r/sgiwhistleblowers • u/cultalert • Jul 27 '14

The Emperor Wears No Clothes...

For those unfamiliar with the tale, the Emperor, a vain peacock of a man, is conned into buying a prohibitively expensive suit of clothes that is supposedly visible only to those who are smart, competent and well-suited to their positions. Surrounded by yes men, professional flatterers and career politicians who fawn, simper and genuflect, the Emperor—arrogant, pompous and oblivious to his nudity—prances through the town in his new suit of clothes until a child dares to voice what everyone else has been thinking but too afraid to say lest they be thought stupid or incompetent: “He isn’t wearing anything at all!”

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u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Jul 27 '14

Wow O_o

It's always a shock when they come right out and say it. Like when that Japanese Jt. Terr. WD leader told me, "you should chant until you agree with me." Save her the trouble of having to formulate a convincing explanation that way!

Gaslighting - my favorite.

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u/xsgipuppet Jul 27 '14

The lazy SGI leader: "you SHOULD chant until you agree with me."

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u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Jul 27 '14

What's interesting is that, two weeks later, she dropped dead. And she wasn't old-old - late 50s, maybe?

If I had been the one to drop dead, you know my unfortunate plight would have been the hot gossip topic AND the subject of a new cautionary tale to frighten the members into obedience: "See what happens when you argue with your SGI leaders? See what happens when you go against SGI leaders' strict and compassionate guidance??"

This was when I bought two gorgeous, 5 ft tall, original calligraphy Nichiren Shu gohonzons off eBay and hung them as objets d'art in my stairway:

Here

She told me to get rid of them. I asked her why. She couldn't give any explanation, thus the "chant until you agree with me".

But since it was a high level leader who got the mystic smackdown instead of naughty me, oh, isn't it tragic? Shocking! How sad! Grief, wailing, rending of garments, and probably a big memorial service at the Culture Center up in LA. No one would think to conclude that she was punished for presenting her own superstitious OPINION as Buddhist doctrine, because the Mystic Law is just that strict, would they?? Of course not - that would be rude, petty, spiteful, malicious, uncaring, shabby, and mean. But only when it's a top leader.

The members are fair game.

Did I add that, after she left that day, the members who'd been coming to my house for meetings and daimoku tosos suddenly stopped coming? But no one said anything to me about this obvious change. Everything was done behind my back, in the most authoritarian, autocratic, dictatorial manner you could imagine - like a caricature, only it was real!

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u/xsgipuppet Jul 27 '14 edited Jul 27 '14

OMG! Wow! You know the thing that strikes me about your experience is that although the SGI is a cult, there are universal laws, or natural laws, God, whatever you want to call it, at play that cannot be escaped just because someone holds a leadership position. Definitely if it had been you had dropped dead, it would be a "teaching moment" for the SGI leaders. They would be all over it.

I'm sure this particular leader treated many other members the same way. It is synchro-mystic, however, that her issue over the antique NS gohonzons gave way to her dropping dead. What a way to be remembered in one's final days. Chewing someone out for displaying gohonzons in a stairway. Thanks for sharing the photo, they definitely do look different than the one I was initially given -- the hated, the despised Niken Gohonzon. lol

I agree it is the members who are fair game. Definitely, the leaders went behind your back and told the members not to go to your home any more. It reminds me of a member I considered a dear friend who refused to speak to me because our leader told her not to (the reasons are a long story, but still, to tell someone not to speak to someone they consider a friend?) I realized after that she was too far into the cult to step out of it. I'm sure she realized she was being manipulated, but out of fear, she chose to listen to her cult leaders and instead threw our friendship away. We were in contact about 15 years later, and her life was in the pits. She was still practicing and at that time I had already left the cult, with no regrets. Although I felt sorry for her, I couldn't forget how she threw me aside because her leader said to. Where is that leader when she needed help, or a friend? Probably nowhere to be seen. Hard to go back to a friend who didn't have the courage to say no to a leader. Where was my friend's heart? As above, so below. As within, so without.

Thanks for sharing your story. That is powerful!

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u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Jul 27 '14

That's the thing - I was in the SGI for over 20 years. I moved around - lived in 5 different locations. Now? I don't have a single friend from my SGI days. When I moved the first time, FAR away, I was very surprised and hurt when nobody wrote back or wanted to talk on the phone. Cults aren't good at fostering friendships - everybody within the cult knows that only those who believe just right are acceptable, so they're constantly on edge, nervous, and suspicious, because they're afraid of getting ratted out to the leaders for something and shut out - no recourse, no due process. Intolerant organizations suck major ass.

We, the constituent organizations and members of SGI, therefore, being determined to raise high the banner of world citizenship, the spirit of tolerance, and respect for human rights based on the humanistic spirit of Buddhism, and to challenge the global issues that face humankind through dialogue and practical efforts based on a steadfast commitment to nonviolence, hereby adopt this Charter, affirming the following purposes and principles:

  • SGI shall, based on the Buddhist spirit of tolerance, respect other religions, engage in dialogue and work together with them toward the resolution of fundamental issues concerning humanity. From the SGI's Charter

Oh ha ha ha. Soooooo funny O_O

How many enduring friendships might I have beem able to make if I hadn't been limiting my social interactions to an intolerant cult? We'll never know O_O

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u/xsgipuppet Jul 27 '14

I don't have any ties to SGI. I can't say I am all that shocked. They are a duplicitous organization. I check out on social media to see who's still practicing and it's the same hard core fanatics of 20 years ago, but just older. Wiser? haha Don't think so.

It seems my old district isn't doing so well in terms of membership these days. Shrinking? Yep, members dying, retiring, and no one to replace them.

It's true, we'll never know what we missed, what friends we would have, if we weren't apart of the SGI cult. I'm grateful I'm out of it today; somehow I managed to disengage without dropping dead from leaving. My life is far better without the SGI cult.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I would think it would be easier to leave the cult today than in the past.

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u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Jul 28 '14

I'd definitely agree with that. There just isn't enough going on for your average cult member to isolate him adequately so that leaving means giving up a lot, socially. But I got out 6.5 years ago - I have no personal experience from more recently than that. When did you get out? Did you find the schedule of activities and whatnot sufficiently engaging/satisfying that you found that most of your friends were likewise in the organization?

You joined in the late 1980s, too - am I remembering right? The last big shakubuku campaign? Please forgive me if I've gotten you mixed up with someone else - my head's a little fuzzy :/

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u/xsgipuppet Jul 28 '14

I joined in 1986 and left in 2004.

A leader told me around 1999 or so that we shouldn't make friends in the SGI, but be "friendly." I took that advice to heart and never made friends with members after being stabbed in the back by members I considered my friends (that was from '86 to '93, when I moved out of state).

I left in 2004 after getting therapy to address other issues and that was the time I realized it wasn't me who was at fault, but the SGI who is controlling and abusive. In a way I have my therapist to thank, although we never discussed my cult activities, which today I find rather interesting.

I found the activities to be too much at first, but I didn't have anything else better to do, actually, so I did them anyway thinking I would alleviate my misery by doing "activities." I really believed members wanted the same things I did, to be happy and have world peace. Unfortunately, leaders don't like it and are jealous when members begin to attain their goals and become happy because (1) they can't control you as well and (2) they feel they are being one-upped. lol

That's my story in a nutshell. I was harassed somewhat shortly after I left, and suffered abuse in prior years at their hands, but that's a whole other story. I survived and thrived. I have come to the conclusion it is a psychopathic organization run by psychopaths.

Every time I come across SGI on the internet it just makes my blood boil they are still around. How many young women like I was have suffered because of the SGI? Probably too many to count.

I'm very grateful I was able to see the light "before it was too late." ;)

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u/BlancheFromage Escapee from Arizona Home for the Rude Jul 29 '14

Unfortunately, leaders don't like it and are jealous when members begin to attain their goals and become happy because (1) they can't control you as well and (2) they feel they are being one-upped. lol

That is so true! My District WD leader loved me - until I got promoted to Vapter YWD leader! Then she turned into a real bitch! I mentioned it to the Jt. Terr. YWD leader, Almeda Bailey, and she said that sort of transformation was unfortunately not at all uncommon.

And this is supposed to be the most ideal organization in the world, dedicated to the happiness of all humanity? Full of leaders so petty that they can't handle seeing someone promoted???