Hi David, Yeap seems so just read the posts in that group as they are public anyway, Scary stuff big time is it not? Interestingly enough more and more seem to leave --- SGI = Cult. Clearer than ever before.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I came across an interesting thread in the SGI yahoo group. One participant of this Yahoo group said: “In the "Seize the Day" Section of the May 28 World Tribune the following were written: In the article regarding the YMD flag, "The shield represents the vow one makes to protect the mentor, whose teachings enable all people to attain enlightenment." So now it i
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSoniqueScThat's why I like the mentor/disciple relationship. Walking side by side, each learning from the other and growing through their dialog. I like the idea that we all work together and study together. No leader is "better". I do not know where in SGI-land you are, but this is nothing else but a myth. There are those in SGI who are better then the rest and to once chal
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Wow must say very good responses to SoniqueSc. If I seem to forget certain issues its because they were already mentioned by you guys, The mentor/disciple principle, beside being a personal one, is not a concept that can be ordered to follow. Anyone who denies that there is no pressure in SGI to regard Mr. Ikeda as his/her mentor is a liar. The concept started to be pushed down peoples throats
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GwT I was not getting at you personally -- I believe your message is sincere ... I just feel that some in SGI do not know how much pain they are causing and got a bit carried away as I actually wanted to respond to you. sorry for that. One thing though from a European perspective - I do not think that SGI needs to be American neither does it have to be European. It has to be what in its core a
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ GwT I think hardly anyone here has something against the mentor/disciple principle. Its ancient old Buddhist tradition, but instead of telling people here between the lines that they are to stupid to grasps this as you put it “complicated” principle I would advise you to go back to the drawing board. Shove those SGI-publications aside at start looking beyond the rim of your own teacup. The m
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@quiet one This reminds me to a family that I knew while still active. They inherited some money and gave a couple of ten thousands of € to SGI ( can not remember if it was 50.000 or 60.000 € or even less it was alot ). Anyway the last thing I heard was that the guys business went down and they had to sell their house. Well if SGI were a person and lets say I would be that person --- I would
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@ doubtful I think you made a valid point here. I was in SGI from the mid 80's until around 2005/2006. Being part of such a group/organisation while having serious doubts about its goals and its nature and not being able to speak out is bad enough. You are right, remaining in such an organisation while at the same time knowing that there is something 'foul in the state of Denmark�
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I think its actually is quite plain and simple. I do not consider it a wrong to say that what one believes in is true. What I do consider a wrong is to make this the starting point to look down on, to attack, to vilify, to ridicule anyone who does not share my belief. Any faith which allows for that ,even fosters or creates such, low level sentiments is not healthy in order to contribute to a soc
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Well to be honest I do not believe that the story behind Trets or its American counterpart the FNCC are that mysterious at all. I was at Trets (also for Keibi-service) was always a critical observer and never noticed me or anyone else getting special training. Sure as for anyone who was in a cult its always also a kind of defeat to accept that one could have ever been drawn in into such a thing
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotetsukimotoOh, the miracle of faith! Truly a great secret! you mean source not secret ;-)
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ David M Its just a number game but deviding the 900 Million by the average fee by lets say 33.000$ this would be around 27.000 students ... lets say four year course thats 6500 students hmmmmmmm
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@ doubtful so it has served is purpose - you stayed on. to be honest I myself was never asked to chant to become straight either but I heard diffrent too. one remarkable thing about SGI an oganisation of "humanism". just look at the total assets mentioned at SGU. - no remarkable contributions to ease human suffering - no SGI relief organisation - not ONCE speaking up against huma
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Doubtful I think you are indeed in a tricky situation if still district leader! As I said left 5 years ago, one of the things that made me leave was SGI' intolerant ways. I am openly gay and could not support that no longer – the diversity meetings to me were mere propaganda – as guidances to chant to become straight did still circulate.
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Well, concerning the pope I guess he do has his aides ( i.e. get me this and that reference and so forth) and I do not like him very much – but he sure is one thing, a theologian in his own right, so I guess were pope is written on there is pope inside in terms of authorship. When it comes to Ikeda I have my severe doubts. He is a poor photographer and lousy poet (who ever writes this stuff for
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Concerning donations I would just like to repeat two links here concerning Soak University of America and Soka Gakkai USA. In a way it speaks for itself looking at total assets.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi Doubtful I think that most of us can relate to what you said. Don't fell under pressure that you must leave SGI , but do realise that the SGI and Nichichiren Buddhism are not necessarily the same either. Your practise as a Nichiren Buddhist can continue without being a member of SGI. In my case it was also a decision of conscience as I could no longer support such a cult. And a cult is
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

five year olds in a "rock the era" rehearsal ???? what the hell is that rock the era anyway. evergreen just tell them you do not wnat this cult bs thrown on your kids --- and yes spell it out CULT. cause thats what this sort of lunatic behavior is called - CULT. PS: I do understand your anger though.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi 'Blue Lady' I guess the name you gave yourself to post here says something about your mood too. I hope however, that you will find some contacts here that will help you to get out of that. 45 years is a very long time, but at the same time it shows also that for many more it seems to become simply to much of a burden. I was in 20 years, some here over 30 some are 'fortune ba
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@ wakatta1 Well I left the Gakkai-scene officially in 2004/2005 I joined in 1986. Here in Europe I was never really aware of any massive Shakubuku-campaigns. Having said this I basically stopped bringing people to any meetings quite early on since I felt too embarrassed to do so.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Exactly evergreen, there is no point. For them we are still members, inactive maybe, confused at the moment. It would be worse for them if we would have joined Nichiren Shoshu. This actually says a lot, in any other somewhat more mainstream faith your fellow believers would have worried that you’ve lost your faith – and from their perspective I could relate to that worry in a way. But in SGI thin
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi lthomas well in my case I have a close family member still in the organisation. Since I left the relationship deteriorated considerably. To be fair though I hardly had time in the evenings for the last couple of years due to evening college. On the other hand she is quite high up in the ranks of the national leadership here. I did have two SGI members as neighbours, one moved to another pa
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

well actually you observations are correct. you always have some nichiren-buddhists wandering of and sayin that they are the real mac coy
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Evergreen, good to hear form you again please keep us posted on the conference you are attending. Sharing the results of what you have learned in respect to SGI (or any othe cult like structure) may switch on some more lightbulbs :-) Good to hear that the funeral went smooth in the sense that you did not have to explain yourself too much.
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QuoteTheVoidI am sure the guy that 'wants' to pay for the gate on his own will be held as an example of how true disciples are willing to give as much as they can, if not more for the sake of Kosen Rufu. *grin* oh yes and dozens of virgins will await him … oh sorry thats a different bunch :-)
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I wonder if anyone knows how to add the news regarding this school business and park gate in San Francisco into the introductory page here on Rick Ross. So far the articles there are quite balanced and should therefore be updated. The whole school issue I personally find most disturbing – the gate story I find somewhat amusing as it shows how SGI usually gets its PR and how they now hesitate to u
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi Evergreen, I think what Wakatta wrote is quite true. The only thing I would add is to aks yourself if you feel ready for it. Will the main issue be to pay your respects or is it bothering you who you have to deal with while doing so. If the company you are with will make you feel ill at ease and uncomfortabel it will not support your original intensions i.e. paying your respect to somebody
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Quotequiet one tsukimoto, I find this very disturbing. It also makes me mad. I don't want SGI's stamp on public property such as parks. Look at it this way as disturbing it may be ... its also a chance to bring the nature of SGI into the public that otherwise would not be interested much. So contact local officials !
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

PS: Hope the clip will play if you are in US. Sometimes they ahve those regional codes on :-(
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear all, nice to see a little convesation going on here again. Over Easter I wachted a nice film about the Indian Musician Ravi Shankar - a master of classical indian music. I found the programme quite charming as it in a subtle way showed the role of the master/disciple relationship, which is so important in asian culture. In this case the master being called a Guru. Sadly the clip does not
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families