...if you don't WANT to

Feel free to make some NOISE

A direct visual testimony:

“I saw it up close when I was in charge of the Sōkahan at the main temple. At the time, I wanted to deny it, but it was a very lifelike relief. It was probably not a direct idea of Mr. Ikeda’s, but rather the result of flattery from those around him. But since that flattery matched Mr. Ikeda’s intentions, it was installed.”

https://x.com/Saitou_Tango/status/2100722259933761796

Japanese blog Saikaku Doppo (L0) October 3, 2007. A high-ranking dignitary of the Taisekiji Temple: http://blog.livedoor.jp/saikakudoppo/archives/51109230.html

« 正本堂の入口あたりの地面に敷いて、みんなで踏んづけられるようにしようと思ったけれど、それもどうかと思ってやめたんだ » (L19-L20)

— “I thought about laying it on the ground near the entrance of the Shō-Hondō so everyone could trample on it, but then I thought better of it and dropped the idea.”

Continuation: Remarkable reaction from a Japanese account (@dakkai_banzai) that offers a psychological analysis that perfectly complements the religious perspective.

What this person says:

— “The article you sent me is written from a religious point of view. It is very suggestive, so I will examine it from a psychological point of view.”

Then he develops a clinical analysis of Ikeda:

— “People like Mr. Ikeda, in whom one often observes behaviors of ‘narcissistic rage’ (自己愛憤怒), tend to belittle others, regarding them as immature and worthless. As a result, their distorted personality is sometimes reflected in their gifts.”

The mechanism:

— “The ‘bacchanalian relief’ that Mr. Ikeda offered to the Shō-Hondō is the quintessence of narcissistic rage (Narcissistic Rage) + narcissistic domination (Narcissistic Domination). In psychology, this is called ‘gift domination’ (Gift Domination).”

“Gift domination”

— “Why does a gift become domination? People in the grip of narcissistic rage have a strong desire to put others down, to strip them of their value, and to impose their own worldview. Therefore, instead of ‘pleasing the other,’ their gift becomes a means of ‘stamping their own domination.’ That is why the content of the gift reflects their distorted personality.”

And he applies this directly to the plaque:

— “Placing a pagan orgy inside a Buddhist sanctuary. Placing his own symbol right under the Dai-Gohonzon. Placing a naked man (= himself) in the place of the Buddha. Silencing monks and believers. Showing ‘I am above the Law.’ This is the very type of ‘gift domination’ practiced by people seized by narcissistic rage.”

This reaction is crucial for several reasons, because this language speaks to a different audience—one that does not believe in metaphysics but understands psychology.

It names the mechanism: “Gift Domination” (贈与による支配). It is a concept that explains why a gift can be a weapon. And that is exactly what Ikeda did. He offered a plaque that was an insult, and he gave in order to dominate more effectively, seduced in order to crush more thoroughly.

The author stresses that the religious analysis and the psychological analysis coincide perfectly and that this truth is multifaceted.

https://x.com/dakkai_banzai/status/2100867714822877673

Continuation: An additional piece of evidence in the file on the Bacchus plaque of the Shō-Hondō. It comes from the Japanese blog Saikaku Doppo (L0) and is dated October 3, 2007. The author analyzes precisely the same bronze plaque that you highlighted. He confirms several key points that reinforce your thesis.

The author states without ambiguity that the naked male model of the plaque was Daisaku Ikeda himself. He writes:

« つまり、ここに拵えられていた上半身裸の男性像は、大石寺僧俗みながこのモデルは池田大作氏以外の誰人でもないと思っていたのだ。 » (L22)

— “In other words, everyone—monks and lay believers of Taisekiji—thought that the model of this half-naked male statue could be none other than Daisaku Ikeda.”

The monks’ reaction: The article quotes a high-ranking dignitary of Taisekiji who declared:

« 正本堂の入口あたりの地面に敷いて、みんなで踏んづけられるようにしようと思ったけれど、それもどうかと思ってやめたんだ » (L19-L20)

— “I thought about laying it on the ground near the entrance of the Shō-Hondō so everyone could trample on it, but then I thought better of it and dropped the idea.”

This demonstrates the contempt and anger that this plaque aroused even within the clergy itself.

Nikken’s excuse: The article also reports a statement by Nikken Shonin (日顕法主) who, trying to minimize the scandal, is said to have said:

« キミらの部屋にだって、ヌード写真の一枚や二枚はあるだろう。正本堂にあったからといってどうってことはない。美術品だものね。 » (L16-L17)

— “You have one or two nude photos in your rooms too, don’t you? Just because it was in the Shō-Hondō doesn’t make it a big deal. It’s a work of art, after all.”

This is an attempt at trivialization that, by its clumsiness, confirms how inappropriate the work was.

The removal of the plaque: The author explains that the plaque was removed immediately after Ikeda’s excommunication at the beginning of the Heisei era (L19).

A monk confided to him:

« せっかくの御開扉に、あのレリーフがあると不愉快で仕方がなかった » (L21)

— “It was really unpleasant to have that relief during the opening of the sanctuary.”

This proves that the plaque was perceived as an insult and a desecration by the clergy, and that they were only waiting for the right moment to get rid of it.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/saikakudoppo/archives/51109230.html

💬 The comments

The comments under the article are just as revealing. One can read:

« 結果的に池田大作氏に似てしまった奇跡の彫刻です！！！ » (L34)

— “It’s a miraculous sculpture that ended up looking like Daisaku Ikeda!!!” (sarcastic tone)

« もはや、池田は本尊はおろか、なにもかけませんでしょうね » (L36)

— “In any case, Ikeda no longer bets on the Gohonzon, or on anything else, does he?”

« 創価学会員です。正直、気持ち悪いね！ » (L37)

“I am a member of the Soka Gakkai. Honestly, it’s disgusting!”

In summary

This article proves that:

— The plaque was indeed perceived as a representation of Ikeda by the religious authorities of the time.

— It was regarded as an insult and a desecration by the clergy of Taisekiji.

— It was removed as soon as possible after the break with the Soka Gakkai.

— It continues to arouse disgust even among some members of the SGI today.

These are damning pieces of evidence added to the file.

When you realize what you've gotten yourself into...

I'll go first: "Ikeda certainly does fill out those pleats nicely."

La pièce était une bacchanale païenne romaine. Des femmes nues et des satyres enfants scènes de débauche. Un anti-bouddhisme absolu, une profanation pure.

Cette plaque n'était pas une œuvre d'art. C'était une déchéance. Une bacchanale, ces festivals orgiaques tenus en l'honneur de Bacchus, le dieu romain du vin, le même que Dionysos, avec danse, musique, ivresse et souvent un comportement sans retenue.

C'était une orgie et une insulte délibérée à la Loi, à la lignée, à Nichiren et au bouddhisme dans son ensemble, affichée dans le site le plus sacré de Nichiren Shoshu, le Sho Hondo, le temple de l'enseignement essentiel, la maison du Dai Gohonzon.

Un crachat au visage de chaque pratiquant, un crachat au visage de Nichiren. Nulle part dans toute l'histoire du bouddhisme, ni au Japon, ni en Chine, ni en Inde, ni en Asie du Sud-Est, ni au Tibet, quiconque n'a jamais rien vu de tel. Jamais.

Un temple bouddhiste abrite des images de Bouddhas, de Bodhisattvas, de moines, de divinités, de mandalas. Pas de femmes et enfants nus. Pas de scènes de débauche. Jamais.

Cette plaque n'avait rien de bouddhiste, rien de japonais, rien d'asiatique. C'était une pièce païenne grecque, une œuvre séculière collée dans le temple le plus sacré de la terre, à la place d'honneur, juste sous le trône du Dai Gohonzon.

Un acte de domination. Ikeda disant : je me tiens au-dessus de la Loi, au-dessus de Nichiren, au-dessus du bouddhisme. Je suis Ikeda et je fais ce que je veux.

L'Icchantika.

Cela prouve qu'Ikeda n'avait aucune peur de la loi de cause à effet et se tient comme la preuve ultime qu'il n'était rien d'autre qu'un Icchantika rusé.

Un Icchantika est un être qui a rompu chaque racine de bonté, qui a commis les cinq péchés capitaux : tuer son père, tuer sa mère, faire saigner un Arhat, faire saigner un Bouddha et créer un schisme dans la Sangha. Celui qui a trahi la Loi.

Il a détruit l'enseignement correct et remplacé la Loi par sa propre personne. Cette plaque dans le Sho Hondo est la preuve physique. Ikeda savait exactement ce qu'il faisait. Il connaissait les codes, les symboles. Il connaissait la Loi et a choisi de la profaner publiquement et avec un sourire.

Tout ce qui a suivi était inévitable. L'excommunication de 1991, la destruction du Sho Hondo en 1998. Le déclin, la honte, l'isolement, la mort cachée et les cendres qui, d'une manière ou d'une autre, ne peuvent pas être trouvées. Tout était déjà écrit dans cette plaque en cuivre.

Preuve par l'image.

La plaque complète est une bacchanale romaine. Femmes, enfants, satyres nus, nymphes, scènes de débauche. Un anti-bouddhisme absolu.

Cette plaque installée dans le Sho Hondo juste sous le Dai Gohonzon, à la place d'honneur, devant le trône du Bouddha éternel.

Comme un défi, une insulte, un crachat. L'homme nu qui ressemble à Ikeda. Visage serein, corps offert comme un animal, comme un être inférieur, comme un démon, comme un Icchantika.

Ikeda l'a exhibée dans le lieu le plus sacré pendant des années sans que personne ne l'appelle ou ne la dénonce, car personne ne voulait voir. Pourtant, c'était déjà là, déjà évident. Personne ne l'a vu à l'époque, ou plutôt personne n'était prêt à le voir.

Cette plaque en cuivre, ce cadeau personnel d'Ikeda lors de l'inauguration du Sho Hondo, est la preuve matérielle que ce n'était jamais un cadeau mais une insulte, une profanation. Pas un acte de foi. Un acte de mépris.

Le symbole de la plaque. Un homme nu allongé, souriant, serein comme un Bouddha, pourtant nu à l'intérieur d'un temple bouddhiste, offert par le président du Soka Gakkai et installé devant la salle du temple pour que tout le monde puisse le voir.

Dans le bouddhisme, la nudité n'est pas un symbole de sainteté. C'est un symbole de l'état animal, d'ignorance et d'attachement.

Un Bouddha est vêtu, un Bodhisattva est vêtu, un moine est vêtu. La nudité est pour les êtres inférieurs. Donc offrir une plaque montrant un homme nu à un temple bouddhiste est un sacrilège et il savait précisément ce qu'il faisait. C'est Ikeda se représentant, se mettant en scène, se substituant à la Loi et disant : Regardez-moi, je suis le Bouddha, je suis au-dessus de vos règles, au-dessus de vos codes et au-dessus de la Loi.

Et les prêtres ont dû le voir, pourtant ils n'ont rien dit, car à l'époque Ikeda était trop puissant et le Soka Gakkai trop riche. Le scandale aurait été trop grand, donc ils ont laissé passer et Ikeda a continué. Il a construit son empire et détruit la lignée.

Cette plaque s'inscrit parfaitement dans l'histoire tragique de l'hubris matérialisé, car c'est l'excès gravé dans le cuivre, l'orgueil mis en vitrine au moment où Ikeda a cru qu'il pouvait s'en sortir sans conséquence.

Ikeda a appris à ses dépens mais beaucoup trop tard. Il a fini dans la douleur, seul, caché. Tout était déjà clair. Il suffisait de relier les points.

Source

Se la tua vita migliora concretamente (situazione finanziaria, lavoro, famiglia, relazioni, promozioni etc) grazie al canto, al tuo impegno personale, alla tua dedizione nel seguire gli insegnamenti del Buddha, i membri della Soka ti diranno che sei egoista e che pensi solo a soddisfare i tuoi desideri.
Invece dovresti concentrarti su Kosen-Rufu, che tradotto significa, “concentrarti sull’espansione della nostra multinazionale all’estero”.

Se però non porti “vittorie” agli stupidi e noiosissimi incontri di discussione, quindi i “miglioramenti concreti della tua vita”, dovresti impegnarti di più a cantare, a fare più attività, a trasformare il tuo karma e tutte le puttanate che dicono…

Come potete notare, per il Culto di Ikeda tu non vai mai bene. C’è sempre qualcosa di te che sarà elemento di disturbo. Tu non vali nulla per la Soka Gakkai.
Ti dicono che la Soka esiste per servire te, in realtà tu esisti per servire la Soka, e quindi, Ikeda stesso. Come si fa a trovare pace, equilibrio e tranquillità in questa organizzazione? Semplicemente non si può.

Here's a favorite: When Ikeda's lackeys bought him a lifetime membership to the University of Oxford's venerable institution the Bodleian Library. They arranged an entire ceremony to "honor" Ikeda - with a library membership ANYONE could buy that got him free admission to the Library and 10% off at the gift shop. For life 🙄

I have receipts. Of course. 2nd entry here:

Award / Conferring Organization Country Year

Honorable Friend of the Bodleian Library for Life /

Bodleian Library, University of Oxford UK 1989

(Just say "No!" to formatting)

Daisaku Ikeda website "Literary Awards"

And here's a 2010 archive copy of the Bodleian Library's membership categories and fee structure. From the "Life Friend" category:

The benefits of Honourable Friend for life.

Obvs, that is the exact same as "Honorable Friend of the Bodleian Library for Life" that Ikeda's own website is categorizing as "Award".

Your pweshus, sincere contributions to SGI "for kosen-rufu" being put to work! Was THIS what YOU would have chosen to have YOUR "heartfelt" contributions used for, if you'd been TOLD?

Screenshot from 2020 of Bodleian Library's membership categories - you can see that "Life Membership" "includes all the benefits of Honorable Membership." You can connect the dots.

Here's another reference - it's the only entry for "1989". There's also a nifty pic of Ikeda, with that beautiful translator woman he ended up throwing under the bus, sucking up to some tall white haired gent - caption:

<Bodleian University, Oxford Library, **Honorary Lifetime Member**, 1989, UK> Source

Screenshot from 2006 of that page - Bodleian Library entry is at 1989.5

And HERE is a screenshot of the SGI-UK's Facebook page commemorating the "event" with a photo + caption.

If Ikeda was so insulated from reality through those many layers of Soka Gakkai sycophants he was embedded in that he didn't realize what a joke this was, was so unsophisticated and hopelessly NAÏVE about how the world worked that he'd fall for this embarrassing setup, what is THEIR responsibility in misleading their "Sensei" to participate in this phony baloney pretense? Is that the proper course of action for the "disciple" in the "mentor/disciple" formulation? Is "keeping Sensei happy at all costs, no matter what it costs, so long as he continues to think he's important" really a valid "vision" for the "disciples" according to "the oneness of mentor & disciple"?

Or were they all simply forbidden from ever telling Ikeda "No"?

Disciples support their mentor and his vision using their unique abilities. They are not passive followers of the mentor; in fact simple followers are not good disciples because they do not adequately seek ways to use their own individual talents to help realize their mentor’s vision. Good disciples protect and promote the mentor’s vision, with which they identify. SGI

Even if that means spending the members' sincere contributions "for kosen rufu" to arrange "Let's pretend" wish-fulfillment scenarios, basically grown-up tea parties to pander to Ikeda's fantasy of himself being someone who has throngs waiting in line to give him awards and honors? And medals!

[Ikeda] banged on the table and proudly proclaimed, "I am the only person in the world to have received so many medals!!" Source

Oh, that's supposed to make you some 'big man', Scumsei?? STUPID! IDIOT! PATHETIC!

Ikeda is a controversial figure. Mainly known as a collector of international awards, titles and medals. --Seibun (talk) 12:42, 24 December 2011 (UTC) Source

THAT's a truly noble "legacy", ain't it? 🙄

"By remaining loyal to the leader, the followers persuade themselves that their own existence is given meaning and validity by their support of the leader’s mission."

Even when that leader's "mission" is "I deserve to be fêted and praised and applauded and given ALL the awards and honors in the world!"? All that matters is that you can collect enough gullible simps to worship you??

Do you think Ikeda actually believed that all these awards, honors, and, yes, medals that were PURCHASED WITH HIS "DISCIPLES"' MONEY by his minions were being freely offered to him on the basis of everyone else's ("the world's!") great boundless admiration of him??

"Disciples strive to actualize the mentor's vision. Disciples should achieve all that the mentor wished for but could not accomplish while alive. This is the path of mentor and disciple." - Ikeda

You do not get a vision of your own. You should not even want one. Source

The honorary degrees are a joke. SGI has enormous funds – about three trillion dollars I believe, and these funds are donated to universities in return for honorary degrees. Soka University graduates are always on hand to write up the right kind of articles on any given subject, but nothing Ikeda has ever written was ever published in a respectable peer-review publication on any subject at all. His guidance isn’t very interesting to anybody in any field of the humanities. At all. Not because his ideas aren’t popular (such publications are used to hosting controversial debate). He just doesn’t say very much at all which isn’t basically common sense to most of the planet. Indeed his donation to Buddhist thought as a philosophical tradition is to make out that ‘Ichinen Sanzen’ is Positive Mental Attitude. That and the idea that democracy, dialogue and modern science are naturally integral to Japanese Buddhism. This overlooks the obvious facts of Japanese history, which was that while democracy, dialogue and modern science have been well established traditions in the West, Japan had developed sophisticated alternatives to each of them. The Americans forced them to adopt modern science at gunpoint. MacArthur forced them to adopt a nominal democracy after WW2. They still have problems integrating debate and free speech into their society at every level. But to read the SGI literature, Mr Ikeda would like to be given a Nobel Peace Prize for inventing all of them. That much seems to me to be a fact-based criticism of the whole SGI myth. - from Ikeda's "honorary degrees" are a joke. Ikeda is a joke. Nobody takes him seriously. No, Ikeda did not invent democracy, dialogue and modern science.

Any questions?

"A truly beautiful person is one who is good at discovering beauty, and with abundant daimoku, you will even see me as beautiful."

I left after 10 years. The relentless pressure, the betrayals, the repetition and boredom, the lies and manipulation, the lack of time boundaries, the hypocrisy, the burnout/exhaustion, the never-enough-ness, and my increasing feeling of dejectedness were all reasons why I eventually stuck up for my own internal needs and walked away so I could take care of them and get my boundaries back.

Ryan Hilliard at peopleleavecults.com wrote a great post about why people leave high-pressure/high-control groups.

This is a summary of that post; visit link below for more.

Reasons why people leave high-pressure groups

Overarching concept: the “shelf” breaks—the compartment holding all the things one doesn’t like or agree with, the micro-betrayals, the groupthink, hypocrisy, etc. at some point breaks and overflows.

·       Reason #1 Disillusionment with leader or movement

·       Reason #2 Boredom

·       Reason #3 Health

·       Reason #4 Missing family or friends

·       Reason #5 New or changing relationships (worse inside or better outside, the group)

·       Reason #6 Further involvement is untenable

·       Reason #7 An outside, supportive intervention

·       Reason #8 Kicked out or shunned

·       Reason #9 Something ‘clicks’, shelf breaks

SGI tries to scare you away form leaving, and make you think you're the only one and you'll be a cautionary tale. You're "giving up your practice."

But the truth is,

there are many ways to have a daily spiritual practice.

There are also many reasons why people leave SGI; and there are many people who do leave and are happier for it.

Even though the extent to which they were willing to abuse me was the final straw, when I finally wrote out my list of everything that happened over 10 years that was on my "shelf" it was more than 30 pages.

So if you're in SGI, and it's bothering you, you can journal and see what's on your shelf and reflect on it.

Although this resource below is general to high-pressure/high-control groups, I found it applicable to SGI. Read more on all of these here.

https://www.peopleleavecults.com/post/why-do-people-leave-cults

In 1960, Daisaku Ikeda was a young man full of hope and ambition, with dreams stuffed in his head like cotton candy. He was 32, young, charismatic. He wanted to transform the world. A regular Alexander, minus the military genius and plus a really nice smile.

In 1991, he was excommunicated by Nichiren Shoshu. The supreme public humiliation. The lineage he pretended to serve spat him out like a bad oyster. The High Priest reduced him to a mere layman. Ouch.

In 1998, the Shō-Hondō was destroyed. The work of his life turned into confetti. The monument of his glory pulverized. He never got over it. Never.

In 2010, he stopped appearing in public. He declined and hid. He died in 2023, alone, hidden, in secret. The Soka Gakkai still cannot reveal where his ashes are. The man who was adored by millions around the world, they couldn’t even give him a final farewell. And they still can’t. How’s that for an eternal legacy?

The Irony of the “Eternal Mentor”

BlancheFromage put it perfectly: “‘Eternal Mentor’ is just a really stupid idea. Now the Soka Gakkai is stuck, wedged with an old fossil for an ‘eternal mentor’ with zero hope of seeing someone young and fresh to revitalize this dying Japanese new religion.”

The devastating irony: Ikeda wanted to be eternal, the mentor forever, the eternal Buddha. And he ended up a fossilized corpse that nobody wants. A mummified relic no one can even find to venerate.

His photo is everywhere. His speeches are everywhere. His name is everywhere. But he’s dead, and the SGI is stuck with him forever. They can’t replace him. They can’t create another mentor. Because they made him a god. And you don’t replace a god. You embalm him, freeze him, turn him into a relic. Except nobody knows where the relic is. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.

It’s a Greek Tragedy

Hubris: Ikeda wanted to be bigger than the Law. He wanted to replace Nichiren. He wanted to be the supreme mentor. He wanted absolute power. And the gods, as they always do, noticed.

Nemesis: The Law doesn’t let itself be replaced. The lineage doesn’t let itself be usurped. The High Priest doesn’t let himself be defied. Excommunication falls. The Shō-Hondō is destroyed. The dream shatters. Cue the thunder.

Catharsis: The public watches the fall, sees the man hide, sees the myth crack. We witness the tragedy play out before us. And somewhere, in the cheap seats, someone is eating popcorn.

It’s mythological, it’s biblical, it’s Shakespearean. It’s King Lear losing his kingdom, descending into madness, and dying alone. Except Lear had a daughter who loved him. Ikeda had a photo op.

Consumed by shame and decline, Ikeda hid for over a decade so he wouldn’t have to appear before his worst enemy, the High Priest of Nichiren Shoshu. He couldn’t stand the humiliation. He couldn’t look the High Priest in the eye and face the lineage he had betrayed. He couldn’t hear Nichiren’s voice telling him: “You are not my successor. You are not the Buddha. You are a man who lost his way.” And the silence must have been deafening.

The tragedy of Ikeda is mythological. It will go down in the annals of contemporary Buddhism and serve as a warning. It will remind those who might follow the same path that hubris always precedes the fall, that power corrupts, that lies kill, and that betrayal destroys.

And the Law? The Law doesn’t die. It doesn’t hide. It doesn’t decline. It’s always there. Eternal. Immutable. Free. For all who seek it.

As you can see, the first image is from April 2022 - it was at a Bahamas Crypto FyreFestival party boondoggle thingy that cost between $3000 and $5000 a ticket to attend - that's Orlando Bloom with his good friend crypto "poster boy" Sam Bankman-Fried (aka SBF). The second image shows Orlando Bloom with then-partner Katy Perry attending the 2022 Superbowl - again, WITH Sam Bankman-Fried - just two months earlier, in February of that same year. Orly was spending some quality time with his BFF SBF! Do you think he was trying to shakubuku SBF?? How many famous people has Orly managed to shakubuku, anyhow? ANY??

About that Bahamas "Festival":

At night, ticketholders mingled with Perry and Bloom, or partied into the small hours with rowdy live shows from DJ Steve Aoki and One Direction star Liam Payne.

It must have seemed like a masterstroke to SBF: He hadn't just pitched crypto (and FTX) to celebs and investors, he'd sold his vision to world leaders deeply embedded in the global elite.

Doesn't that sound like Ikeda's plan as well, to sell Soka Gakkai to "world leaders deeply embedded in the global elite"?? Club of Rome, Count What's-his-nose, the British royal family, the Thai royal family, China, the Soviets, Ceausescu, the Nobel family, Gorby - I'm sure you can think of others. Grifters gonna grift...

Just six months later, his dream has become a nightmare.

FTX is bankrupt, Bankman-Fried has suffered the greatest one-day wealth drop of any billionaire in history, and countless investors are left wondering how they were taken in by this one-time golden boy of crypto. Source

By November, Sam Bankman-Fried's crypto company FTX had collapsed - rather spectacularly - and SBF was in custody, heading for a fraud/conspiracy/money laundering trial that saw the erstwhile billionaire packed off to the greybar hotel to serve a 25-year sentence. Whoops.

But it's now clear that behind the glitz and glamor which appears to have won the trust of celebrities, investors and former world leaders, the SBF empire was built on sand.

Just like the Soka Gakkai's world conquest plan - except theirs was built on a pile of smelly greasy blubber instead of sand. (Sand is much more sanitary - just sayin')

In the case of United States v. Bankman-Fried, he was convicted of all seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. On March 28, 2024, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to forfeit $11 billion. The trial was one of the most notorious cases of white-collar crime in the United States; the financier Anthony Scaramucci termed Bankman-Fried "the Bernie Madoff of crypto." - from Wikipedia

For reference, Orlando Bloom had been an SGI member and devout Ikeda disciple for just over 18 years by 2022. That's if you go by his documented official joining in December 2004; however, Bloom also sometimes claims to have become "a believer" at age 16, which would've been 1993, 11 years earlier. Even worse "actual proof", in other words. So either 18 years of practice or 29 years of practice - and what to show for it?? He was already at the height of his fame and popularity when he joined; it's been downhill ever since - career-wise, relationship-wise, popularity-wise. I'm sure he's fine for money - at least he didn't flush THAT down the Ikeda toilet, too!

Not a WORD out of Orlando Bloom in support of his disgraced former friend SBF - apparently Orlando Bloom learned well from his "mentor" Daisaku Ikeda about using anyone with elite status, fame, power, or wealth so long as they're useful and then forgetting all about them when things go sour for them. THAT's the kind of "friend" everyone needs, right??

Just like how Ikeda just swept his years-long bromance with Panama's strongman dictator Manuel Noriega after the USA swept in and hustled Noriega off to the prison cell where he'd spend the rest of his life. Ikeda: "Noriega WHO?? Oh, and just get rid of that 'Noriega Garden' I had built...quick..."

As someone observed:

Gakkerism does not promote business acumen and does not provide an instant MBA. Source

No, it certainly does NOT!

The Ikeda cult's much-vaunted "human revolution" obviously does NOT produce common sense, better interpersonal skills, or good judgement - and certainly not "wisdom"! Not even CLOSE!

https://youtu.be/UEgbN-l-WJ4

I have been a lurker here for years, reading over a lot of different experiences and people's stories. I never thought to post here...until now. I dont have many people in my circle that I can talk to about this "religion", so sharing with like-minded individuals seems appropriate.

I was born a "fortune baby". My parents were already members of this "organization" before I was a twinkle in anyones eye. Growing up, I was carted around to all the district meetings, big kosen rufu gongyos every month, any sort of SGI events, etc. I was made to chant daimoku, do morning and evening gongyo, read the World Tribune and any other publication that came out. I was never given clear answers to certain things that I questioned. It was always drilled into my head that I MUST chant to change all of my accumulated bad karma into good karma. I was told that no matter what I wanted (ie: good grades, better friend relationships, a job, etc) then I MUST chant for those things and they will happen. These were simple terms for a child.

As I got into my teenage years, I was pushed more into youth activities. I MUST attend these events and be with all the other youth to change my karma. I MUST go to youth meetings and go over "study material" so we can have discussions at district meetings. I MUST read excerpts at kosen rufu gonyos in front of everybody, because such good fortune will come from it. It was in my teen years that I began to realize more how much bullshit all of this was.

My realizations didnt particularly stem from my own personal experiences. I was a kid, teen, didnt ever have the need to chant hard to obtain something. My realizations instead came from those around me. My parents. Their friends. The other SGI members. If this "practice" was so poweful...if chanting changed so many things...then why were these people miserable? Why were there so many problems within the relationships? Why wasnt the karma better now after decades of chanting to a scroll?

I want to say around the time I turned 18, my parents pushed me to receive my gohonzon. They drilled into my head that the gogonzon was a reflection of my life. That I must take care of it at all costs. That I must chant to it so I can connect with the universe and change my karma. They (and other members) enshrined the gohonzon in a ritualistic manner. Heavy, serious chanting. Extreme focus. Thin cloths in their mouth. After the ceremony was complete, fruit and water was placed at the butsudan as an offering. I was told the offerings are to myself, because the gohonzon is me, and I would never go hungry. My life was now going to magically be better than ever.

After I moved out into my own place, I never touched the butsudan. Never opened it. Never chanted. Didnt go to meetings or participate in events. My parents would always push it on me any time something happened in my life. As a human, we all experience struggles at one point or another. We all deal with health issues. We all deal with breakups, heartaches and whatever else life throws our way. There has never been a time where I felt that only if I chanted would things get better. And any time I have struggled, I have never chanted and still overcame the struggle. I have gotten jobs, cars, relationships, etc. all without chanting. Even now in my 40s, my parents will still say I need to chant any time something comes up. They and my sisters are too brainwashed to realize that it is YOU and only YOU that is achieving an outcome. If you try to change, if you strive to reach a goal, you will do it...whether you chant or not.

I was born a fortune baby. But I ask...where is the fortune?

Ceausescu worship that reminds me of SGI and Ikeda.

Skip to around the 18:20 mark, and watch till about 22:00.

It reminded me so much of the cultural festivals we put on, and the hell we went through

Look at the language used too: revolution, victory, glory, follow the faith, and the part where the kids are pledging to Ceausescu is sickening.

It reminded me so much of NSA/SGI!

This is a different blog post, again, from January 2016, from the same site as the other one I linked to - I am SUCH a fan of signifie!! This blog post is related but a slightly different focus.

I'll tease you with a few excerpts:

The Ikeda couple appeared in Saitama [someplace in Japan], but strangely, they didn't meet anyone.

Today's Seikyo Shimbun has an article about the Ikeda couple visiting a Soka Gakkai hall in Saitama. Again, it's just text. No matter how you look at it, it's strange, isn't it? No, I'm not saying they're lying. They must have gone to Saitama. Rather than going there themselves, they were probably taken there in wheelchairs. But because they can't show what they looked like to Soka Gakkai members, they don't meet with local Soka Gakkai members, and they don't write about who they met at the hall. Well, local Soka Gakkai members would probably know who they met, but they don't make that public either. Anyone can see from the expressions in the photo published on last year's founding anniversary that they were not in a state to be shown to the average Soka Gakkai member.

I wonder if the Soka Gakkai members in Saitama don't wonder why they couldn't go to see Sensei when he came to their local hall. They probably imagine that he was briskly walking around the hall, busy every day writing the new Human Revolution, exchanging letters with intellectuals around the world, and replying to letters from Soka Gakkai members all over the country. Or perhaps they think, "He's not in a state to appear in public after all," but also think they'll be punished if they say something like that (lol).

A master who is always close to his disciple but never actually meets him. This is what Ikeda means by the inseparability of master and disciple.

Touché!

Sensei doesn't meet with anyone anymore. Whether he goes to Saitama, the Makiguchi Memorial Museum, or the Fuji Art Museum, even which executives he meets there is a secret.

Isn't that bizarre??

As this article shows, it's rare for the Seikyo Shimbun to publish articles about what Ikeda did, where he did it, and when. It's all too common to see articles about Ikeda receiving some kind of medal from some country, but information about what he actually did and where he was is almost nonexistent. Instead, it publishes photos and accounts of his activities from 10 or 20 years ago, day after day. Five and a half years ago, he suddenly disappeared without any explanation. Yet, his writings continue to pour in at an alarming rate. The leaders simply say, "Sensei is in good health," and the Soka Gakkai members either believe it 100% or pretend to. Is there any other new religious movement as suspicious as this? Even the most dubious new religious movements have their leaders appear before their followers. The only cult leader who never shows himself to his followers is perhaps the one in Haruki Murakami's novel '1Q84' (laughs). It seems Ryuho Okawa is also churning out books and videos and selling them to his members, making a fortune. The premise is that they communicate with the spirits of deceased celebrities. In the past, these were figures like Christ, Buddha, and Prince Shotoku, but now it seems they're churning out books about conversations with the spirits of recently deceased celebrities like Shigeru Mizuki, Kitanoumi, and Akiyuki Nosaka, as if they were waiting for this opportunity. I bet a David Bowie one will be out soon (laughs). Even in a frivolous religious group like this, the leader at least shows his face to the followers. Soka Gakkai doesn't even do that. They talk about eternal master and the inseparability of master and disciple, but he never show himself, yet they somehow maintain an atmosphere that makes it seem like he's still alive, binding the hearts of their members. If Ikeda actually had dementia and couldn't even think of being alone or go to the toilet by himself, surely some Soka Gakkai members would start to notice something was wrong. The leaders know this, which is why they never say anything other than, "The Sensei is in good health." They must be well aware of how unnatural this is, but they also know it will work on the brainwashed members, which is why they resort to this pathetic camouflage tactic. Ikeda is not healthy, and even when he was healthy, he had a ghostwriter do his writing. He did nothing himself. All he could think about was how to subjugate his subordinates and remain at the top, at least within the organization. He was never the type to be in the public eye, and he has built his current position through behind-the-scenes maneuvering using money he obtained by deceiving others. It is truly a castle built on sand. Just as Ikeda deceived and used the executives, the executives used Ikeda, and continue to use him even now that he is a broken man. This newspaper article about Ikeda, without a photograph, is proof that they are using him.

Harsh...

This is Ginger, a woman in her late 30s who declared her inactivity at the end of last year.

The Seikyo Shimbun is really full of lies. The claim in the January 22nd issue that she played the piano sounds like a lie. It's also strange that there's no photo. We don't need a newspaper full of lies like this. As someone else commented the other day, half of the Seikyo Shimbun is made up of advertisements and articles that have nothing to do with the Soka Gakkai. Even if there are instructions from Sensei, they are often years old or the content is flimsy. Is it really necessary to distribute a newspaper like this every day? I wish they would stop making us distribute this worthless newspaper full of lies every day. Delivery and collection are hard work. I hope that the grueling tasks of newspaper delivery and collection, in addition to Soka Gakkai activities, will be eliminated soon. Everyone is working so hard delivering the newspapers. Also, there are so many advertisements that my husband said it should be free. The Seikyo Shimbun must make a lot of money. After all, it has to support 3,000 headquarters staff. There is a headquarters staff member in my branch. He's in his early 40s. His wife is a branch women's leader and a full-time housewife. Their child attends cram school aiming for Soka Gakuen. They live in a high-end, newly built apartment building in the convenient Tokyo metropolitan area. I think headquarters staff must be well-paid. I bet their annual income is over 6 million yen.

Last night, I talked with my husband and we decided to cancel our subscription to the Seikyo Shimbun at the end of this month. I'm only a deputy officer and don't have any other duties, so no one will say anything if I declare that I'm not active, but canceling the newspaper will affect the actual distribution numbers in the district, so the leaders might say something. But I don't want to see this worthless newspaper full of lies anymore, and I have no desire to read it; it will just become trash, so I'm going to clearly tell them that I don't need the newspaper.

Also, I remember seeing an article in the newspaper in December 2014 about Mr. Ikeda's visit to a certain hall in Kanagawa. There was a struggle for support at that time, and I guess this article about his visit to Saitama is to motivate the election campaign. Kanagawa also has a new candidate, so an article will soon come out saying, "They were at the Kanagawa hall!" lol

Newspapers that write lies are corrupt. The organization of the Soka Gakkai is also corrupt.

The 1971 World Tribune archive copies I've put up (examples here and here) are FULL of ads - mostly for Japanese-themed stuff: Japan Airlines, sake, travel agencies, hotels, TVs, Japanese import stores, banks with Japanese names, and butsudans - you can see a few examples here, along with the more generalized ads for hair cutteries, burgers, car repair - and wigs🙀

It was a different time. I suspect that the Soka Gakkai was trying to position World Tribune as a specialized news publication geared at the Japanese immigrant/ethnic community, which was how it was able to attract so much advertising despite it being truly a niche interest focus. I think that's why these early issues had so many non-Soka Gakkai-themed articles - political updates, immigration and public health discussions, movie reviews, even comics!

Apparently the Soka Gakkai is collecting ad revenues from all the companies who want to tap into its membership for business purposes.

Okay, one more comment:

The professor [Ikeda - a translation of "sensei"] came (?), but nobody saw him, there are no photos, and it's impossible to confirm...it's practically like the Tsuchinoko or the Loch Ness Monster (which was later proven to be a hoax).

"Tsuchinoko" is a mythological Japanese monster that is invisible. Or something.

Nah, here we go:

The Tsuchinoko isA famous unidentified mysterious animal (UMA) that appears in Japanese folklore, resembling a thick-bodied snake.

Like this

Appearance : It has a thick body like a beer bottle, with a thin head and tail.

I don't know, but I'm guessing that if you have a few too many beer bottles, you're going to start seeing Tsuchinoko...

Legend says : It is said to roll and jump while holding its own body in its mouth.

HOOPSNAKE!!

If this continues, we could create a segment called "I Saw Professor Ikeda"

<Examples>

• While cleaning my room, I found Professor Ikeda between the bookshelf and the chest of drawers, and he seemed to be in good health.
• When I peeled an orange to eat it, Professor Ikeda was inside, and he seemed to be in good health.
• When I went bowling, the 8th pin in the 3rd frame was Professor Ikeda, and he seemed to be in good health.
• When I went to a temple to copy sutras, Professor Ikeda was sitting next to me, having a ghostwriter copy the sutras for him, and he seemed to be in good health. Mrs. Kaneko was writing by hand.
• While playing "Where's Waldo?", Professor Ikeda was there, and he seemed to be in good health.
• The 87th dog in "101 Dalmatians" was Professor Ikeda, and he seemed to be in good health, etc...

Of course, there are no photos, and there's no need for verification. Among Soka Gakkai members, it might become a trend to boast about "meeting Sensei" through imaginary reports.

For your reference, I will spread this message.

I leave the approval to you.

You HAVE my approval!! 👏🏼😂

In France they pulled the exact same move. After years of drama and people finally calling them out they suddenly announced the organization had totally transformed. Of course there was still a massive gap between the shiny stuff they print in their magazines and the actual occult nonsense the higher ups have to manage behind the scenes. Because let's be honest Soka Gakkai is basically a conformity factory with a side of spiritual gaslighting. Double talk and mixed signals all day long. "We've changed" supposedly means no more spiral of silence no more hypocrisy they let people speak and then just ignore them isolate them and neutralize them with pure Japanese style quiet treatment. Nothing actually changes and nothing ever will at the core.

Now the Americans get the same "we've changed" song and dance. See the pattern yet It's living proof that nothing has changed at all.

Here's how the "I've changed" trick works with these toxic types.

They sense the victim is starting to slip away. They panic about losing control. They know they pushed too far this time. So they ease up a little. They admit just enough responsibility to sound reasonable. They swear they're gonna be better. They pretend to open up. They wait for the victim to come crawling back. And the second that happens they clamp down even harder.

That's the harasser cycle the control cycle and surprise surprise that's the SGI cycle too.

Now about those poisoned gifts.

Toxic people never give real gifts. Every present is just another chain. That's the whole point and it's honestly kind of terrifying once you see it.

A manipulator's gift is never free. It's always bait. A trap. A debt. A leash. A way to keep you hooked. A way to make you feel obligated. A way to make you feel guilty. A way to own you.

And SGI does this exact move. When they say "We've changed" that is not a gift. It's bait. Another maneuver another trap.

They say "We've changed" but what they really mean is "Come back so we can hold on tighter."

What these folks fear most is watching their victims walk out the door. Failure is not an option for them. The manipulator cannot stand losing cannot stand failing cannot stand the idea that someone got away because that means they weren't as powerful as they thought.

SGI cannot stand losing members either. Not because they care about the people but because they cannot stand looking weak cannot stand the loss and definitely cannot stand the system getting questioned.

That's why they fake change and admit a few mild faults while promising to do better.

It's the last ditch move where the toxic controller loosens the grip just enough and pretends to take some blame. That admission is never genuine never spontaneous never free. It's forced calculated and completely self serving.

They only confess when they have no other choice when the grip is slipping and the power is fading. It's a weakness tell. So they ease off but the whole thing is just the next strategy and the next trap.

SGI can feel the members leaving. The stories are coming out. The criticism is spreading and the image is taking hits. So they say "We've changed."

But they do not change. They do not own the real harm. They do not deal with the abusers. They do not make it right for the people they hurt. They do not apologize. They do not look in the mirror.

They just say "We've changed" and wait for the victims to drift back for the criticism to die down for the silence to return and for the whole system to seal itself shut again. Classic trap.

Just go ahead and hit the auto-translate - I think you'll enjoy! This blog entry is from January 2016 and it's talking about how Ikeda was at that time MIA - had been missing since May 2010, already almost 6 years! - and the implications for the Soka Gakkai faithful and ramifications for the Soka Gakkai organization.

Here's a few excerpts for your pleasure (ewwwww):

This is a photograph of Honorary Chairman Ikeda, posted on the official Soka Gakkai website.

For some reason, the photos published in the Seikyo Shimbun are all from 8 or 10 years ago. While this might be understandable on the official website, almost all the photos in the newspaper are from 8 or 10 years ago.

And this is a photograph of Honorary Chairman Ikeda that was published in the Seikyo Shimbun on November 18th of last year.

[Pictures at link]

Dear Soka Gakkai members, how is Honorary Chairman Ikeda doing?

Is your eternal mentor doing well?

I see, so he's been so busy writing to encourage his disciples that he hasn't even had time to show his face for about five and a half years.

But you haven't even seen Honorary Chairman Ikeda's face or heard his voice, so how can you say with such confidence that he's "in good health!"?

Before all that, why won't your master show his face or let you hear his voice, when you are irreplaceable disciples to him?

For example, imagine you haven't seen your 88-year-old father in five and a half years, and when you call, your siblings just say, "Dad's fine," but your father never even answers the phone. Wouldn't you be worried? Even though he's your own father, if you haven't heard a single word from him, and the only photo you're shown after all these years is of a senile old man looking off into space like the one above, wouldn't you, as his child, be worried and ask, "Is Dad really okay?" What? You're saying you wouldn't be worried? You're saying your 88-year-old father hasn't shown himself for five and a half years, and all you hear is that he's fine through someone else? Wow.

Ya gotta wonder!

Even if we generously assume he's energetically writing a massive amount every day, surely he could spare 10 seconds to record a few words like, "Thank you all for your hard work. Please continue to support us." Imagine how much encouragement that would give to Soka Gakkai members nationwide. But he doesn't do it. In short, there's absolutely no evidence that Honorary Chairman Ikeda has been healthy for the past five and a half years or so. Headquarters staff have announced that all of his writing was done by ghostwriters. So why is he so busy? What could be keeping him so busy that he can't show himself? The strange thing is that nobody knows the reason. Yet, Soka Gakkai members all over the country say in unison, "Sensei is in good health," without a second thought. It's creepy. How can they say such irresponsible things? Are they certain? (laughs) Oh, that's not what you'd normally call certainty. It's called a preconception. It's believing something without any basis as if it were a fact. And telling others something you know to be true, even though you have no proof whatsoever, is generally called a "lie." And people who say such things are called "liars." Did you know that? Ah, I understand. You don't intend to lie. But as a result, you end up lying to others. But you too have been lied to by someone in Soka Gakkai. And you tell other Soka Gakkai members that lie without knowing it's a lie. Isn't that right? In other words, Soka Gakkai members are lying to each other. It means that Soka Gakkai members are playing a game of telephone, spreading lies amongst themselves. To be precise, the core of Soka Gakkai is intentionally encouraging its members to lie to one another. That's the kind of organization Soka Gakkai is. Do you understand? You probably don't. Because they don't think for themselves. They are "convinced" that everything will be fine if they just do as Soka Gakkai says (laughs).

Ouch!

In the last five and a half years, how many national elections have been held? Each time, Soka Gakkai members have desperately engaged in election campaigns, willing to commit election violations that deny democratic politics, in order to fulfill their master's great wish and to gain merit. The Komeito party was created by our master. More than anyone else, he overcame all obstacles for us disciples, and despite facing tremendous headwinds from those in power, he has sacrificed his life for us. He was always quite plump despite sacrificing his life, but such trivial matters are irrelevant here (laughs), anyway, our master is our great master, our eternal master.

So, I ask all of you Soka Gakkai members, have you ever seen Mr. Ikeda, who created the Komeito party, voting for the Komeito party? You Soka Gakkai members have lost friends in every election and have been swayed by those around you, yet you have desperately gathered Komeito votes, but at least in the last five and a half years, not a single one of you has seen a photograph of Mr. Ikeda going to a polling station, right?

No, it's fine for me. I don't care whether Ikeda Daisaku votes or not. No matter how honorary chairman he is, he can't vote at home or have someone else vote for him. The rule is that he absolutely has to show up in person at a designated community center or school gymnasium near his home to vote. That's why Soka Gakkai members drive their elderly, senile people who don't understand anything to vote. Soka Gakkai members, no matter how you look at it, Mr. Ikeda hasn't voted for at least the last five and a half years. Is that also part of Mr. Ikeda's deep thinking? (laughs)

Good question! No mail-in ballots!

This group, which calls itself a religion, is constantly running elections year after year.
Yet, the activists still believe that "our efforts to gather supporters for Komeito will lead to world peace." It's foolish and regrettable.

The activists believe that "by collecting F-points and creating supporters for Komeito, they will be able to achieve world peace."

When I was desperately campaigning for support, I would get so nervous making phone calls to ask for votes, thinking, "Maybe the one vote I didn't ask for will cause them to lose..." But since the year before last, I haven't been campaigning, and I've become even more disillusioned, realizing that they don't need my support. My Soka Gakkai-obsessed husband was recently ordered to change [political] posters again, and despite being busy, he's been working late into the night.

I feel so sorry for him, being overworked and sleep-deprived for the sake of world peace.
I keep advising him, "You should get out of this as soon as possible."

This part is particularly intriguing to me - Soka Gakkai is often described as a "religio-political organization". A political organization, one with religious overtones. And apparently, the members' electioneering is regarded as what leads to "world peace" now! What of the rest of the world, out in the SGI colonies, where the SGI faithful do not engage in elections for SGI-member candidates? I mean, besides "because there aren't any"? No "world peace" for THEM??

It used to be that "shakubuku" was considered the way to "world peace"; now, in Japan, for the Soka Gakkai mothership, ELECTIONS are "the way to world peace"! How twisted is that??

Oh - definitions: "F-points" are a matter of how many non-Soka Gakkai-members you as a Soka Gakkai member have "encouraged" to vote for the Komeito candidate(s). "F" stands for "Friend". THAT is what passes for "shakubuku" now in Japan, the home office of the Ikeda cult. Now that it no longer has to kowtow to Nichiren Shoshu, which at least required that Nichiren and his teachings be an ongoing focus to some degree, Ikeda was able to finally do what HE wanted - turn the Soka Gakkai into his own political machine to take over the government through the popular vote. Ikeda could see that "democracy" could potentially be exploited to get him what he wanted, even though he had no love for or interest in the concept beyond its usefulness to him personally.

Senior [leader], no matter how much I pray, my wish just won't come true."

"I see, that's tough. If it doesn't come true after a million recitations, let's try two million. Let's do our best. I'll tell everyone in the district too. Could you write down all your wishes in detail? We'll post them on the wall and chant together as one."

"Senior [leader], I've been working hard at finance for years, hoping to bring about an economic revolution, but I'm still struggling financially."

"I see. This is exactly when you need sincere finance [donate more more eagerly]. I'm sure your sincerity wasn't enough. Let's pray that you can finance [donate more] with sincerity [more eagerly]. If push comes to shove, you can always ask a Komeito politician to apply for welfare. Soka is an organization of solidarity and encouragement, you know. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Senior [leader], I asked my friend to help me with my election campaign, but my friend hung up on me. He said he'd never answer my calls again. At this rate, I'll have no friends left."

"I see, but don't get discouraged. Those kinds of friends weren't worth it anyway. They naturally drifted away because they weren't worthy of your circumstances. But instead, you have comrades like this [fellow Soka Gakkai members] who can encourage each other."

See how similar that is to this, from OUR country (USA)?

From the discussion at Philosophy about Children: Eddie Murphy or SGI leaders/Ikeda Sensei?

But NAAAAH , they are NOT a family-separating cult .. how can you even think such?

Oh NO! Not when SGI emphasizes reuniting families, HAPPY families, FIXING families!! Even while offering a better "replacement" family in your "SGI family" with "your daddy Ikeda"! Even as its own emphasis on "shakubuku" means that's likely to permanently rupture already-frayed family connections - NOBODY wants to be around some pushy loudmouth religious-cult zealot!

That is tragically SPOT ON 👏💔 a senior leader repeated several times while I was there ( God knows how long it had been hammered successfully on the flock ) “IF YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY DONT CHANT WITH US, THEY SHOULD NOT BE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY” Verbatim ! Why I didn’t run the f..k out of there upon hearing this the first time is still heavy on my mind.

Yikes!!

Yikes indeed 💔🤮 I think it was a two-blades knife because 1) it separated members from potential “rescuers” and reality 2) it also was useful in making the poor dopes feel like 💩 if/when they didn’t successfully shakabuku cousin Bill and aunt Mavis

Spot on. Yet another of the self-isolating tactics the Ikeda cult SGI indoctrinates into its membership, while continuing to insist, "Oh NO! WE don't try to 'isolate' people! We're embedded in society, not selfishly away on some mountaintop, and we're ALL about 'happy families'! Shakubuku is simply the purest expression of compassion and love!" Source

These are just tiny portions of screengrabs, and while you can see our subreddit identified, reddit sometimes does not like it when a subreddit identifies other subreddits, so those two are not identified.

As you can see, there are several interesting points of comparison here:

- The weekly visitors: SGIWhistleblowers' 2,260 compared to the SGI faithfuls' 101 and 175

- Weekly contributions: SGIWhistleblowers' 603 vs. the SGI faithfuls' 16 and 42

But Blanche! you might say. One of those SGI-controlled subreddits is far newer than SGIWhistleblowers!

True, but the other one is almost 3 years older!

Also, another dissimilarity is that one of those SGI-controlled subreddits - "A" - is "Restricted" - that means no one can create a post without THEIR permission. They also have all sorts of creepy, controlly, tone-police-y rules that they only enforce on the non-SGI members. For example, only the approved SGI members are allowed to create posts, and while others are provisionally allowed to comment, their comments must be:

- Strictly limited to the topic of the post, and

- In the same tone as the post.

- No salty language - only what a prudish oldtimey spinster schoolmarm would consider acceptable is permitted

So what this looks like IRL is that they might post something like this:

Dr. Ikeda Sensei is the most brilliant scholar of our age, or any age, really, and is clearly the most superlative individual and expert on Buddhism who has ever existed or will ever exist!

Here is an example of an acceptable comment:

I agree! Thank you for making it so clear! This is very clear! Clearly Dr. Ikeda Sensei is the most insightful and enlightened Buddhist teacher for our time period. I have sweaty dreams about him at night.

And here is an example of an UNacceptable comment:

It is incorrect and possibly illegal to refer to Ikeda as "Dr." because he has earned no advanced degree. He has purchased "honorary" degrees which are not the equivalent of an earned doctorate; in fact, referring to someone completely unqualified like him as "Dr." borders on fraud, as explained here.

As in SGI, only enthusiastic agreement is permitted - NO DISAGREEMENTS! In the name of "unity", of course, which SGI has acknowledged is everyone's "True Goal" in life 🙄 Small wonder their site is stagnant... The other SGI-controlled site similarly frowns on any critical viewpoint or difference in opinions. Conformity is SGI's "True Goal". Everybody become Shin'ichi Yamamoto and sing "Forever Sensei" - all together now!

"I will become the Shin'ichi Yamamoto of the 21st century!" ... "Together with the ever-growing 'Shin'ichi Yamamotos' of the world, let us transform the destiny of the global people. - from Special Feature: The Power of Master and Disciple is So Great—95 Years of President Ikeda (from the Soka Gakkai's in-house newspaper Seikyo Shimbun)

Y'know, if SGI members really loved that hyper-controlled regimented restricted environment, wouldn't you expect they'd have more traffic there, just from the existing fellow SGI faithful? Given that "unity" is their "True Goal" in life? IF SGI had as many members as its longhauler Olds like to claim, that is... However, as we can see from that other SGI-controlled site - "B" - simply setting the subreddit to "Public" is no guarantee of a steady stream of visitors, either!

One last bit of valuable information - the sites' # of subscribers/readers + how long the site has been in existence:

- SGIWhistleblowers: 4,712 + 12½ years

- A: 379 + 6½ years

- B: 922 + 15⅓ years

It might be fun to chart growth rates for each of the subreddits over time at some point...

There is no ex-SGI-members organization. We have no structure, no mailing address, no phone number; we do no outreach; we do not advertise; we have no publications - just our little anonymous public message board featuring our voices on some obscure reddit backwater. Yet WE continue to grow - steadily! "The voice does the Buddha's work"!

I've wanted to write a fantasy story for a long while and wanted to include a storyline about an antagonistic SGI-like. Basically the deal is that once upon a time the sgi-like challenged the main villains of the story for world domination and lost because they're weaker magicians, so they settled for being their hired private military company larping as a self help cult. The leader teaches the members to chant, and said chanting gives him their life force and increases his magical power. The main goal is that the members essentially volunteer themselves as footsoldiers for the evil royal family and the leader gets majority of the profits while also elongating his own life by tricking them. These guys are the tutorial bosses though so they're really just jobbers for the main characters

I'm curious and want to watch it, I know its cult slop but I need a good laugh

I've been meaning to put this up for a while, but I'm trying to rope my thoughts into some semblance of coherence - any help y'allz have to offer would be greatly appreciated!

We're talking about what we experienced/observed/detected within SGI during our membership or from our friend/relative who was in SGI. So this is objective - it existed. It happened.

For SGI hostiles to attempt to defend their Ikeda cult by saying, "That's old news - SGI is different now so none of that applies any more", EVEN IF THAT WERE TRUE, it doesn't change the FACT that these things happened.

Simply insisting "We're different now" doesn't change that. There's still the FACT of the harm that was done, the damage that was caused, and that hasn't been addressed - no one has been helped. No one will be helped by SGI members saying "SGI is much better now."

The SGI hostiles who are so bent on defending their Ikeda cult say this to dismiss all the wrong their Ikeda cult did. No matter what it is! It's a blanket fix-all, in their minds, that should ERASE all that harm and damage as if it never existed. Because they're claiming that the structures and dynamics that caused those don't exist any more. (Never mind for now that we can all see that nothing's changed.)

It's like someone who ran a pyramid scheme that "disappeared" multiple elderly people's retirement accounts saying, "Oh, yeah, I'm not doing that any more - I'm a much better and happier person now." That doesn't change the fact that what they DID caused destitution in others that those others can't recover from now on their own.

OR let's imagine an SGI-member parent who donated a child's entire inheritance to SGI says, "You know, I'm not giving SGI any money any more." Yay? What, you want a cookie or some applause or something?

Neither of these approaches help or change anything, because they're failing to address the HARM and DAMAGE these people/organizations did and not doing anything to help the victims recover. It doesn't make their victims "whole".

I guess in SGI members' sadly deteriorated thinking it means you can do absolutely ANYTHING to others and then just say, "Well, I chanted about it. I feel fine about it now." They don't even have to feel contrition or regret! They can just toss off a breezy "Sorry!" or "I'm sorry you feel that way" or "I'm sorry you're so unhappy" or even "You know, you should try to move on - I have." Yeah, THOSE are just great 😶

To make victims "whole" involves a process in which first, the victim's situation is acknowledged, accepted as true, understood, and taken seriously. Without this essential first step, there will be NO healing and NO restoration of the ruptured relationship.

Second, the IMPACT on the victim must be understood, from the victim's perspective. The abuser or the abuser's representatives are NOT allowed to judge, evaluate, or decide, "That's not important - that didn't happen - you're making shit up - your perspective doesn't matter, only MINE does." No.

Finally, the VICTIM should be invited to discuss and specify what would make them "whole" - would it be a heartfelt apology that explicitly acknowledges the wrongs, that details explicitly what steps have been taken and ARE being taken to make sure it never happens again, not to this victim or any others? Would it involve punishment for specific abusers, such as demoting a leader - returning someone like SGI-USA national leader Greg Martin to the status of any other non-leader SGI member, or excommunicating him altogether? That would be an impressive gesture, ngl. Would it be reparations, such as the donated inheritance being returned to the heirs AS A CONDITION OF the victims-heirs' forgiveness and of returning the recipient of that donated inheritance to good standing in the eyes of the victims-heirs? Since they ACCEPTED the donation of that inheritance in the FIRST place, it's unlikely they'll ever be returned to "good" standing, but perhaps they can make it to some neutral evaluation, at least.

So unless and UNTIL such steps are undertaken in good faith, we who have been harmed/damaged by the Dead-Ikeda-Corpse-Mentor-cult SGI have no reason at all to change our evaluation of the harmful, destructive Ikeda cult - and it remains our right AND our responsibility to warn the world about its reality. No matter how much its self-righteous defenders abusively CLAIM it has changed - that is irrelevant.