The cult Soka Gakai International (SGI) group which has taken over the youths of India

[Cricketics]

So to give a background, there is this group which runs in Japan(Soka Gakai international) which pretends that it practices some form of Budhism as preached by the Late Nicheren priest. However, what i came to know is that it is actually a scam. They lure youth from all over the world, including India which is one of their hub and they form district groups and communities and then come and chant together. 

 

They hardly preach about Budhism, but instead their focus is to preach teachings of their leader Daisaku Ikeda and spread awareness about him. These members get brainwashed into believing that whatever good is happening in their lives is because they have now started chanting few Buddhist phrases. This whole thing is hierarchical and basically the money being donated by members in numerous countries just goes to this group. And this Daisoku Ikeda guy might not be even live, and if he is alive, he is probably living like a king in his kingdom. The guy has had numerous sexual charges too.  

 

Recently some of my friends in India asked me to join this group. I have been avoiding it for a long time and still keep saying them that I will one day. However, I researched a lot on net and found out that these people are expanding big time in India. Lot of members have written on quora about them wasting over 10 years of their youth and finally realizing that this was a sham. 

 

NGO's like these must be stopped. Youth are getting brain washed literally and they believe that they are gaining "Victories" as these groups call it, if they continue chanting. These youth members basically lose their mind and can not think logically because they have been sort of hypnotized to believe that what they are doing and chanting like crazy all day at home and in groups, will actually bring them closer to enlightenment. 

 

[Stuge]

Know some close friends who are part of this cult group and they believe everything that happens to them is because of mantra, and chants.

 

Mostly people join such cults because they are feel welcomed and they are love bombed initially .

[Cricketics]

5 hours ago, Stuge said:

Know some close friends who are part of this cult group and they believe everything that happens to them is because of mantra, and chants.

 

Mostly people join such cults because they are feel welcomed and they are love bombed initially .

 

 

Some of them join because they have lost something in their life or are going through some bad times. Now after a month or after few weeks of doing chanting, if something better happens in their life, they over calculating things. They feel they have earned their new "victories" because of the new community they have joined. They live in this false belief. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

55 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

 

 

Some of them join because they have lost something in their life or are going through some bad times. Now after a month or after few weeks of doing chanting, if something better happens in their life, they over calculating things. They feel they have earned their new "victories" because of the new community they have joined. They live in this false belief. 

 

Such scamsters prey on the vulnerable, essentially giving false hope to desperate people. When I was in 4th or 5th grade, "Maharishi" Mahesh Yogi's transcendental meditation a-holes would go school-to-school in Bangalore preaching about meditation.  They made up some stupid "secret" words like "Inga" "Unga" etc and said "Just chant and meditate on this.  Don't share with anyone. Then you won't benefit."  Caucasians in suit and tie is all it took for our principal, teachers and all of us idiot kids to fall for it.  Someone should've told them - "Abbe chewtiye ... tu Amreeka se aakar apun ko sikhaayega meditation?  Phut yahaan se," but I am willing to bet they paid the school some $$$.  The same Maharishi cult is still thriving - they are the major source of disinformation about modern agricultural technology.  The non-GMO butterfly label you see on products everywhere is their creation.  They run a lucrative supplement industry and teach levitation, too.  

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/glp-facts/john-fagan-raja-world-peace-maharishi-movement-behind-scenes-guru-anti-gmo-movement/

 

Preying on the vulnerable is also the MO of evangelical religions.  Soon after I started grad school, I lost my dad (he was only 57).  I went back to India and returned a few weeks later, still in total shock.  The evangelism started almost immediately; I was invited to church, lunch, prayer meetings etc.  My PhD guide, a Southern white man, warned me about the evangelicals, "this is how it begins. And before you know it, you'll get sucked in."  I kept my wits about me and declined the evangelical overtures even at the risk of losing a couple of friends.  But it wasn't easy.     

Edited September 28, 2020 by BacktoCricaddict

[Cricketics]

52 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

 

Such scamsters prey on the vulnerable, essentially giving false hope to desperate people. When I was in 4th or 5th grade, "Maharishi" Mahesh Yogi's transcendental meditation a-holes would go school-to-school in Bangalore preaching about meditation.  They made up some stupid "secret" words like "Inga" "Unga" etc and said "Just chant and meditate on this.  Don't share with anyone. Then you won't benefit."  Caucasians in suit and tie is all it took for our principal, teachers and all of us idiot kids to fall for it.  Someone should've told them - "Abbe chewtiye ... tu Amreeka se aakar apun ko sikhaayega meditation?  Phut yahaan se," but I am willing to bet they paid the school some $$$.  The same Maharishi cult is still thriving - they are the major source of disinformation about modern agricultural technology.  The non-GMO butterfly label you see on products everywhere is their creation.  They run a lucrative supplement industry and teach levitation, too.  

https://geneticliteracyproject.org/glp-facts/john-fagan-raja-world-peace-maharishi-movement-behind-scenes-guru-anti-gmo-movement/

 

Preying on the vulnerable is also the MO of evangelical religions.  Soon after I started grad school, I lost my dad (he was only 57).  I went back to India and returned a few weeks later, still in total shock.  The evangelism started almost immediately; I was invited to church, lunch, prayer meetings etc.  My PhD guide, a Southern white man, warned me about the evangelicals, "this is how it begins. And before you know it, you'll get sucked in."  I kept my wits about me and declined the evangelical overtures even at the risk of losing a couple of friends.  But it wasn't easy.     

 

 

See here is the thing. First of all sorry for your loss. I will tell you meditation and chanting isn't really bad but as you mentioned "you get sucked into it" is where it gets dangerous. It's that addiction because human gets addicted to these sort of stuff and they feel things are improving in their life. Well ofcourse things will improve since you have just faced the lowest time of your life if you have lost a family member or have lost lot of money, so things will naturally improve in your life and nothing can be as low. But these people who become members of this cult don't realize that as they get so sucked in that they thing its happening and their life is changing for good because of the community practice. 

 

Btw, more than evangelist, my reason for this thread was to mention about okedism. This Budhism which they teach isn't Budhism, I am fine if they were trying to promote Budhism or any other religion for that matter since all religions, be it Hindiusim, Budhism, Christianit - they have been around for a long time. But this guy in the name of Budhism and its chanting has lured the youth of the whole world. People are becoming scapegoats now and the community keeps on increasing because its starting to become  "cool" to chant but they forget the real reason why the joined these sanstha etc. They are forgetting that this SGI(soka gakai) isn't about Budhism, its about agenda of Dairoku Okeda, who might not be alive or might be still alive just in his mansion and must be laughing right now to see so many people preaching him. The dude has been a sex offender. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

20 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

 

 

See here is the thing. First of all sorry for your loss. I will tell you meditation and chanting isn't really bad but as you mentioned "you get sucked into it" is where it gets dangerous. It's that addiction because human gets addicted to these sort of stuff and they feel things are improving in their life. Well ofcourse things will improve since you have just faced the lowest time of your life if you have lost a family member or have lost lot of money, so things will naturally improve in your life and nothing can be as low. But these people who become members of this cult don't realize that as they get so sucked in that they thing its happening and their life is changing for good because of the community practice. 

 

Btw, more than evangelist, my reason for this thread was to mention about okedism. This Budhism which they teach isn't Budhism, I am fine if they were trying to promote Budhism or any other religion for that matter since all religions, be it Hindiusim, Budhism, Christianit - they have been around for a long time. But this guy in the name of Budhism and its chanting has lured the youth of the whole world. People are becoming scapegoats now and the community keeps on increasing because its starting to become  "cool" to chant but they forget the real reason why the joined these sanstha etc. They are forgetting that this SGI(soka gakai) isn't about Budhism, its about agenda of Dairoku Okeda, who might not be alive or might be still alive just in his mansion and must be laughing right now to see so many people preaching him. The dude has been a sex offender. 

 

I generally agree with what you are saying.  But, I don't think it is okay to actively promote any religion by taking advantage of vulnerable people, even if it is a religion that has been around for a long time.  The lines between religion and cult are blurry.  Catholics thought Protestantism was a cult until the latter became a dominant force.  Baptists think Mormons are a cult, but Mormons themselves think of Mormonism as a religion.  I'd contend that most organized religions started as cults like this one.  It usually involved praising and following this one savior to achieve one-ness with a supreme being.   

 

And this Okeda character sounds just like a "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" or Nithyu, holed away in a palace somewhere.  

Edited September 28, 2020 by BacktoCricaddict

[Cricketics]

27 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

 

I generally agree with what you are saying.  But, I don't think it is okay to actively promote any religion by taking advantage of vulnerable people, even if it is a religion that has been around for a long time.  The lines between religion and cult are blurry.  Catholics thought Protestantism was a cult until the latter became a dominant force.  Baptists think Mormons are a cult, but Mormons themselves think of Mormonism as a religion.  I'd contend that most organized religions started as cults like this one.  It usually involved praising and following this one savior to achieve one-ness with a supreme being.   

 

And this Okeda character sounds just like a "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi" or Nithyu, holed away in a palace somewhere.  

Yeah, I agree. i am not a big fanboy of any religion and I like to actualy take interest in all to listen what each of them talk about and then I would mind my own business. 

 

Regarding Daisoku Okeda, this is actually bigger Japanese issue. This Soka Gakkai group which he runs or what his disciples run now, was part of a Nicheran Budhism group till 1990, until he and his disciples were excommunicated from the group and they go onto form this Soka Gakai International(SGI) which is what is spreading. They say they practice Nicheran Budhism, but eventually I see all its followers quoting on their fb walls about Daisoku Okeda and nothing about Buddhism. They have slowly brainwashed their members who earlier enrolled to learn about Budhism, and not are preached about Okeda. 

 

This group wants to ensure that Daisoku Okeda become some saint or bigger than Dalai Lama

[BacktoCricaddict]

43 minutes ago, Cricketics said:

Yeah, I agree. i am not a big fanboy of any religion and I like to actualy take interest in all to listen what each of them talk about and then I would mind my own business. 

 

Regarding Daisoku Okeda, this is actually bigger Japanese issue. This Soka Gakkai group which he runs or what his disciples run now, was part of a Nicheran Budhism group till 1990, until he and his disciples were excommunicated from the group and they go onto form this Soka Gakai International(SGI) which is what is spreading. They say they practice Nicheran Budhism, but eventually I see all its followers quoting on their fb walls about Daisoku Okeda and nothing about Buddhism. They have slowly brainwashed their members who earlier enrolled to learn about Budhism, and not are preached about Okeda. 

 

This group wants to ensure that Daisoku Okeda become some saint or bigger than Dalai Lama

 

It's just like politics - you are part of a group (in this case, Buddhism), you do something was wrong in the eyes of the group-bosses, your ego is hurt (ironically, ego is supposedly an anti-Buddhist trait), you form a splinter group and start conning people to follow/donate to then show the original group how powerful you can be.    

[Cricketics]

35 minutes ago, BacktoCricaddict said:

 

It's just like politics - you are part of a group (in this case, Buddhism), you do something was wrong in the eyes of the group-bosses, your ego is hurt (ironically, ego is supposedly an anti-Buddhist trait), you form a splinter group and start conning people to follow/donate to then show the original group how powerful you can be.    

 

Yeah and also btw another thing is that these followers do not realize that the endorphins are released when you get pleasure. These endorphins could be released during any of your favorite activity also like playing cricket or whatever, but when people chant continuously, its like the opiod effect, your body just wants more and more. And then you reach a stage where you are just addicted to eat and now have lost the sense of of whats happening on the outside world because you are happy with whats going on now with your life using chanting. You become more dumb and can not understand your friends or people outside the chanting group world. 

 

[velu]

japs/korean cults known to promote mass suicides as well  

[BacktoCricaddict]

26 minutes ago, velu said:

japs/korean cults known to promote mass suicides as well  

 

Then, who will be left to follow the cult?  Weird.  

[Cricketics]

1 hour ago, velu said:

japs/korean cults known to promote mass suicides as well  

 

So in 1990, this group and its leaders were excommunicated so they formed their own group to promote their Okedism but used to promote themselves as the group which practice Nachiren Budhism, which is not the case. They just teach one Budhist chant, thats it. Its a hierarchical group where people get so brainwashed that one they each member reaches a stage where they have to report to the the leaders who are one level above in their hierarchy and show them the numbers of how much many new members they have enticed to follow and join their group. This is how you keep getting promoted. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

1 hour ago, Cricketics said:

 

show them the numbers of how much many new members they have enticed to follow and join their group. This is how you keep getting promoted. 

 

This scheme used to be called "Amway :-)!!"  

[Turning_track]

Here is my ordeal- a few years back during my college days I was going through a tough period academically & in my personal life. So my Bong friend introduced me to SGI by initiating a conversation about CAUSE AND EFFECT, how chanting would help me and bad karma blah blah. I was quite sceptical to join but the guy was relentless as he was my very old friend I had to reluctantly say yes. A complete hierarchical structure is being followed, my friend introduced me to his seniors which again led to those boring half an hour meet ups that how my life will be changed if I put all my heart with the organization, attend weekly meetings and also helped propagate this wonderful message by appealing other people to join. Sort of that Amway scheme only.

 

From the outside it may seem picturesque but the members especially the ones who are responsible for primary tasks in a city/state level force others beneath them to add more members, basically getting more bakras. Getting more bakras is considered as a sign of success. They won't speak to you about donating money or such in the beginning but after a while it becomes glaringly obvious when a member's house will be used to host for a weekly meet or shamelessly begging for money from someone if his/her economic condition improves. Backbiting is common, plus the activities are simply a huge waste of time & energy. Daisaku Ikeda will be preached as some sort of a God who himself is a questionable figure in his own country. A simple google search is enough to know these facts but the SGI people think it is malicious propaganda against their lovely president who is a gift to humanity since Lord Buddha. The terminologies are deliberately twisted to make it seem like they are connected but follow a different line of path- like Buddha won't be called Buddha or Siddhartha etc. instead named as Shakyamuni. And these people at the top are very deceptive & cunning, they will convince all those members not to worry about their original faiths, assure them of giving the freedom to pray or practice just like before & celebrate festivals like Diwali, Navratri etc which everyone does. But they'd make them run countless hours every month for all activities of SGI. The scary part was I did not find a SINGLE person who had a deep connection with their original faiths like before, because these buggers successfully broke that link. The meetups which at least I encountered were horrible & absolutely futile. Youngsters being forced to share their positive experiences even if they don't have any is a headache.

I was there in it for a few months, then it was Sayonara from my side.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Turning_track

[coffee_rules]

I have never heard of it , Am pretty active in SM. Maybe they keep it discreet from attention and also personal like Amway. Is it like a pyramid scheme where there are perks to get more members in? 

 

Also, reading some ignorant comments on equating religion to a cult and saying both are same. It might seem the same who are neither part of a cult or believe in one the core tenets of some religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. True Dharmics unlike HareKrishna or MaharshiMahesh are not into proselytizing and recruiting. TM (Transcendental Meditation), Mindful Meditation are all different variations of meditation practices of rishis, yogis of different sects and sampradayas , some have Buddhist/Vedanta traditions like Vippasana. MMYogi and other western innovators learn these techniques from dharmic yogis , appropriate with western names , remove the religious connections of Hinduism, make it appealing as universal and progressive,  and sell it back to innocent Indians as some new innovative technique that they follow. This has been the  SOP of all western modern self-styled gurus. Maharshi also went into levitation classes and sold it as a vidya. Also, Maharshi was rape accused as well. Please don’t dilute the religion with some fringe examples of cults that Bollywood is doing since ever.

[Turning_track]

23 minutes ago, coffee_rules said:

I have never heard of it , Am pretty active in SM. Maybe they keep it discreet from attention and also personal like Amway. Is it like a pyramid scheme where there are perks to get more members in? 

It isn't their intention but BSG(Indian version of SGI) focusses more on the gullible from middle class or upper middle class. I didn't see people from lower economic strata in the org. as it all boils down to grabbing more money from the members for running its operations all over India & may be abroad as well.
Speaking of the perks, there is no particular monetary benefits as such for those who get more members. It signifies that you are working hard, honestly trying to propagate this message of well-being to others & they'll elevate your position to block chief etc. You'll be praised in front of an audience that you are doing well & will be asked to keep going on & to keep faith in chanting & in your own good deeds.  Lonely depressed housewives & youngsters suddenly feel a kick after being applauded in front of most strange faces. The whole game is about playing with the psyche, that's why those who question repeatedly are lambasted by their seniors. 

[BacktoCricaddict]

11 hours ago, Turning_track said:

Here is my ordeal- a few years back during my college days I was going through a tough period academically & in my personal life. So my Bong friend introduced me to SGI by initiating a conversation about CAUSE AND EFFECT, how chanting would help me and bad karma blah blah. I was quite sceptical to join but the guy was relentless as he was my very old friend I had to reluctantly say yes. A complete hierarchical structure is being followed, my friend introduced me to his seniors which again led to those boring half an hour meet ups that how my life will be changed if I put all my heart with the organization, attend weekly meetings and also helped propagate this wonderful message by appealing other people to join. Sort of that Amway scheme only.

 

From the outside it may seem picturesque but the members especially the ones who are responsible for primary tasks in a city/state level force others beneath them to add more members, basically getting more bakras. Getting more bakras is considered as a sign of success. They won't speak to you about donating money or such in the beginning but after a while it becomes glaringly obvious when a member's house will be used to host for a weekly meet or shamelessly begging for money from someone if his/her economic condition improves. Backbiting is common, plus the activities are simply a huge waste of time & energy. Daisaku Ikeda will be preached as some sort of a God who himself is a questionable figure in his own country. A simple google search is enough to know these facts but the SGI people think it is malicious propaganda against their lovely president who is a gift to humanity since Lord Buddha. The terminologies are deliberately twisted to make it seem like they are connected but follow a different line of path- like Buddha won't be called Buddha or Siddhartha etc. instead named as Shakyamuni. And these people at the top are very deceptive & cunning, they will convince all those members not to worry about their original faiths, assure them of giving the freedom to pray or practice just like before & celebrate festivals like Diwali, Navratri etc which everyone does. But they'd make them run countless hours every month for all activities of SGI. The scary part was I did not find a SINGLE person who had a deep connection with their original faiths like before, because these buggers successfully broke that link. The meetups which at least I encountered were horrible & absolutely futile. Youngsters being forced to share their positive experiences even if they don't have any is a headache.

I was there in it for a few months, then it was Sayonara from my side.

 

Dang. That's a real ordeal you went through  Glad you got out.

[Cricketics]

On 9/28/2020 at 7:55 PM, Turning_track said:

Here is my ordeal- a few years back during my college days I was going through a tough period academically & in my personal life. So my Bong friend introduced me to SGI by initiating a conversation about CAUSE AND EFFECT, how chanting would help me and bad karma blah blah. I was quite sceptical to join but the guy was relentless as he was my very old friend I had to reluctantly say yes. A complete hierarchical structure is being followed, my friend introduced me to his seniors which again led to those boring half an hour meet ups that how my life will be changed if I put all my heart with the organization, attend weekly meetings and also helped propagate this wonderful message by appealing other people to join. Sort of that Amway scheme only.

 

From the outside it may seem picturesque but the members especially the ones who are responsible for primary tasks in a city/state level force others beneath them to add more members, basically getting more bakras. Getting more bakras is considered as a sign of success. They won't speak to you about donating money or such in the beginning but after a while it becomes glaringly obvious when a member's house will be used to host for a weekly meet or shamelessly begging for money from someone if his/her economic condition improves. Backbiting is common, plus the activities are simply a huge waste of time & energy. Daisaku Ikeda will be preached as some sort of a God who himself is a questionable figure in his own country. A simple google search is enough to know these facts but the SGI people think it is malicious propaganda against their lovely president who is a gift to humanity since Lord Buddha. The terminologies are deliberately twisted to make it seem like they are connected but follow a different line of path- like Buddha won't be called Buddha or Siddhartha etc. instead named as Shakyamuni. And these people at the top are very deceptive & cunning, they will convince all those members not to worry about their original faiths, assure them of giving the freedom to pray or practice just like before & celebrate festivals like Diwali, Navratri etc which everyone does. But they'd make them run countless hours every month for all activities of SGI. The scary part was I did not find a SINGLE person who had a deep connection with their original faiths like before, because these buggers successfully broke that link. The meetups which at least I encountered were horrible & absolutely futile. Youngsters being forced to share their positive experiences even if they don't have any is a headache.

I was there in it for a few months, then it was Sayonara from my side.

 

 

Great to hear an account from a person who went through. I know there are many around Northern India especially and also now spreading all over India. This in 192 countries and the cult keep spreading. I am glad people like you can come out and share your stories. 

 

Also, my first question to all these guys, what happens to Lotus Sutra? If these people strive upon teaching Nicheren Budhism, then why don't they teach Lotus Sutra, instead of keep telling people to "pray for them" and chant just the same mantra every time. 

[Cricketics]

On 9/28/2020 at 9:40 PM, coffee_rules said:

I have never heard of it , Am pretty active in SM. Maybe they keep it discreet from attention and also personal like Amway. Is it like a pyramid scheme where there are perks to get more members in? 

 

Also, reading some ignorant comments on equating religion to a cult and saying both are same. It might seem the same who are neither part of a cult or believe in one the core tenets of some religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. True Dharmics unlike HareKrishna or MaharshiMahesh are not into proselytizing and recruiting. TM (Transcendental Meditation), Mindful Meditation are all different variations of meditation practices of rishis, yogis of different sects and sampradayas , some have Buddhist/Vedanta traditions like Vippasana. MMYogi and other western innovators learn these techniques from dharmic yogis , appropriate with western names , remove the religious connections of Hinduism, make it appealing as universal and progressive,  and sell it back to innocent Indians as some new innovative technique that they follow. This has been the  SOP of all western modern self-styled gurus. Maharshi also went into levitation classes and sold it as a vidya. Also, Maharshi was rape accused as well. Please don’t dilute the religion with some fringe examples of cults that Bollywood is doing since ever.

 

 

Dude so I don't see SGI as evil as scientology, but its still evil in the sense that they wanting this Okeida guy to become sort of as popular as Dalai Lama. People who came in to this SGI at the start all depressed now are seeing victories in every little part of their life, because they have been brainwashed now, so they feel all good is happening because of Okeida uncle. 

[Cricketics]

On 9/28/2020 at 10:47 PM, Turning_track said:

It isn't their intention but BSG(Indian version of SGI) focusses more on the gullible from middle class or upper middle class. I didn't see people from lower economic strata in the org. as it all boils down to grabbing more money from the members for running its operations all over India & may be abroad as well.
Speaking of the perks, there is no particular monetary benefits as such for those who get more members. It signifies that you are working hard, honestly trying to propagate this message of well-being to others & they'll elevate your position to block chief etc. You'll be praised in front of an audience that you are doing well & will be asked to keep going on & to keep faith in chanting & in your own good deeds.  Lonely depressed housewives & youngsters suddenly feel a kick after being applauded in front of most strange faces. The whole game is about playing with the psyche, that's why those who question repeatedly are lambasted by their seniors. 

 

 

Another thing I came to know that anyone who is not from middle class or basially can't understand Engish isn't allowed. This is what i heard about the ones based in India. Am not sure how true this is, probably you can confirm that better.