To everyone, my apologies sometimes after I am done writing, I'll forget to preview and not check my errors. What I meant to say in my post before, is that the YWD said that when we chant and our mind starts to wander, it is our "devilish functions" tempting us away from our fortune. @Nichijew- thanks for the heads up on the two types of chanting meditation. That is good food for t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@tsukimoto Yes!! it is so true to listen to your inner-voice when something is not right. If that is one thing that this experience has taught me is to listen to that voice of reason. I can recall all of the times that I went to a leader's meeting and member care seeing members misbehave. I was always upfront and direct with my "sponsor", yet every time all she said was, "well
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@Rothaus-Thanks for your concern about my depression. I have actually been in therapy way before I got into SGI. I was just always seeking something spiritual and this just came upon me. While it's true that a lot of my friends are in the organization, I have two who have quit the organization as well because of the same things that I have chosen to leave. I see these two young women every w
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@Dr.JesusEsq no worries about assuming I was a man. And, as far as doing what works for you, I'd say you are doing the right thing because it works for you, so my apology if it did not come out that way. I just felt that I had the need to confront members because I run into whether it's at my job or at the grocery store at least 4 times a week. Also, for me I have always been afraid of
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thanks for your words of encouragement Dr.JesusESQ. I am actually a better woman LOL!! My true test of not chanting then seeing if something was bad came this week. I had been dealing with a dire situation in school that could have if my financial aid was to be taking away. My first inclination was to chant but I did not want to. I just didn't. So I did not. Everything turned out fine. But i
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thanks for welcoming back quiet one! In Evergreen's case, I was always told to chant about my problems, and also told to not be angry or cry if something was wrong because I was "playing the victim"!! As we all know those two emotions are human and are perfectly ok so long as you do not harm anyone physically and mentally, and as far as being a victim I have heard many self help au
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hello everyone, it's been a long while since I have posted. I have been out of the loop because I came back to the SGI out of fear of being an outcast, despite the fact that there were many unhealthy tactics used to keep me when I first decided to leave. Since then, I have been to a couple of meetings but not many and my heart (thank God!!) was never there anymore. In other words I was going
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quiet one. I do not think that I was practicing when they had people filling out membership cards. However, there is a group within the organization, which is called The Sophia Group. It is only for women and the thing that surprised me was, although you were supposed to attend meetings, if you did not then you still graduated from the program after about 6 months. That did not make sense to me.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Yzak, tsukimoto, quietone, and the anticult and others, thanks for your concern. It's amazing what a 180 degree change brings. I swear to God. This woman used to be so anti-Ikeda and then one day, every thing just changed. That was a couple of months ago and in the back of my mind when I decided to leave SGI. As for the "friends" in the organization, I don't really have none.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Yzak I agree. There is nothing special about Ikeada's poetry. I remember I had a byakuren shift at a Kosen-Rufu Gongyo, and he started to give a speech about a tree in winter that would not bloom.....yada yada yada. It last for fifteen minutes. Well anyways, eventually his faith got the tree to bloom and everyone in the audience that was watching the video just ate it all up. I could not bel
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

In spite of the fact that I chose to leave SGI, I really do believe in the power of chanting and the mystic law. But, this is only because I chose it as a way of enhancing my life. Everyone has to find something that works for them. I think I've said it before-It's a shame that the leaders of the organization take something as powerful as Nam Myo Renge Kyo (and this is my opinion, not t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

tsukimoto, the posting of the young man who committed suicide are bringing back memories of the pressures that I an others endured for the sake of happiness, while being in the SGI. I remember when I first started practicing a young woman who is now an area leader, who lives around the corner from me had a big hole in her wall above her alter. One of the young women who was visiting her asked her
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I was wondering for those that have quit SGI, and continue to chant, do you still chant with the same Gohonzan the organization gave to you? Or have you gotten another one? The reasons as to why I ask this question is because, from time to time I would still like to chant. Not twice a day but maybe once a day or 4 to 5 times a week. Please get back to me ASAP possible with this answer. I was als
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

First off I'd like to thank every one for their support (tSukimoto,Awaken7,Rothaus,quietone,the anticult and others) because this forum has become somewhat of a safe haven for me, given that I decided to leave I decided to leave 96 hours ago. A lot is still going through my head and in some ways I still feel brainwashed even though I know bad things will not happen to me since I've deci
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I am just going to share a little bit more as to why I chose to leave SGI. I can recall about two years ago, I was dating a member who was emotionally and verbally abusive. To make a long story short he dumped me in a way that was extremely cruel, almost to the point that I am sure that he is a sociopath. I remember telling one of the members and the only support that I got was: Kiesha this is bu
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Also, another thing that I noticed within SGI was the fact that, the higher you were promoted, the more colder you seemed. It was as if normal human emotions such as, sadness (and in some cases anger) were not allowed. I remember one time suffering as a result of a emotionally abusive relationship. I got no support at all. The members kept telling me that, I was the one who cause this to happen t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I too, share the same pain and some of the experiences as some of the former sgi members. For a while I have been thinking about not practicing ( and will eventually quit) because it is not fulfilling to me anymore. While I love to chant Nam Myo Renge Kyo, I myself, am not happy with some of the things that are going on in the organization. No matter what it is that I do, it is never enough. If I
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

@SGBYE I was not aware that Orlando Bloom came to a big meeting in 2009, I am positive that he did attend one of the big meetings in 2006 or 2007. I just can't remember the year. I also know that he went to FNCC for an arts conference because on the the YMD said he went, people could talk to him but were not allowed to take pictures. I never cared but was surprised to find out that he chante
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I am just going to share a little bit more as to why I chose to leave SGI. I can recall about two years ago, I was dating a member who was emotionally and verbally abusive. To make a long story short he dumped me in a way that was extremely cruel, almost to the point that I am sure that he is a sociopath. I remember telling one of the members and the only support that I got was: Kiesha this is bu
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families