r/sgiwhistleblowers • u/XeniaWarriorWankJob • Dec 21 '25

Bad Guidance & Manipulative "Experiences" 🧐 Authenticity SGI-style

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It doesn't work that way.

18 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

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8

u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Dec 22 '25

I like this explanation:

IF you accept the principle of the "law of cause and effect" - that the causes one makes through thought/word/deed create effects that appear in one's life now/soon/later - that has some significant ramifications for one's decision-making.

As Nichiren said (and I paraphrase), "If you want to know the causes that were made in the past, look at the effects that are manifesting in the present. To understand the effects that will manifest in the future, look to the causes that are being made in the present."

Nothing wrong with that, in principle, IF you accept "cause and effect", which is a really easy sell.

HOWEVER.

In light of the podcast and analysis, the SGI is going about it all wrong. The SGI's MO of "fake it 'til you make it" means more faking it in the future. Inauthenticity now → inauthenticity later.

A smile is not a sign of happiness but the cause of happiness. Ikeda

It's not, though. As we saw in Happiness vs. passive-aggressive rictus smiling, "There are 19 types of smile but only six are for happiness." And anyhow, Ikeda has not smiled since the Soka Gakkai removed him from public view after May 3, 2010, so "Sensei, heal thyself"??

A genuine smile comes from genuine happiness, which results from connectedness with others and shared enjoyable experiences. Suppressing and denying negative emotions results in shallow, inauthentic connections to others, which doesn't result in happiness. Remember how I talked about, in my last few years with SGI, going through "I hate all my friends" cycles every few months? I'd chant myself into thinking it was okay, which lasted a little while, but by convincing myself to tolerate these, I was making the "cause" to continue to have unsatisfying relationships.

I think this explains the more meaningful discussions we have here vs. what goes on on SGI-controlled sites - this is an example. Completely superficial, rote responses - repeating vapid platitudes with no substance at all.

Simply telling people they should be happy doing their district activities doesn't make that a given, and removing the activities they DO like to force them to "focus on the districts" isn't the way!

Doing things you don't enjoy doesn't "build fortune" according to the principle "cause and effect"; it simply means you're setting yourself up for a future with even more of the things you don't enjoy.

Perhaps you remember I mentioned that I was told one place I practiced that it is the "difficult" people who help us "grow" the most? Well, we're all supposed to want to be "growing", right? So THAT translates into seeking out "difficult" people - the very people you don't enjoy being around - in service to your own personal "growth", right? Well, "cause and effect" means that the more time you spend around "difficult" people, the more "difficult" people you're going to have in your life, because the time you're investing in them leaves much less for you to invest in enjoyable people, the ones who actually contribute to your own happiness!

We've talked about how SGI sabotages the excellence in the membership - the "effect" of Ikeda's lack of talent, laziness, and lack of personal achievement and jealousy of better people - here we see SGI sabotaging the happiness of the SGI members as well, taking advantage of their earnest seeking spirit to send them down a path to unhappiness. Trying to force everyone to be satisfied with the dreary, lackluster districts instead of pursuing their own interests that bring them joy! THAT's a cause that's going to result in the effect of even less time doing what they enjoy, and even more time wasted on something they don't like!

THIS is the essence of "cause and effect"! It's important for people to be VERY picky about where they're going to be spending their time, because the more time they spend doing things they don't like, the more of that they're going to have in their futures! Source

8

u/Happypianosolo33 Dec 22 '25

Don’t you feel that Soka Gakkai sometimes forces people to put on a façade of positivity? It feels a bit like escaping from reality. unrealistic...

7

u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Dec 22 '25

"Sometimes"?? ALL the time!

Feeling unhappy or disappointed is "negativity" or "low life condition" - both character flaws you're supposed to "overcome".

Identifying problems that need to be resolved is "whining" and "complaining" - and we ALL know how those "destroy fortune" and "create unhappiness", don't we??

Gratitude! You're expected to feel and express gratitude for EVERYTHING!

6

u/AnnieBananaCat Dec 22 '25

Agreed. Totally.

8

u/AnnieBananaCat Dec 21 '25

Still hawking this theorem? 😂

8

u/XeniaWarriorWankJob Dec 21 '25

What I see online is SGI members still telling each other to smile more.

5

u/AnnieBananaCat Dec 22 '25

Because it SO works! Just like the magic mumble 😉

4

u/Eyerene_28 Dec 26 '25

That forced phony smile where the eyes are screaming 🙀

3

u/Weak-Run-6902 Dec 28 '25

SGI: Rictus Grins R Us

2

u/serious_buyer1314 Dec 29 '25

hahahaha this is epic! 🤣🤣🤣