Hey,
As for him wanting to work as my counsellor and not a Guru, fitted with what I had asked him.
However in the end it worked out to be the same or worse.
You see initially you see the person as your friend you share all you information with him, in fact I was encouraged too.
This is a cult thing, as then he used all my weaknesses against me.
He was a Gelug practicer, and he was a western monk not a Lama in the senior sense, I was working with him one on one, he was
saying all the right things and I did check him out.
But remember, the great difference is his insistence that he would only be my counsellor, not a Guru/Teacher.
There is a vast gap here, a deception.
So really all this stuff about checking out your teacher is not valid, he only wanted to work as a counsellor, from a Buddhist view
point, but only a counsellor, he said he had a psychology degree before becoming a monk too, which I have subsequently checked
out as correct.
The give away at the end of the day that he made me promise I couldn’t leave once I’d started.
I was rushed and bullied into this.
Loving-kindness is an interested phrase that you used, it is from my view part of Loaded Language that is used in turning your mind.
How great does that sound, Loving-Kindness, it sounds great...
Who woundn't want to be part of Loving Kindness...
Om man padme hum, Love and Compassion...
I remember learning that what Love and Compassion of the mantra meant, something like 'the we may lead all sentient beings minds
being filled with Dharma'
What does this mean to the Lamas to unsuspecting passers by, that is not disclosed...
Flick thru this site...
[
www.trimondi.de]
The Shadows of the Dalai Lama, is a book written by Victor and Victoria Trimondi, they were close to the Dalai Lama.
Here is an interesting part of the book that isn't disclosed to you...
Tibetan Buddhism primarily owes its success in the West to two facts: first, the charm and brilliant
self-presentation of its supreme representative, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and second, the promise to
lead people on the way to enlightenment. Although the tantric path to enlightenment explicitly
involves a dissolution of the ego, it is at first the I of the pupil which is addressed. “I would like to
overcome the senselessness and suffering of my earthly existence. I would like to experience
liberation from samsara (the world of illusion).” When a western sadhaka is prepared to sacrifice his
“little self”, he certainly does not have the same understanding as the lamas of the “greater self” (the
higher self or Buddha consciousness) which the tantric philosophy and practices of Vajrayana offers
him as a spiritual goal. The Westerners believe that enlightened consciousness still has something to
do with a self. In contrast, a teacher of Tantric Buddhism knows that the individual identity of the
pupil will be completely extinguished and replaced by a strictly codified, culturally anchored army of
gods. It is the Tibetan Buddhas, herukas, Bodhisattvas, deities, demons (dharmapalas) and the
representatives of the particular guru lineages who take the place of the individual pupil’s
consciousness. One must thus gain the impression that an “exclusive club” of supernatural, albeit
culturally bounded, beings (Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods, etc.) has managed to survive by time and
again occupying human bodies anew (until these wear out). Tibetan Buddhism is not aimed at the
enlightenment of individuals but rather at the continuing existence of a culture of superhumans (yogis,
gods) in the form of possessed people (the pupils). It is concerned here to perpetuate a priestly caste
that does not need to die because their consciousnesses can be incarnated into the human bodies of
their followers again and again. This caste and their deities are considered sacrosanct. They live
beyond all criticism. Their symbols, deeds, and history are set up as exemplary; they are the cultural
inheritance which may not be analyzed but must be taken on blind faith by believers.
For these reasons Tibetan Buddhism’s entire promise of enlightenment forms a trap with which
intimate and religious yearnings can be used to magically push through the politico-religious goals of
the monastic clergy. (We are not discussing here whether this is really possible, rather, we are talking
about the intentions of the Lamaist system.) This corresponds exactly with what the Renaissance
philosopher Giordano Bruno describes as “manipulation”. Bruno, it will be recalled, indicated that a
masterly manipulator may not speak about his actual power-political intentions. In contrast, he flatters
the ego of the one to be manipulated (the ego the masses), so that the latter always believes he is
following solely his own interests and pursuing his completely personal goals — but in truth he is
fulfilling the wishes and targets of the manipulator (without knowing it). Applied to the Dalai Lama
and his religion this means that people practice Tibetan Buddhism because they hope for
enlightenment (liberation from personal suffering) from it, yet in reality they become agents of
political Lamaism and the Tibetan gods at work behind it. The Dalai Lama is thus a particularly
impressive example of a “manipulator” in Bruno’s sense.
Think of all the new phrases you learn all the loaded language, it leads really to the only people you can have a conversation about it openly with understanding is People inside the Buddhist community.
This leads to becoming more deeply being indoctrinated as Buddhism seems to be all that people taught about at the centre's I have been too.
It naturally herds you into become more indoctrinated especially if you are vulnerable.
Then all these people who have taken Bodhisattva Vows etc, see it as there duty to safe you and hence try and plant seeds being planted in your mind.
After a while you can tend to look at people outside the community as unfortunate they are not Buddhist and I somehow must save them.
Some people can handle this in their life's if it what they really want, yet I question if is what they really want as they are being influenced without realizing it.
This obsession with helping others can be extremely unhealthy for quite a lot of vulnerable people, are they really looked out for, or are they just canon fodder if they can't handle it.
An interesting view point can be found on this website
[
www.american-buddha.com]
Thanks Misstyk for for offering the advice about acupuncture.
Unfortunately from my experience I picked up a lot of religious phobias and racial ones too from my experience, namely with anything to do with Asian Culture I get a lot of anxiety.
The first helpful way I started to recover was to look at all religions and see how they all had the same story, the same lessons etc, lots of metaphors etc.
Joseph Campbell, had a great video series called THE POWER OF MYTH, which is great to compare religions and Myths of man.
I love what he said in one episode, 'no matter how someone tries to influence to follow your bliss', no someone elses agenda, but what really makes you happy without the influence of coercion.
To really just look at religions as a way of thinking and a way of controlling people, you have someones mind and support, you have power and finances. Subtle, but obviously they need money to survive.
I think when they say you don't have to believe in reincarnation yet and laugh, but after time you may, means 'wait until we influence and indoctrinate you some more until we do have you believing in it, then when you do believe in living an ethical life from hypnotic suggestions we have implanted that you were unaware of to an extreme; then we have control and power over you to direct you where we need you to head'.
We'll change you, but its ok its in the name of 'Loving Kindness', laughing at you like your an idiot and saying ' and you wonder why you suffer', it only hooks you in more, because you don't want too suffer. It creates a dependence on them, childlike, you are being worked. It is very deliberate, but you are unaware of it.
I found the fear induced into me about karma etc about being perfect or I'd go to hell, you know a million life times, I had to break them down and see the manipulation for man of how he created them.
It was a very clever manipulation, so I found it really helpful to look at it all from a scientific point of view.
I used to run to every possible alternative therapy trying to release my trauma, yet if I look at it now I believe most alternative therapies work thru the placebo effect.
I cashed so much money into them and if they really worked so well they would be put into them medicine books and documented internationally, why wouldn't they be unless when tested scientifically they didn't hold up to the thorough testing.
I've found a lot people at Buddhist Centre's tried to convince me of different alternative therapies, but to be honest, I think this is because they get caught up in Mysticism.
This type of thinking for me, was very helpful for someone who wishes to indoctrinate you.
If some of these treatments really worked and proven scientifically or at least if not being able to be explained proven in high %'s to work unquestionably in most cases and not in a placebo way for everyone with a trauma you would be the richest person in the world.
So, thanks for your suggestion Misstyk, but probably anything that hasn't been scientifically been proved and published in Medical Journals I take a big side step from, not to mention having an Asian influence as they at the moment remain great triggers for me.
I apologize I have become a great skeptic now unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately.
Now that's quite some reading to be done, so I'll sign off for now.
All the best...;o)