You are deluding yourselves that the SGI faith is effective. On the contrary, just like the Sho Hondo, it leads to personal destruction. To take this analogy further, the "happiness" of the SGI members is just as fleeting as the Sho Hondo.

Letter To Akimoto is an excellent treatise to know what Nichiren Daishonin believed and taught and to compare it to what Daisaku Ikeda, Danny Nagashima, David Kasahara, Guy MCclowsky, Bill Aiken, Greg Martin, Rev Ryuei, Bruce Maltz, Graham Lamiont, Rev. Tsuchiya and I believe and teach.

I am mindful, however, that the lay priest Ichinosawa on several occasions saved my life by hiding me in a corridor of his residence, and I have therefore tried to think of something that can be done for him. Will you please ask Gakujo-bo to read the Lotus Sutra regularly at his grave? Even so, I do not think that this will enable him to reach enlightenment. Please tell his wife, the lay nun, that I grieve at the thought of how desolate and lonely she must feel. I will write more at another time."(The Sutra of True Requital).

With my deep respect,
Nichiren

The third day of the eighth month in the second year of Kenji (1276), cyclical sign hinoe-ne

To Soya

Where I left off last time, "what would I do" without the Maltz cult, how could I do kosen rufu and spread the teachings myself if Bruce rejected me and pushed me out like he did to so many others, like Mark Strumpf and Steve Polito?

Going back a year ot two, in 1998, still enthused about my new religious cult, and still rolling in the dough, I converted my former group chief (I was his district chief) in the SGI to the "Kempon Hokke" of Bruce Maltz. He was very into conspiracy theories and we had begun to talk about and plan for the Y2K that never materialized. We would go somewhere really out of the way and have a self sufficient life, if need be. I would do the doctoring and he, a motorcycle mechanic, could man the generators, keep the house and equipment in order and my wife and children could do the farnming and cooking and the like. I bought a Remington 270 with a scope for hunting. I bought gold beads and buried them in the back yard. We looked around for the most out of the way place we could find. Lordville New York, population 268 on the Delaware river, had to be the place. We saw this 150 year old, 2700 square foot farmhouse on seven and half acres on the Delaware river. No more beautiful spot could you find in all of the United States. The house was on a cliff about 75 feet above the Delaware. Possums, pines (porcupines) deer and bears were the only perrrenial inhabitants and the Delaware river would be a perpetual source of fish and fresh water. The nearest neighbor lived in a log cabin on the other side of the river, on the Pennsylvania side, and the sherriff told us it would take at least a half an hour or more, depending on the weather, for them to protect us so we better have our own protection. Anyway, we plunked down $16,000.00 deposit and through some real estate law hocus pocus and the bad causes I was making, we lost the whole $16,000.00. Then, as previously noted the shit began to really hit the fan.

Rev Kubota and Rev. Yasahara came to New York for the first time in 1998 and we had a meeting with about thirty people. Again he came in 1999, I believe and we had a meeting with about 20 people. All the while, I was consumed with ARBN and our macchinations against all who opposed us (fooling myself that it was for the Lotus Sutra and the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni). The people were quite encouraged by the visits of Rev. Kubota and we gave out just less than half a dozen Gohonzon, each visit.

In 1999, I felt my senior partner was cheating me out of tens of thousands of dollars and I left in a huff. Also, I parked my new car in front of a bar on a major state road in Long Island. Five minutes after I was seated in the bar, we heard this explosive sound that shook the bar. I went out and this kid had been drag racing at 105 miles an hour and hit the back of my car straight on. My car had gone up in the air and done a 180 degree and was facing the opposite direction on the sidewalk. It was an accordian. The kid, miraculously, was still alive crumpled over the passenger side window, semi conscious and vomitting his guts out and seven cars in front of mine were also destroyed. He had no insurance but at least he walked out of the hospital 2 months later. That was no consolation to me who was strapped for money and who had just lost another several thousands on the car and now had to walk or take a cab here and there. Don't think that things were all bad. I got into shape and maintained my faith in the Lotus Sutra and Buddha but for a doctor who had to get here and there, it was a distraction.

The distraction would soon turn to misery. The hospital where I was working as an attending physician and the source of a significant part of my salary, closed suddenly, within one week of a notice. My salary went from $133,000 to less than $50,000. My expenses were nearly $10,000 a month. We had already moved into a new rental home two years ago when things first started to go bad financially. Now my landlord was suing us and we had no where to go. My wife who has multiple medical problems began again to drink heavily. My daughter was now really into the Bloods and her Blood boyfriend and doing things we really didn't want to know. We had our own problems. Around this time the Crips chased my daughter and her boyfriend into our house and they were outside the house armed, pissed and dangerous. I took out my Mossberg pump action shotgun and blew a warning shot over their car. They tore out. Another time, a gang member was beaten to death in front of our house, coming back from the Puerto Rican Day parade. The FBI interviewed us for hours.

We had to move even though I didn't have any money and no money was coming in. Luckily, I still had some friends. My patient told me, no problem, you and your family can move in with us for a $600 a month. You and your wife, your son and his orphan girlfriend, and your daughter and her Blood boyfriend, each would have a room. We could also bring our three cats and turtle. Ed Krabolowsky, a polish gangster friend who owned a moving company moved us for $40.00 in gas. When we got to this small broken down ghetto house, there were 11 other people living there. There was one bathroom.

We set up the altar but I was afraid to enshrine the Gohonzon. Someone in the house stole my shotgun and the Freeport police weren't all that happy. Someone else stole what little money we had, around six hundred dollars that my wife kept in a cigarette pack. My wife developed a ten bag a day heroin habit (not intravenous, luckily) which I discovered accidently when I found dozens of glassine envelopes in one of my wife's skirts. By now, our practice wasn't very strong but we protected the Gohonzon. I continued to try and make a living. We lived this way for 6 months.

Next, Lakeview.

Let me first give you my experience unretouched by an SGI or Kempon Hokke leader or priest. I have been chanting the Daimoku off and on [mostly on] variously with faith in the Gohonzon, the SGI, Daisaku Ikeda, Nittatsu Shonin Nichiren Shoshu, the Dai-Gohonzon, Nichiren as True Buddha, Shakyamuni as Original and Eternal Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, the Kempon Hokke and Bruce Maltz for 34 years. The time spent is not as important as the sequence of events or the utterness of the reality (Myoho renge kyo).

I left the SGI in 1997 to join what I thought was the Kempon Hokke but was really the Sangha of Bruce Maltz. I began to post on ARBN under the tutelage of Bruce Maltz. At the time my life, my families life, and our circumstances were as much a mixed bag as my beliefs. I had begun to earn a very good living, lived in a big house but had a headstrong disobedient daughter and son. My wife's mental and physical health was a mess.

On ARBN, I attacked everyone in sight like a rabid dog, along with my mentor Bruce Maltz: The SGI; the Nichiren Shoshu; the Nichiren Shu; the Honmon Butsuryu Shu; and various Kempon Hokke adherents who either opposed Bruce Maltz such as Graham Lamont or those who weren't in total accord with Bruce's doctrines, such as Steve Polito. We schemed and plotted. My life became evermore chaotic and filled with actual proof of the negative variety. My son who never studied but got a 1400 on his SAT's hooked up with a young girl orphan we brought into our house and dropped out of high school. My daughter hooked up with some very bad and dangerous men, although she was only 12 years old. My salary was halved in one year. No matter what we did to the garden and the beautiful flower trees nothing would grow and the beautiful flower trees failed to blossom and bear fruit and just died. This despite chanting three hours a day of daimoku for two months and two hours a day of daimoku for three months. My wife's health continued to deteriorate, my mother broke her femur, the dog went crazy but yet, I only had a vague awareness that I might be doing something wrong and continued attacking, kamikaze like whatever and whomever Bruce didn't like. And since Bruce didn't like them, even if I didn'e see them as a threat or even if I liked them, I attacked them mercilesslessly.

Things got worse. Some people actually fell for Bruce [like me] and to a lesser extent, for his vision of the "Kempon Hokke" and Buddhism, in general. I received several Nichiren Shoshu and SGI Gohonzons and burned them. Bruce began to teach that the Opening of the Eyes Ceremony for Gohonzon was nothing other than the invention of priests to accrue more power over the people. He began to download, copy, and laminate the Prayer Gohonzon and he sent me one of them which I didn't enshrine because I loved the Nichiren Nissho Gohonzon I received from Rev. Kubota. I eventually gave the Prayer Gohonzon to a new believer. My wife Nancy bought a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in Chinatown and I still embraced the SGI teachings that statues of Shakyamuni were evil. I tried to take the statue away from my wife but she held onto it like a baby, carried it around wherever she went, and I had to relent. Thankfully, we still have this statue centered in front of the Gohonzon.

Soon, my salary agian dropped by a third, we could no longer afford the big house, my wife continued to drink and failed to watch her diet, my cats were getting killed left and right and my daughter began going out with a Blood. Nonetheless, then, I didn't even have a vague feeling that what I was doing might be wrong and I continued to attack and attempt to destroy the faith of anyone we deemed not a true believer [in retrospect, in Bruce and Stephanie Maltz]. ARBN became even more ugly and I liked it that way, more people would become disenchanted with the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu and would join us. I thought I was practicing the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, yet had this fear, real fear that Bruce would reject me if I didn't tow the line and then I would have no where to go.

Things got worse, much worse.

If you lost one lung because of smoking many people would stop to preserve their other lung and to those who continued to smoke, I would emphatically reassert my admonitions to that person to stop smoking. If your life was filled with sorrow for practicing the deadly teachings of the SGI, you would think many would quit the SGI and those who remained would at least take a look at the teachings. Most don't and therefore I have no choice but to reassert my admonitions to them to leave the SGI

I conclude that the SGI is like nicotine, very pleasurable and addicting but deadly. You will excuse me if I point out how both are deadly. And yet, there are still some deluded people that argue that cigarette smoking prolongs life by reducing stress or other such nonsense. Such are the irrationalities in the secular realm. How much more so in the religious realm, where even, despite the horrific actual proof of the effects of the SGI faith and practice, the rational theoretical proof demonstrating superiority of the the authentic teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin to the SGI's, and the doctrinal proof of the superiority of the Lotus Sutra and Gosho over the Human Revoloution, Living Buddhism, and the World Tribune, there are those that continue to engage in deadly behaviors, continuing to consort with the SGI rather than the Kempon Hokke, for example. I will never stop pointing out the dangers of both behaviors.

Mark

A cult is a group of people who...

• Give total and unquestioning loyalty to a leader as a living deity or prophet, and use deception and manipulation to recruit and keep members.

Just based on this point alone, Soka is not a cult. Soka members are free to ask questions, but they have no need to, since all answers can be found in Sensei’s guidances and in the Gosho. We encourage free, open dialogue on pertinent, approved topics. Soka does not lie except as an “expedient means,” but this is a manifestation of practical wisdom, not lying. We would never dream of going against Soka, because to do so would destroy our good fortune. People join our movement because they want world peace and nonviolence based on the true Buddhism of Soka, not to give legitimacy to a cult. Recruitment, or shakubuku, is the only way to change your karma and create a happy world. People who don't support Soka don't support real peace.

• Has a leader who is charismatic, holds a uniquely exalted position, and claims an exclusive relationship with God, truth, happiness, etc.

A cult expects...

• Complete and total loyalty and obedience to the leader.

This is ridiculous! We do not "obey" Sensei. We recognize his superior wisdom as a teacher. He is like a strict father who loves us. We can criticize Sensei and disagree with him freely, but we soon see that we are incorrect. What we see in Ikeda Sensei is really just a mirror of our own mind, so if we are critical of Sensei, it is not because of him but because of our own arrogance.

• Complete and literal acceptance of the leader’s teachings.

Again, Sensei points out the true path of how to live a humane life. It is our free choice whether we will follow it or else fall into hellish suffering. Sensei's teachings are profound and people of shallow faith cannot accept them. If you are foolish and cannot accept the teachings of Soka, it is your loss, not Sensei's. Eventually you will become a Buddha, so we don't hate you. But wouldn't it be better to follow Sensei, who can lead you to enlightenment in this lifetime?

• Unquestioning devotion to the group and its leader.

Sensei always says that you must question and find out for yourself. You should follow his guidance and ask questions. Then you will see that he is right. He has more experience and understanding than we do, so it is only natural. Devotion to Sensei develops over time, gradually. It does not happen instantly as in cults. Sensei can see into your heart and is compassionate even if you cannot accept him.

Cults are...

• Unethical in their practices.

Soka must always be held to a higher standard of ethics than other groups because we represent the will of the people. Naturally, the people are not allowed to vote or voice their opinion within the official channels of Soka, but we understand the heart of the people, and that is what we represent. Voting and democracy are mere popularity contests. We are creating Buddhist Democracy. That is why we must challenge ourselves to make greater financial contributions to Soka, thus accumulating more fortune in our lives. It is rude to ask the Soka leaders how much money our organization has and where it goes. We must give our gifts freely and expect nothing in return. Sincere contributions are based on trust.

• Designed to advance the goal of the group’s leader, often to the detriment of its members.

Sensei's dream is our dream. What's good for Soka is good for us. Slanderers are threatened by this profound, harmonious bond known as the oneness of mentor and disciple.

• Dangerous because they separate people from their families, friends and other support networks. In this way, cults foster in their members feelings of complete dependency and sometimes isolation from outside influences.

Soka is a family that welcomes families. Some Soka members chant for decades to convince their spouses and children to join the family of Soka. We must not give up. We must continue to shakubuku our friends, co-workers and families. This is the way to happiness. Do not put too much pressure on others to join. Just keep chanting and they will come to see the true nobility of Soka and will join. In any event, our fellow comrades of Soka are our true friends and family. They will stick with us even when our other friends and family members abandon us. We depend on our faith, not on other people. We will throw slanderers out of our homes, and never betray Soka even if it means disobeying our own parents. This is the true meaning of filial piety.

Compare: Cult Groups Versus Soka
Some groups accept who you are now and help you attain your goals in life.

Soka accepts who you can be if you dedicate yourself to practicing Buddhism as Soka teaches. You cannot attain your goals in life unless you fight selflessly for the glorious cause of Soka.

Some groups are run by an ever-changing council of people who are accountable to the members of the group. These so-called leaders respond to members’ wishes and concerns. Usually, there are checks and balances on leaders’ power, and there is a grievance procedure in place to handle disputes within the group.

Soka is founded on the philosophy of the Three Eternal Presidents who each, in turn, inherited the True Law directly from Nichiren Daishonin. Leaders must serve the members humbly, but they are not elected by the membership, nor does the membership have any power to remove people from leadership positions. This is because we are all human beings who are doing our best. There are no checks and balances in the realm of Soka because our organization is based on faith. President Ikeda has been the leader of SGI for more than 40 years and we are grateful that he has given so selflessly to our movement.

Some groups let you determine your amount of participation. They encourage you to make your own life decisions and expect nothing in return.

Soka guides you in all aspects of your life, and it is only natural that, out of sincere appreciation, your commitment to the organization escalates over time. Out of gratitude for all that Soka has done for you, you will want to give more time, effort and financial contributions to Soka. This is the meaning of the phrase “from the indigo plant, an even deeper blue.” If you do not feel increasing commitment to Soka, there is probably something wrong with your faith.

Some groups have people coming and going without judging their motives or relationship to the Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings or enlightenment based on their proximity to the group.

Soka recognizes that life is much more profound and takes great pains to clarify good and evil. True Soka comrades are friends for life; those who desert Soka are like deluded children. How pitiful!

Some groups strive to liberate others from their suffering and dependence and help them stand on their own with confidence.

Soka strives to liberate members from their own arrogance by embracing Nichiren Buddhism as Soka teaches. There is no such thing as independence since we are all interdependent beings. This is why we need the organization and must protect it with our lives.

Some groups seek to get to the truth of any criticism or grievance by listening to many people who are equal in credibility and making a record of their views.

Soka understands that one's life-condition dictates how one will see certain situations, so we must rely on Buddha wisdom if we are to understand truth. Therefore, leaders' explanations are presented -- this is only natural, since they have more responsibility for the organization than the general members have. Only leaders and approved individuals can share their insights and wisdom through official Soka channels such as the World Tribune. This protects precious Soka members from confusion. Of course, members are free to openly share their concerns to their hearts’ content in face-to-face dialogue. Publicly stating one’s concerns and grievances is not in the true spirit of dialogue, and is mere complaint.

Some groups have rules and expectations of behavior that apply to everyone, including the top leaders.

Soka is a free and open gathering of disciples, so there are no rules. Leaders must often use "expedient means" to advance our noble cause. Sometimes expedient means are misunderstood and seem to be nothing more than fibbing, spreading destructive rumors, and withholding information from members. Even the Buddha had to lie to save his children. The comrades of Soka understand this. Soka leaders are not required to answer questions; you have all the answers you need within your life. To encourage people to find their own answers, questioners may be personally attacked, often publicly. This strict training is for their own benefit.

Some groups are proud of their work for others. They provide quantifiable services and aid, and want nothing in return. They run soup kitchens, clinics, counseling centers and the like. They are trusted members of a local community, actively seeking community engagement and responding to feedback from the people in their environment.

Soka understands that the only way to truly help people is to help them become comrades of Soka. Only by embracing our ideals can humankind truly move from a society of war and strife to a society of peace and justice. Soup kitchens and clinics are just band-aids; Soka possesses the true path to human happiness. Soka reaches out to other groups and community organizations to help them see the value of the Soka philosophy.

Some groups do not exaggerate the “terrible fate” of those who have left or aren't members.

Soka comrades understand that a true friend is one who has the mercy to correct the errors of others. People who oppose Soka are opposing the Buddha’s will and decree, and therefore invite horrible punishments on themselves. People who leave the palace of Soka cannot be trusted. They are betrayers who have committed evil acts and spit in the Buddha's face. They will die horrible deaths. Soka clarifies this to show the noble way of life for all human beings.

Some groups help their members and their community to solve problems and seek answers together. These groups provide ministers and counselors who know what resources are available within the group and the community. These groups provide a system of mutual support for members who are having difficulties.

Soka can help you identify the true, root cause of your problems: your fundamental darkness. Soka comrades will chant with you, but you need to challenge yourself to do more shakubuku, bring in new members of Soka, read the Soka publications, praise Soka more sincerely, make greater contributions to Soka and commit yourself to the happiness of others. Only then can you resolve your problems. Those who serve as devilish functions, however, will not be able to tolerate the pure realm of Soka for long. Such people will be filled with complaint and will abandon their practice. The fault is solely their own.

Some groups allow for differing ideas, views, talents, interests and personality traits.

Soka members are true lions and emulate SGI President Ikeda. Since we are lion cubs, we will no doubt grow into great Soka lions like Ikeda Sensei!

Some groups are not threatened by scrutiny and criticism from non-members or those who have left the group.

Soka is profound. Therefore, those who have left or have never joined are not qualified to judge our precious movement. They are misguided, misinformed and do not understand Sensei’s heart. These jackals are jealous of Soka and slander us at every turn.

Some groups do not ask members to do illegal, unethical or questionable things such as proselytize at schools, fib about the group’s wealth and activities, or harass members of different groups that are perceived to be “rival” groups.

Soka comrades understand that they must do what must be done, acting fearlessly on behalf of Buddhism. Fighting for Soka justice is the only way to attain Buddhahood.

Some groups recommend books and resources regarding other areas of interest or religious studies other than theirs.

Soka protects the purity of the Buddha’s teachings and stewards information to prevent incorrect views from infecting the members with slander.

Some groups have an agenda that is obvious, easy to understand, reasonable and set by consensus and compromise.

Soka’s mission was set by the Buddha and entrusted to SGI President Ikeda and all true members of Soka, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, as foretold in the Lotus Sutra. Soka is based on faith and beautiful bonds of trust between mentor and disciple. Rank-and-file members do not want access to accurate and complete information regarding progress toward our stated goals, financial matters or third-party, objective accounts of Sensei’s personal activities. Members need only understand Sensei’s heart and make it their own. Our goal is kosen-rufu, which can be defined in many different ways, and ultimately means world peace. No other information is purposeful.

Some groups have top leaders who are reasonably accessible to ordinary members.

Soka has a great Sensei who fights valiantly and tirelessly on behalf of all humanity, and therefore has many enemies. Because of his profound mission, Sensei is not free to live like ordinary people. He must ride in limousines and live in mansions, surrounded by staff for his protection and the protection of our movement. He purchases millions of dollars worth of art and other luxuries on behalf of our movement and to impress influential world leaders fro the sake of peace. Sensei’s vast wealth is proof of the power of Buddhist practice. An elite group of leaders travels to Japan each year to be trained by Sensei, but our faith has not been strong enough lately in America to bring Sensei here for a visit.

Some groups are rather cult-like and should be avoided.

Soka alone can save all humanity.

Still not convinced? Read more.