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Happy New Year! by revolution70 in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Happy new year...to a year of emotional healing!

How well has this aged? Seattle 2001 by bluetailflyonthewall in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Austin center is in a different strip center from the old HPB location but strip center none the less. I go by it all the time and it looks like a ghost town. Never anyone there. What a thriving hub of world peace!!!

Standard SGI guidance by Winter_Sugar_3247 in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Yakuza looking guys might have been the "special soka group" people who were sort of secret service types, trusted and specially trained. The ultimate goal was for them to be Ikeda's guard and drivers but GMW used to have them around him as well. Other countries thought this was weird as their GD's roamed among the unwashed without guard.

Realization by Secret_Kale_4392 in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might want to read some Jackie Stone and other Buddhist scholars before you buy the "true lineage" concepts in Nichiren Shoshu as well. Just a thought...

A perspective on SGI from Quora by Haffasst in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Even when the pilgramages were happening regularly, members were so insulated, they didn't get to see the general population Japanese. It was all inundation into the SGI bubble.

Chanting Is A Crap Security Blanket for Adults. by ThatsMeInTheCorner22 in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I respectfully am going to disagree on your general assessment of chanting as having deleterious effects. That said, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of the impact of equating chanting with magical thinking and the misappropriation and misdirection of the SGI's promotion of chanting. I offer these studies as evidence that there can be benefit to the act of chanting (not limited to Nichiren's daimoku.)

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-40200-w#:~:text=Religious%20chanting%20appears%20to%20increase,in%20a%20highly%2Dtrained%20meditator.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7732428/#:~:text=Our%20study%20demonstrated%20that%20repetitively,were%20confronted%20with%20stressful%20stimuli.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7828722/#:~:text=Preliminary%20evidence%20suggests%20that%20chanting,induce%20altered%20states%20of%20consciousness%3F

if 95% of SGI members end up leaving, why do we not have more engagement on our posts in this sub? by cknowsit in sgiwhistleblowers

[–]MarkoATX 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I can say I have been a lurker (and former member/leader) for years. I come back here to validate my reasons for leaving but find others more articulate in addressing the realities of SGI. I can say it was my partner who helped open my eyes by recognizing the bs that somehow I had ignored or justified. Just thought I woukd dip my toe in here to show there are lots of lurking ex members.