Soka Gakkai magical thinking leads to a young girls death

"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