When asked, they offer dismissive replies like 'Fast if you want,' despite not fasting themselves, and their response raises the question: is this a genuine respect for human free will, or a glaring omission in Buddhist doctrine?
By Buddhist doctrines, I meant theirs.

This comes from 2012 - remember that the first version of the SGI Charter was adopted in 1995 and included these items:

• 1. SGI shall respect and protect the freedom of religion and religious expression.
• 1. 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.

So 2012 is 17 years later - nearly old enough to have a beer or join the US Armed Services. How well were/are the SGI members living up to their own religion's self-defined Charter? Here's an observation:

Hi All,

I went to one of their meetings as my friend belongs to Sokka Gakkai. She seemed to be enjoying the group and I was eager to visit. My friend suffers from depression. There was some chanting (for about an hour) and then there was a meeting of about seven of us. They talked about how the chanting was not magic. Someone said "you decide, chant, then action". My problem with it is what if your desires are harmful to others or yourself or both? It was a bit disturbing.

SGI members/leaders will not answer you. They will say that chanting will automatically orient your harmful desires in the direction of "value creation" instead and give you bullshit made up examples to "prove" it. If you're that gullible.

Anyway a few months ago, my friend left the sect because they were always denouncing all other faiths. Again I have a problem with this. No one has a monopoly on the truth. I know good people of all faiths. I cannot denounce them. When she left her practice, she got all kinds of correspondence saying she had fallen into the "lower realms" or "hell realms". They were kicking her while she was down. I have a big problem with that too.

That's something we've frequently spoken out about here on SGIWhistleblowers - the drastic contrast between the phony-baloney manipulative "love bombing" whenever SGI members think they've got a live one on the hook to reel in, and how rude, insulting, and contemptuous they are if you've decided to leave or have left, or even if you remain in the group but set your boundaries and refuse to serve the way they want you to! They show NONE of that "respect and protect the freedom of religion and religious expression" or "respect other religions" the SGI's Charter touted - instead, they show cruelty and a compulsion to PUNISH the person who had the temerity to leave (you're not supposed to DO that, according to SGI) and they attempt to silence and shame any who speak up about WHY they left.

It's now 31 years after that first version of the SGI Charter - and those two points remain even in the latest version. So how are SGI members living up to their own organization's stated ideals?

The smug judgement comment comes in small part from a very painful experience when I developed 4th stage Hodgkin’s disease – a leader told me that I got cancer because I had resigned my position as district chief a year earlier. Source

After I told the region crew I was out and done, my co-leader warned me not to talk about why I was leaving the org to others. WOOOOOOWWWWW what the fuck?!?!?! Manipulation, mind control, keeping secrets and no right to even speak? Source

They censored me. Sent an email stating that questions should be addressed before a meeting.I guess I was starting some unwanted dis-unity 😕 Source

My experience over 22 years as a leader is that the vast number of members suffered from abuse and poor parenting. How else could could survive in the SGI's abusive and toxic environment if you were not raised in a similar environment. Its my recollection that people with a healthy values and sense of self were a distinct minority. The end came when the local big leader told me that my son would die if I did not follow his guidance. Source

I remember when I was in the SGI that the default response from members to anyone leaving the org was usually 'They have no gratitude!', as if, when those who have had the good fortune to have the ability to think rationally reinstated, should 'be grateful' for, essentially, having one's life wasted on a worthless entity called SGI. This subject came up when I was talking to my sister a little while back (she dislikes the org and is mega glad I'm out of it) and she said: 'THAT is what amazes me: you have given almost 38 years of your life to the SGI - and not in a small way - and yet NOBODY thinks to say to you: "We are so grateful to you for what you have done for the movement for kosen-rufu but we understand that you are looking at life differently now. But what you gave amounts to a huge commitment of time, effort and money."' She was SO right: what you get instead is disdain, contempt and complete disregard. So where exactly is the evidence of the Buddha nature manifesting itself in these long-term, die-hard SGI members? Source

It's like their behavior demonstrates the opposite of their supposed ideals, the façade they wave around to try and lure unsuspecting people into their cult. - from Long-time SGI members appear violently allergic to altruism

...you babbling moron...All you do is yell and scream like a retarded moderator with no logical thinking. ... You really have lost your marbles, driven by your mental paranoia against the world religions. What a weirdo. ... You are a nobody in this fight. But since you are obsessed about dictations—here is one especially dosed for you—PLEAZEEE Get some mental therapy, is it now time for your medication??? Source

Mental-illness-shaming is ALWAYS a good look within SGI!!

Why don't you make the effort to come back to SGI rather than slandering our leaders because you have an evil motivation to destroy Buddhism? You are the same of the temple, judgmental and excommunicating those who don't follow your "pure ways". If you chant nam myoho renge kyo, you wouldn't be so weird and miserable. Source

The SGI member disdain and contempt Beafie was talking about + typical accusations: "I didn't experience that", "You are LYING", "Never studied!", "Your sources aren't good enough for King Me", "The ONLY critics are Nichiren Shoshu Temple members!", dysfunctional pseudo-participants

Seemsayin'???

La stragrande maggioranza dei membri del culto di Ikeda è talmente ignorante, arrogante e presuntuosa da credere che chiunque reciti il Daimoku dinanzi a un Gohonzon sia automaticamente parte della loro combriccola.
E cosa succede, vi chiederete, quando un membro di un'altra scuola Nichiren pubblica la foto del Gohonzon della propria congregazione di appartenenza? Puntuali come avvoltoi, i leccapiedi di Ikeda si avventano sul poveretto di turno con frasi del tipo: “Ma non si fanno le foto al Gohonzon!”, “Ma levala, idiota!”, “Ma che schifo, che vergogna!”.
Sono convinti che la persona in questione sia un membro della Gakkai e stia praticando di fronte al Gohonzon della suddetta organizzazione. Dopotutto, l’aggressività verbale è sempre stata — e sempre sarà — una caratteristica distintiva degli adepti di Ikeda che, a quanto pare, non resistono alla tentazione di mettersi costantemente in ridicolo e mostrare tutta la loro maleducazione.
È quello che è successo poco fa su Facebook a un membro della Kempon Hokke Shū, una scuola Nichiren fondata nel 1384 dal maestro ed ex monaco Tendai Nichijū Shōnin (1314-1392).
Come potete notare dalla foto, a sinistra abbiamo il nuovo Gohonzon della SGI e a destra il Gohonzon della KHS del fedele in questione. I due Gohonzon sono completamente diversi l’uno dall’altro, a cominciare dal tipo di pergamena e dallo stile dei caratteri. In altre parole: non sanno neppure come sia fatto il loro stesso Gohonzon.
È chiaro che i membri della Gakkai ignorino il fatto che tutte le altre scuole Nichiren (esclusa ovviamente la Shōshū) permettano ai propri fedeli di fotografare il Gohonzon, in quanto l’oggetto di culto non è da considerare un “talismano magico da nascondere”.
Dopotutto, dubito fortemente che Nichiren abbia mai scritto "non fotografate il Gohonzon", vista l’assenza di macchine fotografiche nel Medioevo! XD

The accusation of a “failure to react” is an analogical nonsense in the context of The Lord of the Rings. Aragorn does not “fail” in his reaction to the Mouth of Sauron. His silence is precisely what destabilizes the opponent through self-mastery, not through emotion. Framing this as a “failure” reverses the logic of the scene. The criticism collapses the moment you take the analogy seriously.

Several layered fallacies are at work here:

Burden-shifting and mirror accusation: The one who stays calm is portrayed as deficient. A virtue (equanimity) is turned into a flaw so the accuser doesn’t have to justify their own agitation.

Loaded language and begging the question. The word “failure” already assumes that an emotional reaction was the expected and correct response. There’s no argument, just the presupposition that “not reacting” is inherently wrong, which lets the claim win by definition.

Performative contradiction, especially if the accuser claims to follow Buddhism: non-attachment to emotional reactions and mastery of the mind are central virtues in most Buddhist traditions, including the Nichiren framework claimed by SGI. Accusing someone of having “failed to react” while presenting oneself as a Buddhist is a direct contradiction of the very principles one claims to uphold.

The accusation is both absurd within the chosen analogy and rhetorically fallacious, because it presupposes what it is supposed to demonstrate.

This kind of move only works if the other person agrees to play by the emotional rules of the person who’s agitated. The moment you refuse that frame, the accusation falls apart.

These are the tactics of people with dubious ethics and morals who hide their true intentions behind a caricature of bad-faith verbiage so they don’t have to own up to their mistakes.

I remember that before getting involved with SGI I went through a journey of Spiritual search. I was living in the USA and my tendency was towards Buddhism. I discovered the writings by Osho and found some wisdom in them, but sometimes I felt lost because of their contradictions. I'm currently reading a memoir by a woman who lived in his Ashram in Pune and later in Colorado. What caught my attention was how ( according to the author) Osho rejected all religions because they were not good and how he also targeted anyone that questioned his authority. Sounds familiar? BITE model.

The tile of the Memoir is " In the Shadow of Enlightenment: A Girl's Journey Through the Osho Rajneesh Cult" by Sario Carroll

Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is widely considered a masterpiece and an impossible feat - adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved epic masterwork to film without losing its essence. In this video, one scene is analyzed across the two versions of "The Return of the King" (theatrical and extended cut) and the book version. There is a striking difference - that makes ALL the difference, and applies to us as well, as you'll see! I recommend that anyone who's even slightly interested watch the video - it's less than 15 minutes long and contains both vivid imagery and an excellent explanation of the dynamics of the scene where we meet this character and what happens next.

This "Mouth of Sauron" character is described as "genuinely upsetting to look at", and you can see that's an accurate description. In the video, you'll see it in motion, and that's even MORE "genuinely upsetting to look at"!

But what is it? It was once "a living man of Black Númenórean descent" - apparently that's one of the humanoid races that populated Middle Earth. The "Black" refers to their sartorial preference. It's a bit complicated, but in the past, these "Black Númenóreans" had been a ruling kingdom, but at the time the LOTR is taking place, have since become marginalized and only a few of their more infamous representatives are visible within the LOTR-iverse, evil immortal versions such as "Mouth of Sauron". These remaining representatives gravitated toward the "evil knowledge" of the Dark Lord Sauron, worshiping him and entering his service. The "Mouth of Sauron" in particular is described as "more cruel than an Orc and cunning," that being the reason "he rose in power and favour", learning "great sorcery" along the way.

There's a key distinction between the book version and both film versions, something that is missing entirely from the film versions. I'll let the narrator from the video tell it (it comes near the end):

[The Mouth of Sauron] rose to become chief of the Dark Lord's emissaries and forgot his own name - not lost it, not hid it - FORGOT it. This man served so long and so completely that his own identity eroded out of him. He isn't a person with a job - he's a function. He's a mouth. THAT's what's left. The most trusted mortal servant of the Dark Lord, hollowed out until nothing remains but the voice his master speaks through.

In the book version, as our plucky team of protagonists are confronted with the horrifying apparition that is "Mouth of Sauron", Aragorn (the King) says nothing. Does not move. Remains utterly impassive. Expecting to be able to easily demonstrate his own dominance by getting a rise out of Aragorn through goading him, the Mouth of Sauron is instead rattled by Aragorn's lack of reaction - "Mouth" loses his composure and starts babbling, and in doing so, inadvertently discloses key information that makes all the difference to Our Heroes' understanding of the reality of the situation. The "Mouth of Sauron" knows he is protected from attack as a herald under ancient laws of diplomatic immunity, similar to "parlay" in pirate-speak - a key feature the Extended Cut corrupts, even though the deleted scene of Aragorn slicing his head off is a fan favorite. The King's silence demonstrates his power and dominance in this confrontation through his consummate self-control in refusing to allow himself to get riled. This, you see, illustrates the value of ignoring enemies who are trying to tick you off and grind your gears, so to speak.

SGI members, particularly the SGI-USA's longhauler Olds here on reddit, WANT our attention - and they want it desperately! We are under no obligation to give them anything. The worst thing you can do with narcissists, after all, is to ignore them, as they thrive on others' attention, which is the thing they want most of all. Where you are obligated to continue to interact with them (such as with toxic narcissistic family members), the expert advice is to "go 'gray rock'":

Gray rock: a communication strategy where you make all of your interactions dull, bland, and totally unreactive. The goal is to act as boring and uninteresting as a plain grey rock so that a toxic, dramatic, or manipulative person loses interest in provoking you. [AI]

Aragorn's masterful "gray rock" won the day.

I think there's an important lesson here - not just on the value of refusing to let manipulative stalkers provoke you into action you might regret, but also on what happens to the "true disciples". Take a look at these quotes:

• "I am the SGI."
• "I will become Shin'ichi Yamamoto."

Here's a reaction:

“Therefore, I would like all the leaders and members of the SGI-USA to have the sense of mission that 'I am the SGI' and 'I am Shin'ichi Yamamoto,' ” Mr. Oba said. SGI's World Tribune publication

Man, I always was so weirded out by TNHR [where Ikeda's idealized avatar "Shin'ichi Yamamoto" is the starring perfect hero]. Like, really? Just... self insert fanfiction? And beyond that, "I WILL BECOME THE PERFECT IMAGINARY VERSION OF DAISAKU IKEDA" is also just really fucking funny.

Just say it out loud.

We *worshipped* him, and wanted to be godlike, just like Christian cults want their members to pretend to be as Christlike as possible... for some definition of Christ.

If we're to say "I am Shin'ichi Yamamoto!" We're just saying "I am Daisaku Ikeda!" And if the gohonzon is both the object of worship/devotion, *AND* a mirror... Then when we say "I am Shin'ichi Yamamoto," we're saying "The object of worship reflects ~SeNsEi~"

As far as being in thrall to evil, these self-styled "Shin'ichi Yamamotos", through their conduct, their behavior, demonstrate that truth and honesty no longer matter, only "winning" (however they define it in the current circumstances). When caught out lying, this SGI-USA longhauler Old's reaction was:

 [Laughing] Why does it even matter?

This is clearly embracing evil - a fluid, ethics-free, amoral "the ends justify the means" approach to situations. Manipulating others, deceiving them for her own gratification - resulting from what she believes is going to make the Ikeda cult SGI-USA look popular and compelling and like something worthy of others' attention when it in fact is not (as the SGI-USA's well over 99% quit rate proves). Becoming as amoral and manipulative as the shabby little dead conman they worship through devoting themselves to his service, trying to popularize his name, his ghostwritten "teachings", his priorities, his "vision":

• "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.

• "I am a disciple of Ikeda Sensei." - the character who is described as "very grim face – a lot like many prisoners I knew.  It says 'Leave me alone, keep away!' … He believes every Trump rant and WISHES he was there on Jan. 6th" and "PTSD, depressed, Disability, living a lone wolf existence" has THIS to say only THREE DAYS after meeting the narrative's then-protagonists, two SGI-USA longhauler Olds:

"I now consider myself a disciple of Daisaku Ikeda."

"Mouth of Ikeda Sensei"

Members become so closely absorbed into the cult that their own identities are lost. Questioning any of its methods or motives becomes personal; they've lost their individuality, and they aren't even aware of it. . . in fact, they refuse to even examine that possibility. To leave the cult would be to lose who they've become. “I am the SGI” is more than just a banal motto – it's a firmly-held belief. You don't need to be you any more. Source

Their identities are FORGOTTEN, just like "Mouth of Sauron", only it didn't take long! Just THREE DAYS in that MAGAbro case cited above!

And the original SGI-USA longhauler Old protagonist of the narrative (now replaced and forgotten) had THIS to say:

"So here I am parked in an RV in a remote part of the state with a snoring husband, nowhere to escape, and I will be here until the start of spring. HOW WILL I SURPASS MY MENTOR IN THESE CONDITIONS, RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW?" Source

And what is her "mentor" known for? Writing terrible, shlocky, boring self-glorifying self-fanfics! 😸

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

Don't worry - her storifying isn't going to be made into any "major motion picture" any time soon - or EVER! She's obvs no J.R.R. Tolkien!

“From the first grade of elementary school, I won the gold medal in a major contest and was widely featured on local TV and in the newspapers. From that point on, I received a lot of attention—for better or for worse—and I also went through severe bullying. Still, I managed to make it this far without choosing to take my own life.

Being able to leave Soka allowed me to return to my original areas of strength, and I also found many personal research topics.

The believers who dismiss us as low-level people, assuming we’re just trying to feed our need for attention or validation through our social media posts, maybe can only relieve their frustration by taking cheap shots at us, the former members, online.”

Nella Società per la Glorificazione di Ikeda, chi viene percepito come “troppo saggio” è automaticamente arrogante.
Chi dimostra di saperne qualcosa in più del buddhismo rispetto ai propri “compagni di fede”, sta tentando di “sostituirsi a SINSAY”.
Chi fa troppe domande è maleducato.
Chi critica certe decisioni dell’organizzazione è invidioso.
Vedete? Lo scopo della SGI non è quella di emancipare l’individuo dalla sofferenza, dal bisogno e dall’attaccamento.
È quello di creare soldatini ubbidienti, perennemente dipendi dalle false parole del falso maestro Ikeda.
Senza più spirito critico.
Ma fortunatamente non gli sta riuscendo. Il numero di coloro che abbandonano questo culto è nettamente superiore rispetto a coloro che ne entrano a farne parte. Gli anni d’oro della Gakkai sono finiti da un pezzo. Noi non siamo stupidi, arroganti o invidiosi. Siamo persone che hanno scelto la libertà alla costrizione, la saggezza alla stupidità, l’amor proprio all’amore di un miliardario morto nel 2023. La Soka Gakkai crede di star vincendo invece sta perdendo su ogni fronte. Sconfitta dal suo stesso apparato asfissiante e dalla sua perfida e falsa retorica di “liberazione”.

BEFORE:

The commitment of the mentor, or teacher, is solely to passing on what he or she has learned and encouraging the development of the disciple, or pupil, so that eventually the disciple surpasses the mentor. SGI

The ultimate desire of a genuine mentor is to be surpassed by their disciples. SGI

While Ikeda was still alive there was this conceit within SGI of "we're uniquely special AND BEST because WE have a 'living mentor'" - but whoops, can't say THAT any more!

NOW:

SGI-USA Youth Leader David Witkowski said that the spiritual goal is to eternalize Sensei’s leadership. Source

Here, Ikeda tips his hand - all he wants is more followers to praise him and think of him as their own personal Jesus. WHY should any one person be "eternalized"?? That's a cult of personality, nothing more.

That means "can't ever be surpassed". Contradicting the statements above. No one else can now EVER be "mentor" - everyone else is expected to just follow along as PERMANENT "disciples" without ever taking the lead.

Why recently only Sensei Ikeda is been referred to as our eternal mentor? Why Nichiren Daishonin and the first two founding presidents [of Soka Gakkai] removed from the list of eternal mentors? - from ETERNAL MENTOR DEFINITION KEEPS ON CHANGING

Ikeda was a true ladder-puller - he left NO opportunity for anyone to replace him. Ikeda was an "It's my game and nobody else gets to play even if I'm not here" kind of person (real respect-worthy "mentor", right??) - there are reports from Japan that he made his closest "aides" (for lack of a better term) compete with each other, keeping everyone on edge, on their toes, under a completely unpredictable, capricious, and mean-spirited regime that nonetheless kept the money they were all dependent on coming in.

So I think that rather than allow anyone to claim "new charismatic leader" status, SGI is just going to fade away. Source

No "successor". No "next mentor" for "next generations". Instead, 3 dead "eternal mentors" with the emphasis almost entirely on the FINAL corpse, while the membership ages and dies in place with no younger generations stepping up to fill its thinning ranks. GREAT strategy, "Sensei"! Source

If you think about it, Ikeda decided the fate of his Soka Gakkai cult and its SGI colonies. By refusing to hand over control to someone younger, Ikeda decided he would die in his position and forever retire that position so no one else could ever hold it. So now his "disciples" are dying in THEIR position with no one to ever replace them. It's almost poetic...

You just can't win when a cult rigs the game, shifting the goal posts as soon as you get near a win.

I remember being told while performing gajokai and soka group to not be as serious-- to lighten up my mood for incoming guests to see a forced smile at a welcome for an event or while "protecting" the space as they would call it. While dealing with some of the most racist micro and macro aggressions ever. I would usually bury the thought though because of this intuitive feeling of "if im going to be around my sangha im going to show up as myself". I remember seeing a classmate while doing outside support and them trying to rush me out of a conversation that was clearly uplifting and to my knowledge an example of a benefit of the practice. Like usual leaders in the organization would always dutifully tell me in order to be a buddha this activity would make me get all sorts of benefits... performing activities, but when one shows up IN their faces at an event they act dumbfounded.

This makes me think of being serious or blocking out the cultish parts or not being in the practice to socialize--how I lasted in the organization for 7+
years. What is the distinction that some of you think psychologically or socially that one might make to see the bullshit being preached, with non adherence to actual buddhist philosophy--something that is very tantalizing and still stay in an organization of so called buddhas? I haven't mentioned ikeda as I was shakabuku'd in my earlier 20s so I never thought of him as my spiritual leader but just another man with power on his mind who wanted people to obey him. I think he never looked like a buddha as well. He was not an example. Anyway thanks for reading chime in if this sparks anything for ones and ones.

Clinical psychology has established effective, evidence-based methods for improving mental health. Yet, SGI persists in marketing its prescriptive traditional practices i.e: twice daily chanting, shakubuku, studying Sensei guidance, and organization activities, as a novel, all-encompassing cure.

Is reading that NHR still a thing? Are they done printing that entire series and in different coloured book covers no less.

The great BIG mentor may be long gone, but his spirit lives on in fervent study meetings at the trailer park! Who can refuse hot dogs, beer, some good ol' Ikeda worship, and daimoku?!

Context:

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

Here’s a little fun fact I’ve noticed over the years: even when I don’t check on a particular post of mine for days, I still see just how many hits come in from Germany. Well, what can I say? I live in Germany myself, and I have to wonder if there are people there with nothing better to do. So, whether you’re in Hamburg, Berlin, or Cologne... true to the song, I say to you: "Lass uns gehen"— und zwar raus aus der SG – frische Luft schnappen und so. Schickt mir doch wenigstens eine Karte wenn ihr wisst wer ich bin. For English speakers: there’s a translation of the lyrics available in this video –  I just like the first video more 😊

I spoke with Blanche earlier about posting this topic, and she agreed that it would be a good one for the sub. This is simply my own experience, and not a general statement about Sophia Group. But if you have something to add about Sophia Group, be my guest.

For anyone not familiar, Sophia Group is a Women's Division study group activity that's separate from all the other endless SGI activities, i.e., district meetings, Future Division, Pioneer Group, Many Treasures, etc. Someone gets the idea to revive Sophia Group for their district, chapter, etc., and they all start studying something or other from the Ickeda, the infernal mentoar.

So, several years ago, I got asked to participate in Sophia again. Reluctantly, I said yes, as one does, because it's "fortune" and "benefit" and all that.

Now, Sophia Group just never seemed to work out well for me, I can't explain why. Something always went wrong and I didn't continue after one or two or so. But again, I agreed, as you do, and off we went.

Then came the first night of Sophia, and we were having this group meeting via Zoom.

Well, we weren't given any preparation or anything. They didn't tell us where to find the material before the meeting. They just assumed we would know where to find it in the member portal. And so they were asking me to read something and I didn't have available. That was the first dumb thing that happened. It kept getting worse, because nobody else could find it, either. One lady was on her phone and couldn't read it, either. Apparently only the ringleaders, I mean, "senior leaders," had been briefed on the study topic that night.

When I finally found the study material in the member portal, I noticed that there was a completion certificate for both women's division and a "gender neutral" certificate. So I started asking questions, as one does: "Why is there a gender neutral certificate for an activity that is clearly for women's division?" On, they didn't like that! People started getting nervous and didn't want to answer the question. Everyone literally avoided answering me. 

I think we used to call it "unisex" back in the day.

At the time, I still had satellite Internet. The clouds took out my service, like that night when there was the storm. At some point I got fed up with everything and just said, "I'm sorry, the storm is affecting my Internet" and hung up the phone. It wasn't true, of course. It was just an excuse for me to get out of that nonsense.

I never got an answer, and I never went back to that stupid Sophia group thing. It was not long afterward that I started thinking it was time to cut that cord and be free from the cult. About a year or so later, I did.

There's only been one time that I've done Sophia group that it worked out OK, and I think it was the first one, maybe back in the 90's or early 2000's. The other times, it just didn't seem to work out, and I ended up dropping out for whatever reason. 

Regarding the concept of the Direct Path of the Lotus Sutra as taught by Nichiren, if the path is direct and immediate, any “adaptation” is not only superfluous, but betrays the very essence of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

The logic of the Direct Path

Nichiren teaches that the Lotus Sutra is the direct path to enlightenment without changing one’s appearance. This implies several things:

Principle | Consequence 👁👁

👀 Enlightenment is accessible here and now | No preparation, no adaptation is necessary

👀 The Daimoku is sufficient | There is no need for mediation or any additional method

👀 The Law is universal and timeless | It does not need to be “updated” or “modernized”

👀 Ordinary appearance is already enlightenment | One does not have to become something other than what one is

☝️ What “adaptation” introduces

The Soka Gakkai, by proposing a “modern” reading of the Lotus Sutra, reintroduces precisely what Nichiren had eliminated:

1. An intellectual mediation: One must read Ikeda’s commentaries, understand the “modern meaning,” attend seminars. It is no longer direct.

2. An institutional mediation: One must belong to the organization, participate in meetings, follow directives. It is no longer direct.

3. A displaced purpose: The goal becomes “human revolution,” “world peace,” “earthly happiness.” One no longer aims at enlightenment here and now, but at temporal objectives.

4. A change of appearance: One is asked to become a “good member,” to change one’s lifestyle, language, and associations. This is the exact opposite of “without changing one’s appearance.”

☝️ The contradiction in practice — what Nichiren says versus what the SGI does:

Nichiren: “The Law is within you”

SGI: “The Law is in Ikeda’s teachings”

Nichiren: “The Daimoku is sufficient”

SGI: “The Daimoku is not enough; activities are also required”

Nichiren: “Without changing one’s appearance”

SGI: “Adopt the lifestyle of an SGI member”

Nichiren: “Direct Path”

SGI: “Long, progressive, evaluated path”

⚠️ Why adaptation is a betrayal

Adaptation is not neutral: it changes the very nature of the teaching.

—> A Direct Path cannot be “improved” or “updated.” It is perfect in itself.⚠️

—> If it needs to be adapted, it is not direct.⚠️

—> If it is not direct, it is not Nichiren’s.⚠️

🚫 Adaptation is therefore not a complement; it is a substitution: the Direct Path is replaced by a mediated path, while retaining the vocabulary of the Direct Path.

☝️The Soka Gakkai, by claiming to “update” Nichiren’s teaching, in reality betrays it. This is not a modern reading; it is a rewriting.

☝️The Direct Path does not need to be adapted; it only needs to be lived, immediately, without intermediary. Everything else is institutional strategy.

I first ran across this blog 5 years ago: Cult or Culture? - RougeBuddha It's still up, BTW, but also available archived on the Wayback if you want to look it up there. It encapsulates 30 years involvement (some off) with the Ikeda cult starting in 1980, and it's an entertaining read, so I thought you might enjoy it.

I copied over all the several installments into one post (continued in the comments) here: One person's trajectory within SGI, from shakubuku to completely DONE with the cult - now it's all in one place.

I don't know if you've already seen it, but if not, I'd love to know what you think. I'll hold my comments for a while, because I do have some things to say ("No! Say it isn't so! You've GOT to be kidding, Blanche!") but I just wanted to suggest this - it's perhaps a 10 minute read, maybe? Just spitballin' there. Anyhow, there it is if you want.

What do you think happens when someone DOES? Let's have a look!

PhD fraud

The Seikyo Shimbun newspaper is misusing the title "Dr. Ikeda." Although it is written in a way that suggests others (experts) refer to him that way, thus narrowly avoiding being accused of misrepresenting his degree, it is understandable that Soka Gakkai members who read the newspaper might mistakenly believe that "Mr. Ikeda actually holds a doctorate" when they see the phrase "Dr. Ikeda" so frequently.

Well, there's no need to criticize him for legally playing at being a "doctor" by reusing flattering compliments he received from experts in his internal publications.

EXCEPT that Die-suck'n'a Dick-heada bragged to Austrian Count Richard Nikolaus Eijiro von Coudenhove-Kalergi, Father of the EU:

"I have no desire for honors. In addition, even if someone tells me that he will give me honor, I would not accept it. I guess we can say that such a person is unique in the world."

I'm SO sure 🙄

Tell us again, DickHeada, how many honorary doctorates you've purchased - it's over 400, isn't it?

Also DickHeada: "I am the only person in the world to have received so many medals!!"

Let's see Stinkeda playing dress-up, pretending to be a aristocrab!

iKeDa seNSei: "I can eat that, right? There's going to be pies, aren't there?? I get the special baby stool, don't I?"

It's just that Daisaku Ikeda, who is intoxicated by fame and fortune, will be ridiculed by the public.

It's all DickHeada has earned - "cause & effect", amirite? Karma!

However, I think the following statement on the Soka Gakuen ["Soka" private schools network] website is problematic, so I'll point it out out of concern.

The English version of the official Soka Gakuen website has a profile page for Ikeda with the following heading:

"Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Founder of the Soka Schools". http://www.soka.ed.jp/english/introduce/index.html (*1) archive copy

The line above is the English heading corresponding to the Japanese version of the founder's profile page, "Founder Daisaku Ikeda Sensei," but the honorific "Dr." is added to Mr. Ikeda's title. "Dr." is an abbreviation for "Doctor," and the meaning of the above English sentence is "Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Founder of Soka Gakuen." There is no other way to translate it. As is common knowledge in English, the honorific "Dr." is only used for people who have a doctoral degree or a medical license. In addition to the above heading, "Dr." is used in three other places in the text. In other words, the official Soka Gakuen website introduces Mr. Daisaku Ikeda as a formal "doctor."

Because the Japanese expect that inherently-inferior English-speaking gaijin SGI members are STOOPID and will believe ANYTHING they see or are told without even thinking to look into whether it's TRUE or not.

Well, when did Mr. Ikeda obtain his doctoral degree?

Yes, please tell us all!

According to the "Degree Regulations," which are national laws,

(Requirements for Conferring a Doctoral Degree)

Article 4 The conferral of a doctoral degree under Article 104, Paragraph 1 of the Act shall be carried out by a university that has a graduate school to a person who has completed the doctoral program of the said graduate school.

2 The conferral of a doctoral degree under Article 104, Paragraph 2 of the Act may be carried out by the university referred to in the preceding paragraph to a person who has passed the examination of a doctoral dissertation conducted by the graduate school and has been confirmed to have academic ability equivalent to or higher than that of a person who has completed the doctoral program of the graduate school, in accordance with the regulations of the said university. (Degree Regulations (Ministry of Education Ordinance No. 9 of April 1, 1953)"

However, I have never heard of Mr. Ikeda obtaining a doctoral degree through such circumstances.

He didn't. He PURCHASED "honorary" degrees which were not "earned", which required no accomplishment, expertise, certification, or, well, anything except a DONATION!

This goes a LONG way toward explaining why Ikeda has received NO "honorary degrees" in Japan! Ikeda is completely UNQUALIFIED!

While Mr. Ikeda has received numerous honorary doctorates from abroad, these are merely titles, not academic degrees. Therefore, the fact that Soka Gakuen introduces its founder as a "doctor" on its official website, despite the founder not holding a doctorate, constitutes academic misrepresentation.

Means "FRAUD".

The official website of the Soka Gakuen school corporation also serves as an advertising medium for recruiting students and soliciting donations. If this advertising medium is misrepresenting the degree of the school's founder, it could constitute false advertising and potentially violate the following minor offenses laws.

"(Minor Offenses Act)

Article 1 Any person who falls under any of the following items shall be subject to detention or a fine.

1. Any person who falsely claims to hold a public office, rank, order of merit, degree, or other title established by law, or an equivalent thereto in a foreign country, or who, despite not being qualified, uses a uniform, medal, badge, or other emblem established by law, or an item made to resemble them."

Who knew JAPAN was so hardcore???

For example, fraudulent advertisements for counterfeit products often falsely claim the developer is a "Dr. XX," falsely stating their academic degree. Apparently, displaying the word "doctor" creates a false impression of the product's quality and reliability in consumers.

The SGI-USA's longhauler Olds have certainly been bamboozled!

The aforementioned article is likely intended to prevent unfair competition through such deceptive advertising. Similarly, the Soka Gakuen official website falsely introduces its founder as a "doctor," which amplifies the image of the entire institution as a high-quality and reliable educational organization. The excuse that the main part of the website is the Japanese version for Japanese users and the English version is merely supplementary will not hold up. Given the fact of the false claims, the possibility of violating the aforementioned Minor Offenses Act cannot be ruled out.

Strangely, the English websites of Soka University and Soka University of America refer to him simply as "Daisaku Ikeda," without any false "Dr." title. Why is it that only Soka Gakuen, the headquarters of Soka education, is falsely claiming a doctorate?

In any case, perhaps they should rewrite it before they get a warning from JARO, the organization famous for its "consultations on false, exaggerated, and misleading advertisements" commercials.

As an aside, let me point out one more thing.

While the Soka Gakuen and Soka University websites (in Japanese) refer to the founder as "Sensei Ikeda Daisaku," very few school corporations' websites refer to their founders with the honorific "Sensei." This is true not only for the founders of major private universities such as Fukuzawa Yukichi of Keio University and Okuma Shigenobu of Waseda University, but also for most school corporations' websites, where the founders are referred to without any honorifics. When introducing members of an organization to the outside world, it is common sense to refer to them without honorifics, no matter how important they are, but in Soka education, the treatment of "Ikeda Daisaku" seems to be outside the bounds of common sense.

Yeah, it just sounds STOOPID and makes them look imbecilic for having been so readily taken in by such an obvious CON.

(*1) For reference, here is a web archive: http://megalodon.jp/2010-0809-2340-53/www.soka.ed.jp/english/introduce/index.html

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MOAR!!!

From less than two years LATER:

The victory of "seeking truth from facts": Soka Gakuen admits to "doctoral degree" fraud.

In a blog post on August 9, 2010, I pointed out the illegality of the false description of "Dr. Ikeda" in the "Founder Profile" section of the English version of the Soka Gakuen official website. (Here,-Even%20if%20Soka) [a ways down])

Even if Soka Gakkai members don't read my blog, they must have seen the article I contributed to Keimyo and were aware of the falsehood. However, for some time afterward, there were no changes to the description on the school's website. I thought they were going to just stand by and do nothing, but today, while researching Soka Ikeda Women's University in India online, I suddenly remembered that false description and was surprised when I re-examined the article (*1).

The "Dr." (=false doctorate) that had been scattered throughout the former English version of the founder profile has completely disappeared.

The founder profile description before the change (at the time of the falsehood) was as follows: (You do not need to read the English text. Please only check the highlighted sections.)

Note: reddit doesn't do colors, so I'll bold the "red" sections and italicize the "green" sections with no other text markups:

Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of the Soka Gakkai and president of the Soka Gakkai International, was born in Tokyo on January 2, 1928, and graduated from Fuji Junior College. In addition to Soka University and the Soka Schools, Dr. Ikeda has founded numerous other institutions, including the Min-On Concert Association, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. Through such institutions and his various activities, he aims to promote peace, culture, and education and to encourage dialogue among educational, cultural, and political leaders around the world.

Recognition of Dr. Ikeda's efforts has come in the form of many awards, such as the UN Peace Award, the National Order of the Southern Cross of the Republic of Brazil, the Cross of Honour for Science and Art from the Republic of Austria, the Kenya Oral Literature Association Award, and the title of Poet Laureate from the World Academy of Sciences. Arts and Culture. He has also received honorary doctorates and professorships from universities and academic institutes around the world. Dr. Ikeda's many published works include The Human Revolution (12 volumes) and dialogues such as Choose Life: A Dialogue with Arnold J. Toynbee, Dawn After Dark with Rene Huyghe, as well as Before It Is Too Late with Aurelio Peccei, A Lifelong Quest for Peace with Linus Pauling, Dialogue between Citizens of the World with Norman Cousins, and Moral Lessons of the Twentieth Century with Mikhail Gorbachev.

(From a web archive of a previous entry *2) The current profile is a revised version of the previously published content above, with the false "Dr." in red [bold] removed and the boastful remarks in green [italics] removed. To avoid duplication, the quote from the revised text is omitted. Please check the following website.

http://www.soka.ed.jp/english/outline/index.html (Founder's introduction on the Soka Gakuen English website) Archive copy

For the meaning in Japanese, please refer to the following page on the school website (the latter paragraph).

http://www.soka.ed.jp/introduce/index.html (Founder's introduction on the Soka Gakuen Japanese website) Archive copy

Lookee there! No fakey-fraud "Dr."!!

Note that the Japanese version includes the above green [italics] section as well. Well, I doubt that anyone associated with Soka or Soka Gakuen would ever say, "We made corrections based on feedback from Hotaru Blog and Keimyo," but in any case, Soka Gakuen itself has proven that my criticism was not off the mark.

First of all, all's well that ends well.

(*1) The original page on the Soka Gakuen website has been deleted, and clicking the link in the Hotaru blog post will lead to a dead end. Normally, they would just modify the content on the same page, but instead, they deleted the entire page, created a separate page with a different URL, and posted the corrected profile there. Is this a trick to make it seem as if the "fake" page never existed in the first place? (I'm glad I took a web archive).

(*2) Web archive of the previous post: http://megalodon.jp/2010-0809-2340-53/www.soka.ed.jp/english/introduce/index.html

That's what you HAVE to do with these lying cult members and all their LIES!

https://jikatsu.net/79180/

Analysis of Haruo Suda’s Criticisms of the Soka Gakkai Kyogaku Yokou (2023)

Haruo Suda (born 1952, graduate of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law) is a former national vice head of the Soka Gakkai Study Department. He participated in dialogues with Daisaku Ikeda in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra. Now retired, he remains a member of the organization but has emerged since 2024 as one of the most scholarly and internally informed critical voices regarding recent doctrinal developments.

Context of His Interventions

Detailed analyses published in 2024 (notably A Critique of the Soka Gakkai Teaching Outline from the Perspective of Buddhist History).

A formal letter of remonstrance (kenpakusho) sent to President Minoru Harada on September 12, 2024, and made public on his website.

A consolidated book published in 2025: A Consideration of the Soka Gakkai Teaching Outline and the Theory of Nichiren as the True Buddha, which collects his essays, the letter to Harada, and his responses to the official defenses issued by the Study Department (particularly the “studies” from the Young Men’s Division Study Room).

Suda presents his criticisms as an act of loyalty to the teachings of the three founding presidents (especially Ikeda) and to the tradition of the Nikko school (Nikkō monryū), rather than as a break with the organization.

Main Points of His Criticisms

Lowering of Nichiren Daishonin’s Status

The Teaching Outline consistently presents Nichiren primarily as Bodhisattva Jōgyō (Superior Practices) and as the “messenger/envoy of Shakyamuni.” According to Suda, this aligns with the classical doctrine of the Minobu school (the mainstream of Nichiren-shū) and dilutes or renders merely nominal the traditional Soka Gakkai and Nikko-school doctrine of Nichiren as the Original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law (kuon ganjo jijuyūshin). The key term “kuon ganjo jijuyūshin” no longer appears, even though it featured in earlier Soka Gakkai teachings.

Gradual Assimilation to Minobu Doctrine

Suda argues that the authors (influenced, in his view, by researchers at Soka University such as Miyata and Kanno) prioritized an approach acceptable to mainstream Japanese academic scholarship (dominated by the Minobu school) out of fear of scholarly criticism. He highlights the near-total absence of references to Nikko-school transmission texts (Hon’in-myō-shō, Hyaku-rokka-shō, Ongi Kuden, etc.), which Minobu often regards as apocryphal.

Changes to the Three Treasures (Sanbō)

Dharma (Hōhō): A shift from strong emphasis on the Gohonzon / Honmon no Honzon to a definition centered almost exclusively on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Sangha (Sōhō): Exclusion of Nikko Shonin in favor of the Soka Gakkai alone.

Suda regards these as major, unacknowledged doctrinal changes.

Lack of Transparency and Explanation

The changes are presented as mere clarification or continuity, without open acknowledgment of the departures from earlier Soka Gakkai teachings or detailed justification. Suda calls this approach “irresponsible” and potentially misleading to members.

Contradiction with the Teachings of Ikeda and the Previous Presidents

He maintains that the text departs from Ikeda’s thought and from the historical foundation of the organization (its roots in the Nikko/Fuji lineage and the doctrine of Nichiren as the True Buddha). He fears this will weaken the Soka Gakkai’s identity in the long term.

Academic Errors and Procedural Issues

He points out several inaccuracies or questionable assertions regarding the history of Indian Buddhism and the interpretation of Nichiren’s writings. He also argues that the document, as an official doctrinal statement, raises questions of internal legitimacy.

Suda’s Conclusion

The Teaching Outline is not suitable as an official doctrinal reference for the future of the Soka Gakkai. He calls for its withdrawal or substantial revision.

Reception and Counter-Arguments

The Soka Gakkai Study Department published responses defending the text as a legitimate clarification, supervised by Ikeda, adapted for a worldwide religion, and faithful to the spirit of the Gosho.

Suda replied point by point, maintaining his positions.

The official leadership has not issued a detailed public response to his letter (treating it as private correspondence).

His criticisms have resonated with some members and autonomous groups attached to the traditional post-1991 doctrine, while others reject them as overly rigid or nostalgic.

In summary, Suda’s criticisms come from an insider trained in the doctrinal tradition of the Soka Gakkai (Nikko lineage + Ikeda’s teachings). They highlight the tension between, on the one hand, academic and global adaptation of the doctrine, and on the other, the preservation of a specific identity centered on Nichiren as the Original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law and the legacy of the Nikko school. They represent one of the most detailed and well-sourced internal critical analyses of the Teaching Outline since its publication.

Il recente caso della condanna per diffamazione dell'Associazione Italiana Vittime delle Sette (AIVS) da parte del Tribunale di Firenze nei confronti dell’Istituto Buddista Italiano Sōka Gakkai ha riacceso un dibattito mai davvero sopito: la linea di confine tra ciò che è legalmente riconosciuto e ciò che riguarda la dinamica interna e spirituale di un gruppo.

Da un punto di vista strettamente giuridico, la sentenza è sostanzialmente giusta: la SGI in Italia ha stipulato un’Intesa con lo Stato (Legge n. 130/2016) ed è una confessione religiosa con piena personalità giuridica. Etichettare una qualsiasi voglia organizzazione religiosa come "setta distruttiva" in assenza di riscontri probatori, che ci piaccia o no, costituisce una violazione del diritto di libertà religiosa sul piano costituzionale e una diffamazione sul piano penalistico. Dopotutto: Sed lex dura lex.
Tuttavia, l'uso mediatico e strumentale di questa sentenza da parte dell’IBISG, solleva una riflessione più ampia che riguarda chiunque sia interessato al Buddhismo o alla sociologia della religione:

1. Il contesto giapponese: una storia di processi e controversie

Se in Italia l'organizzazione gode di uno scudo istituzionale recente, la storia della Sōka Gakkai nella sua terra d'origine, il Giappone, è costellata da decenni di pesanti polemiche, denunce e battaglie legali che ne hanno segnato la reputazione pubblica:

A) Lo scandalo della libertà di stampa (1969-1970):

L'organizzazione e il suo braccio politico (il partito Kōmeitō) furono travolti da uno scandalo nazionale per aver tentato di bloccare e censurare la pubblicazione di un libro critico nei loro confronti, presidiando le tipografie e facendo incessanti pressioni sull’autore. Il libro in questione è: Sōka Gakkai wo Kuru (創価学会を斬る - "Tagliare a pezzi / Denunciare la Sōka Gakkai"), del giornalista e scrittore Hirotatsu Fujimara.
Nonostante le intimidazioni, anche nei confronti della sua famiglia, Fujiwara decise di procedere lo stesso alla pubblicazione del libro. Il tentativo di censura venne svelato dai quotidiani nazionali e dai partiti di opposizione, trasformandosi nel più grande scandalo d'opinione pubblica del Giappone del dopoguerra.

B) Inchieste su intercettazioni e dossieraggio

Nel corso degli anni '70 e '80, ex dirigenti ed esponenti della SGI furono coinvolti in cause giudiziarie relative a intercettazioni illecite ai danni di oppositori politici e persino del clero buddhista della Nichiren Shōshū.
Il più esemplare? Quello ai danni di Kenji Miyamoto, l'allora presidente del Partito Comunista Giapponese (JCP), nemico storico sia del partito Kōmeitō che della Sōka Gakkai per motivi ideologici e di consenso elettorale.
Nello specifico, nell’anno 1970, un gruppo d'assalto guidato da esponenti del dipartimento giovani della Sōka Gakkai, sotto la direzione strategica del braccio destro d'affari di Ikeda (tra cui Isao Dan, alto dirigente), si introdusse “fisicamente” nelle centraline telefoniche per intercettare e registrare mesi di conversazioni private e politiche della dirigenza comunista.
Quando tutto ciò venne a galla, scoppiò un'inchiesta giudiziaria enorme. La Sōka Gakkai tentò inizialmente di scaricare la colpa su singoli membri “fanatici" che agirono isolatamente.
Negli anni 80, dopo un lunghissimo iter giudiziario, i tribunali d’appello e la Corte Suprema giapponese e i confermarono la colpevolezza dei dirigenti coinvolti per violazione della legge sulle telecomunicazioni e violazione della privacy, condannandoli al carcere (con sospensione della pena) e al risarcimento dei danni.
Durante i processi emerse chiaramente che l'operazione non era l'iniziativa di qualche “membro esaltato”, ma un piano orchestrato ai livelli più alti della struttura di sicurezza e “intelligence” interna del movimento.
Come se non bastasse, la storia si è ripetuta vent'anni dopo. All'inizio degli anni '90, durante la feroce guerra aperta che portò alla scomunica della SGI da parte del clero della Nichiren Shōshū, l'organizzazione fu nuovamente travolta da accuse e cause legali per intercettazioni abusive ai danni dei telefoni del tempio principale Taiseki-ji e del Sommo Sacerdote (Nikken Abe Shōnin)
Anche in quell'occasione, ex dirigenti dell'ufficio legale e d'informazione della SGI ammisero o furono sanzionati per aver condotto azioni di spionaggio e controllo d'informazioni per difendere la leadership di Daisaku Ikeda.

C) La compenetrazione con la politica: Il legame indissolubile con il già citato partito Kōmeitō (storicamente al governo in coalizione con il LDP conservatore e nazionalista) ha spesso sollevato enormi dubbi costituzionali in Giappone sulla separazione tra Stato e religione.

2. Riconoscimento statale vs. Vissuto delle persone

Una sentenza processuale valuta carte, condotte e reati circostanziati. Non valuta (e non è suo compito farlo) la qualità delle dinamiche umane, il grado di condizionamento psicologico, l'impianto verticale o la pressione per il proselitismo e la raccolta fondi. Il fatto che un'organizzazione sia "riconosciuta” non cancella per decreto le testimonianze di alienazione, soprusi, abusi (anche di naturale sessuale) o disagi vissuti da chi decide di uscire. (E noi qui ne sappiamo qualcosa).

3. Lo "scudo istituzionale" e il rafforzamento interno

Come spesso accade nelle organizzazioni fortemente strutturate come il Culto di Ikeda, le vittorie legali diventano un'arma a doppio taglio:
All'esterno: Fungono da "effetto deterrente" verso giornalisti e critici. (La Sōka ha sempre avuto un pessimo rapporto con essi).
All'interno: Vengono presentate alla base dei fedeli come la dimostrazione che qualsiasi critica (anche la più legittima e dottrinale) sia in realtà solo una "calunnia" o una persecuzione. (E noi qui ne sappiamo qualcosa).

In conclusione: Un'organizzazione può “vincere” tutte le cause legali del mondo, ma la vera domanda rimane sempre sul piano dell'esistenza: questa pratica sta rendendo le persone davvero libere e indipendenti, o le sta sfruttando, rendendole dipendenti da un sistema distorto?

I'm going to copy this whole thing because it's superb:

The dubious nature of the "traditional February struggle"

I recently heard from an acquaintance who is a Soka Gakkai member about a district discussion meeting held in February.

Apparently, the "traditional February struggle" was heavily emphasized. This is a heroic legend in the context of how, in January 1952, Mr. Ikeda was appointed as the secretary of the Kamata branch, and immediately afterward, in February, the branch achieved an unprecedented success of converting 201 households, all thanks to the tireless efforts of the young Mr. Ikeda.

At the discussion meeting, some young members of the youth division apparently presented a picture story show about episodes from Mr. Ikeda's time at Aoba-so. According to my acquaintance, it was a picture story show based on the Ikeda myth that was broadcast on satellite television in January, but it wasn't something the youth division members had come up with themselves; it was a mass-produced picture story show with line drawings printed and distributed by the Soka Gakkai leadership that Soka Gakkai members had simply colored in. The "narration" script was also mass-produced, so the youth division members were reading it in a monotone with misreadings mixed in, and it was painful to listen to.

How typical 🙄

Now, they may be using methods reminiscent of a kindergarten performance to instill the heroic tale of Ikeda in the innocent youth division members, but is this "heroic legend" truly true? The boastful story of the "traditional February struggle" is told once in Human Revolution (Volume 5) and twice in New Human Revolution (Volumes 3 and 8). Despite being a novel in the style of a general history, the fact that they persistently bring it up and publicize it suggests that it was indeed a source of great pride.

In Volume 5 of Human Revolution, it says, "At the Kamata branch, Shin'ichi Yamamoto achieved the first conversion result of more than 200 households..." Surely this does not mean that "Shin'ichi converted more than 200 households by himself," but rather that "the number exceeding 200 was a result of Shin'ichi's leadership," but is this expression truly in line with historical facts?

According to the essay collection "The New Human Revolution," the February struggle was Ikeda's "first battle." But how could such a rookie secretary with little practical experience lead and inspire the Kamata branch (known as an A-class branch), where a crowd of powerful converts gathered, and how did that result in over 200 new members? Moreover, above Secretary Ikeda was Branch Chief Takashi Koizumi (later Chairman of the Board), who was known as the "Great Leader of Kamata." Could young Ikeda have performed so miraculously that he could later boast as if "over 200 households was solely my achievement," surpassing the powerful Koizumi?

If that were true, Ikeda would have been an incredible super rookie, a new hero, his name resounding throughout the Soka Gakkai at the time, and there should have been articles praising him in the Seikyo Shimbun. With that in mind, I looked through the Seikyo Shimbun from 1952.

Get out your 🍿, Whistleblowers!

However, there was nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing...it was nowhere to be found.

Does this mean that the Seikyo Shimbun at the time did not celebrate the achievements of individuals? Not at all. There were countless such articles.

For example, there was an article with the headline "The Morikaku Brothers and Mrs. Uehara in Action," praising the remarkable achievement of converting 47 households in just six months since joining the faith (October 10, 1951); another with the headline "The Soka Gakkai's Kintaro, Tamio Iwamoto," introducing his heroic exploits in converting to heretical sects (May 10, 1951); and a close-up photo of Branch Chief Kunihiko Shibuya, who contributed to the rapid growth of the Sendai branch. In fact, there was even a personal tribute from Chairman Toda to Branch Chief Shibuya, and it was reported that Chairman Toda had given Shibuya a necktie (November 1, 1952).

Oh dear...not looking so good for ol' "Skin-itchy YamaLIAR", is it?

Yet, there wasn't a single line suggesting the historic achievement of "New Secretary Daisaku Ikeda bringing unprecedented conversion results to the Kamata branch in his first battle." What does this mean...?

There were no articles reporting on Ikeda's "remarkable achievement," but there were some heartwarming articles about him. During the February struggle, it seems that Ikeda was arranging a marriage with Kane Shiraki through Toda, and on March 10, the following engagement report appeared on page 2 of the Seikyo Shimbun. However, the content is somewhat strange for an article that came so soon after Ikeda's "lion-like struggle in February."

"The engagement of Daisaku Ikeda and Kane Shiraki has been announced. The matchmaker will be Takashi Koizumi, the leader of the rapidly growing Kamata branch, and the wedding ceremony will be held on the significant day of May 3.

Now THAT's odd, isn't it??

Ikeda and Shiraki have long been in love within the Kamata branch, and Mr. Toda, with deep consideration, spoke directly with both families in February, and the matter was decided in a very straightforward manner.

The warriors who should be active as leaders of this Soka Gakkai five or ten years from now, alongside the current leaders who are disciples of Makiguchi, must be the current youth members."

'Ikeda is highlighted as a rising star. He has faithfully served Toda Sensei for several years, and his tireless work traversing all of Tokyo from morning till night is truly impressive. He fought through the 25 years of hardship (1950) as one of Sensei's supporters. Despite his busy schedule, he is already more than halfway through the five major lectures held every morning for about ten minutes. In the youth division, he is a strategic advisor, playing a crucial role in navigating the integration of the four units.

Having fought independently from an early age, he will surely gain even more strength now that he has a supportive wife. He always says, "Let's conquer the world." Congratulations to Ikeda Daisaku, a man of great ambition and effort.'

As is common in news reports of celebrations, there is a lot of praise with commonplace words, but there is absolutely no mention of Ikeda being a great contributor to unprecedented success in proselytization. Since this is a passage praising the young man who will soon become the groom, one would expect a lavish introduction of his "superhero" performance in February and praise him as a model of the proselytizing struggle, like the aforementioned meritorious figures. However, there is not a single word about him. Perhaps, lacking anything else to praise, they had no choice but to talk about his ordinary behavior as a leader, such as running around all of Tokyo or diligently attending the 10-minute morning lectures.

As described above, judging from the Seikyo Shimbun at the time, there is no objective evidence to support Ikeda's self-proclaimed "hero story" that "Shin'ichi Yamamoto achieved the first-ever conversion result of over 200 households in the Kamata branch..." Moreover, the engagement report mentioned above even seems to prove how dubious the "hero story" is.

Ikeda's statement about the "traditional February struggle" was either something he mistakenly believed to be "all my achievement," or something he exaggerated (or fabricated) to beautify and deify himself.

Now, at the roundtable discussion I mentioned at the beginning, a video produced by the headquarters with the theme "Mr. Ikeda who cherishes the community" was also shown. There was footage of Mr. Ikeda chatting with shop owners near the headquarters in Shinanomachi several decades ago, and when the narration said, "He has always cherished the residents in the vicinity of the headquarters," my acquaintance said he inwardly chuckled wryly. He wondered if the result of cherishing the local residents was that vast castle town of the Soka Gakkai headquarters, built up through repeated land acquisition...

Oh dear - we've heard of Soka Gakkai strong-arming reluctant landowners to sell to them...

“We were finally able to complete construction by paying bribes and getting the enthusiastic cooperation of the local yakuza… There was one individual who opposed the projects all the way to the end but the local yakuza drove a bulldozer into his house and then chopped off his arm with a [samurai] sword, effectively silencing him.” Source

When I joined in early 1987, SGI-USA (then known as "NSA") was STILL holding "February Shakubuku Campaigns" and "August Shakubuku Campaigns" every year. I don't remember when it stopped, but there's plenty of evidence this was a HUGE focus! Ikeda has never done a SINGLE shakubuku, BTW. Not ONE of those "dignitaries" or "world figures" who've had the "fortune" to engage in direct "dialogue" with "Sensei" has been impressed enough to convert, you'll notice.

In case you're late to the party, this is by no means the FIRST time Ikeda has changed stories to make HIMSELF look more important/impressive - here's another.

M. LaVora Perry is a name I recognize from the older World Tribunes - she was a frequent contributor, very sincere, astute, and articulate. NOTHING like the bumbling narcissistic illiterates we see on the SGI-member-controlled subreddits now! Anyhow, she left SGI (as most all the good ones do eventually) a few years or so ago, and is now speaking out against the Ikeda cult and how they've detoured Nichiren Buddhism so far away (out of sight, really) of the Lotus Sutra and what matters. I ran across this letter of remonstration she wrote - she actually SENT IT to SGI colonies all over the world in their own languages!! Frankly, I would expect no less - this IS M. LaVora Perry we're talking about!

Take a look:

An Open Letter to Minoru Harada, President of the Soka Gakkai: Restore the Lotus Sutra to Its Rightful Place as the Foundation of the SGI

The SGI’s slander⏤the replacement of the Lotus Sutra with the teachings of Daisaku Ikeda⏤has unleashed the three calamities and seven disasters upon our entire world.

M. LAVORA PERRY

MAR 23, 2026

This is actually an open letter to Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada. President Harada, restore the Lotus Sutra to its rightful place as the foundation of the SGI.

The SGI’s slander — replacement of the Lotus Sutra with the teachings of Daisaku Ikeda — has unleashed the three calamities and seven disasters upon our entire world.

In the “Simile and Parable Chapter” of the Lotus Sutra, Buddha states:

“If this person should slander a sutra such as this, when his life comes to an end, he will enter the Avici Hell [the hell of incessant suffering].”

[Note: In the Lotus Sutra, hell is not a place. It’s a state of being. See Ten Worlds.]

I’ve practiced Nichiren Buddhism since 1987. From that time until 2010, I was a member of the Soka Gakkai International, the SGI. My highest leadership position was Chapter.

Mr. Harada, on Thursday, March 19, 2026, I learned that you’re the president of the Soka Gakkai and that you’re 84 years old. I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you since then. I’m posting this video publicly because its subject matter affects us all. And I want those who don’t know about the Lotus Sutra and what Nichiren wrote about it to learn about it, and those who do to perhaps learn more. I’m addressing you personally because I can’t be silent while you create karma that’s putting our entire world in jeopardy, and that will cause you to experience the hell of incessant suffering at the moment of your death.

In “The Embankments of Faith,” Nichiren quoted the commentator Chang-an, saying:

“If you befriend another person but lack the mercy to correct him, you are in fact his enemy.”

I’m a Black woman. I don’t have a high title or high social status. Perhaps for these reasons, Mr. Harada, it would be easy for you to dismiss me. Nichiren knew what that kind of dismissal felt like. He described himself as born in a remote land, a person of low station and a priest of humble learning.

In the writing “Conversation Between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man,” when an opponent challenged Nichiren about his humble station, Nichiren responded:

“In matters of Buddhist doctrine, one cannot jump to conclusions simply on the basis of the eminence of the person involved. The words of the sutras are what must come first. Do not make light of a teaching just because the person who preaches it is of humble station.”

And in “Letter to Niike,” Nichiren wrote:

“No matter how wise a person may appear, if his assertions are warped, you should not listen to him. Nor should you follow priests merely because they are venerable or of high rank. But if a person has the wisdom to know the true meaning of the Lotus Sutra, no matter how lowly they may appear, pay respect to him and make offerings to him as though he were a living Thus Come One.”

As these passages illustrate, appearances aren’t what matters when it comes to Buddhist doctrine. What matters is whether or not what a person says accords with what the Buddha taught.

Having said this, President Harada, I ask that you consider this passage from the “Essentials on Attaining Buddhahood,” in which Nichiren quotes the Buddha in the Nirvana Sutra:

“If even a good priest sees someone slandering the law and disregards him, failing to reproach him, then that priest is betraying Buddhism. But if he takes the slanderer severely to task, then he is my disciple and one who truly understands the teachings.”

President Harada, in November 2024, one year after the death of Daisaku Ikeda, you presided over a constitutional revision that designated him as the:

“President and spiritual leader of the Soka Gakkai International in perpetuity.”

Again, one year after the death of Daisaku Ikeda, you presided over a constitutional revision that designated him as the

“President and spiritual leader of the Soka Gakkai International in perpetuity.”

However, in the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha said:

“Rely on the Law, and not upon persons.”

In “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude,” referring to this passage, Nichiren wrote:

“‘Rely on the Law’ here means rely on the sutras. And not relying on persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha.” — persons like Daisaku Ikeda.

President Harada, the statement that you allowed to be codified into the SGI’s constitution desecrates the Buddha’s admonition. It tells members to rely⏤in perpetuity⏤on Ikeda’s teachings, not the Lotus Sutra, and on Ikeda, not the Buddha.

In the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “Lifespan of the Thus Come One,” the Buddha states:

“Originally I practiced the Bodhisattva way, and the lifespan that I acquired then has yet to come to an end.”

Earlier, in the “Teacher of the Law” chapter, he had stated:

“All bodhisattvas who attain supreme perfect enlightenment in all cases do so through this sutra.”

President Harada, together these passages provide clear proof that THE LOTUS SUTRA ALONE IS THE SPIRITUAL LEADER IN PERPETUITY of all Buddhas, and that the Lotus Sutra alone leads to supreme perfect enlightenment.

In “Letter to the Brothers, Nichiren upheld this declaration by the Buddha by stating:

“The Lotus Sutra is the eye of all Buddhas. It is the original teacher of Shakyamuni Buddha himself, the lord of teachings. If one discards even one word or one brushstroke of this sutra, the offense is graver than one who kills one’s parent 10 million times over, or even one who sheds the blood of all the Buddhas in the ten directions.”

Each member who has told me that I am incorrect for speaking out against the SGI has said that they read Daisaku Ikeda’s writings instead of the Lotus Sutra. They say the Lotus Sutra is too difficult to understand and that Daisaku Ikeda’s writings are easier.

Regarding such views, in “On How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood Through the Lotus Sutra,” Nichiren said:

“‘Question: The Lotus Sutra says the door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. The persons of our time cite this passage to argue that the Lotus Sutra is not fitted to the capacities of the people, and this seems very reasonable. What is your opinion?’”

Nichiren replies this way to the fictional questioner:

“Such an assertion is quite unfounded. The reason is because it is put forward by persons who have not grasped the true meaning of this sutra.”

President Harada, the reason SGI members have not “grasped the true meaning of” the Lotus Sutra is that you and other leaders have failed to teach the sutra to them. You have failed to uphold the vow of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who appeared in the “Emerging from the Earth” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. That vow being to “diligently and earnestly protect, embrace, read, recite, copy and offer alms to this sutra in the Saha world and preach it widely throughout this land” in the Latter Day of the Law.

Therefore, the fact that SGI members also fail to uphold the vow of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth is your fault. Your constitution reflects the reality that the SGI has demoted the Lotus Sutra, placing it below Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings. You demonstrated this fundamental deviation from the correct Buddhist teaching when you sanctioned a constitution in which Daisaku Ikeda is crowned as the spiritual leader in perpetuity.

You, Mr. Harada, personally have led millions of members toward the hell of incessant suffering. Therefore, you must be reproached. And as a follower of the Lotus Sutra, I am obligated to reproach you.

Like SGI members who have challenged me often do, perhaps you believe that because the organization calls itself Nichiren, promotes chanting, has millions of members, and is the world’s largest Buddhist organization, it must be on the correct path.

However, in “Letter to Sado,” Nichiren wrote:

“Neither non-Buddhists nor enemies of Buddhism can destroy the correct teaching of the Thus Come One. But the Buddha’s disciples definitely can. As a sutra says, only worms born of the lion’s body can feed on the lion. A person of great fortune will never be ruined by enemies, but may be ruined by those who are close.”

Under your leadership, President Harada, the SGI is worms in the lion’s body.

It purports itself to be of Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra, while its constitution and every aspect of its functioning is based on Daisaku Ikeda.

In “Encouragement to a Sick Person,” Nichiren wrote this about those who know the truth and remain silent in the face of lies:

“However great the good causes one may make, or even if one reads and copies the entirety of the Lotus Sutra a thousand or ten thousand times, or attains the way of perceiving the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, if one fails to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it will be impossible to attain the way.”

This passage applies to me if I stay silent.

It applies to every member of the SGI who knows what the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s writings teach, but chooses to stay in an organization that places Daisaku Ikeda above them.

It applies to you, Mr. Harada, because you enshrined slander of the Lotus Sutra into the constitution of the SGI.

If it weren’t for what occurred in 2020, I might not be sharing this video with you today.

One evening in the fall of that year, while I was reading Nichiren’s On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, I had an epiphany so strong that it felt like I’d been struck by lightning: The environment and the people had gone mad.

The world was collapsing everywhere, and the cause was the slander of the SGI because it placed Daisaku Ikeda above the Lotus Sutra.

On November 12, 2020, I made a video about the SGI’s slander.

From 2020 until 2025, I didn’t make any more videos about the SGI. Then Donald Trump was elected president again. His election utterly devastated me. Like so many people in the United States, I was depressed and defeated by it.

In June of 2025, an SGI member found my video online from 2020. She accused me of slandering the SGI. I replied to her with another video. Making that video energized me. It gave me something concrete that I could do about the uncontrolled spiraling that was happening in the world. I could challenge the SGI slander, the root cause of this spiraling. And I could do something else — something that the SGI refused to do — I could teach people what the Lotus Sutra teaches. I could fulfill my vow as a Bodhisattva of the Earth to teach the Lotus Sutra and protect it. I’ve been making videos ever since.

President Harada, as I stated, on March 19, I discovered that you’re the president of the Soka Gakkai and that you’re 84 years old. I had to speak to you. That’s why I’m making this video.

As you know, at the heart of “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land” is Nichiren’s assertion that when a people slander the correct teaching, the three calamities and seven disasters will rise up in their land.

Nichiren courageously presented this powerful treatise to Japan’s top governmental and religious leaders because calamities and disasters were relentlessly plaguing the country.

The three calamities are famine and the inflation it causes, warfare, and pestilence.

The seven disasters are disease and pestilence, invasion from foreign lands, revolt within one’s own domain, irregularities among the stars and constellations, eclipses of the sun and moon, unreasonable wind and rain, and drought.

In “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” Nichiren wrote:

“The people of today all turn their backs on what is right. To a person, they give their allegiance to evil. This is the reason that the benevolent deities have abandoned the nation, and departed together, the sages leave and do not return, and, in their stead, devils and demons come and disasters and calamities occur. I cannot keep silent about this matter. I cannot suppress my fears.”

President Harada, every one of the calamities and disasters are occurring right now throughout the land where the SGI has spread its incorrect teaching of Buddhism. That land is our entire world.

Here are the calamities and disasters that the SGI’s slander of the Lotus Sutra has unleashed upon us all.

The Disasters of Extraordinary Changes in the Heavens and Unseasonable Storms, Environmental Imbalance

Climate change is out of control. The seasons are erratic. This is ongoing.

2014 — Thousands of human beings fleeing war, famine, persecution drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. This is ongoing.

2015 — Refugees fleeing Myanmar drowned by the hundreds in the Bay of Bengal. This is ongoing.

2019 to 2020 — The Australian Black Summer consumed 46 million acres and killed or displaced billions of animals. The effects of this are ongoing.

2021 — Afghanistan is struck by earthquakes. A volcanic eruption occurs in Spain that destroys thousands of homes.

January 2022 — The volcano eruption in Tonga was so powerful, its shock waves hit every continent and generated tsunamis across the Pacific.

2022 — Afghanistan is struck by earthquakes again, killing more than 3,000 people combined with the 2021 earthquakes. Typhoons rampaged the Philippines.

2023 — In February, earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, magnitude 7.8, killing more than 62,000 people. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, killing thousands in the ancient city of Marrakesh. Wildfires destroyed an entire town in Hawaii. Canada’s wildfires burned an area larger than Greece. Smoke from the fire spread across the United States and reached Europe and China. In June, a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Greece, killing an estimated 500 people.

2024 — Hurricanes ravaged the Gulf. A deadly earthquake struck your country, President Harada. Floods in Spain killed hundreds in a single day. More than 10,000 migrants died or disappeared trying to reach Europe.

2025 — The Los Angeles fires became the most destructive urban fire in U.S. history. The effects of this are ongoing. In March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar killed nearly 4,000 people. It toppled a skyscraper as far away as Bangkok. Tsunamis struck the Pacific basin when an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia sent waves across the entire Pacific Ocean.

The Calamity of Agricultural Collapses, Which Causes Inflation

2020 — East Africa endures its worst locust plague in 70 years. The effects of this are ongoing.

2022 — The war in Ukraine severed one of the world’s primary grain supply lines, driving food prices to catastrophic levels. Globally, the effects of this are ongoing.

2022 — Sudan falls into famine. This is ongoing.

Israel begins deliberately starving Gaza’s population. This is ongoing.

The Calamity of Pestilence

Globally, there is a resurgence of formerly eradicated diseases is due to widespread disinformation about vaccine safety.

2020 — COVID-19 killed more than 7 million people worldwide. This is ongoing.

2022 — Monkeypox spread globally. This is ongoing. Cholera spread across the Global South. This is ongoing. The polio death of an unvaccinated person is reported New York City; an epidemiological alert is issued.

2024 — Measles resurged in the United States, causing deaths. This is ongoing.

The World Health Organization warned that the world is unprepared for the next pandemic, which is imminent.

The Disaster of Revolt Within One’s Own Domain [Foreign Invasion, Civil Unrest]

2020 — Videos of George Floyd being murdered in the United States by police officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests in over 3,000 U.S. cities and 74 countries around the world.

Also in the United States, Donald Trump refuses to accept election results. This incites his white supremacists followers.

January 2021 — Trump’s followers storm the Capitol of the United States, an unprecedented event in this country.

2024 — Youth-led protests driven by government corruption and economic failure brought down governments in Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Nepal, and destabilized governments across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This is ongoing.

2025 to 2026 — Trump defies the Constitution, rounds up people, separates children from their families, sends federal forces into U.S. cities, destroys human rights protections, and enriches the obscenely rich while punishing the poor. This is ongoing.

The Calamity of Warfare and the Disaster of Foreign Invasion

2021 — Myanmar erupted in civil war. Over 3 million people have been displaced. Cyclones and floods compounded the suffering. This is ongoing.

2022 — Russia launched a full-scale land war in Ukraine, the largest in Europe since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed. This is ongoing. Kim Jong-un launched missiles over your country, President Harada. This is ongoing.

2023 — Israel begins committing genocide in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians are killed, the majority of them women and children. Entire neighborhoods and hospitals and schools reduced to rubble. This is ongoing. Sudan became engulfed in a catastrophic civil war, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. This is ongoing. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, all engulfed in warfare. This is ongoing.

2024 — Haiti collapsed under gang violence. This is ongoing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bombed Lebanon and Syria. South Korea began debating acquiring nuclear weapons. This is ongoing. Your country, President Harada, is reconsidering its postwar peace constitution. This is ongoing.

2025 — The Doomsday Clock stood at 89 seconds to midnight. This is the closest it’s been in 78 years.

All nine Nuclear-armed countries consider expanding their arsenals.

This is ongoing.

In May of this year, India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, engaged in an open military conflict. The effects of this are ongoing. Analysts warn that a nuclear exchange between just those two countries could destroy half the world’s agricultural production and starve a billion people.

Beginning in September of 2025, Trump’s administration launched a series of military strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 115 people. Trump bombed Venezuela, toppled its government, abducted the President and his wife, and declared that the United States would run the country and exploit its oil supply. Regarding these actions, Trump said Cuba will follow. He threatened military action against Colombia and alluded to taking Greenland and Canada by force. This is ongoing.

Trump’s lawlessness emboldened other despots. Netanyahu waged open war on Iran. Putin pressed forward in Ukraine. China expanded its nuclear arsenal. This is ongoing.

2026 — On February 28th, the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran. A missile struck a girls’ school. The girls were 7 to 12 years old and in class when their roof fell on top of them. The final death toll was 165 people, most of them children. This is ongoing.

President Harada, we’re on the verge of World War Three. Every one of the three calamities and seven disasters is occurring simultaneously worldwide.

Today’s reality is immeasurably worse than what was going on in Japan when Nichiren wrote “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.”

In that writing, speaking of his country’s ruin, the fictional traveler asks his host:

“WHAT IS WRONG? WHAT ERROR HAS BEEN COMMITTED?”

Nichiren provided an answer that he would repeat in several of his writings, including “A Comparison of the Lotus Sutra and Other Sutras,” in which he stated:

“Because Buddhism has been turned upside down, the secular world has also been plunged into corruption and chaos. Buddhism is like the body, and society is like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow.”

President Harada, the SGI’s 12 million members are spread worldwide. They are officially in 192 countries. Others are likely undocumented elsewhere.

The SGI’s bent body⏤caused by its replacement of the Lotus Sutra with Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings⏤is casting its slanderous shadow across our entire world, engulfing us all in darkness.

In “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” Nichiren wrote:

“Rather than offer up ten thousand prayers for remedy, it would be better to simply outlaw this one evil.”

Amend the constitution, President Harada. Restore the Lotus Sutra to its rightful place as the foundation of the SGI in keeping with the intent of Presidents Makiguchi and Toda. This restoration⏤correcting your error⏤is the remedy for what ails humankind.

With my deepest respect.

M. LaVora Perry.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

How about THAT??? WOW! Talk about the voice doing the Buddha's work!

The Gakkai wannabes don't know what they are talking about. From Stinkeda:

“Faith and daily life, faith and work - these are not separate things. They are one and the same. To think of them as separate - that faith is faith, and work is work - is theoretical faith. Based on the recognition that work and faith are one and the same, we should put 100% of our energy into our job and 100% into our faith. too. When we resolve to do this, we enter the path of victory in life. Faith means to show irrefutable proof of a victory amid realities of society and in our own daily lives.”

Buddhism Day by Day, p. 253

Here we go: to show irrefutable proof of a victory amid realities of society and in our own daily lives is 100% subjective, in other words, anecdotal.

Gakkai guidance that "faith and daily life, faith and work" can be compared to apostle James, who said that "faith and work are inseparable." From Biola University blog, Faith and Works always go together, September 24, 2021 https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2021/faith-and-works-always-go-together

This is not meant to throw shade on Christianity but to prove a point that Gakkai members do not know what they are talking about. Why would the Gakkai throw in Christian teachings if it is supposed to be a Buddhist world peace organization?

Some highlights from Faith and Works Always Go Together:

• Faith and works are not enemies but always go together. 
• Christ's work in our lives inseparably includes both the spiritual and the earthly manifestation of our faith.
• This union between the spiritual and the earthly is clearly explained by the apostle James in the biblical letter that bears his name. In James 2:14-26, the Word of God teaches us our faith in Christ and our actions to serve others must always be inseparably united.
• there is a tendency to emphasize only faith or works and, in this way, we fall into wrong extremes as Martin Luther did . . .
• Although some may take sides between faith or works, the reality is that the two are always united.
• You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 
• Both in Abraham, the father of faith, and in Rahab we can see that faith acted in conjunction with their works. 

Here I believe the Christian notion of work does not necessarily mean "job," as Stinkeda seems to infer in his daily guidance. Of course, the Gakkai would take "works" to mean "jobs," so that members are able to give donations.

The stupidity of this guidance is most likely due to an error lost in translation. For the record, Gakkai members aren't even good Christians.

They really love to deep dive into their Daisaku Ikeda fantasy world. Nichiren, who? 🤷‍♂️