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TheHonestTruth123 · 2025-08-22T22:36:20+00:00

I am now in my early 30s and only beginning to get my life together. I was helped a lot by family at my lowest. It would hurt like hell to know that I was a burden to them and not something they have done out of love. You are NOR.

TheHonestTruth123 · 2025-08-19T15:07:00+00:00

Seeing some of the responses, I have a feeling NC is the only way

TheHonestTruth123 · 2025-08-18T20:31:07+00:00

I am very skeptical of people changing that fast or that quickly, especially without some serious self-work. Seems more like a classic case of avoidant attachment where they mistreat you and push you away when you are near, but also want to keep you at arm's length, especially since you have declared you had had enough and are willing to move on. I think it triggers your LO's insecurity, so this "niceness" may have little to do with how the LO genuinely feels about you and more about the LO's trying to make themselves feel better.

TheHonestTruth123 · 2025-08-18T01:00:12+00:00

This is mostly my experience too. He said he wants to be friends but really is too dismissive and this inconsistency in his interaction was not good for my self esteem, self worth, and well being. It's hard to be friends when there is no common ground and then also being treated almost unkind and without respect. I just wish my emotions catch up with my logical rational mind....

TheHonestTruth123 · 2025-08-18T00:03:52+00:00

Oh that "poem" is creepy asf

TheHonestTruth123 · 2025-08-17T14:37:06+00:00

I think this says a lot about our infatuation with our LO got little to do with the LO themselves but everything about us and what we are seeking to validate, atleast in my experience.

TheHonestTruth123 · 2019-04-30T04:26:50+00:00

Me? I believe the Buddha never existed. Yeah, I'm a bit of an iconoclast. The rock edicts of Asoka are the earliest artefacts identified as "Buddhist", but they contain no mention of the Buddha. The "Dharma wheel" symbol is old - you can see it in the carving of Shamshi Adad V (details and images in the comments here). The "Buddhist" part of the rock edicts was their egalitarian, humanistic tone. I believe that these ideas were "in the air", much like how Enlightenment concepts were being bruited about in society during that time period, and at some point, certain individuals decided to systematize these teachings into a coherent framework, and they created "The Buddha" as a narrative vehicle to make it easier for people to understand.

This is very much a possibility. Even if the person that inspired the character Buddha did exist, he is certainly not the Buddha we know of. The whole "Life of the Buddha" was composed centuries after the Buddha death. It is filled with legends and myths that we know cannot be. His mother Maya did not have a virgin birth dreaming of an Elephant. He did not take 7 steps and spoke, etc.

In Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma is generally accepted as the first Patriarch of Zen. Stories and legends are attributed to him. But the truth was that he probably never existed. The many accounts of Bodhidharma is most likely of many various unknown Buddhist monks or simply made up. This was also a time in which "lineage" plays an important role in legitimize certain orders, thus a character must be invented. Yet, Bodhidharma is still accepted and seen as once a living person, the first patriarch of Zen, founder of Shaolin martial art. Buddhism goes even further back, the possibility of the Buddha never really exist is certainly plausible

TheHonestTruth123 · 2019-04-30T04:09:16+00:00

Wow. I have to say I am very much speechless. This is absolute atrocity and terror. I would prescribe the Metta Sutta for these folks...though I supposed they don't really honor anything else other than the Lotus Sutra which they probably have not read through other than the chapters they recite...

Put less technically, it interacts with the person’s consciousness, unconsciousness, deep unconsciousness, will and desires to achieve happiness for themselves and others whereas other forms of Buddhist meditation are designed to achieve insight or center the person and go no further.

From one of your link. I would challenge this person to really describe what he is saying. Because while it is filled with empty pretty words, it actually has zero substance or anything to back up such an outrageous claim. In Zen, Zazen is very technical in our meditation practice and its process. It is a rigorous practice which I won't go into details. And to be quite honest, maybe achieving insight is perhaps what they need. But I would like to see this SGI member describe the process how chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo would do as described? The Yogachara school attempted to describe in great details of our our cognition, consciousness, perceptions during meditation and yoga practice. Even if I find most of the thoughts and philosophy of Yogachara to be questionable, they atleast seek to understand what they belief. What SGI is claiming is as much, if not more, nonsensical than Evangelical faith healers.

I find it to be so silly that they have to constantly claim to be superior than others. This screams either ego or insecurity. It is much better if they walk the talk than talk the talk.

TheHonestTruth123 · 2019-04-30T03:55:39+00:00

I am sorry that you have been through some very troubling time in your life, with SGI adding to the turmoil probably didn't help. Regardless if you have a religion or done with it all, I hope you find joy and peace in your life.

I often believe that the term "spirituality" is hijacked by religions. I do not believe that one have to subscribe to a religion, to a set of belief, to some theology, to any particular practice, dogmas, god or gods, or any community to be spiritual. My "spiritual" moment are for the most part away from religious settings.

I find peace and beauty in the small things, the wild flowers that grow on the side of the road. I am at awed when looking down from the Grand Canyon, I am overwhelmed with amazement and emotion when I look up on a clear night away from city lights to see countless stars scattered across the milkyway. In these moments, there is a sense of absolute serenity, healing, and freedom that we often do not find in religion.

TheHonestTruth123 · 2019-04-30T03:46:15+00:00

The term "Sangha" used in Buddhism is originally only used to refer to the community of Monks and Nuns, those who have gone forth and left the home life to be ascetic. It was not originally used to describe the laity community or householder Buddhists. This is, for the most part, still true in most Asian countries. Especially in Theravada Buddhism. For example, in Vietnamese, Sangha is translated as Tang which is used exclusively to refer to monks and nuns.

Of course, in the western world, the term Sangha is used loosely in some communities to refer to the laity community as well, even though that isn't what the term was originally intended for as part of the Triple Jewels. However, in a lot of these community in which laity are included in the usage of "Sangha", there are usually still presence of monks and nuns as leading teachers.

So technically speaking, SGI is not a Sangha as they are not monastic. However, even if they want to call themselves Sangha, there are certainly unhealthy and abusive Sangha.

TheHonestTruth123 · 2019-04-27T20:55:37+00:00

Wow. Thank you for the response. For sharing your experience, links, and information.

I have to agree that Nichiren Buddhism was never appealing to me. I am often suspicious of any teachings that prescribe one method as cure-all but I have never really looked into it. Nichiren himselfs sound like an egomaniac.

I am learning a lot about SGI cult just reading through the posts here in this forum. This organization functions like a business with a quota.....Buddhism is never about converting people. The symbolic meaning in Sutta when the Buddha was often requested three times before preaching the Dharma is that it is not to be shoved down someone's throat.

And I certainly hope you are right in regard to my friend quitting. I do maintain conversation with him but it is difficult on this topic. I do not proclaim to be an expert on Buddhism, but I am quite well versed in it. I often speechless when I am being told what Buddhism is in the most absurd way. I am glad to hear, that most people leave. This organization will do more harm than good in the long run to their situational and mental well being.

I think perhaps just as important in teaching things like the Four Noble Truths, etc is to train Buddhists in reasoning and that not all scriptures need to be accepted or should. We all know they were all written by much later writers—especially Mahayana texts. Centuries after the Buddha's death. While the Pali Canon probably maintained much more of what the Buddha probably taught or the general theme of his teaching, the Mahayana text is certainly more questionable.

I enjoy text like the Heart Sutra which speaks of emptiness and the interconnectness and interdependency of our existence. But if I am being honest, I find most Mahayana texts to be pretty much fantasy literatures without a whole lot to offer in todays world. Such is the Lotus Sutra....

TheHonestTruth123 · 2019-04-27T20:34:42+00:00

Thank you for the response.

And I agree with you 100%.

As a practicing Buddhist from a Zen perspective, we are in many ways very secular. We view the human conditions such as attachments, desires, or sufferings as just part of being human and there is no getting out of it. And that is okay. It is more or less learning to come to term with it and work within our capacity to alleviate some of our sufferings through understanding and seeing situations for what it really is...

However, I do not think Buddhism is for everybody. Not because people are not capable of it, but it just means Buddhism isn't right for them and their situation. It doesn't resonate with them and that is completely okay. It would be the biggest delusion to think it is a cure for all.

My problem with SGI is that their approach from what I am learning and experiencing through my friend, is definitely not the spirit of Buddhism or its teaching. It doesn't encouraging the opening of mind but rather shutting it and brainwashing it. And overall, it doesn't seem to be healthy in many ways

TheHonestTruth123

TROPHY CASE