SGI's toxic tribalism and war economy

They are the ultimate war economy: they function best when they are fighting a dreadful enemy for ultimate stakes.

So much of their verbiage is conflict-derived - in nearly-identical Evangelical Christianity, it takes the form of "soldier for Christ" and "prayer warrior", among others. Within the SGI, we see:

"Joseph Rotblat--Warrior for Peace" by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

"We must consider all religions our enemies, and we must destroy them." All 3 Soka Gakkai Presidents

We must fight resolutely against anyone or anything that threatens to harm the Gakkai. Ikeda

What does that even mean, "harm the Gakkai"?? The point is that this thought will never occur to the members, whose flight-or-fight survival instinct has been engaged and who can be thus counted upon to react emotionally, not rationally. All of a sudden, "They're out to get us!" "Who?" "THEY!!"

“For that reason, you must fight adamantly against any evil that takes root within the priesthood. Do you hear me? You must never retreat a single step. Never slacken in your struggle against such evil.” Ikeda (Oh, Ikeda says Toda said that, but we've got video clips of Toda emphasizing that members' most basic responsibility is to support the priesthood and that ANYONE who does not can't be considered a Soka Gakkai member! Ikeda would have us believe he did a complete about-face just before he died - and didn't bother to tell anyone else. Notice the subtitle translation here O_O)

"The universe, this world and our own lives are the stage for a ceaseless struggle...So where does Buddhism play a role in such daily battles?" Ikeda

If we must fight, let it be a towering struggle! Let us win an explosive victory, an overwhelming victory! Ikeda

Fighting daimoku

"Never forgive the base enemies of the Buddha, never! Be unremitting in your battle against them! Fight through to the end against the scheming verbal violence that seeks to undermine the Kosen Rufu movement, upholding in your hearts the slogan "Adamantly Fight Back!" Soka Gakkai President Daisaku Ikeda, message to the Saitama Youth Division Cultural General Meeting, Tokorozawa, Japan, Sept 12th 1999

Even if you have to imagine an attack to "adamantly fight back" against. It's "all or nothing", you see. They demand to own your entire self, or else you're THE ENEMY!

Josei Toda used to say, "The organization of the Soka Gakkai is more important than my own life. Ikeda

That is the goal all the members are supposed to strive toward.

The new mottos, created for the New Era of Worldwide Kosen-Rufu, are: 1) Eternally protect my mentor and the SGI by resolutely fighting fundamental darkness. SGI source

Isn't it conweenient to have all these external boogeymen for the members to always be guarding against? "Fundamental darkness". "Sansho shima". And my personal favorite, "the King Devil of the Sixth Heaven"! Oooooo...scary, kids O_O

And NIKKEN! How could I forget their best boogeyman, Nikken??

"On the other hand, it is the members of the priesthood today that have become "devils" and "those in league with devils" who seek to halt the flow of kosen-rufu and who are destroying Buddhism. They are enemies of kosen-rufu and enemies of Buddhism who seek to render the Buddha's words meaningless. For this reason, we must resolutely crush them. Between the Buddha and devilish functions, there is no middle ground. If we fail to fight, or if our efforts are only half-hearted, then we will become allies of these devilish functions." May 23, 1993 speech by Daisaku Ikeda, Kyushu Ikeda Auditorium, Fukuoka City, Japan - World Tribune, June 28, 1993 (p.4, 4th column)

FFS, people O_O Just think about that for a nanosecond! Oh, I forgot, you can't O_O

We need to pray to the Gohonzon, “Please allow me to fight with the intensity of a charging demon.” Ikeda

O-kay O_O

HIGH PRIEST NIKKEN'S TRUE PURPOSE IS TO END HUMAN HISTORY WITH A FINAL HOLOCAUST. Source

Good lord. What's wrong with these people??? And they call themselves "Buddhists"???

The SGI cult's music is militaristic. The structure of the organization is based on Japanese military customs. The utter obedience demanded by the cult is likewise consistent with any military - "You must obey and follow orders NO MATTER WHAT!!"

The mentor leads the disciple to the Law...we will follow our master into kosen rufu and eternity...More concretely, you blamed us for ‘factional activities’ but our opinion is just and if the swift change of the Soka Gakkai doctrine promoted by the executive leaders does not follow Ikeda Sensei’s guidance, then such action to forcefully promote the change must be the ‘factional activity’ that deviates from the Soka Gakkai of which Ikeda Sensei is the mentor. SGI

Ever notice how, within the SGI, "mentor" is often interchangeable with "dictator"? Try substituting it in various quotes - you'll be amazed at how it doesn't change the meaning one bit!

True disciples, meanwhile, are ones who follow the mentor’s teaching, who never forget that this most profound aspiration is in fact their own, and who—convinced from the bottom of their hearts that this is so—launch into action in accord with the mentor’s instructions. SGI

That's my favorite quote from today:

who never forget that this most profound aspiration is in fact their own

"We're telling you what to do, but remember - it was YOUR OWN IDEA in the first place!!"

Conformity is the ideal, just as in the military:

to resolutely protect the harmonious unity of the SGI...Contribute to harmonious unity...Not engage in any other behavior that disrupts the harmonious unity of the SGI...to resolutely protect the harmonious unity of the SGI, as a leader of the SGI-USA - from the SGI's Code of Conduct for SGI Leaders which all SGI leaders are required to sign or not be eligible to be SGI leaders

Even if the General Director is wrong, you must also follow.

Unity, unity, unity, harmonious unity...followfollowfollow...and most of all, DON'T THINK O_O

If ever we needed unity (Itai-Doshin) it is NOW!!! With the world on the brink of a war that will definitely kill many innocent people all over the world, including people in the United States, it is imperative that Nichiren followers unite for Kosen-Rufu. This is not the time for petty differences. SGIbot

Oh brother (eye roll)

All this extremist talk serves to connect with the members' "lizard brain" flight-or-fight fear centers and trigger the feeling that there's a threat to their very survival - and it's HERE!!! This serves to inflame a sense of urgency, a panicked unthinking knee-jerk reaction that if they don't do something IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW, all will be lost - FOREVER!! It's not rational thought. It's tapping into members' subconscious fears and exploiting them for the cult's benefit - AND short-circuiting the members' capacity for rational, deliberate thought. "THERE ISN'T A MOMENT TO SPARE!!"

We must pray with a determination that shakes the universe; we must pray with all our might. When we follow this fundamental path, our all-out efforts will bear magnificent fruit (President Ikeda, World Tribune Nov. 7, 1994, p. 5)

I was kind of reminded of warhammer 40k orks for a bit there. See - orks can't lose, they only win. Because if an ork runs away from a fight, they haven't lost because they can come back and win later. And if an ork dies in a fight, that's dying, not losing.

In short, orkz iz made for fightin' an' winnin'. Source