My goodness you have put my feelings so much more clearly than I can, thank you Spamster. I too have about 20 years of practice in the UK (more recently as a leader in London), but unlike you can no longer sustain my leadership responsibility. I tried for sometime, but am unlucky that my 'superior' leaders are so completely sucked-in to the closed-loop of Ikeda worship that I couldn't stomach meetings where they were present any longer. Maybe I'm a wimp, but they seem so brainwashed about 'Sensei' that it feels pointless, even cruel, to try to debate this with them. I also found it impossible to bring guests to meetings and then keep a straight face as all the rubbish about the mentor and disciple stuff is relentlessly spewed out. Was it better when they attempted to hide this from 'guests'- no, just an example of how underhand the whole SGI-UK thing/think can be.
Like you, I had quite kind feelings towards SGI-UK because most of the people I have met (including Robert Samuels the UK general director) are undoubtedly sincere in their thinking that they are practicing and teaching others Buddhism and that SGI-UK exists as a benign organisation to support this practice. Sure there is a diverse range of people and some I didn't get on with, but that will happen in any area of life - so this didn't put me off being a part of the organisation. The pointers you give to your members are along the lines that i tried to encourage members too.
However, my attitude changed after I started researching into SGI in Japan and talking to people who had practiced recently in the USA (shocking stuff). My eyes were opened to the fact that our 'parent' organisation in Japan is nothing less than a multi-billion dollar money making business cleverly using (parts of) a genuine Buddhist practice as a front. This business also seems to sucessfully use incredibly sophisticated mind-control techniques to keep the whole multi-level scam going. Encouraging the use of chanting to put people into a trance state so that they uncritically accept whatever rubbish you tell them (however ludicrous) is actually a nasty and evil tactic. Hence the increasing number of what Spamster refers to as gakkai-addicts - and yes there are more Ikeda-bots in the youth divisions because the youth division are persuaded to give most of their lives and free time to gakkai activities (where these mind control techniques are continiually refined and reinforced).
Also the realisation of Ikeda's almost psychotic egomania makes me almost nauseous. There is no question that he knows and even encourages his 'disciples' to lobby for all those fake degrees and naming of monuments after him (while he is still alive!). After all he could easily ask those "disciples" to stop lobbying for these things if he wanted to demonstrate what an enlightened, modest and unegotistical human being he is. But does he ask for this to stop - not on your nelly!
So however much I respect the leaders of SGI-UK as sincere human beings who have had the wool pulled over their eyes for many years (as had I), I cannot be part of an organisation (SGI-UK) that supports this manipulative and hypocritical cult from Japan, however innocent those in charge in the UK organisation may be. I just can't turn a blind eye any more to the 'bad' bits, because the 'bad' bits are too awful and ignoring them is in effect supporting and encouraging this awful behaviour. And if you think about it, taking something as beautiful and valuable as Shakyamuni's and Nichiren's teachings and twisting them and USING them to perpetuate a marketing scam is just truly disgusting - I can't be any part of that!
I am reeling from the realisation that I have been a member of a cult (and even worse have introduced others to it!), so am still processing my feelings about the whole thing. However I do know the difference between Ikedaism (or SGIsm) and Nichiren Buddhism and am trying my best to continue with as untainted a practice as I can. I do miss the exhilaration of chanting with a group, but hopefully that will pass. Joining in with SGI activities is too high a price to pay just for a momentary feeling of exhilaration!
I'd like to thank everyone who contributes to this forum for the support I have felt whilst becoming aware of all this. Thank you so much!. I did post a few pages back but then disappeared to read the whole thread (300+ pages) from the beginning, so have been quiet during that time. I can't express how much this thread has helped me keep my strength whilst being 'home visited' (and undergoing other unwelcome consequences of withdrawing from SGI). I would recommend any newcomer to the forum to go to the beginning of the thread and read as much as they can!
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