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The most clever deception that the ‘celebrity Lamas’ use these days is to seduce westerners, particularly academics, is with the so called Dzogchen teachings (more likely originating with the Chan teachings of the Chinese) pretending now to new students of the Tibetan dharma that Tibetan Lamaism/Buddhism is ‘relaxed,’ devoid of rituals, not even a religion at all.
(Corboy note: This is exactly the strategy used by the late Maharish M Yogi
when he first propagated Transcendental Meditation -- said it was not a
religion.
[www.google.com])
Just ‘easy going and ‘no big deal’ ‘and with nothing to do or improve upon.’ This is what many of them teach at their beginning seminars and retreats.
Many of the western psychologists and academic ‘Buddhists’, naively came in through the ‘relaxed gate of ‘Dzogchen’. In short order they are prostrating to the Lamas, or out on their blogs, shilling for the Lamas, handing over their trust funds monies to the Lamas , giving up their daughters and wives for the Lamas sexual bliss practices, and ‘serving the lamas with their free labor , just as the serfs in Tibet did, all the while building their future mental prisons and soon believing “ that this ‘rinpoche or that rinpoche’ is an enlightened ‘avatar’” sitting high on his (usually his) golden brocade thrones.
Soon these western Phds are demeaning their own western culture and values, and elevating ‘emotional intelligence” over reasoning and logic, now believing in fairytales about the Lamas, studying the hell realms, and the danger of having even negative thought about the Lamas they have taken ‘vows’ with to see as always enlightened no matter what behaviors the lamas engage in. Now, , fully in the lineage now of the demonology and occultism of the Lamas Vajrayana Tantra , they have been subliminally programmed, with beegeebees scared out of them and under the Lamas thrall , unable to leave if they haven’t run out the door in the beginning.
Through this more ‘relaxed’ ‘Dzogchen deception the Lamas have found a very potent ‘hook’ for educated westerners to draw them into the Vajarayana of Tibetan ‘Buddhism, ‘ the longest lasting fundamentalist, authoritarian ‘thought control cult’ on the face of the earth.
The Tibetan Buddhist version of the Hell Realms, would make Christian hell realms seem mild, and Lama devotees soon find themselves in a more theistic environment than the one’s they left but before they can say ‘stop’ it’s too late, they are too deeply into groupthink and are programmed profoundly. Eventually they are out ‘shilling” for Tibetan Buddhism and Lamaism, and are now self-deceiving themselves as they are being deceived by the Lamas. “Deception” in the Vajrayana is the ‘name of the game’ as is “doublethink” ”double talk” and the use of ‘compartmentalization’ and the use of other primitive defenses to avoid the great cognitive dissonance that would overwhelm them , as it would the ublic, if they were to ‘unpeel the masks’ and take a hard and honest look at Tibetan Buddhism promoted as a vehicle for happiness and increased freedom and ‘compassion’ toward oneself and others.
By the time one gets to the Guru Yoga of the vows of the Vajrayana path of Tibetan Buddhism one is a complete and utter slave to Tibetan Lamaism and the Lamas, while simultaneously and utterly believing that one is becoming ‘liberated’ kinder, more open, and that it a ‘great blessing’ and a stroke of ‘very good luck’ to be ‘enthralled’ by these kleptocrats on thrones. One is proselytising and ‘recruiting’ for Lamaism without even being conscious of doing so (such as Sam Harris) and has become a victim of massive thought control. To even suggest this to a western Tibetan Lamaist devotee who thinks they are practicing a form of ‘high’ Buddhism’, the Third Wheel turning of the Buddha, incurs the wrath of one of the demons of their “shadow selves’, in the pantheon of incorporated demons that they have internalized in the many visualization rituals that are part of the Vajrayana tantra . Behind the docile, ‘compassionate’ , peace loving masks, Tibetan Buddhists are some of the most fanatic, ‘true believers’ on earth, while believing they are not. No one could have made me believe that I was a victim of an age old cult of priestly fundamentalism and tyranny that had kept its own people enthralled. Educated western Tibetan Buddhists never read the real history of Tibet , it never even occurs to them to do so.
So this blog and it’s posts are not written for western Tibetan Lamaists, or any Lamaists still in the cult of the Lamas. I believe most of them are ‘unreachable’ , unless they are at least half out already and might hear the hard truths presented here, before they spin another Lama cocoon around themselves or dismiss out of hand what is being said.
This blog is written to warn people those who aren’t yet ‘indoctrinated’ , and have their ‘suspicions’ or would never be attracted to their spells but may be being influenced by the Lamas and their promoters in the society at large, in ways they had never considered .
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on February 17, 2014.
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tr April 17, 2014 at 10:34 am | Permalink | Reply
Hi Stephen,
Glad to know and hear yr views on TB. All valid points in my opinion.
TB can be described as; Buddhism in philosophy, Hinduism in practice.
OM was in use in Hindu/Brahminism long before the Buddha
The Buddha viewed Tantra and Mantra practices with disdain then.
The use of honorifics, his holiness, etc is cultural, pertaining more to dynastic practices in imperial China. So too praying for long life and venerating the Guru (happens in Hinduism as well).
Prostrations, again is very feudal.
Maha tantrayoga has its roots in Hindu and Taoism, and this was before the advent of Buddhism in China. The Taoist description is 100% identical, so go figure!
Mandala is again Hindu. I could go on and on and also list out rituals, superstitions that were forbidden by the Buddha.
On another note, for a year I was active in an online Buddhist forum, populated mainly by Westerners. There was a marked difference between TB practitioners, whom I found to be lacking in essential Buddhist knowledge (The Vinayas or Kangyur of sorts), focusing mainly on TB texts and more importantly, found them usually with closed minds.
This is compared with Theravada practitioners, who were mainly the opposite, open minded and well informed.
Posts such as, Nyingmas can get married, Karma can be extinguished, deviant behaviour written off as crazy wisdom or because the guru was enlightened… frightening. And they cannot differentiate between Bhikkus and Yogis.
Well, too bad, but its refreshing to see your views on the issue.
Kari
Kari August 17, 2014 at 10:47 pm | Permalink | Reply
It’s important to get the message out to students of Buddhism and prospective students that guru yoga is NOT required, nor a standard element, in Mahayana Buddhism EXCEPT at the highest level. Therefore, any teacher who requires blind devotion from beginning and intermediate students is on the make. I’ve attended teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for years, and no teacher has said anything about guru devotion, about being a representative of the Buddha, or any such thing. This doesn’t mean their behavior was impeccable–far from it. Women, and sometimes men if the teacher if female, always should be on their guard. Even in the Buddha’s time, male monks were not trusted in the presence of female practitioners and students, so we shouldn’t expect anything to have changed now.
And for those who would label such warnings and critiques as “samsaric”, “pointless” or “negative” : this is compassion in action. It is essential to forewarn students of the potential pitfalls inherent in situations involving faith and religious authorities who, being often all too human, may fall for the temptation to abuse their authority and the vulnerability of some followers. Educating people about this is how suffering can be prevented. Ending suffering for sentient beings is our mission as Buddhists.
Brec
Brec August 22, 2014 at 7:48 am | Permalink | Reply
My fiancée is under the influence of an extremist Buddhist group whose leaders demand that its followers adhere to a code of conduct that simply isn’t supported by the Buddha’s teachings. The six vegetarian days per month are added to by a further three vegetarian months (!!!), during which many normal, day-to-day activities are forbidden. When they found out my fiancée was engaged, they started to indoctrinate her with a list of things which, whilst part of normal married life, she was prohibited from doing and must avoid if she is to achieve Buddhahood. Of course, there is no substance to or justification for any of their diktats in the Sutra, but the way they seek to justify their outlandish demands is to say they are an ‘interpretation’ of the Buddha’s broad teachings. I dread my fiancée returning home from another gathering, because one never knows what the extremist cranks who lead the sect will have added to the list of what the followers must do. I am trying to break her away from these evil people, but it is difficult because her faith is so strong it blinds her to the fact they are preying on her and other decent, genuine Buddhists like her.
Mamculuna
Mamculuna September 16, 2014 at 12:01 pm | Permalink | Reply
I haven’t read through all the comments, but I found this very enlightening. My own Tibetan teacher is interesting in that he doesn’t seem to lead us toward Tantra, though I know he practices it himself. AFter ten years, he still keeps us focused in sutra practice, and the books he writes are on that level. I’m glad of this, because when I first realized that the only teacher available to me was Tibetan, I was concerned about the very things you discuss. I’ve benefitted hugely from his teachings about some of the deities, but he’s never really led us into deity practice on the tantric level.
I am much more interested in pursuing mindfulness and dealing with the human issues in that way. I also read a good bit by Thubten Chodron, and find her approach (in most books) to be the way I want to practice.
So I wonder if this reluctance to move on to tantra is my own shallowness and laziness, or a wise way to practice? Your article makes me feel more comfortable with the path I’m trying to follow.
Maria
Maria October 23, 2014 at 10:28 am | Permalink | Reply
I have been to two tibeten buddhist centers now Drikung Kayge in Dehradun and Gomde. And I am shocked. It seems like things is turned upsite down. All the human problems that are the reasons for buddhist practice, in those tibeten buddhist centers just seem to flourish and grow even more than other places on earth. It seems like for most monks and practioners in theese tibeten buddhist centers the Ego had just grown into dimentions. The shadow ( jungian term) ia just totally overpowering.
I have experienced that instead of getting the guidence and help that I looked for, I got a huge dose of insanity/psychopathy at is worst. By that I mean emotional abuse.
Quote
tr April 17, 2014 at 10:34 am | Permalink | Reply
Hi Stephen,
Glad to know and hear yr views on TB. All valid points in my opinion.
TB can be described as; Buddhism in philosophy, Hinduism in practice.
OM was in use in Hindu/Brahminism long before the Buddha
The Buddha viewed Tantra and Mantra practices with disdain then.
The use of honorifics, his holiness, etc is cultural, pertaining more to dynastic practices in imperial China. So too praying for long life and venerating the Guru (happens in Hinduism as well).
Prostrations, again is very feudal.
Maha tantrayoga has its roots in Hindu and Taoism, and this was before the advent of Buddhism in China. The Taoist description is 100% identical, so go figure!
Mandala is again Hindu. I could go on and on and also list out rituals, superstitions that were forbidden by the Buddha.
On another note, for a year I was active in an online Buddhist forum, populated mainly by Westerners. There was a marked difference between TB practitioners, whom I found to be lacking in essential Buddhist knowledge (The Vinayas or Kangyur of sorts), focusing mainly on TB texts and more importantly, found them usually with closed minds.
This is compared with Theravada practitioners, who were mainly the opposite, open minded and well informed.
Posts such as, Nyingmas can get married, Karma can be extinguished, deviant behaviour written off as crazy wisdom or because the guru was enlightened… frightening. And they cannot differentiate between Bhikkus and Yogis.
Well, too bad, but its refreshing to see your views on the issue.
Kari
Kari August 17, 2014 at 10:47 pm | Permalink | Reply
It’s important to get the message out to students of Buddhism and prospective students that guru yoga is NOT required, nor a standard element, in Mahayana Buddhism EXCEPT at the highest level. Therefore, any teacher who requires blind devotion from beginning and intermediate students is on the make. I’ve attended teachings in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for years, and no teacher has said anything about guru devotion, about being a representative of the Buddha, or any such thing. This doesn’t mean their behavior was impeccable–far from it. Women, and sometimes men if the teacher if female, always should be on their guard. Even in the Buddha’s time, male monks were not trusted in the presence of female practitioners and students, so we shouldn’t expect anything to have changed now.
And for those who would label such warnings and critiques as “samsaric”, “pointless” or “negative” : this is compassion in action. It is essential to forewarn students of the potential pitfalls inherent in situations involving faith and religious authorities who, being often all too human, may fall for the temptation to abuse their authority and the vulnerability of some followers. Educating people about this is how suffering can be prevented. Ending suffering for sentient beings is our mission as Buddhists.
Brec
Brec August 22, 2014 at 7:48 am | Permalink | Reply
My fiancée is under the influence of an extremist Buddhist group whose leaders demand that its followers adhere to a code of conduct that simply isn’t supported by the Buddha’s teachings. The six vegetarian days per month are added to by a further three vegetarian months (!!!), during which many normal, day-to-day activities are forbidden. When they found out my fiancée was engaged, they started to indoctrinate her with a list of things which, whilst part of normal married life, she was prohibited from doing and must avoid if she is to achieve Buddhahood. Of course, there is no substance to or justification for any of their diktats in the Sutra, but the way they seek to justify their outlandish demands is to say they are an ‘interpretation’ of the Buddha’s broad teachings. I dread my fiancée returning home from another gathering, because one never knows what the extremist cranks who lead the sect will have added to the list of what the followers must do. I am trying to break her away from these evil people, but it is difficult because her faith is so strong it blinds her to the fact they are preying on her and other decent, genuine Buddhists like her.
Mamculuna
Mamculuna September 16, 2014 at 12:01 pm | Permalink | Reply
I haven’t read through all the comments, but I found this very enlightening. My own Tibetan teacher is interesting in that he doesn’t seem to lead us toward Tantra, though I know he practices it himself. AFter ten years, he still keeps us focused in sutra practice, and the books he writes are on that level. I’m glad of this, because when I first realized that the only teacher available to me was Tibetan, I was concerned about the very things you discuss. I’ve benefitted hugely from his teachings about some of the deities, but he’s never really led us into deity practice on the tantric level.
I am much more interested in pursuing mindfulness and dealing with the human issues in that way. I also read a good bit by Thubten Chodron, and find her approach (in most books) to be the way I want to practice.
So I wonder if this reluctance to move on to tantra is my own shallowness and laziness, or a wise way to practice? Your article makes me feel more comfortable with the path I’m trying to follow.
Maria
Maria October 23, 2014 at 10:28 am | Permalink | Reply
I have been to two tibeten buddhist centers now Drikung Kayge in Dehradun and Gomde. And I am shocked. It seems like things is turned upsite down. All the human problems that are the reasons for buddhist practice, in those tibeten buddhist centers just seem to flourish and grow even more than other places on earth. It seems like for most monks and practioners in theese tibeten buddhist centers the Ego had just grown into dimentions. The shadow ( jungian term) ia just totally overpowering.
I have experienced that instead of getting the guidence and help that I looked for, I got a huge dose of insanity/psychopathy at is worst. By that I mean emotional abuse.