Soka Gakkai Visitor Comments

"As a former member of Soka Gakkai it is my belief that it is indeed a cult and that many of the members do not realize that their actions are similar to those used by many other cults. When I refused to purchase the monthly magazine I was told that I was 'heavy.' This was a word that commonly used by Soka Gakkai members in Boston and it basically refers to someone being negative. A few months later, after carefully reviewing my interactions with the Soka Gakkai members, I left them after seven years. Today I am a practicing Tibetan Buddhist. Soka Gakkai does not teach the Dharma of the Buddha. It is the only Buddhist school I know of which has consistently spoken out against other Buddhist sects, an action denounced by the Buddha on more than one occasion."

"I joined the group in 1991 around the time when they were denounced as a lay organization by the head temple in Japan. That information was not made available to me. I had no idea I was involved in a group that had ties to a controversial political party in Japan. I eventually decided to leave, but only after 8 years. It was devastating when I found out my years of practicing were not recognized by the Nichiren Shoshu Temple. I had worked hard to receive a Gohonzon, which was an unauthorized copy. My experience included constant phone calls urging me to attend meetings, letters, hard pressure to recruit new members and being told I was living in a hole if I didn't fully participate. People should be informed and directed to appropriate temples."