people into "peak states" and then they LINK those peak states to SGI and Ikeda. Its conditioning with repetition. Its based on the conditioned response, like Pavlov's dogs salivating when a bell rings. It would not be surprising if people thought back carefully to older SGI rallies, and they could probably find spe
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quoteevergreen Recently at a large youth meeting the leaders showed clips of SGI Brazil and their thousands of youth at a convention - crazed out of their minds, crying because they felt connected to their mentor in life. The youth leaders then said something about how the youth of Brazil were leading the way for all of us, then tried to make a connection that the American youth needed to match
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I found this entry, written by dsm, on the "Coercive Persuasion and Undue Influence" Board --rrmoderator's "What are indications that someone is covertly using trance?" thread: -----Begin Quote, dsm, Coercive Persuasion Board-------------------------------------------------------- When I was studying child development (went into curriculum design for a while) this i
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Quotesushigrlsorry I'm so bitter! Need to get past that. Sushigrl, is it that you are bitter or that you are angry? The truth is, SGI gave us a raw deal! When I joined, I thought I would be studying about Buddhism, chanting, and helping other people. I didn't know that I was going to be manipulated and guilt-tripped into giving time and money to a multibillion dollar corporatio
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QuotesushigrlNichijew, He did say that didn't he....Nichiren made no mention of a gigantic lay organization taking over his religion did he....thanks for reminding me. Nichiren didn't say this, either: ------beginning of quote, www.fraughtwithperil.com, Kempon Hokke blog, Mark Rogow--------- December 10, 2009 Daisaku Ikeda versus Nichiren Daishonin "I ask you to becom
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And the truth is, SGI, DOES warn members away from "anti-SGI sites." Why? Same reason the government of North Korea does not allow internet. Cult leaders and despots DON'T want people to know what they're really doing. With SGI, it's interesting not only that they were (and I would expect still are) monitoring what was said about them -- but that this was a sec
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Rothaus, you ask what we are accomplishing with our posting, and cut and paste? Well, it's true SGI is not going to just disappear any time soon. Even if every SGI member in the world up and quit and nobody ever joined again, Ikeda would still have his billions and the power that goes with them. Nor will we sway the True Believers. As Nichijew said, it doesn't matter how much e
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From the website GakkaiOnline.net/Experiences This person gives an experience about being able to overcome health issues after -- guess what -- contributing to SGI's May Commemorative Contribution Campaign. After much initial reluctance, this member contributes -- and almost immediately, a three-month long fever suddenly breaks, and in the end, the member is even able to get a new car!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Regarding SGI lobbying in California. QuotetsukimotoThis is from the International Cultic Studies Association website www.icsahome.com, 1991 ----------------------------Beginning of Quote----------------------------------------- Soka Gakkai Soka Gakkai is suspected of benefiting from the connections of former Interior Department official Lou Gallegos by the inclusion in a House
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewDear All: Does anyone know about SGI lobbying efforts, particularly in California? They have a former California Undersecretary of state on their board of directors which would certainly facilitate such lobbying efforts. Does anyone know if Ms. Hewlett is a practicing member? Are all members of the board practicing SGI members? Clothilde Hewlett Attorney and partner of Nossama
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QuoteThe AnticultThey use these "Stories" as techniques of persuasion. That guy was trained to tell that Story, as part of the conversion process to Ikeda. The message is, you have to "choose Ikeda" first as your Guru, and that Ikeda the Godman can read your mind, and know if you are naughty or nice, just like Santa. If you are nice, then you get a "gift" of an S
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

From SGI-USA's website, programs at SGI's Florida Nature and Culture Center (FNCC): -------------Beginning of Quote----------------------------------------------------------------- Participant Package Pricing Member Resources | FNCC The package price of the conference is $435. (Ground arrangements only; airfare not included). Package includes: Sleeping accommodations for 3
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QuoteRothaus I remeber those meetings were we got cake or biscuist from "Sensei" .... hmm come on fat chance, I doubt he even knew the meeting was held. Ot the rumour that he erads every letter from the members. Here the Santa comparisson soemone made earlier fits perfect. Good lord, our leaders did that to us in the U.S. too -- telling us that some packaged biscuits or rice cakes cam
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Evergreen, thanks for posting those Youtube links! To anyone else reading this -- if you haven't looked at those two links, please do! They're commercials for a children's cartoon series on Malaysia's ntv7 television station. Each one shows little clips from two stories --"The Prince and the Coral Sea," "Rainbow Mountain," "The Princess of t
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These posts are bringing back memories! I remember having to do publications paperwork -- it always fell to the women's division and young women's division. We were delighted when SGI moved to a more centralized accounting system for World Tribune and Living Buddhism subscriptions. We finally had Saturdays free! SGI also moved quickly to centralized zaimu, or financial contr
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Evergreen, I found this quote on the "Abusive Relationships" Forum, and liked it. It's by Ricketybridge. ---------------------Beginning of Quote-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daytripper, I TOTALLY know what you mean about feeling unhinged without a lens to filter everything in your life through. Mine wasn't about god, but
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteevergreenMy grandmother used to tell me not to give my money to that "kakamemi" (Yiddish for full of s--t) religion. I gave thousands and so did my parents. At one point during my childhood, my parents tried to please a leader of theirs and bought real estate from them. Then my parents lost thousands as they didn't know the first thing about real estate. I was tryi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteThe AnticultI An actual person is writing the SGI-USA material, like that was just posted in this thread. Of course its not Ikeda, that is impossible and absurd. Its probably one main person in the SGI-USA offices who is in charge of that area, someone who really knows what they are doing. SGI does have their own publishing company, the Middleway Press. Clearly some of SGI's
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

SGI has been collecting money from members' bank accounts since 1985 in Japan...really, I'm surprised it's taken them this long to start the practice of collecting from members' accounts or credit cards in the United States. I don't recall ever being asked to donate a specific figure, or a certain percentage of my income. SGI does get quite manipulative on the subjec
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QuoteSGByetsukimoto, in the credits for The World Tribune no one is listed as an editor. The first name on the list is General Director Danny Nagashima so maybe it's him. There is a Managing Editor (Monica Soto Ouchi) and Editorial Advisor (Jeff Kriger). Guy McCloskey is still the current publisher. Others listed are Senior Advisor Fred M. Zaitsu and Assistant Publisher Margie Hall.
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QuoteRothaus From all the experineces on the way SGI operates I read here there is not one single one that I could point out as being typical American. It shows the same jargon being used (just in a differnt language) and the reasons for those leaving seem identical. Okay SGI might try to sneek in on some national writers and traditions. France = Vicor Hugo; Germany = Goethe; US = Witman. So in
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QuoteDrJesusEsqYou're dead on this issue. Yes, it's lacks any academic study. For the most part, we are focusing less on the Gosho and the Lotus Sutra and more on Ikea's messages. Sure the do have study meetings where it's all questions and answers i.e. "What does Daishonin mean by Devil King of the Sixth Heaven?" ans. The Devil King of the Sixth Heaven represents ou
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

-----------Beginning of Quote, www.buddhajones.com----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soka Loves the People's Republic of China by: mroaks Sun Nov 30, 2008 at 13:49:27 PM MST Suck it up, Dalai Lama. You'll get neither support nor sympathy from Soka Gakkai, whose leaders are longtime admirers and friends of China. Each y
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I've never read Mao's Little Red Book, but it's certainly an interesting parallel. When I saw a clip of North Korea's Arirang Games, it did remind me of SGI's big conventions. Huge numbers of performers, wild, over-the-top cheering and enthusiasm, huge pictures of the Great Leader...it was so familiar, it was scary. SGI members having pictures of Ikeda in their ho
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

-----------------------Beginning of Quote, DrJesusEsq's post in this forum---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, I’m a current SGI member and going to be leaving very soon. I do like the practice and do love reading the Lotus Sutra, but I also have issues with Ikea and his mentor-disciple rhetoric. In fact, after a recent Sunday meeting, I w
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I'm reminded of the woman who was speaking at that big meeting -- the one who gave SGI $100,000 from the sale of her house. She wanted to go to grad school, but had no money. She was convinced that if she chanted enough, she would get some scholarship -- or find some other way to get that degree. I wonder if she ever did go to graduate school. If she did win a scholarship -- t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

SGI business connections in Japan. To me, the most interesting item on the list is this: ★Takarazuka Girls' Operetta Troupe(It is said that the stimulant that the Goto Yamaguchi-gumi-affiliated class imported from North Korea is treated, and Soka Gakkai undertakes the money laundering of the earnings. ) There are a number of articles online suggesting that SGI-Japan and the
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QuoteYzakHere are 2 very informative clips against SGI, a very exotic ones comments anybody?! The second video mentions "SGI kills a man as if he killed himself." I believe that this video is referring to the death of the actor and film director Juzo Itami. Itami died of an apparent suicide in 1997. There's apparently some thought in Japan that this was a mur
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thanks for the links, Yzak. The first video actually made a lot of the same points that many of us have in this thread -- the unrealistic promises, how SGI keeps manipulating members to do more and give more in the hopes that those unrealistic promises will be met, and also the need to keep communicating with and showing love to family or friends who've gotten sucked into SGI's web.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The following is guidance to SGI members from Vice President Tsuji. Anyone who was a member of SGI in the eighties has probably heard this guidance....our leaders read it to us again and again! It seems a bit ironic when you read of Ikeda's grudge toward Williams. SGI members are supposed to forgive everyone for everything. No matter how bad someone else's actions, it wa
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families