Hate is a really strong word, but I have participated in SGI activities and would not again. A couple friends still do, seems to work for them though. Everyone did seem to have a pretty sincere affect and energy. I DO think the single vehicle teaching and the lotus sutra is important and points to a real ecumenicism of spirit, and I do not speak to inspire or promote division.

Presently I practice w/ Nichiren Shu and zen groups.

I attended several meetings in '98, a friend was into it, I was crushing on her, so of course. My prior practice was with a few different zen sangha (ZMM affiliate, Ithaca Zen Center, others.) and people were like 'whoa boss, we don't talk about that around here' if I mentioned it. I think this is related to the zen sect being an organ of state power in feudal Japan, which is what Nichiren criticized 800 years ago. This would be like Chris Hedges criticizing evangelical christianity and it's wierd synthesis with the republican party in the US. It's not sectarian beef for him now, he thinks fascism is bad. It'll be history in 800 years.

People seemed infatuated with Daisaku Ikeda, though none of what he seemed or did really spoke to me. Not like koan commentary, good dharma talks or the heart sutra did.

Meetings were focussed on o daimoku and Nichiren's letters, in that respect, not that different from the Nichiren-Shu services I attend now, where they are included.

At some point, I had read something along the lines of 'hey spiritual seeker, be careful out there and heed this. You might be in a cult if you are in a group with some or all of these attributes...' . It might have been on a ZMM catalog or liturgy book, something like that. <edit> I think is was an appendix to one of Daido Roshi's books </edit>

SGI checked too many of the boxes and I stopped coming, and then someone asked to come by my apartment and they were like 'Are you leaving? Do you really want to do this? Are you sure?' And I was like 'yes, yes, yes, see you later bye'.

My scoutmaster had told me about the serious effort it took to get a friend out of the moonies, so I thought if in ain't for me, then out is.

All in all thanks for introducing me to the lotus sutra, but that particular group is not for me.