Aaron

All is one isn't a hard concept to understand, in fact it's actually addressed in an anime, Full Metal Alchemist, whereby the main characters, two brothers, are left on an island to survive on their own, with the strict order that when their teacher comes back they need to understand what all is one means. They have no food and must find something to eat. Being children, at first they have a hard time killing animals for food, in particular a cute little rabbit, but over time they realize if they don't kill the animals, then they wont be able to survive. What they realize in the end is that everything is dependent on everything else. The rabbit eats the carrots, the wolf eats the rabbit, and so on. Everything, even the rocks and trees have a purpose within the grand scheme of things. We are all one, in the sense that we are all the universe. (Hence, all is one and one is all.) On a deeper level you can examine your own place within this scheme by examining Vedanta and it's view of the universe, in that you are the universe, not just a piece of it, but the totality of it, just as your heart is you and your fingers are you. To limit your view of the universe by examining yourself as an isolated creature, limits your understanding of what you are. Vedanta says you are God, you just haven't awakened to that knowledge yet. I believe that in some sense this is very true. Aaron

Saying bullying is due to karma from a past life is a cop out. One of the most ridiculous things I've heard was when some Buddhism 'master' claimed that the hundreds of thousands of people that died from the Christmas day Tsunami were struck because of the karma they accumulated in their past lives. No, it wasn't because an earthquake occurred and caused a shift in the Earth beneath the ocean, it was because of some mystical and imperceptible force that followed them from their past life. Karma is a way to ensure that people act along social norms by causing them to fear punishment for their abnormal behavior in their next life. It's not unlike the Christian concept of hell and heaven and serves the exact same purpose. I guess if you're gullible enough to fall for it, then it's probably something you need to help guide your moral actions anyways, so it probably does serve a purpose, but for me it just seems so ridiculous that in modern times we still believe in these superstitious things. Aaron

Looking at a picture can be misleading, but I think Cherry Quartz (semi-precious btw) would be the most likely conclusion. You could take it to a jewelry store and ask them, they'd probably be better suited to discerning what it is. The reason I don't necessarily believe they are Chalcedony or Carnelian is because they tend to be more brownish than red from what I understand. Of course I haven't collected stones since fifth grade, so my identification skills may be off. Aaron

I have many friends that believe in Qi, yet ridicule people for believing in aliens, ghosts, and God. I remind them that the vast majority of Americans don't believe in Qi, but this doesn't assuage their attitude, rather they believe that they are rational and everyone else is irrational. The problem is that the people that think Qi is nonsense believe the same thing, so who is right? Perhaps the key is to never be right, for in never being right, we can never be wrong. Aaron

The formless and formed are already merged, no merging needed. Heaven is the unseen, the mystery, earth is the seen. When they talk about merging the two, it's really meant to indicate that the person needs to become aware of their connection. Aaron

A Taoist eats whatever is available to eat and only enough to satisfy his hunger. We have incisors for a reason and it's not to tenderize celery. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. God you people sound like Peter and Paul arguing about whether or not you should eat pork. Silly that religious beliefs have to pollute Taoist philosophy, just reread the Tao Te Ching and Chuang Tzu if you really want the answer. Aaron

How great is the difference between "eh" and "oh", how great is the difference between good and evil? Much of what we perceive as evil is only evil because we have been told it is. Qigong practice predates Christianity and most likely Judaism as well. For me it seems arrogant for one to call someone else's beliefs evil without understanding the nature of those beliefs. Anyone who claims Qigong is demonic has never practiced it or has practiced it without a master and done damage to themselves. You would not send a five year old off to fix the electrical wiring in a house, nor should you send someone off to learn qigong without a teacher, both are likely to be harmed. What I know from practice is that qigong is not evil, nor does it open one up to the demonic, rather it encourages one to be aware of the full potential and to allow that potential to flow without force, but as it naturally should. Aaron

Hello Dwai, I wanted to thank you for the post, I liked it very much. I think it speaks volumes about the differences between spirituality and religion. Someone once told me that in order to embrace their spirituality one must first embrace their suffering. It is not just coincidence that the first thing one must overcome in order to begin opening their chakras is their own grief, so too must one understand the nature of their suffering in order to truly realize the spiritual nature of existence, for it is within suffering that we find the greatest obstacle to our own connection to all things. Suffering is an isolated experience for many. It is also the reason so many religions exist on the face of the earth, for they all promise an end to suffering, whether in this lifetime or the next. It is when one has suffered so much that they choose to end that suffering now, to look beyond the rote and texts and instead investigate within themselves the nature of who they are that they can begin to leave this self imposed isolation and understand that what is within is without and what is without is within, that beyond emptiness is substance and within that substance is emptiness, that neither can exist without each other. It is then that suffering can be eliminated in one's life, not by ceasing to suffer, but understanding the nature of suffering and accepting it. I don't think one can realize this if they confine themselves to text. Be done with knowledge, let the world be your teacher. Aaron

This is one of the hot topics for me, because, having done some research I know for a fact that the sexual abuse of boys in Buddhism is more prevalent than in Catholicism, yet no one seems to want to talk about it or even recognize that it occurs. I think for many practitioners of Buddhism sexual misconduct by Buddhist monks seems impossible or at least highly unlikely, simply because it is a topic that is highly taboo within the Buddhist religious institutions. I was recently looking up some information regarding the holographic principle when I ran across some information that astounded me, if only because it was so blatant that you would think someone would say, WTF??? Yet no one seemed to bat an eye. In particular it's this quote by the Dalai Lama which is taken from a book by Peter Harvey, "An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics" in which the Dalai Lhama said, "Masturbation ... includes emitting semen on another person, a monk getting a novice to masturbate him, or himself masturbating a sleeping novice, which could be seen to include homosexual acts. It is a lesser offence, of expiation [i.e., atonement]"... Now the quote itself doesn't seem that outrageous until you realize that novice monks are in nearly every case under the age of eighteen and in most cases much younger. Essentially what the Dalai Lama said was that if you got a boy or young teen to have sex with you, so long as it was masturbation, that it only required atonement, prayer and amends, not really a serious act. If the pope or any other prominent religious figure said something like this, the crap would hit the fan, but because it was the Dalai Lama, essentially it's ignored. Nor is it completely isolated within Tibetan Buddhism, but rather it's rampant in nearly all monasteries, even in Ch'an, Zen, and Theravada monasteries. So here's my point, how can it go on without anyone really doing anything to stop it? How is Buddhism any better than other religions if they allow this kind of monstrous behavior to occur? In fact they have done absolutely nothing to stop it, neither the governments in those countries or the people living there who are aware of this going on. The excused for these actions abound, the most common being that these enlightened people must indulge in these actions in order to remain in this world, otherwise they would leave us much sooner, to it being a cultural phenomena that Westerners don't understand. I think anyone who has half a mind understands what's going on. Anyways, I wont go any further, just wanted to hear other people's thoughts on this topic. Also, please don't move this post to the Buddhist section, I would rather have it in the Open Discussion section. Aaron

From what I understand only a moderator can do these things, so why bother asking the measly people who feel a bit overwhelmed by everything going on? To be honest I had to take a break from the site, and I'm going to probably continue to be absent for the most part, because I'm sick of all the bickering and I see most of what we contemplate and discuss on this site as being pointless these days. Blasto said this and people ridiculed him for it and I'm saying it now and I'm sure people will ridicule me. I'm not happy with what happened on this website, but I knew the amount of animosity that would be projected towards me for making a mistake in my quote far surpassed the benefits of staying and I know no one was willing to accept a simple apology with all the blood in the water, nor will they be willing now, so I wont apologize. if you need an apology you could ask the Buddha or God for one. All I'll say is that I make mistakes and I do my best to not to make them again, so if Buddha or God don't answer you, maybe you can accept that as one. If it sounds like I'm minimizing this, that's alright to. I'm fine with who I am and I don't need other people to tell me I'm okay or I'm bad. I have learned a lot from what's happened here and if nothing else I know life goes on without Tao Bums, in fact I made some friends and had some good real life conversations in my absence, which was very refreshing. Aaron

I misquoted the Dalai Lama. I can't use my glasses to read because they were run over by a pallet jack and have scratches on the center, so they make it hard to read. I only use them when I'm driving because I am required to. I thought the period was a comma and not a period. In order to take responsibility for my own actions I am hereby leaving the Tao Bums forum until I feel I have atoned for my misdeed. Obviously I will be damned to hell for this misdeed and made to suffer for eternity. Of course it doesn't matter that the Dalai Lama admits he knows it goes on and does nothing about it. In order to atone for these actions I am leaving the website until said time I feel I can come back. Don't expect me to return anytime soon. Aaron

Well that quote was in regard to the problems arising in the Catholic Church, he still admitted no wrong within the temples his sect was in charge of. And the quote seems to counter your argument that it's a serious offense. Do you know what kind of atonement they're required to make? What do they do with the monks that commit these actions? Do they send them to therapy and make sure they never have access to children again? Do they notify law enforcement so that they can be tried for their crimes? No, they do what the Catholic Church did, keep it hushed up. Show me one instance where the Dalai Lama talks about this happening within his own organization. Your quote just show that he's a hypocrite, that the rules only apply to the unenlightened. Mark my words, it's only a matter of time before what's happened in the Catholic religion happens within the Buddhist religion, then we can judge his merit by how much responsibility he's willing to accept for his own part and his failure to protect those who were vulnerable. Aaron edit- The only difference between the Catholics and the Buddhists is that the Catholics believed their priests could be saved through prayer and the Buddhist believe their monks can be saved through enlightenment and meditation. Both are wrong. Hopefully the Buddhists will wake up to the error of their ways before too long.

Peter Harvey was the first professor of Buddhist Studies in the UK. He's a well respected professor who has had personal interviews with the Dalai Lama. I would say he's not so unknown, you're just not that well read. Aaron

I quoted verbatim, if you have a problem, then it should be with the book, not me. I did go back and look at the excerpt and I can't be positive if it's the direct quote from the Dalai Lama or an extrapolation from a conversation, but Peter Harvey holds that it's the Dalai Lama's personal view on the matter and he's not a quack, but a well respected professor, so again, if you have issue take it up with Peter Harvey. In regards to other evidence, I listed sources after people requested them. If you choose not to believe them, that's fine. I think the issue comes when you elevate a person to a standard that he can do no wrong. The Dalai Lama is every bit as human as the rest of us, he isn't special, nor should he engender special treatment merely because some monks claim he's the reincarnation of the previous dalai lama. If you want to get a good history of the Dalai Lamas read Geoffrey D. Falk's book "Stripping the Gurus". You'd be surprised (and I'm sure a bit nauseated) regarding what previous Dalai Lamas have done. Of course you can defend him, even after I've supported my claims, or you could read the chapter of Falk's book and find out for yourself. He notated his finding meticulously (something you have to do when you are making allegations against someone with as much political power and blind loyalty as the Dalai Lama has). Aaron edit- And again this quote was meant to illustrate that the Dalai Lama is aware that abuse of novices is taking place and also to highlight his attitude regarding the treatment of such abuse. It's not meant to make him out to be a demon, but to call attention to the issue. If you are having personal issues regarding your opinion of the Dalai Lama now, perhaps that's an internal conflict you're projecting on me.

So I'm getting a real kick out of the Hidden Agendas thread, thanks go to Basher for starting it, but at the same time I thought, wouldn't it be nice if we just came out and expressed our own agendas? So to get the ball started, I'll tell you what my agenda is, simply because I don't think it's at all hidden and most people know it anyways. My main goal on this forum and talking with people in general is to get them to understand that faith isn't enough, that placing one's faith in an institution or person is not only harmful, but most often leads to ignorance. I also try to make people aware that dogma and institutions, more often than not, are there to keep the organization's own deviant practices hidden at any cost. My hope is that by expressing these ideas I might encourage people to explore the topics of enlightenment through introspection and experience, rather than rote and ritual. In the end I hope people can understand that they don't need 'masters' or teachers to show them the way, that really it exists within each of us if we have the discipline and patience to search for it. Now I've told you what my agenda is, what's yours? Aaron

I wanted to clarify to people that I didn't start this thread in an attempt to diminish or disparage Buddhism. I hold a great deal of respect for Buddhism and value it's contribution to society, rather I was making a point about the institutions that have arisen in its midst. Much as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and many other religions, it has held a dark secret that many wish to ignore or keep hidden, but at some point we need to shed light on it, for it is only when that light is shed that this dark specter will cease to have a hold on it. The Dalai Lama is no more evil than the Pope or any other religious leader of our day, in fact he's seems to be very good man on the whole, but like many people his age, his views on certain topics have not evolved with the times and his esteem for the institution of Tibetan Buddhism seems to be a major priority in his leadership, as it should be. However with leadership comes a responsibility to each and every one of his followers, especially the children within the Tibetan temples. If he was a wise man he would step forward before this secret hits the mainstream media and take steps to end it, otherwise it will be dark stain on Buddhism, much as it was for Catholicism. Buddhism isn't the only religion with this problem, it happens in Taoist temples, Hindu temples, and Islamic schools, however of these religions I was hoping for a more compassionate response from the Buddhists. Sadly that wasn't really seen in this thread, rather there seems to be a desire to deny what's happening, to close our eyes and hope it goes away. That wont happen and if we are representative of the global sangha, then I don't see this problem coming to an end any time soon. I will let this thread die now, if that's what is meant to be. I've said my peace and I think shared enough evidence to prove I'm not just making this up. Aaron

Oh I wont. Of course I will be quoting a lot more about the Dalai Lama in the future, not only in regards to his treatment of the abuse of novices, but also his attitudes towards transgenderism, homosexuality, masturbation, and sex in general. I mean that guy is really out there when it comes to sexuality. I never knew the Tibetan Buddhists were that repressed. Of course being that repressed does help to keep the deviant goings on within the organization secret. Anyways, my apologies again, I'm sure the Chief Abbot is addressing the issues of abuse in schools and orphanages in Sri Lanka, rather than denying that it's occurring and I'm positive he's taking steps to stop this kind of abuse in the future, after all that would seem to be the Buddhist thing to do, not like the apparent denial of abuse charges against 114 Sri Lankan military personal in Haiti by the Sri Lanka President (read more here http://www.tamilguar...?articleid=1652). It seems that child sexual exploitation is endemic to much of Sri Lanka these days, not only in sex tourism, but also within the culture itself, so perhaps that's why I jumped the gun in that regard. Oh and you can go to http://www.colombohe...n-boys-as-monks to read more about why activists are opposing boys being ordained as monks (apparently, as I stated abuse in temples is rampant, but the authorities seem to be denying that it's occurring). If this seems sarcastic, it's because you're taking one misquote and attempting to discredit my point. It's this kind of crap that helps to cover things up, but I will promise you, I wont let it stop me. The amount of articles regarding this topic are nearly never ending, so from now on I'll just point out the sources and let you guys make the decisions, is abuse continuing unabated? And if so why? Aaron edit- Also it's not a personal attack on you C T, I like you and respect you, rather I was a bit upset that people are trivializing this and trying to diminish it by using culture as a defense. I know that the average Sri Lankan does not condone any of these things, but at the same time in a country where the majority barely scrape by temples have been a last resort to send children that can't be fed or cared for. If this wasn't available many children would've died of starvation, so their is a need for temples, but at the same time the institution that takes in those children need to take responsibility for their actions.

Yeah this is it... I misquoted, he was the head of the Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhists in England. Sorry. There was something written about the proliferation of abuse in Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka, but I couldn't find the link again. In my previous post about last year, I had it linked. I'm not sure what's happening about that. Aaron

Some points to address... First, regardless of culture the exploitation of children is unacceptable. Second, people should be aware of what's happening and who is helping to cover it up. Third, institutions, religious or otherwise, cover these things up to save their own asses. Look at the Boy Scouts as a good example. Fourth, we as individuals can't change anything, but as a unified force, being aware of what's happening, we can make a difference. The head of the Theravada Buddhists in Sri Lanka was recently indited after several victims came forth to share what happened to them. What is most despicable, isn't that this is occurring within organized religion, deviants seek organizations because it grants them access to victims, what is despicable is the fact that it's covered up and in my opinion, regardless of who it is, if it is covered up, then something needs to be done. Anyone who thinks because it's a different culture that we should allow children to be molested really needs to take a look at their inner compass and see what it has to say. No child asks to be taken advantage of, and if a culture believes they have that right, then they are wrong. Children don't ask to be born into these societies, just like they don't ask to be abused. It is our responsibility as adults to care for those children who can't care for themselves, to protect them, especially if the people caring for them are abusing them. My agenda with this thread is to spread awareness and not let this topic go away until someone wakes up and says, "this is enough." When that happens, then I will be a very content man, but until then I have a bone to pick with those who would use "God", "Buddha", "duty", or any other ideal or entity to manipulate children and the masses into silence. With that said, I don't necessarily believe the Dalai Lama is a bad man, just as I don't think the Pope is a bad man, but sometimes people have a way of believing that the benefit of the organization outweighs the benefit of the individuals, and when that happens what do we do? Do we say, "this is enough" or do we cower under pressure and remain silent? Aaron

What does it matter? Why do you care? Am I on the moderator crap list or what? I seem to be getting a lot of grief lately from you and sereneblue. Just wondering if this is organized or purely personal. Aaron

The thing is none of the data is falsified. Search google, you'll find there's overwhelming data regarding this topic. I also wasn't complaining about people not complaining, but being complacent and ignoring it, even though it's evident they understood it was going on. This is a VERY BIG difference. I think the problem stems from this idea that Buddhism is perfect, but Apech hit it on the head, there's no institution or idea that's perfect, especially when they advocate celibacy. As for documented proof--- here's the short list--- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/23/buddhist-sex-abuse-scanda_n_691337.html (A must read for American Buddhists) http://dbsjeyaraj.com/dbsj/archives/6081 http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-07-24/news/ct-met-monk-sex-cases-20110724_1_thai-monks-buddhist-monks-paul-numrich http://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/london-buddhist-monk-child-abuse-case-first-victims-was-threatened-second-victim-was-given-sweets/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2011/08/110820_mihintale_monk.shtml http://www.adn.com/2009/04/09/754645/buddhist-monk-charged-with-sexual.html http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/12/the-sex-lives-of-monks-confessions-of-kalu-rinpoche/ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/abuse-alleged-at-monastery-for-tibet-exiles-698788.html Is this enough or do you require me to provide names and addresses of witnesses... jeesh. Aaron

Oh yeah, I think most Asian's would realize it's pretty self evident, but if you don't want to look at the nasty side of your religion and still want to think it's above all that, close your eyes and say, "it's all an illusion. It doesn't matter if monks are molesting boys because it's transient in nature." The sad thing is, if it's not as bad as the Catholic Church, do we celebrate? I mean it's only been an institutionalized form of abuse for as long as boys have been in the monasteries, no need to stop anything now. And it's not a cop out, I just know how this works. Got to head off to work. If you want to find out more, research it, if not, go stick your head in the sand again. Aaron

Oh God. You're so wishy washy some times. I'm done with the head games. Have a nice day. Aaron

Hello Serene, My question was, "how can this go on with everyone knowing about it, and no one doing anything about it?" It wasn't, "How can we as individuals stop it?" Since that's an absurd question. My post was meant to educate and get people thinking, sorry if it wasn't about the bright sunny, smiling Dalai Lama, but rather the Dalai Lama who knows that abuse is going on in monasteries. He is getting old so perhaps he forgot, but he did talk about it a few times, but stopped in the early '90s when sex abuse began to come into the spotlight, after that, strangely enough, it was like he didn't know anything about it and it didn't actually occur at all? Peculiar isn't it? I listed numerous links about this topic last year in another post. There were over twenty different stories related to abuse of children in monasteries and Buddhist run orphanages on one website, plus several other stories besides that. This is the first time I saw quotes regarding sexual abuse by the Dalai Lama, it was also the first time I learned he was opposed to homosexuality and had written a chapter about it being wrong in one of his books (sinful, whatever), but at the request of his American publishers removed it. I'm assuming it's still in his foreign language editions. It was also shocking for me to find out he is possibly even more opposed to sex than the Catholic Church and Pope is, who would have thunk it? If people don't like the topic, don't blame me, blame the institution that allows it to happen. I'm not going to defend myself, because I already posted the source of my quote. Anyone who can do a Google search will find enough links that I shouldn't have to provide any more. Again, my question was more about society's complacency when it comes to the Dalai Lama saying something like this. If the Pope said something like this, I have no doubt he would be in deep doo doo. Oh and Tulku, you really need to get a life. Aaron

"You are the best. You are the worst. You are average. Your love is a part of you. You try to give it away because you cannot bear its radiance, but you cannot separate it from yourself. To understand your fellow humans, you must understand why you give them your love. You must realize that hate is but a crime-ridden subdivision of love. You must reclaim what you never lost. You must take leave of your sanity, and yet be fully responsible for your actions." -Gnarls Barkley, in a letter to the legendary rock critic Lester Bangs