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Jayarava
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7 months ago
in Actually Emotionally Moved By This Election on In Pursuit of Mysteries
Re the US election I recommend this from one of my colleagues.
http://dayamati.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgivi...
http://dayamati.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgivi...
1 reply
10 months ago
in Soto Zen Priests Suing E-sangha on In Pursuit of Mysteries
I resigned from E-Sangha some time ago. A user with a Tibetan name was making some quite heavy pronouncements on my rather liberal interpretation of the Dharma. I was told that my interpretation of the nidanas was "harming the Dharma" even though I was able to show that my view was in line with the Pāli canon, if not the later traditions. I referred to this person as holding "fundamentalist views" b y which I meant that he was interpreting (later) traditions in a quite literal way, and was referred to the terms of reference for E-Sangha. There it states that one is not allowed to use the term "fundamentalist" to describe another user. But this person was taking a highly literal approach to texts and using that to write oppressive statements about me for disagreeing with him. Like he was terribly afraid of what might happen if we thought for ourselves...
I also noticed amongst the terms of reference that one was required to believe in a number of core beliefs which were claimed to represent Buddhist orthodoxy. I no longer recall all of them, but it was clear that my doubtful agnosticism on the issue of rebirth meant that I was effectively not entitled to participate on E-Sangha. This is a kind of implicit fundamentalism - you either believe these things or you are not one of us. Stated in quite black and white terms with no room for doubt or discussion. I can see why they might have adopted this approach - to keep out trolls. But it has the effect of stifling genuine discussion: rebirth (yes or no?) is a live issue for most Western Buddhists. It stands as an unprovable axiom of traditional Buddhism, and we had enough of that shit from the Christians. Insisting on a belief in rebirth as a criteria for being a Buddhist is nonsensical.
What got my goat however was the ban on the New Kadampa Tradition. No member of E-Sangha is allowed to link to a website by or about the NKT. I may disagree with the NKT on many points but I have no wish to silence them, nor to participate in the silencing of them. I rather admire the US stand on free speech where this kind of thing is concerned - one of the few things I do admire about the US legal system.
My experience on E-Sangha was quite mixed. I was delighted to find practitioners interested in and informed about East Asian Tantra (as opposed to Tibetan Tantra) - it's one of the reasons for being interested in this blog too! Also on the plus side when someone plundered an image from my mantra website the admin removed it for me. However I did not like the heavy fundamentalism of some of the participants, nor the implicitly fundamentalist rules of conduct which everyone must sign up to (and thereby endorse). I decided that I did not wish to participate any longer. I hate the idea of Buddhist fundamentalism which seems like an oxymoron but that doesn't stop it existing. However people are full of bias and prejudice and expecting the unenlightened to be any other way seems a bit naive really.
It seems like a waste of time and resources to sue them though. Just start a website of your own - everyone can have their say. Hell, start your own discussion group, it's a lot cheaper than a lawsuit - by several 10,000's of currency units in any country.
I'm quite doubtful of internet campaigns as well though. Having been the target of an internet hate campaign both individually and institutionally I know how the truth can be distorted, how one person's experience can be translated into a mountain of criticism, how people love to jump on the band wagon. If you throw enough shit, some of it will stick, no matter how clean the target. I know that things said and done from good motives can be turned around and used against you (I am a lot less revealing about my personal life these days for instance!).
Most of the people conducting negative campaigns against groups or individuals appear to me to be acting from negative mental states themselves. I'm currently translating and studying Dhammapada 3-4: he abused me, he beat me, he overcame me, he took from me: for they who bear these grudges hatred does not subside. I find this a compelling and challenging message to live up to.
Best Wishes
Jayarava
I also noticed amongst the terms of reference that one was required to believe in a number of core beliefs which were claimed to represent Buddhist orthodoxy. I no longer recall all of them, but it was clear that my doubtful agnosticism on the issue of rebirth meant that I was effectively not entitled to participate on E-Sangha. This is a kind of implicit fundamentalism - you either believe these things or you are not one of us. Stated in quite black and white terms with no room for doubt or discussion. I can see why they might have adopted this approach - to keep out trolls. But it has the effect of stifling genuine discussion: rebirth (yes or no?) is a live issue for most Western Buddhists. It stands as an unprovable axiom of traditional Buddhism, and we had enough of that shit from the Christians. Insisting on a belief in rebirth as a criteria for being a Buddhist is nonsensical.
What got my goat however was the ban on the New Kadampa Tradition. No member of E-Sangha is allowed to link to a website by or about the NKT. I may disagree with the NKT on many points but I have no wish to silence them, nor to participate in the silencing of them. I rather admire the US stand on free speech where this kind of thing is concerned - one of the few things I do admire about the US legal system.
My experience on E-Sangha was quite mixed. I was delighted to find practitioners interested in and informed about East Asian Tantra (as opposed to Tibetan Tantra) - it's one of the reasons for being interested in this blog too! Also on the plus side when someone plundered an image from my mantra website the admin removed it for me. However I did not like the heavy fundamentalism of some of the participants, nor the implicitly fundamentalist rules of conduct which everyone must sign up to (and thereby endorse). I decided that I did not wish to participate any longer. I hate the idea of Buddhist fundamentalism which seems like an oxymoron but that doesn't stop it existing. However people are full of bias and prejudice and expecting the unenlightened to be any other way seems a bit naive really.
It seems like a waste of time and resources to sue them though. Just start a website of your own - everyone can have their say. Hell, start your own discussion group, it's a lot cheaper than a lawsuit - by several 10,000's of currency units in any country.
I'm quite doubtful of internet campaigns as well though. Having been the target of an internet hate campaign both individually and institutionally I know how the truth can be distorted, how one person's experience can be translated into a mountain of criticism, how people love to jump on the band wagon. If you throw enough shit, some of it will stick, no matter how clean the target. I know that things said and done from good motives can be turned around and used against you (I am a lot less revealing about my personal life these days for instance!).
Most of the people conducting negative campaigns against groups or individuals appear to me to be acting from negative mental states themselves. I'm currently translating and studying Dhammapada 3-4: he abused me, he beat me, he overcame me, he took from me: for they who bear these grudges hatred does not subside. I find this a compelling and challenging message to live up to.
Best Wishes
Jayarava
1 year ago
in Starbucks Buddhism? on In Pursuit of Mysteries
I think "what a fucking zoo" about sums it up for me. The FWBO has started to go in for big events a bit more these days - I guess there are just more of us. They make me incredibly antsy. At least we don't get rock stars - I'd hate that. And no one kowtows to the "senior" Order members (well not much anyway).
What can it possibly signify to have a room full of people taking an abhisheka? What can possibly be "transmitted" under such circumstances? What proportion were taking the samaya seriously? Doesn't it undermine the seriousness of sadhana? It can't be good for anyone to pursue the cult of personality you and your other commenters are describing here.
I'm just back from a week on retreat - 14 of us that were ordained together in 2005 celebrating our birthday, and studying the Bodhicaryavatara with Sangharakshita. It was cool to spend some time with the old man, kind of like I imagine hanging out with grand fathers might have been if mine hadn't been alcoholics. Just talking about the Dharma and drinking tea. Very laid back.
Give me a small retreat with a group of friends over a superstar lama and a media circus any day.
Have you got your marks back yet?
Jayarava
What can it possibly signify to have a room full of people taking an abhisheka? What can possibly be "transmitted" under such circumstances? What proportion were taking the samaya seriously? Doesn't it undermine the seriousness of sadhana? It can't be good for anyone to pursue the cult of personality you and your other commenters are describing here.
I'm just back from a week on retreat - 14 of us that were ordained together in 2005 celebrating our birthday, and studying the Bodhicaryavatara with Sangharakshita. It was cool to spend some time with the old man, kind of like I imagine hanging out with grand fathers might have been if mine hadn't been alcoholics. Just talking about the Dharma and drinking tea. Very laid back.
Give me a small retreat with a group of friends over a superstar lama and a media circus any day.
Have you got your marks back yet?
Jayarava
1 year ago
in Tantric Reading for Done for Class on In Pursuit of Mysteries
Heh... I warned you abut Giebel's neologisms. He's a menace. I suspect that insignia was originally "mudra" in Sanskrit, in the sense of "seal", and therefore yes the karma mandala vajras, swords, jewels and the like. I think Snodgrass on the two mandalas, has lots of these...
Can't help with "effectuate" - its a word obviously, but shows how a bad translation can obscure more than it reveals.
The diagramming ritual thing sounds interesting. Any publications we could consult to get a look at them?
Cheers
Jayarava
Can't help with "effectuate" - its a word obviously, but shows how a bad translation can obscure more than it reveals.
The diagramming ritual thing sounds interesting. Any publications we could consult to get a look at them?
Cheers
Jayarava
1 year ago
in Siddham Tattoo on In Pursuit of Mysteries
What you have on your page is the Japanese pronunciation the Sanskrit mantra (backwards) of Mahāvairocana. Kūkai associates each of the five letters with one of the five material elements in his Sokushin jōbutsu gi - Mahāvairocana himself stands for consciousness, the sixth element in Buddhist thought. The syllables as they occur in the Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra are
a vi ra hūṃ kha. They represent in esoteric Buddhist associations earth, water, fire, wind, and space.
The Buddhist scheme doesn't have air as an element. Wind represents movement, just as earth represent solidity. So yes "space" in your scheme is the space which objects take up, sometimes used as a metaphor for śunyata or emptiness.
I've just noticed that this is a very old post, but I suppose it doesn't matter if it still pops up on Google.
a vi ra hūṃ kha. They represent in esoteric Buddhist associations earth, water, fire, wind, and space.
The Buddhist scheme doesn't have air as an element. Wind represents movement, just as earth represent solidity. So yes "space" in your scheme is the space which objects take up, sometimes used as a metaphor for śunyata or emptiness.
I've just noticed that this is a very old post, but I suppose it doesn't matter if it still pops up on Google.
The author fails to understand (or is too much of an idealist to be swayed) that no Green Party candidate is going to achieve a major office, such as a national one.
That being said, I don't like the Green Party platform planks, at least when I looked at them last. They are rather authoritarian. You can't force people to change by threatening them with environmental police, etc. You need to educate people so they *choose* to change and agree with it. The Green Party seems to miss this a lot and is out in wingnut land for America.