@Nichijew I remember when I first joined that we were discouraged from giving to those less fortunate. This was "buddhist mercy" vs. "christian charity". We had a much superior way of helping people than to just give them hand-outs. All we had to do was shakabuku them. Then they would gain fortune on their own. It didn't matter if they were really suffering. We were
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Doubtful, I don't know if there is validity to all of those things that SGI is claiming to do--I wouldn't be surprised if they are doing them, at least to some extent. But shouldn't an organization as big as SGI who claims to be humanitarian be doing more? During the May contribution, they should be telling the contributors what the money is going towards--not just vaguely saying
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QuoteDavidM I know what you mean about your early experiences with SGI. When I first started practicing I had terribly low self confidence, focus and self belief. After about 6 months of SGI I thought, 'hey, I do feel more confident and focused, SGI is really helping!'. The problem is SGI says that they are the only organisation in the world which can help people become happy
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Quotetsukimoto 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 Times (paraphrased), despite the fact that as a tax exempt religious organization they are prohibited from m
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Quote SGI has also donated to political campaigns in the U.S., something that tax exempt organizations are not allowed to do. Who??
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Interesting article, tsukimoto. "Sometimes people select a dharma-teacher or choose a particular tradition during a very low period in their personal life. When that happens, when someone chooses a person or a tradition because they have a need to lean on someone or they lack confidence or self-esteem, then there is a real vulnerability for abuse and when that dependence is placed on some
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Hi, SoniqueSC My feeling about "benefit" has really changed since I am not with SGI anymore. During the years that I practiced, I felt that I had gained amazing benefits. My family, my house, my career. But now I step back and look at all those benefits, and think that I may have had them all without Buddhism. Do only members of SGI have beautiful and smart children? No, Cat
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QuoteGwTY In Japanese culture, history and society, the mentor and disciple relationship is deeply ingrained, and has a positive connotation, one that's more akin to "teacher and pupil". That's the true nature of the words and the concept from a Japanese perspective, and in many other Asian cultures. SGI made a mistake, then, in choosing these words. "Mento
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I'd like to share one of my experiences with the May contribution. One year, we gave what we could, but we didn't have too much money. But we did have a garage full of junk, so my husband and I had a garage sale. It was a lot of work for both Saturday and Sunday, but we raised some money and gave it to SGI. Then our "financial fortune" changed. We found out that we owed th
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hi, doubtful. I can relate so much to what you are saying. After I had doubts about SGI, it was literally a few years before I could leave. I was a member for 33 years, and my whole life revolved around SGI. All of my friends and social life were SGI. My kids were raised in SGI. It was a major step to leave. The last meeting I went to was last summer, but I have been home visited so much.
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Hi, Rattyboy. Actually, I think the song that you're talking about is the one I heard at kosen rufu gongyo. "I seek Sensei" is what it said, I think. How sad for young girls to be wasting their lives "seeking sensei". And what an ego trip for him!
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Nichijew, thank you for posting the words to that song. I wondered what the words were. Ar one of the last kosen rufu gongyos that I attended a group of YWD sang that song. Most of the girls looked like they meant every word and were so enthralled with the whole thing. They had strange faraway looks on their faces. But there was one girl, an American girl whose mother is a big leader, who
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QuotedoubtfulTime and time again guests come to meetings and never return. Some of mine have told me plainly that SGI is too worldly and too materialistic. I have taken this to heart over the years and I have raised this concern with others, leaders included. Often, even hardcore members have no new "experiences" to share at the discussion meetings, probably because a Buddhist practice
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When I joined, back in the mid-70's, everyone was young. I got "shakabuked" while at college, and when I went to meetings, they were full of young people. The last meetings I went to were full of old people. Almost everyone at Cousin Rufus Gongyo had grey hair! SGI knows if that doesn't change they're dead.
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Dear Blue Lady, I am sorry you are having trouble and conflict. I can empathize. I was not a member as long as you and I was not a leader (other than hancho) but I was a member for a long time and I was very involved. For 33 years I was a member of NSA/SGI. My entire life/family/friends were SGI. Things were bothering me a lot for the last few years, and it was building up, but the mentor/di
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Hi, Lakiesha! Nice to know your real name! Yes, I run into members all of the time. One day I took my dog to the groomers and there was a member! After I left I went to Costco next door and there was another member. Then, later that afternoon I ran again into a member. I don't like conflict at all, so I am just as polite as I can be. I also still get home visited occasionally. The othe
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Hi, Ithomas. Personally I have continued to chant either by myself or with other ex-members. I don't know what I'll do in the future. I doubt that I will join another Nichiren sect, but you never know what the future holds. After my experience with SGI I know I'm not ready for any organized religion right now.
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Evergreen, I agree with Nichijew, that your life is very interesting! I encourage you to post more often because I'm sure you have had many interesting experiences and many things that we would like to hear about. I'm very interested in hearing more about the "SGA" conference that you are attending.
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For me, many things built up over the last few years with SGI. I had a "last straw" moment! All of a sudden, it was just too much.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

tsukimoto, you always have great responses! I had a gradual realization that I needed to leave SGI. Even in the beginning, I had doubts about SGI (then NSA), but I guess what I found positive outweighed the negative. QuoteScoobyDooby This is my situation with my wife. As a 20+ year member, I'm losing hope that she'll ever come to the realization of how much her SGI activiti
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tsukimoto, Thank you for sharing the information that you gathered about the Spirit of Knowledge Academy. It is indeed disturbing. We'll see how things go for this school.
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Hi, Evergreen. People have given you some good advice. I would like to add my thoughts. To me, a funeral is for the people left and not so much to honor the deceased. If one is grieving, a funeral can help one come to terms with what has happened. Attendance at a funeral is for yourself, it seems to me, or is to honor the relatives and friends of the deceased. I have attended some funer
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tsukimoto, I find this very disturbing. It also makes me mad. I don't want SGI's stamp on public property such as parks.
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gingermarie, thanks for your great post. I can really relate to so much of what you said!
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Quotewakatta1 Just to stir some further discussion, onething that repeatedly bothered me a lot when I practiced was the loneliness. Sure I was surrounded by members who were chanting intentedly to their "happiness machines" for their "heart's desire", but aside for administrative or faith-based activities, there was very little in the way of "fellowship". Fr
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I miss you guys! Where is everyone? Well, it's been about a year now since I started to think that I was about to leave SGI, and my attendance at meetings dwindled. It took a few more months to make the final severance! My life has changed so much. A while ago we all told about our lives since leaving SGI, as suggested by Dr.JesusEsq. I would like to brag about the latest thing I
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Rothaus, Congrats on your new degree!
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Nichijew, sounds like a great invitation! I'm curious about the IRG, which you said has "sprung to life this week". Who is involved? And is their agenda still to "reform" SGI, or what is it now? debonaire, When I was a devoted member (over 30 years), I did maintain a few friendships with non-members. The best advice I can give is to just let them do their own th
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I was home-visited the other night. I was visited by three women. I was all prepared to tell them what I thought of SGI. But they just chatted about what was going on socially within our area. After about an hour, they were about to leave, but one of them went to say hello to my husband, who was watching TV in another room. He came out, and he talked a lot about why we had left and what he th
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QuoteFindingmywaytoday Dragon14, I can relate to things being magnified by chanting. One weekend, I had a lot of fear about something. I chanted to my Gohonzon, and became even more fearful. Because of the fear, I ended up in a really bad situation, making some choices that didn't reflect my highest life condition, and I was chanting. I have to say that when I chanted and practiced wit
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