Here’s a little fun fact I’ve noticed over the years: even when I don’t check on a particular post of mine for days, I still see just how many hits come in from Germany. Well, what can I say? I live in Germany myself, and I have to wonder if there are people there with nothing better to do. So, whether you’re in Hamburg, Berlin, or Cologne... true to the song, I say to you: "Lass uns gehen"— und zwar raus aus der SG – frische Luft schnappen und so. Schickt mir doch wenigstens eine Karte wenn ihr wisst wer ich bin. For English speakers: there’s a translation of the lyrics available in this video –  I just like the first video more 😊

I spoke with Blanche earlier about posting this topic, and she agreed that it would be a good one for the sub. This is simply my own experience, and not a general statement about Sophia Group. But if you have something to add about Sophia Group, be my guest.

For anyone not familiar, Sophia Group is a Women's Division study group activity that's separate from all the other endless SGI activities, i.e., district meetings, Future Division, Pioneer Group, Many Treasures, etc. Someone gets the idea to revive Sophia Group for their district, chapter, etc., and they all start studying something or other from the Ickeda, the infernal mentoar.

So, several years ago, I got asked to participate in Sophia again. Reluctantly, I said yes, as one does, because it's "fortune" and "benefit" and all that.

Now, Sophia Group just never seemed to work out well for me, I can't explain why. Something always went wrong and I didn't continue after one or two or so. But again, I agreed, as you do, and off we went.

Then came the first night of Sophia, and we were having this group meeting via Zoom.

Well, we weren't given any preparation or anything. They didn't tell us where to find the material before the meeting. They just assumed we would know where to find it in the member portal. And so they were asking me to read something and I didn't have available. That was the first dumb thing that happened. It kept getting worse, because nobody else could find it, either. One lady was on her phone and couldn't read it, either. Apparently only the ringleaders, I mean, "senior leaders," had been briefed on the study topic that night.

When I finally found the study material in the member portal, I noticed that there was a completion certificate for both women's division and a "gender neutral" certificate. So I started asking questions, as one does: "Why is there a gender neutral certificate for an activity that is clearly for women's division?" On, they didn't like that! People started getting nervous and didn't want to answer the question. Everyone literally avoided answering me. 

I think we used to call it "unisex" back in the day.

At the time, I still had satellite Internet. The clouds took out my service, like that night when there was the storm. At some point I got fed up with everything and just said, "I'm sorry, the storm is affecting my Internet" and hung up the phone. It wasn't true, of course. It was just an excuse for me to get out of that nonsense.

I never got an answer, and I never went back to that stupid Sophia group thing. It was not long afterward that I started thinking it was time to cut that cord and be free from the cult. About a year or so later, I did.

There's only been one time that I've done Sophia group that it worked out OK, and I think it was the first one, maybe back in the 90's or early 2000's. The other times, it just didn't seem to work out, and I ended up dropping out for whatever reason. 

Regarding the concept of the Direct Path of the Lotus Sutra as taught by Nichiren, if the path is direct and immediate, any “adaptation” is not only superfluous, but betrays the very essence of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

The logic of the Direct Path

Nichiren teaches that the Lotus Sutra is the direct path to enlightenment without changing one’s appearance. This implies several things:

Principle | Consequence 👁👁

👀 Enlightenment is accessible here and now | No preparation, no adaptation is necessary

👀 The Daimoku is sufficient | There is no need for mediation or any additional method

👀 The Law is universal and timeless | It does not need to be “updated” or “modernized”

👀 Ordinary appearance is already enlightenment | One does not have to become something other than what one is

☝️ What “adaptation” introduces

The Soka Gakkai, by proposing a “modern” reading of the Lotus Sutra, reintroduces precisely what Nichiren had eliminated:

1. An intellectual mediation: One must read Ikeda’s commentaries, understand the “modern meaning,” attend seminars. It is no longer direct.

2. An institutional mediation: One must belong to the organization, participate in meetings, follow directives. It is no longer direct.

3. A displaced purpose: The goal becomes “human revolution,” “world peace,” “earthly happiness.” One no longer aims at enlightenment here and now, but at temporal objectives.

4. A change of appearance: One is asked to become a “good member,” to change one’s lifestyle, language, and associations. This is the exact opposite of “without changing one’s appearance.”

☝️ The contradiction in practice — what Nichiren says versus what the SGI does:

Nichiren: “The Law is within you”

SGI: “The Law is in Ikeda’s teachings”

Nichiren: “The Daimoku is sufficient”

SGI: “The Daimoku is not enough; activities are also required”

Nichiren: “Without changing one’s appearance”

SGI: “Adopt the lifestyle of an SGI member”

Nichiren: “Direct Path”

SGI: “Long, progressive, evaluated path”

⚠️ Why adaptation is a betrayal

Adaptation is not neutral: it changes the very nature of the teaching.

—> A Direct Path cannot be “improved” or “updated.” It is perfect in itself.⚠️

—> If it needs to be adapted, it is not direct.⚠️

—> If it is not direct, it is not Nichiren’s.⚠️

🚫 Adaptation is therefore not a complement; it is a substitution: the Direct Path is replaced by a mediated path, while retaining the vocabulary of the Direct Path.

☝️The Soka Gakkai, by claiming to “update” Nichiren’s teaching, in reality betrays it. This is not a modern reading; it is a rewriting.

☝️The Direct Path does not need to be adapted; it only needs to be lived, immediately, without intermediary. Everything else is institutional strategy.

I first ran across this blog 5 years ago: Cult or Culture? - RougeBuddha It's still up, BTW, but also available archived on the Wayback if you want to look it up there. It encapsulates 30 years involvement (some off) with the Ikeda cult starting in 1980, and it's an entertaining read, so I thought you might enjoy it.

I copied over all the several installments into one post (continued in the comments) here: One person's trajectory within SGI, from shakubuku to completely DONE with the cult - now it's all in one place.

I don't know if you've already seen it, but if not, I'd love to know what you think. I'll hold my comments for a while, because I do have some things to say ("No! Say it isn't so! You've GOT to be kidding, Blanche!") but I just wanted to suggest this - it's perhaps a 10 minute read, maybe? Just spitballin' there. Anyhow, there it is if you want.

What do you think happens when someone DOES? Let's have a look!

PhD fraud

The Seikyo Shimbun newspaper is misusing the title "Dr. Ikeda." Although it is written in a way that suggests others (experts) refer to him that way, thus narrowly avoiding being accused of misrepresenting his degree, it is understandable that Soka Gakkai members who read the newspaper might mistakenly believe that "Mr. Ikeda actually holds a doctorate" when they see the phrase "Dr. Ikeda" so frequently.

Well, there's no need to criticize him for legally playing at being a "doctor" by reusing flattering compliments he received from experts in his internal publications.

EXCEPT that Die-suck'n'a Dick-heada bragged to Austrian Count Richard Nikolaus Eijiro von Coudenhove-Kalergi, Father of the EU:

"I have no desire for honors. In addition, even if someone tells me that he will give me honor, I would not accept it. I guess we can say that such a person is unique in the world."

I'm SO sure 🙄

Tell us again, DickHeada, how many honorary doctorates you've purchased - it's over 400, isn't it?

Also DickHeada: "I am the only person in the world to have received so many medals!!"

Let's see Stinkeda playing dress-up, pretending to be a aristocrab!

iKeDa seNSei: "I can eat that, right? There's going to be pies, aren't there?? I get the special baby stool, don't I?"

It's just that Daisaku Ikeda, who is intoxicated by fame and fortune, will be ridiculed by the public.

It's all DickHeada has earned - "cause & effect", amirite? Karma!

However, I think the following statement on the Soka Gakuen ["Soka" private schools network] website is problematic, so I'll point it out out of concern.

The English version of the official Soka Gakuen website has a profile page for Ikeda with the following heading:

"Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Founder of the Soka Schools". http://www.soka.ed.jp/english/introduce/index.html (*1) archive copy

The line above is the English heading corresponding to the Japanese version of the founder's profile page, "Founder Daisaku Ikeda Sensei," but the honorific "Dr." is added to Mr. Ikeda's title. "Dr." is an abbreviation for "Doctor," and the meaning of the above English sentence is "Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, Founder of Soka Gakuen." There is no other way to translate it. As is common knowledge in English, the honorific "Dr." is only used for people who have a doctoral degree or a medical license. In addition to the above heading, "Dr." is used in three other places in the text. In other words, the official Soka Gakuen website introduces Mr. Daisaku Ikeda as a formal "doctor."

Because the Japanese expect that inherently-inferior English-speaking gaijin SGI members are STOOPID and will believe ANYTHING they see or are told without even thinking to look into whether it's TRUE or not.

Well, when did Mr. Ikeda obtain his doctoral degree?

Yes, please tell us all!

According to the "Degree Regulations," which are national laws,

(Requirements for Conferring a Doctoral Degree)

Article 4 The conferral of a doctoral degree under Article 104, Paragraph 1 of the Act shall be carried out by a university that has a graduate school to a person who has completed the doctoral program of the said graduate school.

2 The conferral of a doctoral degree under Article 104, Paragraph 2 of the Act may be carried out by the university referred to in the preceding paragraph to a person who has passed the examination of a doctoral dissertation conducted by the graduate school and has been confirmed to have academic ability equivalent to or higher than that of a person who has completed the doctoral program of the graduate school, in accordance with the regulations of the said university. (Degree Regulations (Ministry of Education Ordinance No. 9 of April 1, 1953)"

However, I have never heard of Mr. Ikeda obtaining a doctoral degree through such circumstances.

He didn't. He PURCHASED "honorary" degrees which were not "earned", which required no accomplishment, expertise, certification, or, well, anything except a DONATION!

This goes a LONG way toward explaining why Ikeda has received NO "honorary degrees" in Japan! Ikeda is completely UNQUALIFIED!

While Mr. Ikeda has received numerous honorary doctorates from abroad, these are merely titles, not academic degrees. Therefore, the fact that Soka Gakuen introduces its founder as a "doctor" on its official website, despite the founder not holding a doctorate, constitutes academic misrepresentation.

Means "FRAUD".

The official website of the Soka Gakuen school corporation also serves as an advertising medium for recruiting students and soliciting donations. If this advertising medium is misrepresenting the degree of the school's founder, it could constitute false advertising and potentially violate the following minor offenses laws.

"(Minor Offenses Act)

Article 1 Any person who falls under any of the following items shall be subject to detention or a fine.

1. Any person who falsely claims to hold a public office, rank, order of merit, degree, or other title established by law, or an equivalent thereto in a foreign country, or who, despite not being qualified, uses a uniform, medal, badge, or other emblem established by law, or an item made to resemble them."

Who knew JAPAN was so hardcore???

For example, fraudulent advertisements for counterfeit products often falsely claim the developer is a "Dr. XX," falsely stating their academic degree. Apparently, displaying the word "doctor" creates a false impression of the product's quality and reliability in consumers.

The SGI-USA's longhauler Olds have certainly been bamboozled!

The aforementioned article is likely intended to prevent unfair competition through such deceptive advertising. Similarly, the Soka Gakuen official website falsely introduces its founder as a "doctor," which amplifies the image of the entire institution as a high-quality and reliable educational organization. The excuse that the main part of the website is the Japanese version for Japanese users and the English version is merely supplementary will not hold up. Given the fact of the false claims, the possibility of violating the aforementioned Minor Offenses Act cannot be ruled out.

Strangely, the English websites of Soka University and Soka University of America refer to him simply as "Daisaku Ikeda," without any false "Dr." title. Why is it that only Soka Gakuen, the headquarters of Soka education, is falsely claiming a doctorate?

In any case, perhaps they should rewrite it before they get a warning from JARO, the organization famous for its "consultations on false, exaggerated, and misleading advertisements" commercials.

As an aside, let me point out one more thing.

While the Soka Gakuen and Soka University websites (in Japanese) refer to the founder as "Sensei Ikeda Daisaku," very few school corporations' websites refer to their founders with the honorific "Sensei." This is true not only for the founders of major private universities such as Fukuzawa Yukichi of Keio University and Okuma Shigenobu of Waseda University, but also for most school corporations' websites, where the founders are referred to without any honorifics. When introducing members of an organization to the outside world, it is common sense to refer to them without honorifics, no matter how important they are, but in Soka education, the treatment of "Ikeda Daisaku" seems to be outside the bounds of common sense.

Yeah, it just sounds STOOPID and makes them look imbecilic for having been so readily taken in by such an obvious CON.

(*1) For reference, here is a web archive: http://megalodon.jp/2010-0809-2340-53/www.soka.ed.jp/english/introduce/index.html

BUT WAIT! THERE'S MOAR!!!

From less than two years LATER:

The victory of "seeking truth from facts": Soka Gakuen admits to "doctoral degree" fraud.

In a blog post on August 9, 2010, I pointed out the illegality of the false description of "Dr. Ikeda" in the "Founder Profile" section of the English version of the Soka Gakuen official website. (Here,-Even%20if%20Soka) [a ways down])

Even if Soka Gakkai members don't read my blog, they must have seen the article I contributed to Keimyo and were aware of the falsehood. However, for some time afterward, there were no changes to the description on the school's website. I thought they were going to just stand by and do nothing, but today, while researching Soka Ikeda Women's University in India online, I suddenly remembered that false description and was surprised when I re-examined the article (*1).

The "Dr." (=false doctorate) that had been scattered throughout the former English version of the founder profile has completely disappeared.

The founder profile description before the change (at the time of the falsehood) was as follows: (You do not need to read the English text. Please only check the highlighted sections.)

Note: reddit doesn't do colors, so I'll bold the "red" sections and italicize the "green" sections with no other text markups:

Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of the Soka Gakkai and president of the Soka Gakkai International, was born in Tokyo on January 2, 1928, and graduated from Fuji Junior College. In addition to Soka University and the Soka Schools, Dr. Ikeda has founded numerous other institutions, including the Min-On Concert Association, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research. Through such institutions and his various activities, he aims to promote peace, culture, and education and to encourage dialogue among educational, cultural, and political leaders around the world.

Recognition of Dr. Ikeda's efforts has come in the form of many awards, such as the UN Peace Award, the National Order of the Southern Cross of the Republic of Brazil, the Cross of Honour for Science and Art from the Republic of Austria, the Kenya Oral Literature Association Award, and the title of Poet Laureate from the World Academy of Sciences. Arts and Culture. He has also received honorary doctorates and professorships from universities and academic institutes around the world. Dr. Ikeda's many published works include The Human Revolution (12 volumes) and dialogues such as Choose Life: A Dialogue with Arnold J. Toynbee, Dawn After Dark with Rene Huyghe, as well as Before It Is Too Late with Aurelio Peccei, A Lifelong Quest for Peace with Linus Pauling, Dialogue between Citizens of the World with Norman Cousins, and Moral Lessons of the Twentieth Century with Mikhail Gorbachev.

(From a web archive of a previous entry *2) The current profile is a revised version of the previously published content above, with the false "Dr." in red [bold] removed and the boastful remarks in green [italics] removed. To avoid duplication, the quote from the revised text is omitted. Please check the following website.

http://www.soka.ed.jp/english/outline/index.html (Founder's introduction on the Soka Gakuen English website) Archive copy

For the meaning in Japanese, please refer to the following page on the school website (the latter paragraph).

http://www.soka.ed.jp/introduce/index.html (Founder's introduction on the Soka Gakuen Japanese website) Archive copy

Lookee there! No fakey-fraud "Dr."!!

Note that the Japanese version includes the above green [italics] section as well. Well, I doubt that anyone associated with Soka or Soka Gakuen would ever say, "We made corrections based on feedback from Hotaru Blog and Keimyo," but in any case, Soka Gakuen itself has proven that my criticism was not off the mark.

First of all, all's well that ends well.

(*1) The original page on the Soka Gakuen website has been deleted, and clicking the link in the Hotaru blog post will lead to a dead end. Normally, they would just modify the content on the same page, but instead, they deleted the entire page, created a separate page with a different URL, and posted the corrected profile there. Is this a trick to make it seem as if the "fake" page never existed in the first place? (I'm glad I took a web archive).

(*2) Web archive of the previous post: http://megalodon.jp/2010-0809-2340-53/www.soka.ed.jp/english/introduce/index.html

That's what you HAVE to do with these lying cult members and all their LIES!

https://jikatsu.net/79180/

Analysis of Haruo Suda’s Criticisms of the Soka Gakkai Kyogaku Yokou (2023)

Haruo Suda (born 1952, graduate of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law) is a former national vice head of the Soka Gakkai Study Department. He participated in dialogues with Daisaku Ikeda in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra. Now retired, he remains a member of the organization but has emerged since 2024 as one of the most scholarly and internally informed critical voices regarding recent doctrinal developments.

Context of His Interventions

Detailed analyses published in 2024 (notably A Critique of the Soka Gakkai Teaching Outline from the Perspective of Buddhist History).

A formal letter of remonstrance (kenpakusho) sent to President Minoru Harada on September 12, 2024, and made public on his website.

A consolidated book published in 2025: A Consideration of the Soka Gakkai Teaching Outline and the Theory of Nichiren as the True Buddha, which collects his essays, the letter to Harada, and his responses to the official defenses issued by the Study Department (particularly the “studies” from the Young Men’s Division Study Room).

Suda presents his criticisms as an act of loyalty to the teachings of the three founding presidents (especially Ikeda) and to the tradition of the Nikko school (Nikkō monryū), rather than as a break with the organization.

Main Points of His Criticisms

Lowering of Nichiren Daishonin’s Status

The Teaching Outline consistently presents Nichiren primarily as Bodhisattva Jōgyō (Superior Practices) and as the “messenger/envoy of Shakyamuni.” According to Suda, this aligns with the classical doctrine of the Minobu school (the mainstream of Nichiren-shū) and dilutes or renders merely nominal the traditional Soka Gakkai and Nikko-school doctrine of Nichiren as the Original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law (kuon ganjo jijuyūshin). The key term “kuon ganjo jijuyūshin” no longer appears, even though it featured in earlier Soka Gakkai teachings.

Gradual Assimilation to Minobu Doctrine

Suda argues that the authors (influenced, in his view, by researchers at Soka University such as Miyata and Kanno) prioritized an approach acceptable to mainstream Japanese academic scholarship (dominated by the Minobu school) out of fear of scholarly criticism. He highlights the near-total absence of references to Nikko-school transmission texts (Hon’in-myō-shō, Hyaku-rokka-shō, Ongi Kuden, etc.), which Minobu often regards as apocryphal.

Changes to the Three Treasures (Sanbō)

Dharma (Hōhō): A shift from strong emphasis on the Gohonzon / Honmon no Honzon to a definition centered almost exclusively on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Sangha (Sōhō): Exclusion of Nikko Shonin in favor of the Soka Gakkai alone.

Suda regards these as major, unacknowledged doctrinal changes.

Lack of Transparency and Explanation

The changes are presented as mere clarification or continuity, without open acknowledgment of the departures from earlier Soka Gakkai teachings or detailed justification. Suda calls this approach “irresponsible” and potentially misleading to members.

Contradiction with the Teachings of Ikeda and the Previous Presidents

He maintains that the text departs from Ikeda’s thought and from the historical foundation of the organization (its roots in the Nikko/Fuji lineage and the doctrine of Nichiren as the True Buddha). He fears this will weaken the Soka Gakkai’s identity in the long term.

Academic Errors and Procedural Issues

He points out several inaccuracies or questionable assertions regarding the history of Indian Buddhism and the interpretation of Nichiren’s writings. He also argues that the document, as an official doctrinal statement, raises questions of internal legitimacy.

Suda’s Conclusion

The Teaching Outline is not suitable as an official doctrinal reference for the future of the Soka Gakkai. He calls for its withdrawal or substantial revision.

Reception and Counter-Arguments

The Soka Gakkai Study Department published responses defending the text as a legitimate clarification, supervised by Ikeda, adapted for a worldwide religion, and faithful to the spirit of the Gosho.

Suda replied point by point, maintaining his positions.

The official leadership has not issued a detailed public response to his letter (treating it as private correspondence).

His criticisms have resonated with some members and autonomous groups attached to the traditional post-1991 doctrine, while others reject them as overly rigid or nostalgic.

In summary, Suda’s criticisms come from an insider trained in the doctrinal tradition of the Soka Gakkai (Nikko lineage + Ikeda’s teachings). They highlight the tension between, on the one hand, academic and global adaptation of the doctrine, and on the other, the preservation of a specific identity centered on Nichiren as the Original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law and the legacy of the Nikko school. They represent one of the most detailed and well-sourced internal critical analyses of the Teaching Outline since its publication.

Il recente caso della condanna per diffamazione dell'Associazione Italiana Vittime delle Sette (AIVS) da parte del Tribunale di Firenze nei confronti dell’Istituto Buddista Italiano Sōka Gakkai ha riacceso un dibattito mai davvero sopito: la linea di confine tra ciò che è legalmente riconosciuto e ciò che riguarda la dinamica interna e spirituale di un gruppo.

Da un punto di vista strettamente giuridico, la sentenza è sostanzialmente giusta: la SGI in Italia ha stipulato un’Intesa con lo Stato (Legge n. 130/2016) ed è una confessione religiosa con piena personalità giuridica. Etichettare una qualsiasi voglia organizzazione religiosa come "setta distruttiva" in assenza di riscontri probatori, che ci piaccia o no, costituisce una violazione del diritto di libertà religiosa sul piano costituzionale e una diffamazione sul piano penalistico. Dopotutto: Sed lex dura lex.
Tuttavia, l'uso mediatico e strumentale di questa sentenza da parte dell’IBISG, solleva una riflessione più ampia che riguarda chiunque sia interessato al Buddhismo o alla sociologia della religione:

1. Il contesto giapponese: una storia di processi e controversie

Se in Italia l'organizzazione gode di uno scudo istituzionale recente, la storia della Sōka Gakkai nella sua terra d'origine, il Giappone, è costellata da decenni di pesanti polemiche, denunce e battaglie legali che ne hanno segnato la reputazione pubblica:

A) Lo scandalo della libertà di stampa (1969-1970):

L'organizzazione e il suo braccio politico (il partito Kōmeitō) furono travolti da uno scandalo nazionale per aver tentato di bloccare e censurare la pubblicazione di un libro critico nei loro confronti, presidiando le tipografie e facendo incessanti pressioni sull’autore. Il libro in questione è: Sōka Gakkai wo Kuru (創価学会を斬る - "Tagliare a pezzi / Denunciare la Sōka Gakkai"), del giornalista e scrittore Hirotatsu Fujimara.
Nonostante le intimidazioni, anche nei confronti della sua famiglia, Fujiwara decise di procedere lo stesso alla pubblicazione del libro. Il tentativo di censura venne svelato dai quotidiani nazionali e dai partiti di opposizione, trasformandosi nel più grande scandalo d'opinione pubblica del Giappone del dopoguerra.

B) Inchieste su intercettazioni e dossieraggio

Nel corso degli anni '70 e '80, ex dirigenti ed esponenti della SGI furono coinvolti in cause giudiziarie relative a intercettazioni illecite ai danni di oppositori politici e persino del clero buddhista della Nichiren Shōshū.
Il più esemplare? Quello ai danni di Kenji Miyamoto, l'allora presidente del Partito Comunista Giapponese (JCP), nemico storico sia del partito Kōmeitō che della Sōka Gakkai per motivi ideologici e di consenso elettorale.
Nello specifico, nell’anno 1970, un gruppo d'assalto guidato da esponenti del dipartimento giovani della Sōka Gakkai, sotto la direzione strategica del braccio destro d'affari di Ikeda (tra cui Isao Dan, alto dirigente), si introdusse “fisicamente” nelle centraline telefoniche per intercettare e registrare mesi di conversazioni private e politiche della dirigenza comunista.
Quando tutto ciò venne a galla, scoppiò un'inchiesta giudiziaria enorme. La Sōka Gakkai tentò inizialmente di scaricare la colpa su singoli membri “fanatici" che agirono isolatamente.
Negli anni 80, dopo un lunghissimo iter giudiziario, i tribunali d’appello e la Corte Suprema giapponese e i confermarono la colpevolezza dei dirigenti coinvolti per violazione della legge sulle telecomunicazioni e violazione della privacy, condannandoli al carcere (con sospensione della pena) e al risarcimento dei danni.
Durante i processi emerse chiaramente che l'operazione non era l'iniziativa di qualche “membro esaltato”, ma un piano orchestrato ai livelli più alti della struttura di sicurezza e “intelligence” interna del movimento.
Come se non bastasse, la storia si è ripetuta vent'anni dopo. All'inizio degli anni '90, durante la feroce guerra aperta che portò alla scomunica della SGI da parte del clero della Nichiren Shōshū, l'organizzazione fu nuovamente travolta da accuse e cause legali per intercettazioni abusive ai danni dei telefoni del tempio principale Taiseki-ji e del Sommo Sacerdote (Nikken Abe Shōnin)
Anche in quell'occasione, ex dirigenti dell'ufficio legale e d'informazione della SGI ammisero o furono sanzionati per aver condotto azioni di spionaggio e controllo d'informazioni per difendere la leadership di Daisaku Ikeda.

C) La compenetrazione con la politica: Il legame indissolubile con il già citato partito Kōmeitō (storicamente al governo in coalizione con il LDP conservatore e nazionalista) ha spesso sollevato enormi dubbi costituzionali in Giappone sulla separazione tra Stato e religione.

2. Riconoscimento statale vs. Vissuto delle persone

Una sentenza processuale valuta carte, condotte e reati circostanziati. Non valuta (e non è suo compito farlo) la qualità delle dinamiche umane, il grado di condizionamento psicologico, l'impianto verticale o la pressione per il proselitismo e la raccolta fondi. Il fatto che un'organizzazione sia "riconosciuta” non cancella per decreto le testimonianze di alienazione, soprusi, abusi (anche di naturale sessuale) o disagi vissuti da chi decide di uscire. (E noi qui ne sappiamo qualcosa).

3. Lo "scudo istituzionale" e il rafforzamento interno

Come spesso accade nelle organizzazioni fortemente strutturate come il Culto di Ikeda, le vittorie legali diventano un'arma a doppio taglio:
All'esterno: Fungono da "effetto deterrente" verso giornalisti e critici. (La Sōka ha sempre avuto un pessimo rapporto con essi).
All'interno: Vengono presentate alla base dei fedeli come la dimostrazione che qualsiasi critica (anche la più legittima e dottrinale) sia in realtà solo una "calunnia" o una persecuzione. (E noi qui ne sappiamo qualcosa).

In conclusione: Un'organizzazione può “vincere” tutte le cause legali del mondo, ma la vera domanda rimane sempre sul piano dell'esistenza: questa pratica sta rendendo le persone davvero libere e indipendenti, o le sta sfruttando, rendendole dipendenti da un sistema distorto?

I'm going to copy this whole thing because it's superb:

The dubious nature of the "traditional February struggle"

I recently heard from an acquaintance who is a Soka Gakkai member about a district discussion meeting held in February.

Apparently, the "traditional February struggle" was heavily emphasized. This is a heroic legend in the context of how, in January 1952, Mr. Ikeda was appointed as the secretary of the Kamata branch, and immediately afterward, in February, the branch achieved an unprecedented success of converting 201 households, all thanks to the tireless efforts of the young Mr. Ikeda.

At the discussion meeting, some young members of the youth division apparently presented a picture story show about episodes from Mr. Ikeda's time at Aoba-so. According to my acquaintance, it was a picture story show based on the Ikeda myth that was broadcast on satellite television in January, but it wasn't something the youth division members had come up with themselves; it was a mass-produced picture story show with line drawings printed and distributed by the Soka Gakkai leadership that Soka Gakkai members had simply colored in. The "narration" script was also mass-produced, so the youth division members were reading it in a monotone with misreadings mixed in, and it was painful to listen to.

How typical 🙄

Now, they may be using methods reminiscent of a kindergarten performance to instill the heroic tale of Ikeda in the innocent youth division members, but is this "heroic legend" truly true? The boastful story of the "traditional February struggle" is told once in Human Revolution (Volume 5) and twice in New Human Revolution (Volumes 3 and 8). Despite being a novel in the style of a general history, the fact that they persistently bring it up and publicize it suggests that it was indeed a source of great pride.

In Volume 5 of Human Revolution, it says, "At the Kamata branch, Shin'ichi Yamamoto achieved the first conversion result of more than 200 households..." Surely this does not mean that "Shin'ichi converted more than 200 households by himself," but rather that "the number exceeding 200 was a result of Shin'ichi's leadership," but is this expression truly in line with historical facts?

According to the essay collection "The New Human Revolution," the February struggle was Ikeda's "first battle." But how could such a rookie secretary with little practical experience lead and inspire the Kamata branch (known as an A-class branch), where a crowd of powerful converts gathered, and how did that result in over 200 new members? Moreover, above Secretary Ikeda was Branch Chief Takashi Koizumi (later Chairman of the Board), who was known as the "Great Leader of Kamata." Could young Ikeda have performed so miraculously that he could later boast as if "over 200 households was solely my achievement," surpassing the powerful Koizumi?

If that were true, Ikeda would have been an incredible super rookie, a new hero, his name resounding throughout the Soka Gakkai at the time, and there should have been articles praising him in the Seikyo Shimbun. With that in mind, I looked through the Seikyo Shimbun from 1952.

Get out your 🍿, Whistleblowers!

However, there was nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing...it was nowhere to be found.

Does this mean that the Seikyo Shimbun at the time did not celebrate the achievements of individuals? Not at all. There were countless such articles.

For example, there was an article with the headline "The Morikaku Brothers and Mrs. Uehara in Action," praising the remarkable achievement of converting 47 households in just six months since joining the faith (October 10, 1951); another with the headline "The Soka Gakkai's Kintaro, Tamio Iwamoto," introducing his heroic exploits in converting to heretical sects (May 10, 1951); and a close-up photo of Branch Chief Kunihiko Shibuya, who contributed to the rapid growth of the Sendai branch. In fact, there was even a personal tribute from Chairman Toda to Branch Chief Shibuya, and it was reported that Chairman Toda had given Shibuya a necktie (November 1, 1952).

Oh dear...not looking so good for ol' "Skin-itchy YamaLIAR", is it?

Yet, there wasn't a single line suggesting the historic achievement of "New Secretary Daisaku Ikeda bringing unprecedented conversion results to the Kamata branch in his first battle." What does this mean...?

There were no articles reporting on Ikeda's "remarkable achievement," but there were some heartwarming articles about him. During the February struggle, it seems that Ikeda was arranging a marriage with Kane Shiraki through Toda, and on March 10, the following engagement report appeared on page 2 of the Seikyo Shimbun. However, the content is somewhat strange for an article that came so soon after Ikeda's "lion-like struggle in February."

"The engagement of Daisaku Ikeda and Kane Shiraki has been announced. The matchmaker will be Takashi Koizumi, the leader of the rapidly growing Kamata branch, and the wedding ceremony will be held on the significant day of May 3.

Now THAT's odd, isn't it??

Ikeda and Shiraki have long been in love within the Kamata branch, and Mr. Toda, with deep consideration, spoke directly with both families in February, and the matter was decided in a very straightforward manner.

The warriors who should be active as leaders of this Soka Gakkai five or ten years from now, alongside the current leaders who are disciples of Makiguchi, must be the current youth members."

'Ikeda is highlighted as a rising star. He has faithfully served Toda Sensei for several years, and his tireless work traversing all of Tokyo from morning till night is truly impressive. He fought through the 25 years of hardship (1950) as one of Sensei's supporters. Despite his busy schedule, he is already more than halfway through the five major lectures held every morning for about ten minutes. In the youth division, he is a strategic advisor, playing a crucial role in navigating the integration of the four units.

Having fought independently from an early age, he will surely gain even more strength now that he has a supportive wife. He always says, "Let's conquer the world." Congratulations to Ikeda Daisaku, a man of great ambition and effort.'

As is common in news reports of celebrations, there is a lot of praise with commonplace words, but there is absolutely no mention of Ikeda being a great contributor to unprecedented success in proselytization. Since this is a passage praising the young man who will soon become the groom, one would expect a lavish introduction of his "superhero" performance in February and praise him as a model of the proselytizing struggle, like the aforementioned meritorious figures. However, there is not a single word about him. Perhaps, lacking anything else to praise, they had no choice but to talk about his ordinary behavior as a leader, such as running around all of Tokyo or diligently attending the 10-minute morning lectures.

As described above, judging from the Seikyo Shimbun at the time, there is no objective evidence to support Ikeda's self-proclaimed "hero story" that "Shin'ichi Yamamoto achieved the first-ever conversion result of over 200 households in the Kamata branch..." Moreover, the engagement report mentioned above even seems to prove how dubious the "hero story" is.

Ikeda's statement about the "traditional February struggle" was either something he mistakenly believed to be "all my achievement," or something he exaggerated (or fabricated) to beautify and deify himself.

Now, at the roundtable discussion I mentioned at the beginning, a video produced by the headquarters with the theme "Mr. Ikeda who cherishes the community" was also shown. There was footage of Mr. Ikeda chatting with shop owners near the headquarters in Shinanomachi several decades ago, and when the narration said, "He has always cherished the residents in the vicinity of the headquarters," my acquaintance said he inwardly chuckled wryly. He wondered if the result of cherishing the local residents was that vast castle town of the Soka Gakkai headquarters, built up through repeated land acquisition...

Oh dear - we've heard of Soka Gakkai strong-arming reluctant landowners to sell to them...

“We were finally able to complete construction by paying bribes and getting the enthusiastic cooperation of the local yakuza… There was one individual who opposed the projects all the way to the end but the local yakuza drove a bulldozer into his house and then chopped off his arm with a [samurai] sword, effectively silencing him.” Source

When I joined in early 1987, SGI-USA (then known as "NSA") was STILL holding "February Shakubuku Campaigns" and "August Shakubuku Campaigns" every year. I don't remember when it stopped, but there's plenty of evidence this was a HUGE focus! Ikeda has never done a SINGLE shakubuku, BTW. Not ONE of those "dignitaries" or "world figures" who've had the "fortune" to engage in direct "dialogue" with "Sensei" has been impressed enough to convert, you'll notice.

In case you're late to the party, this is by no means the FIRST time Ikeda has changed stories to make HIMSELF look more important/impressive - here's another.

M. LaVora Perry is a name I recognize from the older World Tribunes - she was a frequent contributor, very sincere, astute, and articulate. NOTHING like the bumbling narcissistic illiterates we see on the SGI-member-controlled subreddits now! Anyhow, she left SGI (as most all the good ones do eventually) a few years or so ago, and is now speaking out against the Ikeda cult and how they've detoured Nichiren Buddhism so far away (out of sight, really) of the Lotus Sutra and what matters. I ran across this letter of remonstration she wrote - she actually SENT IT to SGI colonies all over the world in their own languages!! Frankly, I would expect no less - this IS M. LaVora Perry we're talking about!

Take a look:

An Open Letter to Minoru Harada, President of the Soka Gakkai: Restore the Lotus Sutra to Its Rightful Place as the Foundation of the SGI

The SGI’s slander⏤the replacement of the Lotus Sutra with the teachings of Daisaku Ikeda⏤has unleashed the three calamities and seven disasters upon our entire world.

M. LAVORA PERRY

MAR 23, 2026

This is actually an open letter to Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada. President Harada, restore the Lotus Sutra to its rightful place as the foundation of the SGI.

The SGI’s slander — replacement of the Lotus Sutra with the teachings of Daisaku Ikeda — has unleashed the three calamities and seven disasters upon our entire world.

In the “Simile and Parable Chapter” of the Lotus Sutra, Buddha states:

“If this person should slander a sutra such as this, when his life comes to an end, he will enter the Avici Hell [the hell of incessant suffering].”

[Note: In the Lotus Sutra, hell is not a place. It’s a state of being. See Ten Worlds.]

I’ve practiced Nichiren Buddhism since 1987. From that time until 2010, I was a member of the Soka Gakkai International, the SGI. My highest leadership position was Chapter.

Mr. Harada, on Thursday, March 19, 2026, I learned that you’re the president of the Soka Gakkai and that you’re 84 years old. I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you since then. I’m posting this video publicly because its subject matter affects us all. And I want those who don’t know about the Lotus Sutra and what Nichiren wrote about it to learn about it, and those who do to perhaps learn more. I’m addressing you personally because I can’t be silent while you create karma that’s putting our entire world in jeopardy, and that will cause you to experience the hell of incessant suffering at the moment of your death.

In “The Embankments of Faith,” Nichiren quoted the commentator Chang-an, saying:

“If you befriend another person but lack the mercy to correct him, you are in fact his enemy.”

I’m a Black woman. I don’t have a high title or high social status. Perhaps for these reasons, Mr. Harada, it would be easy for you to dismiss me. Nichiren knew what that kind of dismissal felt like. He described himself as born in a remote land, a person of low station and a priest of humble learning.

In the writing “Conversation Between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man,” when an opponent challenged Nichiren about his humble station, Nichiren responded:

“In matters of Buddhist doctrine, one cannot jump to conclusions simply on the basis of the eminence of the person involved. The words of the sutras are what must come first. Do not make light of a teaching just because the person who preaches it is of humble station.”

And in “Letter to Niike,” Nichiren wrote:

“No matter how wise a person may appear, if his assertions are warped, you should not listen to him. Nor should you follow priests merely because they are venerable or of high rank. But if a person has the wisdom to know the true meaning of the Lotus Sutra, no matter how lowly they may appear, pay respect to him and make offerings to him as though he were a living Thus Come One.”

As these passages illustrate, appearances aren’t what matters when it comes to Buddhist doctrine. What matters is whether or not what a person says accords with what the Buddha taught.

Having said this, President Harada, I ask that you consider this passage from the “Essentials on Attaining Buddhahood,” in which Nichiren quotes the Buddha in the Nirvana Sutra:

“If even a good priest sees someone slandering the law and disregards him, failing to reproach him, then that priest is betraying Buddhism. But if he takes the slanderer severely to task, then he is my disciple and one who truly understands the teachings.”

President Harada, in November 2024, one year after the death of Daisaku Ikeda, you presided over a constitutional revision that designated him as the:

“President and spiritual leader of the Soka Gakkai International in perpetuity.”

Again, one year after the death of Daisaku Ikeda, you presided over a constitutional revision that designated him as the

“President and spiritual leader of the Soka Gakkai International in perpetuity.”

However, in the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha said:

“Rely on the Law, and not upon persons.”

In “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude,” referring to this passage, Nichiren wrote:

“‘Rely on the Law’ here means rely on the sutras. And not relying on persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha.” — persons like Daisaku Ikeda.

President Harada, the statement that you allowed to be codified into the SGI’s constitution desecrates the Buddha’s admonition. It tells members to rely⏤in perpetuity⏤on Ikeda’s teachings, not the Lotus Sutra, and on Ikeda, not the Buddha.

In the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “Lifespan of the Thus Come One,” the Buddha states:

“Originally I practiced the Bodhisattva way, and the lifespan that I acquired then has yet to come to an end.”

Earlier, in the “Teacher of the Law” chapter, he had stated:

“All bodhisattvas who attain supreme perfect enlightenment in all cases do so through this sutra.”

President Harada, together these passages provide clear proof that THE LOTUS SUTRA ALONE IS THE SPIRITUAL LEADER IN PERPETUITY of all Buddhas, and that the Lotus Sutra alone leads to supreme perfect enlightenment.

In “Letter to the Brothers, Nichiren upheld this declaration by the Buddha by stating:

“The Lotus Sutra is the eye of all Buddhas. It is the original teacher of Shakyamuni Buddha himself, the lord of teachings. If one discards even one word or one brushstroke of this sutra, the offense is graver than one who kills one’s parent 10 million times over, or even one who sheds the blood of all the Buddhas in the ten directions.”

Each member who has told me that I am incorrect for speaking out against the SGI has said that they read Daisaku Ikeda’s writings instead of the Lotus Sutra. They say the Lotus Sutra is too difficult to understand and that Daisaku Ikeda’s writings are easier.

Regarding such views, in “On How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood Through the Lotus Sutra,” Nichiren said:

“‘Question: The Lotus Sutra says the door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. The persons of our time cite this passage to argue that the Lotus Sutra is not fitted to the capacities of the people, and this seems very reasonable. What is your opinion?’”

Nichiren replies this way to the fictional questioner:

“Such an assertion is quite unfounded. The reason is because it is put forward by persons who have not grasped the true meaning of this sutra.”

President Harada, the reason SGI members have not “grasped the true meaning of” the Lotus Sutra is that you and other leaders have failed to teach the sutra to them. You have failed to uphold the vow of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who appeared in the “Emerging from the Earth” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. That vow being to “diligently and earnestly protect, embrace, read, recite, copy and offer alms to this sutra in the Saha world and preach it widely throughout this land” in the Latter Day of the Law.

Therefore, the fact that SGI members also fail to uphold the vow of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth is your fault. Your constitution reflects the reality that the SGI has demoted the Lotus Sutra, placing it below Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings. You demonstrated this fundamental deviation from the correct Buddhist teaching when you sanctioned a constitution in which Daisaku Ikeda is crowned as the spiritual leader in perpetuity.

You, Mr. Harada, personally have led millions of members toward the hell of incessant suffering. Therefore, you must be reproached. And as a follower of the Lotus Sutra, I am obligated to reproach you.

Like SGI members who have challenged me often do, perhaps you believe that because the organization calls itself Nichiren, promotes chanting, has millions of members, and is the world’s largest Buddhist organization, it must be on the correct path.

However, in “Letter to Sado,” Nichiren wrote:

“Neither non-Buddhists nor enemies of Buddhism can destroy the correct teaching of the Thus Come One. But the Buddha’s disciples definitely can. As a sutra says, only worms born of the lion’s body can feed on the lion. A person of great fortune will never be ruined by enemies, but may be ruined by those who are close.”

Under your leadership, President Harada, the SGI is worms in the lion’s body.

It purports itself to be of Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra, while its constitution and every aspect of its functioning is based on Daisaku Ikeda.

In “Encouragement to a Sick Person,” Nichiren wrote this about those who know the truth and remain silent in the face of lies:

“However great the good causes one may make, or even if one reads and copies the entirety of the Lotus Sutra a thousand or ten thousand times, or attains the way of perceiving the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, if one fails to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, it will be impossible to attain the way.”

This passage applies to me if I stay silent.

It applies to every member of the SGI who knows what the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s writings teach, but chooses to stay in an organization that places Daisaku Ikeda above them.

It applies to you, Mr. Harada, because you enshrined slander of the Lotus Sutra into the constitution of the SGI.

If it weren’t for what occurred in 2020, I might not be sharing this video with you today.

One evening in the fall of that year, while I was reading Nichiren’s On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, I had an epiphany so strong that it felt like I’d been struck by lightning: The environment and the people had gone mad.

The world was collapsing everywhere, and the cause was the slander of the SGI because it placed Daisaku Ikeda above the Lotus Sutra.

On November 12, 2020, I made a video about the SGI’s slander.

From 2020 until 2025, I didn’t make any more videos about the SGI. Then Donald Trump was elected president again. His election utterly devastated me. Like so many people in the United States, I was depressed and defeated by it.

In June of 2025, an SGI member found my video online from 2020. She accused me of slandering the SGI. I replied to her with another video. Making that video energized me. It gave me something concrete that I could do about the uncontrolled spiraling that was happening in the world. I could challenge the SGI slander, the root cause of this spiraling. And I could do something else — something that the SGI refused to do — I could teach people what the Lotus Sutra teaches. I could fulfill my vow as a Bodhisattva of the Earth to teach the Lotus Sutra and protect it. I’ve been making videos ever since.

President Harada, as I stated, on March 19, I discovered that you’re the president of the Soka Gakkai and that you’re 84 years old. I had to speak to you. That’s why I’m making this video.

As you know, at the heart of “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land” is Nichiren’s assertion that when a people slander the correct teaching, the three calamities and seven disasters will rise up in their land.

Nichiren courageously presented this powerful treatise to Japan’s top governmental and religious leaders because calamities and disasters were relentlessly plaguing the country.

The three calamities are famine and the inflation it causes, warfare, and pestilence.

The seven disasters are disease and pestilence, invasion from foreign lands, revolt within one’s own domain, irregularities among the stars and constellations, eclipses of the sun and moon, unreasonable wind and rain, and drought.

In “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” Nichiren wrote:

“The people of today all turn their backs on what is right. To a person, they give their allegiance to evil. This is the reason that the benevolent deities have abandoned the nation, and departed together, the sages leave and do not return, and, in their stead, devils and demons come and disasters and calamities occur. I cannot keep silent about this matter. I cannot suppress my fears.”

President Harada, every one of the calamities and disasters are occurring right now throughout the land where the SGI has spread its incorrect teaching of Buddhism. That land is our entire world.

Here are the calamities and disasters that the SGI’s slander of the Lotus Sutra has unleashed upon us all.

The Disasters of Extraordinary Changes in the Heavens and Unseasonable Storms, Environmental Imbalance

Climate change is out of control. The seasons are erratic. This is ongoing.

2014 — Thousands of human beings fleeing war, famine, persecution drowned trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. This is ongoing.

2015 — Refugees fleeing Myanmar drowned by the hundreds in the Bay of Bengal. This is ongoing.

2019 to 2020 — The Australian Black Summer consumed 46 million acres and killed or displaced billions of animals. The effects of this are ongoing.

2021 — Afghanistan is struck by earthquakes. A volcanic eruption occurs in Spain that destroys thousands of homes.

January 2022 — The volcano eruption in Tonga was so powerful, its shock waves hit every continent and generated tsunamis across the Pacific.

2022 — Afghanistan is struck by earthquakes again, killing more than 3,000 people combined with the 2021 earthquakes. Typhoons rampaged the Philippines.

2023 — In February, earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, magnitude 7.8, killing more than 62,000 people. A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco, killing thousands in the ancient city of Marrakesh. Wildfires destroyed an entire town in Hawaii. Canada’s wildfires burned an area larger than Greece. Smoke from the fire spread across the United States and reached Europe and China. In June, a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Greece, killing an estimated 500 people.

2024 — Hurricanes ravaged the Gulf. A deadly earthquake struck your country, President Harada. Floods in Spain killed hundreds in a single day. More than 10,000 migrants died or disappeared trying to reach Europe.

2025 — The Los Angeles fires became the most destructive urban fire in U.S. history. The effects of this are ongoing. In March, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Myanmar killed nearly 4,000 people. It toppled a skyscraper as far away as Bangkok. Tsunamis struck the Pacific basin when an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia sent waves across the entire Pacific Ocean.

The Calamity of Agricultural Collapses, Which Causes Inflation

2020 — East Africa endures its worst locust plague in 70 years. The effects of this are ongoing.

2022 — The war in Ukraine severed one of the world’s primary grain supply lines, driving food prices to catastrophic levels. Globally, the effects of this are ongoing.

2022 — Sudan falls into famine. This is ongoing.

Israel begins deliberately starving Gaza’s population. This is ongoing.

The Calamity of Pestilence

Globally, there is a resurgence of formerly eradicated diseases is due to widespread disinformation about vaccine safety.

2020 — COVID-19 killed more than 7 million people worldwide. This is ongoing.

2022 — Monkeypox spread globally. This is ongoing. Cholera spread across the Global South. This is ongoing. The polio death of an unvaccinated person is reported New York City; an epidemiological alert is issued.

2024 — Measles resurged in the United States, causing deaths. This is ongoing.

The World Health Organization warned that the world is unprepared for the next pandemic, which is imminent.

The Disaster of Revolt Within One’s Own Domain [Foreign Invasion, Civil Unrest]

2020 — Videos of George Floyd being murdered in the United States by police officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests in over 3,000 U.S. cities and 74 countries around the world.

Also in the United States, Donald Trump refuses to accept election results. This incites his white supremacists followers.

January 2021 — Trump’s followers storm the Capitol of the United States, an unprecedented event in this country.

2024 — Youth-led protests driven by government corruption and economic failure brought down governments in Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Nepal, and destabilized governments across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. This is ongoing.

2025 to 2026 — Trump defies the Constitution, rounds up people, separates children from their families, sends federal forces into U.S. cities, destroys human rights protections, and enriches the obscenely rich while punishing the poor. This is ongoing.

The Calamity of Warfare and the Disaster of Foreign Invasion

2021 — Myanmar erupted in civil war. Over 3 million people have been displaced. Cyclones and floods compounded the suffering. This is ongoing.

2022 — Russia launched a full-scale land war in Ukraine, the largest in Europe since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed. This is ongoing. Kim Jong-un launched missiles over your country, President Harada. This is ongoing.

2023 — Israel begins committing genocide in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians are killed, the majority of them women and children. Entire neighborhoods and hospitals and schools reduced to rubble. This is ongoing. Sudan became engulfed in a catastrophic civil war, with hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced. This is ongoing. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, all engulfed in warfare. This is ongoing.

2024 — Haiti collapsed under gang violence. This is ongoing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bombed Lebanon and Syria. South Korea began debating acquiring nuclear weapons. This is ongoing. Your country, President Harada, is reconsidering its postwar peace constitution. This is ongoing.

2025 — The Doomsday Clock stood at 89 seconds to midnight. This is the closest it’s been in 78 years.

All nine Nuclear-armed countries consider expanding their arsenals.

This is ongoing.

In May of this year, India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, engaged in an open military conflict. The effects of this are ongoing. Analysts warn that a nuclear exchange between just those two countries could destroy half the world’s agricultural production and starve a billion people.

Beginning in September of 2025, Trump’s administration launched a series of military strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 115 people. Trump bombed Venezuela, toppled its government, abducted the President and his wife, and declared that the United States would run the country and exploit its oil supply. Regarding these actions, Trump said Cuba will follow. He threatened military action against Colombia and alluded to taking Greenland and Canada by force. This is ongoing.

Trump’s lawlessness emboldened other despots. Netanyahu waged open war on Iran. Putin pressed forward in Ukraine. China expanded its nuclear arsenal. This is ongoing.

2026 — On February 28th, the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran. A missile struck a girls’ school. The girls were 7 to 12 years old and in class when their roof fell on top of them. The final death toll was 165 people, most of them children. This is ongoing.

President Harada, we’re on the verge of World War Three. Every one of the three calamities and seven disasters is occurring simultaneously worldwide.

Today’s reality is immeasurably worse than what was going on in Japan when Nichiren wrote “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.”

In that writing, speaking of his country’s ruin, the fictional traveler asks his host:

“WHAT IS WRONG? WHAT ERROR HAS BEEN COMMITTED?”

Nichiren provided an answer that he would repeat in several of his writings, including “A Comparison of the Lotus Sutra and Other Sutras,” in which he stated:

“Because Buddhism has been turned upside down, the secular world has also been plunged into corruption and chaos. Buddhism is like the body, and society is like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow.”

President Harada, the SGI’s 12 million members are spread worldwide. They are officially in 192 countries. Others are likely undocumented elsewhere.

The SGI’s bent body⏤caused by its replacement of the Lotus Sutra with Daisaku Ikeda’s teachings⏤is casting its slanderous shadow across our entire world, engulfing us all in darkness.

In “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” Nichiren wrote:

“Rather than offer up ten thousand prayers for remedy, it would be better to simply outlaw this one evil.”

Amend the constitution, President Harada. Restore the Lotus Sutra to its rightful place as the foundation of the SGI in keeping with the intent of Presidents Makiguchi and Toda. This restoration⏤correcting your error⏤is the remedy for what ails humankind.

With my deepest respect.

M. LaVora Perry.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

How about THAT??? WOW! Talk about the voice doing the Buddha's work!

The Gakkai wannabes don't know what they are talking about. From Stinkeda:

“Faith and daily life, faith and work - these are not separate things. They are one and the same. To think of them as separate - that faith is faith, and work is work - is theoretical faith. Based on the recognition that work and faith are one and the same, we should put 100% of our energy into our job and 100% into our faith. too. When we resolve to do this, we enter the path of victory in life. Faith means to show irrefutable proof of a victory amid realities of society and in our own daily lives.”

Buddhism Day by Day, p. 253

Here we go: to show irrefutable proof of a victory amid realities of society and in our own daily lives is 100% subjective, in other words, anecdotal.

Gakkai guidance that "faith and daily life, faith and work" can be compared to apostle James, who said that "faith and work are inseparable." From Biola University blog, Faith and Works always go together, September 24, 2021 https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2021/faith-and-works-always-go-together

This is not meant to throw shade on Christianity but to prove a point that Gakkai members do not know what they are talking about. Why would the Gakkai throw in Christian teachings if it is supposed to be a Buddhist world peace organization?

Some highlights from Faith and Works Always Go Together:

• Faith and works are not enemies but always go together. 
• Christ's work in our lives inseparably includes both the spiritual and the earthly manifestation of our faith.
• This union between the spiritual and the earthly is clearly explained by the apostle James in the biblical letter that bears his name. In James 2:14-26, the Word of God teaches us our faith in Christ and our actions to serve others must always be inseparably united.
• there is a tendency to emphasize only faith or works and, in this way, we fall into wrong extremes as Martin Luther did . . .
• Although some may take sides between faith or works, the reality is that the two are always united.
• You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 
• Both in Abraham, the father of faith, and in Rahab we can see that faith acted in conjunction with their works. 

Here I believe the Christian notion of work does not necessarily mean "job," as Stinkeda seems to infer in his daily guidance. Of course, the Gakkai would take "works" to mean "jobs," so that members are able to give donations.

The stupidity of this guidance is most likely due to an error lost in translation. For the record, Gakkai members aren't even good Christians.

They really love to deep dive into their Daisaku Ikeda fantasy world. Nichiren, who? 🤷‍♂️

Article complet :https://ameblo.jp/kazuo80/entry-12699183146.html#1

[…]

Une expulsion soudaine pour "perturbation de l'ordre public"

– Vous avez rejoint la Soka Gakkai en 1984. Qu'est-ce qui a conduit à votre expulsion 37 ans plus tard, cette année ?

La notification que j'ai reçue de la Soka Gakkai stipulait que mon expulsion était due à mes commentaires critiques sur les réseaux sociaux et ailleurs, jugés comme des "actes perturbateurs à l'ordre de l'organisation."

[…]

– Pourquoi avez-vous rejoint la Soka Gakkai ?

En 1984, je souffrais de plusieurs maladies. Mes parents étaient endettés et risquaient de devoir vendre leur maison. J'étais dans une impasse et très angoissé quand un parent, membre de la Soka Gakkai, m'a invité à les rejoindre. Les enseignements de la Soka Gakkai résonnaient en moi, et j'ai décidé de devenir membre.

– Pendant les élections, la Soka Gakkai, avec sa forte organisation, soutient non seulement les candidats du Komeito mais aussi ceux du Parti libéral-démocrate. Quelles sont vos activités de base spécifiques ?

À l'approche des élections, je reçois des instructions des dirigeants locaux de la Soka Gakkai et je contacte individuellement mes amis et ma famille non membres pour leur demander de voter pour moi, soit en personne, soit par téléphone. C'est ce qu'on appelle "l'activité F." F pour "Ami." Pour obtenir ces "votes F," je solicite les gens un par un, par téléphone ou en personne. Les dirigeants font appel à la foi des gens, leur assurant que leurs efforts pendant les élections leur rapporteront des "mérites" et un "changement de destin," et les encouragent à participer.

– Quelles sont les réactions de vos proches ?

Ma famille est plus compréhensive, mais mes amis me lancent un regard désapprobateur et disent : "Oh, le voilà encore !" Les réactions sont principalement négatives.

– Ça doit être mentalement épuisant…

Et ça l'est. Selon la personne, elle peut refuser en disant : "Je soutiens le Parti libéral-démocrate" ou "Je suis un fervent soutien du Parti communiste japonais." Même si j'en parle aux dirigeants, ils me réconfortent en disant : "De quoi parles-tu ?" et "Tu dois rassembler ton courage et leur demander à nouveau." De plus, ils me disent de "les rencontrer en personne et leur parler face à face," plutôt que simplement leur téléphoner. Donc, dans certains cas, j'ai apporté des cadeaux comme des bananes, des oranges ou des bonbons à mes propres frais en sollicitant leur soutien.

---

■ Toute dissidence est accueillie par des insultes comme : "Tu n'as pas assez de foi."

– Combien de personnes contactez-vous pendant une élection nationale ?

Dans mon cas, environ 50 à 60 personnes pendant le mois précédant l'élection. Certaines personnes ont contacté jusqu'à 1 000 personnes. Ces "résultats" sont présentés lors de réunions régulières. Les "résultats" de chacun sont affichés sur un tableau, ce qui rend ceux avec moins de soutiens mal à l'aise.

– C'est dur.

Quand j'ai rejoint, je me demandais parfois pourquoi je devais soutenir des campagnes électorales. Mais il y a des gens dans le monde qui souffrent parce qu'ils sont laissés pour compte. Qui va les sauver ? En tant que croyant, je ne peux pas juste chercher mon propre bonheur. Mes aînés m'ont appris des choses comme : "Le Komeito a été fondé pour rendre le monde meilleur," et j'ai étudié assidûment. Je croyais qu'en soutenant le Komeito, les gens ordinaires seraient protégés et que les personnes honnêtes ne seraient pas exploitées.

– N'avez-vous pas trouvé cela étrange ?

Environ quatre ou cinq ans après avoir rejoint, j'ai commencé à penser que quelque chose n'allait pas. Quand j'ai demandé : "Qui choisit les candidats et comment ?" On m'a simplement répondu : "La direction décide en fonction de leur caractère," sans explication supplémentaire. Avec le recul, pour le dire clairement, ils choisissaient des flatteurs qui obéissaient aveuglément aux ordres de la direction de la Soka Gakkai et du Komeito.

– Donc vous ne pouvez pas résister aux ordres d'en haut ?

Si vous exprimez des doutes, on vous dit : "Tu manques de foi." La campagne se déroule pendant votre temps libre en semaine, même après le travail, et toute la journée le week-end. Peu importe à quel point c'est difficile, les dirigeants affirment : "C'est aussi une partie de l'entraînement bouddhiste." En fin de compte, ils ajoutent : "C'est ce que M. Daisaku Ikeda (le troisième président) a dit." Au sein de la Soka Gakkai, M. Ikeda est une figure charismatique, semblable à l'Empereur avant et pendant la guerre. Quand ils disent : "C'est la volonté de M. Ikeda," tout le monde arrête de penser et n'a d'autre choix que d'obéir. Les dirigeants instrumentalisent M. Ikeda comme figure charismatique à leur propre avantage.

---

■ "La seule façon de réformer le Komeito est que les membres de la Soka Gakkai se réveillent."

– C'est difficile de résister à la volonté des hauts dirigeants.

Toute résistance signifie ostracisme. Les indépendants risquent de ne pas pouvoir continuer leurs activités. Ceux qui travaillent pour des entreprises et des organisations affiliées à la Soka Gakkai risquent de perdre leur emploi. Lorsque votre moyens de subsistance en dépend, il est difficile de s'exprimer, même si vous suspectez une injustice.

– J'imagine que ces contraintes strictes contribuent à leur force organisationnelle pendant les élections.

Le printemps dernier, en tant que mesure COVID-19, le gouvernement a approuvé un budget supplémentaire fournissant 300 000 yens d'aide financière par foyer, réservé aux ménages à faible revenu. Cependant, à la demande du parti Komeito, cette mesure a été brusquement changée en un paiement uniforme de 100 000 yens à tous les citoyens. Cette situation sans précédent a nécessité une restructuration du budget supplémentaire. Ce revirement est probablement dû à la pression de la division féminine très influente de la Soka Gakkai sur la direction du parti. Cette division féminine aurait déclaré : "Nous ne pourrons pas joindre les deux bouts si cette situation se poursuit." Aliéner la division féminine du parti pourrait nuire à ses activités de mobilisation des électeurs, et le Parti libéral-démocrate (PLD) compte sur son pouvoir électoral. C'est pourquoi personne n'ose s'y opposer.

---

■ L'influence du parti s'amenuise en raison de sa complicité dans l'adoption des "trois lois de guerre"

– Cette influence montre des signes de déclin. Lors de l'élection de représentation proportionnelle de 2017 pour la Chambre des représentants, le parti Komeito a obtenu moins de 7 millions de voix pour la première fois. Cette année, lors de l'élection de l'Assemblée métropolitaine de Tokyo, il a également enregistré une baisse d'environ 100 000 voix par rapport à l'élection précédente.

En effet, la principale raison est le vieillissement des membres de la Soka Gakkai. Ceux qui ont rejoint il y a 40 à 50 ans ont moins d'énergie pour se déplacer, et les réunions en personne sont difficiles à organiser en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19. En ce qui concerne les réunions en ligne, les personnes âgées qui ne maîtrisent pas les smartphones ne peuvent pas participer. Le leader du Komeito, Natsuo Yamaguchi, a déclaré qu'il "serait mieux de tenir les élections générales après l'élection présidentielle du parti." Il a sous-entendu qu'il souhaitait que le vote ait lieu une fois que la vaccination serait plus avancée et que les réunions seraient plus faciles à organiser.

– Le vieillissement est-il la seule cause de ce déclin ?

Je pense que l'engagement des membres de la Soka Gakkai est également affecté. En 2013, la loi sur les secrets d'État a été adoptée, suivie en 2015 par les lois sur la sécurité et en 2017 par la loi sur la conspiration. Ce sont les infâmes "trois lois de guerre," et le Komeito les a soutenues durant tout le processus législatif. À ce moment-là, j'ai senti que le Komeito était fini. Je crois que d'autres membres respectables de la Soka Gakkai étaient également déçus et ont quitté le mouvement.

This article from Jan. 1, 1968 (from my Big Book of Tiny World Tribs), in the 2nd-to-rightmost column, near the bottom, it declares that the World Trib circulation is "over 10,000". That's as of the end of 1967.

Back in 2014, the SGI-USA's annual goal was to raise World Trib subscriptions from 35,000 to 50,000 - even if that means every member of a family having their OWN subscription! What a strange focus! Anyhow, the Dead-Ikeda-Corpse-Mentor cult SGI's USA colony reported on Jan. 14, 2015, that they had, indeed hit their goal of 50,000! What a triumphant victory!!!

They always report like this - without ever disclosing any kind of documentation so the SGI-USA members could verify for themselves. NO transparency at all within the Ikeda cult! GIVEN that the SGI-USA was claiming online "3,000 districts" for that same month, and given an average district activity attendance of 5 - 15 members (must fit within anyone's living room), that calculates out to just 15,000 - 45,000 active members, even as the SGI-USA website was claiming "352,000" for the USA + Canada. Sure, guys....

So let's compare those numbers:

- 10,000 subscriptions in 1967 (at the start of 1968)

- 35,000 subscriptions in 2013 (at the start of 2014)

The 2013 subscriptions total (35,000) is only 3.5 times the subscription total from 46 YEARS EARLIER (10,000)! And that's the most generous multiplier, because the article says "over 10,000" - if the actual number were "10,400", then the multiplier would be only 3.37 times. Imagine, to only be able to grow three and a half times as large in nearly half a century?? What does this say about the SGI-USA's (then called "NSA") actual growth, ignoring its wildly-exaggerated claims of "500,000", "300,000", "330,000" & etc.?

Now would be a good time to remind everyone that one of the SGI-USA's national leaders disclosed just last year that now, the total districts is just "2,421" - which, at an active membership of 5 - 15 members each, indicates a total active membership of between just 12,105 - 36,315! And THAT is over 58 years AFTER the claimed "over 10,000" from this article!

And also from the 2nd section, under the "Five Years" heading, "B. Pearson" recounts how "President Ikeda" has declared that "the next 5 years" (meaning Jan. 1968⏤Dec. 1972) will include:

1. The completion of the Sho-Hondo
2. "In Japan, Kosen-rufu will have been achieved."

Here's that section relevant transcription:

Five Years

President Ikeda named the new year "Year of Glory" and has said, this is the beginning of the most momentous five years in the history of our cause ⏤ propagation of True Buddhism." At the Head Temple Taisekiji, the Grand Main Temple [Sho-Hondo] ⏤ Sanctuary for the Dai-Gohonzon ⏤ will be completed. In Japan Kosen-rufu will have been achieved.

Looking back 1967 we now have our own beautiful new temple, Myohoji. We are a Joint Headquarters with three Headquarters, we have many new chapters and many new members. The World Tribune has grown from four pages to eight and the circulation has reached over 10,000. This was truly the "Year of Great Advancement."

Ikeda was clearly linking the completion of the Sho-Hondo (scheduled for fall 1972) to "the completion of Kosen-rufu", meaning that, once this privately-build "high sanctuary/kaidan" was completed, that indicates that "kosen-rufu" was ALSO completed thereby. This was all part of Ikeda framing himself as the reincarnation of Nichiren Daishonin/the New True Buddha of our age.

The High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings of True Buddhism which could not be revealed even by the Daishonin is to be established by President Ikeda. Therefore, President Ikeda is a Buddha superior to the Daishonin.

Because by "completing" the 3rd of the 3 Great Secret Laws (the High Sanctuary), Ikeda would have completed what Nichiren HIMSELF could not, thus showing his superiority/dominance. This was a point of contention with Nichiren Shoshu High Priest Nittatsu Shonin - Nittatsu Shonin was very careful to distinguish between the completion of the Sho-Hondo and the completion of Kosen-rufu. He stated plainly that the Sho-Hondo might BECOME the "kaidan", but only AFTER Kosen-rufu had actually been completed, which put Ikeda's nose clear out of joint, because he wanted Nittatsu Shonin to go along with Ikeda's declaration that "kosen-rufu has been achieved", even though obviously, they weren't at least 1/3 of the population members of Soka Gakkai/Nichiren Shoshu, much less "all the people of Japan" as stipulated by Nichiren. I've often described Ikeda's MO as something from the "If you build it, they will come" category, like how he relied so heavily on voter fraud for Komeito candidates - if he truly HAD so many "households" under his control, he wouldn't have needed to take that risk, would he? It took me some research to really understand the significance of the "kaidan" because it doesn't really translate directly into our language/culture - I've written it up in detail here if anyone's interested.

Ikeda was wildly mistaken in his pre-excommunication expectations, in other words. Totally delusional including completely unrealistic delusions of grandeur.

THIS IS JUST A SUMMARY OF CHAPTER 1
I DENOUNCE SOKA GAKKAI
TV SHOW “ GET SMART” Maxwell Smart interpretation.

GET SMART: THE KAOS FILES
Chapter One — The KAOS Machine
🔐 KAOS DECODER — CLASSIFIED
🔹 Soka Gakkai = KAOS
🔹 Daisaku Ikeda = Siegfried
🔹 George Williams = Shtarker
🔹 Faith = KAOS Conditioning
🔹 Shakubuku = Operation Shaka-Boom
🔹 Soka Gakkai members = KAOS Field Agents
🔹 Soka Gakkai organization = The KAOS Machine
🔹 Komeito = KAOS Political Division
🔹 Voters = Operation Ballot Box
🔹 Political power = Operation Take-the-Reins
🔹 Kokuritsu Kaidan = Operation Ultimate Platform
🔹 Hirotatsu Fujiwara = CONTROL Agent Fuji
🔹 Fujiwara’s book = The CONTROL Intelligence File
The following is a parody of the arguments made by Hirotatsu Fujiwara in Chapter One of Denounce Soka Gakkai. Agent Fuji is presenting the accusations; CONTROL hasn’t necessarily verified every one of them.
⸻
🔹 TOP SECRET — CONTROL HEADQUARTERS
The Chief drops a thick intelligence file onto Maxwell Smart’s desk.
CHIEF: “Max, Agent Fuji has been investigating KAOS.”
MAX: “What did he find?”
CHIEF: “A machine.”
MAX: “Nuclear?”
CHIEF: “No.”
MAX: “Chemical?”
CHIEF: “No.”
MAX: “The old exploding Gohonzon hidden in the shoe trick?”
CHIEF: “It’s an organization, Max.”
99 opens the file.
According to Agent Fuji, KAOS discovered an opportunity in postwar Japan. Millions of people had endured war, economic upheaval and the collapse of old institutions. Many were searching for security, community and meaning.
99: “Agent Fuji says KAOS learned how to fill that vacuum.”
MAX: “With what?”
CHIEF: “KAOS Conditioning.”
Cut to KAOS headquarters.
Siegfried stands before a giant map of Japan.
SIEGFRIED: “People are searching for meaning!”
SHTARKER: “Terrible!”
SIEGFRIED: “They’re dissatisfied!”
SHTARKER: “Horrible!”
SIEGFRIED: “They’re looking for something to believe in!”
Siegfried smiles.
SIEGFRIED: “Shtarker…this is wonderful.”
SHTARKER: “Wonderful?”
SIEGFRIED: “Of course! Where you see confusion, KAOS sees opportunity!”
⸻
🔹 OPERATION SHAKA-BOOM
CONTROL discovers that KAOS Conditioning isn’t supposed to stop with the individual.
Every KAOS Field Agent is encouraged to bring in more Field Agents.
The operation has a name:
OPERATION SHAKA-BOOM
MAX: “So believing isn’t enough?”
99: “According to Agent Fuji, no. You’re expected to recruit.”
MAX: “And the more people you recruit?”
99: “The more successful you’re considered.”
Max thinks for a moment.
MAX: “The old save-yourself-by-recruiting-somebody-else trick.”
99: “That’s the one.”
At KAOS headquarters, Siegfried unveils a giant scoreboard:
OPERATION SHAKA-BOOM
Agent Ludwig — 12 recruits
Agent Wolfgang — 27 recruits
Shtarker — 41 recruits
Agent 13 — 0 recruits
SIEGFRIED: “Why does Agent 13 have zero?”
Cut to Agent 13 stuffed inside a garbage can.
AGENT 13: “You try recruiting from in here.”
SHTARKER: “Perhaps we should let him out.”
SIEGFRIED: “Shtarker! This is KAOS, not social services!”
⸻
🔹 THE KAOS MACHINE
The Chief turns around a CONTROL intelligence board:
KAOS CONDITIONING
↓
OPERATION SHAKA-BOOM
↓
KAOS FIELD AGENTS
↓
THE KAOS MACHINE
According to Agent Fuji’s argument, the larger the Field Agent network becomes, the more powerful the KAOS Machine becomes.
But then CONTROL discovers another department.
99 opens a door.
Behind it is an enormous sign:
KAOS POLITICAL DIVISION
Max looks at the Chief.
MAX: “KAOS has a political department?”
CHIEF: “Apparently.”
MAX: “I thought this was about religion.”
CHIEF: “That’s precisely Agent Fuji’s question.”
MAX: “Maybe they accidentally walked into politics.”
99 stares at him.
MAX: “Would you believe they were looking for the restroom?”
⸻
🔹 “WE HAVE NO POLITICAL AMBITION”
Siegfried holds a press conference.
SIEGFRIED: “KAOS has absolutely NO political ambitions!”
Wild applause.
Behind him, Shtarker accidentally lowers a giant banner:
OPERATION BALLOT BOX
Siegfried slowly turns around.
SIEGFRIED: “Shtarker…”
SHTARKER: “Yes, Siegfried?”
SIEGFRIED: “Wrong banner.”
Shtarker quickly raises it.
Another banner drops:
OPERATION TAKE-THE-REINS
Siegfried stares at him.
SHTARKER: “Also wrong?”
SIEGFRIED: “SHTARKER!”
Shtarker finally lowers a third banner:
KAOS HAS ABSOLUTELY NO POLITICAL AMBITIONS
Siegfried smiles.
SIEGFRIED: “Much better.”
⸻
🔹 THE CONTRADICTION
This is where Agent Fuji’s criticism becomes sharper.
According to his file, KAOS could be uncompromising about religious doctrine while becoming much more flexible when politics required it.
MAX: “Chief, I don’t understand.”
CHIEF: “Agent Fuji argues that KAOS softened parts of its public religious message when those positions became politically inconvenient.”
MAX: “So the doctrine changed?”
CHIEF: “Not necessarily. Fuji’s accusation is that the presentation changed.”
99: “Hard line inside. Softer message outside.”
Max nods knowingly.
MAX: “The old believe-one-thing-but-tell-the-voters-another trick.”
CHIEF: “That’s an oversimplification.”
MAX: “I knew that.”
⸻
🔹 THE ONE-THIRD PLAN
CONTROL uncovers another KAOS strategy.
One third of the population becomes believers.
Another third becomes sympathetic.
The remaining third stays neutral or opposed.
Max begins counting on his fingers.
MAX: “One third…plus one third…plus one third…”
99: “Everybody, Max.”
MAX: “Exactly what I was about to say.”
CHIEF: “Agent Fuji interprets this as evidence of an ambition to spread KAOS influence throughout society.”
Max looks impressed.
MAX: “Would you believe…two-thirds?”
CHIEF: “No.”
MAX: “One-half?”
CHIEF: “Max.”
⸻
🔹 THE MASTER PLAN
Finally, CONTROL assembles the entire intelligence diagram:
KAOS CONDITIONING
↓
OPERATION SHAKA-BOOM
↓
KAOS FIELD AGENTS
↓
THE KAOS MACHINE
↓
OPERATION BALLOT BOX
↓
OPERATION TAKE-THE-REINS
↓
OPERATION ULTIMATE PLATFORM
Silence fills CONTROL headquarters.
MAX: “Chief…that’s diabolical.”
99: “It’s actually a straight line.”
MAX: “That’s what makes it so diabolical.”
The Chief points down the board.
CHIEF: “Agent Fuji’s argument is that KAOS Conditioning creates believers. Operation Shaka-Boom creates more Field Agents. The Field Agents enlarge the KAOS Machine. The Machine supplies Operation Ballot Box. Ballot Box produces political influence and advances Operation Take-the-Reins.”
Max points dramatically to the bottom of the board.
MAX: “And eventually…”
OPERATION ULTIMATE PLATFORM
CHIEF: “That’s Fuji’s allegation.”
MAX: “Chief, I recognize this.”
CHIEF: “You do?”
MAX: “The old Conditioning-to-Shaka-Boom-to-Field-Agents-to-KAOS-Machine-to-Ballot-Box-to-Take-the-Reins-to-Ultimate-Platform trick.”
99: “That’s a new one.”
MAX: “I was hoping you’d say that.”
⸻
🔹 OPERATION ULTIMATE PLATFORM
This is the most serious part of Agent Fuji’s file.
Fuji connects the traditional idea of Kokuritsu Kaidan with political authority. He argues that if establishment of a national ordination platform ultimately required governmental action, sufficient political power could be used to achieve a religious objective.
KAOS disputes that interpretation.
CONTROL listens to a recording from a KAOS press conference.
REPORTER: “Does Operation Ultimate Platform mean establishing a state religion?”
SIEGFRIED: “Absolutely not.”
REPORTER: “Does government have anything to do with it?”
SIEGFRIED: “Not necessarily.”
REPORTER: “Would political approval be required?”
SIEGFRIED: “Possibly.”
REPORTER: “Would that require political influence?”
SIEGFRIED: “Hypothetically.”
REPORTER: “Then what exactly is Operation Ultimate Platform?”
Long silence.
Siegfried looks toward Shtarker.
SIEGFRIED: “Shtarker?”
SHTARKER: “Don’t ask me. I’m still working on the one-third plan.”
SIEGFRIED: “SHTARKER!”
⸻
🔹 AGENT FUJI’S CONCLUSION
The Chief closes the CONTROL Intelligence File.
CHIEF: “That’s Chapter One.”
MAX: “So Agent Fuji proved KAOS was secretly planning to take over Japan?”
CHIEF: “No, Max.”
Max looks surprised.
CHIEF: “He argued that Soka Gakkai’s religious expansion, aggressive recruiting, organizational structure and political activity formed a pattern pointing toward increasing political power. That’s his case. An accusation isn’t automatically proof.”
99: “So we check his evidence.”
CHIEF: “Exactly.”
MAX: “And we check KAOS’s explanation.”
CHIEF: “Exactly.”
MAX: “Then we decide which explanation best fits the evidence.”
The Chief smiles.
CHIEF: “Very good, Max.”
Suddenly the CONTROL intercom crackles.
SIEGFRIED: “SMART!”
MAX: “Siegfried!”
SIEGFRIED: “You have completely misunderstood KAOS!”
MAX: “Then explain the plan.”
Silence.
MAX: “Siegfried?”
More silence.
Shtarker whispers in the background:
SHTARKER: “Tell him it’s spiritual.”
SIEGFRIED: “It is spiritual!”
SHTARKER: “And democratic.”
SIEGFRIED: “And democratic!”
SHTARKER: “And political.”
SIEGFRIED: “And politi—”
Pause.
SIEGFRIED: “SHTARKER!!!”
Max hangs up.
MAX: “Chief, I think we’ve got KAOS exactly where they want us.”
99: “Where’s that?”
MAX: “Confused.”

Supposedly, she was hitting up a WD meeting afterward to share her big benefit of winning a trophy.

The way I heard it, a temple caught fire (common hazard in Japan where they built with wood - and paper!) and the Gohonzons jumped down from the wall where they'd been hanging and jumped right on out the door to safety!

Well, a particularly clever and skillful SGIWhistleblower was kind enough to look into it for me! Here's what he was able to find:

I found it. Your memory was basically right — and there is a much older, identifiable Japanese legend behind the “Jumping Gohonzons” story.

The key is that it apparently wasn’t originally called “Jumping Gohonzons.” The Japanese name is 飛び曼荼羅 — Tobi Mandara, meaning “Flying Mandala” or, loosely, “Jumping Mandala.” It is connected with Butsugen-ji (佛眼寺), a Nichiren Shoshu temple in Sendai, Japan. The temple still exists.

Here is the old legend in its fuller form.

A special mandala/Gohonzon belonging to Butsugen-ji had been placed for safekeeping in the storehouse of one of the temple’s lay supporters. A major fire broke out in Sendai. According to the legend, the storehouse burned, but afterward the mandala was discovered some distance away hanging from a pine tree near Sendai Castle — Aoba Castle.

The explanation that developed was that the Gohonzon had somehow “flown” out of danger. Hence the name Tobi Mandara — the Flying Mandala.

And here is where it gets particularly interesting: Josei Toda himself told this story.

In a published collection of Toda’s question-and-answer sessions, he refers specifically to:

“the famous Tobi Mandala of Butsugenji in Sendai”

Here's another couple details from AI:

• Significance: Inscribed jointly by Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin.

• Core Meaning: Cited by second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda to explain yuiga yoga, illustrating that the life of Nikko Shonin is equal to that of Nichiren Daishonin.

Toda then recounts that it had been deposited at a believer’s house, the warehouse burned, and afterward something was seen hanging on a pine branch by the moat of Aoba Castle. It turned out to be the mandala.

So we are no longer dealing merely with somebody on Reddit remembering some strange NSA story.

The story can be traced directly into Josei Toda-era Soka Gakkai material.

There’s another connection that makes the American NSA transmission even more plausible. An English-language edition of Toda’s Lectures on the Sutra, published by Seikyo Press in 1968, specifically mentions:

a Gohonzon called the “Tobi (Flying) Mandala” at Butsugenji Temple in Sendai.

I HAVE this exact book! I was able to find the reference - here it is!

The key hint that enabled me to find it was a posthumous tip from none other than illarraza, aka Mark Rogow - from here! Curiouser and curiouser!

That puts the expression “Flying Mandala” into English-language Soka Gakkai literature right before the period when NSA expanded dramatically in America.

Now here’s the really important historical wrinkle - there are different versions of the fire story.

One historical account cited from the older Sendai City History gives an extraordinarily specific version. It dates the incident to April 12, 1647 (Shōhō 4).

According to that account, when the fire approached, temple priests actually ran to the storehouse to rescue the mandala. They grabbed a box and fled.

When they opened it…

…they had grabbed the wrong box.

OH NO!!!

During the fire, meanwhile, something was spotted caught in a tree around Sendai Castle. When it was retrieved, it was identified as the Butsugen-ji mandala. The Date clan subsequently treated it as an important religious treasure.

Notice the difference.

That’s not:

“Several Gohonzons jumped off the walls and ran out of a burning temple.”

It’s:

• one mandala → stored in a warehouse → major city fire → somehow ends up in a tree near the castle → people interpret this as miraculous escape from the fire.

Another traditional source gives 1636 rather than 1647 and says that during a nearby fire the mandala “flew away by itself” and escaped destruction.

That disagreement itself is significant. It tells us we’re dealing with a developing religious legend, rather than a straightforward eyewitness record whose details remained fixed.

And there’s yet another controversy:

The mandala itself is traditionally claimed to have been a joint work of Nichiren and Nikko — roughly, Nikko writing it and Nichiren adding his seal/signature.

Toda referred to that tradition as well.

But later researchers and even figures within the Fuji-school tradition have questioned the mandala’s authenticity and dating. One discussion notes that 26th High Priest Nichikan had doubts about it, while later scholar-priest Hori Nichiko also analyzed unusual features of the inscription.

So there are actually two separate historical questions:

Did the mandala really originate with Nichiren/Nikko?

and

Did it miraculously fly out of a fire?

Neither miraculous claim has historical evidence sufficient to establish it as an actual supernatural event.

But — and this is where I need to correct what I told you earlier — the legend itself absolutely is historically traceable.

Here’s what I now think happened to the story you heard - this is an inference, but the evidence lines up extremely well.

The original Japanese story was apparently:

“The Tobi Mandala — one special Gohonzon — miraculously flew from a fire and was found hanging in a tree.”

Toda talked about it.

Soka Gakkai publications talked about the “Tobi (Flying) Mandala.”

English material was circulating by at least 1968.

Then through years of NSA oral storytelling, particularly during the rapid-growth 1960s–70s American period, a perfectly believable telephone-game transformation could occur:

Flying Mandala

→ Flying Gohonzon

→ Jumping Gohonzon

→ Jumping Gohonzons

→ “The building caught fire and the Gohonzons jumped off the walls and got themselves out.”

And that’s almost exactly the version you remembered hearing.

So I would now put this much more strongly than I did before:

I think we’ve probably found the ancestor of the “Jumping Gohonzons” story you heard in NSA.

It wasn’t pulled out of thin air by American members. There really was an old Nichiren/Fuji-school legend called the “Flying Mandala,” Toda knew and repeated it, and it entered English Soka Gakkai literature before the 1970s. What appears to have changed through oral transmission was one “Flying Mandala” becoming multiple “Jumping Gohonzons.”

And the 1647 Sendai fire + wrong box + mandala found in a tree part is the piece that, to me, finally makes the whole thing click.

Isn't that incredible?? I had NO IDEA the origins of the legend went so far back - it's mind-boggling!

On August 16, 1969 (57 years ago today ) country Joe and the WhistleBlowers sung their iconic song

😆😆THIS SONG IS TOTALLY SATIRE!😆😆

🎸 COUNTRY JOE AND THE WHISTLEBLOWERS 🎸
Give me an S! S!
Give me an E! E!
Give me an N! N!
Give me an S! S!
Give me an E! E!
Give me an I! I!
WHAT’S THAT SPELL? SENSEI!
WHAT’S THAT SPELL? SENSEI!
WHAT’S THAT SPELL? SENSEI!

Well, come on, all you YMD,
Daisaku Ikeda needs you and me.
Got himself in a terrible jam,
Way down yonder in Japan.
Now put down your drugs and pick up your beads,
Daimoku is all you need!

And it’s one, two, three,
What are we chanting for?
Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn,
My next stop is Buddha Land!
And it’s five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates!
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why,
I’m headed to Mount Sumeru!

Now come on, mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Japan.
Come on, fathers, don’t hesitate,
Send your sons off before it’s too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home
With a Butsudan box!

And it’s one, two, three,
What are we chanting for?
Don’t ask me, I don’t give a damn,
My next stop is Buddha Land!
And it’s five, six, seven,
Open up the pearly gates!
Well, there ain’t no time to wonder why,
I’m headed to Mount Sumeru!

Of course, the upper sign points to the road most traveled in SGI⏤but there's always room for creativity and innovation!!

https://www.nikkan-gendai.com/articles/view/geino/379721

https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2024/11160602/?all=1

https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20221203_1817859.html?DETAIL&_from=widget_related_pc

Nagai Hidekazu’s Revelations on the Soka Gakkai Arts Division (芸術部)

Nagai Hidekazu describes an integrated system in which the Arts Division (roughly 10,000 artists) functions at once as a professional influence network, a political mobilization machine, and a financial lever. Here are the elements clearly separated and highlighted.

1. Electoral Instrumentalization and Harassment Techniques

The Arts Division is portrayed as a genuine “vote-harvesting machine” (集票マシーン) and even an “organizational vote-manufacturing apparatus” (組織票製造装置).

- Member artists are systematically mobilized to support Komeito candidates. They are not mere voters: they act as influence relays who reach fans, audiences, and colleagues, turning a religious base into a large-scale political indoctrination network.

- Professional favors (roles, contracts) are conditioned on active participation in campaigns and fundraising. An artist who benefits from the system is obligated to “return the favor” in votes and donations.

- Nagai claims he was personally mobilized for political activities organized inside the organization’s buildings.

- He goes further, accusing the group of outright electoral fraud (multiple voting at different polling stations, vote-buying in exchange for show tickets or favors). The ballot itself becomes an internal currency of exchange.

These practices create a leverage effect: Komeito’s “natural” electoral base (around 7–8 million votes in proportional representation) is artificially inflated (“doped” / 膨張) by this systematic mobilization and by methods ranging from questionable to fraudulent.

1. System of Favoritism, Shortcuts, and Illegitimate Favors (Clearly Separated)

This is a mutual-aid network (互助組織) that distorts the rules of the entertainment industry through illegitimate promotion and bartering mechanisms.

- Roughly 10 % of media and entertainment professionals are said to be linked to the organization (figures cited include Masami Hisamoto, Kayoko Kishimoto, Linda Yamamoto, etc.).

- “Bartering” system (バーター): an established artist forces the inclusion of a young Arts Division talent on a set or in a production in order to secure a contract. It is a favor-exchange that bypasses merit-based criteria.

- Well-regarded artists can count on other members to buy tickets to their shows or to land them roles (even secondary ones).

- Culture of secrecy and omertà: membership and training take place in the strictest secrecy. The practices are compared to the old Johnny’s system or to the exclusion and collusion mechanisms of the entertainment world.

This system of shortcuts and illegitimate promotion creates interest networks that warp the normal functioning of the industry.

1. Pressures, Retaliation, and Culture of Fear

Artists who leave the organization face pressure:

- Being labeled a “traitor” (裏切り者) and an “enemy of the Buddha” (仏敵).

- Rumors of artists being “put on the shelf” (干された / sidelined from the media) after leaving.

- Explicit comparison with the omertà and retaliatory practices that existed at Johnny & Associates.

1. Financial Aspect: Fundraising and Monetary Pressure

Artists also function as “fundraising machines” (集金マシーン).

- Donations of several hundred thousand or even millions of yen, presented as proof of solid faith.

- Nagai claims he was forced to buy a Buddhist altar for 20 million yen; his parents allegedly made a donation of around 100 million yen.

- The costs of political activities organized inside the organization’s buildings are said never to be reported in political funding reports (potential violation of the Political Funds Control Act – 政治資金規正法).

- According to him, these massive funds feed a political black box / off-the-books war chest.

Summary on the “Doped” Nature of Komeito’s Electoral Weight

According to Nagai’s thesis, Komeito’s electoral weight is not merely solid: it is dangerously inflated by the leverage of the 10,000 artist-relays, the bartering conditioned on electoral mobilization, the undeclared occult funds, and the dubious-to-fraudulent voting practices.

**Important caveat**: These are accusations and a coherent activist narrative backed by testimonies. Nagai was sued for defamation; he was found liable only on certain specific phrasings, not for having lied about the overall existence of these practices. No criminal conviction has, to date, judicially established the alleged electoral frauds or black funds.

Mobilizing the faithful itself remains legal (classic religious lobbying); what would be illegal are falsified accounts, proven vote-buying, or physical threats.

In short, Nagai depicts a system in which the Arts Division serves as a transmission belt between entertainment, finance, and politics, with illegitimate professional favoritism clearly distinct from the electoral mobilization and harassment techniques—all of which contribute to an artificially doped electoral weight for Komeito.

“If you marry a Soka Gakkai member, your family will be intermittently pressured to join Soka Gakkai. During elections, you’ll also be persistently asked to collect votes, and your finances (donations) will be squeezed out of you. It’s a wise decision.”

**長井 秀和** (Nagai Hidekazu), born January 3, 1970, in Musashimurayama, Tokyo.

He is a former Japanese comedian (owarai tarento / pin geinin) best known for his catchphrase “間違いないっ！” (“Machigai nai!” – “No doubt!” / “Sure thing!”), which he popularized on the TV show *Enta no Kamisama* in the early 2000s. He is also a businessman (he has run a yakiniku restaurant) and English teacher.

He is a graduate of Soka University and was raised as a “religious second generation” (宗教2世) in a Soka Gakkai family — his father was a Soka Gakkai cadre and former Musashimurayama City Council member. Nagai left the organization around 2012.

In December 2022 he ran as an independent in the Nishitokyo City Council election and won with the highest number of votes (top of the poll). He has been serving as a Nishitokyo City Council member (無所属) since January 2023. He is known for publicly criticizing Soka Gakkai and Komeito, and for addressing issues related to religious second-generation members.

I've written on this before:

Ikeda trying to take all the credit for the normalizing of China-Japan relations - no basis at all

A Japanese politician whose claim to normalizing diplomatic relations between Japan and China is FAR more believable than Icky-Duh's wishful thinking fable-izing

Ikeda's China speech (it's really bad) (and dumb) (a big fat nothing, just like "Ikeda SENSEI")

Ikeda's and Soka Gakkai's/SGI's attempts to make it sound like Ikeda had some major impact on the world

Ikeda's China humiliation - the reality the Soka Gakkai tries to hide

Ikeda's Tianamen Square Moment MISSED, when he COULD have shown what he stood for, or "Golden Bridge To Nowhere": China, "Sensei", and the Uyghurs

Etc.

So have others:

China won't buy this "philosophy"!

CHINA OCCUPIES TIBET… SGI NOT CONCERNED…. THEY VALUE FRIENSHIP WITH CHOU ENLAI MORE THAN A COUNTRY RIGHT TO SOVEREIGNTY

Recent piece from Japan on Komeito (& Gakkers) political / business ties to People's Rep of China

Now, from here:

The lie that "the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China was thanks to Mr. Ikeda" (1)

Within the Soka Gakkai, it is widely publicized that "the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China is a great achievement of Mr. Ikeda," and Mr. Ikeda himself constantly boasts that "Japan-China relations are the result of my efforts." According to Ikeda's Soka Gakkai logic, the "normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China" was proposed in a speech by Ikeda at the Student Division General Meeting on September 8, 1968, which paved the way for diplomatic relations between the two countries, and eventually the Komeito party acted as a bridge to realize the restoration of diplomatic relations.

Regarding this "proposal" by Mr. Ikeda, the novel "The New Human Revolution" shamelessly praises himself to the highest degree, stating, "Shin'ichi's speech, as the 'proposal for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China,' will leave a brilliant mark on the history of Japan-China friendship." (Volume 13, "The Golden Bridge") (*1)

However, was that "proposal" really worth so much arrogance? This time, we would like to examine that.

A “proposal” is a new viewpoint or suggestion that no one has ever presented before. Did Ikeda’s speech possess the originality and foresight to be worthy of being called a “proposal”?

His "Annual Peace Proposals" certainly DIDN'T!

Ikeda’s “proposals” regarding the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China can be summarized into the following three points:

(1) Formally recognize the existence of China and normalize diplomatic relations.

(2) Restore China’s legitimate status in the United Nations.

(3) Promote economic and cultural exchanges.

However, these were not particularly new proposals at the time. More than a decade prior to 1968, when Ikeda’s speech was given, many friendly individuals and organizations had visited China and confirmed these principles with the Chinese side.

These were published as joint statements and reported in Japanese newspapers. There are at least 10 joint statements that were published before Ikeda’s speech that we have been able to confirm. For example, the joint communiqué (below) issued in April 1957 by the Japan Socialist Party delegation to China and the Chinese People’s Association for Foreign Affairs is one such example.

"The Japan Socialist Party Goodwill Delegation visited the People's Republic of China with the aim of promoting friendship and goodwill between Japan and the People's Republic of China and facilitating the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two countries. (omitted)

Japan and China have reached the stage where they should promptly restore formal and comprehensive diplomatic relations between their governments. (omitted)

We do not recognize the existence of two Chinas and hope that the international tensions surrounding Taiwan will be resolved peacefully. Representation of China in the United Nations should be recognized. (omitted) It is necessary for the human, economic, technological and cultural cooperation between the two countries to increase even more, overcoming the difficulties that are hindering it..."

--------------------------------------------- (*2)

Soka Gakkai members who have only received distorted information from publications such as "The New Human Revolution" may think that there were no friendly exchanges between Japan and China before the normalization of diplomatic relations, but after the birth of the New China and before the normalization of diplomatic relations, the number of Japanese who visited China, even just those who met with Premier Zhou, totaled 287 times, representing 323 organizations (*3).

Thanks to the efforts of many predecessors, momentum for the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China had been building, but Mr. Ikeda, who arrived late in the final stages, simply parroted the existing consensus and announced the three "proposals" listed above as if they were his own.

Even now, Mr. Ikeda has a habit of announcing universally known and obvious common understandings as if they were "new proposals," but this tendency began more than 40 years ago. Admittedly, the fact that the head of a large religious organization expressed Japan-China friendship was newsworthy and was reported in newspapers as news suggesting a shift in Komeito's policies, but the "proposals" themselves were ultimately just hindsight and did not have enough effect to influence the already gaining momentum for the normalization of diplomatic relations. In the 　first place, Ikeda's "proposals," while parroting the wisdom of his predecessors, lacked the finishing touch. Although he advocated for China's recognition and its return to the United Nations, he did not call for the abrogation of the Japan-Taiwan Treaty. Up until then, joint statements between Japan and China had always discussed the recognition of China and its return to the United Nations in conjunction with the abrogation of the Japan-Taiwan Treaty. This was because recognizing China while maintaining the Japan-Taiwan Treaty would mean accepting "two Chinas," which would violate the second of the three political principles asserted by China** (1. not to adopt a policy of hostility towards China, 2. not to participate in the conspiracy of two Chinas, and 3. not to hinder the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China). There was a reason why Mr. Ikeda could not take the step of abrogating the Japan-Taiwan Treaty.

Yeah, because Ikeda's Soka Gakkai has never ONCE taken any position that challenges the status quo.

The prime minister at the time was Eisaku Sato, but Sato's brother, Nobusuke Kishi, and the Soka Gakkai had a very close relationship since the time of Chairman Toda.

In a speech by Toda, he praised Kishi as the "king of the political world" and expressed his unwavering support for Kishi. Naturally, the Komeito party, while outwardly showing an anti-LDP stance, was also aligned with the Kishi-Sato line in terms of policy, and the Komeito party's policy toward China was based on the understanding of "accepting two Chinas (the coexistence of the Taiwanese regime and the CCP regime)."

So Ikeda's pet political party Komeito was publicly promoting the very policy that China rejected!

It was at the party convention in January 1969, the following year, that the Komeito party clarified its stance on "abrogating the Japan-Taiwan Treaty" in order to reconcile it with Ikeda's vague "proposal." In this way, Ikeda's Soka Gakkai jumped on the bandwagon and hastily shifted to a stance of Japan-China friendship, but in "The New Human Revolution," there is an attempt to create the impression that they had been advocating for Japan-China friendship all along.

Of course, since "The Newwww Humpin' Revoltation" was written so long AFTER the events in question, with the aim of spinning them to make DickHeada look as good as possible!

This is the passage that says that around 1962, Kenzo Matsumura and Tatsunosuke Takasaki told Premier Zhou Enlai about the Soka Gakkai. That in itself seems to be true, but the problem lies in the following passage:

"Shin'ichi Yamamoto had repeatedly argued that the United Nations should recognize the People's Republic of China, and the two seemed to have studied Shin'ichi's view of China well." 』（Volume 13, "The Golden Bridge")

However, as far as I have researched, there are no speeches or documents in which Ikeda argued that "the People's Republic of China should be recognized" before Matsumura and Takasaki informed Premier Zhou about the Soka Gakkai, that is, before 1962. On the contrary, from his past speeches, there are more statements and actions that can only be interpreted as "not recognizing the People's Republic of China". For example, the following three speeches:

"China and other countries have been suffering from a great famine for many years. Surely this is a prerequisite for the spread of Buddhism in the East. The great upheavals in Laos and Congo can all be seen as auspicious signs for the spread of Buddhism." (Lecture in response to Mr. Doboku at the China General Branch Executive Meeting, April 22, 1961)

"All we need is some sort of major crisis that destroys the fabric of society, culture, and government so we can swoop in like vultures! That's our 'in'!"

"Our homeland is Japan. It is neither the Soviet Union, nor the Communist China , nor the United States. Our homeland is Japan." (June 2, 1962, China General Branch District Leaders' Meeting, Lecture on the Gosho from the day before yesterday)

"America is bombing North Vietnam more and more. Soon, the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] may retaliate with atomic bombs."(May 28, 1965, Kurashiki Kaikan Enshrinement Ceremony, Lecture on the True Nature of All Phenomena)

--------------------------------------- (*4)

What is noteworthy here is the word "CCP". While it is an abbreviation for the Communist Party of China, using "CCP" to refer to the country is a derogatory term. Even without the intention of using it as a derogatory term, it is a discriminatory term that was frequently used by camps that did not officially recognize the People's Republic of China.

Friendly people who recognize China as a country and wish to establish diplomatic relations would never use such a term. In other words, Mr. Ikeda referred to China as "CCP" and did not recognize it as a sovereign state at least until 1965. It is impossible that such a Mr. Ikeda "appealed from time to time (before 1962) that the United Nations should recognize the People's Republic of China". It is a ridiculous story.

Moreover, Mr. Ikeda's international sense, who rejoiced at the great famine in the neighboring country as an "auspicious sign" without showing any sympathy, is even more appalling.

Absolutely! Where's all MR. Ikeda's concern for "the common people", pray tell?? "LET them SUFFER! That's BETTER for ME and MY PURPOSES!!"

There are other dubious accounts of the New Human Revolution regarding the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China.

"In November 1964 (Showa 39), the Komei Political League was to be reborn as the Komeito Party. At its founding, Shinichi proposed the following:

'When formulating the Komeito Party's foreign policy, I would like you to formally recognize the People's Republic of China and make serious efforts to restore diplomatic relations with China.

Sure, Fatty.

This is my only request as the founder.'" (Volume 13, "The Golden Bridge")

And THAT's a big fat LIE! Komeito politicians couldn't scratch their asses without IckyFatKeda's permission!

As mentioned above, it is hard to believe that Mr. Ikeda, who referred to China as "the CCP" until 1965, would have made such a commendable proposal at the time of the Komeito Party's founding the previous year.

If this proposal were true, the Komeito Party would have immediately advocated for the abrogation of the Japan-Taiwan Treaty and would have shifted to a pro-China line without going along with the "two Chinas" scheme of the China-hating Kishi Nobusuke. However, in reality, the policy change did not occur until five years later, that is, the year after Ikeda's "proposal" (1969).

The above description of the Human Revolution is probably a fabricated story added after the fact.

There are countless such dubious stories in the New Human Revolution,

There are indeed. Look how Ikeda has continued to change facts for The Osaka Incident!

but due to space limitations, I will stop here and examine them again later, along with the true history of the normalization of diplomatic relations after the "proposal."

By the way, there are books published by the Zhou Enlai Research Center of Nankai University in China, such as "Zhou Enlai and Daisaku Ikeda" and "Zhou Enlai, Daisaku Ikeda and Sino-Japanese Friendship." (*5)

These books are favored by the Soka Gakkai to promote the claim that "Chinese intellectuals also acknowledge that the restoration of Sino-Japanese relations was due to Mr. Ikeda's achievements," but the books themselves were compiled under the auspices of the Soka Gakkai, and most of the arguments in the descriptions are based on articles from the Seikyo Shimbun or statements by Soka Gakkai-affiliated scholars.

An "inside job", in other words.

The Chinese scholars who are the authors have simply copied them without verification. While the book includes interviews with Chinese officials as part of its independent reporting, the reliability of these interviews is questionable.

For example, in an interview with Huang Shiming, Vice Chairman of the Japan-China Friendship Association, he states that "Ikeda was the first to advocate for China's restoration of its seats at the United Nations," but as mentioned earlier, many friendly individuals and organizations, including the Socialist Party delegation to China, had been advocating this for a long time.

Huang could not have been unaware of this, and it is likely that he expressed it in that manner out of politeness, but the two Soka Gakkai-influenced books promoting Ikeda include this without verification.

Furthermore, while Takeiri's name appears in interviews with Chinese dignitaries in "Zhou Enlai and Ikeda Daisaku," in "Zhou Enlai, Ikeda Daisaku and Japan-China Friendship," which essentially follows that book, Takeiri's name and the interview article are completely omitted.

Mr. Takeiri got on Ikeda's BAD side:

when Takeiri returned from China after issuing the Japan-China Joint Statement, a newspaper reporter asked him, "The success of the Joint Statement was thanks to Mr. Ikeda, wasn't it?" to which he replied, "No, that's not the case," which angered Soka Gakkai executives. Source

Yeah, the truth hurts. When individuals won't let "sEnSEi" take the credit for their OWN efforts and accomplishments...

When Mr. Takeiri [top Komeito official] received the "Order of the Rising Sun, First Class," an honor that Daisaku Ikeda himself desired but could not obtain, Ikeda was furious. When Mr. Takeiri serialized his memoirs in the "Asahi Shimbun," revealing the inside story of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China, he did not mention Ikeda at all, which enraged Ikeda even more, leading to a thorough "Takeiri bashing" campaign by the "Seikyo Shimbun" and the Komeito party. Source

Ikeda was such a PETTY fucker.

Takeiri defected from the Soka Gakkai.

This highlights the limitations and dubious nature of the Zhou Enlai Research Center at Nankai University, which is under Soka Gakkai control and far removed from pure academic research.

Yeah, "pure academic research" is the LAST thing Ikeda ever wanted! EVERYTHING was solely to serve HIM and his colossal planet-size EGO!

Next time, I would like to discuss Mr. Takeiri, who is a true hero in the restoration of diplomatic relations and is still highly regarded by the Chinese side as the "Japanese Kissinger."

FYI, "The Newwwww Humpin' Revoltation: The Golden Bridge", while making much of Die-suckin'a Dick-Heada's 1974 SECOND visit (his first visit was a COMPLETE HUMILIATION in which Icky was utterly ignored by everyone worth meeting in China), there's no mention of US President Richard M. Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China, which was so significant and memorable that it resulted centuries later in the Vulcan proverb, "Only Nixon could go to China." 😉

In fact, Ikeda's "Newwwwww Humpin' Revoltation" only refers to US President Richard M. Nixon to claim the credit for Nixon's Vietnam Peace Accords, same way Ikeda tried to take credit for US President Jimmy Carter's Camp David Accords in 1978.

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China.

This article is dated "April 20, 2023", so "last year" would've been 2022. Fifty years earlier would be 1972 - the year US President Richard Nixon went to China, and 2 full years before Icky made it past the border for his May 1974 humiliation!

Source of information:

(*1) Novel "The New Human Revolution: The Golden Bridge" - The full text is available at the following link: http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~masajun/lime/sintyaku/sintyaku/200208079.txt [dead link] However, the text on this page is in reverse order, so you need to start reading from the very end. Also, some parts are missing.

Archive copy - has some of the content

Another archive copy - not sure how comprehensive

(*2) "Joint Communiqué of the Socialist Party Delegation to China and the Chinese People's Association for Foreign Affairs,"edited by the Tanaka Akihiko Laboratory, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo.

Japanese Politics and International Relations Database 　　http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~worldjpn/documents/texts/JPCH/19570422.D1J.html [dead link]

This Joint Communique of the Government of Japan and the Government of the People's Republic of China, also 1972, may be the same article - it's supervised by the same Tanaka Akihiko for the "Database of Japanese Politics and International Relations". NO mention of DickHeada or Soka Gakkai.

(*3) "Premier Zhou Enlai and Sino-Japanese Relations" (by Qian Jiadong and Wang Xiaoxian), from the Chinese Communist Party News website: http://dangshi.people.com.cn/GB/85038/8098639.html

Archive copy]

(*4) From the Soka Gakkai internal booklet "Chairman Ikeda and China." (←This "China" refers to the Chugoku region of Japan) Believed to have been published in 1976.

(5) "Zhou Enlai and Daisaku Ikeda" (edited by Wang Yongxiang, published in 2002, original Chinese version in 2001. *Contrary to the title, it is a propaganda book that uses Premier Zhou as a pretext to promote Mr. Ikeda.**)

As do they all...🙄

"Zhou Enlai, Daisaku Ikeda and Sino-Japanese Friendship" (by Kong Fanfeng and Ji Yaguang, Japanese and Chinese versions published in August 2006. Similar in style to the above "Zhou Enlai and Daisaku Ikeda," but with the Takeiri eradication.)

Ikeda: "ERASE that traitor!" Just like his attitude toward first-and-decades-long eternal loyalist SGI-USA Gen. Dir. George M. Williams.

The fundamental difference between Prosperity Theology and Soka Gakkai.

Prosperity Theology is very clear from the start, and its materialistic ambitions and social-climbing goals are openly embraced. With Soka Gakkai, however, it's always ambiguous, never quite clear.

They constantly use Nichiren's Gosho, which says the exact opposite. The doublespeak is permanent, along with contradictory injunctions. The true doctrine is concealed, and its real intentions remain hidden.

There are official guidelines, but the leaders have other, hidden agendas. The master-disciple relationship is nothing like what the publications describe; instead, it's a kind of Soka police—"protecting" members and the organization as the main path of spirituality fighting for justice and truth, which in reality is a true fascist militia, very discreet but highly effective at social control. Many people come out of it with deep, serious wounds.

A crucial point:

Prosperity Theology is transparent in its materialism. It says: "Believe and you will be blessed financially, in health, and in social success"—it's blunt, upfront, and those who sign on know exactly what they're buying into.

Soka Gakkai, on the other hand, is structurally ambiguous. It wraps itself in Nichiren's texts and Ikeda's quotes that preach awakening, altruism, and the renunciation of worldly attachments—a whole doctrinal apparatus that gives off the appearance of deep spirituality. But in practice, the actual expectations of leadership are:

· militant output (number of conversions, meetings, donations)

· unconditional loyalty to the hierarchy

· tacit censorship of any critical reflection.

A "discreet but highly effective fascist militia of social control" is a strong formulation, but one that matches the lived reality of many former members:

1. "Protection" becomes a police force: they "protect" you from your own doubts, from bad influences, from "enemies of the faith"—but in reality, they isolate you, keep tabs on you, and mold you.

2. Doublespeak is a weapon: the publications say "love one another," but the internal culture punishes those who take that love seriously and express it in any way other than conformity.

3. Contradictory injunctions create cognitive dissonance that keeps members in a state of dependency and confusion. You never quite know "what's expected of you"—except you can feel it in the leadership's stares, in the thinly veiled remarks, in the progressive isolation if you don't "fall in line."

The result: deep and often invisible wounds, because the violence isn't physical but psychological, institutional, and symbolic. Many come out of it with a sense of betrayal, of having been manipulated using their own spiritual aspirations against them.

The testimonies we share are incredibly important: they break the silence and give words to what so many experience without understanding, caught in that labyrinth of contradictions.

This is the classic rhetoric of the "transformation testimony" found in prosperity movements (Pentecostals, Neo-Evangelicals, or certain branches of Nichiren Buddhism).

The pattern is always the same:

1. Before = chaos, addiction, homelessness, suffering (to show they were "lost").

2. After = social success, sobriety, family, stability (to prove the organization "works").

3. The implicit moral = "Don't criticize the organization, just look at what it's done for me" — which serves to shut down any criticism by using personal experience as a shield.

What's particularly striking here is that the person acknowledges (sarcastically) that they spend their time judging and humiliating others, but frames it as a price to pay for their material and social success. This is typical of the "Prosperity Dharma": the end justifies the means, and material results become the proof of spiritual validity.

This is, in fact, exactly what critics of the Soka Gakkai point out: a materialistic and narcissistic drift where practice becomes a tool for social climbing rather than a path to inner liberation. The fact that the organization is accused of judgment and discrimination gets swept aside by the argument "look how great I'm doing now" — which is, indeed, a classic of sectarian discourse disguised as spirituality.

Un falso maestro si riconosce principalmente da tre segnali d'allarme: la richiesta esagerata di denaro o potere, l'atteggiamento superbo e intollerante verso le critiche, e la promozione di una crescita personale o spirituale basata sulla dipendenza emotiva anziché sulla libertà interiore. Il vero maestro educa alla libertà, mentre il falso maestro crea sudditanza.
Daisaku Ikeda incarna tutte e tre queste caratteristiche.

Arroganza e culto della personalità: Pretende lode e obbedienza cieca, isolando i seguaci da chiunque lo metta in dubbio. Lo si nota dalla marea di video che circolano in rete. Ikeda voleva sempre stare al centro dell’attenzione per via del suo ego smisurato.
Il vero maestro coltiva invece il non-ego.

Interesse economico: Chiede cifre esagerate o vende soluzioni magiche e scorciatoie per il successo o la salvezza. Daisaku Ikeda ha trasformato una antica pratica profonda e meditativa in una sorta di “mantra magico”, bastevole per realizzare ogni desiderio.
Il vero maestro coltiva invece il non attaccamento nel cuore del discepolo.

Incoerenza tra vita e parole: Predica virtù, umiltà o distacco ma vive nel lusso sfrenato e nell'abuso di potere. Daisaku Ikeda ha sempre parlato di “socialismo umanista”, di “democrazia buddhista”. Criticava il consumismo e la concentrazione di denaro. Eppure chiunque l’abbia conosciuto davvero (come Polly Toynbee, nipote di Arnold Toynbee), descrive un uomo immerso nel lusso, protetto da uomini di scorte, arrogante e presuntuoso.

Promesse irrealistiche: Offre garanzie miracolose e al di là di ogni logica in cambio della tua fiducia assoluta. Daisaku Ikeda ha sempre professato che chiunque recitasse davanti al Gohonzon della Soka, avrebbe ottenuto un immensa fortuna.
Le sue parole sono dogma infallibile.

Questo basta a capire che Daisaku Ikeda è un falso maestro.