Last years men's division guidelines and activities. II. Guidelines.. Strengthen the oneness of mentor and disciple in our lives Prove the justice of the SGI toward April 24th and beyond Foster youthful successors of the second act of kosen-rufu As men’s division members, let’s wholeheartedly support and strive to realize the above activity focus points of our organization, and ma
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The SGI is a Destructive Cult by Definition 1). Destructive cults actively recruit new members, often through deceptive "front" organizations. The SGI has the Boston Research Center, the Institute for Oriental Philosophy, and others where their affiliation to SGI is rarely if ever mentioned. 2). Destructive cults claim to offer absolute Truth. Their teachings are not (to them) mer
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

dear Doubtful; You write: Speaking of which, I just received word that, "Sensei receiving the academic honors of 'Honorary Dean and Professor' from the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC)." Probably for the expert sifting and compounding he puts into the koolaid. mark
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteChanter16The Void said in part: "It's good that you can appreciate how annoyed and ripped off we all feel, when you see that Soka is a cult of personality, where you cannot get away with disagreeing over matters such as the ridiculous M/D issues, or the fact the you never study the Lotus Sutra because according to Soka we are all too stupid and can't understand any of it, u
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QuoteChanter16Interesting list Mark. I can tell you want to be 'right' about this list. Are you trying to say it all applies to SGI? How long were you a member and did you learn the chant or gongyo and do the practice consistently? I have reviewed the list and can say there are many, MANY that do not apply, but several that really do! Here is my take: 1, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 1
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Checklist for the Soka Gakkai personality cult: # 1. The Guru is always right. # 2. You are always wrong. # 3. No Exit. # 4. No Graduates. # 5. Cult-speak. # 6. Group-think, Suppression of Dissent, and Enforced Conformity in Thinking # 7. Irrationality. # 8. Suspension of disbelief. # 9. Denigration of competing sects, cults, religions... # 10. Personal attacks on critics. # 11. Insi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteChanter16Hello FMWT, just wanted to answer that No, I wasn't picking up anger from you. I enjoy your perspective. I didn't realize you spent 4 years in the SGI and I was concerned that you were much newer. It sounds like you gave the practice a good try. I sincerely wish you the best. Someone accused me of being insincere and another has stated I am in the life condition of an
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotedoubtful@Chanter 16, You wrote, "Many in the SGI now are not focused on the right things; it's back to the old style of desperately increasing the membership and there are often casualties to this type of 'membership drive'. I'm sorry if you were not treated right." I agree with you until your last sentence. You don't need to apologize to FMWT on behalf of
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteRothaus@ Wakatta I think the comparison is not in the sense to compare Jesus to Ikeda but the MUST in the two slogans. Somebody telling you what to believe in and thereby reach salvation. I also see the similarities between SGI and Christian Evangelicals. Both groups are religious fundamentalists, as any other belief is condemned and religious bigotry basically accepted. Such an atmosp
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

SGI leader: Hai! SGI member: Hi! SGI leader: No. HAI! SGI member: How high? SGI leader: Can you give an experience at the next Area meeting?: SGI member: Ok. How about the time I went to Atlantic City and lost all my money. I had to beg the toll man to let me through the Lincoln tunnel. I chanted to myself and he let me go through. Then I went home and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwic
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Doubtful: Shijo Kingo, for example, never abandoned Nichiren nor did he doubt the Lotus Sutra. He witnessed the true benefit with his own eyes at Tatsunokuchi. The strong faith of Shijo Kingo in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren was the cause for his own fortuitous change of circumstances. We too can experience the very same proof. Nichijew
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Doubtful: Hope you are well. Nichiren had gratitude for Dozenbo and even for Hei-no Seimon who tried to kill him. His gratitude however, spurred Nichiren on to correcting these men. Only did he once praise Dozenbo , when Dozenbo fashioned a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha. There are many sincere people in the Soka Gakkai, in Islam, in Brahmanism, in Judaism, in Christianity, and there were ma
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Doubtful; It is very hard to feel peaceful when one is at cross purposes with oneself or the teachings one embraces. Let me give you some examples: SGI says that you, the members, are all Buddha's but there is no autonomy in the SGI. You can't go preaching Buddha Dharma as you see fit in the District meeting. There are constraints. How can a "Buddha of Absolute Freedom"
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear OTP Quoteoverthetop I still have to remove myself from my toban duties...Lol!!! I'm sure you will miss cleaning the toilets, the very heart of SGI training . Mark
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Overthetop: My heart goes out to you. Because the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is so wonderful, it was inconceivable to me how anyone, let alone an entire organization that chants the title of the Lotus Sutra, could be so evil. For more than fifteen years I wrestled with this question and it still crosses my mind from time to time. You can find the answer to this most important question in
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear DrJesusEsq: The 1975 Hawaiian convention was huge. They built a floating stage for hundreds if not a thousand performers. In 1976, the New York Convention was attended by, at least, fifty thousand SGI and the SGI Bicentennial July 4th parade was the most attended parade in the history of New York City with something like 1.4 million people viewing it on the streets. RTE is small potatoes
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteDavidMWelcome to everyone who has posted their thoughts on this forum in the last few days! Loads of excellent points and questions raised by everyone. Its unusual to see so many new people visit this forum in such a short space of time. Does anyone think this has been sparked by the excruciating ramp up in pressure regarding Rock The Era that's been reported recently? I'm
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteDavidMQuotewriteforchange@doubtful I have read so much Nicheren theology that I am no longer clear about some of it. I read and read and then got to the point that I felt some of it was so absurb that it no longer mattered. Hi WFC, SGI will never tell you but there are a number of Gosho letters which many Nichiren sects consider to be forgeries. Most of them deal with what you spoke ab
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear WFC: Nichiren never ever taught those things that SGI attributes to him. He loved and revered Shakyamuni Buddha. The Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai branded him as the Eternal Buddha to appeal to the shallow nationalistic Japanese psyche. Nichijew
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear all: Here in Oklahoma we have a "Make my day Law". Someone doesn't even have to come into your house, one foot on the property, and its, a former Yaku..I mean SGI member. Nah, really I would invite them in to chant with me to a real Gohonzon. I've made my address public and we have a guest bedroom. All are invited but please call first so I can put away the dogs. We al
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteRothauswell to be honest blue lady when you mention incidents just like the one you mentioned then I guess it would not be hard to find out who you are - SGI does follow this board. Even though I am on the other side of the big pond I must say that SGI must be shi..g their pants because of this board - its the only one in the net - at least in the west - where people can exchange their cur
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear All: This is in response to a post by Pass the Doobie the de facto leader of the Chanting Growers Group, an SGI group on International Cannagraphic. It looks harmless enough but there is more moderation on this group than just about anywhere on the net except other SGI websites. Pass the Doobie “Oh Ya! I am so glad that I facilitated you getting that out so quickly and so we
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Doubtful" I agree with everything you wrote in your last post except, "Ikeda has succeeded at introducing Nichiren Buddhism". In the very same post you prove that what he has succeeded in doing is to spread Ikedaism and Gakkaism, not Buddhism. If you study the writings, even among those who chant NMRK, you find those who are not disciples and believers of Nichiren. It is pr
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear All: Really good stuff and you certainly are a funny lady, Blue. Nichijew
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear Doubtful: "Perhaps at the outset an organization with global ambitions needs to be narrowly focused around an individual." Excuses, excuses. I have been hearing this from several SGI members, lately. It is just the latest BS excuse for rationalizing their cult of personality. It was the same at the very beginning in the SGI. The evangelical movement spread to as many countri
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear doubtful, you write: "I do also have respect for Ikeda's ability to propagate Nichiren Buddhism (directly and indirectly ) in and out of Japan. He does deserve credit for that and I do give it to him. I don't believe he is an evil man AT ALL. I don't believe SGI is evil AT ALL." There are more than five hundred references to evil in the writings of Nichiren Dai
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Dear quiet one: The Gakkai gave $50,000.00 dollars to the victims of the Tsunami. Let's say their revenue is $2,000,000,000.00. That is 0.0025% of their income. Now lets take a person who makes $100,000.00 per year. What is 0.0025%? That is $2.50. I give $10.00 a year (0.01%) to the Salvation Army santas alone and I don't have my wife photograph and video my "great" act of
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotedoubtful@tsukimoto You quoted, "This honorary professorship brings to 288 the total number of academic honors awarded to Mr. Ikeda by institutions in 51 countries and territories for his contributions to building peace, cultural exchange and the promotion of dialogue." I do find the constant mentioning of Ikeda's honorary doctorates nauseating, given that these are p
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSoniqueScSorry for the slow response. Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of good spiritual chats :P I've seen the phrase "SGI Priesthood" a few times in this forum. I have run into SGI who do get preachy and treat members poorly if they don't do activities. I've also run into members and leaders who think they know everything and tell me about how
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotequiet oneInteresting 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
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families