Salvia Study Site:
dc
Experiences from a Salvia Study Site:
Someone had given me a sample of their enhanced leaf to try. I took what I
thought was a small portion (one third?) of their pre measured gel cap dose.
However, when dealing with such a small amount it was hard to tell how much
I had. I felt very little fear before I began (which I now think is not a
good sign!) I took a small hit of that small portion, and held it in for a
relatively short and comfortable length of time. The effects were smooth and
mild. I noticed that there was still smoke in the bong. I took a second very
small hit to finish off anything that was still left. I had plenty of time
to lie down, turn off the lights, put on my blindfold (which for this trip
was totally superfluous). It seemed like it took longer than usual for the
full effect to hit.
Previous to this "trip" I had what I thought were some very solid level four
experiences. I've since decided that the rating scale is grossly inadequate.
This experience felt much more intense than anything I'd previously
experienced. By my new rating scale I'd call it a 9. And maybe those who
take pure salvinorin experience a level 25 or more.
Anyhow, the carnival feeling was much stronger. (I usually only have a
fleeting moment or sense of this.) And I heard a man's voice talking to me,
(which might have been connected to the spirit of the man who made the
extract) But I can't remember anything that he said. I was so completely in
this alien/unhuman dimension or realm. It was so vividly real. I totally
panicked. I wasn't sure I could make it back or withstand the intensity of
it. I feel foolish now that I responded with such fear, but at the time
there was no controlling it. The idea of being trapped there, if this was
what happened when I died, terrified me. The space is alien and unhuman. And
yet it was a real space or realm, complex and labyrinthine in nature. Strong
pink and green colors. Like nothing I can describe. After what seemed like
an eternity of time, but was actually only a few minutes of our time, I
yelled for my friend "Ocean" who was upstairs. Eventually, he heard me and
came down and held my hand as I gradually pulled myself back from the
experience. I did not feel like lingering or sustaining it. As I came back I
felt that I and everything around me was oriented upright and vertical. I
can't explain this other than to say that reality had formed itself at a 90
degree angle from how I was lying down.
During the night I had a dream. (This is a pattern I've noticed. I often
have an experience during the night that echoes the Salvia journey.) In the
dream I had an altered state experience or dream experience where I'd broken
through and remained conscious and brought back secrets that I wasn't
supposed to know. I woke up from the experience (still in a dream) and was
excitedly telling Fox and other people what I now understood about how
realities are nested into each other at 90 degree angles. You don't feel
yourself turning a corner, but are instantly at a 90 degree angle from where
you were. (There was more I understood in the dream, but this is all I
remember.) Anyhow, in the dream, they, meaning the forces that work to keep
us unconscious, were not happy that I had broken through. They did not like
that I understood their secrets. There would be ramifications to my knowing
this. Other dreams continued to expand on this theme.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
It makes perfect sense to me, your awareness of the 90 degree angle nested
realities. I've also sensed that it's just a matter of turning a corner in
my mind/perceptions to access other probabilities. I feel as if I am on that
verge much more often because of meeting Lady Salvia. It is surely a good
ego-buster and fracturer of consensus conditioning!
Perhaps the fear of releasing into the experience that so many of us deal
with here is related to a kind of reluctance to leave the known behind. We
have been taught that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush. So we've
essentially been brainwashed. No wonder we experience fear coming up! Well,
so we keep on keeping on.
I also experience salvia as essentially nonhuman, not relating a lot to
human experience. It seems to be offering us a balance, more universal,
multiversal, medicine from the nonhuman to the human. I am thankful that we
have places like this forum where we can help to ground and integrate our
far journeys! Thanks for sharing!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That is very interesting. 90 degrees is an interesting figure to me because
of the null effect that it has in the physics of radio waves. Theoretically,
if you have a vertical and a horizontally polarized electro-magnetic wave
(AKA radiowave) which are perfectly polarized to be exactly 90 degrees from
one another, they can both be transmitting on exactly the same frequency and
pointing at some far away spot on the horizon and if you also had a
perfectly polarized antenna located out on that far away place on the
horizon that your pointing at to receive this signal, you will not be able
to measure the presence of the other polarity, when receiving within the
polarity of the desire signal. One radio wave is completely nulled out to
such an extent that it is called infinite. This property of electro-magnetic
waves is taken advantage of in satellite telecommunications, they transmit
both horizontal and a vertically polarized radio waves up to the satellite,
re-using the same frequencies twice over to allow them to use twice as much
bandwidth for a given amount of radio spectrum. You just have to have an
antenna on both ends that has a feed that will transmit on or receive on
either polarity and connect them to two different coaxial (or waveguide)
cables that feed from separate transmitters and then too separate receivers,
one receiving on each polarity.
It is really simple how this works, but the words I am using might make it
seem complicated or mysterious. It is just a simple fact in physics.
Although, we cannot make a perfectly polarized antenna, they are close, but
not perfect. Because of this we can still see some of the other polarity
when two antennas are aligned this way, but not much.
If you were smoking a gel cap that contained only 1 mg (or so) of
Salvinorin, and only 1/3 of that cap took you that far out, or even 2 mg per
cap as an upper limit, it makes me wonder how sensitive you are to
Salvinorin. I guess your friend might have made it too strong for you. I
think I saw something where someone made some of those and calibrated them
to their own liking rather than a known amount of Salvinorin?
Be very careful when using someone else enhanced leaf, with the easy
extraction process you can make enhanced leaf far too strong for some
people. Like the story of the girl with the three bears, eating their
porage. One much too hot, one too cold and one just right.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
So there you have it. The secret to time travel and other dimensions has to
do with this 90 degree angle.
Hum, I thought it had to do with the harmonics that are heard when not
consciously in phase/sync with our current physical coordinates. Everyone
hears this, and feels this, right? Should I not be assuming that everyone
else also experiences that?
Have you ever just sat outside in a very quiet and peaceful spring/summer
scene (one full of the emergency of life), and just observe, and meditated,
and let your consciousness float out there until you begin to hear that
particularly subtle background harmonic and white noise of the moment? It's
smooth, steady, and pleasing sounding, when the surrounding moment is calm
and peaceful. But it can be spooky and chaotic sounding when there is a
disturbance. Follow that harmonic, and sync with it. You may be surprise to
find a bird will fly down and land next to you. Or a squirrel will come out
of a tree towards you and almost into your lap.
I've been able to go deeper by following a particular harmonic/vibration
into to other realms of conscious experience and awareness and remembrance.
I suppose in a way sort of like time travel - however, physically, I'm only
seemingly able to become consciously aware of a fraction of a second into
the past before the next moment happens (or maybe its an awareness of the
next fraction of a second of time ahead of me before it actually manifests
and resolves) - like how you can sometimes catch yourself turning to the
phone a spit second before it actually begins to ring. And I find I can also
modify that harmonic to influence a following moment, but not in any detail,
but a state - such as 'confusion' (like the thing I did with that cop one
day when he crashed into that car ahead of him when the light turned green -
and BTW, they tracked me down - I got a letter in the mail to phone them
about this matter ... yeah, right! - I saw WHAT happen?), or a state of
laughter, delight, surprise, fright, etc.
I've only been able to 'time travel' a fraction of a second into the past
(or rather HOLD there). It's not like traveling back. It's more like this I
find:
Imagine reality flipping by in frames, frames which exist for 1/40th of a
second. Click click click they flash by in sync. However, I think one can
HOLD in a particular frame for 1/20th of a second (thus remaining behind in
time for 1/40th of a second), and while remaining there they may effect an
influence into the next frame, before resuming synchronized and normal speed
movement. I don't know if that's how it works, but this is what I've been
able to test. And this is a true account of such a test:
Last week while my daughter and I were sitting on a bench in a hallway in an
office building, a young lady came walking down the hall. I whispered to my
daughter 'watch, she's going to trip on her own foot.' And then as she
walked by she TRIPPED. No kidding (I know you don't believe this). Over
nothing but her own foot she tripped. She was walking across a normal flat
uncarpeted floor down a hall, and she did that tripping thing as if one of
her feet had suddenly forgotten how to walk. Seriously. I've done this more
than a couple dozen times now. It doesn't always work - but with a very
concentrated effort it can work. What the hell does one start to think, when
they think they can do this? Could it just be a wild streak of coincidences?
If not coincidences, what does this then mean or imply? What are the
implications? BTW, my daughter hates it when I do that, but such tests are
ideal because the subject is not aware of their test status and thus
influenced by knowing they are a test subject.
Anyhow, I'll keep an eye out for 90° angles. Maybe I can get physically
further back in time going around some corner, than a measly split second in
time. But those harmonics are sure mysterious. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
posted May 15, 2002 10:42 AM
I feel that -everything- is coded with doors, channels, ways to grok the
whole, time travel, harmonize vibrations, whatever we seek. Isn't that one
reason we come here to this forum to share? To learn of the experience of
others, as well as to share our own? To see, maybe, if what works for
someone else might work for us? And also, perhaps, to validate others in
their journey, their sharing, that they may continue on heartened, as we may
wish for ourselves?
Here we are in an infinite multiverse! Let the good times roll! >>>>>>>
<<<<<<<<<<<<<,
That was a statement I made about something "I" said and assumed. Quote: "I
thought IT had to do with the harmonics that are heard when not consciously
in phase/sync with our current physical coordinates." (with "IT" meaning
time/dimensional travel, etc.) I was simply questioning whether "my"
assumption was wrong (an attempt to self correct).
I myself find "harmonics" (and their associated vibrations) when traveling,
tripping, meditating, dreaming, etc.. And I simply became curious regarding
your "So there you have it. The secret to time travel and other dimensions
has to do with this 90 degree angle."
I became intrigued, because it also made me begin to wonder what are others
are sensing along those lines (of traveling etc.).
quote:
Dreamplanter: Why are you making assumptions about me and responding to my
personal sharing in an insensitive way?
Well, I guess all I can say is I must be a really insensitive stump, because
I honestly fail to see where I was insensitive. I was after all, just trying
to correct a potential misconception/assumption that I may have been holding
onto. Like I said, I was going to keep an eye out for those 90° angles.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Even the psychedelic mystics get testy with each other in MAPPO. Arguing
over possible time travel secrets.
david
C
Individuals currently in the midst of emotional or psychological
upheaval in their everyday lives should be careful about choosing to
use psychoactives such as Salvia as they could possibly trigger
even more difficulty.
Individuals with a family history of schizophrenia or early onset mental
illness should be extremely careful because strong psychoactives have
been known to trigger latent psychological and mental problems.
http://www.erowid.org/plants/salvia/salvia_basics.shtml
>>I've known this poster of this message, David Cole, for over 5 years.
Can anybody tell me if this abberant behavior can be attributed to his
chronic use of Salvia? Before he got into that shit he used to be
a devout Buddhist, and an intelligent, well-reasoned person. Within
a few weeks after announcing that he had discovered a drug that
can induce enlightenment, he completely changed. Most of his posts
now reflect an obsession with sexual perversion and other crude remarks
as you can see below. He has escalated this obsession to the point
that he often posts vulgarities in "ALL CAPS" I guess to get our attention.
Just watch his reply once he reads this message if you need anymore proof.
On the other hand, he will post claims that he has attained the "same
enlightenment" as Buddha, Jesus, and other historical Religious figures.
He even claims that he is "the true buddha"
Anybody else know somebody that has taken Salvia and experienced
similar detrimental results?
On Tue, 16 Apr 2002 20:08:37 GMT, "dc" <rial...@pacbell.net> wrote:
>"DESCRIBING THE RITUAL SEQUENCE OF THE HEVAJRA-TANTRA, SNELGROVE NOTES,
>ALMOST INCIDENTALLY, THAT IN THE SECRET CONSECRATION (GUHYABHISEKA), "THE
>MASTER DROPS THE SACREMENTAL BODHICITTA INTO THE PUPILS MOUTH"---WITHOUT
>INDICATING THAT THIS BODHICITTA IS ACTUALLY THE SEMEN EJACULATED DURING THE
>MASTER'S UNION WITH A FEMALE RITUAL PARTNER---AND IN THE CONSECRATION OF THE
>KNOWLEDGE OF WISODM (PRANJNAJNANABHISEKA) HE PRESIDES OVER THE PUPIL'S (A
>MALE ACOLYTE PRETENDING TO BE THE FEMALE CONSORT), <<<
>On Wed, 20 Mar 2002 00:20:49 GMT, "dc" <rial...@pacbell.net> wrote in
>message Re: Re. "The Red Thread" book: PERVERSITY(ies) in old Japanese
>Buddhism!*.
>"[The Buddhist temple] in LA (West Hollywood) or UK
>...dominated by male homoerotics, while real women are subjugated and have
>to search to other women for companionship..... and they want to puke and
>real men want to barf. thus it is the same as in Old Japan....still that
>ugly Shingon Karma rearing it's ugly head.....and the holistic Chakra semen
>obsessers of Hollyweird, ritualizing ejaculatory fantasies and play acting
>with the AIDS consequences.....virus worhippers. Then of course there is
>the hungry ghost schizos and manic depressives who hang around ready to
>worship, hoping for a dose of the royal jelly which never comes. Even
>alter boy consciousness never quite gets it's fill. And the interesting
>dicotomies of Bodhicitta semen droplets, staking out their claim to anal
>enforcements of hidden and unconscious Japanese Shingon Karmic wet dreams
>and Freudian disco West Hollywood Perves (correct spelling) and there
>sympathizers.......
>http://www.drsusanblock.com/sexinreview/places/hollywoodtour3.htm
>Now of course people are people, and people with weird obsessions and
>mental artifacts are all welcome into Buddhism, but goddamn, do they have
>to dominate it? Isn't Buddhism intended to be a mainstream thing? The best
>grounds for reunification yet is to repopulate the temples with real men and
>women who are normal.
>I know this is so shocking! Well imagine the sincere Nichiren Shoshu
>Buddhist male new member, walking into a Buddist meeting which they have
>for all their life thought, would be a austere religion and then get hit
>on by there leader!!! ITS HAPPENING PEOPLE! How 'bout two men who drove
>you to the meeting jerking each other off in the front seat after you get
>Gojukai?.....on the way back to help you enshrine your Gohonzon? They might
>as well go back to Catholicism or join a Holistic Circus, if it's a little
>bung-hole action they are looking for. See it's Shingon Karma.
>(Shocking......oh terrible........Can't he keep his mouth shut?.......he is
>a homophobe!!!,,,,,,,,who is this Whistle blower raining on our rainbow
>parade? Cutting in on our sanctified and pious anal fantasies? Who does he
>think he is?)"
>Copyright © David Cole 2002
>
>
>
jonin
"dc" <rial...@pacbell.net> rote (or so says):
<nada, ziltch, waste matter>
both of you, dc & c, (sick bastards) do NOT practice buddhism!
both of you do NOT practice buddhism!
both of you do NOT practice dharma!
nam butsu, namu so, nam` ho
hail to the reality of hte dharma
that you HAVEN'T a CLUE!!!
AVOID them at all costs... `least ye` be hypnotized~~~
jonin
"C" <stop...@aaol.com> wrote:
Vitamin C rote...
<nada, ziltch, waste matter>
both of you do NOT practice buddhism!
both of you do NOT practice dharma!
both of you do NOT practice in any reality that is a hairs width of real
humanit!
Peacelove1982
>From: stop...@aaol.com (C)
>Date: 05/24/2002 5:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3ceee07c....@news.dfncis.de>
have also used other drugs such as pot, and so on...
Even though my one girlfriend lives in NYC), she thinks that Salvia is just
too intense and far out there for any kind of recreational or educational drug.
She's tried it a couple of times, but won't again; she says that she'll stick
with pot anytime. Basically, it is a shit drug Why? Well, that's what users
have said, and if you read below, you'll see that the *visions* come from
poison.
I looked up Salvia online. I found out that the hallunications and the *trip*
were induced because of toxic poisoning-not because Salvia induces any kind of
valid religious or mind expanding results.
I quote: "Acutely, Salvia and salvinorin induce what could be termed a 'toxic
psychosis' in other words one may see visions, hear voices, have bizarre
thought patterns etc." Whoop dee do, who needs that junk?
I love the bud, and that's all, since THC really is the only illegal drug to
have been found to be beneficial to humans. My friends and I have
experiemented with a few drugs, and we all come to the same conclusions.
I am only 19, but sometimes young people know more about drugs than old people,
so I thought I'd say something here.
You can email me if you disagree, but why would you want to have a toxic drug
experience?
>
>
>
>
>
>
C
>both of you, dc & c, (sick bastards) do NOT practice buddhism!
>both of you do NOT practice buddhism!
>both of you do NOT practice dharma!
>nam butsu, namu so, nam` ho
>hail to the reality of hte dharma
>that you HAVEN'T a CLUE!!!
>AVOID them at all costs... `least ye` be hypnotized~~~
Another happy hBS member. What a surprise
C
your experience
C
jonin
>
> Another happy hBS member. What a surprise
>
no, not even, much more independent than you will ever know. I am 'still'
Nichiren Shu to their dread.
jonin, independent and part of all the sanghas.
namu nichiren butsu,
namu vitamin c devatata dai ryu-o
jonin
that is the truth of the matter 'Peacelove1982'. however, this life is a
toxic experience. it is a double edged sword this drug thing. we condemn it,
yet live its poison by condemning the people that indulge in them.
we are here, so we all have been intoxicated and induced into the poison of
living. Just as some revealing truth can be found in the ecstatic
experience, so too can ignorance be found in rejecting the truths that it
can force us into by way of hellish experience and trauma -- our very life.
the Buddha rejected the toxic mix of life as found in both the theravadin
and dai ichijo myohok`kekyo 'takes' of the real founder -- the historical
person known as the original teacher.
it if pitiful to see such destruction. that is the revelation of the buddha.
now is the time to eliminate it. not the drugs, not the free will to take
them, but the blindness of those that would condemn that we are any better
off by:
taking violent action against them,
not seeing we are influenced by the same poisons
thinking our poison is better
& sticking our heads, dicks, and ecstatic ooze into
the sand.
be well and chant and practice whatever it takes to get you to the truth of
suffering.
jonin
i agian reiterate:
"find some truth on honest buddhist sites.
http://www.la.nichirenshu.org/
http://www.butsuryushu.org/
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/
study your asses off, get some peace and repent" our wrong conducts.
jonin
Peacelove1982
>Date: 05/24/2002 9:51 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <YKEH8.1886$2Q3.1...@news3.news.adelphia.net>
are self destructive.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
jonin
> >
> >
> >Jonin, you are a crackheaded crackpot. Whatever you are taking, quit.
You
> are self destructive.
> >
ok peacelove, but you are telling me to quit reading the sutra, quit reading
the goibun, quit giving a damn. self destructive.... I hope so! and I'll
take every perverted self I can to the void.
anyway, haven't done the crack since I was a teen. so must mean you sorely
misunderstand.
maybe you should change your handle, `cuz peace & love just don't fit your
response.
this NG is filled with insane sickness... just callin` a spade...
`nayways, every fool moon or so, you'll see me raise my little head and peek
into this trippy excuse of a NG calling itself buddhism. just 'zcuz `zall.
and i need to remind myself of the poison found in misguided beliefs.
be well, just study
jonin
Peacelove1982
here? some guy was trying to find out about a drug called salvia. what does
void have to do with that?
jonin
um.. not a thing. tangents everywhere...
so, call me a crackhead and imply i am on some bad drugs...
what dat "have to do with that?"
(don't other)... rhetorical
dc
Yes i think you two should definately stay away from Salvia except under the
care of a dedicated Bodhisalvia Trainer. Go watch "Reefer Madness" a few
times.
Did you guys know that Gautama Buddha died from an OD of Sukkara Mandava? (a
toxic in high dose, Psychedelic
Mushrooms) He planned it at least 3 months in advanced. Did you guys also
know that Nichiren named himself after the main ingredient in Soma the
Elixer of Immortality? Sun Lotus?
Yeah probably not.
Did you know that the authors of the Lotus Sutra, were using Lotus, mixed
with various other psychoactives? No probably not.
Oh well.
The Chinese Emperor to the First Buddhist Priest in China:
"We like your religion but can you get us some of that 'Elixer of
Immortality?'"
dc
dc
The Divine Hallucinogen
by David L. Spess
ISBN 0-89281-731-3
Park Street Press
208 pages, 6 x 9
20 b & w illustrations
Cloth, $30.00 (CAN $48.00)About the Book
About the Book
The definitive work on the ancient Hindu soma rituals mentioned in the Vedas
and debated by scholars for decades.
* The first book to identify the mysterious soma plant.
* A breakthrough book that reenvisions the role of psychoactive plants in
religion.
Soma has been shrouded in mystery for centuries. It is simultaneously a
sacred hallucinogenic plant used in secret rituals, a personified God, and
an important cosmological principle. Summarizing all previous research on
the subject, David Spess goes far beyond his predecessors and shows that
soma provides an important key to the understanding of the earliest
systemized methods of medicine, psychology, magic, rejuvenation, longevity,
and alchemy. Most significant is that his intensive research provides the
most compelling case yet for actual identification of the plants that served
as the basis for the divine hallucinogen Nelumbo nucifera, the sacred lotus
of India, as well as some members of the Nymphaea genus.
With the renewed interest in the ritual use of psychoactive substances,
shamanism, psychic phenomena, and alternative modalities of healing, Soma
provides a much needed bridge between Eastern and Western esoteric
traditions. Contained within the enigmatic verses about soma in the Rig Veda
is a secret about ourselves and the nature of our relationship to the world
and cosmos. Soma makes this knowledge available to us once again.
About the Author
David Spess has a master's degree in microbiology/mycology and studied
Sanskrit at the Naropa Institute. David has traveled throughout India and
the Middle East researching this book. He was formerly a research mycologist
for the FDA and has taught at the University of Colorado. He lives in New
Mexico.
Reviews
"In this meticulously researched, always scholarly but eminently readable
study of Soma, the "elixir of immortality" and enlightenment of ancient
India, David Spess takes us on a fascinating intellectual and spiritual
journey way beyond Wasson's narrowly focused case for Amanita muscaria, the
inebriating fly agaric mushroom of ecstatic Siberian shamanism. In a book
thankfully free of both scientific and New Age jargon Spess presents
convincing evidence that Soma's devotees knew of many different kinds and
even colors of soma drinks with different associations and purposes, so that
soma botany and taxonomy cannot be reduced to a single sacred plant species.
A valuable contribution to both historical ethnobotany and comparative
religion----and a good read."
Peter T. Furst, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology. Author of Flesh of the Gods: The Ritual use of Hallucinogens;
Hallucinogens & Culture; and People of the Peyote: Huichol Indian History &
Religion
"Spess makes a daring thesis--that Indo-Aryan ritualists created an
entheogenic ceremony that eventually spread throughout all of Eurasia--and
he argues cogently that soma and its rituals reached all of the great
civilizations, creating alchemy and magic. This book reveals the history of
the divine soma, not just in India, but in all subsequent searches for the
golden germ and the elixir of immortality. A well-argued and convincing
book, worth reading many times over!"
Willard Johnson, Professor of Religious Studies, San Diego State University
Author of Poetry and Speculation of the Rg Veda and Riding the Ox Home
"This fascinating tour de force of impeccable scholarship, written with
enviable elan, succeeds brilliantly in disclosing the elusive identity of
the soma plants of India and their impact on the cultural history of China,
Europe and the Near East. Provocative, intriguing, and sure to generate
scholarly debate, this seminal work is absolutely essential for anyone
interested in soma and hallucinogenic plants."
Frank H. Lipp, Ph.D., Author of New Plant Sources for Drugs and Food and
Herbalism: Living Wisdom
"Soma brilliantly completes the enquiry on the scientific and botanical
aspects, as well as the anthropological and cultural development, of this
very important subject. A magnificent book destined to become a classic."
Oscar Ichazo, author of Psychocalisthenics and Between Metaphysica and
Protoanalysis
"By far the most thorough survey of both the botanical and the
psycho-spiritual aspects of the soma plant that I've ever seen. All I can do
is congratulate the author."
Wendy Doniger, coauthor of Soma: The Divine Mushroom of Immortality
"A noteworthy addition to the research on hallucinogens."
Joan Halifax, author of The Fruitful Darkness and Shamanic Voices
"This book comes highly recommended by Dr. Willard Johnson-my college
professor of religious studies-and I second the vote for anyone interested
in history, plant drugs, and the origins of Eastern Religion."
American Herb Association, Vol 16:4
Table of Contents
Soma
The Divine Hallucinogen
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Soma and Sacred Herbalism in the Ancient World
2. Light, Ecstatic States, and Other Effects of Soma
3. The Identity of Plants Used as Soma
4. The Asvins and the Elixir of Immortality
5. Soma and the Origins of Alchemy
6. Soma and the Origins of Western Magic
7. Soma and European Alchemy
Notes
Bibliography
Index
dc
The author of The History of Great Light, Huai-Nan-Tzu (sometimes called Lui
An, Liu Ngan, or Lew Gan), was a grandson of the Emperor Kao Ti (or Kao
Tsu), the founder of the Han Dynasty, who ascended the throne in 206 B.C.
and died in 195 B.C.
The father of Huai-Nan-Tzu was prince Li and his mother a lady of the court
of the prince of Chao.
The date of his birth is not known, but he is said to have died in 122 B.C.
Huai-Nan-Tzu, although of royal lineage, preferred to devote his life to
scholarship and spiritual philosophy rather than to the occupations of a
courtier, and gradually he gathered about him a group of the most profound
exponents of Taoism and men of kindred interests.
He was a man of exceptional ability, with a widely extended mental horizon
and a deeply religious reverence for all that is Divine.
The Eight Sages, who are said to have been his companions, teachers and
collaborators, were especially venerated for their holiness and wisdom. In
some accounts they are identified with the Eight Taoist Immortals.
In early Chinese records it is difficult to distinguish between fact and
legend, history and myth, as is evident from the legendary character of the
accounts of the Eight Immortals which are subsequently given.
This legendary element enters into many fabulous tales associated with the
life of Huai-Nan-Tzu himself, for many miraculous adventures are told
concerning him.
He is said to have learned from the Eight Sages the secret of the Elixir of
Life.
A dramatic and humorous fable relates that after he had drunk of the Elixir,
he and the Sages mounted upon a cloud and sailed up to heaven. Huai-Nan-Tzu,
however, dropped the vessel containing the Elixir into his courtyard, where
his dogs and the farmyard animals licked the dregs and at once sailed up to
heaven after him.
Such tales as these are in accordance with the mentality of a people steeped
in mystical lore and although they are fantastic when regarded in a literal
sense, if their symbolic significance is understood, behind the fabulous
setting are to be found luminous truths.
This work of Huai-Nan-Tzu is little known, being over-shadowed by the
writings of Lao-Tzu and Chuang Tzu, but a perusal of it will convince the
student of mystical philosophy that it is worthy of careful study. Its
profundity of thought is illuminated by bright flashes of delightful humour,
and through out it breathes a peace and a perpetual joy which characterize
the writings of all true exponents of Taoist Mysticism.
In The History of The Great Light Huai-Nan-Tzu presents his teachings in the
paradoxical method adopted by Lao-Tzu in The Simple Way, using as
illustrations the common things of everyday life, suggesting, by means of
contrast and analogy, the inner realities of Tao, the balance of the
masculine and the feminine, the balance of the light and the dark, and the
sublime virtues of the soul when it is united to Tao. Thus the moral of the
teachings is within the comprehension of the most simple, while the mode of
life which they advocate may be practised by all. Their very simplicity,
however, veils an inner depth of meaning which can only be fully revealed
when union with Tao has been attained.
The Eight Immortals are very interesting figures in the legendary lore of
Taoism. They are the subjects of stories, poems and paintings, and each of
them is credited with possessing marvellous qualities and mystic powers. A
symbol also is assigned to each of them, the significance of which will
gradually become evident through reflection.
The number eight is especially venerated by the Taoists, probably because of
the basic nature of the Eight Kwa of theYang and Yin Diagrams. * upon which
many of their metaphysical speculations are founded.
The Eight Taoist Immortals are described as follows :-
Chung-li K'uan, the first and greatest, is said to have discovered the
Elixir of life. His symbol is the peach, an emblem of longevity. He is also
depicted as carrying a fan with which he could revive the dead.
Chung Kwoh-Lao. A recluse with mystic powers. He is said to have had a mule
that could carry him a thousand miles in a day, which he could fold up like
a piece of paper and put in his wallet. When again required he had simply to
sprinkle it with water and it resumed its normal proportions. His symbols
are a musical instrument made of bamboo, called the Yu Ku, and the feather
of the Phoenix, the bird of immortality.
Lu Tung-pin. A Taoist scholar and recluse, who received the secret of
immortality from Chung-li K'uan. During his probation he is described as
having to undergo ten temptations, upon the overcoming of which he was given
a sword possessing supernatural powers. With this he rid the country of
dragons and other monsters that infested it. His symbols are the sword and
the Taoist fly-brush.
Ts'ao Kuo-chiu. A military commander who turned hermit. Once when
meditating, the wall of his cave was rent asunder, disclosing a casket of
jade containing a scroll upon which were written the secrets of immortality
and of the transmutation of metals. As he followed the instructions given
therein the cave became filled with luminous clouds out of which came a
stork, upon whose back he was transported to the Happy Land of Immortality.
He is the patron saint of the drama, and his symbols are a pair of castanets
and a feather fan.
Li T'ieh-Kuai. A beggar with a crutch. He is said to have been a disciple of
Lao-Tzu, who summoned him to Heaven, instructing him to leave his body in
the care of a pupil. During his absence the pupil was summoned to the
bedside of his dying mother, and the body in his charge, being considered
dead, was consigned to the flames. Li T'ieh-Kuai, on returning, found only a
heap of ashes, so he entered the body of a beggar who had just died and in
this continued his life. His symbols are a pilgrim's gourd, containing
magical medicines with which he healed many of the sick, and a crab. He is
sometimes represented as accompanied by a deer. He is the patron saint of
Apothecaries.
Han Hsang-Tzu. Scholar, poet and student of transcendental lore. He is said
to have been able to make flowers grow before the eyes of the beholders.* He
was a pupil of Lu Tung-pin, and was instructed by him to climb a peach tree,
whereupon he fell from its branches and became immortal. He is the patron
saint of musicians, and his symbol is the flute, which he is usually
represented as playing.
Lan Ts'ai-ho. A woman, who was a strolling singer, whose songs told about
the unreality of this fleeting life and the delusiveness of earthly
pleasures. She was dressed in a blue robe and wore only one shoe. At the end
of her earthly life she disappeared into a cloud. Her symbol is a basket of
flowers, and she is the patron saint of florists.
Ho Hsien-Ku. Called the Immortal Maiden. In a vision she was instructed that
if she ate mother-of-pearl she would gradually become immortal. She lived in
the mountains and became more and more ethereal, floating from peak to peak.
At last, dispensing with earthly food, she attained her quest. Her symbol is
the lotus, the flower of open-heartedness.
The idea of immortality permeates the whole of the Taoist teachings and
finds expression in various passages of The History of Great Light. Its
conscious attainment is one of the fruits of the truly alchemical life with
which the more profound teachings of Taoism are concerned. It is realized
only through the soul's perfective union with Tao, which union, as all true
mystics teach, may be accomplished in this present life, and is not
necessarily reserved for the after death state or for some future life.
Taoism, while appearing to depreciate the things of this world, does so only
in contrast to the world of reality, in comparison with which they are only
as shadows to substance; as the reflected beauty of nature to the
transcendent beauty of the spiritual world; as the temporal existence of the
body to the immortal life of the soul.
The aim of Taoist teachings is to free man from attachments to all that is
transient, thus enabling him both to use and to enjoy all things to the
fullest possible extent by assigning them to their proper place in his life.
Numerous methods are given in Taoist writings for the realization of
immortality, foremost among which is a system of mental and mystical
discipline.
The unfoldment of the higher faculties of the mind whereby it is related to
the realities of the spiritual realms, and the control of the lower nature
so that it functions normally, will ever be man's chief means for the
elevation of the little self to the great Self, whereby he participates
consciously in Eternal Life.
A body kept fit and healthy by proper exercise and diet can, however, help
in the accomplishment of the soul's purpose; Consequently most mystical
systems contain instructions regarding the care of the physical part of man,
in order that it may be given its correct place in a complete rule of life,
and neither hinder him by its ill-health, nor prematurely decay and perish.
The search for the true Elixir of Immortality through the discipline of the
whole nature, and through identification with Tao, often degenerated in the
later decadent ages into a superstitious hunt for longevity, or the
preservation of physical existence by numerous magical arts of an inordinate
and a godless character.
A clear distinction should, however, be made between immortality and
longevity, since the former belongs to the soul, while the latter pertains
merely to the external nature.
The physical body, being generated in time, is subject to the constant
changes which are inseparable from all corporeal existence's; consequently,
although it is said mystically to "put on immortality", it can neither be
immortal nor can it become immortal, whatsoever processes are employed in
endeavouring to make it so.
The essence of soul, however, belongs to the spiritual realm, which is
eternal: therefore, is essentially immortal.
But until his spiritual nature is unfolded, man identifies himself with his
body and the material world, and these obscure his real Self and prevent him
from realizing his true nature: thus he is not conscious of his essential
immortality.
© Copyright 1995 - 2001 TheTemple.com. All Rights Reserved.
Contact: webm...@TheTemple.com
This URL is
http://www.TheTemple.com/TheShrineOfWisdom/OriginsAndImmortals.html
C
From the IRG crybaby board
Over the past several years a hot and passionate controversy over the
formality of gongyo has exposed what appears to be a religious schism within
the SGI. What follows is a brief history of the gongyo issue and my
observations of two religious views that seem to be very opposed to each
other.
The “gongyo issue” started about three years ago. Before that time a long
practicing member found that the format of 5 and 3 prayers was started at
Taisekiji long after Nichiren Daishonin’s time. That Nichiren himself said
that whether you chant just the daimoku or recite the entire sutra, the
blessing is the same. This man had been doing gongyo once through the book and
getting the same benefit, just as the Daishonin said. Therefore, he concluded,
it was not necessary to keep promoting the 5 and 3 format. It would be better
for propagation in this country to teach people according to the gosho.
This idea was presented at a district leaders seminar in Tiburon and at first
met with resistance. But as time went by many people came to accept the idea
and found that the simple format was just as good as the long format. Some
people had to challenge a fear of doing a simple gongyo, but once they broke
through their fear, they found themselves happy with the result. (There are
some who find the old way works better for them). So at meetings
members often did what was called “Nichiren Daishonin’s Gongyo.”
However, many members were offended by this and didn’t like “shortening
gongyo,” thought of the act as “sacrilegious” and were very angry. To make
matters hard, some of the “progressives,” as I shall call them, were very
authoritarian in promoting the change. (this is because the authoritarian way
was the only way for a long time in SGI and many knew no other method to do
things). Among the “conservatives” there were many who still treated gongyo as
a superstition and were afraid of “shortening” it. As a result there was
fighting and ill feelings among many. Also, this brought up questions about
the Buddhist practice itself.
Different meetings were held to talk about it. There was one meeting with Greg
Martin in the East Bay with just Marin chapter in which he tried to answer
questions but did not satisfy everyone. One thing he did say that stands out
is that it is up to Pres. Ikeda to decide on the formality, that we don’t know
why he wants it that way but we must trust his wisdom (that sounds to me like
Nichiren Shoshu’s attitude toward their high priest). Greg Martin
also said we should respect everyone’s differences.
So, for a while at our World Peace gongyo meetings we would alternate between
the simple format and the traditional format. However this made the
conservatives very angry and upset; they thought that the very basic teaching
of the religion was being attacked, so we went back to the old format
exclusively. This was not done by consensus of opinion, but because Richard
Yoshimachi said we had to and the chapters leaders had to obey.
However, many still thought we could decide the format of gongyo at our world
peace gongyo planning meeting. As one women said at the meeting, “This is a
democracy, isn’t it?” We had not been told of the order that had been handed
down. Things just “changed.” Many progressive members felt that they were
being treated unjustly because the conservatives were having it all their own
way and not bending. So, at the planning meeting some of us decided
that we would do the simple format at our World Peace Gongyo meeting. Well, we
were told that that was not allowed. I was told that one of the chapter
leaders would use her authority to say we can’t do that, (this in an
organization where “no one has authority”).
There have been meetings since then with the area leaders to discuss gongyo.
And discussions with various members as well. It has become ever more clear
that this issue is a lot more than just the format of gongyo. Joaquin, a
district leader, said that he thought a religion was based on its moral and
ethical values, and how you lived your life, not on the specific form of the
ritual you did. A long practicing member from LA told me that if a group of
people start doing gongyo differently from the traditional SGI way, then they
are practicing a different religion. His view is directly opposite of
Joaquin’s.
One of our area leaders said that Pres. Ikeda is his master in life and that
he will do what his master does, the full 5 & 3. (Curiously, Pres. Ikeda does
a gongyo of only the A & C parts when he leads large meetings.) This area
leader quoted Pres. Ikeda almost exclusively at the last meeting held on the
subject of gongyo. The progressives quoted Nichiren Daishonin much more often
in their argument of simplifying gongyo.
In conclusion, it appears that we have a schism brewing. The conservatives
versus the progressives. (Or the “followers of Ikeda” versus the “followers of
Nichiren”?)
The conservatives believe that Pres. Ikeda is their master in life and must be
given blind trust and authority. If something in the gosho appears to
contradict Daisaku Ikeda, then they should follow Ikeda. They need a living
master to interpret Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings. Pres. Ikeda is the “stand
in” for the Daishonin.
The progressives don’t believe they need a stand in for the Daishonin. They
can understand the gosho for themselves. They don’t believe in giving blind
trust to anybody, nor absolute authority. Everyone one is equal, including
Pres. Ikeda. If Pres. Ikeda is allowed to lead a simple gongyo, so is everyone
else. They take Pres. Ikeda’s guidance, “You should all consider yourselves
presidents of the Soka Gakkai,” more literally than the conservatives.
In regards to the temple issue, the conservatives see Nikken as the “evil
king” and Daisaku Ikeda as the “good philosopher king.” For them the issue is
a civil war, a fight between which king should sit on the throne, which king
has the “mandate of heaven” (a term used in regards to oriental monarchs). The
succession of the Nichiren Shoshu High Priest is a copy of the Japanese
monarchy. The succession of the SGI “masters” (Makiguchi, Toda, Ikeda)
parallels that. The conservatives see Daisaku Ikeda as their liege lord and
will follow him with all the loyalty of a knight or samurai. Their idea of
propagating Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is to bring people into the kingdom
under the protection and wise rule of the “philosopher king.”
For the progressives the temple issue is about “monarchy versus democracy.”
The progressives don’t want to simply replace a “bad king” with “a good king,”
but want to abolish the monarchy altogether and set up a “republic.” The
progressives are revolutionaries, they see Daisaku Ikeda as the great
philosopher of the revolution, and see the SGI mission as propagating a
revolution. Naturally they think it more important to carry out the revolution
within the SGI than attack the “rival king.”
The conservatives have a feudal, medieval view and are oriental in their out
look. The progressives have a modern, revolutionary, western view. In general,
the conservative view is much closer to Nichiren Shoshu’s
The conservatives see religious practice as set concise of rituals that bring
about spiritual benefit. Deviation from these concise rituals is deviation
from the religious teachings.
The progressives see religious practice as a set of moral and ethical
teachings, reinforced by ritual, that bring about spiritual benefit. Deviation
from the ethical and moral practices is deviation from the religious
teachings.
C
like Attack Killing Two Nichiren Shoshu Members.
Sapporo City, Hokkaido, Japan
Three Hokkeko Senior leaders have become the latest statistics in the
Soka Gakkai's war on Nichiren Shoshu, its priests and members. Mr.
Kouichi Tomioka, Mrs. Keiko Tomioka and Ms. Taeko Tsushima
became targets and victims of a terrorist attack by fanatic Gakkai
activists on September 6, 1994 at 9:10 p.m.
On their way home from a temple leaders' meeting, as they were
crossing a four lane bridge, a suspected member of a group of Soka
Gakkai fanatic activists, Mr. Makoto Sugai, coming from the opposite
direction, rammed the tractor trailer he was driving into Mr. Tomioka's
station wagon, killing Mr. Tomioka and Ms. Tsushima. Mr. Tomioka
died on the scene of shock from multiple injuries. Ms. Tsushima, who
was in the back seat, suffered a serious injury to the head, went into a
coma and died in hospital. Mrs. Tomioka, who was in the front
passenger seat, suffered serious injuries, yet miraculously survived the
accident.
A reporter for the Yomiuri newspaper, who was in the car behind Mr.
Tomioka, stated that the driver of the tractor trailer suddenly cut his
wheel to the right, drove across into their traffic lane and smashed
into Mr. Tomioka's station wagon. He drove the tractor trailer as if he
were aiming for the station wagon. After demolishing the station
wagon, the tractor trailer smashed into the opposite side of the bridge,
crashed through the railing and plunged several meters onto the river-
bed below. The driver suffered broken ribs. There was no indication
that the kamikaze driver attempted to apply his brakes. He was
charged with negligence and manslaughter.
The owner of the truck, who is also the driver's employer, is a senior
leader of the Soka Gakkai who supplies limousines to Ikeda on Ikeda's
visits to Hokkaido.
The Tomioka's and their relatives had received numerous death
threats from Soka Gakkai members and had been followed on
numerous occasions. Mrs. Tomioka's father was a senior leader and
guidance chief in the Soka Gakkai before he quit. He stated that he
had noticed and was aware of an increase in Gakkai surveillance
activity of his and his daughter's home over the days prior to the
attack.
The police suspect the attack is tied into the ongoing SGI harassment
campaign against Nichiren Shoshu and are continuing their
investigation.
Source:
Asahi Newspaper, 9/7/94
Weekly Shincho, 9/29/94
"Members of the group have used arson and a bomb threat against
temples of rival Buddhist groups. Soka Gakkai has also tried to block the
publication of critical books, and it was convicted of wiretapping the
house of the Communist Party leader. A spokesman said the bomb threat
and arson incidents involved "individuals with history of mental illness"
NY Times 11-14-99
"it isn't worth spending a lot of money on spying on the Temple, since
so many people are willing to do it for free"
Chris Holte
Daisaku gave the orders:
"Let us proudly advance on the supreme road to Kosenrufu as we
BRING AN END to the [High Priest] Nikken sect"
WT, March 1, 1993, p. 4
The followers reply to their sensei:
The Soka Gakkai also has begun a campaign of harassment
against the priests. Rumors have been spread that the Taisekiji
Temple grounds are in disarray, with stray dogs wandering
about and robbers lurking in the shadows. Right-wing groups
park their sound trucks outside the temple and blast out their
criticism of the priests..."
Los Angeles Times, 12/16/91
"I know what the group does to people whom it
regards as its enemies. It's not safe for anyone
who dares to criticize it."
TIME - THE POWER OF SOKA GAKKAI
http://pathfinder.com/@@cQhxKQUA1N@02C68/time/international/1995/951120/japan.html
Ms. U witnessed four SGI senior leaders storm Bukkenji Temple.
She attempted to take a photograph of the vehicle that they
had arrived in. The four persons turned their attention on her
and charged her, knocking her into the air. When she hit the
ground, they brutally kicked and assaulted her. She suffered
multiple serious injuries, a broken hip and spinal fractures.
Shukan Jitsuwa 12/02/93
One member of the group of four monks and six followers
said they were verbally abused and punched by local members of
the Singapore Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist Association
(SNSBA) [Soka Gakkai Singapore].
The Straits Times - TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 1991
"They tried to chase us when my sisters
went out. They came to our home to try to harass us. My former
friends told lies to get my phone number. When they called,
they said,‘You will go to hell, you will be unhappy’. Some were
subjected to physical violence. There was an order by Ikeda to
harass members who leave the cult."
Japan’s Rush Hour of The Gods
THE AUSTRALIAN MAGAZINE
http://www.cebunet.com/sgi/rushour.htm
..."a mob of Soka Gakkai members, marched into the Kaishinji temple during a
religious service. Shoving aside worshippers, they seized Yahiro and
Kashiwazaki. I thought I was going to die, recalls Yahiro, an
asthmatic. He almost did. A large man grabbed Yahiro by his necktie and lifted
him off the floor, and others took turns punching him until he passed out."
TIME Magazine November 20, 1995 Volume 146, No. 21
"...several hundred Soka Gakkai members invaded his temple during a
service and beat him so severely that he was hospitalized for three months.
Yahiro's hospitalization in April 1991 brought to light a brewing battle..."
San Francisco Chronicle: - Japan Fears Another Religious Sect
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1995/12/27/MN62956.DTL
SGI charter:
3.SGI shall respect and protect the freedom of religion and religious
expression.
7.SGI shall, based on the Buddhist spirit of tolerance, respect other
religions...
SOURCE: SGI Homepage
C
An Actress Who Used To Be a Follower of Sokagakkai
Tells Her Story
THE WEEKLY POST SPECIAL:
Aug 23 - Aug 29, 1999
The Clean Government Party (CGP) has now almost reached the point where they are a
part of the coalition government. However, a full picture of the role played by their support
group, Sokagakkai, the largest religious group in Japan, has never been disclosed.
Many entertainers are reported to be followers of Sokagakkai, however, the group that is
active in the movement for these stars has not been identified.
Ms. Kaoru Sugita, an actress who used to be a follower of Sokagakkai but left the group
four years ago, disclosed what she knows about Sokagakkai through her life with them.
"Four years ago, I had been a spokesperson for Sokagakkai. I traveled around the country
spewing propaganda for them, giving speeches," said she. Ms. Sugita joined a theatrical
school when she was five years old. She made her debut as a TV star at the age of 7.
Responsibility as a Follower
She stated in her book published by Shogakukan, the publisher
of TWP, "I had never been ashamed of being a follower of
Sokagakkai until I realized it. I worked very hard to spread
the religion. At one point, I realized that Sokagakkai had changed
but I did not mind it because I attributed it to my lack of faith,
"However, since I had been positioned as an advertising
character of Sokagakkai, I have seen a side of Sokagakkai hidden
from other followers. It was far from the followers' view
of the religion. Therefore, I left Sokagakkai four years ago."
Her father was a member of Sokagakkai and Ms. Sugita
was born as a follower. She was actively involved in propagation. She
delivered the Sokagakkai newspaper and was appointed
as the Assistant Director of Women Members in her town. She read
fully the book written by Daisaku Ikeda, the Honorable
Chairman of Sokagakkai.
"When I visited the head temple of Sokagakkai, I was
asked to give autographs to my fans. I was invited to join the Artist
Section of Sokagakkai," said Ms. Sugita.
Sokagakkai has its headquarters in Shinamomachi, Tokyo
and has a wide network organization across the country. Daisaku
Ikeda is situated at the top of the organization. In their
organization, there is a Division of Culture. The Division has many
sections including Education Section, Academic Section,
Doctor Section, Literature Section and International Section. Many
popular singers and actors and actresses belong to the Artist section.
Fascinated by Mr. Ikeda
One important event of the Artist Section is its annual
convention. At the convention, many Sokagakkai artists attended a tea
ceremony, calligraphy, music and painting. A handful
of popular stars such as Ms. Sugita also attend.
Ms. Sugita attended the Sokagakkai convention for the
first time in 1982. Several hundred followers attended a dinner
reception and more than 1,000 followers attended the
convention. She met Daisaku Ikeda at that time.
"At the dinner table, Honorable Chairman Ikeda pointed to
me and let me stand up. He asked me to sing a popular Japanese
song, 'Desert Under Moonlight.' I did as he requested but he
said 'That's no good.' So, I had to sing the song many times. I
was excited about the fact that he talked to me."
Mr. Ikeda has his own method of captivating people. One of his
methods is to let people sing 'Desert Under Moonlight.' He
points to a person and lets them sing the song. Sometimes he
plays the piano by himself during the singing. The person that he
plays the piano for is usually fascinated by him.
Fictitious Story by a Sokagakkai Reporter
In 1984, three popular actresses published a book titled
'Our Glorious Young Days as Followers." The book deals with Mr.
Sugita's remarks. She said in the book, "My mother had
problems due to her divorce and financial difficulties. She had been
drinking everyday to release the pressure. She had been
drinking an enormous amount of Japanese Sake. However, since I
became a believer of Sokagakkai, I could save my miserable
life. I was so glad to run into the god of Sokagakkai. Also, how
nice it was to see Teacher Ikeda."
When the book was shown to Ms. Sugita, she was upset. She
said, "I do not want to see that book any more. A reporter of
Sokagakkai newspaper interviewed me and wrote the article.
The story is fiction, not real. He kept asking me for more
miserable stories about my life and family. I wished my parents
could have gotten mad and forced him to write the story."
Attempt of Sexual Harassment
The members of the Artist Section are treated with respect.
They are advertising characters that help obtain new followers.
Also, Sokagakkai executives wish to be seated with well-known entertainment stars.
Ms. Sugita had many such invitations. She said, "I had been
invited to special meetings among the highest executives." In the
vicinity of Sokagakkai's Headquarters, there are several
restaurants run by Sokagakkai followers. Those restaurants are
expensive. Ms. Sugita had been invited to those restaurants
for dinner by those executives. Ms. Sugita told the following story:
It was almost 10 years ago when Ms. Sugita was invited to
dinner at such a restaurant. When she arrived, she was guided to a
Japanese room by waitresses. In the room, she found that
several senior vice presidents were drinking Sake. One executive
said to her, "Please do not sit like that, let's have a seat next
to each other between men and women."
Ms. Sugita was forced to sit between the executives. When
the food was served, one executive said to her, "Pour Sake into my
cup." She became angry at his rudeness. However, she
endured it and said calmly, "In the entertainment world, a man must
pour Sake for himself. We are not in the hostess business."
The executive got mad, "Why not? You should be more sexy."
Other women in the room from the Artist Section were pouring
Sake for those executives. One executive said, "Dance and raise
your legs." The women in the room pretended to dace raising
their skirts slightly.
One executive remarked, "This religion is good because it allows
us to drink." Ms. Sugita has not forgotten his words.
It was spring of 1985 when members of Art Division of Sokagakkai
welcomed a group of the US Embassy who visited Sokagakkai's
newspaper. Ms. Sugita had to be one of them to welcome then.
Mr. Ikeda delivered a speech at a dinner table. According to Ms. Sugita,
Mr. Ikeda remarked, "Be careful for men since they are liars," or "I
succeeded in publishing business under the former Chairman when I was 26
years old, and I will never be in trouble with money."
When desert was served, one large plate had melon. Mr.
Ikeda said proudly, "The persons who deserve to eat this melon are
Emperor and I. Mr. Ikeda liked melon very much and said
after having a spoon of melon, "I let you eat melon." Ms. Sugita
excited about his kindness to have offered to share tasting melon.
However, Mr. Ikeda put the melon on his plate and gave
his leftover to the person seating next to him. The person ate it
using Mr. Ikeda's spoon and turned the rest of melon to
the person next to him. He turned the plate to next person after he ate
it. All attendants did the same way – turned the plate to
others seating next. They were pleased to have used Mr. Ikeda's spoon
for themselves. Mr. Sugita felt it awful.
It was only Ms. Sugita who felt in that way. All other
people unanimously said, "This melong tastes good." No one asked to
have his or her own spoon. The melon reached Ms. Sugita's
turn to eat. Almost all part of melon had been eaten. Juice of the
melon was spilling from the plate.
She did not eat it but she felt eyes of other people watching her.
She put the smallest amount of melon possible on the spoon
and pushed it in her mouth closing her eyes. She swallowed it
without tasting it.
Mr. Ikeda has habit to test followers' loyalty to him. He turns
his leftover to followers. His followers call it Mr. Ikeda's
honorable gift to share.
On a day when Ms. Sugita and other followers were invited
by Mr. Ikeda for having dinner together at a restaurant near
Sokagakkai's Headquarter Office. Sokagakkai is the best
client of the restaurant. At the table, members of the Art Division,
lawyers, women clerks and Vice Chairmen were seating.
As soon Mr. Ikeda took a seat, he saw members of the Art
Division, and said to them, "Who are you? Oh, you are members
of Art Division. You are all beautiful." Toward other people,
he said, "Layers? Clerks? Lawyers are the worst. If they train
themselves seriously believing our God, they will be reborn better in next world,
"Oh, they are Vice Chairmen. They are the group of stupidity.
OK, Let's start our meal," continued Mr. Ikeda.
All attendants except Ms. Sugita were smiling at Mr. Ikeda's
remarks. Ms. Sugita could not smile at all. "I decided to cut the tie
with Sokagakkai. Belief is our own issue. I have never thought
to throw away my belief but I wanted to leave Sokagakkai and
find myself again."
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
"If President Ikeda, who has led activities for realizing
world peace for more than 40 years, is not the Buddha,
then, there is no hope that I can become a Buddha. Then,
Buddhism is a mere idealism, and I will quit."
Public statement on arbn by Richard Hower
"SGI President Ikeda has been doing this for the most of his life,
and took the initiative for establishing world peace. He is respected
by thousands of world leaders. If he is not the Buddha of the 20th century,
then who can be?"
Public statement on arbn by Richard Hower
"I have a problem with PI = God (or Nikken = God) i.e., perfection and
salvation through worshipping them.
I have no problem with PI = Buddha"
Shirley, SGI member
"Many have been blind to what Ikeda has been doing, especially those who
claim to be his disciples and treat him like he is a true Buddha."
Chris Holte
"Tremendous! A Russian Scholar who is neither a member of the
SGI, nor even a Buddhist gave such a profound talk! She did not
specifically mention who is the Buddha of the modern times. But
from the context, I believe that she is pointing to Ikeda
SENEI as the *Buddha of the modern times*, and that, in more
general sense, all members of the Soka Gakkai International
throughout the world are Buddhas of the modern times."
Richard Hower, SGI-USA member, from his website:
http://www.paonline.com/hower/voro.htm
"Ive been in the SGI all my life, and I would do
anything for the SGI, Pres. Ikeda"
Pat Hawes, SGI-USA member
"After the Chinese government massacred students at Tennanmon
square, China became an outcast in the international community.
Ikeda said, "our friends are suffering. Let’s visit them and
encourage them!"
Andy 357, SGI member
"Because We have the money, and Hokkeko does
not have EVEN A FRACTION of the money we have,
who do you think will win this battle between
the corrupt priesthood and SGI?"
Richard Hower, SGI-USA member
``The honorary chairman Ikeda is my mentor in life. His teachings are my meat and drink."
SGI Political Party (Komeito) leader Takenori Kanzaki
"Studying Ikeda's ideas is like studying "Mao's red book" it is not enough.
We need people who have "engraved the Gosho on their lives"
just as the older generation did. Teaching the Human Revolution simply
teaches hero worship."
Chris Holte
"Ikeda is like a king or a pope, and he has been a good king."
Chris Holte
"SGI members are weird. If you tell
some of them "Ikeda says think" they'll say "How do I do that?""
Holte
"For people like Mr. Wada, Ikeda is "Sensei"
he might as well be a feudal lord. They might be willing to argue with
him, but to be disloyal with him they have to be "turned" to think that
he is an enemy of the Buddha."
Holte
"If the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho were adequate by themselves and we didn't
need some sort of mentoring there wouldn't be hundreds of Nichiren Sects as
one could simply pick up the Gosho and all the doctrines necessary would be there."
Holte
"SGI has a top down organization that was created by Toda, who was influenced by people
such as Mao Tse Tung. Holte
dc
Some young explorer writes:
>>>>>>>>>I feel as if I am on that
verge much more often because of meeting Lady Salvia. It is surely a good
ego-buster and fracturer of consensus conditioning!>>>>>>
Ah! Just what the doctor ordered a wake up call.........a disruptive
force....a
walk onto the plank....a dive into the hell for a heavenly cause. The giving
up of the spirit of ego for the true identity.
Its preferable to an earthquake and nuclear bombs as a means to wake up
people.
Like the late 60's in the West.
Shikan is the Japanese word for Stopping (Chinese: Chi Kwan) the mind and
Observing it. How would one do that? Takes work. Guts. Stopping ego.
Middle Path.
The Sun Lotus said Shikan is included in the chanting of daimoku.
People who do not practice this correctly and think that it is just blind
faith and magic, will be shocked to learn the truth.
This is the age for enlightened science not feudal gang mentality and absurd
religiosity bordering on schizoid and psychopathic behavior.
While the mutant morons are busy fighting (all over the world throughout
history) and trying to ruin life for all people, the smart ones, run off
in this kind of time period, and seek the means to overthrow the control of
these mental infirmities and dull lifestates through science and
introspection.
Three steps forward one step back. With the microscope of psychedelia the
Elixer to Immortality can be found again, but only in secret by people who
have gone into the wilderness to discard their mortal coil and examine it.
Just stop your mind
Here is a little nudge. Are you serious when you chant Daimoku? Or are you
just following a routine while your mind wanders. Do you keep staring at
incense smoke and hearing the ticking of a clock.....HARD TO CONCENTRATE?
Just have an experienced sitter nearby. A Bodhisalvia Trainer.
Then you will be busted down in size a few notches. A little more humble in
the face of reality in the face of your nonsense fairytale hierarchies in
medieval times appearing in this day and age----
dc
C
The Kômeitô: A Virus Infecting the Body Politic
ENDÔ Kôichi
part 5
EXPLODING A MYTH
There is no question that the Sôka Gakkai is well
endowed to fight election campaigns. In last summer's upper
house election it contributed 7.75 million votes to
successful proportional-representation candidates. Its ability to
reliably deliver the vote is supported by its members'
dogged activities, which are in turn driven by their faith.
They blithely do things that campaigners for other parties
will not and cannot do. LDP or DPJ campaigners,
seeing a house with a Japanese Communist Party poster
on its wall, assume that those who live there support the
JCP and cross that house off their list. Sôka Gakkai
members, though, partly because the Kômeitô's voter base
overlaps with that of the JCP, will barge in and prevail
on the family to let them put up their own poster.
In addition, they follow up every connection, persistently
soliciting and confirming votes right up to election day.
Of course they also enthusiastically round up people to
attend political rallies and panel discussions, and those
mobilized are more likely to vote than other people.
Reportedly, they do not care if the illegality of such practices
as escorting people to the polls and changing their registered
residences is pointed out. Their campaign fliers and
postcards and their street-campaigning manuals are
meticulously prepared. And they put a great deal of time and
effort into ensuring organizational unity.
Hamada Mariko, the wife of Hamada Takujirô, an
independent elected to the upper house last year with the help
of Kômei and the Sôka Gakkai, says, "They put an
impressive amount of effort into pulling together views from
top to bottom, whether it has to do with policies or the
recommendation of candidates. The Sôka Gakkai is a
group of good people. They decide what candidates to
support on the basis of careful preparation and patient
consensus building."
All this has generated the myth that the Sôka Gakkai
can deliver 7.75 million votes across the board, since its
organized campaigning enabled it to garner that many
votes for proportional-representation seats in last year's
upper house election. In the leadup to the Tokyo gubernatorial
election on April 11 this year, the Sôka Gakkai's
"core vote" among the metropolitan electorate was
said to be 700,000 to 800,000, and where it would be
directed was the subject of much speculation. But the
grounds for this core-vote figure are not clear. What is
clear is that the 7.75 million votes delivered by the Sôka
Gakkai in the upper house election were the result of
arduous efforts by the organization's committed activists,
said to number 1.5 million nationwide. This cannot be
called a core vote.
The Sôka Gakkai is well equipped for elections that
occur at regular intervals, such as the triennial upper house
votes and quadrennial local elections, but it betrays
weaknesses when it comes to general elections following
dissolution of the lower house and simultaneous elections
for both houses of the Diet. It is often said that the Sôka
Gakkai vote is highly maneuverable, that it can be
switched overnight on command from above. But the only
votes that can definitely be mobilized and shifted on
command are those of the 1.5 million hard-core activists. The
votes that these activists collect cannot be counted on to follow suit.
During the Tokyo gubernatorial campaign interest was
focused on which candidate the Kômeitô-Sôka Gakkai
forces would direct their vote to. But in fact, the
much-talked-about 700,000-strong core vote never
materialized. According to Kômeitô leader Kanzaki
Takenori, "at least 400,000 of the votes for Akashi Yasushi
[a former U.N. undersecretary general who was endorsed
by the LDP and approved by the Kômeitô] and
almost 100,000 of the votes for [former DPJ deputy
leader] Hatoyama Kunio came from Kômeitô supporters."
That makes a total of some 500,000 votes, and even
so it is a generous estimate. In short, the Sôka Gakkai's
core vote is by no means as substantial or as firm as
many people have been saying.
Another thing we must not overlook is that other
parties' (especially conservative parties') campaign cooperation
with the Kômeitô-Sôka Gakkai machine does not
necessarily translate into votes for them. For one thing, Sôka
Gakkai members' enthusiasm for candidates who do
not share their faith is lukewarm; furthermore, what is most
important, support from the Kômeitô splits the
conservative vote. The recent Tokyo gubernatorial election
presents a good example. The main, if hidden, campaign
issue was the pros and cons of politics dictated by the
Kômeitô and Sôka Gakkai. The majority of conservative
voters in effect said no. Even added together, the votes
won by Akashi (690,000) and Hatoyama (850,000),
the two candidates to whom the Kômeitô-Sôka Gakkai
machine delivered its votes, did not approach the 1.66
million votes gained by the victor, conservative
independent Ishihara Shintarô. This says everything.
An LDP member explains, "To the extent that Akashi,
whom we supported, was seen as the Kômeitô candidate,
we alienated members of Risshô Kôsei-kai, Reiyûkai,
and other religious organizations. So no matter how much
LDP headquarters urged us to sell Akashi, Tokyo
Metropolitan Assembly and ward assembly members
supported by Risshô Kôsei-kai and Reiyûkai had their
hands tied." In the end, both the LDP and the Kômeitô
went down to defeat.
The moral is not to overestimate the Sôka Gakkai vote.
Otherwise it will take on a life of its own and will be
traded at more than its fair value.<<<<
C
INTRODUCTION
A large stadium is filled with over 20,000 people. The infield is
bubbling with dozens of performers put on a dazzling show, singing
and dancing their hearts out, while several young men perform amazing
and daring gymnastics. Although there are thousands in the audience,
and several well dressed men and women seated on the stage to the
side, the world class show is produced and executed to impress only
one man.
His portrait is displayed on a 20 foot tall banner hanging
prominently on the wall. The performance escalates into a frantic mass
parade-like movement of all the performers together, running around
the stadium behind a flag bearer, waving a red, yellow and blue flag.
The man nods, and waves to them in approval as they pass by the
stage. Just as they rehearsed over and over, they then quickly and orderly
assemble before the stage, to hear the man speak. The abrupt silence
is almost deafening after the clamor of the cheers and blaring of the
marching brass band. When he finally leans forward to the microphone,
all eyes are on him in...
This man is not a dictator of a third world country, nor is he the Rev
Moon. Nor does the above event take place in Tienamen square in
Beijing. The place is somewhere in the USA, perhaps Madison Square
Garden, or the San Diego Sports Arena. The man is Daisaku Ikeda,
one of the most richest and powerful men in the world. Estimates of his
net worth run into billions of US dollars. Asia Week Magazine have him
listed at #19 of the most powerful men in Asia.Mr Ikeda's power is primarily
political, as he is the head of the 2nd largest political party in Japan, called
the "Komeito..."
http://www.cebunet.com/daisakuikeda.htm
"To Dr. Yoshiro Tamura, associate professor of Toyo University, the "true nature" of
Soka Gakkai is "fanatic and dangerous." He says Soka Gakkai "makes politics
dependent upon religion as long as that religion is Soka Gakkai . . . and will eventually
act against freedom of religion."
LOOK Magazine, Sept. 1963
http://www.cebunet.com/sgi/memo.htm
"In order to destroy the overseas strategies of the Nikkensect, I want to
make a suggestion to all the representatives that we start a special SGI
campaign against the Nikkensect starting today to last until the end of
the Tozan of 100,000 people."
Sensei sent Mr Kitano to Ghana with these words: "When you start to fight
evil, you have to continue to the end. You cannot stop halfway. Fight
with all your strength, with all your might and use All means for that
fight"
"the daimoku campaign to close the temples in the US is NOT a freedom of religion issue..
I'll chant for the temples to close and for the sad people like your self to find wisdom to
cure your blindness."
Joe Stevens SGI-USA
"Those SGI-USA members who are chanting for the temples to close
are chanting just for that -- for the temples in the US to close."
Kathy Ruby
"I don't think if temples close it is a "bad thing"
Craig Ellis, SGI-USA
http://www.cebunet.com/sgi/distortion.htm
http://www.cebunet.com/sgi/memo.htm
"Currently, there are four Priests travelling in Europe, some on their way
to Ghana and others visiting the Danto members to hand out Gohonzons.
It would play right into the hands of Nikken if we allowed the building of
a Temple in Germany or in a German speaking country. We must, at all
costs, prevent that happening by utilising our combined strength.
Again: Somebody goes over to Danto and starts a point, but we do nothing.
A line or Danto group starts and we do nothing. It then increases-
regional, registered by law - and if we still do nothing then a Temple
will be built.
Sensei says: "If you challenge evil, then you must decide the time and
the place to destroy evil".
Basically: Choose the 'place' while it is still relatively small, and
this applies equally to the 'time', ie the time to attack is Now."
Initially and especially we should be "pro-active", in other words, be
informed of all the movements of the Nikkensect and apply a practical
system of "counter-action". As you have already been informed, the SGI
Strategy Dept. has been founded at the SGI-Head Office. In the past, the
movements of the Nikkensect have been carefully monitored outside of Japan
and in conjunction with the Bureau of the European Continent, counter-
activities were instigated. Moreover, the Strategic Department has been
provided to strengthen this system.In several countries in which seminars
about the Nikkensect were held, and guidance relevant to this was given,
camapigns to win the members back were carried out. In addition, measures
were taken against the Priests and Danto organisations."
we should establish a fighting spirit throughout the entire SGI
organisation. There have been various activities led by the Strategy
Dept. such as the campaign to win back members. As to the fight against
the Nikkensect, the members in the front line - especially in the Women's
Division - are aware of important information, ie the movements of the
sect and their methods of convincing people. But, if we don't have a
fighting spirit that is strong enough, this information will not reach
those responsible on the next highest level. Or, they receive the
information but neglect to pass it on to the next highest level of
responsibility.