Hey folks, I have a summer party with family and friends, and I was hoping to screen images of my wedding for folks who where unable to attend. Seeing the prices on buying projectors is at least a few hundred dollars, do you know of a place where I could rent them instead? It would be for just for one day (4 hours). I very much appreciate any pointers. Thanks!
*Edit fixed typo.

Hi! Not sure if this is appropriate for this subreddit but my boyfriend’s birthday is coming up and I know very little about one piece (only watched an episode of the anime, watched the live action, and learned spoilers from friends) and wanted to know if my gifts are good for him since this is my first time buying gifts for a boy(friend)!
I’m not sure about the sentimental value of some things and such and want some ideas!!
First gift I had in mind was the OP Luffy Japan Exclusive Bear Plushie. I’m pretty firm on buying this for him!! Even if it’s for display or functionality! But not sure if I should get him the original or Gear 5 (since the original’s more iconic but Gear 5 is OP)
I am also planning on buying these Going Merry and Moby Dick ship figures but was wondering if Thousand Sunny was better than the Moby Dick or Going Merry one?
I read that the Going Merry had more sentimental value to OP fans but the Thousand Sunny was nicer in aesthetic. I had asked him if he liked Whitebeard and he said he did cause he was badass
Last thing that I had in mine was a Devil Fruit Lamp, originally I had initially planned on getting the Gum Gum Fruit one since it’s Luffys, but now I’m also debating the Mera Mera No Mi (Ace’s) since it is orange (and would match his PC set up since it is red) and his favourite colour is red. So I’m just debating on the original iconic one or the other one that’s also nice and it matches his room theme
I am planning on getting him the teddy bear and the two ship figures but not sure if I should switch it up or anything.
Please let me know your thoughts and opinions on what could be the overall best!! Thank you!
Also wanted to add that his favourite character from Luffy’s crew is Zoro, but in general overall is Rosinante (though he had a hard time picking)

Hi everyone! I’ve recently started moving and have decided to streamline my collection. For that reason, I wanted to give the subreddit a chance to snag up some of my goods since it can be hard to come by without a proxy and secondhand sites are packing on too many fees. Everything I am offloading is from the OG series or GOU/SOTSU, and shipping is free if you’re in the US. You can find me active in figurine subreddits and sites for reviews as needed. I am a Sonozaki twins collector with several hundred items logged so I keep myself busy! Prices are matched or below Japanese going prices. Payment through PP G&S preferred.
Photos: https://imgur.com/a/6nKzkdE
Price guide: Mion, Keiichi, Satoshi rubber straps (from 10th anniversary sale, 2016) — $14 shipped a piece, can bundle for $2 less per strap.
Eua/Hanyuu rubber straps (2021) — together for $10 shipped.
Mion Sonozaki Angel Mort acrylic stand (doubles as keychain, 2021) — $10 shipped.
Mion Sonozaki Cue Lamp cafe collab can badge (2023 cafe visit benefit) — $8 shipped.
Analogy sealed CD (I also have the full size poster but would need to look into shipping) — $10 shipped.
Rena and Rika AmiAmi Blu-ray Purchase Bonus B4 size tapestry — $70 shipped. (Note: open to discussion here — I just have never seen this one hit the Japanese market second-hand but have seen other purchase benefit tapestries for $100 so going off of that price… consider it super rare as receivers had to buy the entire GOU dvd collection within a particular timeframe from AmiAmi!)
Rena, Satoko, Rika Pachinko machine parts (from 2013 Daiichi machines, parts removed from machine lol) — $25 shipped a piece, bundled for less.
Artwork/thank you collab books — $15 shipped (bundled together).
Square Mion acrylic stand (2020 kuji prize) with Hinamizawa bus stop clear file — $10 shipped.
Please feel free to message me with questions or to chat about anything Higurashi! Though I am located in the US, I can ship worldwide at buyer’s expense. Higu freebies always included and negotiation welcome! If you’re looking for any specific merch, I would be happy to help you look. Thank you!

I made a post earlier today and found some options since then! I can't tell how the value compares to the price though. Can anyone advise? I have not sent out any messages yet asking about year of purchase or lamp hours.

• Epson laser projector EB-L200W - €500 (way over budget but seems durable)
• Panasonic PT-AE3000E - €400 (comes with 2 spare lamps) (over budget but negotiable)
• Epson EB-U05 - €290
• Optoma X200 - €200, with 300 hours (I can't find this one online but just going off of the photo it looks like the Optoma HD131Xe?)
• Nec M403H - bidding starting at €150

Summary of last post: for use in dim bedroom with external speaker if necessary (bluetooth if possible), throw 2m, screen up to 1m80m (up to 70 inches), located in Belgium

My budget is around 1500
I'll use it mainly in my basement but I want to also be able to take it outside in the summer to watch sports with friends

My budget is probably around 1500
I mainly want it for my basement but I want to also take it outside in the summer to watch sports with friends in the garden

Hi all... I was goin to just buy a little cheapy projector that you see all over amazon, until I went down the rabbit hole, lol. So just seeking advice.
Budget - max $700 - preferably sold by a place online that accepts paypal, as I have paypal credit, they also offer 4 pay, so it would be easier for me.
Also open to anything refurbished from a good place as well.
Home theater usage, just to watch movies, dvds, shows, not to replace my tv for all the time usage.
Have a 255 square foot living room, can get very dark even in daytime. Up to 17 ft clearance to put a projector from the wall it will be projected upon. Prefer to not mount on ceiling at this time.
I live in the middle of the desert, wifi isnt good out here, everything we have is wired, so options - need something that can be wired.
Also something that could be connected to surround sound speakers.

I’m typing this on my phone because I’m too scared to use my laptop. I threw it into the back of my closet and covered it with clothes to try to dampen the high-pitched ringing sound it keeps emitting, but I can still faintly hear it from where I’m sitting in the living room. I tried shutting it down – it wouldn’t turn off. Doesn’t restart either. I closed the screen but that didn’t do anything. Tried to let the battery die and once it hit 0%, it stayed on as if it were fully charged. This thing can’t be turned off. I’m sure this all sounds silly and nobody is going to believe me, but there is something wrong with my laptop.
The easiest option would be to just get rid of it but I’m tight on cash and my job requires a laptop. I’m a marketing assistant at a small creative agency. It’s not the most glamorous job, I mostly fill out grids and review decks but it took me nearly a year to find this position. It’s completely remote which is a plus, the benefits are decent, and the pay is low but it’s something.
I was hired about a month ago. I hadn’t bought a laptop since 2017 and I wore out my last one so badly it basically refused to hold a charge and had to be plugged in all the time. I thought it made sense to get a new one – a new job, a fresh laptop, the beginning of a new career era. All the new Apple models are insanely overpriced, well above my price range. I could buy a new one in a few months after I save up a bit, but I needed something asap.
I browsed the internet and found a used electronics site. They refurbish phones and laptops and resell them at an affordable price – perfect. I found a 2022 Mac, placed the order, and it was delivered less than a day later. I actually think there were only three hours between purchasing the laptop and it showing up on my doorstep.
Excited to get it set up, I ripped open the box and sitting atop the neatly packaged laptop was a jet black business card with small white lettering in an odd font choice.
HANTER’s REFURBISHMENTS
Thank you for supporting small businesses. Enjoy your product.
609-3006
Ignoring the card, I threw it away and dug into the laptop. Beautifully dark brushed metal, no trace of fingerprints anywhere. It looked almost new save for a couple of scratches on the underside. I plugged it in, turned it on, made a new user profile, and clicked through the setup guide. The setup screen faded away and the preloaded wallpaper appeared. It didn’t really look like the typical Apple wallpapers that we’re all familiar with. Not Big Sur or the Sierra Nevada’s. It was a landscape photo of a farmhouse sitting in a field of tall yellowing grass, a single oak tree bending its awkward limbs over the decaying porch. There was some dark beauty to it. The sunset behind the farmhouse cast bands of golden light on the grass making it appear as if it were shimmering. Maybe it was taken on the East Coast? Some farm in New England? Didn’t really matter to me. I had a new laptop and it was working perfectly. I gave my ancient 2017 one a quick eulogy and tossed it.
– – –
- Good morning! Marie needs the TOOTHPASTE deck to go out by EOD for client review.
-- Morning! Got it, should be ready by afternoon. I’ll upload it to Monday and ping you when it’s up.
- Thanks!! :)
The first time I noticed something was the next day. I was sitting at my desk going over my bosses notes on a deck for some toothpaste commercial when I minimized my Chrome window and saw something I hadn’t noticed before. On the front porch of the farmhouse was a figure sitting in a rocking chair. I brought my face closer to the screen to try to make out any details but the farmhouse was so far in the distance, the scale of the figure was smaller than the cursor. It was so tiny I guess I just hadn’t noticed the day before. It’s not like anyone really stares at their computer wallpaper. The figure had a pale white face and was draped in some sort of black cloak but again it was so tiny I was basically making guesses. I shrugged it off and went back to Outlook to keep working – I had a deadline to meet.
My bedroom darkened as evening fell, the only source of light being the blue glow of my laptop. I uploaded the deck and sent a note back to Marie to let her know I was finished. I’d gotten so caught up in the day that I had forgotten about the figure in the rocking chair. I went back to the wallpaper and studied the landscape again before deciding to just change it to another preloaded one. Something less spooky. I chose a sunrise off a blue coastline.
I love watching Netflix in bed as I fall asleep, so that night I got comfortable and logged in on my laptop to put some Arrested Development on. I must’ve been exhausted because I fell asleep almost immediately. I always just end up sleeping with my laptop either next to me on my comforter or on my nightstand and let the episodes keep going until Netflix realizes I’m no longer watching. I guess that must've happened, but at around 3:00a I bolted awake to a screeching ringing tone coming from my laptop. It was ear piercingly loud, almost at an unbelievable volume for a laptop. Gone was Arrested Development, the laptop screen was static white like an old VHS tv, illuminating my otherwise pitch black bedroom in a cloudy light. I scrambled to turn the volume down, afraid my neighbors would come banging on my front door, but the sound stopped as quickly as it had begun. The screen went dark, the room went dark, the night got quiet.
I sat and stared bewildered in a drowsy daze at my laptop, the quiet hum of cicadas in the night outside, when suddenly it felt as if I were being watched…. I could barely see my own hand in front of me. The night seemed darker than usual…I slowly turned over my shoulder to the open door of my bedroom and in the darkness I could just make out the faint silhouette of a hunched figure standing right outside the doorway. Staring right at me. My blood chilled, I froze. I fumbled for the lamp on my nightstand and turned it on. Warm light extinguished the blackness. Nothing in the doorway…just the long stretch of hallway to the living room. It felt kind of similar to that movie that came out last year, Skinamarink. You sit in the darkness of your bedroom long enough that suddenly you start seeing things in the inky black. I thought it was nothing, but I swear I could make out the faintest trace of a pale white face grinning at me.
The next day I’m back to work as usual, tired from the night before. I clicked out of Chrome to my desktop to open up Adobe when I noticed the farmhouse wallpaper was back… It had changed by itself. It wasn’t exactly the one from yesterday though, no, the figure wasn’t in the rocking chair anymore. Instead, the figure had moved off the porch and was now standing in the field, closer to where the photographer would be. I could really make it out now. A pale white grinning face with distended lips, rotting teeth. That wasn’t the worst part though. Where its eyes should be were instead empty pockets of nothing. Just completely grotesque, definitely not a fucking preloaded wallpaper for a laptop. I changed it back to the beach and dug around in my trash can for the refurbishment card that came with the package. I wasn’t going to wait around to see what happened. Maybe one of the tech guys there was playing a trick and had programmed some jump scares into the computer or something? Maybe that’s something they do. Similar to jailbreaking an iPhone or pretending to control someone's computer remotely. I don’t know.
I found the card and dialed the number. It rang once before a young woman with a pleasant voice picked up.
- “Hi, Hanter’s Refurbishments! How may I help you?”
-- “Um hey I recently ordered a laptop. It came the other day and setup was normal but there’s something going on with the wallpaper. I changed it but then it changed back by itself and the photo –.”
- “One moment let me place you on a brief hold. Thank you!”
I hadn’t even finished speaking when she cut me off and put me on hold. Hold music began playing, some upbeat jingle shrill enough to drive anyone insane. I sat on hold for twenty minutes, then an hour. I ended the call and tried again, went through the same motions with the same woman only to continuously be placed on hold. Maybe they were really backed up with calls and other people experiencing issues with their orders. I called again and instead of the woman answering, an automated voice greeted me and sent me to hold immediately. Fuck it. I decided to wait it out. The fucking jingle was boring a hole into my head – the most annoyingly enthusiastic hold music. I could’ve strangled someone.
Suddenly the music stopped. Finally, someone was becoming available to help me. But instead of the call being redirected to a person, the automated voice returned with a simple
“Goodbye!”
And the call dropped.
I screamed, I literally screamed out of agony, out of pure fucking frustration.
I turned back to my laptop. The wallpaper changed itself again, back to the farmhouse and the pale faced thing. It moved in the field again. It was getting closer. Gaping holes for eyes, distended lips wet with saliva. It looked like it was laughing at my misery.
I left my laptop closed on my desk that night. No Netflix tonight, I needed to sleep and didn’t want the computer near me. I scrolled on TikTok for a bit before I dozed off…
The jingle woke me.
The fucking hold music. I picked up my phone in my fatigue thinking maybe Hanter’s was calling me back. It wasn’t coming from my phone. It was coming from my closed laptop.
I looked to the doorway, thinking the figure from the night before would be back, before getting out of bed and crossing to my laptop to shut it off. I opened the laptop and a wave of nausea crashed over me. The pale faced thing was even closer. The farmhouse was barely visible now, its face nearly filling the entire screen. Still grinning, still laughing. Bits of red stuff wedged in its teeth.
No matter how many times I held the power button, nothing was happening. It wasn’t shutting down, the jingle wasn’t stopping.
I fucking cracked. At that point I didn’t give a fuck if I needed the laptop for work. I picked it up and smashed it on the floor. Threw it again and again till the screen was shattered and keys were flying off. I just needed the jingle to stop and the pale face to be gone. I threw it down one last time with a final blow, satisfied with the damage I’d caused.
I picked the laptop up thinking it would be dead, but the screen was still glowing with light. Through the splintered glass of the screen I could see the farmhouse, the field of yellowing grass, the rocking chair, the oak tree – everything was there except for the pale faced thing. As if my havoc had caused it to flee the wallpaper.
The screen flickered off. The room went black. The cicadas outside filled the silence.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
It felt as if I were being watched.

Some technical information:

• Projector Epson EH-TW9200w with genuine Epson lamp
• Screen size around 135"
• Room size: Width 4m (13 ft), Length 8m (26 ft), Height 3.5m (11.5 ft)
• Seating distance to screen around 2.5 - 3 m (8-10 ft)
• Projector will be mounted about 7 meters (23 ft) from screen almost middle of screen
• Movies is main use of the screen
• Room is living room, but some light treatment (windows have both shades plus black darkening curtains) Wall behind screen has black curtains and side walls 2 meters (3ft) around the screen. Ceiling is medium dark wooden color. Very minor light leakage from windows, no lights on while using projector.
• Walls are white (but around screen black curtains), floor and ceiling medium dark wooden color.

Main interest is best picture for the movies in dark conditions. Previous screen is Beamax 108" fixed frame with 8.5 cm velvet edges. It is used screen so gain in unknown but probably between 0.9 - 1.1.
Question is that can I have 0.8 gain screen or is image going to be to dim? Ie should I aim for 1.4 because larger size of the screen? How much there is difference between 0.8, 1.0 and 1.4 gain white screen with this projector?
Any hints how to select correct screen?

Saudi Pro League clubs are pushing to sign the Manchester United midfielder Casemiro when the transfer window opens next month.
There is also huge interest in the Brazilian’s United team-mate – and the captain – Bruno Fernandes. Although that deal is regarded as far less likely, it is being discussed within the Pro League.
According to sources up to 10 marquee signings are expected to be made this summer – with Cristiano Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr, whose squad includes Aymeric Laporte and Sadio Mané, most strongly linked with Casemiro.
The Brazilian’s representatives are already understood to have held talks with Pro League clubs. United are prepared to sell and would like any deal agreed at the start of the window but will not push Casemiro out.
Ambitious moves are also being discussed for Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson and Manchester City’s Ederson. It is already known there is interest in Mohamed Salah, who was subject of a failed £150 million bid last year from Al-Ittihad, and Kevin De Bruyne.
As with last summer it appears the Pro League will attempt to raid the Premier League – and clubs there want to do deals, recognising they can get higher prices than anywhere else – with United having already forged links with clubs within the league, most notably Ittihad, who are based in Jeddah.
John Murtough, then United’s football director, has twice flown to Saudi Arabia to hold talks about potential deals and build relations. Although Murtough has since left the club he travelled with Matt Hargreaves, United’s head of player negotiations.
That was deliberate with Murtough knowing it was possible he would depart and therefore Hargreaves will be able to provide the continuity with contacts. He is being integrated into United’s new leadership structure under technical director Jason Wilcox and Dan Ashworth, when he eventually arrives as sporting director.
There is expected to be far less transfer activity in the Pro League in the forthcoming window after an extraordinary £767 million spent last year – second only to the Premier League – with 94 overseas players signed.
However the Pro League, which aims to become one of the biggest leagues in world football, also recognises that transfer windows offer opportunities for it to raise its profile.
Pro League clubs filled their foreign quotas of eight players but there is room for movement with some signings being moved on and with more ‘targeted’ deals expected. Quotas have been raised to 10, although two of those must be Under-21 players.
Casemiro has endured a difficult season at United and has struggled even more after being asked to play as a makeshift centre-half during the club’s current injury crisis. Following Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Arsenal, Casemiro was accused of being “lazy” and “naive” by former United captain Wayne Rooney, who was on pundit duties with Sky Sports.
Casemiro has also just been dropped by Brazil from their squad for the forthcoming Copa America.
The 32-year-old has two years left on a four-year contract – with United holding the option for another 12 months – on the deal he agreed when he was signed for £70 million from Real Madrid in 2022. It remains to be seen what kind of fee United will demand for Casemiro
Telegraph Sport revealed last month that United are prepared to listen to offers for the majority of their first-team squad this summer. While the likes of Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho are regarded as strictly off limits, the club are believed to be reluctant to narrow their options elsewhere within the squad.
It means United, who are likely to miss out on European football altogether, could be willing to hold talks on most of their other players.
The club will have to effectively operate a “sell-to-buy” policy, so restricted are their finances after a £555 million spend over the previous three summers and the limits imposed by the Premier League’s financial rules.
Whether Fernandes is one of the players who goes remains to be seen. The United captain also has two more years left on his contract, and with an option for a further year, and the 29-year-old would be in demand if he became available.
But that seems highly unlikely with United’s new owners, Ineos, having quickly concluded that the Portuguese international remains a critical part of the squad as a player but also as a leader. His importance has been underlined by how United have struggled without him.
In saying that, if United were made an extraordinary offer for Fernandes and he was interested in leaving them it would have to be considered. There has been previous interest in Fernandes from Al-Hilal, who have just won the Pro League, and Ittihad would be interested this time round if they were given any encouragement.

Sorry for asking this type of question again but i am not able to find good source of information online and tried my best. This is my first time going back to Pakistan after becoming overseas Paki. So I need guidance and maybe some advices regarding phone and electronice regulations

1. I have my iphone 13 and I have heard that I can use my phone for more than 60 days. Is this true because I will be living there for 2.5 months
2. I might take another phone with me, probably iphone 13 or 14 so I want to know will there be any issues. Do note that this phone will not be box packed, I will buy this from 2nd hand market.
3. How much tax is now a days on iPhone 13 or 14, Online it says its around 100k but that doesn't make sense as I the price of this phone is around 300 to 400 euros so its like 100% tax amount.
4. If my phone is not PTA approved then can I use my international sim in Pakistan? I will have it on to receive any OTP's.
5. I will have 2 laptops with me, apple mac (office), my personal windows laptop (personal) so will any one cause any issues on this?
6. I might take my computer with me as well but not sure, because I will be living there for 2.5 months so I need my equipment with me. Will there be any issue on this
7. I might also take my PlayStation 4 with me (this I bought 2nd hand in Pakistan and brought it with me here)
8. Other prepherials like 2 keyboards, 2 mouse, 2 headphones and maybe 2 lcds

I know I am tech geek and a software engineer I have a lot of stuff but I need all of this to work from there and play games on it. But I want to be prepared of things that might happen while crossing customs in Pakistan
None of this stuff will be brand new everything is opened without boxes and I use them daily

Currently I only have one source of light for my room, which is an array of 6 powerful ceiling lights. They are expensive to always have on as I tend to turn them on during the day, and are too stresful for my eyes during night sessions.
I could buy a desk lamp, but I'm worried that it will break my immersion and muddle the colors of my monitor as it is an LG C2 OLED.
I was thinking of buying an LED strip to put behind the table for some ambiance. I don't need a lot of light, just a bit of warm lighting for my eyes and to see my mouse and keyboard. I was also thinking of buying some strips to put on the back of the monitor, but I'm not sure whether it will be a good idea with an OLED monitor.
I would be very pleased if anyone had any suggestions on what lights to buy. If it would be a LED strip, then I would want it to be of good quality, with warm colors. I also welcome you to shoot down my ideas if you have any suggestions on what would work best. Thank you

Five years ago I bought LG PF1500G and I am generally very happy with it. It is directly mounted over my bed so I needed something quiet and on the eco mode, it is indeed very quiet. However, it is only FullHD and it is not as bright (especially given I use it with a 150" screen, which is overstretching it) as it could be, so dark scenes are too dark (at least I think that is how it works).
When I was buying it, I thought I would get a native 4k projector when their price dropped a bit. I bought the LG for about 700 € and native 4k projectors were about 8000 € at the time. My understanding is that non-native 4k brings noise with it, so that is a nonstarter for me. Though 4K is probably hotter overall, so hardly quieter either. Is my understanding correct that the situation has not improved much, contrary to my expectations? I would be willing to spend around maybe 2000 € for a silent 4k projector. By the way, is laser quieter than LED? I seem to remember I thought at the time the next one would be laser. However, all in all, it seems one cannot get something drastically better than 5 years ago, am I reading the market right? I can be happy with mu current solution for a few more years.

So I'm going to law school in the fall and need a new Macbook because I'm currently rocking one from 2020 with Intel and it's shitting the bed on me. I'm deciding between a Macbook Air, a Macbook Pro, and how much memory I'm going to need. I have no interest in getting a laptop that costs over $1.7k before taxes nor do I think I would need one that powerful.
The most demanding thing I think I will be doing on it will be running Microsoft apps like Word and PowerPoint, I don't see any reason for me to be editing videos in law school lol. I like that the Pro has an HDMI port because I've run into times where I can't hook my laptop up to a projector because I don't currently have an HDMI port (although I would just be able to buy a dongle). I also don't know if I would need 8GB or 16GB of unified memory, or if I would need 512GB or 1TB of SSD for my purposes. Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

I tells ya, so much falls into place here. This comes from Helen Hardacre's book Kurozumikyō and the New Religions of Japan, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1986. First, some background:

The contemporary religious scene in Japan is commonly divided into the "established religions" (kisei shūkyō) and the "new religions" (shinshūkō). These categories are further divided into Buddhist- and Shintō-derived varieties of each as well as into further subcategories.

The titular "Kurozumikyō" is a Shintō new religion founded in 1814 by the Shintō priest Kurozumi Munetada. As of this publication, it had a total membership of 220,000.

Founded by a priest of the "established" Shintō tradition, it is one of the oldest of the so-called new religions and seems to combine aspects of both new and established types. (p. 3)
THE NEW RELIGIONS OF JAPAN
The new religions and their members represent an important and distinctive sector of Japanese society. In spite of the great variety of their doctrines, new religions share a unity of aspiration and world view significantly different from those of secular society and from the so-called established religions. New religions constitute the most vital sector of Japanese religion today and include perhaps 30 percent of the nation's population in their membership. (p. 3)

A source I read recently noted that the Soka Gakkai grew from poaching members of other new religions; it seems this demographic was the most fluid and changeable of Japan's religious demographic. However, at just 30% of the population, even if the Soka Gakkai had managed to claim 100% of these new religions' memberships, it would still have fallen short of Ikeda's self-defined minimum requirement of 1/3 of the population.

Among the doctrines of the new religions there is great variety, since doctrine frequently originates in revelations to a founder. (p. 5)

Here is the Soka Gakkai's version:

• The enlightenment attained by President Toda in prison is the prime point of Soka Buddhism.

Founders tend to be charismatic individuals who attract a following through faith healing rather than through ordination and textual erudition.

The Soka Gakkai version:

• Ikeda: "Every disease can be cured by Gohonzon!"

Also here and here and especially HERE - DEFINITELY with the "faith healing".
As far as the "textual erudition" goes, Toda's post-WWII lectures on the Lotus Sutra were expected to be accepted as the "gold standard" of textual interpretation, and today, SGI members study Ikeda's lectures on texts rather than the texts themselves - see here and here. Who needs any priest??

The new religions tend to recruit their following through evangelistic proselytization and dramatic conversion, at least in the first generation. They promise followers "this-worldly-benefits" in the form of healing, solution of family problems, and material prosperity. In ethics they emphasize family solidarity and qualities of sincerity, frugality, harmony, diligence, and filial piety. Between laity and leaders there is only a vague dividing line, and for the most part, anyone may acquire leadership credentials, including women. Frequently the new religions recognize no sacred centers but those of their own history. (pp. 5-6)

While the Soka Gakkai initially embraced pilgrimages ("tozan") to the Nichiren Shoshu Head Temple Taiseki-ji, their regular activities were centered on Soka Gakkai buildings ("kaikan", or "centers") rather than on Nichiren Shoshu temples. In fact, this was an early source of conflict, as the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood justifiably questioned WHY the Soka Gakkai was putting so much more effort and resources into building NEW Soka Gakkai centers than on building Nichiren Shoshu temples, which would have been the proper function of any religion's legitimate lay organization. Add to that the bad optics of Ikeda's cult's attempted steeplejacking of established Nichiren Shoshu temples, and there was DEFINITELY something rotten in Denmark, so to speak. The Soka Gakkai's focus was trained on IKEDA rather than on the priests of the order they supposedly belonged to as a lay organization. That's some fucked up priorities and it was only a matter of time before that became an open, obvious problem. Of course Ikeda hoped to delay that reckoning until he was in a position to seize the entire Nichiren Shoshu religion for himself. Too bad, so sad, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood headed him off at the pass and spoiled all his beautiful plots.

The world view of the Japanese new religions conceives of the individual, society, nature, and the universe as an integrated system vitalized by a single principle. Every level represents the manifestation of that principle on a larger scale. The relationships among the levels, however, are not static. They must be maintained in balance, harmony, and congruence. These qualities are manifested in conditions of happiness, health, social stability, abundant harvests, and regular succession of the seasons (free of such calamities as flood, drought, and major earthquakes). The opposite conditions (unhappiness, illness, social unrest, scarcity of food, and natural disasters) are symptomatic of a lack of harmony or congruence. Everything is interconnected so that a change in one dimension, no matter how small, eventually ripples out and affects other dimensions in a larger context. Religious practice is a striving for continuous integration of self with the body, society, nature, and the universe. This involves careful management of the most basic components: the self, the faculties of mind and emotion, and the personality. (pp. 11-12)

This thinking was the basis for Nichiren's Rissho Ankoku Ron, or "On Establishing the etc. & whatever".
Here is the chart that illustrates this thinking; you can clearly see the basis for "A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, can even enable a change in the destiny of all humankind". There is no scientific basis for this kind of delusion; ignorant people just LIKE believing it. "Look how IMPORTANT and INFLUENTIAL I am!! Everything is all about MEEE!!!" The Soka Gakkai has been in existence (in a continuous state) for some 80 years now; if this sort of thing DID happen, we'd see it. We already know Ikeda had such high hopes for his followers, but the truth is that the membership never lived up to Ikeda's expectations. No "world leaders" emerged from Soka Gakkai ranks; they didn't even become rich! That simply isn't something that happens because of "this practice", no matter how much Ikeda misled all the gullibles. Daimoku is obviously NOT "the perfect solution for all problems".

Although the new religions inevitably adopt the system I have just described, they state it in different idioms. They may use Buddhist, Shintō, or colloquial terms for the self, calling it variously the kokoro (heart-mind or heart), konjō (guts), *reikon (spirit), tamashii (soul), and other terms. Similarly, they may name the principle vitalizing all existence by Shintō, Buddhist, or other terms: kami-nature, Buddha-nature, karma, ki, yōki, and so forth. They may predicate the existence of a variety of supernaturals who exist on a different plane than human beings, intervening in human affairs from time to time. These may be kami, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or ancestors. Alien to the system is the notion of a single deity standing outside the whole and manipulating it by means of an unknowable will. The supernaturals of the integrated system are subject to its rhythms and generally conform to its principles. The system is compatible with a variety of cosmological ideas and world pictures, including horizontal and vertical cosmologies seen in Japanese myths and in Buddhism's many-tiered realms of existence. (pp. 12-14)
Because self-cultivation is the primary task of all, textual erudition, esoteric ritual, and the observance of abstinences are rejected or relegated to secondary significance.

Because "Earthly desires ARE enlightenment", right?? And all that other Buddhism stuff, well, that's all obsolete now, "as useless as last year's calendar", right??

The notion of kokoro is a hallmark of Japanese culture, and it is the central pillar of the world view of the new religions. Consider the following proverb, one that could be endorsed by the new religions and is a stock saying in secular society: "Both suffering and happiness depend on how we bear the kokoro." Kokoro is borne or carried in a certain way, good or bad, and according to that we suffer or are happy. We are in control. An ordinary, nonreligious interpretation of this proverb would say that our attitude toward circumstances determines in large part whether we are happy or unhappy, or that an attitude of "positive thinking" can improve our experience of unfavorable situations even if the circumstances are not thereby altered. (p. 19)

You can see Ikeda alluding to this here:

Even a man who has great wealth, social recognition and many awards may still be shadowed by indescribable suffering deep in his heart. On the other hand, an elderly woman who is not fortunate financially, leading a simple life alone, may feel the sun of joy and happiness rising in her heart each day.

An interpretation of the proverb among the new religions is likely to be much stronger, to hold that human beings certainly have the power to be happy, depending solely on the manner in which one bears kokoro. We need only exercise that power by self-cultivation.

And remember - NO COMPLAINING!!

Moreover, the idea that circumstances can be changed by the power of diligently cultivated kokoro is pervasive. It is a question not only of a change of attitude but sometimes of radical material change, such as an improvement in economic situation or a miraculous healing. It is understood that the cultivated kokoro has the power also to change external persons and events, and that nothing is impossible. Exercising the full power fo the kokoro is possible for anyone who practices self-cultivation through the spiritual disciplines of the particular religious group. (pp. 19-20)

Isn't that the whole basis for the idea of "human revolution"? How else could anyone understand "You can chant for whatever you want!"? Don't the Dead-Ikeda-cult SGI culties love to talk about "making the impossible possible"?? Hmm..I wonder why they never do...🤨
Here Ikeda likens the Soka Gakkai practice to the magic lamp of the "Aladdin" story. And it only works for Soka Gakkai members, of course.

We chant to make the impossible possible, we want extraordinary, not ordinary. Let's get those benefits flowing, let's appreciate those challenges that allow us to grow and win and share those victories with others so that they can be inspired and win. Source

While the terminology of the self is basic to understanding Japanese constructions of self, the patterns of action and affect in which these are embedded constitute the functioning of the world view of the new religions. Here I identify four such patterns:

(1) the idea that "other people are mirrors,"

(2) the exchange of gratitude and repayment of favor,
(3) the quest for sincerity, and
(4) the adherence to paths of self-cultivation.
So much for the supposed "novelty" of Dickeata's supposedly eternal "clear mirror guidance", eh? Oh, and EVERYBODY owes Scamsei and the SGI their eternal gratitude, too, and you NEVER EVER get to finish your "human revolution" ("self-cultivation")!

Each of these patterns represents an indispensable element of Japanese culture, and thus their implementation in Japanese religions is not unique. (p. 21)

Nope. The Soka Gakkai is just bog standard for a Japanese New Religion. Nothing unique or special. Just like all the rest.

The idea that other people are mirrors makes the individual totally responsible in all circumstances. Although the burden is heavy, there is also a tacit message that the self can control any situation. Placing blame and responsibility on the individual also denies the idea that "society" can be blamed for one's problems; hence concepts of exploitation and discrimination are ruled out of consideration. On the whole the new religions are uninterested in political action to improve society; to them it is a question of individuals improving themselves individually and collectively through self-cultivation. (p. 23)

Remember, this author ISN'T talking about Soka Gakkai here! This a feature of ALL Japan's new religions!

Since self-cultivation is the primary determiner of all human affairs, notions of fate or divine wrath (karma or bachi, for example) are reinterpreted, ignored, or denied.

Or introduced when necessary to blame a member when the promises of SGI leaders are proven empty and false. It's always the MEMBERSHIP's fault somehow, never that the teachings are wrong or deceptive.

In like manner, because of the primacy of self-cultivation, the concept of pollution cannot be fully credited, and this opens the door to greater participation by women than is the case in the established religions.

In the case of the Soka Gakkai, "greater participation by women" has been implemented as "greater exploitation of women". The women of the Soka Gakkai were expected to deliver daily newspapers for no pay throughout the Soka Gakkai's history; it is only recently that their numbers have declined so catastrophically and they have aged so much that the Soka Gakkai finally had to contract with a delivery service - which of course Soka Gakkai has to PAY now. Newspapers are SO much more profitable when you can find some suckers to deliver them at no cost to YOU!

Thus the new religions stress unquestioning performance of their established disciplines, fully aware that the demand for uncomprehending obedience (at least iat the beginning) will cause the convert frustration. Also involved as a minor theme is the pedagogical principle that "physical action can be perceived as isomorphic with spiritual change." Thus, for example, polishing floors can be assumed to "polish" the self. If one enters through form, eventually the kokoro will follow.

Speaking of exploiting women, who else heard that when women were cleaning the toilets for free at the local SGI center, they were "cleaning their karma"??

The hardship entailed is not to be avoided; no one denies that it is punishing to polish floors by hand, recite sutras, or endure cold water ablutions. Hardship in itself is virtuous and confers compassion and maturity.

Isn't that the essence of SGI's much-vaunted "youth division training"? Basically, it's SGI leaders getting off on forcing young people to do all sorts of scut work and to engage in unpleasant activities just because they can - somebody has to do the grunt work, right? Make THEM do it! Tell them it's "training" when actually it's just training them to allow themselves to be exploited. For a funny example of this attitude, see how this colossal doofus was trying to cajole and coerce his employee into joining SGI before he aged out of the youth division, so he could get him some of that gooooood "youth division training"!!

Meanwhile, now I worry about Chad, who has only a few months left to obtain YMD training, to whom I had to slip September Living Buddhism under his door, since his subscription is on the internet, and I want him to start working on the Introductory Exam material. Yesterday he did not answer or reply when he was supposed to be at work. (He is paid per day of work from his home.) Today when I arrived he was not even there. So I have been chanting for his welfare. He recently reported to me a medical difficulty he has that may be interfering with his efforts, or worse.

That's ONE way to duck an annoying self-important SGI stalker-nag! "Sorry, can't talk - have the plague..."

All the new religions agree that a person's real potential cannot be fulfilled without suffering, and in this they share with secular society the suspicion about someone who has failed that perhaps kurō ga tarinai, "the person hasn't suffered enough." That is, if one had endured sufficient trials before the present ordeal, one could have conquered this hardship. Accordingly it is important to establish how much leaders and founders have suffered in the course of their own self-cultivation. (p. 28)

See More myths about how the young Ikeda suffered so much and was so sickly wah wah

All problems can be traced to insufficient cultivation of self. Thus it is misguided to expect fundamental social change from political ideology. Instead, society can be improved only through collective moral improvement, the doctrine of meliorism. Similarly, attempting to cure disease simply by treating the body alone is useless. Healing can come about only through rededication to ethical values; hence medicine is effective only in a provisional way. Education and secular achievements apart from faith and cultivation of self are houses of cards, castles on sand. Accordingly, media-sponsored presentation of thoroughly secularized views of life are disapproved. (p. 14)

You can see the clearest examples of this thinking in the teachings of Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai from the 1960s, before people understood how immediate and pervasive "political ideology" could effect fundamental social change, as in the US when the anti-race-mixing "anti-miscegenation" interracial marriage legal prohibitions were swept away in the US Supreme Court's 1967 judgment on "Loving v. Virginia". That changed society more fundamentally and pervasively than any religion's doctrines that people's "hearts" must be changed FIRST before anyone could hope to see societal change realized, or in the terms above, "collective moral improvement". No. Remove unjust laws and establish penalties for behaving unjustly, and voilà! Society changes!
See SGI is actively OPPOSED to social justice and thus will NEVER contribute meaningfully to world peace and More on why SGI will never make any significant changes to society.
Back when Japan's medical system was primitive, with limited availability, the new religions advertised "faith healing", as seen above and here. But as medical care improved and, most importantly, became widely accessible, that became people's healing option of choice, so the new religions (and all the rest) had to drop it as a selling point, because nobody was buying it any more. Within the ignorant and indoctrinated ranks of SGI members, we can STILL see claims of "faith healing"; they apparently don't realize this isn't a compelling sales pitch any more. Except that in house, the superstitious, magical-thinking culties still eat it up with a spoon 🙄
But you can see Ikeda here explaining that medicine is unnecessary to treat various ills; there must be a "faith" component or the treatment will inevitably be ineffective. OR that having faith will make even a nonsensical nontreatment effective! Also slamming medicine as harmful and condemning members as somehow "deserving" of terrible illnesses.
And remember when Ikeda told "girls" they didn't need to go to college? That was fun. And how Icky denigrated university graduates??
Let's not forget how the Soka Gakkai has always been anti-union and has never established any charitable services anywhere, not even for the needy within its own struggling membership.

Lacking justification for a strong differentiation between the religious lives of priests and laity, the tendency to make the laity central is strong and pervasive. (p. 14)

This was a primary issue within the Soka Gakkai that festered until Ikeda brought it to a full boil out of his obsessive desire to BE the object of worship. The Soka Gakkai/Nichiren Shoshu alliance, while expedient for the Soka Gakkai and undeniably profitable for Nichiren Shoshu, was nonetheless an uneasy alliance, given the Soka Gakkai's defining characteristics as a "new religion" and Nichiren Shoshu's "established religion" status. Those two simply don't mix. Especially on this last point, you can see that it is a characteristic of a "new religion" to have the fundamental attitude that "priests are unnecessary". Ikeda simply wanted to USE Nichiren Shoshu for his OWN convenience, in service to HIS plans, instead of directing the Soka Gakkai to function as a legitimate lay organization whose focus was their religion, Nichiren Shoshu. Ikeda made it all about himself and his goal of maximizing his own power and control. Ikeda was never a religious person.

I want to buy the squiggles series but don't know where to look for them 😭 I'm based in Singapore so there are no thrift stores for me to shop at and alot of overseas places do not ship here..
I am looking for the frog, calf, Lamb, elephant (Squiggles)
Tumbletuft - Currently looking for duck, monkey & fox!
Please do lmk if anywhere sells and ships here without crazy prices 😭

Hello All,
Many years ago, I was born overseas, while my dad was stationed there with the British Army. I had a local paper birth certificate that listed my name as Alpha Beta Charlie Delta SMITH. No idea where this is now. ( in case of doubt, that is my Pseudonom, my Dad wasn't that big an Army nut.)
We moved back to the UK and I went through life. School, Uni, work, UK pasport, home buying & pensions, all in the name of Alpha Beta Charlie Delta SMITH.
2016 happens. This year I recall that because I was born in this EU land, I can claim a second passport. I also have a Burgundy passport in the name of Alpha SMITH. I did not think anything of it.
This year I renew my UK passport and share the details of my EU passport. UK queries why the other passport is in the name of Alpha SMITH, so I ask. I get told that my birth certificate is in that name. UK won't issue my new UK passport till I align my names.
So I see the following options
1) ask EU country to change my name to Alpha Beta Charlie Delta SMITH. I am awaiting to hear if that is possible.
2) Change my UK name to Apha SMITH.
I am worried about 2, do I need to update pensions, home etc., as I do not want to die and my wife then struggles to get hold of assets as they are in the "long name" ?
Thanks and welcome some advice.

Version of the monitor: Black Knight, no frontlight.
TL;DR: works fine, but eye fatigue after two hours, software issues
I purchased this monitor in used condition from a person who claimed that it was just too dark in their apartment for this monitor and using a lamp all day wasn’t an option.
I’m suffering from congenital partial atrophy of the optic nerves (not sure if I translated it correctly from my mother tongue). I’ve been using CRT-monitors for a few years and then, since 2006 or so, LCD-monitors of different types. I have to place the monitor very close to my eyes (well, much closer than people usually do). I’m a little afraid that my eyesight can get worse with time, so I decided to buy an E-Ink monitor.
There are a few small things I don’t like so far:

• there’s no appropriate manual in the box (there’s one, but the pictures in it don’t help much);
  
• the screws are very small and the ones for connecting the monitor to the stand are quite difficult to place correctly;
  
• the indicator of the current mode in the middle of the screen is extremely small and disappears extremely fast.
  

Well, I hope not all of the people who are visually impaired are hermits like me and can count on somebody’s help. Besides, I wasn’t able to install the Paperlike Client for Windows because of the error “Unable to open archive file” (it’s Windows 11, just in case), waiting for reply from Dasung.
I spent around two hours before this monitor, and right now I’m experiencing minor eye fatigue, probably because of the very slow response time / ghosting (especially from the mouse pointer) or lighting conditions. I hope that I will get used to it or find a solution. The windows in the room where I’m working are faced north, so there’s no direct sunlight during the day, but there are no trees just behind the windows, so I thought there should be enough light. I have no lamp for the monitor so far, so I’m going to buy one (probably BenQ Halo or something cheaper on AliExpress).
I already tried working and browsing, everything seems to be just fine. The mouse and input lag seems to be okay for my needs. I’m not going to use this monitor to watch videos, so I didn’t even try things like this. I don’t have much to say about colors except the fact that they are present. I have one of the last versions of Kindle Paperwhite right now, so this is the only E-Ink device I can compare it with. Nothing new here, you probably already know that Kaleido Color screen is darker.
Feel free to ask any questions.
Is there any sense in making a video with some operations like typing on Monkeytype / in Microsoft Word, editing text, moving/resizing windows or is all of it already covered with other reviews?