QuotemorgaineI sincerely hope they are not coming up with an Ikeda Gohonzon. well actually I do as it would make it quite blunt what SGI is about.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotebachnforthI just have the strong feeling that they are building up to something; a major announcement. Not just that Ikeda will pass away (soon?) but they may have a new name for the organization, new silent prayers, new Gohonzon? I don't know what is coming, but I just sense that something major will change . . . and so many others, like us, will attempt to question, be silenced and wi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ Backnforth sorry I misinterpreted then
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotebasknforthDialogue folks - - it's what makes peace happen, starting with you and me. I am sorry but I saw the reassessment movement being crushed in the UK – the same thing happened in the US to a similar movement. So much for dialogue. SGI is a top to bottom organisation and we all know who is at the top of it - its representative(s). Any representative of any organisation can and
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ brantcloyd sorry but what you say is b.s. in my books. keep on chanting ... stay in the org ... this org is guilty of manipulating people, holding people back to seek help when facing mental problems, mind control, proselytizing, personality cult, raking money, etc. etc who wnats to be part of such an org?????? if you rae the org then you are all the above.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Chooselife, no need to apologise at all. Most of us went through a similar experience. That is the reason we come together here. To let you know that what your are going through is in no way abnormal, not your fault and that there IS a life after SGI.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Chooselife after reading your old posts I believe it is important to start rationalising your time in SGI. The 'fear' to abandon 'your' members to me is part of the old SGI-guilt trip. Certainly many in SGI will negate that having a bad conscious is not Buddhist, yet the very same will create those feelings. I guess for yourself you have already become aware of what
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi 'Chooselife' I never posted here for a while. When you wrote 'but a month ago i chanted for my heart to stop so i wouldnt have to deal with the guilt of being a bad leader anymore.' it struck me. I am so glad your chanting did not work !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would expand you name in here … choose your life! Take it as a les
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@tsukimoto and backnforth Well we often heard of SGI-'leaders' loosing their heads in this forum. One reason might be that they put themselves under pressure to reach certain 'goals' and some of these goals might depend on the co-operation of others. Another reason might be though that some are plain and simple psychos. Sorry to use that word, but now after some time has go
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Overall though I believe its a fair statement to make that any kind of sexual manipulation in recruiting newbies was/is quite an exception. I say this in order to keep the thread believable, as it sounds a bit sensationalist to me. I have been a member more than 20 years and it never came across such conduct that I am aware off – which does not mean that it did not happen. What I did notice t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Well I must agree. It may be that some individual member once pulled the sex/relationship trick, but it was not common practice to do something like that. And surely not a sanctioned method in SGI.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewOnly a votary of the Lotus Sutra can understand the import of the Lotus Sutra's protection. Observing the life of Nichiren we know this is true. This comment had yet again an undertone of being part of a selected view – proselytizing. There is nothing wrong to comment on different streams in Nichiren Buddhism. But I am sorry to say I have have been long enough in SGI to have d
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ Morgaine and Nichijew Although I still chant, it most be noted that this forum is not one of Nichiren practitioners, but one open to ALL (ex)-SGI-members plus family and friends. Amongst those you will find people who simply do not believe in any religion any more including what some of us believe to be the benefit of chanting. They are have perfectly every right to state why, in their opinion
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Well I am not sure myself if it was okay to mention the people's names, but they were official high ranking leaders I guess, so their tragic deaths must have been known already. I remember that a few years back (and, no, I will not mention the name) a quite high leader here got tragically killed in a car accident. As I recall he came back from an activity late at night. People were quick
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Guys! And thats mainly directed towards those following the thread – and I do get the impression regarding the latest 'arrivals' that there must be quite a few 'just' reading this thread. In my opinion one does not even have to get too hypothetical on the master/disciple issue. Even in our culture we have the tradition of a master and an apprentice. The relationship is o
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteDioforeverDr carter is expresing his firm coviction that Dr ikeda is a true modernday peace bulider and educator...hope this helps. Witch does not sound much better either …
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotebacknforthNichikan was a reformer and we need to have that sort of courage now that SGI is totally off course. You are right Nichikan was a reformer, but on this I am sorry to inform you that SGI only tells half of the story. It was Nichikan who turned Nichiren-Shoshu to what it is today including making the position of the High Priest as outstanding as it is. Before Nichikan even Nichire
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteTheVoid... what kind of 'Buddhism' is this? No Buddhism at all maybe? The article 'explaining' the flag I find just as disturbing as the flag itself.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ doubtful I think your assertion is right though. Apart from Gongyo and chanting there isn't much of Nichiren-Buddhism indeed Buddhism left in SGI. Certainly any member of any Nichiren branch will say their path is the right one, they will have heated gosho/goibun debates etc etc in the end they will all try to put into practice what Nichiren taught as good as they can. In SGI they are imp
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ cyclops Its a bit scary … must admit. Having left and being back to the 'normal' world I find all that bizarre to say the least. Way back in this forum we made the Santa Claus comparison … and thats just what it sounds like, writing letters to Father Christmas. The circumstances you describe make it look as to find out just who swallowed the M/D pill and who did not. The ones yo
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Well I must admit that if this is going to be the next step it would not surprise me at all as I always suspected, that the development would go down that road. Maybe those here present that are still in SGI could enlighten us on this one. I say this because I would hate to see this board to spread rumours. Maybe somewhere deep down in me someone hopes that this can not be true.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteCyclopsI have heard that there is a new comparison of Ikeda the great – having him compared now to – Shakyamuni – Nichiren – Ikeda. Good grief!! If it were true it would disgust me on one side ... on the other it would not surprise me one bit - rather a (in Soka Gakkai at least) logical step. I am sure some here on the board could verify if its just a rumor or official.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotequiet oneThe numbers game has caused a lot of resentment and embarrassment and is undoubtedly a reason for SGI's continuous shrinking membership. SGI gets many people to join, but it just can't hold on to them. Well I am not sure at all if the number game could be counted as THE reason for SGI loosing the amount of people it does right now. At least here in Europe the number thin
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I believe that in its core this school issue is a more serious one not only in regards to SGI. Although for the time being on a lesser scale we in Europe have the same problem. Public funding for education is fading out. The idea to get some private funding in might have been a good one originally, but what does it say about us as a society if we basically are willing to accept just any one? We h
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ Tsukimoto Hmmmmm, I wonder who will step in as in the NY incident, when chanting cards will be handed out???
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Concerning the school business … has anyone of you thought about bringing this to the media's attention?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotedoubtfulBut on second thought: Would it be wrong for a Gohonzon to acknowledge Ikeda's role in propagating Nichiren Buddhism? He has. After all, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo appear on there already. When we chant we are not chanting to them for anything. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is down the center. That's where the focus is. I doubt SGI would ever move that somewhere else You can n
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

It is funny how some memories come back out of the blue. One just hit me, that was one of the first warning signs I brushed away. A new Kaikan (Culture Centere) was opened up. In the grand Butsuma there were two portraits hanging on the wall – hard to miss while chanting by the way. One was of the then High Priest. He did not come across as being a very happy or indeed even friendly person … def
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ Morgaine I agree. One must however not forget that many Buddhist traditions do have ordained people … out of a traditions that pre-dates our modern communication methods they have a a whole stack of traditions and rituals to learn to pass on to the generation. I think its here were the M/D idea made and indeed still makes sense. It goes without saying that in such a context its about the res
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QuoteMorgaineYour words are so true, and absolutely strange to me, why keep pushing a doctrine(m/d) that is so clearly not Buddhist and so clearly sending members away in droves??? It almost seems as if they are deliberately sabotaging the Gakkai and Buddhism. Well they do sabotage Buddhism big time, that's why I actually like the term Ikedaism, but the M/D relationship is indeed important
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families