DATE July 15, 2003
MEMO NO. ORG-024
DISTRIBUTE TO: All Zone and Region Leaders and Zone Office Managers
TO: All Members
FROM: SGI-USA Organization Department
SUBJECT: Misuse of Personal Lecture Notes

This memo is written to address problematic situations in which notes of leaders' guidance or lectures taken by a third party are being circulated in the organization as if they were official guidance endorsed by the SGI-USA. These personal notes are often out of context and fall short of conveying their speakers' true intention.

A recent example are notes being e-mailed to a great number of members. These notes are allegedly from a presentation by Vice General Director Linda Johnson at a FNCC conference. Its contents, however, not only fail to present the entire picture of what she actually said, but also are incomplete and misleading in some parts.

Another example is a piece that has been widely circulated throughout the organization and on the Internet as "Guidance by Ted Morino on How to Change the Core of Life." At a discussion meeting held many years ago, Mr. Morino, a vice general director of the SGI-USA, made some points that are similar to what is written in the circulated piece. But what appears in these notes is different from what he actually said. To rectify the situation, Mr. Morino was prompted to write an official article of his view of chanting in the World Tribune twice, most recently in the September 27, 2002, issue. There has also been another case in which an article titled "Reasons for Practicing Faith" has been globally disseminated through e-mails. This guidance, which deviates from the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin in many parts, was originally given by a leader in Japan. Believing the guidance to be credible, it was used by many members.

In another incident, well-meaning members circulated a list that purported to be "President Ikeda's Daily Prayers." Although the ideas all seemed to be nice and relatively Buddhist in content, it turned out to be a re-phrasing of mottoes from an international fraternal organization and had no connection at all with President Ikeda.

Therefore, personal notes of guidance or lectures being widely circulated are not necessarily endorsed by the respective leaders and/or lecturers.

We should encourage the use of materials from publications recognized officially by the SGI or SGI-USA.