Mob mentality/powerfield is just another intoxicant of the sort we are warned to beware of in the Bodhisattva Precepts.

We are neither supposed to peddle intoxicants or darken mind and body of self and other with intoxicants--and yes, thrilling to charisma and powerfield are intoxicants.

Hi Lads,
I think everyone on this forum is pretty much aware of the situation in Dublin. I mean Diamondway Buddhist centre in Dublin.
Some colleagues have launched on a new initiative on Facebook called "Free Irish Buddhists".
[www.facebook.com]
If you could give your "likes" to that page or spread it out globally through your networks - that would be highly appreciated.
Great thanks!

Quote
corboy
Mob mentality/powerfield is just another intoxicant of the sort we are warned to beware of in the Bodhisattva Precepts.

We are neither supposed to peddle intoxicants or darken mind and body of self and other with intoxicants--and yes, thrilling to charisma and powerfield are intoxicants.

Well, in the new version of the film trailer Nydahl talks about being liberated from disturbing emotions, but the origin of these emotions is conceptual delusion, whether they manifest in emotional disturbances or not.

The measure of conceptual delusion is whether one views appearances as being devoid of any substantial existence, seeing the impermanent nature of conditioned phenomena as mere empty appearance rather than taking them as reality. When Nydahl talks about his knowledge of his past life as a protector and the birthmark on his forehead as if they had some sort of significance he's practicing delusion and revealing his attachment to karma rather than liberation from it.
Maybe this relates to the idea of him being simply "a program" insofar as he's acting out what he conceptualises as being his karma, either way he seems to be missing the cornerstone of Buddhist motivation to be free from karma by practicing non-conceptualisation of the 3 spheres.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2011 11:23AM by suenam.

Quote
Kevin Curran
Hi Lads,
I think everyone on this forum is pretty much aware of the situation in Dublin. I mean Diamondway Buddhist centre in Dublin.
Some colleagues have launched on a new initiative on Facebook called "Free Irish Buddhists".
[www.facebook.com]
If you could give your "likes" to that page or spread it out globally through your networks - that would be highly appreciated.
Great thanks!

I just wanted to say in relation to my last post that I have followed Free Irish Buddhists web page over the course of the last few weeks. Sadly it came to a point that I can no longer support it.

Free Irish Buddhists Facebook web page owner removed all posts which were directly or indirectly critical towards Dublin Diamondway Centre. Supposedly he was "under pressure" from some individuals.

Intellectual and moral courage are crucial for those who want to stand for their high political and religious ideals.

I have also received questions about what is an essential problem in Dublin diamondway.
Radical sectarianism of very aggressive sort is a problem here. Fundamentalism, psychological violence and exclusion of Sangha members.
People who genuinely feel connection with Kagyu transmission have nowhere to go to. Lots of people were ostracized, marginalized or excluded.

Hi Kevin.

I was surprised by your initial request for support for the "Free Irish Buddhists" as when I checked them out they seemed very pro-Nydahl.

Sorry to hear you find yourself without a genuine Buddhist group to practice with. But the thing with Diamond Way is that it is a personality cult. A lot of pressure was put upon me to accept Nydahl. But the pressure was very subtle but relentless. Just small niggling comments that I think were designed to make me give up questioning and conform. I was made to feel as though I lacked the same intelligence as the leaders because I wouldn't conform. A lot of people were made to feel uncomfortable to a point where they didn't come back becasue they were deemed not to be "Diamond Way enough".

Any information you can share here about your experiences within the Dublin centre can only help people who come across this site make an informed decision as to the set up within the organisation.

Steve

Hi Kevin,

My response would be to you if you have any connection to kagyu lineage try something else. Otherwise you would be totally brainwashed and you would not even practice the right way of buddhism. I meant ole has only one trasmission to give. He gives away meditations without any lung what you should get always when you start a new type of meditation. He has only powa. Nothing else.

Anyway the group is a mentally disturb branch of people with an idea that ole is a God. God in a buddhist centre? They would never announce this but they behave like this. Like a good and well behaved cult.

Within the group they talking about compassion but it is never kept. I never forget when i stayed one of his centre in Hungary. One day a girl came in she was a kind of disturbed person but looking for some place where she can figure herself out. Her family background was not really good and she was suffering of depression what was controlled by medication.
She asked if she can stay for meditation when the "leader" of the buddhist centre said no. The reason was,how he explained to her,that she is on medication,she is depressed and the meditation would just mess her up more. Ole told to the leaders that they should not allow let "sick " people to come to the group.(Kind of a nazi idea).

The girl got upset and although she tried to understand she still asked him if sometimes she can come and just sit in the gompa. The answer was no.
And just because of her conditions.
I was furious when i heard this but i was a guest and just had an argument with the leader although it has not changed anything.

How come they never heard of breathing meditation? But of course. Ole thinks it is not important. (how i heard)

So this was just one experience of mine.

Similar story when a very hard working girl who was the accountant of the London Sangha and worked so hard for them for free and studied at university as well. She got kicked out for the same reason because she got depressed. When people asked about her Maya Muller just told us she went to the french side. And the truth was they let her down big time when she really needed help.

And my example?

I got kicked out with my 9 month old baby from the sangha by Daffyd Morris as my child cried during the Karmapa visit in the hall. He told me that i purposely abused my child during the visit just to annoy th epeople in the hall.
So they kicked me out with the baby. Me is ok but what the 9 months baby has done in her short life time?

It is happened to the best because i realised in early stage it is a cult with a lot of sick people there who should not follow anything like meditation. They should find a good psychologist.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/12/2011 10:11AM by milarepa.

Milarepa - I admire the way you focus on behaviour, which stands in stark contrast to the DWB stance which says "you ARE sick" or "they ARE terrorists" which focuses on solidifcation at the level of identity. It is very easy to turn a verb into a noun and as a result end up clinging to your own perceptions as if they were facts... focusing on behaviour at least gives that person a chance to change.

I would strongly agree with the idea that one should seek out an alternative - even within the kagyu lineage - as I found this gives an understanding and a perspective on the DWB experience...

I recently attended a lecture where a respected Buddhist lama spoke about the idea of impartial compassion - equal to those one is fond of and towards those one has a tendency to dislike, and it really struck me at that point what the difference was between a true Lama and Ole Nydahl.

I was having a look at what my old group was doing in Liverpool (to see if they still exist, to my dismay they do) and was reading a list of upcoming events at centres around the UK and noticed a series of talks that were to take place. There were a couple of favourite topics being re-visited. “A Lama's Tail – on the road With Lama Ole Nydahl” and “The meaning of the Sangha”.

Now, I sat through a few of these ‘on the road with Ole’ talks and never found them to be inspiring nor useful. I think these talks really expose the organisation as the personality cult it is. They are held periodically so as to reinforce the brainwashing that has already taken place. I think if you are impressed with the stories of his swashbuckling adventures then you’re hooked. Why do these lectures keep taking place with annoying regularity? To me they just keep the programming of his devotees fresh. If I tell you about my holiday in Grimsby then, if it was important to you, you can recall the most salient points yourselves. If you want to know more you can ask. But these talks seemed compulsory, and when I didn’t attend the leader would often have some pinched expression or perhaps a comment to make (not immediately after, but at some point his feelings about my lack of attendance would be made clear). They are designed to keep just how wonderful Ole is in the front of your mind, lest ye forget. No matter that you behave in a disgraceful way, as long as you love Ole it will be all OK in the end.

So, Mr James you’ve travelled with Ole. These talks are just to show the rest of the group just how well connected you are, aren’t they. And, in the process re-program the sheep you have gathered. Buddhism isn’t about jumping out of planes, riding motorcycles at illegal speeds, crowd surfing, demonstrating your muscle and partying hard. If it were then Karmapa, Shamarpa, the Dalai Lama and countless other respected teachers would have tried or, endorsed, one or all of these things.

And then there are the ‘importance of Sangha’ talks. Designed so that once you have your sheep programmed they can pull together and help weed out or put pressure on those who don’t fall into place. These always seemed exclusive. Rather than look at the Sangha in the all-encompassing Buddhist community way, they tended to be introspective, about Diamond Way. The flock are told that the Sangha is crucial for development and, how I was approached, the best way to develop was to provide free labour to renovate the leaders’ home. If not this, then provide some free service, web design for example.

These Sangha talks encourage the students to close ranks. We have heard of examples from Ireland where people are excluded from their own group. My own example of being asked to leave because I couldn’t/wouldn’t accept Nydahl as my saviour. Similar situations in Scotland I believe? Manchester’s Polish group making things uncomfortable for anyone who didn’t harbour anti-Muslim views, and so on.

So to those people who insist on hosting these talks, could you walk away from the organisation and just meditate alone? Or is it the group identity what keeps you there? Have you become so attached to it that you couldn’t let go? To those of you who attend these talks regularly, would you feel guilt if you didn’t go? Have you become so attached that to not attend would cause some suffering? Why do you go when you know the stories and probably have the books to read anyhow? They can cost up to £5 and you are all expected to attend… and what did you learn about Buddhism from the talks….. or more importantly about your own mind?

Steve

hello there,
It is very interesting that Stevelpool still does not want to name the main guy in the Liverpool centre . Was he putting him under so much pressure ,that even now after stevel pool is no longer there he does not want to name him? If so be it I ll help him out :
His name is Peter Malinowski , his is a professor at Liverpool university.
Could I ask contributors to this forum (which is very interesting) to share your experience what did you do after you been kicked out or left DW , and how it affected your practice ?Did you try to talk someone? Karmapa? Shamar Rimpoche? May be any other teacher(properly educated Lama) in the place you live?