Personally, I'm pretty sure that the phantom leader is either very ill or even dead. There was a tabloid article in Japan that claims he is in hospital and demented (who knows though). But what I find important about this is that the org is keeping so quiet about it. This sort of secrecy is, to me, a sign that SGI is definitely a cult (as if we needed any more evidence). I suspect lea
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Glad to know I'm not the only one who thought WTF about Infowar's post. On reflection, how did this get past the moderator since it has absolutely nothing to do with how SGI affects former cult members and families, which I thought was the main aim of this forum? Simplify (still shaken by finding out that SGI is a cult)
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Byrd's Eye View, from www.fraughtwithperil.com, July 19, 2008 via Wayback Machine Final blog before her death, written by Wendy Byrd Ehlmann (She also posts as "Byrd," and "Wazoh.") -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 19, 2008 Bento Box Buddhism I am takin
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Byrd's Eye View, from www.fraughtwithperil.com, July 16, 2008 via Wayback Machine Penultimate blog written by Wendy Byrd Ehlmann (She also posts as "Byrd," and "Wazoh.") ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 16, 2008 A Conversation With My Hero Well, yesterday, my lovely literacy pupil
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotetsukimotoQuoteNichijew"Try it anywhere else, and there is a good chance SGI-USA will try to get it shut-down with their internet monitoring." -- Anticult SGI finally shut down my Nichiren Buddhist and anti-SGI blog. The owner of the blog site is Nancy Thomsen, an SGI Chapter Leader. I had 1.3 million views over the last several years. Fortunately, I managed to save much of my w
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijew (Moderator: Could these files be kept somewhere on this site, maybe?) The links are blocked. Mark Can you send them to me? I will distribute them far and wide. mark Mark, I sent you some new links via PM on this site. You should find these in your Private Messages section. Simp
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchIncidentally, the recent Seikyo Shimbun has a May 3rd color photo of Daisaku & Kaneko "gracing" the front cover. Don't know if it is current, recent or legit, but it is there. Ikeda, IMO, looks pretty odd to me and definitely not "victorious." Hitch, I see what you mean by 'odd'. Here is a link to the pic in the online SS for those who are inte
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSpartacusYes Shavoy, GMW's last name was Sadanaga. Shin'ichi Yamamoto was ikeda's chosen pen name. By writing a "fictionalized" account of the HR, he was/is shielded from lot of nasty lawsuits. Ikeda's treatment of GMW in the latest book is sickening. We all knew how much GMW looked up to ikeda. I believe he idolized him just like everyone else. You co
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotesimplify (Moderator: Could these files be kept somewhere on this site, maybe?) .......................................... The links are blocked. Mark ........................................... Can you send them to me? I will distribute them far and wide. mark Only too happy to send them to you and anyone else who wants them. They are big files though ~20MB each. Some people'
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewQuotesimplifyQuotetsukimoto ...I was thinking of some videos I saw of a 1993 SGI meeting in Santa Monica. Ikeda was utterly obnoxious at that meeting -- mocking and interrupting Fred Zaitsu, who was trying to give a speech, pounding the table, and saying "Grrreaaaaat.....guuurrrreeaaaatttoooo!" and "Mahalo....maaaahaaalooo....maaahallllooooo!" He was actin
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchQuoteTibbsThe SGI brilliantly summed up by Anticult. Thank you. Seconded. Thirded
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch"“Welcome, youthful prince of the arts!”—with those warm words, SGI President Ikeda greeted the actor Orlando Bloom and friends at the Nagano Training Center in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, on July 30. One of Hollywood’s most promising young stars, Mr. Bloom is an SGI member from the U.K. Enjoying their first meeting with Mr. Bloom, Ughhh. What a nauseating mutual admiration fest.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewThat Hitch doesn't know well Gerry Hall and Al Albergate proves that SGI has a shadow leadership. Why would a religious organization have men who set policy and create legislation who nobody even knows. There's a lot about SGI-USA that we don't know, especially their finances. We also don't know if they have a lobbying division, a policing division, the nature of
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchPlease come back and fight for Cousin Rufus once more (although now it appears to be follow the dear phantom leader). The dear Phantom Leader and Cousin Rufus. Thank you Hitch, I now have a perfectly formed comic book image in my head and a smile on my face. I love it. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotetsukimoto ...I was thinking of some videos I saw of a 1993 SGI meeting in Santa Monica. Ikeda was utterly obnoxious at that meeting -- mocking and interrupting Fred Zaitsu, who was trying to give a speech, pounding the table, and saying "Grrreaaaaat.....guuurrrreeaaaatttoooo!" and "Mahalo....maaaahaaalooo....maaahallllooooo!" He was acting like a toddler in a high
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotetsukimotoExactly -- nothing is what it seems. As mroakes on www.buddhajones.com put it: "In a previous thread, I said that one of the hallmarks of a cult is reliance on deception. Cults deceive potential recruits, members and the general public about the group's true aims and core beliefs." To me, the important thing is not whether Ikeda is or isn't in a coma
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I googled Benjamin Fulford and he does seem to be quite involved with unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. Unfortunately I can't find any evidence for the stuff he claims. Personally, waking up to the fact that I was in a cult has led me on a journey to hone my critical thinking skills and I am less able to believe what someone says without looking for evidence to support their claims.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotejlynneda63I have found information from a person who worked as a journalist for Forbes who is stating Ikeda has been in a coma since 2010. There was also a post from a nurse at the closest hospital to sgi japan hdqters who posted info regarding Ikeda incoherent & throwing things. I have looked carefully at the pics in WT & you can see that they are photo shopped. I don't know ab
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuotesirmrtonyKnow what else pisses me off? How EVERY book in the bookstores are by Ikeda. And therefore every penny of royalties goes to guess who? And therefore you are only presented with Ikeda's (or his ghostwriters') views. Talk about a captive audience.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotejlynneda63I feel so weird about this stuff. I was one of them.Not manipulative but still I can't be arrogant &point the finger. I need to understand the psychology behind this. I don't think its productive otherwise. Who knows what the intent is? Is it in Japan where tbwy plot to take over the world? I didn't know there were creepy commercials. I liked many of the mem
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteSGBye Taking Mommy and Daddy’s cash simply isn’t enough for Ikeda. They’re aggressively going after junior’s allowance too! This is beyond disgusting. What can we do to stop this sort of thing? Is there no legislation anywhere to help with this? Is there no legislation to stop cults running riot with vulnerable people?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewHere's part 2. This is the part with Williams. They can't remove it from everywhere. Make a personal copy. Mark Thanks very much Mark, it is a relief to hear it is still around. The third clip with subtitles seems to be gone though. It won't play on my iPad, but I'm going to try to work out how to make a copy when I get to my PC tomorrow.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch As a random side note - the culture festivals that I participated in always reminded me of The Nuremberg Rallies, especially from the perspective of a participant in the field (the way you were treated, commanded and worn down). All of this from a so-called "Peace" organization, too. At the time, I never could figure out what it had to do with peace. It was always drilled
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Talking of Scientology, has anyone been following the comments on the latest post 'Quick Dharma Hits' on the (new) BuddhaJones site? The post is about the ChantBuddy app for iPhone (among other things). Joe Isuzu in his most recent comment informs us that ChantBuddy has the song 'I Seek Sensei' available on your phone. it looks like you need never now be far away from being
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitchQuoteevergreenHitch how do I find the video of Mr. Williams be reproached? thanks! evergreen Hi, I just checked the links in my original post (back on p. 348 , see 6th post down) and they no longer work. They worked before, so it appears that the videos have been removed. "Terms Of Use Violation." Hmmm, wonder why. ;-) Hmmm, I've seen the video you are talking a
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hitch, I just wanted to say how much I'm enjoying your comments as you work your way through this epic thread. Your extensive experience of SGI brings a fresh and valuable aspect to the thread. It took me ages to read through the three hundred and more pages and I'd forgotten a lot of the detail, so your quotes and observations are really welcome. Thank you, Simplify
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteFindingmywaytodayI'm still struggling. Forgive me, but I had returned to meetings because I didn't know what else to do. I am really bothered by the mentor and sensei talk. Someone told me that many people don't President Ikeda as their mentor until they have been in the organization for a while. Upon first hearing this, I thought it was because they weren't smart enough
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteHitch The Führer Ikeda room is another fascinating glimpse into psychology. I've seen those rooms, sitting under lock and key (controlled by a pioneer Japanese SS-Obaasan), fully and grandly furnished, yet empty shrines where they even bow before entering to clean them. Again, creepy, but also sad. I heard that the Scientologists keep a special office for Ron L Hubbard in all their
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijewSydney Daily Telegraph, Sept 26 2001 COURT JESTER'S SCAM NO LAUGHING MATTER An American Buddhist claiming to be the world's only official court jester has sparked a political row in the Kingdom of Tonga over millions of missing dollars. The row centers on the disappearance of money that the Pacific Island nation made selling citizenship to Chinese.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteKR After checking Anticult's link it just brought back so many laughable memories of the moral equivocation members used in effort to keep me on board ... ... then go into this condescending "guidance" session laced with nothing but President Ikeda quotes (yeah, like he is the first person you want to hear)... . Oh KR you really hit the nail on the head! When I was disent
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families