On his medication;
"Hi. Iīve been reading some of the old blogs and the new ones. You mentioned the stuff about chanting for things rather than to just be in the moment. Iīm no longer a member of SGI but Iīm still rather fascinated by some of these discussions when I get idle (which happens a lot). I digress, but I read some of the old discussions from 2004 about the controversy of the the BuddhaJones website. Fascinating stuff. I tend to agree now that I have never been treated poorly by the SGI. I guess it is perfectly all right to introduce this org. by saying that is is "Buddhism" and at any time refuse to give any valid information even when pressed about it. Etc. Especially fascinating I found Brians "refutal" of cult-literature. Of course, it is itself rather "cultish" but in a more productive way than the organisations. You might as well say that the orgs. donīt exist if you say that the books donīt exist. Moreover, there are SGI "shakobuku"-books such as "The Buddha in your mirror" and "Buddhism in the daily life". The strategy in these books are to focus on everything else than SGI docrine while in fact making an enourmous effort to advertise it. The advertise becomes more effective in this fashion.
This strategy was (is?) also used by the Moonies. They would, for example, start a "film club" which was really a group meeting. Nice stuff.
Well, I better move on in my life. I agree much more with Rev. Greg than with **** ***** (I am not allowed to mention her name) now. Obviously cultism is a personal choice. I have never been a cultie but I found **** *****īs discourse rather fascinating. She is a very good writer. Anyway, Iīd like to leave all this behind me. I want nothing to do with SGI.
Bye.
Best regards
Peter "
Off of his medication;
"I was bullied by SGI. Presently I am contacting Danish newspaper in order to write an article about SGI in Denmark to expose it for what it is: a destructive cult. The former Danish leader resigned in Denmark a couple of years ago for seriously bullying a woman who had been sexually mistreated as a child. I donīt think this is abnormal behaviour in SGI. It must me exposed for what it is. "
and...
"Charles, I totally agree. SGI leaders should be allowed to torture and victimize anyone found guilty in not adhering to the faith of the lotus sutra and not chanting 1000000000 daimoku each second and alloting more than their allowed mouthful of air - duuuuuuuuh!"
My advice to Peter: don't go anywhere. Stay where you are, but make a distance from everything. If it 'll make you feel better, buy new Gongyo book, recite and recite Lotus Sutra, listening your inner being. Always having in mind that you are, and only you that it is all about, and Buddha will aproach to you with tactfullness, in a way you can accept and understand. Unless you are quilty as a devil....what you are not, I am sure. Soka is not above the world, people is its flesh and blood, and there are bad people everywhere. And especially today - greed, selfishness, lust for power and control others are predominant. So, why mistification about something so large as Soka Sakkai? And it is obviously that no one has right to like or dislike you, to "push your weaknesses" or force you to accept what you consider unacceptable. We want to avoid all kinds of mistification, regarding even Dai Gohonzon, our copies of Gohonzons, magic lineages etc. What Soka wants is unity, no metter what, because unity strenghtens the body of Sangha. Picture inside Soka is more like to what english poet William Blake said about two basic kinds of people: people who give and people who take. So, Peter, some from Danish SG estimate you are one who gives - but you resist. You might use your imagination, you might give them everything they want with the smile, like dolphin....You decided to turn them back. Now, take for yourself only good things. Decorate yourself with the medal of understanding and respecting every human being. Find the Law within yourself and enjoy the Life!
Posted by: Child at March 19, 2006 07:56 AMPeter,
Your myopia regarding SGI is pathetic. It should be obvious to anyone who takes even a cursory glance at frauthwithperil that Greg has gone to great lengths to get representatives of various Nichiren Buddhist groups. Many of the people who post here are Independents or belong to a whole other school (such as myself). SGI is hardly the theme of fraughtwithperil, though it is certainly one of many threads. Even Rev. Greg's blog talks about Ninja stuff as much or more than it does SGI stuff. That you can't see that Nichiren Buddhism is much bigger than SGI or that fraughtwithperil is much bigger than any one tradition shows how myopic and obsessed you are. You are simply using any forum that will let you to go on about something that is of no interest to the people who are blogging or to the newsgroups that you attempt to hijack. Added to that your offensive filthy and sexist remarks should not be tolerated at all. Until you learn to be mindful, respectful, and on topic I do not think Greg or anyone else should indulge your dysfunctions.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Peter - given the great differences in lucidity in your replies and comments, I have always suspected you're either schizopgrenic or there are multiple persons replying under your name. Your replies vary from incoherant ranting to apologies for your bad behavior.
And what about your terrible attempt to start your own yahoogroup Peter? Your postings were so vulgar and profane the whole group was taken down by Yahoo.
And for the record, I believe nothing of what you say about yourself. When you "do the math", it doesn't add up.
Rev. Greg
Posted by: Rev. Greg at March 11, 2006 11:35 PMLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! :^)
Speaking about medication, let me tell you a little about myself: Iīll be 30 on the 10th of April. I donīt drink, I donīt smoke. I run every day - seven days a week. I have a Masterīs degree in English, I train martial arts every day, I am a master chess player, Iīm an excellent poet, I eat primarily vegetarian food, I meditate and train yoga every day.
That should put off talk about medication.
Talking about spam. Well, I have always spoken about SGI and not "just" about my own life (as if McCormick is somehow "removed" or "uninterested" in his approach to Buddhist themes in his essays... obviously one should put oneself and oneīs own life at the center of writing) both in Yahoo-sites and on Fraughtwithperil. The subject is SGI. The overall subject of Fraughtwithperil must be SGI. Therefore I am not off topic. This should be perfectly evident.
Iīm not letting SGI rule my life in anyway. Iīm just speaking out about what I experienced. And what I experienced was this proto-fascist organisation which tried to bully me to stay on even though I wanted to leave. Moreover, it lied a lot, and has some serious "ghosts in the closet". Moreover, it resembles other "destructive" cults such as "The Moonies" which is evident in books such as Steven Hassanīs "Combatting Cult Mind Control". SGI, as you know, is mentioned on all cult warning websites and even in reports on human rights violations. To me, this would be a normal way to describe this organisation but if anyone is offended by a clear insight into this structure itīs their own emotions, and not my writing.
I also have an article out on www.religion.dk which are telling a little about SGI. But it is in Danish so you cannot read it.
Iīm primarily a reader and writer so I just speak out about anything I experience. SGI is only a tiny little fraction of my life and writing and Iīm not off topic because the theme here is SGI. Why not stick to that theme on this excellent website. I donīt see a more important subject that needs to get discussed.
"Charles, I totally agree. SGI leaders should be allowed to torture and victimize anyone found guilty in not adhering to the faith of the lotus sutra and not chanting 1000000000 daimoku each second and alloting more than their allowed mouthful of air - duuuuuuuuh!"
Training and torture/victimization are not the same thing here, Peter. When someone of greater experience or wisdom points out a flaw so you can grow, or encourages you to push yourself, one can take that as an insult or take it to heart and make it a cause for personal growth.
If you are now practicing Tibetan Buddhism, perhaps you should devote your entire body and mind to that approach and not be distracted by your past unhappy experiences with the SGI and Nichiren Buddhism.
I think that you will soon find out that Tibetan Buddhism is also quite strict, and that the practictioners there will once again find the weak spot and begin to push on it in an attempt to foster your growth. You would be well advised to be open to the criticism or instruction. In the end, you will find that when it comes to training your mind and life, although the teachings and perhaps the methods differ, the sting of training and the need for self-reflection will be most similiar.
I wish you luck, and even more so for your new teachers. But don't look back - your infatuation with the trauma that Nichiren Buddhism has wrought for you is an attachment that can only hold you back at this point - and you need to move forward.
Charles
Hmm,
Maybe it is mean. The fact is that Peter should be banned from most or all of the blogs here. He is constantly trying to hijack them for his own purposes - purposes and issues that have nothing to do with the blogs themes or discussions. Basically what he is doing is spam. And of course it is a loud cry for attention and help. But guess what? We can't help him. This is not the place to indulge such cries for attention. Peter needs professional help - and the help he needs has to be offline in Copenhagen.
It is a pity that, whatever SGI members in Denmark did or did not do to him or others, Peter himself is totally unable to move on. The time he wastes here and perhaps elsewhere trying to put together a pity party would be better spent getting his own &*^$ together.
I would be remiss if I did not point out that "pity" is the near-enemy of compassion according to Buddhism. It is called a "near enemy" because it resembles compassion but is a egoistic counterfeit. But I would by lying if I did not say that I feel pity towards Peter. I suppose that means I should practice the cultivation of loving-kindness and compassion with him in mind and send it out with Odaimoku.
Peter, if you are reading this - SLAP yourself in the head for me and ask yourself why you want to go to such lengths to be pitied. Have some pride man! All of us need help at times (myself included). Go find the help you need. There is nothing any of us can do for you here.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei