I hereby declare that I am in favor of increased discomfort among members of SGI-USA!

Discomfort makes you ask:

Am I uncomfortable because I'm attached to opinions that others don't share? Do I have unrealistic expectations about what function my sangha should serve?

Am I angry because other people are damn morons?

Discomfort means that we are in conflict, and it motivates us to find resolution.

The trappings of happiness (everyone smiling! everyone agreeing!) aren't happiness. That kind of happiness is like a model home; it is clean and perfect because no one lives there.

Buddhism teaches constant questioning of beliefs and opinions we hold.

Consensus-building means getting everyone to embrace the same illusion.

Consensus is a model home. The real home of a sangha is crowded with messy people who agree on nothing except ... they live under the same roof and will chant together sometimes.

I hereby decree that the SGI-USA shall remain an enduringly dissonant, self-contradictory, uncomfortable place to rest on our dreams of grandeur.

I'm in favor of discomfort, but I'm not in favor of abuse.

Buddhist practice is voluntary. Participation in a sangha is voluntary. If it feels compulsory or abusive, step away from the situation. Find some place better to practice. Give yourself space to find a new perspective.

Maybe your sangha is doing its job after all.

Buddhism is not American.

It is not Japanese.

It is universal.

Buddhism is not democracy. It is not dictatorship. It is a way of living shared by mentor and disciple.

The life of a human being is the treasure tower. The organization is like scaffolding around it. Fixating on the organization -- championing it zealously or criticizing it unrelentingly -- is a like stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime. It's something you'd do only if you didn't understand the relative value of the two things.

If you're not comfortable with what I think, good.