QuotegingermarieReading these shocking and tragic experiences reminds me of the saying, "the fish stinks from the head." This total lack of humanity comes from nowhere but the top. It was learned by example and innuendo. When I had been told that Mr. Williams "betrayed" Ikeda, I had asked how Ikeda responded; how he had felt. I imagine that he would feel disappointed.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteRothausNeed help guys I would like to get more information may it be internet, news papers or academic resources wich cover the following: - SGI as being defined as a cult - SGI's tax evasion efforts - Anything that deals with issues controversial on SGI other than personal experiene and that is not too out dated. Thank you all Rothaus, that's a challenge. I would like to
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotequiet onetsukimoto, do you think that any of these new proposed schools are also SGI schools in addition to Spirit of Knowledge Academy? "Leaders of Tomorrow Academy" to me sounds especially like something that SGI would come up with. A couple of years ago I was at a meeting at someone's house. The leader who was invited to speak was Nathan Gauer, who I think is the Youn
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Update on the Soka (Spirit of Knowledge Academy) Charter School in Massachusetts, from www.telegram.com The Soka Gakkai submitted a proposal for a charter school in the Fall of 2008. Massachusetts State Education Department rejected the proposal in February 2009, but the Soka folks were told that they could resubmit their proposal in the fall. They have. It looks as if they've scale
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---------------------------Beginning of Quote, Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer-------------------------------------------------------------- -- “All mass movements generate in their adherents a readiness to die and a proclivity for united action; --All of them, irrespective of the doctrine they preach and the program they project, breed fanaticism, enthusiasm, fervent hope, hatre
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

-------Beginning of Quote, "The True Believer," Eric Hoffer---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The proselytizing fanatic strengthens his own faith by converting others. The creed whose legitimacy is most easily challenged is likely to develop the strongest proselytizing impulse." "It is the true believer's ability
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Quotequiet oneNichijew, Those quotes from President Ikeda are indeed disturbing. A few weeks ago I was watching the History Channel. The show was about Nazi Germany and the rise and fall of Hitler. Perhaps SGI shouldn't be compared to such a horrific event as the rise of Nazism, but when I watched it I saw many parallels. I saw parallels between the fanatical German members and the mem
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Quiet one, if I'd known you wanted one, I would have sent you mine. As it is, I put it on my dartboard, and well, I had some friends over last night for darts and beer, and let's say, Sensei is not exactly a holy man any more...he's a holey man.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteScoobyDoobyWe just got our newest photo of President and Mrs. Ikeda in the mail yesterday, so I have another target in mind (I am imagining my wife's reaction if she ever heard me say that!) I got that picture too -- and I haven't gone to a meeting in years! In May, I also got a cute picture of Kaneko and Daisaku, dressed in cute blue outfits. The attached letter called me a
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QuoteScoobyDoobyII went to one of my son's recently where they were talking about the importance of financial contribution to the organization and its not even close to May! Please tell me that you're joking. No, wait, this is SGI....you're not joking. So, the kids listen to a lecture on the importance of financial contribution to SGI. Then the kids get to play some lively
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Quiet one, this is all so familiar. My district leaders finally put a stop to YWD babysitting in another room during meetings. Both guests and members were taking advantage of it. They'd drop their kids off in the babysitting room -- and then sneak out, about five minutes into gongyo! They'd do errands or go have coffee without the kids -- and then pick them up at the end of
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quiet one, I agree -- SGI does not seem to know what to do with children and teenagers. In my area, the YWD (Young Women's Division) were often told to take care of kids, in another room, while the parents attended meetings. Frankly, as a YWD then, I felt that this was not fair. I don't have kids, so I get to be everyone else's unpaid babysitter? Young Men's, and Y
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SGI just gets people coming and going, don't they? If you can't chant your cancer, heart attack, diabetes, or kidney disease away, why, you didn't trust the Gohonzon enough, or you slandered someone, or your state of mind just wasn't good enough. All your fault, you slanderer, you! But in that case, why did President Toda die of diabetes-related complications? An
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Examples of really bad (actually rather typical SGI) guidance Posted by mroakes, buddhajones.com -----------------Beginning of Quote---------------------------------------------------- Here's a stash of "guidance in faith" that's sure to turn you into a sheep. This festival of stinko is attributed to "SGI Vice President Kawai, or Mr. Kawai's guidance in fait
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Rothaus, after my emergency surgery, I also lied to a relative, telling him that I hadn't been able to reach anyone. The truth was, I did reach a couple of SGI members and they wouldn't help me. Strangely enough, I felt ashamed, as if their unwillingness to help me meant that I somehow wasn't good enough, or deserving of help. As to why that memory would come up now, I don&
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And from page 58 of this thread (article is from culthelpinfo.org Quotetsukimoto Everything Depends on Money" Along with the Ikeda house, SGI-USA's political contributions have also become problematic in terms of tax laws. A number of local mass media offices report that the SGI-USA sent large political contributions to the mayor of Los Angeles. As stated in the Los Angeles Tim
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This quote came from page 43 of this thread. In light of our discussion of SGI's finances, it seems worth repeating. I'm sure that the toilet in Ikeda's house at the Malibu Training Center must be very clean too! It does make me wonder though -- just how many apartments and houses does President Ikeda need? QuoteThe AnticultSGI-USA seems to be also worth many hundreds
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QuoteNichijewNichiren Daishonin says that in their present lives their offering will become a “prayer” and a “treasure.” He thus indicates that, through the protective functions of all Buddhas, their sincere faith in offering a robe will become a cause for the fulfillment of all their desires and the accumulation of immense benefit… For an offering of but a single unlined robe, the Daishonin pro
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I don't object to SGI having a Code of Conduct per se. Humans are fallible; organizations whether religious, secular, corporate, educational, political, or social, SHOULD inform leaders and members what behavior is allowed and what isn't. Dishonest and unethical people can infiltrate any organization, regardless of its doctrines. I think that some parts of the Code are quite rea
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I believe that "Joe Isuzu" meant the "Code of Conduct." I went to the SGI_USA site and found nothing when I did a search for "leadership agreement form."
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The numbers of views for this thread are still increasing. Other websites discussing Nichiren Buddhism, like Fraught With Peril (Charles Atkins' Phantom City blog, Mark Rogow's Kempon Hokke blog), the new Buddha Jones site, and SokaGakkaiUnofficial have also discussed and quoted parts of this thread. We ARE getting our information out there! This next quote is also from Fraught
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QuoteRothausHi Tsukimoto I think this report from France is very old though, SGI-F has been deletd from the list of dangerous cults meanwhile - at least to my knowledge. It would be interesting to read of a follow up. Many of the articles that I quoted are old; some were from the 1990's. I still think that they are relevant, because they show readers what SGI is capable of. The Oga
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SGI's activities in France, from Cult Awareness and Information Centre www.culthelpinfo.org France has declared SGI a dangerous cult. Maybe this is why. ----------------------Beginning of Quote------------------------------------------------ What does VSD have to do with Soka Gakkai? The acronym VSD, (pronounced vah-ess-day), which stands for Vendredi-Saraedi-Dimanche (Friday,
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This 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 bill of language prohibiting use of federal funds to pur
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Nichijew, that's just it. It's despicable how Ikeda and his buddies are twisting and abusing Buddhism to further their own wealth and power. From the Cult Awareness and Information Centre website www.culthelpinfo.org Political bribery and violations of nonprofit organization regulations: -------------------------------Beginning of quote------------------------------------
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QuoteThe Anticult SGI is full of these influence techniques, from top to bottom. They started out quite crudely, but have now refined it to a great degree. Its all done deliberately, and carefully. That is one aspect of SGI that has not been properly analyzed and explained yet. What would a person in some group look out for then, Anticult? What are the danger signs? Clearly, one is lan
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Rothaus, the speeches that Nichijew posted were indeed disturbing and fanatical. It's basically just a very emotional appeal to become one with Ikeda. Somehow the notion is just nauseating. I felt the same way when I read Byron Katie's scrambled speech -- "I live in you and I die in you." My thought was, "Hell, no, lady! I don't even know you, and I don&#
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Last year, I followed the Byron Katie thread on the "Cults, Sects and New Religious Movements Board with great interest. I didn't know why I was interested in this thread, I just was. Now, I realize that it was because Ikeda actually acts quite a bit like Katie. Both will tell you that if you follow them, you can be forever happy. Both have made a fortune selling this message, a
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

More on the Ogasawara Incident -------------------------Beginning of Quote, mombu.com----------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 1969, Daisaku Ikeda freely exonerated the Soka Gakkai for their at- tack on Ogasawara, going so far as to call it "an act of kindness" carried out to alert the priest to the errors of his writings. In view of Ik
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More fun with SGI members, from mombu.com First, Japanese housewives behaving badly: ---------------------------------------Beginning of Quote, mombu.com-------------------------------------------------------------------- TIME Magazine November 20, 1995 Volume 146, No. 21 JAPAN THE POWER OF SOKA GAKKAI GROWING REVELATIONS ABOUT THE COMPLICATED AND SINISTER NEXUS OF POLITICS AND REL
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