Re: Ole Nydahl and Diamond Way Buddhism
Date: March 20, 2011 11:31PM
Hi dariusb.
That’s a very good question you ask about Phowa. Is transmission from Ole valid? I’m not sure answering this question here is permissible as it’s really a forum about cult behaviour and not about Dharma practices in general. Perhaps the administrator will forgive me this time… ;-)
I can only answer this by asking “is Phowa valid”? I read a lot about Phowa and, in the true spirit of Buddhism, I decided to check it out for myself. Not once either, but 5 times to be absolutely sure. I really want Phowa to be ‘true’. The idea of having a choice as to whether or not you return to Samsara or not is very appealing to me. I choose not to return. The important thing to remember here is that I really want it to be true.
Sadly, after sitting through 5 Phowa courses I can find no evidence to suggest it is true. People claimed I had the ‘outer sign’ but no photograph has ever shown the mark which is said to have appeared on my head. I’m balding too so it would be easy to see. I examined the heads of other friends and saw no marks either. I did tell them I ‘think that is the mark, but I can’t be sure’ just so they felt better. But really I never saw anything that can be claimed as conclusive evidence. Perhaps someone could x-ray my skull and find the small hole or holes? But all that would prove is that I have five holes in my head (or not) and not where they came from.
So I don’t think it’s a question of whether Nydahl’s Phowa is valid or not. I think the question should be is Phowa valid? My personal view on this, given my experiences and investigations, is that in all probability it isn’t valid. I don’t ‘believe’ in re-birth either, which might sound strange coming from a Buddhist. But without being able to remember past lives and prove their existence beyond any doubt I must remain sceptical. The idea of ‘pure lands’ sounds too much like the promise of heaven (DWB practitioners reading this will probably be rolling their eyes saying ‘pure lands’ aren’t actual places, did he learn nothing? But this isn’t what I’m discussing. It’s is the idea of wanting some state resembling a paradise that is a little like the promise of heaven.)
But as I mentioned earlier, I really want Phowa to be true but I can’t deceive myself no matter how much I wish for something. And remember I went to 5 Phowa courses, I spent a lot of money because I really wanted it to be true.
Of course I might be wrong. I’m not trying to say that because my experience provided no proof that it invalidates your experience. But you asked for an opinion and this was mine. :-)
john_lpool didn’t get the sign because he spent his time in the kitchen and down at the beach…. ;-)
The answer is that perhaps the scientific community should get some people who have never done Phowa, check their skulls for signs of holes and so on. Let these people practice Phowa and check them again afterwards to see if there has been a change. If there has been a change, holes in heads and the like then we can debate what might have caused them.
I found Phowa to be a very useful exercise in sitting and meditating for 9 hours-a-day. So I don’t think the time and money was completely wasted.
Steve