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Less fear, more courage, zero soap powder...
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iainx...@gmail.com
Mar 5, 2016, 2:18:32 PM3/5/16
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Here's one for you Chas..."BOO!"...
I know I shouldn't do that to people wracked with phobias (irrational fears), who are scared of their own shadow (not to mention, hell, yakuza, martial arts, alternative healing arts, most movies, porn stars, anything that could possibly touched toxic Zen, recycling - probably - see the toxic Zen point) but I can't resist.
There is a great way to overcome those phobias apart from some good professional intervention. I know of a really good practice that reliably brings forth the qualities of wisdom, courage and compassion...not to mention abundant life-force.
Let me know if you're interested. It's not hard to learn, can be bit difficult to carry on, like anything - gym, diet, etc. etc.
But do watch out for the cowboys, they'll have you thinking you need to buy it and that you have to do extra things for it to work AND they don't teach it right - well they have to keep adding things to convince you theirs is unique and change the formula to keep you hooked and keep it profitable.
It's - like soap powder really, you end up with less active ingredient, mixed with with lots of useless crap and you end up paying through the nose - advertising and marketing costs.
In some cases those additives are harmful, just like the bakers additives in years gone by or the modern equivalents that have made it into diets worldwide especially in USA and UK...
But you don't need those branded spiritual "products", the original is simple, cheap and much more effective, ditch the personal trainer, get a better results and save yourself lots of money and harm.
What about spiritual humanism, helping suffering people? Oh well if you want to join an organisation that's focussed on that well there are lots of aid agencies but be careful, charities and "humanitarian" orgs. in particular have a reputation for using this as a cover.
You want to check out their finances in particular and their mission statement. There should be independent scrutiny and evidence on how effective they are at achieving their goals and maximising use of their donations. They should have good governance and financial transparency and control.
For example, a few have been found to be diverting funds away from their primary goals and the people they're supposed to be helping. In such orgs, a high percentage is spent on administration costs, chief executive and senior leaders salaries, plush offices, unnecessary technology advertising, unnecessary real estate acquisition, vanity projects, consultant costs, political lobbying, entertaining etc.
That leaves little to actually help the people they are supposed to be helping or achieve the mission they are supposed to be focused on.
Three religious organisations provide a comparison to SGI and a prompt for further research. SGI is by no means the only player in this spiritual arena that espouses the warm and fluffy values that it pushes forward. It was distinct in its faith, belief in Gohonzon and Daimoku but it seems not the quite understand what it teaches it believes anymore or at least keeps changing it. Current flavour of the month is 'mentor-disciple'
Arguably there are other organisations that are much more effective and from whom SGI may have borrowed.
The Quakers seem to have a good rep.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers
Originally from the UK, they seem to keep it small in an organisational sense but are very good at putting their beliefs into action, they've been doing it well for centuries. The SGI deems to have borrowed quite a lot of their approach, turned it into rhetoric but hasn't modeled their organisation along Quaker lines and their sense of equality of faith either.
There's Tzu Chi, seems very good at actually helping people in crisis and responding to disasters.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzu_Chi
Started in the 60's from a sewing circle of 6 people. Also Lotus Sutra based but non Nichiren. Some controversies.
In the Nichiren line there's Rissho Kosei Kai. They chant Daimoku but it's a different focus.
Established before Mr Toda's Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, it's entirely possible that RKK may have provided NSSG (SGI) with some of the templates that the latter then adopted for its organisational activities/structure. The similarities are stiking. Equally, RKK may have learned from NSSG (SGI). It's likely the two nay have learned from each other but RKK seems to have attracted less critical press, be generally well-regarded and better at delivering practical help.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risshō_Kōsei_Kai
Is very good on interfaith, seems quite good on campaigning to end poverty and hunger, some controversies but generally seems to be effective and we'll thought of. Has a similar discussion meeting type thing going on. Not sure about financial transparency though. Might be worth futher checking out.
I know I shouldn't do that to people wracked with phobias (irrational fears), who are scared of their own shadow (not to mention, hell, yakuza, martial arts, alternative healing arts, most movies, porn stars, anything that could possibly touched toxic Zen, recycling - probably - see the toxic Zen point) but I can't resist.
There is a great way to overcome those phobias apart from some good professional intervention. I know of a really good practice that reliably brings forth the qualities of wisdom, courage and compassion...not to mention abundant life-force.
Let me know if you're interested. It's not hard to learn, can be bit difficult to carry on, like anything - gym, diet, etc. etc.
But do watch out for the cowboys, they'll have you thinking you need to buy it and that you have to do extra things for it to work AND they don't teach it right - well they have to keep adding things to convince you theirs is unique and change the formula to keep you hooked and keep it profitable.
It's - like soap powder really, you end up with less active ingredient, mixed with with lots of useless crap and you end up paying through the nose - advertising and marketing costs.
In some cases those additives are harmful, just like the bakers additives in years gone by or the modern equivalents that have made it into diets worldwide especially in USA and UK...
But you don't need those branded spiritual "products", the original is simple, cheap and much more effective, ditch the personal trainer, get a better results and save yourself lots of money and harm.
What about spiritual humanism, helping suffering people? Oh well if you want to join an organisation that's focussed on that well there are lots of aid agencies but be careful, charities and "humanitarian" orgs. in particular have a reputation for using this as a cover.
You want to check out their finances in particular and their mission statement. There should be independent scrutiny and evidence on how effective they are at achieving their goals and maximising use of their donations. They should have good governance and financial transparency and control.
For example, a few have been found to be diverting funds away from their primary goals and the people they're supposed to be helping. In such orgs, a high percentage is spent on administration costs, chief executive and senior leaders salaries, plush offices, unnecessary technology advertising, unnecessary real estate acquisition, vanity projects, consultant costs, political lobbying, entertaining etc.
That leaves little to actually help the people they are supposed to be helping or achieve the mission they are supposed to be focused on.
Three religious organisations provide a comparison to SGI and a prompt for further research. SGI is by no means the only player in this spiritual arena that espouses the warm and fluffy values that it pushes forward. It was distinct in its faith, belief in Gohonzon and Daimoku but it seems not the quite understand what it teaches it believes anymore or at least keeps changing it. Current flavour of the month is 'mentor-disciple'
Arguably there are other organisations that are much more effective and from whom SGI may have borrowed.
The Quakers seem to have a good rep.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers
Originally from the UK, they seem to keep it small in an organisational sense but are very good at putting their beliefs into action, they've been doing it well for centuries. The SGI deems to have borrowed quite a lot of their approach, turned it into rhetoric but hasn't modeled their organisation along Quaker lines and their sense of equality of faith either.
There's Tzu Chi, seems very good at actually helping people in crisis and responding to disasters.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzu_Chi
Started in the 60's from a sewing circle of 6 people. Also Lotus Sutra based but non Nichiren. Some controversies.
In the Nichiren line there's Rissho Kosei Kai. They chant Daimoku but it's a different focus.
Established before Mr Toda's Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai, it's entirely possible that RKK may have provided NSSG (SGI) with some of the templates that the latter then adopted for its organisational activities/structure. The similarities are stiking. Equally, RKK may have learned from NSSG (SGI). It's likely the two nay have learned from each other but RKK seems to have attracted less critical press, be generally well-regarded and better at delivering practical help.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risshō_Kōsei_Kai
Is very good on interfaith, seems quite good on campaigning to end poverty and hunger, some controversies but generally seems to be effective and we'll thought of. Has a similar discussion meeting type thing going on. Not sure about financial transparency though. Might be worth futher checking out.
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