ollaimh Wrote:
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> 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 tradition does have philosphical
> discussion that is about ethics but it doesn't get
> much attention from tibetan buddhists. moreover
> if you ask questions , it has been my experience
> you get slapped down with rude and insulting
> attacks. of course this is because those
> questioned do not want to lie, but do not want to
> acknowledge truth about the flaws of lamas. this
> is totally defying the often taught theory that a
> student must examine the teacher carefully. how
> can one examine the teacher when the senior
> instructors under that teacher will only hurl
> insults when queried? it's not possible.
>
This may be a slight digression, but where in WA State, and when, did Dudjom Rinpoche work with translators at a University? The U of Washington, Seattle, had the first Tibetan Studies program in the US, so my guess is that it was there. The founder of the program would snag any highly-respected Tibetan figures, who found their way to the US, to teach there: the DL's oldest brother, the Geshe Dhargye, former head of the Tibetan Archive in Dharamsala, etc. But I never heard that Dudjom Rinpoche might have been there.
These exhortations to research the teacher come from a Tibetan cultural context, in which community gossip can be easily accessed. It doesn't work for Westerners living on a different continent, who can't easily drop into the teahouses of Dharamsala, and start asking questions. Westerners are at a distinct, and extreme, disadvantage in this regard, though the internet finally is beginning to fill the void, but not enough. Too few people are willing to post publicly about unscrupulous teachers.
This forum here has the potential to be a tremendous resource in that regard. So far, though, only the most spectacularly egregious of TB teachers/"gurus" have received attention here. There's a vast number of lesser-knowns who remain under the radar, but by posting threads warning generally about the hidden nature of TB and "esoteric Buddhism" (tantric Buddhism), we can at least provide some approach-at-your-own risk warnings to people, and educate them about issues of corruption.
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> 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 tradition does have philosphical
> discussion that is about ethics but it doesn't get
> much attention from tibetan buddhists. moreover
> if you ask questions , it has been my experience
> you get slapped down with rude and insulting
> attacks. of course this is because those
> questioned do not want to lie, but do not want to
> acknowledge truth about the flaws of lamas. this
> is totally defying the often taught theory that a
> student must examine the teacher carefully. how
> can one examine the teacher when the senior
> instructors under that teacher will only hurl
> insults when queried? it's not possible.
>
This may be a slight digression, but where in WA State, and when, did Dudjom Rinpoche work with translators at a University? The U of Washington, Seattle, had the first Tibetan Studies program in the US, so my guess is that it was there. The founder of the program would snag any highly-respected Tibetan figures, who found their way to the US, to teach there: the DL's oldest brother, the Geshe Dhargye, former head of the Tibetan Archive in Dharamsala, etc. But I never heard that Dudjom Rinpoche might have been there.
These exhortations to research the teacher come from a Tibetan cultural context, in which community gossip can be easily accessed. It doesn't work for Westerners living on a different continent, who can't easily drop into the teahouses of Dharamsala, and start asking questions. Westerners are at a distinct, and extreme, disadvantage in this regard, though the internet finally is beginning to fill the void, but not enough. Too few people are willing to post publicly about unscrupulous teachers.
This forum here has the potential to be a tremendous resource in that regard. So far, though, only the most spectacularly egregious of TB teachers/"gurus" have received attention here. There's a vast number of lesser-knowns who remain under the radar, but by posting threads warning generally about the hidden nature of TB and "esoteric Buddhism" (tantric Buddhism), we can at least provide some approach-at-your-own risk warnings to people, and educate them about issues of corruption.