I was fairly concerned to find that the most active Buddhist group in my city are considered to be a cult, as I had not considered Buddhism to be a tool for manipulation before. I know these definitions are subjected and open to error, however as my local Roman says "caveat emptor". Looking into it further I found comparisons of the way the Buddhist Organisiation is run to that of definitions of cults. So I thought it would be useful to bring this topic up, in an a friendly way, in the Seekers DIR;
Here is an interesting page, which I have quoted below.
Avoid Cults That May Try to Convert You: - wikiHow
1
Know how to respond to insults to your religion or beliefs.
2
Look for one person who is in complete control. Cults almost always have that central leader. If this person founded the cult and later died, there may now be a small group of people who control everything. These people are egomaniacs who love attention. The religious leader that decides whether the members views are valid or not and carefully explains the rules that only his/her opinions and answers to provocative questions are true and not to be questioned is likely a cult leader.
3
Check to see if the religion is legal. Some countries in Europe and other places actually have a list of which religions are allowed and are considered legal. This may be helpful.
4
Look on the internet for information about the religion. See if there are any possible problems with it or its founder. If you believe that the religion's beliefs are not true, don't join them!
5
If you are threatened by the cult, call the police.
6
Do not go to live in an isolated area away from the people you know. No matter how bad your life is where you are, it will not be better if you go to live with an organization. These compounds are often in remote or rural areas, and although you will be told you can leave at any time they will not let you go, either through physical force, gates, or intimidation.
7
Avoid groups or people that try to impose rules on the non-moral aspects of your life such as who you can talk to or where you can shop for groceries, which movies you can see, what books are appropriate, etc.
8
Watch out for people who just keep telling you what you want to hear, constantly flatter you, or tell you that everything is OK.
9
Be sure your religious group does not support violence or discriminate against others, such as saying others are going to hell because they are not us.
10
Beware of the techniques that include your giving up control of the details of your life. Anyone that can obtain control of your thinking will control your distribution of your resources for the cult's benefit.
Here is an interesting page, which I have quoted below.
Avoid Cults That May Try to Convert You: - wikiHow
1
Know how to respond to insults to your religion or beliefs.
2
Look for one person who is in complete control. Cults almost always have that central leader. If this person founded the cult and later died, there may now be a small group of people who control everything. These people are egomaniacs who love attention. The religious leader that decides whether the members views are valid or not and carefully explains the rules that only his/her opinions and answers to provocative questions are true and not to be questioned is likely a cult leader.
3
Check to see if the religion is legal. Some countries in Europe and other places actually have a list of which religions are allowed and are considered legal. This may be helpful.
4
Look on the internet for information about the religion. See if there are any possible problems with it or its founder. If you believe that the religion's beliefs are not true, don't join them!
5
If you are threatened by the cult, call the police.
6
Do not go to live in an isolated area away from the people you know. No matter how bad your life is where you are, it will not be better if you go to live with an organization. These compounds are often in remote or rural areas, and although you will be told you can leave at any time they will not let you go, either through physical force, gates, or intimidation.
7
Avoid groups or people that try to impose rules on the non-moral aspects of your life such as who you can talk to or where you can shop for groceries, which movies you can see, what books are appropriate, etc.
8
Watch out for people who just keep telling you what you want to hear, constantly flatter you, or tell you that everything is OK.
9
Be sure your religious group does not support violence or discriminate against others, such as saying others are going to hell because they are not us.
10
Beware of the techniques that include your giving up control of the details of your life. Anyone that can obtain control of your thinking will control your distribution of your resources for the cult's benefit.