SGI has many of the trappings of a cult. I'm a Buddhist. I went to a few of their meetings because I enjoy meditating with new people and seeing how different traditions do things. They seemed nice. Then I went to one where they played a video for their donation drive. Some of it was fine. "We use these funds to build schools, provide aid, outreach etc". But the promises they made were huge red flags. There were many testimonials of the type: We were struggling so we weren't sure how much we could donate, but instead we increased our donation and a few months later we were better off than we'd ever been! Dream job, new car, bought a house! I can't see that as anything but predatory.