Uma recepção calorosa para os meus leitores portugueses
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Please bear in mind, that unlike the main western countries, there are many small peripheral European spots, where Nichiren Shu, Shoshu, Kempon or Independent are no-where to be seen.
That in itself poses a huge challenge. The grip on SG members around here is unbelievably strong. Will elaborate on that particular point at a later time.
SGI Under the Radar I will try to offer a detailed explanation about the almost brand new SG that I encountered when I moved back to my country of origin. The Association Soka Gakkai was officially recognized back in 2009 as a lay Buddhist movement and the creation of its first chapter dates back from 1992. The association counted, as of December 2010 (official stats), with a total of 607 members and 553 issued Nichikan Honzons, of which 284 are concentrated in the capital’s greater metropolitan area. ASG holds one unidentified cultural centre in an upmarket part of town and claims the venue is rented. ASG’s company profile online shows a private address belonging to a Japanese Senior Leader (one of three) as the registered address. Inside the cultural centre there are two blown up pictures of Ikeda and several of his so called “artistic” works. Curious enough, one of the blown ups dates back from 1961, and depicts the Ikeda family posing in one of the capital’s main squares during his first trips to Europe. In one Italian publication, there is a reference to this visit suggesting that Nichiren’s Buddhism was introduced in this small country in 1961, during his visit. (I wonder how he got in? Kōmei Kōseiren party card?) So when Europe celebrated 50 years of Kosen-Rufu, so did we, literally. Magical powers? Not a single soul chanted here for 31 years, but Ikeda´s Daimoku Sancho was enough to plant the seed of Buddhism in a closed, state-sponsored-catholic land. Mind boggling. Further, the newly created official website, still under construction, states that ASG is a registered NGO since it’s founding in 2009; a survey carried out in July 2013 by a major institute of the most reliable reputation makes no mention whatsoever to the association’s existence.
Zaimu campaigns are now open, as of December 2013, to group leaders. Prior to this, contributions where restricted to Chapter level leaders, quote “to protect and avoid confusion amongst the members… and gradually introduce the spirit of offering.” The emails on this topic are very strict and underline the utmost importance of, quote: “keeping and caring about this topic (the email itself) under secrecy to avoid any misunderstanding about the spirit of contribution.” The opportunity for regular members to contribute to the association’s kosen-rufu fund is off limits. Distributed along with the contribution email, the leaders can read the translation of the Gosho “Gift of Rice” and extracts from the New Human Revolution vol.4 entitled “Triumph”. Fully-fledged Ikedaism is openly propagated and Nichiren’s Writings are squashed into small quotes in ASG official literature with subsequent explanations by D.I. The monthly materials consist of direct translations from the Daibyakurengue study magazine or similar monthly issues into the native language. Commenting on translation issues, ASG Secretary General Director stated in person: “The sole purpose and the focus of the dedicated members of our translation team lies solely on the New Human Revolution and Sensei’s publications”, “if the Brazilian branch developed exponentially with a poor translation of the Gosho, just goes to show it´s not really that necessary”. I rest my case.
The good news is: Membership figures are dropping! Let´s take that the 607 figure I´ve put forward above and take into account the dropouts vs new converts, the number dropped to 523 in July 2013, at least on the official records. In real terms, last year, ASG had around 200+ active members. They’re not so picky anymore about the SGI issued no-honzons, and can’t be bothered to collect them, even at the members request. Instead, the stat’s spreadsheet shows a column for “Rolled up Gohonzon”. Plus, this is a warm country, come summer and the hot weather, and you might end up with a group leader sat on his own on a Wednesday afternoon because the group members are sipping cold beer at the beach café.
And the bad news is: a double-edged sword – fewer members might sound like a relief for the ones watching from a safe distance, but it’s bad news for the ones still active. I’ve met ASG people with three or more responsibilities pilling up on their shoulders. One in particular was National Lilac Coordinator, plus YWD chapter leader, plus YWD district leader, and group level coordinator. And that was all on top of a clerical day job. Exactly as mentioned above, she was good at being a cleric – let’s pile up on her all the clerical work from local ASG and keep her from committing to anything else! I don’t want to sound cocky and arrogant, but lucky for both of us, we committed to one-another. The two Nichikan Honzons are rolled up together in a drawer.
One small detail to add to this situation is the age group stat’s – YW and YM division are now extended to 40yrs/old, or until he or she becomes a father/mother. It’s not deliberate, but it works, after all, what’s of SG without brave, committed young men and young woman. The ones that stay, the ones that commit – are all the more vicious. The one’s that travel to Japan on training courses and come back with an iPhone 5 (Sensei’s gift I suppose) are beyond repair; they actually leave the country as regular members/leaders and come back – non-paid SG officials, its rather sad.
My partner and I are ASG free as off the 24th of November. The misfit and the insider were able to get their heads together and plan an escape route. We selected one specific monthly meeting to attend, like the more friendly venues where we knew we wouldn’t be so exposed, in order to go down on the stats sheet as active; very cleverly, on the 1st of December she renounced all responsibilities as a YW and demanded to be transferred to WD effectively from the 1st of Jan. She is now practicing TaiChi, something she left behind shortly after joining SG back in 2006. The 30, 40 or 50 SGI related email’s a day eventually stopped. No need to say I’ve been branded “Emotionally Unstable” and a “druggy” to explain away my absence and anti-Gakkai position. Funny enough, I have never had a record of drugs/alcohol use or abuse in my life, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m as wealthy as a horse. We all know about the superstitions surrounding SG members when it comes to leaving the org. - Job loss, poor health, accident prone, bad karma, you name it. But in ASG there is something new: Implicit or implied, there is a belief that if you slander the org, if you speak up actively and have a public opinion about them – You might incur in legal proceedings. Meaning, a lawsuit might be filled against you. I would sure like to see them try!
The individual’s constitutional rights concerning Religious Freedom reads:
Article 9.º - The negative content in religious freedom.
1 — No-one can: a) Be forced to profess a religious belief, to practice or attend cult activities, to receive religious assistance or propaganda with religious content; b) Be coerced into belonging, remaining or leaving the religious association, church or religious community and safeguarding the rules and regulations of affiliation and leaving the religious association.
So when a member leaves and starts getting the little silly text messages with Sensei’s guidance, or get’s a phone call from a close friend with an invitation for a carefree cup-a-coffee - that’s going lead inevitably to meeting up with other members to be questioned on why he or she left the ASG; SGI is breaking the law. The association is virtually unknown to the general public, and up to a certain extent, does it’s best to keep it that way. The scheme of things has indeed changed a lot from the testimonies I’ve read depicting the large gatherings and the street corner propagation - here it’s more like Shoshu to attract the new converts, and hard-core Shakubuku when someone tries to leave.
pedro, thanks for the information. i joined sgi/nsa in 1967. i left them in 1987. in essence they are a ugly cult and they have always lied about everything. i follow shakyamuni of the 16th chapter and his emissary for the latter age nichiren. i encourage you to do the same. mark know the teachings well, and their are others who know the correct teachings. follow the law. if we can help in any way , let us know. cheers
You see Greg, I just felt young and daft. But I am a grown man now, and the reason I still take issue with the cult org will remain until, my two underage daughters are SGI free. Come that day and I will no-longer spare them a tough. My boy, the middle son, is now being brought up in a cult free environment and has no religious obligations whatsoever, and so it should be for all three, until one day each one of them can make informed decisions of their own on all maters of faith. If there is one thing I would like to see one day – that my kids never adopt a cult related lifestyle, and for the time being, that’s looking pretty grim. I hope the remarks I shared here, will add some value to the discussion and helps more people to get themselves cult free. myoho renge kyo, or not ...
Dear Mark,
ReplyDeleteObrigado! your Portuguese is flawless :)
Please bear in mind, that unlike the main western countries, there are many small peripheral European spots, where Nichiren Shu, Shoshu, Kempon or Independent are no-where to be seen.
That in itself poses a huge challenge. The grip on SG members around here is unbelievably strong. Will elaborate on that particular point at a later time.
Kind regards,
Tainten and proud!
Can't wait for you to elaborate. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeletecheers pedro !
ReplyDeleteSGI Under the Radar
ReplyDeleteI will try to offer a detailed explanation about the almost brand new SG that I encountered when I moved back to my country of origin.
The Association Soka Gakkai was officially recognized back in 2009 as a lay Buddhist movement and the creation of its first chapter dates back from 1992. The association counted, as of December 2010 (official stats), with a total of 607 members and 553 issued Nichikan Honzons, of which 284 are concentrated in the capital’s greater metropolitan area. ASG holds one unidentified cultural centre in an upmarket part of town and claims the venue is rented. ASG’s company profile online shows a private address belonging to a Japanese Senior Leader (one of three) as the registered address. Inside the cultural centre there are two blown up pictures of Ikeda and several of his so called “artistic” works. Curious enough, one of the blown ups dates back from 1961, and depicts the Ikeda family posing in one of the capital’s main squares during his first trips to Europe. In one Italian publication, there is a reference to this visit suggesting that Nichiren’s Buddhism was introduced in this small country in 1961, during his visit. (I wonder how he got in? Kōmei Kōseiren party card?) So when Europe celebrated 50 years of Kosen-Rufu, so did we, literally. Magical powers? Not a single soul chanted here for 31 years, but Ikeda´s Daimoku Sancho was enough to plant the seed of Buddhism in a closed, state-sponsored-catholic land. Mind boggling.
Further, the newly created official website, still under construction, states that ASG is a registered NGO since it’s founding in 2009; a survey carried out in July 2013 by a major institute of the most reliable reputation makes no mention whatsoever to the association’s existence.
Zaimu campaigns are now open, as of December 2013, to group leaders. Prior to this, contributions where restricted to Chapter level leaders, quote “to protect and avoid confusion amongst the members… and gradually introduce the spirit of offering.” The emails on this topic are very strict and underline the utmost importance of, quote: “keeping and caring about this topic (the email itself) under secrecy to avoid any misunderstanding about the spirit of contribution.” The opportunity for regular members to contribute to the association’s kosen-rufu fund is off limits. Distributed along with the contribution email, the leaders can read the translation of the Gosho “Gift of Rice” and extracts from the New Human Revolution vol.4 entitled “Triumph”. Fully-fledged Ikedaism is openly propagated and Nichiren’s Writings are squashed into small quotes in ASG official literature with subsequent explanations by D.I. The monthly materials consist of direct translations from the Daibyakurengue study magazine or similar monthly issues into the native language. Commenting on translation issues, ASG Secretary General Director stated in person: “The sole purpose and the focus of the dedicated members of our translation team lies solely on the New Human Revolution and Sensei’s publications”, “if the Brazilian branch developed exponentially with a poor translation of the Gosho, just goes to show it´s not really that necessary”. I rest my case.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is: Membership figures are dropping! Let´s take that the 607 figure I´ve put forward above and take into account the dropouts vs new converts, the number dropped to 523 in July 2013, at least on the official records. In real terms, last year, ASG had around 200+ active members. They’re not so picky anymore about the SGI issued no-honzons, and can’t be bothered to collect them, even at the members request. Instead, the stat’s spreadsheet shows a column for “Rolled up Gohonzon”. Plus, this is a warm country, come summer and the hot weather, and you might end up with a group leader sat on his own on a Wednesday afternoon because the group members are sipping cold beer at the beach café.
And the bad news is: a double-edged sword – fewer members might sound like a relief for the ones watching from a safe distance, but it’s bad news for the ones still active. I’ve met ASG people with three or more responsibilities pilling up on their shoulders. One in particular was National Lilac Coordinator, plus YWD chapter leader, plus YWD district leader, and group level coordinator. And that was all on top of a clerical day job. Exactly as mentioned above, she was good at being a cleric – let’s pile up on her all the clerical work from local ASG and keep her from committing to anything else! I don’t want to sound cocky and arrogant, but lucky for both of us, we committed to one-another. The two Nichikan Honzons are rolled up together in a drawer.
One small detail to add to this situation is the age group stat’s – YW and YM division are now extended to 40yrs/old, or until he or she becomes a father/mother. It’s not deliberate, but it works, after all, what’s of SG without brave, committed young men and young woman. The ones that stay, the ones that commit – are all the more vicious. The one’s that travel to Japan on training courses and come back with an iPhone 5 (Sensei’s gift I suppose) are beyond repair; they actually leave the country as regular members/leaders and come back – non-paid SG officials, its rather sad.
ReplyDeleteMy partner and I are ASG free as off the 24th of November. The misfit and the insider were able to get their heads together and plan an escape route. We selected one specific monthly meeting to attend, like the more friendly venues where we knew we wouldn’t be so exposed, in order to go down on the stats sheet as active; very cleverly, on the 1st of December she renounced all responsibilities as a YW and demanded to be transferred to WD effectively from the 1st of Jan. She is now practicing TaiChi, something she left behind shortly after joining SG back in 2006. The 30, 40 or 50 SGI related email’s a day eventually stopped.
No need to say I’ve been branded “Emotionally Unstable” and a “druggy” to explain away my absence and anti-Gakkai position. Funny enough, I have never had a record of drugs/alcohol use or abuse in my life, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m as wealthy as a horse.
We all know about the superstitions surrounding SG members when it comes to leaving the org. - Job loss, poor health, accident prone, bad karma, you name it. But in ASG there is something new:
Implicit or implied, there is a belief that if you slander the org, if you speak up actively and have a public opinion about them – You might incur in legal proceedings. Meaning, a lawsuit might be filled against you. I would sure like to see them try!
The individual’s constitutional rights concerning Religious Freedom reads:
Article 9.º - The negative content in religious freedom.
1 — No-one can:
a) Be forced to profess a religious belief, to practice or attend cult activities, to receive religious assistance or propaganda with religious content;
b) Be coerced into belonging, remaining or leaving the religious association, church or religious community and safeguarding the rules and regulations of affiliation and leaving the religious association.
So when a member leaves and starts getting the little silly text messages with Sensei’s guidance, or get’s a phone call from a close friend with an invitation for a carefree cup-a-coffee - that’s going lead inevitably to meeting up with other members to be questioned on why he or she left the ASG; SGI is breaking the law.
The association is virtually unknown to the general public, and up to a certain extent, does it’s best to keep it that way.
The scheme of things has indeed changed a lot from the testimonies I’ve read depicting the large gatherings and the street corner propagation - here it’s more like Shoshu to attract the new converts, and hard-core Shakubuku when someone tries to leave.
pedro, thanks for the information. i joined sgi/nsa in 1967. i left them in 1987. in essence they are a ugly cult and they have always lied about everything. i follow shakyamuni of the 16th chapter and his emissary for the latter age nichiren. i encourage you to do the same. mark know the teachings well, and their are others who know the correct teachings. follow the law. if we can help in any way , let us know. cheers
ReplyDeletenamu myoho renge kyo !
You see Greg, I just felt young and daft. But I am a grown man now, and the reason I still take issue with the cult org will remain until, my two underage daughters are SGI free. Come that day and I will no-longer spare them a tough. My boy, the middle son, is now being brought up in a cult free environment and has no religious obligations whatsoever, and so it should be for all three, until one day each one of them can make informed decisions of their own on all maters of faith. If there is one thing I would like to see one day – that my kids never adopt a cult related lifestyle, and for the time being, that’s looking pretty grim. I hope the remarks I shared here, will add some value to the discussion and helps more people to get themselves cult free. myoho renge kyo, or not ...
Delete