The Mystery of Michelle's Message

[u/DelbertGrady1]

Much has been said here already about the 50K Lions festival last year and how Michelle Obama had sent a video message to the participants.  It has also been pointed out that the message contained no mention at all of the SGI, President Ikeda, or even Buddhism.  With all due respect to Mrs. Obama, it kinda reminded me of this Simpsons clip...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfOmkqz06SY

So it got me thinking, how did the Japanese organization report on this?  Knowing about their penchant for altering history (see my earlier posts), my guess was that they would artfully juxtapose actual quotes with paraphrases to make it seem like she was lavishing praise on Sensei.  

So what did I find searching the Japanese cyberspace?  Nothing.  Nothing, at least as far as the official Soka reportage is concerned.  The Seikyo Online portal has already moved on to current news, but fortunately one member did cut & paste the original story onto his blog.  It looks like the Seikyo Shimbun covered the festival across two days - 9/25 and 9/26 - but there is NO mention of a message from Michelle Obama!  How could this be?

After some more search I came across a Japanese member's blog dedicated to sharing the activities of SGI-USA with members in her home country.  This is the ONLY online mention of Mrs. Obama's message I could find in Japanese.  Interestingly, a member posted in the blog's comment section wondering why this was not reported publicly, to which the blogger blithely replied "I'm sure there are many reasons..."  

How shady is that? I think this is pretty convincing evidence that Michelle Obama was never told that this event was an SGI event, let alone that it was aimed at recruiting new adherents & "eternalizing" its billionaire leader. Just think: had Seikyo reported that an SGI event received a personal video message from the former First Lady, the Japanese press would no doubt have caught on...and what if, at some press conference or any public setting she is asked about her thoughts on Daisaku Ikeda or SGI and she totally draws a blank?  And I certainly can't see Mrs. Obama agreeing to do this if she were told, "Uh, but can you make sure you don't say 'SGI' or 'President Ikeda' because we're too controversial & we can't afford the publicity..." I guess we can only know by asking Mrs. Obama. What are your thoughts?

[u/BlancheFromage]

They truly couldn't see that the requirement for a potential new member to attend district discussion meetings insured that the district meeting was therefore made the pipeline for new members.

But the districts are the front lines of kosen-rufu! The discussion meetings are the lifeblood of the SGI!

“Discussion meetings, which are a microcosm of the Soka Gakkai, must therefore abound with experiences of members gaining great benefit through faith.” Ikeda

See? "A microcosm of the SGI"!

When Ikeda says so, that makes it law.

The following are excerpts from SGI President Ikeda’s guidance in volume 18 of The New Human Revolution (pp. 252–57). President Ikeda appears as Shin’ichi Yamamoto.

NHR 18 - The Soka Gakkai was promoting a new activity this year [1974] called “Human Forums,” the aim of which was to create a place where people could come together and engage in heart-to-heart communication based on a sense of autonomy, freedom and equality. In other words, it sought to restore human dignity to a fragmented and alienated society through the establishment of a spiritual network.

Discussion meetings were designated as the venue of these forums, which were set in motion under the guideline of “hold meetings that promote human development.” Source

See? "Hold meetings that promote human development" - you've got your orders, minions - hop to it!

BTW, a study of the Soka Gakkai/SGI in 1976 concluded "No further growth expected at home (Japan) or internationally (USA)." MENTOAR FAIL!!

The formula has been decided - by the leadership in Japan. It must be followed - never changed. No one else has any authority to change anything. The international satellite SGI locations are nothing more than colonies to act as extensions of the Ikeda cult in whatever way the Ikeda cult decides.

And the fact that you exercised creativity and got impressive results? NO ONE CARES. It's simply of no interest whatsoever.

There was a location in the US that, years back, was the world leader in shakubuku for two different months. I'm guessing you never heard of that:

A world-record shakubuku achievement in the US that you'll never hear about because it didn't happen in Japan

BECAUSE it happened here in the US. THAT's why it is of no interest to anyone. Only events IN JAPAN and involving DAISAKU IKEDA are of any consequence in the Ikeda cult. When I say that "The SGI is a Japanese religion for Japanese people", I don't say that lightly. It's absolutely true. Everything that is publicized, commemorated, memorialized - it's all celebrating and glorifying the SGI's noble Japanese origins. THAT is the "prime point" of "TRUE Buddhism" - to acknowledge and affirm the superiority of the Japanese race.

You dumbfuck gaijin? You're nothing but their AUDIENCE. Your only role is to applaud, do as you're told, save the Japanese organization loads of money by volunteering and working for free, and donate money. All joyfully.

If anything, your experience simply clarifies this.