QuoteHitchOn the theme of the last point made in my post above (the cult org. in Japan): Although this clip is all in Japanese, the last three minutes (from the ~4:00 min. mark) is a demonstration of the aggressive shakubuku'ing (proselytizing) in Japan. Two leaders ring the door of a man's apartment. He answers, they tell him that they are with the soka gakkai and want to talk
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

You all probably know that Dallas, starring Patrick Duffy, is back on the tube. In a recent interview discussing the reboot of the show, he attributes his long-time marriage of 40 years to what else...practicing Buddhism! He says "We haven't had a cross word or a misunderstanding in the last 15 years, 20 years...A large part of that I will say is that we both practiced Buddhism".
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The other religious orgs I belonged to (non-cult) paid their janitors, security, office help, etc., even if the positions were held by members! None of this exploitation of free labor to enrich the "leader". SGI exploits people and makes them think it is for their own good! Cleaning those community center toilets is a good cause..what baloney. The org must think members are saps.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

coolshyone and Luz, welcome, this MB is pretty cool too. Luz, you won't be happy until you leave the org, don't believe that superstitious crap for one minute. It is the orgs loss, not yours. No more of your free labor or money.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Some of the experiences were pretty lame. "I got off the train, and the bus was right there! I was so in tune with the environment because I did gongyo this morning. When I skip morning gongyo I am out of tune and the day seem off-kilter." This was an ACTUAL experience. ICK. Good transit connections (and bad) happen to people who have never heard of SGI or chanting. How simplistic
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hitch, I viewed your 6/22 "How Cults Work" you tube video posting and it was hilarious. It sure does apply to SGI! I laughed, but seriously, a lot of damage is done by cultic manipulation. Doesn't seem to be a downside to being a leader though, does it? That's why cults will always be with us. Some people want their thinking done for them, their social network established f
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, can you please post a link to your blog?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Bullshyte about sums it up.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Those stupid conventions were a source of wasted money for many of us who could ill afford it. I went to the LA convention (72, I think), San Diego Convention, and then the sho-hondo pilrimage in the fall of 73. I was a poor struggling high school student with aspirations of attending college, and had no business spending meaningful amounts of money on any of it. We were sold the good cause aspe
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

If everybody is a buddha, then why aim for enlightenment? In the seventies we were told that everyone had a buddha nature or potential,, but it took chanting to bring it out. It seems that over the years SGI apostacized its own teachings. How can anyone trust an organization that has been around for only a fraction of the time that the priesthood has existed? SGI members are lost in this cult of
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I think commongirl is a SGI apologist.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

That "AAO" cheer was so fake, we did it all the time back in the early seventies and I hated it. Why couldn't we just say hip hip hooray since .we were in america, but actually that would have been corny too.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I remember back in my member days a situation where a YMD in my group applied contact paper to his gohonzon. He was always a little strange, smoked a lot of weed, but was dedicated to cousin rufus. He has a really wack explanation of how he was trying to transfer his life force to the gohonzon, or something like that. It became clear at that point that he had serious mental issues and fake buddhi
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Spartacus, that tozan picture of you is precious! I don ' t think I kept any pictures. Did you know any of the other people in the photo? We were so young, and well-intentioned, but foolish. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
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Spartacus, I so enjoyed your latest Texas Buddhist chapter, thank you and keep it coming.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

SGBye made a comment about listening to music being more relaxing than chanting. It got me to thinking that chanting, especially group chanting, is relaxing because it has a certain musicality to it. So, people may like how it feels without realizing that the same feeling could be obtained in different ways. The cult keeps you so busy there is no time to enjoy much of anything not cult related.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteNichijew"Just like Sensei, together with Sensei lets learn how to fight. All I have is my debt of gratitude for mentor. How can I repay my debt of gratitude for mentor. That's all I have. The prime point is the onness of mentor and disciple. Proclaim mentor's greatness to the entire world." --SGI leader guidance Nichijew[/quote This makes me want to throw up. The en
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The whole concept of mentor disciple is pure bs. I have mentored in the workplace many years and never did I think of those I mentored as my disciples. If anything, I would just call them mentees. I never expected them to become one with me or to worship me. The expectation as mentor is for the mentee to have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish the same things as the mentor!
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Nichijew, LMAO at Mentor Stops Smoking and Other Relics. These Ikeabots are so brainwashed they might just do this crazy ish. Sad, sad, sad.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Quotejlynneda63Haven't posted lately..got 3 annoying texts fm bfhllll just now feiggning interest in me & letting me know bout ccntr activity...ZAIMO OF COURSE! SO ANNOYING!! Don't respond to those texts! Change your number if you have to! They just want your money, greedy b#$#@!%s. Particularly with the awful economy of the past few years, it is downright immoral to pressure peo
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hitch, what if you had a job to go to the next morning? Did you still have to stay all night? If the CC was in that bad of an area, the cheap ol' SGI should have hired a security guard. But no, that would be just that much less for Ikea and company. This all really turns my stomach, all the exploitation.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"By the way, regarding bums, I once remember a homeless person walking up to the Santa Monica World Culture Center front entrance, which was all window from top to bottom, looking in, then proceeding to urinate right on to the building/glass in front of all the members and toban in the lobby. If I could go back in time, I'd shake their hand." LMAO
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"I absolutely hated mandatory street shakubuku. I remember meetings where the "leader" said right from the outset, there's going to be street shakubuku to get "guests" and if you didn't like it or had no desire to voluntarily "participate", then you could just get the hell out, leave and go home right now. Some people (the smart ones) did indeed leave.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

The thing that really sticks with me from this forum is that NSA was pretty weak buddhism and SGI is not buddhism at all. Another thing is the staggering amounts of money that SGI has accumulated out of the pockets of unsuspecting members, to enrich Ikea and his cronies. There is not a speck of "religion" here. The fake relationships, the fake caring, all has the goal of ensnaring peop
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"And look at the big shot billionaire himself, Ikeda. There you have an older man, having weekend late-night nude hot-tub parties with young SGI women. Ikeda sex parties with young SGI women? How many young SGI women did President Ikeda have sexual relations with?" (The Anticult) That's a good question. Why was Ikea assigned a young female to "look after" him anyway
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"Gajokai " Nichijew, what is this? I don't think NSA had this position back in the 70's. It sounds scary too.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"Sokahon group" SS Group? That's scary, sure sounds like stormtroopers. The more I hear about this org, the scarier it gets.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

"Back around the time when the Just Say No and sex-abstinence government programs were being implemented, I went head to head with politically correct NSA YD leadership in San Antonio over threats to take away leadership positions from any YD for partaking in cannabis use." No leaders would have been left in Chicago. Cannabis use was as common as cigarettes among NSA, and not just am
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I recommend checking out "proudblackbuddhist.org". I apologize if this site has been mentioned already. There is an excellent sectio. On problems with SGI. The site author went with the temple after the split.
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Oh, to be a young fanatic for cousin rufus! Who needed sleep wben you had adrenaline from all the frantic activity? I developed a coffee habit during my NSA years that remains to this day. I am still flabbergasted that we were doing all of this for a multi billion dollar org! Does anybody know if the temple got any of the money after the split?
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families