tsukimoto, I think this is very interesting. I never had heard about 6-beat rhythm chanting as being physiologically effective in increasing/improving cardiovascular and respiratory responses, etc., but I do remember reading several years ago an article in Time magazine about the physiological effects of praying. In the study described, a C-T scan of the brain was taken both during prayer and n
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotewakatta1 One last observation, at the core of Japanese Xenophobia is "pride" which drives them to do almost anything to "save face". Embarrass a Japanese man in the wrong context and you've made an enemy for life - instantly. As a matter of fact, by simply pointing out these sorts of things we are causing the current and past Gakkai folks to "lose face"
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

SGBye, It sounds like the World Tribune is getting even worse than it was when I last read it!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

sushigirl, you are so right! Since my husband doesn't post here, I would like to tell about HIS after-SGI expereience (hope he doesn't mind!) My husband joined about 25 years ago in Chicago (maybe he knew you, wakatta1!) He became a junior hancho, a district leader (he skipped hancho), and then a chapter leader. For the last few years, he has not been happy with SGI. He was alw
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSGBye That's a very good point. I knew a lady who had taken classes at a local college solely for the purpose of meeting people to shakabuku. And she succeeded - this guy she met there joined the SGI and received a gohonzon. I thought, why can't you just take classes for the purpose of educating yourself? Or, how about meeting people just because you want to be their friend, wi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Ithomas, I can relate to the things that you are happy that you don't have to do anymore! tsukimoto, as usual you have made some very good points! I have liked your recent posts as well as the ones from the others. I'd like to add my two cents. Things I have done since leaving SGI: 1) Made new friends. 2) Re-connected with old friends. 3) Bought lots of new clothes. 4) M
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

tsukimoto, good point. I always felt that chanting made one's life head in the right direction. Chanting desperately for things just never seemed to get anywhere.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, I've also noticed that sometimes members have it worse than non-members. Maybe they just chant instead of going to the doctor, working hard, planning, etc. Maybe they put themselves in dangerous spots and just chant for protection. Maybe they are too busy with SGI activities/meetings to get their lives together. Maybe they have a hard time creating genuine relationships with bo
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, I also feel like a big weight was lifted off my chest. I'm still being home-visited occasionally. For the first few months that I stopped going to meetings, nobody noticed, but after a while people started noticing that I wasn't there. Especially when my world tribune subscription ran out! The last time someone came over, I told her that my husband and I were doing really
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quoteevergreen Daily life has been interesting lately. You see, I've always been told to chant about my problems. Since I've stopped practicing I don't chant (some others on this forum still do on their own or through another Nichiren school). I don't think I've ever had to deal with my problems head on, alone. It was always in the back of my mind that problems were
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

David, great idea!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, I am so very happy that everything worked out good for you and your wife. Being a member of SGI causes much stress and anxiety.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteDrJesusEsq In the SGI, there is something called the Gajokai (protectors of the fortress). For awhile, to me it seemed like an overblown term since here (at least in CT) most of the time gajokai just watch the center and sit in the reception area asking people to sign in. If they have the time, they would clean the center. Apparently, and I was just told this, in Japan it is more seriou
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

anticult, I don't remember any specific "training" for street shakabuku, just modeling after the people I was with. The way it worked for me: we would all show up at the district house. We would chant. Then we would break up into groups of 2 or 3, and go to some location. We has favorite locations. The district leader or someone would not go out, but wait at home for the member
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotesushigrl I lost the ability to connect to other people on an honest level, as I automatically separated myself from others because I was a special "bodhisattva of the earth" and they weren't; I had something to give them that nothing and nobody else could. What a load of crap!!!!! Yes it's mind control, but it's also control of emotion, perception, action and r
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

In 1989, I submitted an experience to the "World Tribune Press" and it was selected along with 24 other experiences from women across the USA to be published in a book entitled "Dawn's Early Light". The experience that appeared in the book was based on my experience, but it was heavily edited. Some things that were written were changed and did not happen the way it was
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

SGI is very sneaky!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I'm not sure what a "legal member" is. What constitutes a legal member vs. a regular member?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteRothaus Why disjoin if you legaly have never been a member? I, for one, don't like SGI bragging about how many millions of members they have, when in reality they have many less than they claim. All of us and so many other former SGI members continue to be counted as members. Even people who fill out a membership card but never practice are counted as active members.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSGBye The final thing that sent me over the top was the whole mentor and disciple thing. Back in the 70's and 80's, the concept of mentor and disciple was just one of many concepts that we studied. Now, it is the be-all end-all of Buddhism as far as the SGI is concerned. What really gets me is that SGI's problem with Nikken was that he (allegedly) claimed that you must g
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Ironically, the Value Creation Society, has contributed to the downfall of many hundreds of thousands of individuals, even if these individuals won't or can't admit it to themselves. I was a member for over twenty years and although I succeeded in my quest to become a doctor, were it not for the SGI activities and the leaders constant exhortations to do more activities, I might have bee
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

tsukimoto, 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. So do some of the other names. Today was the 20-year anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. I heard a lot of stories about it all day on the radio. Some
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, 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 members of SGI, t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hey, how come I didn't get that picture??? I've been shunned....
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I, too, have had to watch others' children at meetings many times. The parents would drop off the children in a "children's room" that was way too small to accommodate everyone that was there. We had no supplies except a few donated books and crayons. With no structure, it was pretty unpleasant watching these kids. As Tsukimoto said, most of the children did not want to
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I heard an article on the radio today (NPR) about Scientology. The article said, among other things, that because of the internet, Scientology was having trouble with membership numbers. People who doubted or were former members were able to communicate and support each other easily, where they were not able to only a few years ago. So people were dropping out much more rapidly than previously
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I know of many members of SGI that have offspring who won't have anything to do with the organization. The children grew up with parents who always were going to SGI activities instead of spending time with them. I still know of families today that are like that. In general, meetings are not oriented towards children. I remember adults in SGI advising me to get a baby-sitter so I, along
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

A man that I knew had a sad story, and according to SGI leadership it was his fault. This man was a long-time member, and a district leader. He was smart, had a good job, and a nice house. But he did not have a wife, which apparently he wanted. He met a girl who lived overseas. They developed a relationship, and eventually he brought her here and they got married. She was younger than him, a
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Very interesting, Nichijew. I think that there also might be many ordinary people within the organization of SGI that have many doubts/questions but don't know what to do. Their families all practice, and they have been faithful members for many years, and so they don't know quite what to do. For example, ME! When I started to realize that I could no longer accept what SGI dished out,
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, I'm sorry about your best friend. This is a very sad story. The leaders of SGI don't know what they are doing. They think that becasue they have been appointed by another unqualified leader to give guidance, they have a great understanding of life and of other's complex problems. After all, they have been appointed, so they must be able to tell people what t
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families