I’m not writing posts for this blog anymore, but I am still updating it, and so I’m interested in publishing suitable posts from you, our readers. Just send it via the contact page. I can’t guarantee to publish it, but I can guarantee to read it. Just make sure that you read the About page before you write anything, as it will tell you the editorial perspective, and so the kind of thing we’re interested in.
At the risk of further abuse, I offer this!
Living in Peace & Clarity in the Wake of Spiritual Abuse
This part made me smile : “Perhaps you should not use the word Buddhism, if you think that you get a higher view than the Buddha” 9:06
Thank you Tahlia for what you are doing.
By the way, I like the little bird flying innocently here and there in the back.
Thalia I think it is good to ask questions.
There is one question that comes to my mind and it is about harm.
Rigpa claims there is no harm done, because on the absolute level harm does not exist they say. And we have to learn to realise that.
Recently a French lawyer made some critical remarks about the Lerab Ling community. The Lerab Ling community Rigpa responded by going to court, because they found the lawyer his remarks harmful. Is this not a very ambiguous attitude? If they really believe harm does not exist on the absolute level, then if they are honest they should apply this also to the critical remarks of the lawyer.
By going to court they show to themselves that harm exists (in the way stated below) and is experienced, but if harm exists for the Lerab Ling community and Rigpa than it must also exists for other people.
To me it is cherry picking between the two truths, or emptiness and depending arising.
…In fact the Madhyamika clearly explains conventional reality, ultimate reality and the necessary connection between them better than any other philosophical system. What is this necessary connection? We can express it as: ”Everything is empty of inherent existence, because of being dependent, and everything is dependent because of being empty of inherent existence….
It is because everything is empty of inherent existence that causation, change, and existence itself are possible. (geshe Lhundub Sopa)
Because harm exists in the way stated above it can also be removed by the one who experienced it, but also by the one causing harm, that is also change and causality.
Chogyam Trunpa discusses this topic in a chapter Applying Emptiness to Everyday Life.
….The reason we are discussing shunyata from the point of practicality is so that we can actually apply it to our everyday life.
When dharma is theorized, you have no hope of doing anything with it.
Practising or applying emptiness is very hard to practise for the victims without recognition of their harm, but now also for the ones who did harm, because a lot is at stake for them like juridical consequences and the very existence of Rigpa.
In plain words excuses and forgiveness. Otherwise overcoming yourself, forgiving is overcoming yourself and accepting apologies is also overcoming yourself. I think nobody in this process escapes from overcoming oneself. And do we want to believe in Buddha nature or not?
It would be glorious if the ones causing the harm could take the first step and wonderful if the harmed ones could accept this. That would be victory of dharma and shows that practice can benefit people and the ones who witnessed this from nearby or from a distance could support this.
I wrote this to best of my abilities and may it be helpful.
Thanks for reading
Jan
While copying: the phrase Making excuses is also overcoming yourself, was forgotten,. Sorry.
Exactly, and thank goodness, DZK addresses this in his Paris talk. https://youtu.be/mlSdoVKO5o8
It doesn’t seem such a stretch to present excuses and ask for forgiveness. What is wrong with those people who pretend to practice dharma? Seems that the techniques of crushing the ego are not working at all!!
Asking for forgiveness and opening to the suffering of others, here is a simple and universal way of putting the ego back to his place…
Well done, Tahlia. It’s nice to see you sometimes. I think it’s harder for people to demonize others when they see they’re just human beings like them.
Thanks. It’s true that the written word is not as personal as the spoken one. At east they can see I don’t have horns – but then perhaps their idea of pure perception gives them to me. Who knows? We can convince ourselves of anything.
Thank you, Tahlia.
There is so much more understanding in your few minutes of thoughts, than the hours of Dzongsar’s recent ramblings.
Thanks. HIs Paris talk is much better though. I think he is being more careful to be really clear and not use words that are laden with arrogance. He even explains what he means by cinderella teachings better.
@Moonfire,
I am really offended by Dzongsar’s so-called “Cinderella teachings.” He even includes tantric deities in that during his last talk! WTH?!?!? While I kind of understand what he is getting at, I still think it’s a stupid way to put it and it makes it seems as though he is putting down any Buddhist teachings that aren’t Dzogchen. I have NEVER heard ANY Dharma teacher divide the Buddhist teachings up into “Cinderella teachings” and “teachings that the Buddha really meant.” It’s stupid and ridiculous, imo. I am not going to mince words.
Imagine how WEIRD and disturbing it would sound if the Dalai Lama called some of the Buddha’s teachings “Cinderella teachings” and said that the Buddha didn’t really mean them!!!
This is hilarious! Brava! That’s exactly how they talk. (Like nailing jello to the wall, as they saying goes.) You really ought to mark it as satire, though, otherwise people are going to think it’s genuine.
The Paris talk is on You Tube and is a big improvement over the previous two,
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlSdoVKO5o8&w=560&h=315%5D
DKR is getting better at PR, covering his tracks and making sure that what he says sounds good to Western ears. But in my opinion, I think he is a slippery one and I just don’t trust him, or what he says.
I like you Thalia, I thank your courage and effort and I whish you well. Joyful laughter. Good to remind us about how we think. Our ego endlessly will affirmation with what it wants to hear.
It it that DJKR does not want / cannot say anything about what happens/happened between someone and someone else because it lacks reference to his own subjectitivy. If so, wouldn’t it be good to bring this disclaimer?
Also, does he have an upbringing and a background due to which he is uptight and cannot / does not want to speak about sex drive or sexual action. In Paris he brought the example of the teacher telling him to kill someone. He then would ask the teacher if he really really means that. But the teacher telling to kill a third person is feeling to me not quite comparable to the teacher asking for sex with himself. He’s beating around the bush -or as we’d say in German, the he’s walking around the hot mash 😉 That Rigpa victims find that condescending or lacking seriosity or compassion I can understand.
Oh man, DJKR, al you wanna be is film star and all you get is explaining secret stuff in a language you have hard time mastering. Samsara works for us all. And I am totally confident we all will manage. One way or another.
I like you Thalia, I thank your courage and effort and I wish you well. Joyful laughter. Good to remind us about how we think. Our ego endlessly seeks for affirmation with what it wants to hear.
Is it that DJKR does not want / cannot say anything about what happens/happened between someone and someone else because it lacks reference to his own subjectitivy. If so, wouldn’t it be good to bring this disclaimer?
Also, does he have an upbringing and a background due to which he is uptight and cannot / does not want to speak about sex drive or sexual action. In Paris he brought the example of the teacher telling him to kill someone. He then would ask the teacher if he really really means that. But the teacher telling to kill a third person is feeling to me not quite comparable to the teacher asking for sex with himself. He’s beating around the bush -or as we’d say in German, the he’s walking around the hot mash 😉 That Rigpa victims find that condescending or lacking seriosity or compassion I can understand.
Oh man, DJKR, all you wanna be is film star and all you get is explaining secret stuff in a language you have hard time mastering. Samsara works for us all. And I am totally confident we all will manage. One way or another.