If you read it and believe it then you know what Nichiren taught

How interesting that it is precisely those unique qualities displayed by Shakyamuni Buddha that are also uniquely suited to our needs-- as living beings in the saha world. 

"“There are three reasons why Shakyamuni Buddha rather than any of the other Buddhas has a relationship with all the people of the world of the saha world. First of all, he is the World Honored One, the soverign of all the people of this saha world…

The second reason is that Shakyamuni Buddha is the father and mother of all the persons in the saha world. It is proper that we should first of all pay filial respect to our own father and mother…

The third reason is that Shakyamuni is the original teacher of all persons in the saha world.” (Ibid, pgs 65-66)

"“These, then, are the special qualities possesed by Shakyamuni Buddha, qualities that the other Buddhas lack,” (Ibid, pg 68)

How many times did Shakyamuni demonstrate that laying down one's life for the sake of the Law- was like trading rocks for gold? Does this not distinguish his teaching/practices from all other Buddhas? Didn't ALL other Buddhas show him the highest respect with their presence and praise when Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra? IF all Buddhas, including Shakyamuni were emanations of some "other" primordial, divine entity, their testimony to Shakyamuni's eminence would have been inappropriate - false, and slander of this *other entity*--

It is this one Buddha, Shakyamuni who used the Wonderful Law that he became enlightened to, for the specific purpose of rescuing and protecting ALL living beings in the saha world-- having made this world his domain and adopting us all as his children.

In my humble opinion if we miss, discount the significance of the One Buddha, the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni , we cannot attain Buddhahood. I think Mark has once again demonstrated that Nichiren spared no effort to teach this "second most important Doctrine" -- We have Nichiren's writings and the full account of his life- his * bodily reading of the Lotus sutra".

Only if we practice as Nichiren did can we become fully enlightened to this wonderful Law-- the true entity of all phenomena-- Until then, all discussions absent Myoho-renge-Kyo-- are idle chatter. 

In my humble opinion"

Katie

Handsome, warm, and inviting

Much renewed interest in the fake Ongi Kuden, You can start here

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-ongi-kuden-record-of-orally.html

http://markrogow.blogspot.com/2015/12/more-proof-that-ongi-kuden-is-forgery.html

Nichiren and the Jewel of Ichinen Sanjin

“For those who do not understand ‘one thought is three thousand realms', the Buddha gives rise to Great Compassion, wrapping this jewel within the Five Characters, and has [him]* hang it around the necks of the young children of the Latter Age.” (Kanjin honzon sho, STN, v. 1, 720).

*Nichiren

At least SGI guidance [brainwashing] is free.

3072 Rock the Era performers East Zone x $125 performance fee; plus $15 for day spectators not including bus fees x ~ 3000 attendees; plus $3 lunch for spectators; plus $125 fee for Temple University shared four? (two?) to a dorm room and 6 meals for 2 Nights stay x ~ 1000. 

Nearly half a million dollars in profit for the weekend from just the East Zone. At least SGI guidance [brainwashing] is free.

What sells and what doesn't

Peace sells, the authentic teachings of Nichiren Daishonin doesn't. Interfaith sells, the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra doesn't. Rock the Era for Sensei sells, rebuking slanderers of the Law doesn't. Living Buddhism, SGI quarterly, the World Tribune, the Buddha in the Mirror, the Human Revolution, the New Human Revolution, and the New New Human Revolution sell, the Lotus Sutra doesn't.

Nichiren and the Supreme Being

http://theendlessfurther.com/nichiren-and-the-supreme-being/#comments

I am sorry about your misfortune [of being an SGI leader]

Dear Gwt; 

I am sorry about your misfortune [of being an SGI leader]. I am not sorry about SGI's misfortune. Nichiren says, "misfortune comes from one's mouth and ruins one while fortune comes from one's mind to make one respectworthy." Your mind has become warped by the SGI teachings that throws out the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha and the entirety of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth for the sake of what, the three mentors and the corrupt SGI organization? It is ironic that you cite "cause and effect". 

Then, taking SGI's teaching that you yourself are a Buddha, you run to another "Buddha" to help you resolve your problems. Never in the history of the universe has a Buddha received guidance from another Buddha. Either you are or you are not a Buddha. If you are a Buddha that is the end of the matter. If you are not then you had better seek guidance from the Buddha. Nichiren Daishonin writes: 

"Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are his manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha. If the "Life Span of the Buddha" chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul. nevertheless, seemingly knowledgeable men of such provisional schools of Buddhism as Ch'eng-kuan of the Hua-yen, Chia-hsiang of the San-lun, Tz'u-en of the Fa-hsiang, and Kobo of the shingon tried to extoltheir own canons by stating: "The Lord of the Flower Garland Sutra represents the reward-body (hojin) of the Buddha wheras that of the Lotus Sutra the accomodative body (ojin);" or "the Buddha in the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus is an Illusion; it is the great Sun Buddha who is enlightened." clouds cover the moon and slanderers hide wise men. When people slander, ordinary yellow rocks appear to be of gold and slanderers seem to be wise. Scholars in this age of decay, blinded by slanderous words, do not see the value of a gold in the "Lifespan of the Buddha" chapter. Even among men of the Tendai school some are fooled into taking a yellow rock for gold. They should know that if Sakyamuni had not been the Eternal Buddha, there could not have been so many who received GUIDANCE from Him. " -- Kaimoku Sho p. 27 Translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1992 

"Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness. Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future. He exists forever throughout the past present and future. All those who receive His GUIDANCE are one with this Eternal Buddha." -- Kanjin Honzon-Sho (NOPPA) page 94 

You don't have a clue as to the nature of a Buddha, the supernaturally divine and all pervasive power of the Gohonzon because the SGI Gohonzon derives from Nichikan and his warped "theology". The equally warped mind of Ikeda chose for you this man's Gohonzon because he knew it would foster co-dependency. It is time for you to wake up, take a step back, really study the teachings and readjust your faith, basing it on the Lotus Sutra and the authentic writings of Nichiren Daishonin. All the Daimoku in the world, even with one hundred million eons of effort, will not help you in the least if you don't perceive the true nature of your life [and the SGI]. We can help you with the latter.

Christians, Muslims and Hindus uphold one of the Three Wrong Viewpoints and atheists another

"In this world there are three wrong viewpoints. If one clings to these viewpoints, then all things in this world are but to be denied. First, some say that all human experience is based on destiny; second, some hold that everything is created by God and controlled by His will; third, some say that everything happens by chance without having any cause or condition. 

        

If all has been decided by destiny, both good deeds and evil deeds are predetermined, weal and woe are predestined; nothing would exist that has not been foreordained. Then all human plans and efforts for improvement and progress would be in vain and humanity would be without hope. 

        

The same is true of the other viewpoints, for, if everything in the last resort is in the hands of an unknowable God, or of blind chance, what hope has humanity except in submission? It is no wonder that people holding these conceptions lose hope and neglect efforts to act wisely and to avoid evil. 

        

In fact, these three conceptions or viewpoints are all wrong: everything is a succession of appearance whose source is the accumulation of causes and conditions." 

from the Avatamsaka-sutra....

Let us know FNCC participants

I have a suggestion. The next time you go to FNCC, write down your question about the SGI faith and practice, the Lotus Sutra, and the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. By the time you finish writing down your questions, you might have more than a thousand questions. Certainly, you will have many dozens of questions. Then, seek out the answers from your leaders as if your life depended on it [which it does]. See how many of those questions are answered. Check them off. Write down the answers next to the questions. See how many questions are answered to your satisfaction and let us know.

What makes Islam so different?

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

"...and the two will unite as one.”

“What an occasion for rejoicing! Though born into an evil age that is stained with the five impurities, we have been able to see and hear the true words of the one vehicle. We read that a person who has planted roots of good fortune [under Buddhas] equal in number to the sands of the Hiranyavatī or the Ganges River is able to encounter this sutra and take faith in it.100 Now you have aroused the mind that rejoices in faith. Thus without a doubt, just as a box and its lid fit together, so will your own faith evoke the Buddha’s compassionate response, and the two will unite as one.”

Studying the Gosho today, I came across this description of Dirham

"Answer: The Treatise on the Treasure Vehicle of Buddhahood written by Bodhisattva Sāramati and translated by Ratnamati states: “There are those who deliberately practice a lesser doctrine and slander the true doctrine and its teachers. . . . They preach without understanding the teachings of the Thus Come One, going against the sutras and yet declaring that they are expounding the true doctrine.” If we go by this passage, we must say that those who believe in the Hinayana teachings and declare them to be the true doctrine, failing to understand theMahayana teachings, are slandering the Law.

The Treatise on the Buddha Nature written by BodhisattvaVasubandhu and translated by the Tripitaka Master Paramārtha states: “To hate and reject the Mahayana teachings will make one an icchantika, or person of incorrigible disbelief, because in doing so one causes living beings to cast aside these teachings.” If we go by this passage, we must say that in an age when both Hinayana and Mahayana teachings are propagated, if one concentrates on spreading the Hinayana teachings, personally turns against the Mahayana teachings, and causes others toreject them as well, then such a person is guilty of slandering the Law.

A commentary on the Brahmā Net Sutra by the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai states: “‘To slander’ means to turn against. In all cases where understanding does not accord with what is right in principle and words do not match the truth, and the person is expounding some different interpretation, this is to be labeled an act of slander. Because such persons go against the true doctrine of our school, they are guilty of this offense.”

The “Simile and Parable” chapter of the Lotus Sutra states: “If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world. . . . When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avīchi hell.”

The meaning of this passage is as follows. Even if one has not yet reached the three stages of worthiness of the Hinayana teaching, or has not yet reached the ten stages of faith of the Mahayana teaching; even if one is an ordinary mortal of this latter age who commits the ten evil actsor the five cardinal sins, who is unfilial toward one’s father and mother, or who is a woman; if such a person hears the name of the Lotus Sutra, or chants the daimoku, or accepts and upholds one word, one line of afour-line verse, or four lines, one chapter, one volume, or all eight volumes of the sutra, reads and recites them, or merely responds with joy and praises a person who carries out these practices, then that person is superior to a great bodhisattva who profoundly adheres to all the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime other than that set forth in the Lotus Sutra, who has fully mastered the principles of those teachings, and who rigorously obeys all the precepts and rules of the Mahayana andHinayana teachings, and that person will be capable of gaining rebirth in a pure land and becoming a Buddha. But if one fails to believe this when one hears it preached, and on the contrary asserts that the Lotus Sutra was preached for the sake of bodhisattvas who have already reached the ten stages of development and the ten stages of security or have advanced beyond them; or that it was preached for ordinary mortals of superior capacity and superior wisdom, but not for the sake of foolish persons, evil persons, women, or ordinary mortals of this latter age, then that person will destroy the seeds for the attainment of Buddhahood by all living beings and will enter the Avīchi hell. This is what the passage is saying.

The Nirvana Sutra states: “When it comes to the correct teaching of the Buddha, they show no inclination to protect, treasure, and establish it over the ages.” This passage means that, at a time when the great teaching set forth in the Great Nirvana Sutra is about to perish from the world, those who do not treasure it are in fact slanderers of the Law.

The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai has described those who are the sworn enemies of the Lotus Sutra, saying, “‘Hatred’ refers to those who take no delight in listening to the doctrine.”

A passage from Repaying Debts of Gratitude in its modern context.

They will be bound by seven cords of iron and dragged by the two wardens of hell to the court of Yama, the lord of hell. While in hell, they will suspect that they had been brought before Yama because they had slandered the Lotus Sutra, and they then quickly will set aside all their songs in honor of Daisaku Ikeda, all their ill-gotten gains from the member's sincere donations, their Shingon type practice for material gain, and their tantric Guru Yoga, and instead they will chant the passage from the Lotus Sutra that begins, “Now this threefold world is all my [Shakyamuni Buddha’s] domain,”whereupon the cords that bound them will fall away and they will be returned to life.*

*A passage from Repaying Debts of Gratitude in its modern context.

Toda Enlightened?

“But, without any thought for my person or my life, I chant Namu-myoho renge-kyo.” — Nichiren Daishonin

“When I meet you, I don’t ask: “Are you keeping faith?” The reason is that I take your shakubuku for granted. What I really want to ask you is how your business is, whether you are making money, and if you are healthy. Only when all of you receive divine benefits do I feel happy. A person who says “I keep faith; I conduct shakubuku” when he is poor – I don’t consider him my pupil. Your faith has only one purpose: to improve your business and family life. Those who talk about “faith” and do not attend to their business are sacrilegious. Business is a service to the community. I will expel those of you who do nothing but shakubuku without engaging in business.” — Josei Toda

And

“How can we live happily in this world and enjoy life? If anyone says he enjoys life without being rich and even when he is sick – he is a liar. We’ve got to have money and physical vigor, and underneath all we need is life force. This we cannot get by theorizing or mere efforts as such. You can’t get it unless you worship a gohonzon…It may be irreverent to use this figure of speech, but a gohonzon is a machine that makes you happy. How to use this machine? You conduct five sittings of prayer in the morning and three sittings in the evening and shakubuku ten people. Let’s make money and build health and enjoy life to our hearts’ content before we die!” — Josei Toda

My favorite SGI World Fibune

World Fibune March 1, 2014

Daisaku Ikeda Receives 359th Award from the Devries Online College 

World Fibune Hamtramck Michigan, 02/05/2014 
Adin Straus reporting

For his outstanding achievements in Home Economics [bringing millions home to Japan for himself and his Vice Presidents], the Devries College awarded Daisaku Ikeda with his 359th honorary degree and the key to their online community. Unfortunately, Sensei was not able to attend the ceremony which was held at the Devries Online Computer Center in the Detroit neighborhood of Hamtramck. Hiramasu Ikeda, however, was pleased to receive the award for his father. Hiramasu talked about the revitalization of Detroit Michigan thanks to his father’s ongoing dialogues with Reverend Al Sharpton. Hiramasu related to the members that, during the first of their historic meetings, Reverend Sharpton hailed the Yemeni immigrants, both legal and illegal, as the bedrock of this predominantly polish community. Reverend Sharpton also praised the new Mosque across from the Devries Computer Center and Sensei concurred adding, “this beautiful community of ethnic and religious diversity is the hope for all mankind.” Sensei also brought up one of Hamtramck’s native sons, Rodney Dangerfield stating, “I don’t get any respect from the real Nichiren Buddhists and he didn’t get any respect from anyone.” Everyone was in a joyous mood at this profound award ceremony. 

May Contribution Is Just Around the Corner 
World Fibune 02/07/2014

Jim Celer Midwest Bureau Chief and Illarraza Buku World Tribune Reporter Santa Monica Ca.

Many members have been asking if it is too early to contribute? Danny Nagashima, SGI-USA General Director, responded to this very question with a question of his own at the January 18th Headquarters leaders meeting, right after the Daisaku Ikeda video presentation: “Is it too early to gain benefit?”. He went on, ”It is never too early to contribute to the May Campaign and it is never to early to gain more benefits.” He related the story of Orlando Cepeda who, through a myriad of bad investments, was nearly broke until he met Sensei. Sensei told him how, he too was nearly broke until he bought the four Renoir paintings from the Louvre Museum in Paris to donate to the members. He ponied up his last four million dollars and he is now a billionaire. Immediately after returning to the states, Mr Cepeda donated his last ten thousand dollars and, the next day, he became the national spokesperson for Churches Fried Chicken. You must be wondering by now, when can members begin to contribute? The commemorative May 2014 contribution period is actually from today, February 7, 2014 until February 6, 2015. 

How can members contribute? 

Financial contributions can be made in the following three ways: 

• In person at your local SGI-USA culture or community center, by cash, check, money order or credit card; 

• By mail with a postage-paid business reply envelope from your local SGI-USA center using a check, money order or credit card; 

• On our Web site at www.sgi-usa.org by credit card. 

What if members have questions? If you have further contribution-related questions, please call the toll-free hotline at (866) 501-3220 (within the United States). Hotline representatives are available weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PDT throughout the commemorative contribution period. Messages left after business hours will be returned during regular hotline hours. 

The Soka Gakkai International-USA is a religious, non profit organization and gifts to it WERE tax-deductible under the provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section501(c)(3) 

The Lotus Sutra [Myoho renge kyo] is the moon itself,

not a finger pointing at the moon.

I accidentally deleted your recent posts Greg and Katie

In response to Dirham. Sorry.

Too pooped to pop.

"I am SGI 

I have been a YWD Leader, WD District Leader, and now a Chapter WD Ldr. I have practiced for almost 45 years. I know Nichiren Shoshu Academy, Nichiren Shoshu of America, and now the SGI. I have marched in the fife and drum, been to at least 20 States for conventions, and I am too pooped to pop. 

The past 6 years plus have been hard for me to swallow. The whole Mentor and Disciple, now the ONENESS of Mentor and Disciple. It’s too much for my sensibilities anymore. I can only talk to 2 members about this whole idea of reaching enlightenment through the Mentor/Disciple relationship. That would mean the pioneers who came before us including my father would not have had the opportunity to reach enlightenment through this sort of new principal. 

Hell I always considered Pres Ikeda my master back when I was in youth division. I have been practicing since the late 60’s. However that was my choice, it was not printed in publications, spoke about daily, on Sundays etc. Now you have to accept it or ….. I don’t know what the or really is? 

Lately I have read The Autobiography of a Yogi, Fire in the Lotus, Old Path White Clouds, The Prophet Nichiren? Wake up to your life: Discovering the Buddhist path of Attention. The first 30 pages deal with picking your teacher. Very interesting… 

So I am at a crossroads in my leadership duties. What If what I believe is a lie? The practice of chanting and GONGYO and reading the Gosho are fine with me. --- It’s the body of Leaders in the SGI that concern me. The constant reference to each and every Gosho as the oneness of Mentor and Disciple. What does that really mean? I thought to myself. The constant steam cooker – me and my district leaders operate under. Some of them are not participating in leaders meetings – They don’t jump like they did when they first began their practice. The endless last minute meetings where you are expected to drop everything. I am constantly told “I am going home and going to bed” or “I can’t make all these meetings” 

We just had our May 3rd meeting it was FLAT nobody seemed to be enthusiastic about Rock the Era or none of what was going on stage. Clearly when it came to Pres Ikeda‘s video folks were flying out of the room to leave or go to the bathroom. 

I have told Region leaders I want to give up my Chapter position - I only signed on for 3 years and its now been 9. Before that I was a District Leader for 20 years. 

Guests come through the front door and leave out as members – in some cases never to be seen or heard of again. 

I have other reasons that I don’t want to talk about just yet. I am whipped and beat and tired. I want to retire like any other Manager who has been on the job for 42 years, collect my gold watch, and leave. 

I am funny if I think I can go out without a fight. 

Also========================================= 

From Reply to the Mother of Ueno… To reassure the lay nun Ueno that her son has attained Buddhahood, the Daishonin discusses the great benefit gained from embracing the Lotus Sutra, and asserts that a votary of the sutra will be protected by Shakyamuni, Many Treasures , and all the other Buddhas. 

Hmmp don’t see any mention of living the oneness of mentor and disciple. 

How many times in the Gosho did Nichiren emphasize that those who go against the Lotus Sutra suffer but those who continue to embrace it are Buddhas… Gee no mention here of the Oneness of Master and Disciple... oops they call it Mentor and Disciple now. 

Nichiren states of Shichiro Goro in the Gosho of the same name…. "At an early age, having not yet turned twenty, he began chanting Namu Myoho-renge-kyo and thus he became a Buddha. This is what the sutra means when it says: Then not a one will fail to attain Buddhahood.” 

Gee again no mention of this mentor and disciple relationship. It seems to be the relationship between us and the Lotus Sutra." -- Blue Lady

Ikeda's and SGI leaders ill-gotten gains

They will be bound by seven cords of iron and dragged by the two wardens of hell to the court of Yama, the lord of hell. While in hell, they will suspect that they had been brought before Yama because they had slandered the Lotus Sutra, and they then quickly will set aside all their songs in honor of Daisaku Ikeda, all their ill-gotten gains from the member's sincere donations, their Shingon type practice for material gain, and their tantric Guru Yoga, and instead they will chant the passage from the Lotus Sutra that begins, “Now this threefold world is all my [Shakyamuni Buddha’s] domain,”whereupon the cords that bound them will fall away and they will be returned to life.*

*The above modified from a passage in Repaying Debts of Gratitude.

Soka Gakkai steals and usurps the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra

“…Then, as laymen, they work to destroy the teachings of Buddhism. Men of this kind steal and usurp the correct teachings of Buddhism and use them to supplement and bolster the erroneous writings…” — Opening of the Eyes

Soka Gakkai steals and usurps the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra to destroy the Secret Law of the Object of Worship, the concept of Eternal Buddha, the doctrine of the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra, the doctrine of the transmission, and the meaning and significance of attaining Buddhahood in this very body. They utilize the writings in a selective and arbitrary manner and highlight the disputed texts such as the forged and insignificant Ongi Kuden to supplement and bolster the erroneous teachings of Human Revolution, Lotus Sutra interfaith, SGI Oneness of Mentor and Disciple, and seeking guidance [control]. They [Daisaku Ikeda and his high paid lieutenants] also steal and usurp Namu Myoho renge kyo to enrich themselves.

I have seen many SGI leaders who are miserable, exhausted, and overstressed

"What I object to is how SGI is constantly glorifying this workaholic, go-go-go overscheduled lifestyle. Linda Johnson, for example, gave a speech about how she has this very busy job as a prosecutor, going to court herself and supervising other lawyers -- and then she also has two demanding positions in SGI. If that's what she wants to do, fine, that's her choice. What I dislike is that this is held up as an example to the rest of us -- we should be doing the same. Well, I don't want to! I would like to have a personal life, time for hobbies and friends, time to stop and smell the roses! When I tried to explain this to my leaders, their attitude was that I was being selfish and lazy, content with a narrow little life. 

Nonsense! I work quite hard at my job and at home -- but I also consider it important to have balance in my life. I have seen many SGI leaders who are miserable, exhausted, and overstressed -- and their families suffer too from their overinvolvement with SGI. Even if I loved SGI, that's not for me. It's not a healthy way to live." -- Tsukimoto

Nichiren too realized this:

"But for your person as a householder the essence is for you to chant 'Namu Myoho renge kyo' with no other thought and also make offerings to the monks. And also, if it is in accord with the sutra text, one should also 'expound it according to one's strength,' shouldn't one?" [Reply to Lord Matsuno] 

The key here, I think, is "according to one's strength". It doesn't read, "according to the strength of another". SGI changes Nichiren's teachings for their self serving ends. They are not "Nichiren Buddhists", least of all "The One True Nichiren Sect". Shameful. SGI is a bizarre parody of Buddhism. 

Nichiren mentions Shakyamuni Buddha thousands of times and with great reverence and deference.

The emperor Ikeda has no clothes. He and his disciples are so jealous of Shakyamuni Buddha that they threw him out of his own religion. Years ago, on the Alternate Religion of Nichiren Google group, when former members would assert the centrality of Ikeda to SGI, SGI members would retort, "Shakyamuni the Easter Bunny" or "Shakyamuni Buddha... do you mean Santa Claus?" Isn't it strange that Shakyamuni Buddha, not only is rarely mentioned [in a so-called Nichiren sect] but they defame him. Nichiren mentions Shakyamuni Buddha thousands of times and with great reverence and deference. Were people to follow the Law rather than the person [of Ikeda], there would be no SGI. They fear Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra because belief in them [rather than Ikeda and the SGI] will put them out of a job. 

"You are not worthy of being a disciple of Sensei if you don't feel inspired to bring many people to see his videos." SGI Leader Tariq Hassan

Tariq Hassan, SGI Men's Division leader was the next to last keynote speaker. He was incredulous that some regions and areas weren't showing Ikeda's videos at their Sunday Kosen Rufu Prayer meetings, "I don't understand it", he said in derision. Then he went on to give an experience about home visiting the husband of a member. This man is one of the top executives of Citi Bank. Hassan was literally gushing praise [like a little dog sniffing the butt of a big dog's behind] of this mega rich fool. He stated to the effect, "The favorite activity of the City Bank top executive is seeing President Ikeda's videos". No wonder the crook in City Bank is in awe of the billionaire Ikeda, the Soka Gakkai never loses money and doesn't have to pay even a dime in taxes. They do have one thing in common, getting rich off the little guys. At the same time, is there any doubt why Citi Bank lost so many billions and billions of dollars thanks to faulty investments? With heads of the company like this fellow, it was a matter of course. 

Tariq Hassan also stated that you are not worthy of being a disciple of Sensei if you don't feel inspired to bring many people to see Sensei's videos. 

Another Ikedabot stated that the prime point of the national meeting in Guam, "was the VERY large picture of Sensei placed in the middle of the room." 

Only in SGI pseudo-Buddhism

Is honesty and objectivity perceived as fundamental darkness 

Today I return my Gohonzon to SGI-UK

"I have been reading this thread for about the last 4 hours and it has made me sick to my stomach and close to tears." -- SGI member

"I'm glad you have spent four hours reading this thread. However, whilst it might feel safer to focus on things in the United States, these experiences are certainly not exclusive to the States. The worst extremes of SGI attitudes were, and still are most prevalent in Japan it seems. SGI is not quite so stupid to attempt acting so militantly elsewhere. I used to practice in the UK and the SGI here are no less insidious, having just changed their approach to the level our culture will allow. Barely. Even knowing that SGI used to, or are elsewhere using underhand and cult tactics to affect peoples lives, should be enough for anyone with integrity to distance themselves from such an organisation. Otherwise, I find it akin to locking oneself in a room with ones fingers in their ears whilst humming loudly, trying not to hear whats going on outside. It should be obvious that everyone here seems to have already attempted to "be the change you wish to see", and this approach has not worked. Therefore, this is why the thread is titled Former Cult Members and Affected Families. 

You could well be Robert Samuels. No offense intended, but your post certainly smacks of an "official, by the book, response". Of course, any and all are more than welcome to post here. But its not a forum for support of SGI and that should be blatantly obvious. I think you could better serve the voices here on this thread, by accepting and understanding them. If you wish to remain in a group that is unable, unwilling, and not even interested in reform, that is your decision. If you are happy in such a community, that is likewise your prerogative, but if you fly with the crows... 

I agree with the other responses, I don't particularly welcome your pity, however. I don't see how pity is befitting to people's experiences here. The word sounds a little inappropriate and somewhat insensitive to the people that have suffered within SGI. They did not suffer at random. The experiences related here bear common themes and are a result of the SGI mindset and structure. Just because you "are not aware" of similar events in SGI-UK, by no means does it mean they do not occur. A "pitying and sympathetic" post is not going to make all these events not exist. There are many more people who do not know where to turn. They have no-one to speak to regarding the discomfort and subtle mind control SGI exerts. Being in an SGI community is by its very nature a pressured way of life. These are my conclusions, and I am not alone. I am very glad to have followed all the "supportive steps and guidance" you have provided, in the past myself, and it had about as much effect as trying to slice a pool of water. Today I return, finally, once and for all my Gohonzon, to SGI-UK. I am so very glad to be rid of SGI's presence in my life - these strong emotions have come about after going through mental torture trying to consolidate my conscience with the nonsense I put up with as a member. I am glad to say my conscience, not SGI's alleged "value creating society", are what has endured, and it is once again guiding my life instead of Soka Spirit. Cult is not a dirty word. Christianity began as a minority cult. I too had many concerns about the cult of SGI, yet I found I could not live between the two worlds - my sense of right and wrong and what SGI was doing to me. The two were incompatible. -- Former SGI-UK member" 

World peace and "human revolution" through banal activities?

The SGI is not much different than totalitarian governments and our modern republics and democracies which too have become totalitarian. Since life isn't so great for a good many people who are burdened with heavy taxes [donations], engaged in wars, and their leaders lining their pockets [corruption], the governments attempt to keep the people entertained and uneducated, with endless sport programming, talent shows, reality shows, stupid "newsworthy" events, community activism for shallow causes, poor educational systems, etc. Likewise, the SGI doesn't want the youth to think and to really explore Buddhism, lest their free labor and donations stop, so it promotes mindless culture festivals like Rock the Era for Sensei while drumming into their heads that they are contributing to world peace and "human revolution" through these banal activities.

SGI standing up against authoritarian religion

"From what I can gather, the Soka Gakkai is standing up against authoritarian religion. To accomplish that, they must place strict limits on their member's freedoms of speech, association, assembly, publishing, and so on." -- R. Beck

Irony and karma

The Wadas and Hojos are the Japanese Borgias and Medicis and Ikeda is the Japanese Pope. It is ironic and due to karma that SGI's center in Florence Italy is the most beautiful Villa the Medici's ever built. Ikeda and his dukes act contrary to the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin who never advocated acquisitions. This is similar to the Medici's practices which ran counter to the teachings of Jesus and St. Francis.

My SGI experience

I thought nothing about doing all sorts of non-Buddhist activities as a YMD member and leader. I wanted to attain Buddhahood and I was willing to do whatever my seniors said I needed to do: Stand from 2 - 4 am guarding a metal plaque of Toda in the middle of nowhere; directing traffic in freezing rain for hours even though there were so many signs a blind man could have found the parking lot; guarding a doorway for hours where not one person entered or left; cleaning community center toilets until they shined; endless marching; trying to memorize To My Young American Friends; meetings nearly every night and on the weekends for weeks and months on end; driving a large truck with manual transmission, all over Manhattan even though I had never driven a manual transmission; wearing white T-shirts and white pants and running around union square park every Saturday for nearly a year, sometimes with those white Japanese beanie hats and taking the subway there looking like an idiot; chanting to pictures of Daisaku Ikeda; doing street shakabuku in the worst neighborhoods in the South Bronx and making home visits to tenements; missing work and school for the sake of activities; strained family relations because they wouldn't chant or couldn't see how enlightened I was from doing all these activities or them criticizing Ikeda; trying to sleep in warehouses, either on the floor, a bench, or on a thin mat and with the lights on for many days on end; practically begging people to get the Gohonzon, paying for them to get one, shaming them into getting one, breaking off relationships because they wouldn't get one; giving my last dollar to attend retreats and having to eat spaghetti and butter and canned peas and ketchup for weeks and grubbing cigarettes because I had no money left; severe lack of sleep while doing strenuous labor, marching, and running for days on end. 

The problem was, I didn't study the Lotus Sutra and all the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. I followed persons rather than the Law. Nichiren taught that the only requirement for a lay practitioner is to chant Namu Myo ho renge kyo, support the priests who do shakabuku [forceful conversions] and tell other to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo according to one's strength. In other words, a simple straightforward faith and practice. SGI doesn't want you to study in depth because then, you would question almost everything about the Soka Gakkai faith and practice. That is why their study materials always are carefully structured into pre-prep lectures and the like, and they study the same things year after year. One would think that the entirety of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings is found in the Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and the "oneness of mentor and disciple." Every week for several years we studied this writing in the light of Ikeda's teaching on the oneness of mentor and disciple. They lie that you only need to learn one concept of the Gosho to understand all there is about Buddhism. They take the phrase from the writings, "To practice and ponder one phrase" which refers to Namu Myoho renge kyo and shoehorn it to mean that any phrase Ikeda picks out from the writings is enough to understand the entirety of Buddhism. Suffice it to say I am extremely joyful to have found an authentic sangha in which to practice with other like minded individuals who try and have the same faith and practice as Nichiren Daishonin.

SGI insults our intelligence

"I just came across an experience in the 10/23/09 issue of the World Tribune that is so ridiculous that I have to post about it. It's by a woman in California talking about how she and her daughter, named Destiny, overcame their problems through chanting and reading Ikeda's guidance. Towards the end of the article it reads:" 

"I wish that I could hug President Ikeda and thank him for the difficulties he endured so that people like me can transform their lives and find happiness amid darkness. Destiny, now 4, chants with me every morning and evening, and asks to attend meetings every day. She has me start out the morning by reading out loud her favorite piece of President Ikeda's guidance. She asked me to frame it and put it on the wall next to our altar, which I did. He writes: 'Prayer is the courage to persevere. It is the struggle to overcome our own weakness and lack of confidence in ourselves. It is the act of impressing in the very depths of our being the conviction that we can change the situation without fail. Prayer is the way to destroy all fear. It is the way to banish sorrow, the way to light a torch of hope. It is the revolution that rewrites the scenario of our destiny.'" 

Did you catch that her daughter is 4 years old? Four! Asking me to believe that your four-year-old wants to go to an SGI meeting every day is one thing, but asking me to believe that she even remotely understands that bit of guidance is insulting to my intelligence." -- SGBye

What a way to live! [as an SGI member]

"I have seen numerous examples of people discarding the path of mentor and disciple and instead taking the most deplorable course of betraying their mentor and fellow members. They have invariably wound up spiritually bankrupt and in pitiful circumstances." -- Daisaku Ikeda 

"This is the very kind of situation to which my mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, was referring when he said, "It may appear that our enemies are outside, but the most insidious enemies are within." Therefore, we must take a firm stand against those who seek to spread poison inside the organization. If left unchallenged, their noxious influence will pervade the entire organization and end up destroying everyone's pure faith. That is why it is imperative that we remain vigilant against those who would betray the teachings of our mentors." -- Daisaku Ikeda 

They are confused about the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Taking SGI's teachings to their logical conclusion, I can see why SGI leaders are so paranoid. They are wary of their own members and their non-Buddhist guidance system lacks privacy. With everyone spying and telling on each other, it is not unlike the practice of the Nazi youth corps. For example, "John Public has been teaching that one doesn't require Sensei for their mentor." or "Debbie Smith has a Shakyamuni Buddha statue on her altar." or "Timmy Lacosta has exchanged his Nichikan Gohonzon for a Nichiren Gohonzon but he is still leading Gongyo as the Chapter Chief." What a way to live! What a way to practice "Buddhism."

EVER VICTORIOUS WITH SENSEI

The following is a summary of the October 2013 SGI USA national leader's meeting: 

"When You Lose You Actually Win." 

"HOW FORTUNATE I AM TO HAVE A MENTOR LIKE THIS." 

[www.sgi-usa.org] 

Tariq Hassan: 

We just got back from Japan receiving guidance and meeting Sensei. Though it was a hard time with the loss of the LDP and Komeito, Sensei was in high spirits. He gave us tremendous guidance, "When you lose you actually win!". So very important, the unity of mentor and disciple as we walk along side our mentor. Sensei said to his Japanese leaders, "please learn from America the spirit of oneness of mentor and disciple". We met Hiromasa Ikeda and Vice President Hasagawa who said: "facing times of change, how much greater the mission of America. With ever deeper faith in the oneness of mentor and disciple we will protect sensei." Again, as disciples of President Ikeda let us joyfully advance. We make the mentor proud when we unite wholeheartedly with him. With the Mentor we will always win (does that mean lose? HA HA). Sensei's guidance was on the importance of statistics and statistics department. I am the head of the statistics department though I didn't volunteer for this job (joke). There will be monthly statistics meetings for the districts. New form to remove someone from the SGI statistics roll. I will be happy to assist the SGI in doing statistics. In Japan, it takes six months before someone is removed from statistical rolls, signature of district and chapter chief required. 

Linda Johnson: 

Chant to live up to the mentor. Learn from President Ikeda. He gets this Buddhism. He has never lost (then he has never won?? HA HA sorry to interrupt). Linda J. continues, To manifest your capacity...vital to study Sensei. Send out only Sensei's encouragment on the internet not your own. Lets learn from the best. Home visit every member. It is the time to teach them about Sensei and how to win (which is really losing???). "Bless her" (Kitty Shapiro who helped her when she was a new member) hallelujah. Chant to let me win. (shouldn't she have said, chant to let me lose which is actually to win?). Then she spoke about the attitude one should have when we chant. Maybe she mentioned the Gohonzon one or two times. Determine that your members will win today. Challenge ourselves to care about the members winning. Never leave a home visit without impressing on that person the oneness of mentor of disciple. This is the eternal formula we must get and teach. To insure through our care that every single member always tap unlimited potential and win we must practice with the spirit of mentor and disciple. Change our lives, the lives of our family, and this country. 

Next young mens's division leader Nathan (Abraham Lincoln) Gauer: 

Who will uphold Sensei's legacy? 50th anniversary of his visit to America in July. Culture festivals. Sensei determined to spend the remaining part of his life in America, the country he loves best. Culture Festival for Sensei. REALLY REALLY GREAT (Must be spending too much time with Danny Nagashima.) Real short speech. 

Vanissa Shaw national YWD leader, Crest toothpaste girl, actress, and Ikeda disciple extroadinaire: 

ARE YOU READY TO ROCK THE ERA. ROCK THE ERA MEETINGS AND FESTIVALS IN JULY. AMERICA CAPITAL OF MENTOR AND DISCIPLE. "Entire focus, the mentor". duh. As Sensei has said always sing a gakkai song during our Rock The Era meetings. Sensei we will create the capital of mentor disciple. 

Keith Beeber student division leader: National direction... shakabuku on college campuses. Since July, 15 universities 200 guests and 35 shakabuku. Carry on the spirit of the oneness of mentor and disciple based on the mentors guidance form student groups. Bring joy to Sensei by warmly embracing our leaders. 

Danny Nagashima shouting as usual: 

HELLO EVERYONE ARE YOU HAPPY? THANK YOU THANK YOU VERY MUCH. We did 1984 shakabuku in the month of august, the most in twenty years. We have been waiting for this moment for twenty years. (somewhat surprisingly, muted cheering and clapping). The time has come. We have to create AMERICA WITH YOUTH DIVISION. I'M THIRTY YEARS OLD. EVERYONE IS YOUTH DIVISION. AS LONG AS WE SEEK SENSEI WE CAN REMAIN YOUNG. THE KEY TO VICTORY IS STATISTICS. 70 % increase in membership (I have a bridge to sell you). As a disciple of Daisaku Ikeda,the oneness of mentor and disciple IS THE KEY. We will make exhibits of mentor and disciple. Fifty years since Sensie's first visit to United States. We are experiencing in America, the great character of Daisaku Ikeda, we are fusing with him. Something genuine is the oneness of mentor and disciple. What is the Genuine meaning of oneness of mentor and disciple? SEEKING SENSEI (Im getting a freaking migraine). Genuine disciple of sensei is never defeated. Ever victorious. Always winning. KANSAI NEVER LOST SINCE 1957. With your bond with sensei you will be ever victorius, EVER VICTORIOUS WITH SENSEI (flailing his arms and coming back to his chest), with sensei. SCREAMING AGAIN. YOU BODHISATTVAS TO CREATE EVER VICTORIOUS AMERICA. HOW MUCH CAN WE CREATE THIS KANSAI. KANSAI NEVER LOST SINCE 1957. Orlando Cepeda joke and then 7 points of victory for Kansai. Oneness of mentor and disciple, repeating it again several times. SHOUTING AGAIN: READING GOSHO AND SENSEI'S GUIDANCE; UNITY; FIGHT AGAINST INJUSTICE; LIGHTENING SPEED IN COMMUNICATIONS AND GUIDANCE; ACTION ACTION ACTION; ALWAYS WIN (which means lose?); Last one I didn't get(BECOME A LION?) BASED ON ONENESS OF MENTOR AND DISCIPLE. 

Platitudes upon platitudes. 

6 mentions of Nichiren Daishonin. > 100 mentions of Ikeda. No mention of Shakyamuni. One or, at most, two mentions of the Gohonzon, No mention of the Lotus Sutra. 

Are they winning? That must mean losing HA HA. 

Protect Sensei? The guy's already got dozens of body guards who will take a bullet for his old self but they want you to protect him all the way from New Jersey. 

On October 13, 1282, surrounded by his disciples and followers, and reciting with them the "Stanzas of Eternity" (Ji Ga Ge) from the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren expired at the age of sixty one. The cherry trees bloomed out of season and the earth quaked. Our tears flow unceasingly. "When You Lose You Actually Win." or  HOW FORTUNATE I AM TO HAVE A MENTOR LIKE THIS. 

SGI is a medium small country with the assets of a medium large country

It is hard to find accurate up to date information on the SGI cult because of their money, influence, and high level diplomacy. They, to a large extent, control the media, the sociologists, and to some extent, even entire governments. They succeed in deleting many videos and articles critical of SGI. SGI is a medium small country with the assets of a medium large country and they have a strong, dedicated, and efficient bureaucracy. I fear that we will remain in the dark until some high level Soka leaders come forward with the details, internal workings, discussions, and memos of the organization. Mr. Yano, hopefully, will soon publish his personal notes that were ordered returned to him by the Japanese courts. Possibly too, we will gain some insight when they throw out another safe containing internal memos.* The things they can't keep under wraps is the reality of their religious doctrines, religious activities, and their worship of Ikeda.

* http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/20/world/japan-finds-latest-scandal-in-a-dump.html

Thank you Sensei

"Davis (current spokesman for Scientology) was quickly returned to the fold and sent to the church’s offices in Clearwater, Florida, where he was required to clean toilets with a toothbrush for a week." 

As Gajokai (Toban), we were required to clean the toilets in the community centers and it was a great honor to be able to clean the toilet in Ikeda's personal apartment, even though he never stayed there. The Gakkai is much more enlightened than the Scientologists. The Gakkai lets you use toilet brushes and not tooth brushes. It really wasn't so bad cleaning Ikeda's toilet, nobody ever used it. Maybe that is why it was such an honor. It was such a relief that we didn't have to clean the public toilets [usually]. Thank you Sensei.

One man's SGI experience

"One girl I knew, who was a good person, got lured into SGI, and was really into it. She ended up getting sick, and refused a lot of early medical treatment, as she thought she could get healed by Chanting. Didn't work, she got worse and worse. Then she finally got into medical treatments, too late, and literally had hundreds of people Chanting for her to heal. She died, and left behind her kids. They don't tell those anecdotes, those who have hundreds of SGI followers Chanting for them, and die a pretty horrible death in a few months." 

Well that has been the way of things for years! - and when things go wrong and people lose out, lose their lives, livelihoods, homes and even their sanity that ain't going to get reported cos anything that might make it appear that SGI bubble of faith and Daimoku to gain anything, to have any prayer answered, and to have all earthly desires fulfilled... might burst, well that might have people thinking and questioning and leaving in droves. I recall Dick Causton saying that folks should remember that all prayers will be answered and that the answer will sometimes be NO! It's funny how common sense goes out the window when folks are told to chant and seem to end up in the world of rapture and can't see anything other than Fluffy Bunny Buddhism, forgetting that In Rapture the bubble bursts ever so quickly and can drop you on your ass! 

I have seen exactly this pattern of denial of ill health and subsequent death with loads of folks chanting for a miracle many times! It's like the SGI Italy members setting up Gohonzons next to TV sets so that they could chant and watch the soccer world cup final in 1994 and chant for Roberto Baggio to score the winning goal for Italy and QED prove that Nichiren Buddhism had some form on Mystical Power over the result. Some may recall that the final went to a penalty shoot out and Italy Lost with Baggio missing his penalty and loosing Italy the world Cup! In Italy I also saw Benefit Junkies organizing Daimoku Tozos to chant to have a miracle when some one was found to be in end stage cancer after they had refused to consult doctors and just sat home chanting. The mass search for Benefits was staggering with literally tens of thousands of folks in concerted tozos all demanding proof from someone who had already set up their own death.... and after they died many being very callous and stating that they died because they lacked faith and in any case all that daimoku was going to be of great benefit and they were just waiting for their personal payout in the shares and from their investment in Daimoku Inc! 

It's sad that supposed leaders (in reality folks who have been told that they are "Leaders" with no quality control and then make it up as they go along ) go about telling folks that they just need to chant whilst their leg is half cut off and they are bleeding to death. Some will find such actions and ideas impossible to accept as occurring within SGI but to those who have seen them they are unforgettable. Even leaders have not been immune from such aberrant attitudes and behaviors and as a result have died - with some referring to it as Suicide by Daimoku! 

I recall one set of events where some leaders (who I repeatedly referred to as "Persons With A Responsibility - Formally referred to as Leaders") went well beyond the limits and caused havoc for a number of people. A New Member showed Up who was quite a wealthy Business Woman - She had a number of businesses some of which she wanted to sell. This Woman started to hawk these businesses about to SGI members and the local leadership first allowed it and then encouraged it. Certain members who were having major personal problems with everything from marriage to debt were encouraged to buy businesses from her, which some foolishly did. Anyone who spoke out about this was immediately labelled as a breaker of unity and totally against Nichiren and the SGI. 

Folks went out and borrowed money, put their houses up as collateral and bought into the Leaders ongoing views that all that had to be done was chant more and more and evidently as this woman was selling businesses to SGI members whilst she herself was becoming a member the whole thing was perfect and universally ordained. 

One family asked me for advice about buying a Food Outlet - It appeared to me a gold mine as it was within about 100 metres of a new shopping complex that was under construction. The Only Down side was it was on the wrong side of the road, a very busy road and there were vacant shop units better placed to provide the service on the other side of the road. The family was advised to get a commercial lawyer to draft a full contract including clauses that prevented the woman from starting a similar business within 1000 meters of the original business for 5 years, that full disclosure of accounts were to be made and that specific contracts as to the building, it's contents, and maintenance would also be made as the woman was selling the business but retaining ownership of the building. All of the advice was ignored and they just went ahead and bought the business, lease on the building, and started to sell food as hard as possible. When they were asked why they had not undertaken the most basic of actions and set up the most basic of protections for a commercial venture they explained that when they had raised these issues with leaders they had been told that such actions would simply show that they lacked faith and they were better off chanting and having faith than consulting a lawyer or spending time and money on legally enforceable contracts. 

A few weeks after they were tied in with their house on the line the woman opened a new food outlet across the road and the customer numbers dropped to virtually Zero. They objected and were told there was nothing they could do.. and then they went bankrupt and lost the business, their home and just about everything they had. Throughout, the leaders were 100% supporting this woman in disposing of business to SGI members and of the members buying these businesses and yet these leaders had zero knowledge or experience in commercial trading, contracts and business management. When this was raised as an issue that should bar them from being involved in any way with anyone who was entering into a business situation they responded that they did not need anything other than Daimoku and Faith. They were also a little pissed off when they were asked to explain why they had not taken up one of these business opportunities if all that was required was Daimoku and Faith and they were unable to answer. 

I also recall working on an exhibition in Italy between SGI and The Italian Committee for Refugees. The Exhibition dealt with Yugoslavia and the breakup and Genocide. I had been asked to design and build the exhibition so that it could tour Italy. The First place on the tour was Venice and the transport co-ordinator could not understand that we were obliged to hire a boat to transport the exhibition from mainland Italy to then venue in the heart of Venice. Their view was that all of the parts of the exhibition, some over two metres long and very heavy would be carried on foot across a causeway and through Venice and this was great opportunity for members to be involved in activities. When it was pointed out that first it was illegal to do this, second dangerous to have literally hundreds of people handling unfamiliar equipment and that it was also highly likely that the exhibition itself would be damaged - well that was met with incredulity at the idea that hundreds of SGI members chanting and holding Tozos for the exhibition would not protect it and even not be needed or welcome. It was odd that they just could not get it that legally it was not possible and that it had to be done in line with the law of the land. Oddly when the leader of this aberration was questioned as to whether they had car insurance or if they just chanted to not need it they were shocked and stated of course I have car insurance - That's the law! It would seem that when folks decide that they are to do something so that they can get their quota of benefits they hate having it pointed out to them that they can't just ignore reality and hope for the best! 

That so much odd behavior makes it appear that SGI is a Cult - or at best filled with individuals who seem programmed to exhibit cult Like behavior - one has to wonder why SGI in all it's forms does not advise against such aberration and even protect people from it internally! 

For some they will simply invent Nichiren Buddhism in their own image, to service their own needs and to fill massive gaps that exist in their own minds and lives. What I have seen when this occurs is evil. Having reported the situations and what is occurring to national leaders/employees of SGI, I was not too surprised that the aberrations verging on mental instability are supported Anyone questioning one with the title of leader is seen as evil and shunned! It would seem that SGI is an organization that is programmed to self destruct under the mental aberrations of its employees and top leaders. It would also seem that their dogma will eventually be run over by their karma and one has to wonder how they will react when this happens - will they seek first aid and medical attention or simply lie on their backs and chant as they discorporate." -- Robert

Avici Hell is populated by SGI leaders and members and by Nichiren Shoshu priests and believers.

Hitler, for example, was a master at giving the people what they wanted and then leaving them prostrate on the ground. He gave them the Autobahn, parades, camaraderie, hope for the future, and then hell. There are eight Great Hells in Buddhism. The worst is the Avici Hell, reserved for those who slander the Law. 

SGi's changing narrative and history

The SGI cult manufactures its history to suit its own narrative. It should be noted that it's narrative has changed several times and so have they changed its history, The truth is always being spun in the SGI cult. They fail to believe in the Lotus Sutra which teaches the principle of thusness [or suchness]. It is useless to rely on the teachings of such people for benefit, let alone for Supreme and Perfect Enlightenment.

I can't believe SGI calls what they do "shakubuku"

What they do is actually a type of MLM whose product is "peace", [Japanese] "CULTure", and "education" in order to enrich Ikeda and his top leaders. They are as phony as a counterfeit North Korean hundred dollar bills. But their clam brain non-salaried and low paid gaijin senior leaders are too dumb or brainwashed to see things as they really are. 

Easy or difficult to leave the Soka Gakkai?

Question: Is it easy or difficult to leave the Soka Gakkai?
Answer: That depends: General member, leader, amount of time in the organization; correct, incorrect, or no faith in the Lotus Sutra, the Gohonzon, the doctrines of Soka Gakkai, the doctrines of Nichiren, etc; strong or weak SGI practice; friends in and out of the organization; relationship with leaders; mood; state of mind; family in or out of the organization; interests outside of the organization; studied or not; obstacles or perceived punishment; value placed on honesty; hopes and desires...

On this last point. Suppose you desire a copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon. if your desire was strong, you have absolutely no choice but to leave the organization since copies of Nichiren inscribed Gohonzons are verboten. Depending on the strength of your desire [to practice as the Daishonin taught] it can be easy or difficult to leave the organization. Where there is no faith in the Lotus Sutra, it is easy to leave. Where there is strong faith but little study, it can be very difficult [because one has been brainwashed and propagandized to believe that only the Soka Gakkai upholds the Lotus Sutra]. 

Faith in the doctrines of the Soka Gakkai was simultaneously one of my biggest impediments to an easy transition and the source of my determination to leave the Soka Gakkai. Let me explain. Having been indoctrinated that Soka Gakkai activities was the source of both Enlightenment and the only way to realize the widespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra [Kosen Rufu], for years, I threw myself into activities at the expense of my profession, my family, my personal development etc yet it was still very difficult to determine to leave because my Great Wish was stronger than my "smaller wishes". On the other hand, my unrealizable "small wishes" [because of the time allotted to SGI activities] made it very easy to decide to leave, especially after studying deeply the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and comparing them to the SGI teachings.

If one is "happy' in the Soka Gakkai, it can be extremely difficult to leave despite the inconsistancies of their doctrines and their failure to act as they speak. Who cares if Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra teach that Shakyamuni is the Original Eternal Buddha, there is no proof that Nichiren inscribed the DaiGohonzon, that there is no place for interfaith practice, or the fact that a living master in the seat of Law is not a cardinal doctrine, let alone THE cardinal doctrine of the Lotus Sutra?  "I'm happy." It may take a great faith in the teachings in the face of the winds of pleasure, prosperity, praise, and honor to leave the SGI. 

Strong faith in the teachings and in Nichiren or no faith whatsoever, are the two greatest determinants for leaving the Soka Gakkai.  

A modern reading of a passage by Nichiren Daishonin

"The priest known as the Great Teacher Kōbō, however, a man of great falsehoods who was given to praising himself and defaming others, after the demise of the Great Teacher Dengyō, without ever confronting his opponents in debate, succeeded in deceiving the members of the imperial court and was thus able to establish the True Word teachings as the eighth school."

The layman known as the Great Teacher Ikeda, however, a man of great falsehoods was given to praising himself and defaming others, after the demise of the Great Teacher Nichiren, without ever confronting his opponents in debate, succeeded in deceiving the members of the Japanese cabinet and was thus able to establish the Soka school as the most powerful school in Japan."

Seriously

Would Nichiren Daishonin be asked to speak at the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue?

Carl Anderson is particularly stupid

https://www.reddit.com/user/CarlAndersen

Bottom line, he leaves the disgusting SGI for the bizarre Nichiren Shoshu. You can't get much more stupid than that.

2 packs a day for 46 years

and on June 1st, thanks to the Gohonzon, I quit cigarettes for good. Cold turkey and not one cigarette since May 31st. Now when I tell my patients to stop smoking, no one can accuse me of being a hypocrite.

Fukushima documentary

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2015/s4468353.htm

Where goes your SGI donation money?

                   
                      SGI Gajokai ["Teeth of the Castle" or SGI security]

The bathroom fixtures in Ikeda's personal community center apartment, in the old New York Community Center, were golden, very shiny like his life condition. The carpets were incredibly plush like the floor of Nichiren Daishonin's hut, two inches thick. Of course, the furniture was the finest most comfortable money could buy and nobody used them. This is where your donation money goes. Certainly it doesn't go to the non-salaried Gajokai.

The golden instruction of Shakyamuni Buddha

"To speak slanderously of the sutras preached in the past, the present, and the future, and to praise one sutra, the Lotus, is the golden instruction of Shakyamuni Buddha, and is what all the other Buddhas have expressed in agreement."

Prime Minister Renzi's support of Soka Gakkai assures disaster at the polls.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/italy-heads-to-polls-for-second-round-of-local-elections-1466328656

How is it that you made the prediction for the South Carolina "once in a millenium" disaster?

"The host said: Though I may be a person of little ability, I have reverently given myself to the study of the Mahayana. A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines around the tall pine can grow to a thousand feet. I was born as the son of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni, and I serve the king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I observe the decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions of pity and distress?" -- Nichiren's On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land

The truth is always being spun in the SGI cult.

The SGI cult manufactures its history to suit its own narrative. It should be noted that it's narrative has changed several times and so have they changed its history, The truth is always being spun in the SGI cult. They fail to believe in the Lotus Sutra which teaches the principle of thusness [or suchness]. It is useless to rely on the teachings of such people for benefit, let alone for Supreme and Perfect Enlightenment.

Seriously

Would Nichiren Daishonin be asked to speak at the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue?

Clam brained non-salaried and low paid gaijin senior leaders are dumb

What they do is actually a type of MLM whose product is "peace", [Japanese] "CULTure", and "education" in order to enrich Ikeda and his top leaders. They are as phony as a counterfeit North Korean hundred dollar bill. But their clam brained non-salaried and low paid gaijin senior leaders are too dumb or brainwashed to see things as they really are. 

If one is "happy", it is extremely difficult to leave the SGI

Question: Is it easy or difficult to leave the Soka Gakkai?
Answer: That depends: General member, leader, amount of time in the organization; correct, incorrect, or no faith in the Lotus Sutra, the Gohonzon, the doctrines of Soka Gakkai, the doctrines of Nichiren, etc; strong or weak SGI practice; friends in and out of the organization; relationship with leaders; mood; state of mind; family in or out of the organization; interests outside of the organization; studied or not; obstacles or perceived punishment; value placed on honesty; hopes and desires...

On this last point. Suppose you desire a copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon. if your desire was strong, you have absolutely no choice but to leave the organization since copies of Nichiren inscribed Gohonzons are verboten. Depending on the strength of your desire [to practice as the Daishonin taught] it can be easy or difficult to leave the organization. Where there is no faith in the Lotus Sutra, it is easy to leave. Where there is strong faith but little study, it can be very difficult [because one has been brainwashed and propagandized to believe that only the Soka Gakkai upholds the Lotus Sutra]. 

Faith in the doctrines of the Soka Gakkai was simultaneously one of my biggest impediments to an easy transition and the source of my determination to leave the Soka Gakkai. Let me explain. Having been indoctrinated that Soka Gakkai activities was the source of both Enlightenment and the only way to realize the widespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra [Kosen Rufu], for years, I threw myself into activities at the expense of my profession, my family, my personal development etc yet it was still very difficult to determine to leave because my Great Wish was stronger than my "smaller wishes". On the other hand, my unrealizable "small wishes" [because of the time allotted to SGI activities] made it very easy to decide to leave, especially after studying deeply the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and comparing them to the SGI teachings.

If one is "happy", it is extremely difficult to leave the SGI despite the inconsistencies of their doctrines and their failure to act as they speak. Who cares if Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra teach that Shakyamuni is the Original Eternal Buddha, there is no proof that Nichiren inscribed the DaiGohonzon, that there is no place for interfaith practice, or the fact that a living master in the seat of Law is not a cardinal doctrine, let alone THE cardinal doctrine of the Lotus Sutra?  "I'm happy." It may take a great faith in the teachings in the face of the winds of pleasure, prosperity, praise, and honor to leave the SGI. 

Strong faith in the teachings and in Nichiren or no faith whatsoever, are the two greatest determinants for leaving the Soka Gakkai.  

"Therefore, this one Buddha [Shakyamuni] is none other than all Buddhas, and all Buddhas are thus brought together within the two characters of myōhō."

"Answer: In his dying instructions, the Buddha said, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.” This means that if what a person says is not in agreement with what is expounded in the sutras, one should not believe it, no matter how fine the person may be. And he also said, “Rely on sutras that are complete and final and not on those that are not complete and final.” Because ignorant and uninformed persons cannot decide for themselves which of the sutras expounded by the Buddha in his lifetime of teaching were preached earlier and which were preached later, or which are shallow and which are profound, they should rely on the sutras that are complete and final." -- On Reciting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra

and further down:

"Ordinary people in this latter age cannot depend upon others just because they are said to be wise. The people of our present age can hardly hope to compare to the wise persons of long ago. And thus, even the words of someone who is looked on as ignorant, if they are supported by clear passages of proof in the sutras and treatises, are by no means to be scorned." 

Most importantly, Nichiren writes in this treatise.

"Moreover, the Buddhas figuring in the various sutras do not have the power to confer the benefits bestowed by other Buddhas. To be sure, it is stated that the Buddhas are equal in their enlightenment and that one Buddha is the same as the other Buddhas. And that if one adopts the view that the Dharma bodies of the Buddhas are all equal, then one may say that one Buddha is the same as another Buddha. But in reality, one Buddha does not possess the power to confer the benefits bestowed by all the other Buddhas.

In the case of the Lotus Sutra, however, all the sutras preached in the first forty and more years are included within this one sutra. The Buddhas of the worlds in the ten directions, who are all endowed with the three bodies, are one and all gathered there, for, as it is explained, all are emanations of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni. Therefore, this one Buddha is none other than all Buddhas, and all Buddhas are thus brought together within the two characters of myōhō."

Nichiren and Ikeda

"I, Nichiren, was born in this country of Japan, have never deceived others, never stolen, or committed any sort of offense."

Ikeda, on the other hand deceived millions for over thirty-three years that the Nichiren Shoshu was the correct faith. He stole the ghee of the Lotus Sutra to bolster the inferior teachings of Human Revolution and Value Creationism and he has committed numerous offenses: 

http://www.toride.org/eikesho.html

“But now this threefold world [is all my domain, and the living beings in it are all my children].”

"But now the 4,589,659 people of this country of Japan have been deceived by the great heavenly devil in the person of men such as Shan-tao, Eshin, Yōkan, and Hōnen, who have led them to cast aside Shakyamuni and take Amida Buddha as their object of devotion. And in their madness, they have gone so far as to seize the fifteenth day of the second month [the day when Shakyamuni passed away] and declare it to be the day of Amida Buddha’s passing; and the eighth day of the fourth month [when Shakyamuni was born] they claim to be the birthday of Medicine Master Buddha. Their hatred of Shakyamuni, who is the father of us all, is so intense that they insist that Great Bodhisattva Hachiman is a manifestation of Amida Buddha. In doing so, they mean to pay honor to Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, but in fact they become enemies of Great Bodhisattva Hachiman.

If I understood nothing of all this, that would be the end of the matter. But in fact for the past twenty-eight years I have endeavored to dispel these mistaken beliefs by quoting the passage [from the Lotus Sutra in which Shakyamuni Buddha states]: “But now this threefold world [is all my domain, and the living beings in it are all my children].” If people failed to believe me, they could at least have left it at that. But instead they shot arrows at me, slashed me, attempted to kill me, exiled me, or drove me away. For that reason Great Bodhisattva Hachiman has set fire to his dwelling and ascended to the heavens." [1280]

The SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu also hate Shakyamuni Buddha. They destroy the great matter of Nichiren's declaration of Shakyamuni Buddha as Original Eternal Buddha and the very reason for the persecutions befalling him.

“Rely on the Law and not upon persons.”

"But when debating these matters with followers of other schools, one should confine the discussion to matters dealing with general principles. Thus, for example, one should point out that if T’ien-t’ai’s Great Concentration and Insight were not based on the Lotus Sutra, then it should be summarily discarded. Why? Because the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai himself stated emphatically, “That which accords with the sutras is to be written down and made available. But put no faith in anything that in word or meaning fails to do so.” The Great Teacher Dengyō said, “Depend upon the preachings of the Buddha, and do not put faith in traditions handed down orally.” The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom of Nāgārjuna says that one should rely on treatises that are faithful to the sutras, but not rely on those that distort the sutras. And Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, said, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.”

One moment of exceptionally profound faith and joy in Namu Myoho renge kyo and its continuous recollection is itself Buddhahood.

Three Thousand Realms (or Worlds) In a Momentary Existence of Life 

Each of the Ten Realms [Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Humanity, Rapture, Learning, Self Realization, Bodhisattva, and Buddha], one of which is manifest from moment to moment, contains Ten Realms which are latent, thus making One Hundred Realms. Each of the One Hundred Realm contains the Ten Factors, thus making One Thousand Realms. Each Realm also contains the Three Principles of Individuation [the Realm of the Individual, the Realm of the Society of Beings in which the individual resides, and the Realm of the Environment in which the individual resides] thus making Three Thousand Realms. 

In general, a Bodhisattva [selfless being] manifests primarily Bodhisattva from moment to moment and always quickly returns to Bodhisattva when manifesting one of the other realms. The Bodhisattva has the Appearance, Nature, Entity, Power, Influence, Cause, Condition, Latent Effect, Manifest Effect, and Consistency from Beginning to End of a Bodhisattva. Both the society or collection of beings in which the Bodhisattva resides and the environment [land] of the Bodhisattva manifest predominantly the Realm of Bodhisattva. 

In general, a cat manifests primarily Animality from moment to moment and always quickly returns to Animality when manifesting one of the other realms. The cat has the Appearance, Nature, Entity, Power, Influence, Cause, Condition, Latent Effect, Manifest Effect, and Consistancy from Beginning to End of an animal. Both the society or collection of beings in which the cat resides and the environment of the cat manifest predominantly the Realm of Animality. 

A Bodhisattva will manifest Animality for periods of time when, for example, he experiences the urge to sleep or defecate.

A cat will manifest Bodhisattva for periods of time when, for example, it acts selflessly towards its kittens or its owner. 

Tientai asserted that every being has the potential to elevate its central life tendency [or the Realm or Realms to which it gravites] through the principle of Ichinen Sanzen. For example, a cat can create the causes and conditions for Bodhisattva by either very strongly [for a moment] or habitually acting selflessly. Intent, according to Tientai, is far less important than actuality or suchness in elevating [or lowering] one's central life tendency. 

The practice advocated by Tientai was meditation directed towards perceiving the Three Thousand Realms In a Momentary Existence of Life. He recited the title of the Lotus Sutra ten thousand times a day for his personal practice but since the time and the people's capacity were not ripe for the widespread propagation of the principle practice of the Lotus Sutra, he refrained from advocating this practice for others. 

Nichiren Daishonin taught Actual Ichinen Sanzen or one moment of exceptionally profound faith and joy in Namu Myoho renge kyo and its continuous recollection is itself Buddhahood.