Theres been a lot of talk about cults on Buddhajones. So be it, people write, read and talk about what interests them. Its natural.

Cult, as in culture. We all seek our tribe, we all seek validation. Being as there is no meter for which to judge ones life path and seeing how life is in reality an open blank canvas, humans tend to flock to each other searching for groups of the like-minded from which they can extract varying feelings of Im ok, what I think and feel is right and normal.

Soka Gakkai certainly has its cult-ure, and like every culture it has its subcultures. There are many whom are angry at SGI for a whole host of reasons. The bottom line is that SGI has grown into a huge and rich organization - for better or for worse - its just natural. SGI has followed along the same path as any tribe seeking wealth and security, both of which are needed for any group wishing to transmit a message, whether that be the message of consumerism or the message of religious truth.

There are no secret SGI cult-leader training camps. Ive been in SGI long enough to know if there was (If I find out there is secret camps, and I havn't been invited, I'll be pissed - there's nothing so fun as training in a secret camp). No leader is taught to give cult-like guidance to members, telling them who they should marry or not, how they should dress, how they should groom. These things certainly happen, of this I have no doubt, but theyre made up on an individual basis and you can be certain they will be reinvented again and again.

SGI critics who feel that SGI leaders should be corrected in their cultish behavior, perhaps even censured when appropriate, fail to see their opinions through to their logical conclusion. A management system vast enough to enact checks and balances would certainly amount to a private corporation-for-profit with layers of supervisors, managers and senior leaders all reviewing, reporting, hiring and firing. SGI is, or was at one point, an open canvas. Leaders are, for better or for worse able to make it up as they go. Since cultism is a human function, like any disease, it certainly appears in SGI.

Ive trained all my life. Ive trained in music, medicine, martial arts, corporate culture, telecommunications, and a host of other subjects, (some too dark to discuss). At the Monterey Area Mens division meeting this Tuesday I listened to a long-time member describe with fond feelings his youth division training. I reflected quietly on how most people dont have opportunities to train in their lives. SGI, whether one considers it cultish or not, provides that opportunity for many. Some build families, careers, even their very lives based on training they get in SGI.

Whether or not one considers SGI a cult, people I know and trust have trained in SGI based on Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. The truth of this training is reflected in their lives and in how they view the world. People lie with words, its only natural, but circumstances and the function of fortune or misfortune is something you cant lie about. Regardless of the words that come from your mouth, ones life paints an accurate picture of what is really inside of each of us. The very truth of Nichiren himself lies in what happened to him during his life rather than just who he was. This is one reason Nichirens Buddhism is so potent compared to historys too-numerous-to-count prophets and gurus whose legitimacy is based merely on personality traits.

If you have been harmed by SGI, accept my personal apology. If you find you cannot practice in your SGI local organization, again Im sorry for that. If, in your personal quest, feel that it is your mission to uncover ever cult plot in SGI and then avoid it like the plague, thus reassuring yourself of how anti-cult you really are, I congratulate you.

However in the end it will be your own responsibility to account for whether or not you have practiced Nichiren Buddhism sincerely, and whether or not you have realized fulfillment in your life. Blaming SGI or anyone for the wounds you carry will never allow them to heal.

But however you proceed just dont expect me or anyone else in SGI to leave because you couldnt manage your relationships.

Rev. Greg, Shidoshi