ollaimh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > good question,it's a long time ago, i may be > confusing the washington university translators, > one of whom i knew well with another translation > group. now that you mention it. i'll have to ask a > friend who might know to be sure. the translator > i knew was leon hurvitz who unfortun
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

ollaimh Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > i gave the quote that "ethics are the highest > dharma", but this was from dudjom rinpoche and he > spent quite some time at a university in > washington state and worked with phd translators, > hence he may have been introduced to the idea in > north america. > > the madamaika t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

It would be helpful if you could provide us with a synopsis of the Tredwell book.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

corboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- >> > 2) Older disciples hide 'inconvenient truths' > about a dishonest or greedy > teacher because they do not want new students and > prospective recruits to > be put off from the Dharma. Attracting new people > to Vajrayana brings merit > to these older students, so there is an
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Often when the topic of scandal in TB arises, a debate ensues as to whether TB is, by its very nature, corrupt. I was pleasantly surprised when, on another forum, someone quoted Dudjom Rinpoche, (now deceased) former head of the Nyingma Order of TB, as saying, "Ethics is the highest Dharma". It's news to me that the concept of "ethics" even existed in Tibetan Buddhis
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Everything that was going on in that sangha, as described in those excerpts, was the antithesis of Buddhism.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

corboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > ure-felt-like-a-cult-stephin-merritt-life-in-songs > -magnetic-fields-new-album > > Quote"My mother has travelled a lot, following > various gurus around ...he liked to encourage > drunk driving, which didn’t turn out well for > him. He thought drunk driving was very good for > yo
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Requiring you to "surrender to the guru" is a red flag. Attempts to impose "groupthink" or to "break the ego" are a red flag. Restricting reading material to that produced by a single author is a red flag. These are some of the warning signs. If you think about the typical church experience, that might help you tell what's a cult and what is just a spiritual
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Is the Rajneesh cult tantric? Having group orgies doesn't necessarily mean tantric techniques are occurring. It was pretty clear from the film that that was not the case. I found the film rather disturbing. How could anyone think that those groups sessions of various sorts were therapeutic? Why did people have to work 20 hrs./day? Was there some kind of group hypnosis going on? I can un
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Well, we now know from Melodius' testimony above, that Rigpa/Sogyal's teachings involve sexual practice. My observation after posting on a number of Buddhist forums over the years, about clergy abuse of students, is that the people who protest the most vehemently are the people involved in charlatan-run Tibetan Buddhist movements that include sexual tantra, and that introduce students t
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

One typical m.o. is to tell women that the Lama is a representative of the Buddha and the Holy Dharma, and only has the students' best interests at heart. So they should trust him completely, and follow his word. I think part of the hook for June Campbell, after she recovered from the shock of what he was proposing, was the sense that it was an honor to be chosen as a consort. In Tibetan
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

On the Buddhist forum where I participate, I recommend to newbies asking how to choose a sangha to try the various ones in their area, and to pay attention to the general vibe. Observe how the members interact. Over time, does there seem to be pressure to adhere to certain beliefs or behaviors, signs of cult-like dynamics? Is the teacher a little to "close" or "friendly" with
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Addendum to previous post: link to article on monks.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

corboy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > BBC -"(Bhutan) is one of the world's poorest > nations." > > > > QuoteBhutan measures quality of life by Gross > National Happiness (GNH) rather than Gross > Domestic Product (GDP), striking a balance, the > government says, between material and mental well > being. &g
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Bhutanese monks are considered the most aggressive in trying to snag Western women for sex. Women have reported rape attempts by Bhutanense monks at Bodh Gaya, and the Bhutanese "lamas" staffing Kalu Rinpoche's main center in France were fired by the young Kalu Rinpoche after he received many complaints of pressure for sex. One rape case was reported to police and the lama was jail
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Please keep us posted, OP. I found their website. It looks like there's no spiritual component at all, it's about teaching tantric technique, or "advanced sex", as the leader calls it. If things are getting out of hand, it sounds like the leader doesn't have any teaching or rules or precautions to ensure that things don't get out of control. There are people who g
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

A for-profit organization promoting sex? Is that a fancy term for prostitution? I wonder if they're limiting their locations to countries where prostitution is legal. That's pretty much what Diamond Way Buddhism does (Ole Nydahl)--teach enlightenment through tantric sex, but he calls it Buddhism, and technically, I don't think Diamond Way is a for-profit organization, thoug
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

dharmabum Wrote: > > >> > Sad. The ancient yoga was meant to aid in > mindfulness and self-realization. Whatever > physical enhancement involved was incidental; the > sexual part is purely a misrepresentation and has > been overly exploited by the West. I grew up in a > yoga cult, The Science of Identity, they have a > very puritanical view about sex; e
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I don't know if there's any info available on esoteric Sufism. I've heard that there are tantric rituals in Sufism that are very similar to those in Tibetan Buddhist "Highest Yoga Tantra" or supreme yoga tantra, involving the consumption of "impure substances" (known in TB as "the five nectars--urine, feces, menstrual blood, etc.) Whether or not there
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I haven't heard of this Nicole Grace. But I know a few things about Bhutanese Buddhism. It's known as the form of Vajrayana that's the most exploitive of women, the Drukpa Kagyu school, the style of Vajrayana introduced and practiced by Padmasambhava, who was eventually expelled from Tibet, according to some scholars. Though it was outlawed in the 1960's, Bhutanese monks conti
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Mi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes, I have heard of Ole Nydahl. But I don´t > think that Ole is unique in the ways of cultism, > to the tibeten buddhist community. I have > unfortunately in my search, been to other buddhist > centers. ( Read other link ) And they are just as > bad. > > Scapegoating, contradictions, non-buddhi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Hi, Mi. Welcome to the forum. The Dalai Lama's attendants have a reputation for being horribly arrogant, and for dismissing people rudely. Though I haven't heard of anything as extreme as what you experienced. They're so arrogant and dismissive, they cut HHDL off from people he, in fact, does want to see, and information he would like to have. Unfortunately, he doesn't s
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Quote The Gobbler|7.28.10 @ 2:19PM|# " But what is striking, and what caused me to be so startled by the weirdness, is the way in which this religion has come to be viewed in Western New Age circles as a peaceful, pure, happy-clappy cult of softly-smiling, Buddha-like beings." I would contend that this is because the bulk of "Buddhists" in the US are influenced by wha
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

I'm curious as to why the UK seems to be dominated by the "chain store" approach to Tibetan Buddhism. It seems that it's mostly international and UK-wide Buddhist organizations that set up sanghas, all of which have cult issues, and most of which are of questionable legitimacy, from what I understand. (Please feel free to correct me, or expand on this, as you see fit.) Diam
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

corboy Wrote: - > During this time, you make friends and, gradually > lose > what capacity you had for objectivity. > Anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann > has termed this 'interpretative drift'. One learns > from group > participation how to interpret events the way > one's companions do. > > You're often told that any critical informati
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

budhistcke Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > If the Dharma requires us to check out our > teachers before we take them seriously who can we > blame if we don't check them out and they are not > reliable? Corboy, above is the post I was responding to, but failed to quote. I disagree that one has to get involved in the sangha extensive
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Most prospective students of Buddhism don't know that the teachings say to thoroughly check out the teacher. How would they know that, if they're completely new to Buddhism? Even if they've been attending teachings for awhile, they wouldn't find that out. They're very trusting, as anyone is who enters a new spiritual tradition, whether a Western church or an Eastern tradi
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

budhistcke Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is an interesting point. I once attended a > Diamond Way lecture about Mahamudra in London, > several hundred people were present (this in > itself was a surprise); after an hour or so > someone obviously versed in Mahamudra asked a > question to Lama Ole from the floor "do you hold >
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Otto Wagner Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi, I'm new to this thread... > > I've always been curious about Tibetan Buddhist > practice, but there doesn't seem to be an > accessible authentic lama... I'm doubtful of the > Dalai Lama....and he is supposed to be the leader > of Tibet both politically and spirituall
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Yes, I've noticed that in the DL's lectures, too. He's been asked if using birth control is ok, and he says yes, and that it makes sense in an overpopulated world. He's been questioned by gays and interviewed for a LGBT magazine, and said that gay sex is ok. But when speaking to Tibetans, he adheres to the teachings, which are very strict on that score, dating back to medieval
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"