﻿Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 29th, 2022 at 1:23 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 29th, 2022 at 1:19 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Queequeg said:
The nominal value of the ruble is not reliable because it is not freely floating as other currencies are.

PeterC said:
That’s a bit of an understatement.  It’s not that long ago that when Russian banks had large nondeliverable forwards on the rubble expiring, they would shift the value of the currency for a couple of days to stiff their counterparties.

But at some level the means by which Russian gas is paid for is not really the issue. The issue for Western Europe is how dependant they are on Russian supply, and for Russia, what options they have to sell the production elsewhere. I’m sure the customers will develop alternative supply options much faster than Russia will develop alternative offtake routes.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 29th, 2022 at 1:14 AM
Title: Re: karma and its fruit or fruits
Content:
clyde said:
Malcolm, The Buddhist teachers I’ve heard or read who have addressed or mentioned this issue have all presented it as “fruits”, a multitude of effects.

Can you point to where the Buddha said that each karmic event caused one and only one effect?

Malcolm wrote:
Vasubandhu, Abhidharmakośabhaṣyā 4:95a:

One action projects one arising.

clyde said:
Thank you. I’ll take a look at it.

To be clear, this is the work of a Buddhist scholar/monk, not a direct teaching of the Buddha, yes?

Malcolm wrote:
It's Abhidharma, i.e., advanced Dharma analysis by arhats.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 9:38 PM
Title: Re: karma and its fruit or fruits
Content:
clyde said:
I don’t think he taught that a volitional act has one and only one ‘fruit’.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, actually he did. Each action has exactly one vipaka, ripening. Otherwise, there is the problem of a cause existing at the same time as it’s result.


clyde said:
Malcolm, The Buddhist teachers I’ve heard or read who have addressed or mentioned this issue have all presented it as “fruits”, a multitude of effects.

Can you point to where the Buddha said that each karmic event caused one and only one effect?

Malcolm wrote:
Vasubandhu, Abhidharmakośabhaṣyā 4:95a:

One action projects one arising.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 9:32 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:


Malcolm wrote:
You really don’t pay attention very well. Hungary is paying in rubles directly. Ok, back into the kill file.

Bundokji said:
If they are paying in Ruble directly, then why Russia cut their gas supplies?

Könchok Thrinley said:
There is a difference between Hungary and Bulgaria.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, Russia did not cut off Hungary.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 8:48 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Bundokji said:
. I would not be surprised if Poland's and Hungary's refusal of using the Ruble was instigated by the US to embarrass these two countries. Beyond the facade of unity, there can be many divisions.

Malcolm wrote:
You really don’t pay attention very well. Hungary is paying in rubles directly. Ok, back into the kill file.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 7:47 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 10:30 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
So much for the Gazprombank gambit:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 10:03 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The whole thing is handled from the RUSSIAN side. The so-called special accounts (holding accounts) are not opened by the importers, but by Gazprombank. The deposited euros or dollars are converted by Gazprombank into rubles, moved into these holding accounts for Gazprombanks book keeping.

Bundokji said:
Which is essentially what i said! They knowingly continued to purchase Russian gas after the Ruble accounts been opened. Their justification is what you described. Why similar arrangements were not followed with Poland and Hungary? Gazprombank could have opened similar accounts for these two countries, and they could have claimed (as per the lead of the major European counterparts) that its all the exporter internal affairs that have little to do with the legitimacy of what they do in the context of breaking the sanctions! What does their refusal to pay in Ruble exactly mean? does it mean that Russia showed more leniency with major European countries and decided to have different policy/approach with others?
The whole purpose of this is not jack up the ruble. The whole purpose of this is collect dollars and euros, because the assets in dollars and euros of Russia have largely been frozen. 282 billion dollars of Russias foreign reserves, slightly more than half, have been frozen. Why? Because Russia stores most of the foreign reserves in foreign banks.
It coincided with the Ruble recovery nonetheless. From the Russian perspective as i imagine it, Ruble recovery accompanied by having a flow of USD and Euro to fund their imports is not a bad thing.

Malcolm wrote:
Both Poland and Bulgaria’s gas contracts were up at the end of this year, so it appears they have much less incentive to continue buying gas from Russia, and also, Poland has apparently been agitating for alternatives to Russian gas for some years. Hungary is in Putin’s pocket at the moment.

The “recovery” of the ruble is a manipulation, it’s price does not represent its true market value. No one wants to buy the ruble right now at any price. Russia’s energy minister announced today they would pump 18% less oil in 2022.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 6:02 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:


Bundokji said:
I interpret this as poor coordination between European allies. If major EU nations declared or agreed that opening accounts in Ruble

Malcolm wrote:
You continue to misunderstand. These countries do not open accounts in rubles. They open accounts into which they deposit dollars or euros, per their contracts. Russia converts these payments into rubles, just as the article states.

Bundokji said:
then this should have not been an issue for Poland and Hungary.

Malcolm wrote:
Poland and Bulgaria, as you can see, was cut off for not paying directly in the ruble. They paid in the agreed upon currency of exchange: dollars or euros.

Hungary and three other unnamed countries have decided to pay directly in rubles. They will be punished for violating the sanctions. The EU sanctions are clear: contracts written to be paid in dollars or euros cannot be paid in rubles.

Bundokji said:
Correct me if i am wrong, but what you are presenting is half of the story (as i know it). Major EU nations continue to deposit dollars or euros as you said, but they signed or agreed to open Ruble accounts with Gazprombank after the Russian decree.

Malcolm wrote:
No, you are quite mistaken.

From TASS:
MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. At least ten European companies buying Russian natural gas have already opened accounts at Gazprombank needed to meet Russia’s demand to pay in rubles, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.

According to a source close to Gazprom, 4 have already made payments.

The source added that next settlements for gas will be made after May 15.

On March 31, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree that lays out a new procedure for paying for gas supplies by buyers from unfriendly countries. Now such states must transfer funds in foreign currencies to Gazprombank, which will buy rubles on exchanges and transfer them to special ruble accounts of importers. It is from these accounts payment for deliveries will be made.
https://tass.com/economy/1443937?utm_source=google.com&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=google.com&utm_referrer=google.com

The whole thing is handled from the RUSSIAN side. The so-called special accounts (holding accounts) are not opened by the importers, but by Gazprombank. The deposited euros or dollars are converted by Gazprombank into rubles, moved into these holding accounts for Gazprombanks book keeping.

The whole purpose of this is not jack up the ruble. The whole purpose of this is collect dollars and euros, because the assets in dollars and euros of Russia have largely been frozen. 282 billion dollars of Russias foreign reserves, slightly more than half, have been frozen. Why? Because Russia stores most of the foreign reserves in foreign banks.

https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/russian-bank-foreign-reserve-billions-frozen-sanctions-n1292153


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 5:28 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:


Bundokji said:
I interpret this as poor coordination between European allies. If major EU nations declared or agreed that opening accounts in Ruble

Malcolm wrote:
You continue to misunderstand. These countries do not open accounts in rubles. They open accounts into which they deposit dollars or euros, per their contracts. Russia converts these payments into rubles, just as the article states.

Bundokji said:
then this should have not been an issue for Poland and Hungary.

Malcolm wrote:
Poland and Bulgaria, as you can see, was cut off for not paying directly in the ruble. They paid in the agreed upon currency of exchange: dollars or euros.

Hungary and three other unnamed countries have decided to pay directly in rubles. They will be punished for violating the sanctions. The EU sanctions are clear: contracts written to be paid in dollars or euros cannot be paid in rubles.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 5:07 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Bundokji said:
Does the cutting of Russian gas supplies on Poland and Bulgaria means that other European nations are paying for the gas in Ruble? According to the news, these two nations refused to pay in Ruble, how about the rest?

Malcolm wrote:
Hungary for sure, probably Austria, and two other unspecified countries—probably Italy is one of them.

However, the EU has stated that paying directly in rubles violates sanctions.

https://www.politico.eu/article/youre-next-kremlin-warns-anyone-not-paying-in-rubles-also-faces-gas-shutoff/

Bundokji said:
Both Poland and Bulgaria said they had made payments on time for their gas — but not in Russian currency — but were still cut off.

Malcolm wrote:
So the EU workaround is not likely to work in the long term, even though Ten EU countries have opened accounts at Gazprombank:
In guidance issued earlier this month, the Commission said companies could open an account with Gazprombank (as requested by Moscow) to make payments for gas in euros or dollars (as specified in their contracts) and then issue a declaration that their payment obligation ends with the deposit of funds. That leaves any later conversion into rubles in Russian hands.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 12:21 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 28th, 2022 at 12:01 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 11:04 PM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Instead, the whole industry is so impersonal as to make the idea that someone buying meat in a modern market is karmically responsible for the death of the piece of flesh of a slaughtered animal ludicrous. If this is the case then all vegans and vegetarians are karmically responsible for all the animals who died in the cultivation of grain and so on for their meals.

KathyLauren said:
You are certainly entitled you your opinion.  I find your assertion that the customer is not karmically responsible equally ludicrous, for the reasons I stated.

As for the animals that died in the production of vegetarian food, there are two arguments that make it ridiculous to bring it up.  First, that killing is mostly accidental (acknowledging that the use of pesticides is intentional - a good reason to go organic),

Malcolm wrote:
Organic agriculture uses the same amount of pesticides as conventional agriculture, they are just "organic."

https://news.agropages.com/News/NewsDetail---8680.htm

KathyLauren said:
and karma involves intention.

Malcolm wrote:
Right, so when an organic farmer uses pesticides, he is killing sentient beings and you are supporting that, so according to your own argument, you are accumulating negative karma.

KathyLauren said:
Secondly, raising animals for slaughter requires ten times the resources per calorie that vegetarian food does, so the accidental and/or intentional killing of rodents and insects is ten times what it is for vegetarian food.  So, for meat eaters to hold that over the heads of vegetarians as an example of how hypocritical we are is, well, ludicrous.

Malcolm wrote:
Making religious arguments about meat vs. veg is stupid. I have already pointed out to you multiple times that health and environmental reasons against eating meat are more sound that tenuous arguments involving karma, harm-reduction, etc. For example, I don't see vegans eschewing the use of plastic in their garments. Yet, arguably the penetration of plastic into the whole food chain, from plankton on up is a serious crisis no one wants to address, largely caused by microfibers in clothing and the breakdown of plastic garbage in the oceans, etc. There is literally plastic in our rain water now.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 10:52 PM
Title: Re: What are the 4 noble truths?
Content:
shanyin said:
What are the 4 noble truths? I realize I can look it up (on the internet), but I am suspicious of certain information that says "there is suffering" or "Life is dukkha". I am not a secular Buddhist at the time, nor am I a religious person.

Malcolm wrote:
1) Suffering
2) The cause of suffering
3) The cessation of suffering
4) The eightfold path


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 10:31 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 10:06 PM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:


Queequeg said:
Suicide as a means of survival?

Malcolm wrote:
Martyrs offer powerful symbolism which create cultural unity.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 10:19 AM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:


Queequeg said:
Reference has been made to Tibetans who have set themselves on fire.

Malcolm wrote:
As I pointed out, there is no Tibetan Buddhist context for these acts. This man was not politically oppressed. Self-immolations in Vietnam and Tibet are political protests rooted in cultural survival.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 9:37 AM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
KristenM said:
planning to kill themselves

seeker242 said:
Seems nobody knew he was planning this. And I would bet any amount that if he had told any teachers about this, they most certainly would have tried to stop him.

KristenM said:
I would hope so. I’m not going to keep going on about it. I thought it was an interesting story related to Buddhism in a way, but no need to belabor the point when essentially we all agree and should spend our energy on more helpful activities.


Malcolm wrote:
I personally think the man likely suffered from severe mental illness,


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 9:33 AM
Title: Re: Opinions on Roger Jackson's "Rebirth"?
Content:


tobes said:
I suspect that if we did a straw poll here, long term practitioners have assented to rebirth etc precisely because they have encountered great practitioners and seen directly that such beings see more to reality than they do. Shabda pramana follows from this.

Malcolm wrote:
Can’t speak for others, but that is not why I came to accept rebirth. I came to accept rebirth because I had first inferred that emptiness and dependent origination were the correct view.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 7:35 AM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
seeker242 said:
Unfortunate that the man felt he needed to do this. May he be reborn in favorable circumstances.


That said, doesn't sound very loony if you ask me.


Malcolm wrote:
Complete waste of a precious human birth. A bodhisattva’s responsibility is to preserve themselves to aid others. Can’t do that if you off yourself.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 6:40 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Chinnamasta said:
“To bodhicitta, I pay no homage”—
Saying such is evil speech.
Where there are no bodhisattvas,
There will be no dharmakāya. [69]

....

With bodhicitta, it is just the same:
When it’s guarded, fostered, and refined,
Arhats, conditioned realizers, Buddhas too
Will then arise and spring from it. [72]

....

The nonbeing of all beings—
This nature is its sphere.
The mighty bodhicitta seeing it
Is fully stainless dharmakāya. [100]

- Few verses from Nagarjuna's In Praise of Dharmadatu.

Malcolm wrote:
This text is very late and cannot be accepted as original Nag. In any case, I was referring to the Madhyamakakarikas, the most important text on the meaning of emptiness in Mahayana, other that the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 4:45 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 3:54 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Yes, I saw this. Wankers.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 2:24 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 2:16 AM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 2:07 AM
Title: Re: Reversing Global Warming - Science and Politics (split from: Reversing Global Warming -Prayers and Aspirations")
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 1:37 AM
Title: Re: Twitter
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 12:16 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 11:45 PM
Title: Re: Toxic Masculinity: The New Standard
Content:


Ayu said:
Just resume who is circumcised in the US. Those men are more aggressive than usual Christians in the US?
This sounds so narrow and biased - it's not only not worth to discuss, it's also telling what alright people would like to hear.

KristenM said:
Hi Ayu, apparently my misunderstanding is due to in the US most Americans like myself think circumcision is the norm for white males. In the US, only about 1.1% of the population is Muslim, not sure how many are Jewish but it’s likely a relatively small proportion. As far as uncircumcised men in the US, that’s more common from Hispanic backgrounds. The European who espoused the view may very well have known a different reality like you say, and in that context it surely is a rascist statement. Apologies for the confusion.

Ayu said:
My apologies as well for heated speech. I had no idea that this is different in USA.

Malcolm wrote:
Can we please get back to toxic masculinity?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 11:41 PM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
JieshiShan said:
let's make a big mental salad with our progressive agenda preferences...and then we can cover it all up with a veneer of "sensei" and "Zen Master-"

Malcolm wrote:
I guess she sure triggered you.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 11:31 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 10:57 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 9:55 PM
Title: Re: Twitter
Content:
Queequeg said:
Elon Musk will own Twitter. Seems like wanting herpes. He'll find out modding a social media site is a thankless job.


PeterC said:
Did you see the terms of the financing he’s getting?  This is a very, very expensive toy, and he’s probably going to wreck it anyway

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, the interest alone is more than Twitter earns in a year.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 8:43 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 8:13 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 10:26 AM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:
ddorje said:
It seems to be talked about in many different ways.
I can understand if it’s in the context tshog sha

Malcolm wrote:
All meals are supposed to be ganapujas. When the tantras talk pure and impure food, they are not talking about feces vs. filet mignon. They are talking about meat (outcast) versus vegetarian (twiceborn), etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 10:07 AM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
It's way simpler to understand that we generally live in samsara, and there is nothing we can do to fix it. At best, we can offer some palliatives and that's about it.

Kim O'Hara said:
Defeatism is not a solution to either climate change or its effects on our mental health.


Kim

Malcolm wrote:
This is not defeatism, this is Dharma. There isn't a pinprick of happiness in samsara. That does not mean one cannot enjoy oneself or that offering palliative care for the suffering of others is a waste of time. It's just what we do.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 10:03 AM
Title: Re: Are all Green Tara sadhanas across lineage, uniform? the same? similar?
Content:
MiphamFan said:
E.g. if you have the transmission of the Adzom Drugpa Green Tara, which is Nyingma, you still need the transmission of the Chokling Tersar Green Tara if you want to practise the Chokling Tersar one

Malcolm wrote:
No, not really. For example, of you have one Vajrakilāya empowerment, you can practice pretty much any Vajrakīlaya sadhana. Westerners make up all kinds of rules out of thin air.

stoneinfocus said:
Malcolm la, would you be able to say a bit more about this? I understand that in Dzogchen, if one has rigpa'i tsal wang, one theoretically only really needs the transmission of a practice to do it rather than a separate empowerment. Is there a similar concept behind just needing one empowerment of a deity to do other sadhanas from other lineages?

Malcolm wrote:
That depends on the capacity of the teacher. If they understand things correctly and are operating from the point of authentic knowledge of the teachings and the students have confidence, then everything can be done in a very simple way. But if the teacher has some doubts, or the student has doubts, than doing things in a more complicated way may be desirable. There is no fixed rule.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 9:51 AM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
It's way simpler to understand that we generally live in samsara, and there is nothing we can do to fix it. At best, we can offer some palliatives and that's about it.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 8:41 AM
Title: Re: Are all Green Tara sadhanas across lineage, uniform? the same? similar?
Content:
Nalanda said:
I got a "reading" for Green Tara practice from my Nyingma lama. Is that lung or empowerment?

Malcolm wrote:
Lung.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 5:41 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 5:26 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:


Chinnamasta said:
- No. Dharmakaya emptiness, or emptiness of all phenomena, isnt the same emptiness that arhat realize.

Malcolm wrote:
Candrakīrti asserts that it is. You can take it up with him. You are confusing what arhats and pratyekabuddhas realize with śrāvaka philosophical systems. Both arhats and pratyekabuddhas also realize the absence of inherent existence. There is no other emptiness apart from that, other than a bunch of designations: outer emptiness, inner emptiness, etc., etc.

For example, can you show me a single place in the Madhyamakakārika of Nāgārjuna where he discusses compassion? No, you cannot.

If one wishes for full buddhahood, one must have Mahāyāna bodhicitta; but that is not required for arhatship. This why people are warned that even if their meditation of emptiness is perfect according to Mahāyāna philosophy, if they lack bodhicitta, they will not achieve anything other than the cessation realized by arhats. Nevertheless, such people are liberated, free of affliction, and so on. Not only this, but there is such a thing as nonafflictive ignorance, even some buddhas suffer from it, such as tenth stage bodhisattvas. The only beings who are completely free of nonafflictive ignorance are samyaksambuddhas.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 4:24 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 1:18 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 1:07 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Chinnamasta said:
Yes, but emptiness and compassion is inseperable.

Malcolm wrote:
They are separable. That's why we have arhats.

Chinnamasta said:
Are buddhists the only one that can have deep and profound compassion?

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, actually. You are just suffering from not having learned the difference between mundane compassion and great compassion.

Chinnamasta said:
if compassion is the seed of emptiness realization,

Malcolm wrote:
It isn't. It is the seed of bodhicitta, the aspiration to become a buddha in order to benefit sentient beings. One can realize emptiness without that aspiration.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 26th, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 11:35 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 11:31 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:58 PM
Title: Re: Are all Green Tara sadhanas across lineage, uniform? the same? similar?
Content:
MiphamFan said:
E.g. if you have the transmission of the Adzom Drugpa Green Tara, which is Nyingma, you still need the transmission of the Chokling Tersar Green Tara if you want to practise the Chokling Tersar one

Malcolm wrote:
No, not really. For example, of you have one Vajrakilāya empowerment, you can practice pretty much any Vajrakīlaya sadhana. Westerners make up all kinds of rules out of thin air.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:52 PM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
IIRC quite a few Tibetan monks have self-immolated to protest Chinese occupation.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, this is true. This is one of the reasons such acts are so disturbing to the Tibetan community. There is no historical precedent for this act in Tibetan history.

Most of the Tibetans who self-immolated were not monastics. Many of the monastics all come from the same monastery in Tibet:

https://savetibet.org/tibetan-self-immolations/


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:39 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:32 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:27 PM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
I don't know what was in this guy's head, but I agree with Kim that to declare his actions beyond the Buddhist pale ignores a lot of history.

Malcolm wrote:
It's quite unacceptable for a Vajrayāna Buddhist to engage in this kind of act. I am not sure if this person was in fact a Vajrayānī—many people in Shambhala are not—but if he was, it was a root downfall. Vajrayāna Buddhists are not permitted to harm their bodies.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 8:54 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 8:44 PM
Title: Re: Climate Activist Dies by Self-Immolation
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
Honestly, you never know what it even means here when the news calls a Westerner “A Buddhist”, it could mean all kinds of nonsense.

Malcolm wrote:
He was a Shambhalian.



Sad, meaningless, performative stunt.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 8:34 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Chinnamasta said:
just trying to find loopholes for non-buddhists to get there

Malcolm wrote:
There aren’t any. Realization arises from right view, that is, insight into emptiness.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 8:31 PM
Title: Re: Toxic Masculinity: The New Standard
Content:


TsultimNamdak said:
Well, the American society is pretty violent by Western standards. However, I don't think it has anything to do with circumcision.

Malcolm wrote:
That’s a gross exaggeration.  Violent crime in the US is quite low, compared with thirty years ago, even with a recent uptick in urban murders in our larger cities.

Frankly, America is not the violent dystopia imagined by some.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 8:20 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Missile strike, so it seems.


Queequeg said:
Taking the fight to the jugular.

It can't be this easy to disrupt Russia's oil trade, can it?

Malcolm wrote:
Yes. Though there is a possibility this is a Russian false flag.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 7:10 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Missile strike, so it seems.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 11:29 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 11:18 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:40 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 10:36 AM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:


ddorje said:
With all due respect to this idea Malcolm, how do we account for Tulku Pema Wangyal Rinpoche (who directly encouraged a group teaching I was in to be vegan), or Chatral Rinpoche who encouraged vegetarianism?

Malcolm wrote:
I’ve heard of such opinions. My teachers all reject this point of view as appropriate advice for Vajrayana practitioners.

“Those who eat meat have compassion.”
— Hevajra Tantra


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 3:51 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Chinnamasta said:
Since compassion comes due to equal nature of all phenomena, I think this is a possible gateway for "non-buddhist" to come to same realization.


Malcolm wrote:
Compassion is incapable of uprooting afflictions. It is therefore, not a gateway to realization.

Chinnamasta said:
Realizing  the nature of mind is what uprrots afflictions. You wont get there without compassion

Malcolm wrote:
Sure you can, for example, arhats.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 1:43 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
I have a strong inclination Vajrayana is at its global peak.

Malcolm wrote:
Dzogchen will survive until the average lifespan of human beings is 10 years. It is the first Dharma to appear in this eon, when lifespans were limitless, and will be the last Dharma left. So it is written.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 1:19 AM
Title: Re: Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
eventually, […] the treasure tradition emerged to compete with the new Indian revelations

ManiThePainter said:
Are there any good books or academic papers on this subject? It’s fascinating.

Malcolm wrote:
Many.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 25th, 2022 at 12:18 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 11:48 PM
Title: Re: Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.
Content:
heart said:
He gave Patrul Rinpoche a direct introduction by beating him up and spitting in his face and calling him an old dog. Was it bad behaviour or was it fortunate for the whole lineage of Longchen Nyingtik?

Malcolm wrote:
The immediate problem here is assuming that every Vajrayāna practitioner is sufficiently ripened to benefit from such treatment and has sufficient faith in their teacher not to flee in terror.

Some western students hear rumors of such antics by Tibetan teachers. They then develop a kind of machismo around tolerating such displays. All I can say is that all of my gurus have been unfailingly kind to all of their students, and never hit, abused, spat upon, yelled at, or beat up anyone. Tibetans have a culture where they tend to give the benefit of the doubt to the teacher. We do not have such a culture, and to the majority of westerners tolerating such behavior looks rather cultish on the face of it. Wise teachers adapt to circumstances.

The adoption of unconventional behavior in India has a lengthy history, even by the 10th century. The Buddha recorded the behavior of ascetics during his day. Such unconventional behavior was well tolerated in the Indian context by the time of the Buddha. At first, the Tibetans were quite shocked by Indian siddhas and their behavior. Everyone forgets that Padmasambhava was not welcomed warmly by all Tibetans. There was considerable pushback to Padmasambhava by Tibetans as the more reliable early histories in which Padmasambhava is mentioned show. At this point, the person of Padmasambhava is lost in myth and legend, and the few contemporary historical glimpses we see of him the Old Tibetan Annals do not portray anything very remarkable.

By 1000 CE, the Tibetans had largely abandoned their old religion, of which only traces remain, and adopted Indian Tantric Buddhism completely, along with the magical wars siddhas were fighting with Hindus. We tend to view all of this anachronistically. But my point is, the notion of who a guru was and how he or she could treat students evolved in Tibetan society over a long period of time based on Indian antecedents. Indian Siddhas were the Marvel superheroes of Tibetan culture. We forget this, and we ought not.

Even so, was also much suspicion of Indian "atsaras" in later times  as well. We have examples of Indian impersonating other more famous Indian teachers, for example, and the general suspicion of Nyingmapas of the time that many of the tantras being brought to Tibet from India were just composed by Indian pandits to rob naive Tibetan translations of gold, etc. But eventually, when the treasure tradition emerged to compete with the new Indian revelations, we see Padmasambhava's myth cycle absorbing the deeds and personas of such famed Indians as Brahmin Vararuci (aka Loden Choksre), etc., and so on.

Thus, when we see teachers bringing up examples of Tilopa and Naropa, Marpa and Milarepa, Do Khyentse and Patrul, we have to remember we are talking about events in cultures not our own, with signifiers which are almost completely alien to the West.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 11:01 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Ayu said:
IDK, if it's true, but a German source (t-online) says, Putin is holding the table in this strange manner (see below), because he is trying to hide a tremor which he showed before.
Anyhow, it seems to me somehow those old politicians should not interfere in such exhausting tasks like war. He really looks weak and broken.

Malcolm wrote:
There are several pictures of recent vintage which show him clutching the corner of a table with his right hand.

Unortunately, Russia is not a democracy, so we can expect more of the same type of absolutist leadership with the next FSB dictator when Putin passes.


Ayu said:
Well, I was not speculating on his end. It just seems interesting to me. He looked like being full of energy when he started that war. Like an age-denier. Two months later he looks as old as he is.
This brings me to two conclusions:

- even for hateful leaders war is not refreshing,
- Putin not a demon but a human being, trembling upon his terrible deeds.

Malcolm wrote:
The rumor is he has Parkinson's. It's not a good way to go. Putin, like almost all leaders, is not going to a better rebirth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 10:57 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
PeterC said:
Their military capability at this point is pathetic.

Malcolm wrote:
This is what Russian modernization looks like:



Russia is entering the Mythical Man-Month stage of operations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 10:53 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
PeterC said:
You continue to disrupt a discussion on a serious topic with bad misinformation.

Malcolm wrote:
Agreed. This user has no facts to offer. I suggest we stop responding to this bullshit, sanction it in other words.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 10:47 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Ayu said:
IDK, if it's true, but a German source (t-online) says, Putin is holding the table in this strange manner (see below), because he is trying to hide a tremor which he showed before.
Anyhow, it seems to me somehow those old politicians should not interfere in such exhausting tasks like war. He really looks weak and broken.

Malcolm wrote:
There are several pictures of recent vintage which show him clutching the corner of a table with his right hand.

Unortunately, Russia is not a democracy, so we can expect more of the same type of absolutist leadership with the next FSB dictator when Putin passes.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 10:42 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Chinnamasta said:
Since compassion comes due to equal nature of all phenomena, I think this is a possible gateway for "non-buddhist" to come to same realization.


Malcolm wrote:
Compassion is incapable of uprooting afflictions. It is therefore, not a gateway to realization.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 9:22 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
That’s because you are not paying attention. Russia is largely dependent on imports. They manufacture nothing. Their defense industry has been severely hampered since 2014 in assembling their latest tanks, etc. sanctions work.

Bundokji said:
Most nations on earth largely depend on imports, but some goods are considered more strategic than others. Wheat and gas are more essential to survival than electronics. It is also not evident to what extent the sanctions would hamper their ability to import what they need either from China or from India. In a previous post, you mentioned black markets in relation to the real value of the Ruble. When their is a law, there is a shadow. When there are sanctions, there are numerous ways of going around them. Had the law been one sides, all nations that have been subjected to sanctions would have bearished.

Since Putin became the president of Russia, Russia invested more in qualitative weaponry to maintain the balance of deterrence with the west. They invested much less in modernizing conventional weapons except through demonstrating their technological know-how. Add to their latest tanks the SU 57, which is a fifth generation fighter with very limited numbers produced. This would allow them to keep pace with the technological advancement of rival armies until conditions turn into their favor. Previous sanctions did not prevent their military misadventure in Ukraine, even with the less advanced conventional weapons at their disposal, knowing that the west would think twice before interfering directly. The nature of the regime and the collective mindset seems to make them much more tolerant to short term losses than their western counterparts. Same thing can be said about the impact of economic sanctions in my opinion.

Malcolm wrote:
You missed the point. Development and production of new weapons systems in Russia hit a wall in 2014 because of sanctions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 8:02 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 7:55 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
PeterC said:
Uh - heard of sanctions?

Bundokji said:
The success of the sanctions is disputed especially when its effects are measured against its declared objectives.

Malcolm wrote:
That’s because you are not paying attention. Russia is largely dependent on imports. They manufacture nothing. Their defense industry has been severely hampered since 2014 in assembling their latest tanks, etc. sanctions work.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 7:52 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
PeterC said:
I saw Johnson’s press conference - which he did alone, not with modi.  The only questions anyone asked him were “why are you still prime minister after everything you’ve done” and “why do you say that India stands with you on Ukraine when they’re helping Russia diplomatically and economically?”.  As usual, he had no answers.  He is a clown. Worse, actually, because clowns are funny.  Apart from possibly pennywise, Kristy and sideshow bob.

Malcolm wrote:
The real point was Hertling’s reasins why Putin will lose.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 9:09 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 8:54 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 8:50 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Queequeg said:
I can understand not wanting to live here, but to actually loathe it? Well. Haters gonna hate.

Malcolm wrote:
It was a different town when my Van Dyke ancestors settled it and the Hudson Valley.

KristenM said:
So do you know Dick?

Malcolm wrote:
He’s from the Arizona Van Dykes, the son of my great grandfather’s brother.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 1:10 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
In any case, I’m not a materialist and I don’t believe consciousness is an epiphenomena. I know there is no self, that impermanence and emptiness are the mark (true) of all dharmas.

So I don’t understand how one can remember (meaning to recall an event you experienced) events in their past life. Where are those memories held? And if its the ālāyavijñāna, do we each get a separate, personal one?

Malcolm wrote:
[/quote]

Yup.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 24th, 2022 at 1:03 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Malcolm wrote:
No one wants their currency. People still want 1) dollars, 2) euros, or 3) yuan, in that order.

Bundokji said:
Its no longer a matter of "wanting". If Germany for example wants to purchase Russian gas, they have to pay for it using Ruble through the Russian central bank. Where will they get the Ruble from? From the same Russian central bank in exchange for Euros. Then, the Russian central bank would use the Euros from Germany to purchase European goods. This is one example.  The Ruble recovery provides stability to the value of Ruble inside Russia. This is my understanding and happy to be corrected.

Malcolm wrote:
You are so misinformed: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/31/germany-braces-for-an-end-to-reliance-on-russian-gas

Bundokji said:
Energy contracts between Germany and Russia stipulated payments in euros, sometimes in dollars, Scholz said at a press conference in Berlin on Thursday, shortly after the Kremlin announced Putin had signed the decree. “In a conversation with the Russian president I have stated clearly that this will stay that way.”

Malcolm wrote:
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/eu-says-gas-payments-may-be-possible-under-russian-roubles-proposal-without-2022-04-22/
Bundokji said:
BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters) - EU companies may be able to work around Russia's demand to receive gas payments in roubles without breaching sanctions if they pay in euros or dollars which are then converted into the Russian currency, the European Commission said on Friday.

The companies would also need to seek additional conditions on the transactions, such as a statement that they consider their contractual obligations complete once they have deposited the non-Russian currencies.

Malcolm wrote:
https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/natural-gas/042222-ec-says-appears-possible-to-make-russian-gas-payments-under-new-decree


Bundokji said:
An EC spokesperson told S&P Global Commodity Insights on April 22, however, that the EU's position remained that existing supply contracts should be honored.

"With our G7 partners, we have clearly expressed our position: agreed contracts must be respected," the EC spokesperson said.

"97% of the relevant contracts explicitly stipulate payment in euros or dollars. Companies with such contracts should not accede to Russian demands," the spokesperson said.

"The EU will continue to respond in a united manner to this latest attempt by Russia to circumvent our sanctions."

Malcolm wrote:
Etc.

Your speculations continue to be off topic.  They resemble this:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 11:54 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
We just don’t care about the Russian narrative, apart from the fact that it is total bullshit and should be pointedly ignored as a vain fabrication and false pretext for Rashist imperial amibition.

Bundokji said:
Ignoring the narrative of one side and taking for granted the narrative of the other side seems biased to me. The Iraq war is one example of imperialism and expansionism.

Malcolm wrote:
As for point one. When someone is lying, one need know nothing other than the fact they are lying. The accusation of Imperialism is a conspiracy theory, unless one can actually point to actual imperialist statements. The Iraq war, which is off topic, was not a war of expansion nor was it imperialist. The US left, because the Iraq gvt. refused to provide immunity to US troops, which were propping up the Iraq gvt. They then came under attack from Al Qaeda in Iraq, etc.

Bundokji said:
Where did i say that Russia will have to pay for imports in Ruble? What i said is that Ruble recovery would provide more hard currency for the Russian central bank to pay for Russian imports without using the Ruble.

Malcolm wrote:
No one wants their currency. People still want 1) dollars, 2) euros, or 3) yuan, in that order.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 11:31 PM
Title: Re: Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.
Content:
heart said:
But if you have strong feelings about how a guru should behave, you
may not be fit for tantra."

/magnus

Malcolm wrote:
I guess the Buddha should not have taught Vajrayana, since in the tantras he expresses quite strong opinions about how gurus should behave. To put it mildly, Trungpa was not the model.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 11:22 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
PeterC said:
We are talking about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  How is another war in 2003 in another part of the world even relevant?

Bundokji said:
The relevance is that Russian narrative refers to western expansionism through the NATO.

Malcolm wrote:
We just don’t care about the Russian narrative, apart from the fact that it is total bullshit and should be pointedly ignored as a vain fabrication and false pretext for Rashist imperial amibition.



Bundokji said:
I indicated that the recovery of the exchange rate enables the Russian central bank to provide hard currency to fund Russian imports.

Malcolm wrote:
Russia is finding it quite difficult to pay for anything in rubles.

Unless you are willing to provide facts, rather than opinions and whataboutisms, we ought to ignore you.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 9:23 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not illegal, in fact, it was carried out under the aegis of UN resolution 678. Whether it was wise is a different issue.


Bundokji said:
Had the UN resolution 678 sufficed for legal justification, the US administration at that time would not have tried to come up with a new resolution, which was vetoed by Russia, France and China.

Malcolm wrote:
It sufficed, as it was never lifted. Russia and China have no credibility, and Hussein needed to be overthrown.

In any case, the Iraq war, 2003 is off topic.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 9:01 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The perceived misdeeds of NATO are a fantasy concocted by Putin.

Bundokji said:
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 has been criticized by Putin, but should not justify his action of invading Ukraine. That illegality and immorality of the US invasion of Iraq is not a fantasy by virtue of the misdeeds of Putin.

Malcolm wrote:
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 was not illegal, in fact, it was carried out under the aegis of UN resolution 678. Whether it was wise is a different issue.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 8:58 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The value of the ruble does not correspond to reality:
Russia's currency, the ruble, has bounced back to where it was before President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine.

Analysts have said it's not a reflection of the strength of the economy, but rather more of the strict controls the government has put on the financial system and tough rules on exporters.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-ruble-rebound-explained-capital-controls-sanctions-economy-currency-ukraine-2022-4

Bundokji said:
The quoted seems to explain correspondence through absence of artificial means (government control) to determine value. Similar objections were used by the US to criticize the CCP control of the Yuan exchange rate, giving advantage to Chinese exports. The reality is that US dollar is still exchanged with the Yuan or the Ruble through the official exchange rate to buy Chinese goods or Russian gas.

Malcolm wrote:
And neither the yuan nor the ruble represent the actual value of their currency on the open market.How do I know? While I haven’t travelled in Russia, I have travelled in China, and the best deal for the yuan is always purchased on the black market with Benjamins. The same is of India, etc. As one article points, when capital controls are instituted, the actual market value of the currency in question is obscured. Factually speaking, the ruble is no where near as convertible as it was two months ago.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 8:46 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
PeterC said:
You seem to have completely overlooked whose tanks rolled into whose country without provocation here.

When moral justification is on one side, trying to “both sides” or “counter polarization” is just wrong. Not everything is morally ambiguous.  Some things are pretty simple. Russias second invasion of Ukraine is one of those.

Bundokji said:
In my understanding, the moral justification is wrong to the extent its being overly reliant on the misdeeds of the western bloc. Two wrongs do not make it right.

Malcolm wrote:
The perceived misdeeds of NATO are a fantasy concocted by Putin.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 8:41 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Anders said:
You are either ignorant of the reality of the situation or deliberately disingenuous.

Bundokji said:
You either explain how the online exchange rate does not correspond to reality in this particular context, or you are relying on assertions and ambiguity.

Malcolm wrote:
The value of the ruble does not correspond to reality:
Russia's currency, the ruble, has bounced back to where it was before President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine.

Analysts have said it's not a reflection of the strength of the economy, but rather more of the strict controls the government has put on the financial system and tough rules on exporters.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-ruble-rebound-explained-capital-controls-sanctions-economy-currency-ukraine-2022-4


Bundokji said:
Some of the recovery is artificial, made possible by strict limits that the central bank, the Bank of Russia, has placed on currency exchange, withdrawals and hard-currency transfers overseas. But it is also due to a very real factor still working in Russia’s favor: strong oil and gas exports that bring a flood of hard currency into the country.

Malcolm wrote:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/03/31/ruble-recovery-sanctions-russia/


Bundokji said:
Experts say the rest of the rebound is a result of the ruble being artificially propped up by the Russian central bank through capital controls.

"The currency moves don't represent the fundamentals of Russia. More often than not, you see the fundamentals reflected in the currency. But as soon as capital controls are put in place, then that obscures the picture," said Craig Erlam, senior markets analyst at OANDA.
"There's no way you can say the Russian economy now has the same outlook as it did in the middle of February before the invasion started, even if the currency would suggest that," he told DW.
The Russian economy, which the IMF in January forecast would grow 2.8% this year, is now predicted to shrink 10%-15%.

Malcolm wrote:
https://www.dw.com/en/putin-tactics-drive-rebound-in-russian-ruble/a-61363334


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 8:36 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Anders said:
You are either ignorant of the reality of the situation or deliberately disingenuous.

Bundokji said:
You either explain how the online exchange rate does not correspond to reality in this particular context, or you are relying on assertions and ambiguity.

Malcolm wrote:
The value of the ruble does not correspond to reality:
Russia's currency, the ruble, has bounced back to where it was before President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine.

Analysts have said it's not a reflection of the strength of the economy, but rather more of the strict controls the government has put on the financial system and tough rules on exporters.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russias-ruble-rebound-explained-capital-controls-sanctions-economy-currency-ukraine-2022-4


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 9:38 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
More like an abused spouse (Ukraine) trying get out of a forced marriage with a sadist (Russia).

Bundokji said:
When Russia claimed Ukrainian helicopters raid setting fuel tanks ablaze in Belgorod, they emphasized that it was for civilian use. A Russian spokesman said something in the line of "this does not help negotiations"!

The war does not seem to be ending soon, but both parties are determined to keep it contained. Few European leaders, including the British prime minister, visited Ukraine, while others, including Biden, contemplated visiting it in a show of public support. Western weapons supply to Ukraine has been equally contained and made public without a single Russian attack. The death toll among civilians are relatively small considering that fighting is undergoing inside populated cities. Exchange of captives have been frequent. Safe passages have been regularly arranged.

I have seen much worse than this.

Malcolm wrote:
Dude, you’re tripping.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 5:46 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Bundokji said:
.

After two months since the beginning of the war, you get the feeling that the two sides have some kind of love-hate relationship between them.

Malcolm wrote:
More like an abused spouse (Ukraine) trying get out of a forced marriage with a sadist (Russia).


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 3:36 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 1:38 AM
Title: Re: Though the view should be as vast as the sky, keep your conduct as fine as barley flour.
Content:
Lingpupa said:
Yes, I knew it's attributed to Guru Rinpoche, I should have said. But indeed my question is "where"?

Malcolm wrote:
In several termas.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 23rd, 2022 at 1:20 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Queequeg said:
I can understand not wanting to live here, but to actually loathe it? Well. Haters gonna hate.

Malcolm wrote:
It was a different town when my Van Dyke ancestors settled it and the Hudson Valley.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 1:10 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Queequeg said:
Spoken like a bumpkin tourist. cities (lower case "c") are not comparable to the City. NY is only comparable to other international Cities.

Malcolm wrote:
I'd take London over NYC any day.

Queequeg said:
NYC has beaches.

Malcolm wrote:
Atlantic beaches generally suck.

Queequeg said:
Wine country? A place where alcoholics can cover their habits with a veneer of earthy sophistication? Sure.

Malcolm wrote:
The food in Napa, and in Cali in general, beats the food anywhere else in the US. And I am not talking about restaurants. Who cares about sophistication?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 12:43 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
KathyLauren said:
All the arguments against veganism/vegetarianism proposed here are hung on a single rationalization: that two degrees of separation are sufficient to isolate the eater from any karmic consequences of their choice.  As long as the butcher did not know my identity, I am isolated from my role in his act of killing a sentient being.

You all would put it that I have no role in his action, but that is nonsense.  My role is "customer".  The fact that he did not know my identity does not change that.  He is not going to carry on slaughtering animals if he has no customers, so the role of the customer is crucial: it is the reason for the killing.  It is only my anonymity that allegedly isolates me from his actions.  He does the slaughtering for his customers.

I know that rule is based on scripture, but I would submit that the whole "It's okay if the animal wasn't slaughtered specifically for you" thing was a rule for monks obtaining food on their alms rounds, not a rule intended for lay people.  It is to make the life of begging monks and the householders who support them a bit easier.

If you take it as a general rule, you could use the same logic to justify all kinds of abuse of the Precepts.  If I wanted to obtain a rare and valuable jewel, I could ask a friend to hire a thief to steal it.  As long as the friend didn't tell the thief who it was for, I wouldn't be guilty of stealing.  Same logic.

Malcolm wrote:
No, it is not the same logic.

Your thought experiment requires you to ask someone to ask someone to steal a book.

In this case, no one is asking anyone to do anything. The grocer is not my friend, etc. If I asked the grocer to ask the butcher to slaughter an animal so I could lay up a side of beef, then it would be the same. But since that is not the case, it is not the same.

Instead, the whole industry is so impersonal as to make the idea that someone buying meat in a modern market is karmically responsible for the death of the piece of flesh of a slaughtered animal ludicrous. If this is the case then all vegans and vegetarians are karmically responsible for all the animals who died in the cultivation of grain and so on for their meals. One cannot exercise a double standard here, and claim one bears more karmic weight than the other. Either all bear karmic weight or none do, when it comes to deaths cause by agriculture.

Instead, a more proper evaluation is climate based or health based. These are criteria removed from the Buddhist questions around meat-eating and have more clear outcomes.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 12:34 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
Anders said:
Nevertheless, that identification is no different than any other self-identification the Buddha used: Purely conventional.

clyde said:
So, when the Buddha said that during the first watch he saw all his past lives - was this literal or was he speaking conventionally?

And who/how is it determined what is to be taken literally and what is to be taken conventionally?

Malcolm wrote:
It was both literal and conventional. He literally remembered 90+ eons of his past lives, conventionally speaking.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 22nd, 2022 at 12:28 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Queequeg said:
You fundamentally don't get this place.

Malcolm wrote:
What's there to get? I've lived in cities, been to NYC many times.

I don't like the constant traffic, the noise, and the crowds. At least LA has beaches, and SF, wine country.

The benefits of NYC do not outweigh the negatives, YMMV.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 9:40 PM
Title: Re: Opinions on Roger Jackson's "Rebirth"?
Content:
Caoimhghín said:
and having a notion of the existential question that is deeply at variance with the actual words of the Buddha in his sūtras.

Malcolm wrote:
In other words, they are barking up the wrong tree.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 9:10 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
I don’t think he taught that a volitional act has one and only one ‘fruit’.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, actually he did. Each action has exactly one vipaka, ripening. Otherwise, there is the problem of a cause existing at the same time as it’s result.

clyde said:
Where is this is taught?

And I’m unclear why/how a volitional act having more than one ‘fruit’ creates the problem of cause and effect happening simultaneously. Can you explain that?

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, it means that a cause will persist beyond its result, produce a second result, ad infinitum. If a cause were to produce more than one result, those results would all have to happen simultaneously, for example a seed would have to produce more than one plant. You might argue, well, plants produce many seeds and that's an example of one cause producing many results. However, this is not the case. Plants are complex sets of causes and conditions, and any complex set of multiple causes and conditions can produce multiple results. But when you carefully examine you will see that the causes for each individual seed are exhausted when that seed is produced, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 9:05 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Buddha also taught, “When consciousness descends into the womb…” from where does that consciousness come?

clyde said:
In reading Thanissaro Bhikku’s polemic, The Truth of Rebirth, I came across the reference to “a descent of an embryo”. Here is the passage:
“Monks, the descent of the embryo occurs with the union of three things. There is the case where there is no union of the mother & father, the mother is not in her season, and a gandhabba [the being-to-be-born] is not present, nor is there a descent of an embryo. There is the case where there is a union of the mother & father, and the mother is in her season, but a gandhabba is not present, nor is there a descent of an embryo. But when there is a union of the mother & father, the mother is in her season, and a gandhabba is present, then with this union of three things the descent of the embryo occurs.” — MN 38
Is this passage what you were referring to or was it another?

What is a “gandhabba”, “the being-to-be-born”? And where is it?

Malcolm wrote:
I was actually referring to the Mahānidanasutta, but this will serve. The gandharava (lit. smell eater) is a technical term for a being in the intermediate period between this life and the next life. The Theravadins don't accept the Buddha's teachings on the gandharva. They assert that the moment one's stream of consciousness separates from the body of this life, it immediately appropriates the body of the next life. Other schools accept the Buddha's teaching of the gandharva and maintain that the gandharva goes through seven successive births in the intermediate state over a period of forty-nine days until it appropriates the body of the next life. The point is that in order for conception to occur, there must. be three things present: sperm, ovum, and a consciousness craving birth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 8:58 PM
Title: Re: Opinions on Roger Jackson's "Rebirth"?
Content:
PadmaVonSamba said:
But he also gave lots of teachings which aren’t related to rebirth, about living properly in samsara.

Malcolm wrote:
These are generally no more profound than what can be found in Marcus Aurelius.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 8:52 PM
Title: Re: Opinions on Roger Jackson's "Rebirth"?
Content:



Zhen Li said:
Indeed. People ask whether you can be a Buddhist if you don't believe in rebirth. The actual question is whether you can be a Buddhist if you believe in a self and inherent existence.

Malcolm wrote:
It’s not a question of belief in rebirth, but an acknowledgement that the existential question the Buddha sought to remedy was the question of rebirth. If the existential question of rebirth is discarded as irrelevant, Buddha’s solutions to that question are immediately irrelevant and moot. There is no point in calling oneself a Buddhist if one fails to acknowledge the central question the Buddha posed, “How does one end being reborn in samsara over and over again?”

Anders said:
I don't quite agree. The end of rebirth is not the actual question, but rather the solution to the actual question: How to achieve liberation from dukkha?

Malcolm wrote:
What do you think dukkha is? And what is the cause of dukkha? Suffering is rebirth. The cause of rebirth is karma. The cause of karma is affliction. Remove affliction, karma has no cause, and suffering ceases.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 8:48 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



Johnny Dangerous said:
I will probably move back to New Mexico once I approach retirement age. It has some real downsides when you are younger, but if you are financially stable land is cheap, and the mix of cultures and people is one of the coolest things. Lots of the US just seems super uptight if you grow up in New Mexico, in my experience. The West Coast especially has some things that really clash in terms of communication, social expectations, etc. Everyone is very concerned with propriety in a way that New Mexicans just don't give a shit about.

Malcolm wrote:
Vermont is chill.

Queequeg said:
What are these places you speak of?

Malcolm wrote:
Far away from NYC, which I loath.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 11:07 AM
Title: Re: Opinions on Roger Jackson's "Rebirth"?
Content:
PadmaVonSamba said:
It seems that peoples rejection of rebirth always boils down to their still holding onto the idea of a “self” (atma) that is either “coming back, or not “coming back” in some form or another.

When one fully understands ‘no-self’ and all of it’s implications, and accepts anatma (not a self) as the basis, then discuss rebirth in the buddhist context.

Zhen Li said:
Indeed. People ask whether you can be a Buddhist if you don't believe in rebirth. The actual question is whether you can be a Buddhist if you believe in a self and inherent existence.

Malcolm wrote:
It’s not a question of belief in rebirth, but an acknowledgement that the existential question the Buddha sought to remedy was the question of rebirth. If the existential question of rebirth is discarded as irrelevant, Buddha’s solutions to that question are immediately irrelevant and moot. There is no point in calling oneself a Buddhist if one fails to acknowledge the central question the Buddha posed, “How does one end being reborn in samsara over and over again?”


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 8:20 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
Don’t wanna move to Mexico, but I have to say that sometimes hanging out with Mexicans was a lot less exasperating than hanging out with Americans.

Malcolm wrote:
For sure. If I were going to move anywhere it would be New Mexico. Too many white people in Colorado, AZ, etc. I have all that back here. Why would I want to move to place with just as many white people as where I come from? Also, my partner was born in Mexico City and speaks fluent Spanish. Miami is ok too, but too GOP.

Johnny Dangerous said:
I will probably move back to New Mexico once I approach retirement age. It has some real downsides when you are younger, but if you are financially stable land is cheap, and the mix of cultures and people is one of the coolest things. Lots of the US just seems super uptight if you grow up in New Mexico, in my experience. The West Coast especially has some things that really clash in terms of communication, social expectations, etc. Everyone is very concerned with propriety in a way that New Mexicans just don't give a shit about.

Malcolm wrote:
Vermont is chill.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 8:03 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
I don’t think he taught that a volitional act has one and only one ‘fruit’.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, actually he did. Each action has exactly one vipaka, ripening. Otherwise, there is the problem of a cause existing at the same time as it’s result.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 7:58 AM
Title: Re: Toxic Masculinity: The New Standard
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
An ad like that would win Kadyrov about 65% of the vote in some US House races.

Malcolm wrote:
I know, right? In the same constituencies that think Putin should invade Ukraine.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 4:33 AM
Title: Toxic Masculinity: The New Standard
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 4:26 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 3:47 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
Don’t wanna move to Mexico, but I have to say that sometimes hanging out with Mexicans was a lot less exasperating than hanging out with Americans.

Malcolm wrote:
For sure. If I were going to move anywhere it would be New Mexico. Too many white people in Colorado, AZ, etc. I have all that back here. Why would I want to move to place with just as many white people as where I come from? Also, my partner was born in Mexico City and speaks fluent Spanish. Miami is ok too, but too GOP.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 3:43 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
I'm not wrong about the 4th Amendment. Due respect to your late father, but the erosion of the 4th Amend was designed to allow police to arbitrarily stop and search people of color the street. It was all about cat and mouse, has nothing to do with the press.

Malcolm wrote:
My point was that 4th amendment never intended to deal with police to begin with. It was a response to British troops billeting in houses, etc.


Crazywisdom said:
The issue about inflation happened when Obama turned on the spigot in '09 and they have yet to turn it off. The crises of late are just the trigger that turn hope into fear.

Malcolm wrote:
Nonense.

Crazywisdom said:
You didn't from your father about the overcrowding problem in prisons? Must be nice to be from Massachusetts.

Malcolm wrote:
He discussed it. He, like everyone else, thought the main problem was from drug busts, minor offenses.

Crazywisdom said:
For a more perfect union I'd rather be somewhere one side doesn't hate and want the extinction of the other.

Malcolm wrote:
The only real point you have made is that you have mixed background, and I am from OG Mayflower invader stock. Is it an advantage being white in the USA. Of course it is. I never denied it. But the system put into place by those old white guys back in the 1780's started something good that will never stop, unless of course people abandon the project. Right now, that project is very much damaged in many countries. But it is not damaged in the West. I get it, btw, if you prefer to live elsewhere than the US. The US is not everyone's cup of tea. But I don't think the Christian Right will take over the whole country. They certainly won't succeed in New England.

I still maintain the future of Buddhism is right here in the US.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 3:29 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:


clyde said:
Clearly karma is central to rebirth. How do you understand karma? It’s often called the principle of cause-and-effect. That’s not a thing and it’s not a scorecard; it’s a description of an ongoing process.

But how do you see it? Is there “personal karma” and if so, how is that? Does karma accumulate? And is karma-and-the-fruits-of-karma based on our notions of justice?

Malcolm wrote:
Karma (action) is intention/volition (cetana) and what proceeds from intention/volition. That is how the Buddha described it, as well as Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu.

That is why it is "personal," as the ripening of these intentions will only take place on the same mind stream that generated them, and in the same realm as they were generated. In other words, actions in the desire realm will only ripen in the desire realm, and so on.

Karma is not a law of cause and effect. Causes and effects are treated separately and before we get to karma. Actually, in Abhidharma it is presented very logically. Cause and effect are presented first, then dependent origination, then karma, and then afflictions.

clyde said:
I’ve not studied the Abhidharma. When you say that it presents cause-and-effect, DO, and karma in that order, does that mean that DO is dependent on cause-and-effect, and that karma is dependent on DO?

Malcolm wrote:
It means that general causes and effects, both animate and inanimate, are covered under the six causes and four conditions, or alternately, the 24 conditions of Abhidhamma. Dependent origination concerns the causation of sentient beings specifically. Karma concerns the causation of higher and lower status in samsara based on virtuous and nonvirtuous actions.

clyde said:
I understand karma-and-the-fruits-of-karma as the natural workings of the unfolding world to which my actions contribute like a ripple emanating out.

Malcolm wrote:
This not the Buddha's teaching on karma, not even remotely.

The way it is put in Abhidharma is this:

The variety of the world is due to action. 
Action is volition and what proceeds from volition.

Because we act, we cause changes in and on the world. They are not natural unfoldings, if you will. All change in the world is due to the action of sentient beings. Even the formation of the universe is caused by the actions of all the sentient beings, ripening from the last universe to cause this on.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 3:08 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
Thank you for helping me better understand how you understand rebirth. And if I understand you correctly, you hold that karma is the continuity between lifetimes.



Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
As was mentioned earlier, in Mahayana doctrine that which goes from one life to another is the alaya vujnana, the “all-base consciousness”, also known as the 8th consciousness. It is called all-base because it holds the metaphorical “seeds” of karma which ripen later as experience. This consciousness is not found in the Suttas, which is why the subject is complicated in the Hinayana.

clyde said:
I’m not well studied on the ālāyavijñāna, but if it continues from life to life, is it a subtle self?

Malcolm wrote:
No. Asanga cites the Theravavad bhavanga consciousness or linking consciousness in defense of this notion. It is not accepted in Madhyamaka, generally speaking.

Basically, nothing transfers per se. The last moment of consciousness of this life is the cause of the first moment of consciousness of the next.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 2:04 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
I've experienced racism in China, India, etc. It's not fun. Frankly, China is much more openly racist than the US. Tibetans can be pretty racist too. I have run into racist Tibetans in Nepal, etc.

Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
One friend of mine commented on how in America Tibetan Buddhism is one of the only venues where white people are routinely treated like second class citizens.

So depending on what your definition of “racism” is, yeah.

Malcolm wrote:
Sure. Anyway, Tibetans do not own Buddhism.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 1:43 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
Endless myopathy. You're just spouting axioms like they have actual force in the world  Canada and Europe are some of the racist places there are. Have you ever been refused service because of the color of your skin? Never happens in Brazil. Happened to me in the US. Happened in Canada. In Brazil you can call the police for this and action will be taken.

Malcolm wrote:
I've experienced racism in China, India, etc. It's not fun. Frankly, China is much more openly racist than the US. Tibetans can be pretty racist too. I have run into racist Tibetans in Nepal, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 1:39 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Crazywisdom said:
You do not have this in the USA. The police and the public contain insane racists. This enjoyment of constitutional freedom is enjoyed by blonde haired blue-eyes whites like Malcolm. Minorities have targets on their backs. Blacks in the US have actual panic attacks when the police are close. Racism in the US is far more violent and pronounced than in Brazil.

Malcolm wrote:
That depends on where you are and who you are. But sure, black people in the US suffer from systemic racism, doubt. But that is a cultural issue in the US, not a problem with our systems of laws per se.

Crazywisdom said:
In Brazil there is far more discretionary enforcement of laws. That does not make it lawless. Malcom says this as if he knows something. He's relaying on rumors.

Malcolm wrote:
I did not use Brazil as an example. I've never been to Brazil. But I have been to Mexico, several times, all over the country, and have friends in high places there. Daniel was the one who used Brazil as an example.

Crazywisdom said:
The US judicial system is capitalistic. Everyone is looking to score. Prosecutors and police are promoted based on number of convictions. Is there a law that says they can do that? No. There is isn't, but it's the reason that the US has the largest prison population per Capita in the history of man.

Malcolm wrote:
I agree that the privatization of prisons combined with unfair drug laws are a social justice issue in the United States which needs to be addressed. However, compared to prisons in other countries...

Crazywisdom said:
All over crowded. Why? They are incentivized to lie. Corruption in law enforcement in the USA is epic. Judges are selected from prosecutors and they keep the faith. The legal system is constitutional in name only.

Malcolm wrote:
That's simply not the case. You can try to argue this, based on your experience as a defense attorney in the US, but my late father was also a defense attorney, with whom I discussed many cases.

Crazywisdom said:
There is no such thing as a country of laws and not men.

Malcolm wrote:
Sure there is, you're just cynical.

Crazywisdom said:
In the US they just print more money with the global reserve currency. Those chickens are coming home to roost. We are already seeing global inflation as a result of this lawlessness. Monetary policy in the US is governed by men not ruled, who in the Fed have a loose mandate to lower unemployment and keep inflation around 2%. But if they fail the only counter is politics. So no one can sue the Fed for making stupid policies..

Malcolm wrote:
The current levels of Inflation are worldwide and have nothing to do with US monetary policy. Its cause is pandemic supply chain disruption and energy panic due to the war in Ukraine and the burgeoning process isolating Russia economically.

Also, the idea that the dollar's days as a reserve currency are limited has been forecast for years. Someday maybe it will happen, but that would require another country's economy to match ours in size. Even the euro is not as flexible as the dollar, because the EU does not have the same flexibility as the US. The main issue is convertability. The dollar is still the most convertible financial instrument in the world, especially the Benjamin.

Crazywisdom said:
The constitution of the US is like a religion that believers espouse at the Supreme Court level until it does serve their team. The erosion of the 4th Amendment that began with Nixon and accelerated during Reagan decimated two generations of minorities.

Malcolm wrote:
Historically inaccurate. The problem with the fourth amendment was that it was written to forestall search and seizure by conscription and press gangs, not police. Police did not exist in this country when the 4th amendment was written. But you know, the Constitution is not a perfect document, and it requires updating.

Crazywisdom said:
If you read the opinions it's very easy to understand interpretations were arbitrary and racist, all the dissents said exactly that.

Malcolm wrote:
"Originalism" in constitutional law is problematical. But the point is "a more perfect union." Democracy in the United States, and other place is not perfect. But what you describe are principally cultural problems and biases, not inherent flaws in the US system itself.

Crazywisdom said:
The situation now is even graver. The fantasy of the US is over. There will be 50 years of total bullshit coming out of the Supreme Court. Unless you're a in a conservative Christian community, don't expect anything to go well.

Malcolm wrote:
Maybe, we will see, maybe Thomas and Alito will drop dead of heart attacks this summer. Hope so.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 21st, 2022 at 1:08 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine News
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Background:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Girkin

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/19/mh17-criminal-charges-ukraine-russia


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 10:28 PM
Title: Re: The Tibetan vs. Theravada view on emptiness
Content:



Shaiksha said:
The Kaccayanagotta Sutta quoted above does not talk about emptiness as understood in the Madhyamaka, I believe. It is about the right view - where one who has developed the right view no longer clings to attachments, or fixated (conditioned) thinking, or self-obsession. My understanding is the reference to exist or no-exist refers to 'self', eternalism v annhilism. Of course, it is always open to debate and I am no expert.

Malcolm wrote:
The Kaccayanagotta Sutta's Agamic analogue is cited directly by Nāgārjuna in chapter 15 of the MMK. It's the only Agamic text he cites.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 10:08 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:


clyde said:
Clearly karma is central to rebirth. How do you understand karma? It’s often called the principle of cause-and-effect. That’s not a thing and it’s not a scorecard; it’s a description of an ongoing process.

But how do you see it? Is there “personal karma” and if so, how is that? Does karma accumulate? And is karma-and-the-fruits-of-karma based on our notions of justice?

Malcolm wrote:
Karma (action) is intention/volition (cetana) and what proceeds from intention/volition. That is how the Buddha described it, as well as Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu.

That is why it is "personal," as the ripening of these intentions will only take place on the same mind stream that generated them, and in the same realm as they were generated. In other words, actions in the desire realm will only ripen in the desire realm, and so on.

Karma is not a law of cause and effect. Causes and effects are treated separately and before we get to karma. Actually, in Abhidharma it is presented very logically. Cause and effect are presented first, then dependent origination, then karma, and then afflictions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 9:23 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Daniel Arraes said:
Unfortunately my countrymen are learning that the hard way. It will take 20 years to rebuild our economy... if we are lucky enough to get rid of those alt-right white supremacist jerks who follow "Tropical Trump".

Queequeg said:
It takes a long time for people with power to come around and fear the power they wield. The Enlightenment out of which the ideas underlying the establishment of the United States emerged were forged over centuries under the despotic rule of kings. Those people had visceral living memories of arbitrary rulers where life and property could be taken at whim of select individuals and developed a philosophical framework, alongside an ancient form of the Rule of Law, the Common Law (arguably a vestige of rule from a time that was more egalitarian and organic, before the development of despotic monarchies), that was and continues to be a living tradition in the Anglophile world. A class that wields real power must come to fear the power they wield and agree to a system where power can be checked.

Based on my study of history, human beings will tolerate a lot of injustice and cruelty as long as they are personally comfortable, and people are willing to compromise their expectations of comfort to a pathetic degree to avoid conflict. Rarely do you see people stick their necks out for others. And so, psychopaths and other assorted people with deformed characters take advantage to seize for themselves when there are no systems of checks or people become so apathetic that they don't bother using systems of checks that have been established.

Good luck. We're trying to hold it together here ourselves.

Malcolm wrote:
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/04/inside-the-new-right-where-peter-thiel-is-placing-his-biggest-bets


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 2:11 AM
Title: Re: https://awakentheworld.com
Content:
JieshiShan said:
It is long, sometimes tedious, but it goes through concepts common to several traditions and as it obviously does not go into every aspect in depth, it just passes by and the one who knows something recognises it... and moves on to another related topic.
My learning has been vast and is far from over, and what I cannot do is to imprison it in categories.
What is suffocating today is the popular Buddhism vs. the Buddhadharma.

Malcolm wrote:
They are not buddhist, they discuss Shiva and Shakti, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 2:03 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Queequeg said:
He needs to sub Klobuchar. Harris needs to have a health condition that forces her to step away from politics for a little while.

Malcolm wrote:
Disagree. There is no certainty that Minn will elect a Democratic senator. She up for re-election in 2024.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 1:52 AM
Title: Ukraine News
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 1:44 AM
Title: Re: New History of Religions special issue on Mahāyāna sūtras
Content:
Zhen Li said:
I think that Nāgārjuna is a popular enough name that there were may have been more than one (or more than two).

tingdzin said:
Even more than this, I think his name was just invoked and set into unhistorical contexts as a legitimating device, as in the  Zen patriarchs' lists.

Malcolm wrote:
All Mahayāna comes through Nāgārjuna. Nāgārjuna is the defining intellectual of Mahāyāna, hence his justly deserved title, "the second Buddha."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 1:26 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



Malcolm wrote:
Lawlessness, or weak law enforcement is often equated with “freedom.” Mexico is also more “free.”  But these are countries where men rule, rather than laws.

Daniel Arraes said:
I'm Brazilian born and raised and, no matter how painful it is for me to admit, I have agree with Malcolm. Brazil is a huge mess right now.

Crazywisdom said:
Everybody in Brazil says that and imagines the USA is a paradise. Brazil is not as bad as you think. The US is not nearly as awesome as you think.

Malcolm wrote:
The US is not a paradise. No democracy is. But the level of lawfulness and trust in the US is quite high, and is one of the main reasons why our markets and businesses flourish better than countries in which there are flawed democracies and autocracies. To put it in a nutshell, there is much less corruption in the EU, the US, Canada, etc., than in other countries. Why? Because these are countries of laws and not men.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 1:05 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:



Malcolm wrote:
If you don't vote for him, but you don't want another four years of Trump, well, you deserve Trump.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 20th, 2022 at 12:37 AM
Title: Re: https://awakentheworld.com
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Nonbuddhist hippies. Ignore.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 11:34 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Dorje Shedrub said:
The second group is undocumented Latinos from Mexico and Central America who usually align with Democrats because of the Democrat's  immigration policies...


Malcolm wrote:
They also cannot vote.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 12:05 PM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:


Sādhaka said:
Try searching white couple or white family,  and black couple or black family; and you’ll see what I mean. Same with corporate commercials, always a black husband and white wife; and they often make males, especially white males, look dumb & incompetent, etc.

Malcolm wrote:
These generalizations you are making are absurd and unprovable.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 12:01 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:



clyde said:
If mental consciousness has its basis in the heart, then when death and dissolution of the body occurs, each sense organ ceases to function and the consciousness associated with the sense organ ceases; i.e., all consciousness associated with the body ceases.

Is there something that continues, that is reborn?

Virgo said:
Consciousness appropriates another form.

Virgo

clyde said:
What does that mean? The Buddha taught that when the sense organ ceases the sense-consciousness ceases, including intellect-consciousness. So what consciousness “appropriates another form”?

Malcolm wrote:
Buddha also taught, “When consciousness descends into the womb…” from where does that consciousness come?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 9:01 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
So, what/where is the mindstream that continues after the death and dissolution of the body? This is what I’m trying to determine and understand.

Virgo said:
Mental consciousness has it's basis in the heart.

clyde said:
If mental consciousness has its basis in the heart, then when death and dissolution of the body occurs, each sense organ ceases to function and the consciousness associated with the sense organ ceases; i.e., all consciousness associated with the body ceases.

Is there something that continues, that is reborn?

Malcolm wrote:
The senses shut down in a regular and predictable order in a normal death, in a sudden or traumatic death, the process is not as predictable.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 8:58 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Miorita said:
Democracy is a specific product cultured and grown in America. Don't export it! People in other parts of the world don't need the drugs, the LGBTQ, the homelessness, the abortions, AA, etc. There are other ways to grow on this planet.

Malcolm wrote:
Apparently you’ve never been to India, China, etc. if you think these things are problems created only by democracy you haven’t travelled much.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 8:54 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
You just have to ask yourself why google (their search results reflect this) & co. are so invested in pushing race-mixing as an agenda.

Malcolm wrote:
Is google invested in this? And what does this have to do with the end of men. Maybe Tucker is worried about the end of white men, since all the dudes in it seem to be white bros.

Kim O'Hara said:
Unless you have done something sensible like adjusting the default settings, Google's search results reflect your own browsing history, and the more you use it, the more it knows about you.
Google says it is to help you quickly find the pages you're looking for. What it does, though, is create your own personal echo-chamber, media world or whatever you call it. So if you like Q-anon or Kabbala or Kropotkin, just for random examples, those will be your top results. So you click on them first, and Google knows you like pages like that, and serves up even more next time. Yep, vicious circle.
What does Google get out of it? $$$$$, since the process incidentally creates beautifully targeted marketing niches which Google can then offer to advertisers at a premium.
What does it do to society? See above ... just about the whole thread, in fact.


Kim

Malcolm wrote:
So in other words Sadhaka gets what Sadhaka clicks on. Google’s only role is feeding him his own choices.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 6:01 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:


Seeker12 said:
Anyway, lots of words. I, personally, would have to basically ideally talk with Wallace to assess his thought, or at the very least get to know it well. And maybe I shouldn't be talking at all here since I do not know his thought well, and maybe he is mistaken. But again, I have appreciated his translations of Dudjom Lingpa, which I find valuable.

Malcolm wrote:
The difference here is that as you point out, the Dudjom Nyingma philosophy book was translated, and it was translated many years ago. I respect the translators who did it, but we are so far beyond these early attempts (and yes, it is a translation that is 40+ years old), and we know a lot more about what is in the earlier strata of Dzogchen texts, such as the lengthy pre-Longchenpa commentaries on Dzogchen tantras in which I specialize. There has been a lot of contamination by western philosophical concepts in these earlier attempts, and much of that contamination has yet to be weeded out. Wallace's understanding of Dzogchen is crypto-theistic, in that he has fairly openly states that he thinks that the mythos of Samantabhadra's awakening is an ex nihilo cosmogony:
While Buddhism is deemed nontheistic, the Vedas are regarded as polytheistic, and the Bible is monotheistic, we have seen that the cosmogonies of Vajrayana Buddhism, Vedanta, and Neoplatonic Christianity have so much in common that they could almost be regarded as varying interpretations of a single theory. Moreover, the commonality does not end there, for in the Near East, the writings of Plotinus (205-270) also influenced Islamic and Jewish theories of creation. This apparent unity could be attributed to mere coincidence, or to the historical propagation of a single, speculative, metaphysical theory throughout south Asia and the Near East. For example, the Upanishads may well have influenced the writings of early Mahayana thinkers in India, and they could also have made their way to the Near East, where they might have inspired the writings of Plotinus. On the other hand, Plotinus declared that his theories were based on his own experiential insights, and similar claims have been made by many Buddhist and Vedantin contemplatives. If these cosmogonies are indeed based upon valid introspective knowledge, then there may some plausibility to the claims of many contemplatives throughout the world that introspective inquiry can lead to knowledge, not only of the ultimate ground of being, but of the fundamental laws of nature as well.
Wallace is so completely wrong here, it is cannot be explained by anything other than the fact that he has not properly studied Dzogchen teachings in depth. There is absolutely nothing in common with the Dzogchen account of cosmogony and those of Hinduism and neoplatonism. Nothing at all. Dzogchen cosmogony is simply a variation on the the cyclical cosmogony of the Abdharmakoṣabhaśya, and I can prove it.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 5:54 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
You just have to ask yourself why google (their search results reflect this) & co. are so invested in pushing race-mixing as an agenda.

Malcolm wrote:
Is google invested in this? And what does this have to do with the end of men. Maybe Tucker is worried about the end of white men, since all the dudes in it seem to be white bros.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 4:58 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
I’ve seen your other posts on that topic over the years in relation to gestation etc., although it’s too nuanced than I have time to get into at the moment; for now, in any case, I agree that it is partially environmental and partially genetic (ya know the whole karma-vipaka thing).

Malcolm wrote:
As I said, from the point of view of Tibetan medicine all gender orientation and sexual attraction is fundamentally biological in nature, fixed after the third week of gestation, the desire to change gender is included here. Calling this a pathology, from a Tibetan medical point of view is erroneous. It's like saying blond hair is a pathology.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 4:53 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
Seeker12 said:
Per Wikipedia this comes from The Crystal and the Way of Light.

Malcolm wrote:
Ok, well, you have to understand that everything in Crystal came from an early period in ChNN's career, when he was not teaching in English. At this time, he used various English translators such as John Shane, Barry Simmons, and so on, before ChNN switched over to teaching in English directly around 1988, the same year Crystal came out. So we cannot regard it as a definitive representation of ChNN's intent, since it is an edited transcript of translation from his original Italian. It broadly served as a introduction to his teachings, but was never intended to be a definitive statement of them. But more importantly, there is no such term in Dzogchen as "the fundamental ground of existence." The term "gzhi" refers to your own nature which you have failed to recognize. That's it. It is not a "ground of being" as in Paul Tillich's theology, where the term originates:

For Tillich, God is being-itself, not a being among other beings. To describe the relationship between being-itself and finite beings, Tillich takes the word, "ground." For Tillich, God is the ground of being, the ground of the structure of being. God as being itself is the ground of the ontological structure of being. In other words, every ontological being has its power to be in being itself, participate in the ground of being. All accounts of God are expressed through what we comprehend. Can we know God? For Tilich, the answer is clear: we can. Adopting the theory of analogia entis (analogy of being), that is, "that which is infinite is being itself and because everything participates in being itself" (239), The theory of analogia entis explains the possibility of knowing and saying anything about God. However, for Tillich, the analogia entis justifies our ways of saying about God only under a fact that "God must be understood as being itself" (240). Thus, existential approach to God through the category of finitude must be described symbolically. God is the ground of being, being-itself; who concerns us ultimately. Thus, God is our ultimate concern.
https://people.bu.edu/wwildman/bce/tillich.htm

There is no such ground of being in the whole length and breadth of buddhadharma, including Dzogchen teachings.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 4:17 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
Seeker12 said:
Namkhai Norbu apparently has used the phrase "the fundamental ground of existence" for instance.

Malcolm wrote:
He used the term "primordial state'  for the term 'thog ma gzhi', or 'original basis.' But the term "basis" just refers to one's own unfabricated consciousness. I've studied and practiced ChNN's teachings for 30 years now, since 1992. So I am pretty certain of his intentions and use of language.

It is a little unclear to me where you are pulling this term from, "the fundamental ground of existence." Care to name a source?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 4:11 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:


Nicholas2727 said:
Is it possible for you to clarify what he's saying and why this is Advaita silliness?

Malcolm wrote:
There is no ground of being.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 4:08 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Sherab Rigdrol said:
Be that as it may, it’s going to happen unfortunately.

Queequeg said:
For anyone who wants a swing at an answer... what would be the point of dropping nukes?

Malcolm wrote:
They've run out of conventional missiles, very likely, since they cannot manufacture new arms due to the sanctions.

Queequeg said:
But as far as anyone can tell, Putin's goal is to reform the Russian empire, not to end the world.

Malcolm wrote:
The Russian use of a tactical nuke in Ukraine does not require a nuclear response in turn. This is a mistake in everyone's thinking. If he does this, certainly the world will turn against him.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 4:01 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
climb-up said:
Wow!
I feel like if you hear the word "bromeotherapy," and your like, "oh, that's a great description of what I do and I should absolutely use that to promote my ideas."
...well, it might be time to reassess some things Brosef.
Sounds a little sus, as the youngsters (allegedly) say.

EDIT: Oh, looking through the thread we seem to have moved on to a different conversation and I may have missed out on the fun of people promoting microwaving their balls on the manosphere.

Malcolm wrote:
It's all related CRT is a plot to prevent the bros from microwaving their balls to increase their testosterone, so they can have more white babies and fix the demographic inevitability of the browning of America. But the thing I don't understand, if someone is into tanning their balls, why are they upset by people who are tan naturally? Is it jealousy? Or is it a bit of sympathetic magic?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 3:46 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:



Genjo Conan said:
Ffs try to exercise even a smidge of critical thinking before asserting that a state of 40 million people is teaching kids about the coming multiplication race war



Malcolm wrote:
It's Helter Skelter in first grade!!!


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 3:33 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
Ugh lemme try again:


Malcolm wrote:
Not according to medical science. But you do you.


Sādhaka said:
I wonder if you even read my entire post….

I’d said that maybe a few minutes a day is beneficial...

Malcolm wrote:
For your tan, maybe....



The fact is that all the serious conservatives abandoned MAGA world's obsession with bathrooms, testosterone, Qanon conspiracy theories, and so on, and still engage in serious debate with those on the left, as they should.

Sure.

I’m not an Q’er at all, yet I do see transgenderism as an mental illness (not to spark that debate here, just giving my opinion; take it or leave it).
Well, that is not how it is seen in Ayurveda and Tibetan medicine. It is seen as a result of development of the fetus in the womb, based on the the conduct of the mother, as well as the circumstances around conception itself. In other words, it Is biological, not pathological.



Many of the debates that people on the far right want to have are basically a waste of time and energy.

You’re not wrong. However same with the left in most cases.
Many debates are pointless waste of time.

They can censor all day if they’re truly private companies; that’s not contested. It simply has nothing to do with my point that they censor because they’re afraid of open debate.
Twitter, Youtube, etc., moderate content because some discussions are entirely disruptive and interfere with normal discourse. And, do we really need to debate whether Nazis are bad? No.

Frankly, you cannot prove that "the left" is censoring content. The left screams as loudly as the right does about "censorship" on these platforms. Maybe people in the middle are just tired of listening to the bullshit that comes from both extremes. I sure am.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 3:22 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Archie2009 said:
You didn't read the pdf.

Queequeg said:
Asking you that question doesn't mean that Norwegian supports anyone. You realize, you're not among conservative dittoheads where just dropping a talking point proves whatever argument you think you're making, right?

Archie2009 said:
And you do realize I have voted for the left in my country all my life? What I seem to be among here is the knee-jerk US liberal herd.

Malcolm wrote:
No, not knee jerk, we liberals in the US are just not as alarmed by stupidity from the left as we are by stupidity from the right, since the latter has nearly compromised our democracy, and the former has never been in any danger of doing so, ever.

Anyway, the topic is the end of men, not CRT.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 3:17 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Archie2009 said:
Just browse the attached 83 page pdf and tell me again there is no CRT in US eduction. I wish this was parody too.

Malcolm wrote:
Frankly, the pamphlet is silly as shit, and I have a hard time believing that any math teacher in their right state of mind would take any of it seriously and allow D'shawn to answer 2+2 = 5, while Billy Bob is required to answer 2 + 2 = 4.

The CA standards are listed here:

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ma/cf/index.asp

Also, Rufo is a conservative activist whose mission is life is to misrepresent CRT deliberately as anti-American, since he thinks it is a better meme than "cancel culture" or "PC." https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-inquiry/how-a-conservative-activist-invented-the-conflict-over-critical-race-theory

"As Rufo eventually came to see it, conservatives engaged in the culture war had been fighting against the same progressive racial ideology since late in the Obama years, without ever being able to describe it effectively. “We’ve needed new language for these issues,” Rufo told me, when I first wrote to him, late in May. “ ‘Political correctness’ is a dated term and, more importantly, doesn’t apply anymore. It’s not that elites are enforcing a set of manners and cultural limits, they’re seeking to reengineer the foundation of human psychology and social institutions through the new politics of race, It’s much more invasive than mere ‘correctness,’ which is a mechanism of social control, but not the heart of what’s happening. The other frames are wrong, too: ‘cancel culture’ is a vacuous term and doesn’t translate into a political program; ‘woke’ is a good epithet, but it’s too broad, too terminal, too easily brushed aside. ‘Critical race theory’ is the perfect villain,” Rufo wrote.

He thought that the phrase was a better description of what conservatives were opposing, but it also seemed like a promising political weapon. “Its connotations are all negative to most middle-class Americans, including racial minorities, who see the world as ‘creative’ rather than ‘critical,’ ‘individual’ rather than ‘racial,’ ‘practical’ rather than ‘theoretical.’ Strung together, the phrase ‘critical race theory’ connotes hostile, academic, divisive, race-obsessed, poisonous, elitist, anti-American.” Most perfect of all, Rufo continued, critical race theory is not “an externally applied pejorative.” Instead, “it’s the label the critical race theorists chose themselves.”


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 2:24 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
and the third is the “Primordial Consciousness” or the “nondual from the ground of being”.

Malcolm wrote:
Crypto advaita silliness. There is no such thing. This theory is a result of his misunderstanding of Dzogchen teachings.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 2:21 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Queequeg said:
Oh. Its real.

https://tuckercarlson.com/tco-season-2-preview-2/

There is a reason to be concerned about all the chemicals we release into the environment, but the way Carlson is going about this... footage of a silhouetted meat head drinking egg yolks? I mean... come on.

Malcolm wrote:
And it premieres tonight. Too f*cking funny.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 at 12:30 AM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
Big talk; but when push comes to shove, leftists are afraid of open debate without censorship, which is more telling than anything.

Genjo Conan said:
lol.  "Ron DeSantis signs the so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill : NPR" https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089221657/dont-say-gay-florida-desantis

I've got news about who's actually doing the censoring in the US, my dude


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 11:56 PM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
Big talk; but when push comes to shove, leftists are afraid of open debate without censorship, which is more telling than anything.

Malcolm wrote:
People seem to forget the language of the first amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

So, you don't like the moderation policies of Twitter, then go to Truth Social, where you are forbidden to say anything negative about TFG. The government should not be involved in the policies of these private platforms where they do not break laws, such as laws against kiddie porn, etc.

Complaining about leftists being afraid of open debate is absurd nonsense. The fact is that all the serious conservatives abandoned MAGA world's obsession with bathrooms, testosterone, Qanon conspiracy theories, and so on, and still engage in serious debate with those on the left, as they should.

Many of the debates that people on the far right want to have are basically a waste of time and energy.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 11:43 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Brunelleschi said:
Can they actually defeat Russia?

Malcolm wrote:
Ukraine has already have defeated Russia in significant battles. I imagine they will continue to do so, given the proper arms, and given the demonstrated Russian incompetence at fighting a war on the ground. If Russians stated goal is to take territory in Ukraine and hold it, they have proven themselves utter failures. If the Russian goal is to pound Ukraine into the ground to create a vassal state like Chechnya, I am certain they will fail at this. Ukraine is country of 44 million (minus refugees). They are clear in their aspirations and goals. They will continue to fight for their freedom as long as they can. Pretty soon, the only option for Putin will be to use tactical nukes or go home. The Russian economy is in a state of free fall. Oil traders are cancelling contracts as of may 15th:

https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/worlds-biggest-oil-traders-are-set-to-cut-out-russian-oil-purchases-from-the-middle-of-may-report-says-/articleshow/90844049.cms

https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/worlds-largest-oil-trader-to-completely-phase-out-russian-crude-1031353981

The main problem right now in the EU is Germany's vacillation and lack of foresight. They should know better. The German population certainly knows better than the German gvt.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 10:58 PM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
Hm, I would imagine that both could be true.

In other words, keep them in the cool shade most of the time (and maybe even cold showers or Wim Hoff style ice baths), however that also exposing them to sun and/or infrared for so many minutes a day could also increase T and sperm count.

Malcolm wrote:
Not according to medical science. But you do you. Personally, if guys want to tan their balls its ok with me, less babies, less population, especially of MAGA offspring.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 10:05 PM
Title: Re: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:
Sādhaka said:
To be fair, even the perceived-by-many-as-cucky gym chain Planet Fitness has a red light therapy booth:

https://luxeluminous.com/planet-fitness-total-body-enhancement/

It can even shake you around while you’re in it if you want (for the purpose of moving lymph).

Malcolm wrote:
Right, and the science is that tanning your balls reduces your sperm count. You gotta keep those babies cool and in the shade.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 9:28 PM
Title: The End of Men ( I wish it were a parody)
Content:





Malcolm wrote:
And Bromeopathic therapy:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 9:01 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Someone is Russia is saying "It just keeps getting better and better...."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 8:43 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Brunelleschi said:
It is due to US national interests.

Malcolm wrote:
It is due to the interest of defending liberal democracy, which is indeed a US interest, since liberal democracy must be defended. Whether you realize it or not, this is an existential issue for the US and the EU.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 18th, 2022 at 6:58 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Queequeg said:
Not judging. Calling it as I see it. Plenty of Americans would sell out Ukraine for a cheaper fill up.

Just how we are.

KristenM said:
By most accounts the US is one of the most philanthropic and generous countries in the world, by far. The US has already given almost 1 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine or more and has no hesitation to keep giving. So I disagree on your take on American people and their priorities.

Scratch that, it’s about 2 billion dollars we’ve given to Ukraine.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/16/fact-sheet-on-u-s-security-assistance-for-ukraine/

Brunelleschi said:
The US is giving Ukraine money to create another Afghanistan and drain Russia of resources - whether this is good or not can be discussed. It is due to US national interests.

On the other hand, the country will only accept about 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.


Malcolm wrote:
No. The Afghans had no interest in keeping their fledgling democracy alive. The Ukrainians, on the other hand, have been fighting with the Russians for independence for a century.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 11:38 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 11:10 PM
Title: Re: The Tibetan vs. Theravada view on emptiness
Content:
dpcalder said:
Most of my research into Buddhism is on Theravada Buddhism but I’m very interested in the Tibetan views. My understanding of Theravada’s notion of emptiness is simply that dependent origination entails that all phenomena result from antecedent causes and conditions and lack an indivisible essence

However, a friend of mine understands emptiness either on a different way or approaches it from a different angle. It is influenced by Nagarjuna’s Madhyamaka view but it’s kind of hard for me to wrap my mind around what he’s saying. Any recommended reading for how to understand Tibetan views? Feel feel free to contribute your own thoughts as well

Malcolm wrote:
I think your understanding of Theravada emptiness has been influenced by Nāgārjuna.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 4:17 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 3:51 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
This is not a 9-11 situation where the American public went blind with rage and had an appetite for revenge. This is also how a democracy functions. This is the slow, dumb, lazy part.

Malcolm wrote:
Correct, and Biden has shown remarkable leadership throughout this whole thing.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 12:41 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
We will follow their lead.

Malcolm wrote:
It is quite the opposite, actually. The EU, as a whole, would just sit there and do nothing without considerable pressure from us. We have provided that pressure and leadership, and so now they are doing something.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 12:05 AM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
“The mind stream is a rosary of moments” is poetic, but what are those empty and unceasing moments composed of?

Malcolm wrote:
Partless moments  of consciousness.

Consciousness is compounded.

windoverwater said:
Are the "partless moments" considered to be compounded or uncompounded?

Malcolm wrote:
Compounded.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 17th, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
I'm concerned about getting sucked into another war which will be much heavier than anything we've been involved in since Viet Nam.

As I wrote, IMHO, Russia is already on the way to collapse. The question is how that collapse plays out over the next few months and years.

What are Ukrainian lives worth to us right now?

Malcolm wrote:
We are an inflection point. If we don't support Ukraine, liberal democracy collapses.

Queequeg said:
No. If it collapses, its because of internal factors.

Malcolm wrote:
Not supporting other liberal democracies points to corruption in our own. Trump demonstrated this quite clearly. The Post WWII consensus until the end of the Cold War was based around this idea of liberal democracies sticking together. The way we fended off communist regimes was by supporting other liberal democracies, as well as securing security arrangements with right wing governments, often brutal, who were also allied with us against the communists.

The past 16 years have shown that the West, as a whole, erred in believing that the either of the (major) former communist countries (UUSR, PRC) had any interest in liberalism.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 11:48 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
I'm concerned about getting sucked into another war which will be much heavier than anything we've been involved in since Viet Nam.

As I wrote, IMHO, Russia is already on the way to collapse. The question is how that collapse plays out over the next few months and years.

What are Ukrainian lives worth to us right now?

Malcolm wrote:
We are an inflection point. If we don't support Ukraine, liberal democracy collapses.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 11:12 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The infection of "realism" into international diplomacy has never gone well. It has always been a tacit admission that "might makes right."

PeterC said:
This generation of “realists” probably never read Hobbes.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 10:39 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Queequeg said:
Its unbelievable the catastrophe that is unfolding here.

Obviously, this is dangerous for the world because somewhere in that collapsing house they have nukes.

Unf*cking believable.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 10:32 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Norwegian said:
Yeah that's a groan and a half seeing Chomsky's take.

PeterC said:
It's a very disappointing comment from someone who really should know better.  The obvious response is: so who, then, guarantees Ukraine's safety from future invasions?

Malcolm wrote:
Chomsky has always been disappointing. All he has ever done is contribute talking points to people who really should know better.

The infection of "realism" into international diplomacy has never gone well. It has always been a tacit admission that "might makes right."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 9:37 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 8:01 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
“The mind stream is a rosary of moments” is poetic, but what are those empty and unceasing moments composed of?

Malcolm wrote:
Partless moments  of consciousness.

Consciousness is compounded.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 7:26 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 9:06 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
Whatever his flaws, one thing Bernie understood is that the left cannot win a meaningful victory just with the culture war stuff in this country as it is now, it is simply too conservative. However, moderate Dems climb on board with that stuff, but not so much on the economic inequality thing.

The bizarro-world effect of this is that it is usually now the Trumpian right who utilize and distort anger about “elites” to their own ends, make false promises about infrastructure and prosperity, etc. Then the Dems mostly just run on “we are not this guy, btw black and lgbt people are cool”.

The whole deal is just sad.

Shinjin said:
And the best they could do was pick a leader who half the time doesn't know where he is or what he is saying. Democrats are toast.

Malcolm wrote:
Biden knows exactly what he is saying, when he says it.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 9:03 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Johnny Dangerous said:
I think you are possibly just becoming more conservative.

Malcolm wrote:
Not really. I am an American liberal, always have been.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 7:30 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
Whatever his flaws, one thing Bernie understood is that the left cannot win a meaningful victory just with the culture war stuff in this country as it is now, it is simply too conservative. However, moderate Dems climb on board with that stuff, but not so much on the economic inequality thing.

The bizarro-world effect of this is that it is usually now the Trumpian right who utilize and distort anger about “elites” to their own ends, make false promises about infrastructure and prosperity, etc. Then the Dems mostly just run on “we are not this guy, btw black and lgbt people are cool”.

The whole deal is just sad.

Malcolm wrote:
The culture wars in tNe US, JD, have always been launched by white supremacists.

Also, the far left is plenty pissed off by “elites.” What we are witnessing now is a convergence of right wing and left wing illiberalism.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 1:03 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Queequeg said:
Well. All I can say is we have the Freedoms and Advantages here. Hope you all, wherever you are, do, too. I look forward to a robust flowering of Dharma around the world, to see the variety of blossoms from the different soils.

Crazywisdom said:
In a lot of ways there's a lot more freedom in Brazil.

Malcolm wrote:
Lawlessness, or weak law enforcement is often equated with “freedom.” Mexico is also more “free.”  But these are countries where men rule, rather than laws.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 16th, 2022 at 1:00 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
The US is also considered a flawed democracy.

Malcolm wrote:
No, it isn’t, though it’s true that our institutions have taken some hits recently. That just makes it all the more important to give a voice in support of it.

Elections don’t make a democracy. It’s how power is transferred that defines a democratic state.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 11:31 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
I agree. This is true. But that's economic. I'm not sure why we have to join this with the idea America invented democracy.

Malcolm wrote:
What we understand today as "democracy" was forged in the fire of the American revolution. Essentially, all states have systems of transferring power. Democracy, like Monarchy, etc., is just one of those systems. It also happens to be the rarest form of government in history. One thing you will notice is that liberal democracies never invade or fight wars with other liberal democracies. Liberal democratic countries tend to stick together.

My argument is simple-- liberal democracy in general is the ideal government under which Dharma can flourish. That does not mean that we have to have elections in sanghas, etc. It just means that liberal democracies are places where Buddhists enjoy the most freedom. This is very clear when you examine the state of Buddhism in the world today.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 11:24 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
Yankee Doodle Dharma. Come on. The US is not the only open society or the only democracy. There are almost 3 billion people living in democracies. I do not sympathize with this patriotism. It's silly.

Malcolm wrote:
Our country, like it or not, is the founding nation of modern, liberal democracy. The international language of Buddhism is now English, not the English of the Crown, but American English.

Only 6.4 percent of the world population live in full democracies; that's only 21 countries and just over 500 million people. 66% of those people live in the USA, with the other 24 percent spread around the other 20 countries. The best chance Buddhism has is in these 21 countries, which have adopted the principles of liberal democracy, courtesy of the American Revolution. The vast majority of those democracies are less than 150 years old.

Crazywisdom said:
The French Revolution was instrumental. We have England to thank for spreading English over the world.

Malcolm wrote:
France didn't manage to become a full democracy for a hundred years after the revolution. Napoleon put the wrench in that. Nevertheless, the French Revolution was responsible for gelling some of the ideas we equate with liberal democracy today, that is a historical fact.

Crazywisdom said:
India is a full democracy and it's the largest one with 1,3 billion, thanks to Gandhi.

Malcolm wrote:
India is not a full democracy. It is considered a flawed democracy.

So you're Yankee Doodle Dharma fetish is just odd. But if you think this will be the best thing for Dharma in the history of dharma great. Folks are doing fine in Spanish and Portuguese as well.

There is a deficit of books translated into Portuguese and Spanish.

Crazywisdom said:
If India is not a democracy to you then I am sorry but you're biased.

Malcolm wrote:
India, as mentioned above, is a flawed democracy. It is dominated by a political party (BJP) that espouses Hindu nationalism (Hindutva), and regularly institutes discriminatory policies towards Muslims and other religious minorities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 7:44 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:
clyde said:
P.S: I agree with Bhikkhu Analayo when he states that while he is “sympathetic to the idea of rebirth,” he doesn’t view rebirth as a crucial issue and if rebirth wasn’t true (or for me, if my current understanding wasn’t true), it “would not result in a major change in my personal lifestyle and practice.”

Malcolm wrote:
As already pointed out, and as Analayo points out, rebirth is the central issue the Buddha sought to address.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 7:22 PM
Title: Re: another question about rebirth
Content:


clyde said:
A question arose for me about how others understand those terms. Do you understand “a process of being conscious” (or any other such term) as without parts or compound with parts?

Malcolm wrote:
The mind stream is a rosary of moments, empty and unceasing. It doesn’t cease even in buddhahood, but rebirth ceases because of liberation from afflictions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 7:17 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Miorita said:
Nice!

When she was First Lady, she wouldn't even see us.  We were invisible.
She stopped in Oak Park and then clicked her heels and was back at the White House.

Malcolm wrote:
Who is “we”?

Miorita said:
"We" were at the time aprox. 2.8 mil. city dwellers, without counting the suburbs.
The F4, fresh out of the scandal, raised her nose and went her way.

Malcolm wrote:
You mean in New York?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 10:32 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Svalaksana said:
Given your overt fondness for HRC, I thought you were a bit of a Berniesceptic.

Malcolm wrote:
Clinton would have made a fine president. As the meme goes, it turns out she was right about everything. I also voted for her when Bernie asked us to.

Miorita said:
Nice!

When she was First Lady, she wouldn't even see us.  We were invisible.
She stopped in Oak Park and then clicked her heels and was back at the White House.

Malcolm wrote:
Who is “we”?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 6:38 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
Yankee Doodle Dharma. Come on. The US is not the only open society or the only democracy. There are almost 3 billion people living in democracies. I do not sympathize with this patriotism. It's silly.

Malcolm wrote:
Our country, like it or not, is the founding nation of modern, liberal democracy. The international language of Buddhism is now English, not the English of the Crown, but American English.

Only 6.4 percent of the world population live in full democracies; that's only 21 countries and just over 500 million people. 66% of those people live in the USA, with the other 24 percent spread around the other 20 countries. The best chance Buddhism has is in these 21 countries, which have adopted the principles of liberal democracy, courtesy of the American Revolution. The vast majority of those democracies are less than 150 years old.

Könchok Thrinley said:
Sure let's ignore the huge amount of work that was done for transmitting buddhadharma to the west in Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain, Italy, Australia...

Malcolm wrote:
The most credit here goes to the English, then the French, etc. However, my point still stands.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 4:25 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
Yankee Doodle Dharma. Come on. The US is not the only open society or the only democracy. There are almost 3 billion people living in democracies. I do not sympathize with this patriotism. It's silly.

Malcolm wrote:
Our country, like it or not, is the founding nation of modern, liberal democracy. The international language of Buddhism is now English, not the English of the Crown, but American English.

Only 6.4 percent of the world population live in full democracies; that's only 21 countries and just over 500 million people. 66% of those people live in the USA, with the other 24 percent spread around the other 20 countries. The best chance Buddhism has is in these 21 countries, which have adopted the principles of liberal democracy, courtesy of the American Revolution. The vast majority of those democracies are less than 150 years old.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 2:47 AM
Title: Re: Bhikkhu Analayo on Respecting the Different Buddhist Traditions
Content:
Konchog Thogme Jampa said:
When I was a Theravadan Monk in my early twenties the Monastery was fundamentalist Theravadan with a strong superiority conceit I think it was because in order to practice it you needed to believe in it absolutely.

The one way conceit.

Malcolm wrote:
“Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.'

I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast. There goes the shawl again!”


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 2:38 AM
Title: Re: Bhikkhu Analayo on Respecting the Different Buddhist Traditions
Content:
Arnoud said:
Those same crazies continue to tear up Analayo on different fora.

Malcolm wrote:
Imagine how they find Dzogchen?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 2:12 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
I am a Berniecrat.

Svalaksana said:
Given your overt fondness for HRC, I thought you were a bit of a Berniesceptic.

Malcolm wrote:
Clinton would have made a fine president. As the meme goes, it turns out she was right about everything. I also voted for her when Bernie asked us to.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 15th, 2022 at 12:24 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Good thread of naval implications of losing the Moscow for Russia:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 11:44 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Shinjin said:
Democrats, party of working class. What a joke.

Malcolm wrote:
I don't see the GOP passing laws to defend unions, provide daycare, provide universal healthcare, infrastructure, etc. Instead, the GOP just passes laws to suck wealth up to the one percent, dismantle unions, deny healthcare, defund social security, etc. etc.

Your view of American politics is pretty skewed, friend.

Shinjin said:
I'm not defending the GOP but the Dems are a mess. I think Bernie would of fixed a lot of the issues.

Malcolm wrote:
You do realize that Bernie votes with the Democrats 95% of the time?

I am a Berniecrat.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 11:38 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 11:06 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
For 100 years the South, though conservative, was D. because Lincoln had been R. They were called “Dixiecrats”.

Malcolm wrote:
Correct, and they voted with the northern Republicans most of the time. Meanwhile, southern Republicans voted with the Northern Democrats most of the time.

The Northern Democrats were, for the longest time, the party of farmers and mill workers, as opposed to the GOP, the party of merchants and businessmen.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 11:03 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Shinjin said:
Democrats, party of working class. What a joke.

Malcolm wrote:
I don't see the GOP passing laws to defend unions, provide daycare, provide universal healthcare, infrastructure, etc. Instead, the GOP just passes laws to suck wealth up to the one percent, dismantle unions, deny healthcare, defund social security, etc. etc.

Your view of American politics is pretty skewed, friend.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 8:01 PM
Title: Re: Bodhisattva's austerities in the Agamas; going naked, letting his grow etc.
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Much prefer the witches sabbath, getting naked in the moonlight, dancing around fires, broomsticks...

Astus said:
Uposatha and ganacakra are not exclusive, are they? (reminds me of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYJQGSapz-A )


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 7:57 PM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


KristenM said:
A quick search came up with this. Maybe it’s be misleading but it seems to say Richardson had some positive remarks on the Republican party of Lincoln, initially.

Malcolm wrote:
Oh, indeed she does, but not with riose-colored glasses. She points out that the pre-civil war debate ofnfree vs. slave labor was not entirely altruistic.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 11:04 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
The Democrats have their sleaze, but the GOP has always been way better at being gangster.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, the GOP has, from the beginning, been the business party.

KristenM said:
What about Abe Lincoln? I thought they were the anti-slavery party in the beginning.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, because northern businesses wanted free labor over slave labor. It wasn’t a moral thing as much as a business thing. Heather Cox Richardson writes about this extensively.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 10:59 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
KristenM said:
Serious question, why doesn't Russia want to join the West, EU, NATO, etc and just get along with everybody? It seems better for their own economic interests to have peace and stability. I don't get it.

Queequeg said:
To join the West, they couldn't be so thuggish and lazy. They'd have to actually raise a population of knowledge workers, compensate them and give them power.  Could you imagine Putin being able to hold power with armies of lawyers, accountants, MBAs, engineers, researchers, and investors with the freedom to try and bring complex products to market? No way. And where would they start? They'd have to try and make cars to compete with Toyota and mobile phones to compete with Apple. They're sooooooooooooooooooooooo far behind in developing the human capital for that. They want the prestige of a world power without actually doing what needs to be done to be a modern super power. They won't do the drudgery it takes for decades to build up design and manufacturing capacity and knowhow. That stuff is a culture and needs to be incubated and cultivated.

KristenM said:
Sounds harsh, but rings true. Google was created in the US by a Russian exile’s child. Hard to imagine that situation being reversed. They have a lot of smart people in Russia, but they tend to want to go work where they will be allowed to innovate without excessive government control.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 10:56 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 9:50 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:


Shinjin said:
Democrats are a business party too.

Malcolm wrote:
Not even close.

Shinjin said:
Check out the link I posted above. It's your choice if you want to deny the facts.

Malcolm wrote:
Sure, all democrats are billionaires…

If it were true as you say, there would be no reason for GOP bitching about taxes, regulation, etc.

But I suppose you can say the GOP is the dumb business party and the Dems are the smart business party, seeing as how the Dems clean GOP messes over and over again, and right the economy ( and yes the present state of affairs is a GOP mess).


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 9:42 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Norwegian said:
This is the Russian cruiser "Moskva":


It was the ship that the Ukrainian soldiers on Snake Island told to go F itself.

It is now sinking, after Ukraine attacked it.

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-flagship-black-sea-fleet-badly-damaged-by-blast-2022-04-14/

Malcolm wrote:
Yup.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 7:49 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
The Democrats have their sleaze, but the GOP has always been way better at being gangster.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, the GOP has, from the beginning, been the business party.

Shinjin said:
Democrats are a business party too.

Malcolm wrote:
Not even close.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 5:23 AM
Title: Re: Bodhisattva's austerities in the Agamas; going naked, letting his grow etc.
Content:
Sādhaka said:
for the moment we can at least say that Buddhist & Bönpo monks (in all traditions as far as I’m aware) are usually doing intermittent-fasting for about 17-20 hours a day on average, and not usually eating anything after solar noon.

Astus said:
It is not called fasting but it is one of the precepts for monastics.

“Mendicants, I eat my food in one sitting per day. Doing so, I find that I’m healthy and well, nimble, strong, and living comfortably. You too should eat your food in one sitting per day. Doing so, you’ll find that you’re healthy and well, nimble, strong, and living comfortably.”
( https://suttacentral.net/mn65/en/sujato )

It's a precept also observed by lay people during uposatha/sabbath:

‘As long as they live, the perfected ones eat in one part of the day, abstaining from eating at night and from food at the wrong time. I, too, for this day and night will eat in one part of the day, abstaining from eating at night and food at the wrong time. I will observe the sabbath by doing as the perfected ones do in this respect.’
( https://suttacentral.net/an3.70/en/sujato, https://suttacentral.net/an8.41/en/sujato )

Malcolm wrote:
Much prefer the witches sabbath, getting naked in the moonlight, dancing around fires, broomsticks...


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 5:16 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
An ICBM salvo in the magickal war for Ukraine. Mara, the Ukrainian goddess of harvests, winter, death, nightmares, and the underworld:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 3:09 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
The Democrats have their sleaze, but the GOP has always been way better at being gangster.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, the GOP has, from the beginning, been the business party.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 2:51 AM
Title: Re: Bodhisattva's austerities in the Agamas; going naked, letting his grow etc.
Content:
Sādhaka said:
Well there is a lot I could say, including expanding on my previous post; however for the moment we can at least say that Buddhist & Bönpo monks (in all traditions as far as I’m aware) are usually doing intermittent-fasting for about 17-20 hours a day on average, and not usually eating anything after solar noon.

Malcolm wrote:
Umm, as far as Tibetan Buddhist monks go, that is pretty much a fantasy. I have no idea about Bonpos.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 2:36 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 2:23 AM
Title: Re: Back in the USA...
Content:
Shinjin said:
Democrats would be just as desperate and would stoop down to any level to gain power.

Malcolm wrote:
Not really. This is just a narrative right wing people like spin to salve their own consciences. (cue white water, Benghazi, and a whole host of supposed Democratic "crimes"). Meanwhile:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 1:41 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


reiun said:
Halfway through as of today . . . "Free, live": Anyone attend?

Malcolm wrote:
Definitely not. Why would I participate in a web conference from a "university" established by a Tibetan man who wanted to establish a monarchy? That could not be a more un-American if one tried.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 14th, 2022 at 1:33 AM
Title: Back in the USA...
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 11:27 PM
Title: Re: New History of Religions special issue on Mahāyāna sūtras
Content:
Leo Rivers said:
About Drew's statement.... wow.

Maybe he defined the later Jatakas as proto- Māhayāna Suttas.

Hmmnnnn...

Malcolm wrote:
You have to read the article. Basically, he argues, correctly, that the bar was set so high in the nikaya and agama tradition that no one could have thought of themselves as bodhisattva until the advent of sutras like the Aṣṭasāhasrikā. However, this is obvious from traditional Mahāyāna accounts as well, where it is fully acknowledged that Mahāyāna sūtras only began to circulate hundreds of years after the Buddha's passing, having been gathered and arranged in S. India by Mañjuśrī, etc., and then "published."

For example, he points out that the reason one knows one is an irreversible bodhisattva is that one when one hears a text like Aṣṭasāhasrikā, one is not afraid, one sheds tears upon the mention of emptiness, and so on. All these things occurred for me personally, when I first read the Aṣṭasāhasrikā. It moved me in a way that Nāgārjuna did not, though Nāgārjuna blew me away at 24 years of age and set me firmly on this path. Also Nāgārjuna points out in the Ratnavali that the agamas do not teach the bodhisattva path, well, because they do not. If one wants to follow the bodhisattva path, one must follow the Mahāyāna.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 10:53 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Queequeg said:
I grok. I don't know how we get there.

Malcolm wrote:
One person at a time whose karma for a precious human birth ripens.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 10:49 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Meanwhile, American Progressives lose the plot completely:




https://www.young4ky.com

This guy should never be allowed anywhere near Congress.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 10:39 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


FiveSkandhas said:
So Russia in general tends not to have happy memories of the early 90s and the clammy embrace of global capitalism.

Malcolm wrote:
It's more complicated than the "Blame the West for Russia's Troubles" narrative.

For example:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 10:35 PM
Title: Re: New History of Religions special issue on Mahāyāna sūtras
Content:
Zhen Li said:
Sounds interesting.

I think we should read the articles and address each individually.

Malcolm wrote:
I dont know. I like Wedermyer as a person, having met him and shared drinks. He is smart. Drews (whom I never met) on the other hand is a bore, and comes up with stunning conclusions like this one:

Rather than being the product of a preexisting bodhisattva tradition, it thus seems most likely that Mahāyāna sūtras were responsible for bringing a bodhisattva tradition into existence for the first time.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 8:50 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
conebeckham said:
Whether or not American Buddhism will permeate culture, I am not sure—and frankly it will take a century.  I just hope this “academic discussion panel” Buddhism is an outlier. I thing nothing kills the true essence of a faith —I mean, there is a place for this sort of thing, but if it becomes dominant expression, we will all be wishing for “empty rituals.”

Malcolm wrote:
America is the best thing that ever happened to Buddhism. It won’t have to go through the process of state-adoption, like every Buddhist movement before it in history, and it will thrive in our open society.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 8:43 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:


FiveSkandhas said:
You noted above that according to your path, Mahayana is not sufficient to reach the state of a Samyuksambuddha "level".



Malcolm wrote:
“In a single lifetime…” This is standard Mahayana doxology itself.  This is why it takes so much courage to traverse the common Mahayana path.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 6:38 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
FiveSkandhas said:
Thought provoking posts as usual, Malcolm-sensei.

However,  I just can't quite bring myself to cavalerly and universally dismiss nearly 2000 years of profound East Asian doctrine and practice as somehow universally "inferior" to what goes on in the Himalayas. Perhaps you are fine with such decisive conclusions about it all, but for good or Ill I personally am not.

Malcolm wrote:
You've misrepresented what I have said.

People land in the school for which they have karmic predispositions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 6:24 AM
Title: Re: Innate sense of self and gender identity
Content:
KathyLauren said:
At least the claim for a biological basis is on solid evidence-based scientific footing.

Malcolm wrote:
Right down to the nadis in our bodies. But that is just a karmic thing, a fact of embodiment. The mind has no gender.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 6:03 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
No doubt pieces are moving into position and have been for a while now.

Malcolm wrote:
And still moving:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 4:32 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 4:24 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Hey Matthias:



This is in your town.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 2:39 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 2:05 AM
Title: Re: Reversing Global Warming - Science and Politics (split from: Reversing Global Warming -Prayers and Aspirations")
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 1:15 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
“What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy,” Mr. Putin said in a news conference after a meeting at the spaceport with President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, his closest international ally. “They just didn’t leave us a choice. There was no choice.”


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 1:09 AM
Title: Re: Innate sense of self and gender identity
Content:
droogiefret said:
On your other point, I had no idea that 'Gender Identity Ideology' was a loaded term.

Malcolm wrote:
We live in the age of weapons, all terms are locked and loaded.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 12:45 AM
Title: Re: Innate sense of self and gender identity
Content:


droogiefret said:
I recently read the personal account of a cross dresser who found that their sexual orientation changed as they changed their appearance.

Malcolm wrote:
I have heard of gay men who became transwomen suddenly finding themselves attracted to cisgendered women, and vice versa.

Human beings are strange.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 13th, 2022 at 12:10 AM
Title: Re: Innate sense of self and gender identity
Content:


droogiefret said:
I am not a gender identity ideology fan. I did, however, want people's opinions on the gender identity aspect. Were people's sense of self gendered and was this true for everyone?  I am now fairly confident that the sense of self is not necessarily gendered - it could be and clearly is for some.

Malcolm wrote:
Gender is an illusion, albeit, a powerful one:

Śāriputra: Goddess, what prevents you from transforming yourself out of your female state?

Goddess: Although I have sought my “female state” for these twelve years, I have not yet found it. Reverend Śāriputra, if a magician were to incarnate a woman by magic, would you ask her, “What prevents you from transforming yourself out of your female state?”

Śāriputra: No! Such a woman would not really exist, so what would there be to transform?

Goddess: Just so, reverend Śāriputra, all things do not really exist. Now, would you think, “What prevents one whose nature is that of a magical incarnation from transforming herself out of her female state?”

Thereupon, the goddess employed her magical power to cause the elder Śāriputra to appear in her form and to cause herself to appear in his form. Then the goddess, transformed into Śāriputra, said to Śāriputra, transformed into a goddess, “Reverend Śāriputra, what prevents you from transforming yourself out of your female state?”

And Śāriputra, transformed into the goddess, replied, “I no longer appear in the form of a male! My body has changed into the body of a woman! I do not know what to transform!”

The goddess continued, “If the elder could again change out of the female state, then all women could also change out of their female states. All women appear in the form of women in just the same way as the elder appears in the form of a woman. While they are not women in reality, they appear in the form of women. With this in mind, the Buddha said, ‘In all things, there is neither male nor female.’ ”

Then, the goddess released her magical power and each returned to his ordinary form. She then said to him, “Reverend Śāriputra, what have you done with your female form?”

https://84000.co/doc/vimalakirti/Vimalakirti%20Book_E_screen-170724.pdf


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 10:51 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
conebeckham said:
But it’s a fact that in traditional Vajrayana cultures there are pujas done in relation to weddings. Not the way we think of a marriage ceremony, of course……

Malcolm wrote:
Only for aristocrats. The common people just move in with each other. Maybe a party is thrown.

conebeckham said:
Malcolm, in my experience this is not the case.  At least in Bhutan and Sikkim, puja happens.  It may not be a “wedding ceremony,” but I have attended a few here where I am at present (Sikkim) over the years.  And my own marriage was “consecrated,” sort of, via Konchok Chidu.

Malcolm wrote:
Ok.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 10:15 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
FiveSkandhas said:
Remember, 84000 Dharma Doors. I don't recall anything about some of them taking you to allegedly more exalted places than others.

Malcolm wrote:
84,000 dharma doors refers to 21,000 dharmas of vinaya, 21,000 dharmas of sūtra, 21,000 dharmas of abhidharma, and 21,000 mixed dharmas as antidotes for desire, anger, and ignorance, as well as mixed afflictions.

From a Mahāyāna point of view, vinaya and abhidharma are provisional. According to Nāgārjuna, śrāvaka sūtras do not teach the bodhisattva path and the means to attain buddhahood.

From the point of view of secret mantra, common Mahāyāna does not teach the path of attaining buddhahood in a single lifetime, soup to nuts.

Etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 10:08 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
conebeckham said:
But it’s a fact that in traditional Vajrayana cultures there are pujas done in relation to weddings. Not the way we think of a marriage ceremony, of course……

Malcolm wrote:
Only for aristocrats. The common people just move in with each other. Maybe a party is thrown.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 8:24 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



conebeckham said:
Kongtrul wrote a marriage ceremony text; in Sikkim, at least, it is quite common to have some sort of Yangkuk done for a marriage blessing.  Konchok Chidu is quite commonly used for this purpose: but it is not a “marriage rite” in the Western sense.

Malcolm wrote:
Yang gug (summing prosperity) is a pre Buddhist rite.I mentioned that There were Tibetan cultural rituals for these kinds of life events.

conebeckham said:
Sure, all those rituals come from pre-Buddhist Himalayan traditions I think.  But the fact is that they are incorporated into “Buddhist ritual” and have been for centuries.  Heck, the Rinchen Terdzo is full of all sorts of “mundane siddhi” and various “worldly aim” practices.  Interestingly you won’t find  them in most Sarma sadhanas—we have to look to the Nyingmapas, householder lineages, etc. For that stuff.   But saying these things are not a part of “Dharma practice” at this time is not really accurate.

Malcolm wrote:
There is not a single marriage ritual in the whole of the RT.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 9:08 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Norwegian said:
The way they are describing the soldiers in terms of things said and their reactions, is telling of just what kind of soldiers Putin are using. Completely uneducated, terribly poor, and with next to no training, and with zero respect for civilians.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, which is sad commentary on Russia’s priorities.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 5:37 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
Dick Cheney! What did you do to Malcolm?!!!

Malcolm wrote:
Frankly, I got tired of the douches on Facebook who, every time one says "Russia invaded Ukraine," they say, "What about the US..."

There is no comparison. Even Fallujah, which was the worst fighting of the Iraq war, was a walk in the park compared to Mariupol, etc., which lasted six weeks, there were 107 allied troops killed, 613 wounded. 1200-2000 Al Qaeda, etc., killed, 1500 captured. Civilian casualties were 600-800.

The Russians by contrast have lost 25k soldiers in six weeks, upwards of 60,000 wounded, and killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians.

So frankly, I am just tired of apologizing for the US.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 4:48 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 3:50 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 3:32 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 2:59 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Look, the reason why the US is better at war than anyone else is that we have been at war continuously from the end of WWII until now. Our soldiers are the best in the world because they have the most combat experience, and they are professionals.

Queequeg said:
This is a dubious distinction. Having the Gates of Janus open so long for some shitty wars troubles me as a citizen. That said, it has kept our military sharp.

Malcolm wrote:
The US needs to stop apologizing. Compared to Russia and China, in the post WWII period, we have been Boy Scouts.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 12th, 2022 at 12:25 AM
Title: Re: Agamas in Mahayana
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
They are śrāvakayāna texts, the Sarvāstivādin equivalent of the Nikayas.

DNS said:
Okay, then perhaps could be considered pre-cursors to the Mahayana texts.

Malcolm wrote:
More like raw material some Mahāyāna authors reworked into Mahāyāna sutras.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 11:41 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Norwegian said:
Ukraine needs all the help they can get. And I wish that help included a no-fly zone and NATO into Ukraine right now. Ukraine needs EU and NATO membership as soon as possible. Putin must lose this war. Sweden and Finland are on their way to NATO membership. Then there's Moldova and Georgia, who should also join.

Malcolm wrote:
Ukraine cannot join NATO while they are in a war. Putin has lost of first part of this war. His total defeat must happen.

Norwegian said:
Yes, and that is why we must help them with weapons, intelligence, food, resources, etc.

Malcolm wrote:
Of course. Liberal democracies must support one another, and also support those nations who aspire to become liberal democracies. A retreat from liberal internationalism is a grave error.

People like Putin, etc., regard secular, global liberalization to be a bad thing. Ergo, it must be a very good thing indeed.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 11:36 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Norwegian said:
Ukraine needs all the help they can get. And I wish that help included a no-fly zone and NATO into Ukraine right now. Ukraine needs EU and NATO membership as soon as possible. Putin must lose this war. Sweden and Finland are on their way to NATO membership. Then there's Moldova and Georgia, who should also join.

Malcolm wrote:
Ukraine cannot join NATO while they are in a war. Putin has lost the first part of this war. His total defeat must happen.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 11:33 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Shinjin said:
Maybe western ukraine can be given nato membership? Putin will not touch them if they do.

Malcolm wrote:
That is not what Ukrainians want. Ukraine is a sovereign state. Their borders were defined by treaty, and recognized internationally during the split-up of the USSR. They are a member of the UN. They want full Russian withdrawal, and everyday the Russians rain brutality upon their heads, everyday it becomes more difficult for the Ukrainians make any concession to Russian demands. And they should not make any concessions anyway, IMO.

Don't believe the nonsense the far-left press is printing. People like Glenn Greenwald are actually backing a far-right candidate in France, Le Pen, because her social policies are "to the left" of Macron's.

Secular, liberal democracy is a rare and good thing. Don't given in to the illiberal autocrats who would undermine it. By the fall, Ukraine may be in the EU. Sweden and Finland are joining NATO. If Ukraine wins their war, and by all rights, it looks like they will as long as the West keeps supplying training and weapons, then they can join NATO too, as they should.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 11:19 PM
Title: Re: Agamas in Mahayana
Content:
DNS said:
So are the Agamas considered Mahayana texts?

Malcolm wrote:
They are śrāvakayāna texts, the Sarvāstivādin equivalent of the Nikayas.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 11:14 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Shinjin said:
They should just concede eastern ukraine to the commies/fascists. Put an end to this bloodshed.

Malcolm wrote:
Absolutely not. Ukraine should settle for nothing short of a complete withdrawal from Eastern Ukraine and Crimea. They cannot concede anything. If they do, Putin will be back in two years.

Look, the reason why the US is better at war than anyone else is that we have been at war continuously from the end of WWII until now. Our soldiers are the best in the world because they have the most combat experience, and they are professionals. The Russians on the other hand suck at war, because they have not actually fought a ground war since the 1980's (the same is true of China, BTW, they have no combat experience). The Russians are only good at terror bombing and intimidating civilians with with "security forces."

The reason the Ukraine is doing so well is that we trained them, from 2014 onward. But the Russians are not stupid, and they will adapt their strategy and tactics the next time around. So we can't give them a next time around.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 9:53 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
As you know, I generally take the sutra-based tathāgatagarbha teachings as a palliative for people who have no confidence in emptiness.

Anders said:
For the sake of contrast, how does tantra-based tathāgatagarbha differ?


Malcolm wrote:
It's related to one's plumbing.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 7:48 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
muni said:
compassion does not have the power to remove afflictions. Liberation is freedom from afflictions. Compassion can only lead to birth in higher realms.
Compassion without Wisdom, that you probably mean. /

Malcolm wrote:
I mean what I said.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 1:41 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Queequeg said:
What do you have in mind as to Tathagatagarbha? My understanding of tathagatagarbha is that it does not deviate from teachings on emptiness, or perhaps more comprehensively, madhyamaka.

Malcolm wrote:
Tathāgatagarbha is just a name for the innate purity of consciousness, which when realized is called "dharmakāya."  It's synonyms are luminosity (prabhāśvara) and so on. Some people cannot relate to emptiness, it scares them, so we teach them about the innate purity of consciousness until they can deal with the ultimate view.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 12:11 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Queequeg said:
Zhili, one of the later Tiantai patriarchs went some radical places with this Ekayana idea. Ziporyn wrote a study on this. Basically, all paths, even ones that appear as evil, lead to Buddhahood. Not necessarily because evil leads to awakening, but my sense is that there is a self-correcting tendency in Buddhanature that tends to Buddhahood.

Malcolm wrote:
Tathāgatagarbha is not an agent. If it were, it would just be another incorrect view of a permanent self.

Queequeg said:
Yes. There is no sense of agency in this notion of Buddhanature, just as a pool of water becomes placid when the wind stops blowing; just as a wall hits a thrown ball with the same force. Buddhanature, in one aspect, is the liberative tendency/capacity in all activity that irrepressibly 'expresses' in due course if one is turned on to the Buddha nature and stops agitating. Hence the need for shamatha practice. Vipashyana follows with the practice of clarity. Like the sky and light.

These are Zhiyi views.

Malcolm wrote:
As you know, I generally take the sutra-based tathāgatagarbha teachings as a palliative for people who have no confidence in emptiness.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 12:07 AM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
FiveSkandhas said:
Can we then conclude, for example, that a virtuous practitioner of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism could in fact achieve Buddhist liberation through their faith? And based on the Ksitigarbha-related Sutra, could we conceive of, say, Shakyamuni Buddha taking on the form of Christ and saving (or at least "helping") a Christian worshipping what he believes to be Christ?

Understand, I am not a perennialist by nature. I don't generally harbor the view that "all religions lead to the same place." However, the above quotes are thought-provoking.

What does Dharma Wheel think?

Malcolm wrote:
I don’t know what others think, but the “vehicles of samsara” are called that for a reason. There is no possibility that someone with wrong view can achieve liberation in this life without abandoning that wrong view, and pratyekabuddha liberation is not possible while the Buddha’s doctrine is in the world.

FiveSkandhas said:
Out of curiosity, how do you feel about Zen claims of liberation arising from someone hearing a chestnut drop on the courtyard stones, awakening suddenly after months of sweaty zazen or koan work? Do you consider "real" liberation in a non retrogressive sense is possible at all in such scenarios, as frequently claimed by Zen?

Malcolm wrote:
People use terms like "liberation," "enlightenment," and so on, very promiscuously. If hearing the sound of a chestnut dropping causes such a person to realize emptiness and thus, authentic bodhi, no problem. Of course, then we open a different can of worms of semantic interpretation.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 11th, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
Boris Johnson did an awesome cameo.

Malcolm wrote:
BJ: "How are you?"
VZ: "You know how I am."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 11:50 PM
Title: Re: The Lotus Sutra in Tibetan traditions?
Content:


FiveSkandhas said:
If I may pick your brain further, how is the concept of "one path" itself treated by the Higher Tantric thinkers, if generalization is even possible?

Malcolm wrote:
Meaning, that the goal of all buddhist paths is the same. It does not mean that all buddhists paths will get one to that goal.

FiveSkandhas said:
Aha!

So is it considered impossible to reach the highest levels of achievement through East Asian Mahayana in general?

Malcolm wrote:
Generally speaking, there are buddhas, and then there are samyaksambuddhas. Tenth stage bodhisattvas are buddhas, but they are not samyaksambuddhas. So, in late Indian Mahāyāna thinking, there are levels of buddhahood.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 11:47 PM
Title: Re: The Lotus Sutra in Tibetan traditions?
Content:


FiveSkandhas said:
If I may pick your brain further, how is the concept of "one path" itself treated by the Higher Tantric thinkers, if generalization is even possible?


Malcolm wrote:
Meaning, that the goal of all buddhist paths is the same. It does not mean that all buddhists paths will get one to that goal.


Sādhaka said:
About taking rebirth as an ‘ordinary’ being again in the next kalpa or mahakalpa; even though by the end of this kalpa or mahakalpa, all sentient beings end up in the two upper deva form realms and attain a species of Buddhahood?

(Here we square Abhidharma cosmogony with the esoteric Dzogchen cosmogony, as you’re well aware)

Malcolm wrote:
And in this cosmogony, some buddhas err and return to sentient being hood in the next eon. This is explicitly stated in the commentary on the sound tantra.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 11:22 PM
Title: Re: The Lotus Sutra in Tibetan traditions?
Content:


FiveSkandhas said:
If I may pick your brain further, how is the concept of "one path" itself treated by the Higher Tantric thinkers, if generalization is even possible?

Malcolm wrote:
Meaning, that the goal of all buddhist paths is the same. It does not mean that all buddhists paths will get one to that goal.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 10:43 PM
Title: Re: The Lotus Sutra in Tibetan traditions?
Content:


FiveSkandhas said:
Given all this, how has the text been received in the Vajrayana strongholds? Dismissed as just another Mahayana lower teaching to be skimmed through on the way to higher things...or, conversely, admired and diligently studied with proverbial Tibetan rigor, despite its relatively lowly status?

Did it ever arouse anywhere near the same sense of enthusiasm in Tibet or Bhutan as it seems to have generated from Kyoto to Concord MA? Is there any significant commentarial tradition in Tibet on the Lotus?

Malcolm wrote:
It is regarded as an Ekayāna sūtra, meaning that it is a source for the idea that there is really only one Buddhist path.

There is no detailed commentarial tradition on the Lotus. It is frequently cited mainly with respect to its assertion that the Buddha will manifest in the future as gurus.

The only detailed treatment of the Lotus I have ever seen in Tibetan is a review of the parable of the Nāga princess by Chogyal Phakpa, who clarifies that she was already a bodhisattva abiding on the tenth stage, which is why her transformation into a male and subsequent buddhahood could be so rapid. He probably wrote this in response to Chinese Buddhists pointing out this example as proof of sudden awakening.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 10:34 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
Queequeg said:
Zhili, one of the later Tiantai patriarchs went some radical places with this Ekayana idea. Ziporyn wrote a study on this. Basically, all paths, even ones that appear as evil, lead to Buddhahood. Not necessarily because evil leads to awakening, but my sense is that there is a self-correcting tendency in Buddhanature that tends to Buddhahood.

Malcolm wrote:
Tathāgatagarbha is not an agent. If it were, it would just be another incorrect view of a permanent self.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 9:41 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 8:34 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
seeker242 said:
Even if these non-Buddhistsa, sons of good families and so forth practice various aspects of non-Buddhist paths, all are the same buddha-dharma.
Yes, compassion, loving kindness, good will, generosity, etc etc all lead toward bodhi, regardless of what religion a person is. None of these are “non-Buddhist practices”. Compassion, loving kindness, good will are all always Buddha-dharma. Compassion is present in many other paths, but is still never not Buddha-dharma. It does not mean Islam causes liberation, it means compassion, loving kindness, good will, generosity does, as that is Buddha-dharma regardless. It means Buddha-dharma leads towards liberation. It’s means various practices, of these other paths, are themselves Buddha-dharma.

Malcolm wrote:
Dharmakirti writes that compassion does not have the power to remove afflictions. Liberation is freedom from afflictions.  Compassion can only lead to birth in higher realms. This is why the Buddha described the four brahmaviharas as the vehicle of devas and humans. So, still a vehicle of samsara.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 8:25 PM
Title: Re: "Radical" Ekayāna and the liberation of non-Buddhists?
Content:
FiveSkandhas said:
Can we then conclude, for example, that a virtuous practitioner of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, or Hinduism could in fact achieve Buddhist liberation through their faith? And based on the Ksitigarbha-related Sutra, could we conceive of, say, Shakyamuni Buddha taking on the form of Christ and saving (or at least "helping") a Christian worshipping what he believes to be Christ?

Understand, I am not a perennialist by nature. I don't generally harbor the view that "all religions lead to the same place." However, the above quotes are thought-provoking.

What does Dharma Wheel think?

Malcolm wrote:
I don’t know what others think, but the “vehicles of samsara” are called that for a reason. There is no possibility that someone with wrong view can achieve liberation in this life without abandoning that wrong view, and pratyekabuddha liberation is not possible while the Buddha’s doctrine is in the world.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 10:47 AM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Honest question. Why are we still discussing this?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 10:44 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


PadmaVonSamba said:
The three important life events, birth, marriage, and death, in countries where Buddhism has really taken root, these three are included as part of the function of the sangha.

Malcolm wrote:
There are no birth or marriage rites in Tibetan Buddhism. There are Tibetan cultural rituals for these two life events, but no identifiably Buddhist rites for them. It should remain that way.

conebeckham said:
Kongtrul wrote a marriage ceremony text; in Sikkim, at least, it is quite common to have some sort of Yangkuk done for a marriage blessing.  Konchok Chidu is quite commonly used for this purpose: but it is not a “marriage rite” in the Western sense.

Malcolm wrote:
Yang gug (summing prosperity) is a pre Buddhist rite.I mentioned that There were Tibetan cultural rituals for these kinds of life events.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 8:51 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 10th, 2022 at 5:15 AM
Title: Re: Innate sense of self and gender identity
Content:
FiveSkandhas said:
There is the famous story in the Lotus Sutra of the Naga Princess flipping from female to male (and back again?); there are other sutras suggesting the general fluidity and mutability of gender.

Make of that what you will.

Malcolm wrote:
In her case, its one way.

In the story of the house goddess of Vimalakirti, it's back and forth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 10:50 PM
Title: Re: Revised Bardo Thodol
Content:
The_Unholy_Peasant said:
After having spent quite some time studying the Bardo Thodol, I have noticed that the associations of the deities appear quite hodge-podge.

Have there been any 'modern' attempts of re-organizing the Zhitro into something more homogenous that parallels Tantric doctrine a bit clearer?

Malcolm wrote:
Which tantric doctrine are you referring to?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 10:01 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


PadmaVonSamba said:
The three important life events, birth, marriage, and death, in countries where Buddhism has really taken root, these three are included as part of the function of the sangha.

Malcolm wrote:
There are no birth or marriage rites in Tibetan Buddhism. There are Tibetan cultural rituals for these two life events, but no identifiably Buddhist rites for them. It should remain that way.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 7:51 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 7:31 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 1:03 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 9th, 2022 at 12:43 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 8th, 2022 at 8:22 PM
Title: Re: So Many Mahayana Sutras - Do They All Agree - Why So Many?
Content:
Aemilius said:
I support the view of Lalitavistara sutra that Gautama himself knew writing.

Malcolm wrote:
There is no evidence of writing in India prior to Ashoka. It might the case that writing was used principally for business, but there is no evidence. It is anachronistic to use texts set down in writing after Ashoka as proof of anything.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 8th, 2022 at 8:07 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, April 7th, 2022 at 10:40 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Kim O'Hara said:
And refusing (whether for good reasons or bad) to fight, while "we continue to arm the Ukrainians with all the weapons they can handle" looks like a proxy war, i.e. that "we" are encourouging Ukraine to fight on "our" behalf. As I said, that isn't what it was in the beginning, when Russia invaded and Ukraine fought back in self defence.
I agree that escalation to direct war between NATO and Russia, or leaving the Ukrainians without support, are both very poor options. But then, there aren't any good options in a war, especially when a mad dictator is involved.


Kim

Malcolm wrote:
There is only one option.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 4:03 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
No, my logic, based on the writings of Bhavaveka, says that meat pure in three ways is not harmful at all to anything since there is no mind in a piece of meat which can suffer.

You can disagree with him if you like.

KathyLauren said:
Yes, I do.  I call BS on that line of reasoning.

Buying a mindless piece of meat today obviously doesn't harm the animal that died yesterday.  If you stop your reasoning there, as you do, you are wilfully ignoring reality.  Buying that mindless piece of meat today is the cause of tomorrow's slaughter of sentient beings that are anything but mindless.

Malcolm wrote:
Sorry, but this is just a post-hoc fallacy. Someone eating the dead flesh of an already slain animal does not determine that another animal will necessarily be slain in its place. Also, if you make this argument, by necessity, saving the life of one animal merely moves another into position in the line, negating the value of life ransoms altogether.

If you make this argument, then by definition, buying anything from a supermarket is necessarily implicated in the slaughter of animals. Supporting a CSA that raises animals implicates one in their exploitation even if one never purchases milk or meat from that CSA, etc., etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 3:38 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Diet has nothing to do with the Dharma

KathyLauren said:
And there, you are wrong.  When judging what is or is not Dharma, we are told to judge whether or not it is wholesome.  Veganism is wholesome.  You are saying that veganism cannot be motivated by the Dharma because ...  well you don't actually have a good reason why not.

Malcolm wrote:
I didn't say it could not be motivated by a desire to practice Dharma. Clearly, in your case, you are motivated by what you understand the Dharma to entail.

KathyLauren said:
Your logic says that, because the lesser degree of harm is not prohibited, it is not harm at all.

Malcolm wrote:
No, my logic, based on the writings of Bhavaveka, says that meat pure in three ways is not harmful at all to anything since there is no mind in a piece of meat which can suffer.

You can disagree with him if you like.

And:

Those with compassion eat meat.
-- Hevajra Tantra


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 3:32 AM
Title: Re: Fitfh precept
Content:


Malcolm wrote:
Its better to take a vow, even if you break it.

Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
If you do something such as have a drink without a vow, there’s no karmic repercussions. However if you have a vow to abstain, and you break it, there is significant negative karma created.

Malcolm wrote:
I am just telling you what Sakya Pandita says. The merit of taking the vow outweighs the negative karma of breaking it. It creates a trace for taking the vow later.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 2:53 AM
Title: Re: Fitfh precept
Content:
Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
For someone that doesn’t have either a problem or a vow, a casual approach is appropriate. However if some has either a problem or a vow, a casual approach is not appropriate.

Don’t take a vow unless you intend on keeping it. By so doing you are taking a stand against your own rationalizations and justifications. Don’t think it okay to make excuses.

But like I said, if you don’t have either a problem or a vow, then do as you please.

Malcolm wrote:
Its better to take a vow, even if you break it.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 12:57 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
seeker242 said:
Can't be perfect right? Therefore any effort is useless and not worth anything. Of course that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Talk about a poor argument...as well as illogical and unreasonable.

DNS said:
Aptly named the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy; that if the perfect idealized situation can't occur, you just give up.

Malcolm wrote:
That supposes you think the Vegan endeavor is sound to begin with. I don't.


DNS said:
Regarding the domestic animals being set free; that is another poor argument. The reality is that everyone is not going to become vegetarian/vegan overnight. If it did occur, it would be a gradual process and the farmers would stop breeding their livestock. No demand, then they create less supply. The demand would slowly go down and the breeding would also slow down, resulting in less killing.

Malcolm wrote:
Speculative. It seems like you think we live somewhere other than samsara.

As Dharma practitioners, we do our best to avoid harming sentient beings. Some people are very self-righteous about that and adopt extreme principles the Buddha rejected. But that's their problem, not mine.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 12:47 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Veganism is just another first world lifestyle choice, and has nothing to do with Dharma.

KathyLauren said:
That is a remarkably silly thing to say.  Just because you are not motivated to understand the reasoning does not mean that you can just dismiss it.

Malcolm wrote:
I understand the reasoning perfectly well, that's why I dismiss it. Of course, your lifestyle is your choice. You have the luxury of following that lifestyle. It's totally fine with me. If you came to my house, I would make sure you had a delicious vegan meal, no problem. If you were a meat eater, some thing.

Diet has nothing to do with the Dharma.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 12:17 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Crazywisdom said:
If there's a world of blind people and one guy who sees says there's a moon at night, they have to take it on faith.


Malcolm wrote:
More likely, the sighted guy will poke out his eyes to go along with the blind.

Crazywisdom said:
I know I wouldn't. Jeez man... Dim view.

Malcolm wrote:
It's along the lines of the royal family living in a country where all the water was contaminated but their water source. Eventually, however, all the people who were poisoned began to think the king, etc., were acting very strangely. Of course, the king knew the people were deluded. But since it was impossible to purify the water, the royal family chose to drink the same water as the populace.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, April 6th, 2022 at 12:08 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
seeker242 said:
Arguing against veganism, because a fully vegan world is not possible or realistic

Malcolm wrote:
So you admit that a fully vegan world is not possible or realistic. Case closed. Veganism is just another first world lifestyle choice, and has nothing to do with Dharma.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 11:10 PM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
seeker242 said:
Interesting to see that many comments completely ignore the interests of the animals.

Malcolm wrote:
Animals regularly ignore each other's interests. I've seen many spiders ignore the interests of the flies they catch, many birds ignore the interests of the bugs they eat, etc., etc.

Humans ignore the "interests" of animals because most humans view animals as food sources, etc.

On the other hand, domestic animals survive where wild animals do not, and in fact, enjoy protection from predation by wild animals because they are domesticated. This why there are so few big cats, wolves, and other large predators in the world. They've been hunted down to protect domestic animals (and for fur, and so on).

For example, supposing we stopped relying on cows, pigs, chickens, sheep, and goats for meat and dairy. How long to do you think these animals would survive as species? Are we just going to allow them to roam free on the earth, multiplying and living wherever they like? Not very likely. No, they will be culled to keep down their populations. Already, deer populations are a problem because there are no natural predators for deer and we don't hunt deer so much anymore. Even the culling programs are not effective. So, will it be in the interest of these former domestic animals to simply let them run free? You can talk all you like about the interest of animals, but I don't see any serious discussion of what is to happen to all these billions of domesticated animals once they have been freed to live their best lives as wild animals.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10:38 PM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
seeker242 said:
Interesting to notice that people never take that position when it's people being harmed, instead of animals. Of course they don't because doing so would show just how poor of an argument is it.


Malcolm wrote:
The Buddhist reason for this is that while the Buddha defined killing humans a complete monastic downfall, killing an animal is a fault at the same level as drinking alcohol, picking leaves off plants, etc.

It was Devadatta, of course, who insisted on absolute vegetarianism. But we know what happened to him.

And quite frankly, when someone eats meat they are not harming any creature at all. There is no consciousness in a piece of meat to be harmed, whether it is the meat of a human, cow, etc. But we have taboos against eating humans, as well as predators. The Buddha forbids the consuming of such kinds of meat in Vinaya.

If someone is a strict common Mahāyāna practitioner, they should avoid eating meat. But if they are a Theravadin or a Vajrayāna practitioner, there is no need to avoid eating meat, because the consumption of meat is permitted in Hinayāna and Vajrayāna.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10:24 PM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
KathyLauren said:
For us, it is Dharma practice.

Malcolm wrote:
And for us, it has nothing to do with the Dharma.

As I have said, there are certainly sound, pragmatic reasons searching for alternatives to industrial agriculture as its stands at present because of its negative impacts on the environment. But the notion that human beings are going to cease raising animals for food is, at best, a fantasy. 8 billion people+ are not going to become vegetarians.

Sustainable agriculture requires animal inputs, from manure, various kinds of bone, blood, and feather meal, if we going to feed the entire planet without chemical fertilizers, etc.

There is no scenario where the world going vegan is sustainable or possible.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 8:11 PM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:
tingdzin said:
As I said, theory instead of practice.

Malcolm wrote:
Theory is important. Without it, practice is blind.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 11:02 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:


KathyLauren said:
So, you have done nothing but increase my puzzlement at the vehemence of the opposition to vegetarianism/veganism among Buddhists who should know better.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy

Malcolm wrote:
I am not opposed to diets, just poor arguments for ideology posing as diets.

Realistically speaking, human beings are not going to stop raising animals for food.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 10:50 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 5:15 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:


climb-up said:
For me at least, the threefold purity of meat gets called into question in a consumer situation where your dollars are (IMO, many people who I respect disagree) requesting that meat be slaughtered for you.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, no actually, it doesn't. If it did, so would buying leather shoes, etc.

climb-up said:
Well, yeah.
If the idea is that animals shouldn’t be killed for you, and then you become a supporting customer of a company that kills animals for customers then the animal was killed for you and for all the other customers.

I’m sure there is more to it, and there are many sutra to be quoted to show me that I’m wrong (and I’m not dismissing those), but I think the argument of “well, they’re already dead,” if it doesn’t even acknowledge the direct support of companies slaughtering, is at the very least lacking.

Malcolm wrote:
In fact, they are already dead, these animals whose skins are used for leather goods, etc. They are not killed for their leather, unless they are game animals, etc. But honestly, how is using plastic shoes and coats made from petroleum products better? You are just bargaining this harm against that harm. Our world is literally drowning in plastic. It's lodged deep in the tissues of every living being on the planet, and the use of plastic is barely 100 years old. You want cotton? Very pesticide intensive. Wool? Also a problem. There is literally plastic in all of our rainwater.

Frankly, I will choose leather over plastic any day.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 4:59 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:
KathyLauren said:
But I am always puzzled at the vehemence of the hostility some Buddhists have towards vegetarians and vegans.

Malcolm wrote:
Not against vegetarians and vegans per se, just against poor arguments, such as excusing the wholesale slaughter of insects, rodents, birds, and so on to grow crops for humans, etc., as if vegetarianism and veganism are ethically disengaged in such taking of life.

There are cogent arguments to be made for changing industrial agriculture, and so on, but the simple fact of the matter is that the relationship between animals and crops is essential. We cannot keep poisoning the planet with chemical fertilizers made from oil. If we study the history of food security we will discover two key features in solving food security around the world also led to the rise of industrial agriculture. During the Colombian exchange,  potatoes and yams, one key spread to Europe and Asia, and effectively ended food insecurity in these place, with the other key, guano mines in Peru, which were replaced by the invention of chemical fertilizers in the late 19th century. The inputs of oil into our food system, globally, also caused a massive rise in population. Unless people think that continuing to use chemical fertilizers is a good idea (it isn't, since it contributing to dead zones in coastal areas), continued reliance on animals for fertilizer etc., is not going to change.

But our global food economy is basically hooked on the meth of petroleum.

The simple fact of the matter is that in our world life feeds on death. This also needs to be taken into account. Everything we do is harmful to something else.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 4:53 AM
Title: Re: the great vegetarian debate
Content:


climb-up said:
For me at least, the threefold purity of meat gets called into question in a consumer situation where your dollars are (IMO, many people who I respect disagree) requesting that meat be slaughtered for you.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, no actually, it doesn't. If it did, so would buying leather shoes, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 4:42 AM
Title: Re: Bhikkhu Analayo on Respecting the Different Buddhist Traditions
Content:
Nalanda said:
And apparently, according to him, Secularists are part of Buddhist traditions.

Malcolm wrote:
He is allowed his opinion. I disagree, however.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 4:10 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 3:16 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



Crazywisdom said:
Then rebirth for you is a faith.

So the reliable witnesses bit comes from whom? Vasubandhu?

Malcolm wrote:
Dignaga, Dharmakīrti.

Crazywisdom said:
If there's a world of blind people and one guy who sees says there's a moon at night, they have to take it on faith.


Malcolm wrote:
More likely, the sighted guy will poke out his eyes to go along with the blind.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 12:54 AM
Title: Re: Bhikkhu Analayo on Respecting the Different Buddhist Traditions
Content:
clyde said:
Bhikkhu Analayo

Malcolm wrote:
He wrote a book recently The Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, April 5th, 2022 at 12:48 AM
Title: Re: about clouds
Content:
clyde said:
A Dharma talk by Thay about clouds:

Malcolm wrote:
The term the Buddha used was punarbhāva, which means re-existence or existing again, literally, hence "rebirth."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 11:42 PM
Title: Re: So Many Mahayana Sutras - Do They All Agree - Why So Many?
Content:
Zhen Li said:
Panini's knowledge of writing is highly disputed in Indology. My opinion is that he knew of writing. I think Bronkhorst makes the case for this quite well. The issue is that people create a dichotomy between writing and orality that didn't exist.

Malcolm wrote:
Panini systematized an earlier oral tradition.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 11:22 PM
Title: Re: How to reconcile meat eating with buddhism?
Content:
RiFF said:
Not trying to make any judgments, trying to gain an understanding. I've been vegan for several years and recently I have become a student of the dharma. Initially my veganism had nothing to do with Buddhism aside from thinking I was fortunate to already be on this diet rather than have to make any major change as a result of what I was reading.

However, more recently I've gotten deeper into Tibetan Buddhism, and to my surprise vegetarianism is not nearly as prominent and in fact it might not even be possible to follow certain Tibetan Buddhist traditions? I understand HHDL is not vegetarian, nor are many Tibetan masters. I've also found out that for certain holidays, meat eating is expected.

How does one reconcile a true belief in compassion for all beings with the meat industry? When it is fully possible for HHDL to have vegan food for every meal, how does he justify choosing to consume an animal?

I understand that in agriculture, there is still cruelty as field mice can get killed, as can bugs and other small critters. However there is a significant difference in the amount of suffering in something like factory farming vs. inadvertent death caused by farming. I'm not trying to get into a debate of vegan vs. not vegan, I just want to understand is there something that Tibetan Buddhists are able to point to in order to explain why their purchase of meat products does not cause suffering on their fellow sentient beings.

Malcolm wrote:
Meat, wool, and leather do not suffer, since there is no mind in these products.

As long as one did not kill an animal oneself, see it killed, nor was the animal killed expressly for oneself personally, that meat is considered suitable for consumption.

There is a huge thread on the ethics of meat-eating here on the board.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 11:18 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Norwegian said:
The Buddha recollected all of his past lives in detail, and according to the Majjhima Nikaya i. 483, he could remember as far back as ninety-one eons. This is not metaphorical. It refers to past lives and post-mortem rebirth.

reiun said:
Hmm, I wonder how long such detailed recollecting would take? Would he then also remember his remembrances, etc.?

Malcolm wrote:
No so long, since it happened in during the coarse of the night the Buddha attained awakening. It is how he rediscovered the view of dependent origination.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 11:01 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



Crazywisdom said:
What did Buddha say to rely on?

Malcolm wrote:
He said one should not take his word for anything, but to test his teachings the same way a goldsmith tests gold to make sure it is not pyrite, etc.

Crazywisdom said:
Then rebirth for you is a faith.

So the reliable witnesses bit comes from whom? Vasubandhu?

Malcolm wrote:
Dignaga, Dharmakīrti.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 10:08 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 8:40 PM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:
tingdzin said:
Well, because Tibetans did, including Bonpos.  For example, in klu ‘bum texts, the nagas are categorized according to caste: bram ze, rgyal, rje, mamgs, gdol pa, etc.

Also Plato divide society into four castes, and so on.

Malcolm wrote:
This is a bit disingenuous. I'm quite sure there are things in the Indian tradition that you feel free to disregard. A four-continent world system around a central mountain, for example.
[/quote]

We are not talking about what one believes, we are talking about the textual tradition.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 7:29 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 5:55 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



Crazywisdom said:
Depends on the judge.

Malcolm wrote:
It's a poor judge who relies solely on testimony.

Crazywisdom said:
What did Buddha say to rely on?

Malcolm wrote:
He said one should not take his word for anything, but to test his teachings the same way a goldsmith tests gold to make sure it is not pyrite, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 4:54 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Russian hardware losses:

https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 2:18 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
An aside:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 2:14 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Shinjin said:
Anyone here who has remembered a past life experience?

Malcolm wrote:
well, I remember yesterday pretty well.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 1:53 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


PadmaVonSamba said:
What does that even mean, literally?

Crazywisdom said:
He observed his past lives. Are you being coy? You know about Jataka tales.

PadmaVonSamba said:
I mean, what exactly is being observed

Malcolm wrote:
His mind.

PadmaVonSamba said:
, and what exactly is the process of observation

Malcolm wrote:
The developing the abhijña of past lives through samadhi, and specifically, through memory.


PadmaVonSamba said:
, and does that mean observing a stream of consciousness or chain of karmic links migrating from a corpse to an embryo.

Malcolm wrote:
A buddha is aware of their entire continuum, through ——>conception, birth, life, aging death, the bardo, conception——> from beginningless time.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 1:28 AM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
How it became such a big thing I will never know.

Malcolm wrote:
Obviously, it's because of the decadence of late stage capitalism and Western colonialism.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 1:21 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Crazywisdom said:
They also don't understand how DNA arose. Nothing really explains life. But isn't the Buddha saying rebirth is true because he observed it?

Malcolm wrote:
Indeed. Testimony ain’t proof though.

Crazywisdom said:
Depends on the judge.

Malcolm wrote:
It's a poor judge who relies solely on testimony.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, April 4th, 2022 at 12:47 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 9:14 PM
Title: Re: So Many Mahayana Sutras - Do They All Agree - Why So Many?
Content:
Aemilius said:
Yes, coming to think of it, merely mentioning the 30 000 slokas (that is lines ) implies writing.

Malcolm wrote:
No, it actually refers to writing three times. It references syllables over 40 times. But referencing syllables does not imply writing because the development of Sanskrit grammar precedes writing.

Aemilius said:
Syllables are naturally sounds or written symbols, but letters are letters, and letters are mentioned in this sutra.

Malcolm wrote:
No, they are not, just akSara	mfn. imperishable ; unalterable ; m. a sword L. ; S3iva L. ; Vishn2u L. ; (%{A}) f. see %{a4kSarA} below ; (%{am}) n. a syllable ; the syllable %{om} Mn. ; a letter [m. Ra1matUp.] ; a vowel ; a sound ; a word ; N. of Brahma ; final beatitude religious austerity , sacrifice L. ; water RV. i , 34 , 4 and i , 164 , 42 [3,3] ; Achyranthes Aspera.

“Letter” is a western idea. The Indian idea is pre-writing. Of course, later, this word applies to what we call letters, but not originally.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 9:05 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
True. That’s why it is better to call them “contractors”.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, the contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan were primarily American, and were not allowed combat roles, mainly performing security and other police functions (including torture, etc.).

Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
Originally that’s right. But then Blackwater ran out of Americans, so they started recruiting from other countries—and paying them a fraction of what the Americans got.

Malcolm wrote:
Still, they did not perform combat roles. Therein lies the difference.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 8:04 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Malcolm wrote:
Employing foreign mercenaries is the first sign of declining nation.

Schrödinger’s Yidam said:
True. That’s why it is better to call them “contractors”.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, the contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan were primarily American, and were not allowed combat roles, mainly performing security and other police functions (including torture, etc.).


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 9:13 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
reiun said:
Not in my science.

Malcolm wrote:
Whose talking about science? A “human” is any being who can in their own lifetime attain buddhahood.  It is not only possible there are such beings in other world systems but probable. But if you are defining “human” strictly as a kind of being that we call Homo sapiens, you do you. We are talking about two different things.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 8:52 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
reiun said:
Of course, this means Buddha lives were not all human since, anatomically, modern humans appeared in Africa only approximately 300,000 years ago. So: maybe Buddha might have at one time, been a Neanderthal? If so, I'll bet he dug up a dinosaur bone and wielded it like a kyosaku stick to try to "wake up" his fellow sleepyheads? It would have been the compassionate thing to do. Can't picture a Martian zombie demon image, too far out, but there must have been a whole lot of ET lives to go through.

Malcolm wrote:
There are all kinds of world systems where one can find humans. We ought not assume they all look like us.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 5:42 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Crazywisdom said:
They also don't understand how DNA arose. Nothing really explains life. But isn't the Buddha saying rebirth is true because he observed it?

Malcolm wrote:
Indeed. Testimony ain’t proof though.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 1:59 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
I prefer the proof to come from the overall self authentication of the dharma.

Malcolm wrote:
I personally accept rebirth, etc., and think that people who try to practice Buddhism without this understanding do not understand the Buddha's real point.

But I don't think there is any way to prove rebirth. Even in ancient India, many people did not believe in rebirth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 at 1:00 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


PadmaVonSamba said:
Oh, a plant could grow in front of the mirror.
Or, You’re just interjecting a creator-god.

Malcolm wrote:
You used to the verb "put," not me:
A mirror creates a new reflection of what is put in front of it...


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 11:10 PM
Title: Re: no-soul?
Content:
Archie2009 said:
...Given the pervasive Abrahamic context no-soul is obviously a bad choice. It will only stimulate westerners into patterns of thought about their imaginary Friend in the Sky they were brought up on. ...

Kim O'Hara said:
I think that's right.

It's also misleading in that, to most westerners, the 'soul' is one part of the 'self', very like the 'ego' or the 'conscience' and somewhat like the nose or foot.

For both those reasons, I prefer 'not-self' to 'no-self'. It's a bit awkward-looking but any questions it raises are more easily answered in the right framework: this is not self, that is not self, the self does not exist in the way we assume it does, etc.
'No-self', on the other hand, needs a complicated work-around on the lines of, "Well, yes, I have to admit that you do exist but..."
'No-soul', similarly, looks like a straight materialist-atheist stance, which then has to be denied before any progress can be made.

And all of those points apply (for most of us, to some extent) when we are talking to ourselves as well as when we're talking to another person.



Kim

Malcolm wrote:
The Buddha rejected all of these thing, self (atman), soul (jiva), person, (pudgala), etc., as being ultimate entities. He did not reject them as conventional designations which do not point to anything ultimately real.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 10:31 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
PadmaVonSamba said:
A mirror creates a new reflection of what is put in front of it, because of the causes created by the subject. But there’s no continuum connecting the subject and the reflection.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes there is, the person who placed the subject before the mirror.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 9:22 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
The weight of evidence goes with rebirth being true, rather then annihilation at death.

Malcolm wrote:
There is no evidence at all, either way.

Crazywisdom said:
There is evidence of rebirth. There's a lot of anecdotal evidence. There's no experimental data.

Malcolm wrote:
You can call that evidence if you like. I don't think it is evidence. The best book on the issue is by Bhikkhu Analayo. It is all purely anecdotal, but his main case is interesting. But I don't take it as proof. Rebirth is not a falsifiable phenomena, empirically speaking.

In order to prove it, you would have to be able to trace the continuum of a mind from one deceased body to the conception of another.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 9:16 PM
Title: Re: Is it better to get empowerments/vow ceremonies in-person vs online?
Content:
Lingpupa said:
Otherwise, what's the empowerment for? What's the guru for? What's the point of the guru having a proper lineage? In what sense has the initiate received the blessing of the deity?

Malcolm wrote:
Speaking strictly from the point of view of Dzogchen, empowerment is for inducing the experience of the example/actual wisdom. The guru is the guide who assists the student induce that experience. The lineage means that guru has also been lead through the process in a precise way by someone else before them. Not all empowerments involve deities. In fact, the actual Dzogchen empowerments never do. Dzogchen empowerment can be combined with deity empowerments, but it is not necessary.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 9:03 PM
Title: Re: So Many Mahayana Sutras - Do They All Agree - Why So Many?
Content:
Aemilius said:
Yes, coming to think of it, merely mentioning the 30 000 slokas (that is lines ) implies writing.

Malcolm wrote:
No, it actually refers to writing three times. It references syllables over 40 times. But referencing syllables does not imply writing because the development of Sanskrit grammar precedes writing.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 8:49 PM
Title: Re: 100 peaceful and wrathful deities
Content:
Nalanda said:
Do I have to participate in this practice, and attend the service, if I don't have anyone in and around my life who passed away? Is this practice mostly for people who lost someone?

Malcolm wrote:
Zhitro, like any system, has a number of uses. Primarily, it is a method for attaining realization in this life. There are also number of zhitro cycles, the most famous of which in the west includes the misnamed Tibetan Book of the Dead.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 8:47 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
PadmaVonSamba said:
Forgive me, I just need to decompress here.

Thanks for listening

Malcolm wrote:
The whole thing is aweful for everyone.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 5:54 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



PadmaVonSamba said:
Evidence exactly, precisely, of what?
(Please be as detailed as you can)

When an elephant leaves tracks,
you never have to actually see the animal to know it was there.

Malcolm wrote:
Does the mind leave any tracks?

PadmaVonSamba said:
haven’t you ever heard of someone having a one track mind?

Malcolm wrote:
That is following a track, not leaving tracks.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 5:31 AM
Title: Re: So Many Mahayana Sutras - Do They All Agree - Why So Many?
Content:
Aemilius said:
Thank you. For example Lankavatara sutra With the Verses doesn't mention books or writing.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes it does, it mentions writing three times.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 4:55 AM
Title: Re: Reading restricted texts
Content:
namtose said:
The only translation and commentary of Virupa's Vajra Verses that I know of in English is "Treasury of Esoteric Instructions" by Lama Dampa Sonam Gyaltsen, translated by Cyrus Stearns. It is also known as the 'Black Book' because the original text was wrapped in a black cover and to distinguish it from two other Lam Dre commentaries call the 'red book' and 'yellow book'

Malcolm wrote:
No, there is also the Taking the Result as the Path, also commissioned by HHST and translated by Stearns, and published without restrictions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 4:21 AM
Title: Re: no-soul?
Content:
clyde said:
I was wondering if it would be more clarifying than confusing, if when referencing human beings (or more generally, sentient beings) Buddhists used the term “soul” rather than the standard “self”? So we would talk about “no-soul” rather than “no-self”?

Malcolm wrote:
The word in Sanskrit is atman. It is at once a personal pronoun, and a noun. It means "self" in normal conversation, and also refers to an immutable entity that transmigrates from one body to another.

The Buddha accepted its usage in normal conversation and rejected it as an immutable entity.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 3:44 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Toenail said:
Germany is still buying gas from Russia. I am reading articles about Russia's gas money is higher than ever etc., yet in our news there is little about Germany financing Russias war. What do the news in other countries say? Is germany frowned upon? I would not mind having a cold winter. I will just use an extra blanket.

Malcolm wrote:
In the US there is recognition of Germany's difficult position.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 3:17 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 3:03 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
The weight of evidence goes with rebirth being true, rather then annihilation at death.

Malcolm wrote:
There is no evidence at all, either way.

PadmaVonSamba said:
Evidence exactly, precisely, of what?
(Please be as detailed as you can)

When an elephant leaves tracks,
you never have to actually see the animal to know it was there.

Malcolm wrote:
Does the mind leave any tracks?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 2:50 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
ratna said:
Now that Russians are pulling back from around Kyiv, stories about their behavior in Ukrainian towns and villages are starting to emerge: people are returning to their houses to find that pigs have been slaughtered in the living room, piles of shit in every room (a recurring theme), everything of value looted.

Malcolm wrote:
Makes Hussein's invasion of Kuwait look polite by comparison.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 1:12 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
The weight of evidence goes with rebirth being true, rather then annihilation at death.

Malcolm wrote:
There is no evidence at all, either way.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 12:38 AM
Title: Re: Carl Jung's "Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle"
Content:
Zhen Li said:
His system of the structure of the unconscious is an attempt to systematise it.

Malcolm wrote:
His collective unconscious was a ontological argument, predicated on a transpersonal consciousness.

This is entirely incompatible with Buddhadharma.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 12:34 AM
Title: Re: Is it better to get empowerments/vow ceremonies in-person vs online?
Content:
Nalanda said:
Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony

Longchen Nyingtik

17 Tantras

etc

Malcolm wrote:
In terms of direct introductions, don wangs, and lungs, whether you are there in the room or not doesn’t matter. However, if you can go to your teacher’s retreats in person, there is a dimension to hearing teachings and practicing that is otherwise missing.

Terma said:
I don't remember which thread this was discussed but Malcolm, didn't you say that certain empowerment's must be received in person, due to samaya substances and so-forth?

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, empowerments that have substances, like the vase empowerment.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 12:10 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Miorita said:
1 hr ago: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/syrian-mercenaries-deploy-to-russia-en-route-to-ukrainian-battlefields/ar-AAVJmvK - NYTimes.


Such evil!

Malcolm wrote:
Employing foreign mercenaries is the first sign of declining nation.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 2022 at 12:05 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Könchok Thrinley said:
Does it? If starving out Russian population is one of the effects then maybe... But I am not quite so sure. But hey might be just what they want us to think.

Malcolm wrote:
The ruble is not very convertible right now. Even if it has regained its value against the dollar temporarily, it will fall again. It takes a long time for the full effects of economic sanctions to have their impact.

Könchok Thrinley said:
Possibly. I just hope that EU will not budge when it comes to paying for gas in ruble.

Malcolm wrote:
It is a nonstarter.

Könchok Thrinley said:
Our (European) representatives were idiots for not lessing our dependance on Russia and its gas/oil long time ago. I mean it was clear for years that they think of us as enemies.

Malcolm wrote:
It's not only the EU's fault. The Oil lobby in the US started pushing for pipelines from Russia in the early 80's. Reagan was initially 100% opposed, but they wore him down, and he relented.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 9:15 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Könchok Thrinley said:
I am starting to doubt that sanctions have the desired effect on Russia. Rubl is almost back where it was and Russia is still able to pay its debts and feels strong enough to threaten Europe with closing the gas.

Malcolm wrote:
It is having the desired effect.

Könchok Thrinley said:
Does it? If starving out Russian population is one of the effects then maybe... But I am not quite so sure. But hey might be just what they want us to think.

Malcolm wrote:
The ruble is not very convertible right now. Even if it has regained its value against the dollar temporarily, it will fall again. It takes a long time for the full effects of economic sanctions to have their impact.

Russian manufacturing is entirely dependent on the EU. Pretty soon they are also going to default on weapons contracts , etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 9:02 PM
Title: Re: Who?
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
“Owner” is a designation, and so is “heir.” Upon what are they designated? Parts.

absoluneant said:
Are "parts" designation as well ?
Or is it some kind of mereological nihilism ?

Malcolm wrote:
Parts are also designated on parts,it’s parts all the way down.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 8:58 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Könchok Thrinley said:
I am starting to doubt that sanctions have the desired effect on Russia. Rubl is almost back where it was and Russia is still able to pay its debts and feels strong enough to threaten Europe with closing the gas.

Malcolm wrote:
It is having the desired effect.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 9:31 AM
Title: Re: Is selling electronics wrong livelihood, since many contain animal products?
Content:
Boomerang said:
I've read that it's common for electronics like iPhones and TV's to be made with animal products like gelatin or cholesterol.

Is it wrong livelihood to sell electronics then? Like, what if you were a marketer working at Apple. Does that count as engaging in a meat business?

Malcolm wrote:
A monk came to the Buddha and complained he could perceive tiny creatures in his water that slipped through mesh of his water strainer. As a result, he could find no water to drink. The Buddha advised him to not look so deeply.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 9:10 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
You can call your Trip BuddhaDharma -- it doesn't make it so. All ancient doctrines of unsophisticated people's that has been replaced by verified facts, and hard science.

PadmaVonSamba said:
Except, perhaps, doctrines (theories) regarding the nature of awareness itself, which were being developed by people at Nalanda University in India From the 5th through the 12th centuries, when they weren’t busy developing theories about particle physics… you know, just before Europe entered the dark ages.

More to the point however, is that if one can remove karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and still call it Buddhism simply because that’s how one chooses to define Buddhism, then it should be equally valid to add karma and rebirth to the sciences, and regard them as science, for the same reason. Might as well throw in astrology too.

Perhaps this thread should be about the future of science, and whether it will expand to include pseudoscience.

tobes said:
Great point. The question is: who gets to define a. science and b. Buddhadharma?

There is a degree of contestation in both, but it is a matter of degrees. No one thinks that theologians or advertising executives have a legitimate stake in the business of defining what science is or isn't.

Likewise the notion that so called 'hard science' has any stake in the business of defining Buddhadharma is as absurd as thinking they have a stake in defining economics or history or any other area of human knowledge and culture.

Malcolm wrote:
“Science” exists as empirical knowledge. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. Most Western Buddhists accept it without question. Science, being empirical, also has limitations, because not all knowledge is empirical, such as belief systems, including belief systems about science.

Buddhists accept certain kinds of nonempirical knowledge. The most important of these are the causes of suffering, suffering itself being birth in the three realms. Anyone who properly understands Buddhadharma understands that affliction-driven action is the cause of suffering. And suffering only ceases if affliction-driven action ceases because affliction-driven action causes birth in samsara. All that liberation is, is freedom from birth in samsara due to affliction-driven action. There is no liberation taught by the Buddha other than that.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 7:58 AM
Title: Re: Who?
Content:



clyde said:
What do you mean by “the person designated”? (I know what the five aggregates are, so no need to explain that.) Is there an entity separate from the five aggregates?

Malcolm wrote:
A person is designated on the five aggregates in just the same way a car is designated on its parts. There is nothing particularly stunning or questionable about this. No person exists apart from that designation for the five aggregates, but there is no person in the five aggregates or separate from them.

clyde said:
Yes. But as the five aggregates are empty what does it mean to be an apparent, conventional, designated, but ultimately empty, person? How is such an illusory person an “owner”, an “heir”?

Malcolm wrote:
“Owner” is a designation, and so is “heir.” Upon what are they designated? Parts.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 5:56 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
So Malcolm and other Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, I have come to realize how important the belief in post-mortem rebirth is to you and will refrain from debating or questioning your belief (except on the Zen forum).

Malcolm wrote:
Are you going to debate with Dogen about it on the Zen forum, or did you miss Genjo Conan's post, where in the late Shobogenzo, Dogen excoriates those who reject rebirth?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 5:44 AM
Title: Re: Who?
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
It's pretty straightforward. He was referring to the person designated on the basis of the five aggregates.

clyde said:
What do you mean by “the person designated”? (I know what the five aggregates are, so no need to explain that.) Is there an entity separate from the five aggregates?

Malcolm wrote:
A person is designated on the five aggregates in just the same way a car is designated on its parts. There is nothing particularly stunning or questionable about this. No person exists apart from that designation for the five aggregates, but there is no person in the five aggregates or separate from them.

This is all very, very elementary, Buddhism 101:
Then the wanderer Vacchagotta went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, exchanged courteous greetings with him. After an exchange of friendly greetings & courtesies, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there he asked the Blessed One: "Now then, Venerable Gotama, is there a self?"

When this was said, the Blessed One was silent.

"Then is there no self?"

A second time, the Blessed One was silent.

Then Vacchagotta the wanderer got up from his seat and left.

Then, not long after Vacchagotta the wanderer had left, Ven. Ananda said to the Blessed One, "Why, lord, did the Blessed One not answer when asked a question by Vacchagotta the wanderer?"

"Ananda, if I — being asked by Vacchagotta the wanderer if there is a self — were to answer that there is a self, that would be conforming with those brahmans & contemplatives who are exponents of eternalism [the view that there is an eternal, unchanging soul]. If I — being asked by Vacchagotta the wanderer if there is no self — were to answer that there is no self, that would be conforming with those brahmans & contemplatives who are exponents of annihilationism [the view that death is the annihilation of consciousness]. If I — being asked by Vacchagotta the wanderer if there is a self — were to answer that there is a self, would that be in keeping with the arising of knowledge that all phenomena are not-self?"

"No, lord."

"And if I — being asked by Vacchagotta the wanderer if there is no self — were to answer that there is no self, the bewildered Vacchagotta would become even more bewildered: 'Does the self I used to have now not exist?'"
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn44/sn44.010.than.html


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 5:19 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Brunelleschi said:
Media not doing their job properly unfortunately.

Malcolm wrote:
Depends on which media. There are more responsible reports which suggest that the Russian troops split because soldiers were reporting symptoms of illness.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 3:46 AM
Title: Re: Who?
Content:
clyde said:
The Buddha taught contemplation on the Five Remembrances, I am sure to become old; I cannot avoid ageing.

I am sure to become ill; I cannot avoid illness.

I am sure to die; I cannot avoid death.

I must be separated and parted from all that is dear and beloved to me.

I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.057.than.html
What did the Buddha mean when he taught this? Who is sure to become old, ill and die? Who will be separated and parted? Who is the owner and heir? Who is it that does good or evil?

Malcolm wrote:
It's pretty straightforward. He was referring to the person designated on the basis of the five aggregates.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 3:23 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
It applies to all dharmas.

Malcolm wrote:
The dependent origination taught by the Buddha applies strictly to living beings. You can discover this point easily by looking in the Abhidharmakośabhaṣya, verse 3:25cd.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 3:00 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
As I wrote earlier, I know that “from the arising of this, that arises” and “when this ceases, that ceases” is true. I’ll add this for further clarification,

Malcolm wrote:
And you know this formula was uttered in response to people asking the Buddha about their past lives? This is not a formula about water arising from two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen.

This formula was uttered to point out that human beings arise from affliction and action, which is the cause of suffering.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 2:23 AM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 2:07 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:



PeterC said:
That said - suppose you woke up one morning and found yourself in a rural community a thousand years ago.  You’re told to go milk the cow, catch a couple of rabbits to make a stew, and get a fire started.

Crazywisdom said:
There's a lot of flat affect going on. In person conversations with this generation are a lot less interesting than their texting. They basically dead to the analog world.

climb-up said:
I’ve had some pretty awesome conversations with young folks in real life (I’m not counting my kids, that would be too easy, but definitely them too) and there is some pretty awesome stuff going on nowadays, I think.

Malcolm wrote:
It's all just variations on a theme. The only thing I notice is that younger people seem a lot more neurotic than before, as an aggregate.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Friday, April 1st, 2022 at 12:56 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
Yes, I did that refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha and without reservations.

Malcolm wrote:
So that means you accept the Buddha's teaching on karma as true? For example:
6. "Ananda, there are four kinds of persons existing in the world. What four?

(i) "Here some person kills living beings, takes what is not given, misconducts himself in sexual desires, speaks falsehood, speaks maliciously, speaks harshly, gossips, is covetous, is ill-willed, and has wrong view.[4] On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.

(ii) "But here some person kills living beings... and has wrong view. On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.

(iii) "Here some person abstains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sexual desires, from false speech, from malicious speech, from harsh speech, from gossip, he is not covetous, is not ill-willed, and has right view.[5] On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.

(iv) "But here some person abstains from killing living beings... and has right view. On the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in the states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.136.nymo.html


clyde said:
2. "Master Gotama, what is the reason, what is the condition, why inferiority and superiority are met with among human beings, among mankind? For one meets with short-lived and long-lived people, sick and healthy people, ugly and beautiful people, insignificant and influential people, poor and rich people, low-born and high-born people, stupid and wise people. What is the reason, what is the condition, why superiority and inferiority are met with among human beings, among mankind?"

3. "Student, beings are owners of kammas, heirs of kammas, they have kammas as their progenitor, kammas as their kin, kammas as their homing-place. It is kammas that differentiate beings according to inferiority and superiority."

Malcolm wrote:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.135.nymo.html


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 11:37 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
watching people fall prey to delusion is very satisfying.

Malcolm wrote:
Only the deluded find delusion satisfying.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 10:36 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
When was the last time Buddha-dharma produced a Buddha? I'd say things are going rather poorly.

Malcolm wrote:
I've met several. YMMV.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 10:19 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Queequeg said:
He decided what the essence of Buddhism is. People here have been pointing out that he is wrong.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, he decided that Buddhadharma was pushing people away from Buddhism.

Jesse said:
No I claimed your rampant arrogance - claiming to possess the authority to decide who is, and who is not a buddhist - drives people away from the Dharma.

Malcolm wrote:
I can certainly decide who I will consider a follower of Buddhadharma, and feel completely free to share that opinion. You are free to disagree. However, you have now come out and admitted that you think Buddhadharma is just an ancient doctrine of unsophisticated people like the Buddha, unlike the modern doctrines of sophisticated people like yourself. Frankly, the presumption of arrogance falls upon you.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 10:16 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
You can call your Trip BuddhaDharma -- it doesn't make it so. All ancient doctrines of unsophisticated people's that has been replaced by verified facts, and hard science.

Malcolm wrote:
So, just be honest, Jesse, you don't accept what the Buddha taught. That's perfectly fine. But what you are suggesting is just secular humanism in Buddhist drag. You don't need the Buddhist drag. I think you are in the wrong place, frankly. Here, we are follow Buddhadharma.

If you think the Buddha's model of liberation has been made obsolete by hard facts and science because it is an ancient doctrine of unsophisticated people like the Buddha, that is perfectly ok. Just don't call your take on hard science and facts "Buddhadharma," since by your own admission, Buddhadharma is just an ancient doctrine of unsophisticated people like the Buddha, which has been made obsolete by hard science and facts.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 10:10 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Queequeg said:
He decided what the essence of Buddhism is. People here have been pointing out that he is wrong.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, he decided that Buddhadharma was pushing people away from Buddhism.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 9:59 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Jesse said:
Those claiming the banner of rebirth/karma sound just like Christians lovingly telling others how they will be going to hell for not believing in Christ.

Malcolm wrote:
The Buddha defined liberation in terms of rebirth (stream entrants, seven rebirths in desire realm, once-returners, one, etc.). You don't accept that? Ok, but don't call whatever trip you're on "Buddhadharma."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 9:43 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 9:12 PM
Title: Re: Is it better to get empowerments/vow ceremonies in-person vs online?
Content:
Nalanda said:
Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony

Longchen Nyingtik

17 Tantras

etc

Malcolm wrote:
In terms of direct introductions, don wangs, and lungs, whether you are there in the room or not doesn’t matter. However, if you can go to your teacher’s retreats in person, there is a dimension to hearing teachings and practicing that is otherwise missing.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 6:30 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
If I thought (as I once did early on) that Buddhist rebirth was based on some essential characteristics or personhood going from life to life I would still be skeptical.

Malcolm wrote:
The issue isn't really a matter for personal beliefs Regardless of what people actually believe, the existential problem the Buddha set out to solve was very simple. How do we end the process of birth, aging, illness, and death?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 5:27 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
Every conversation begins with, Show me your Instagram. I'm like oh here's a picture of my cocktail.



Malcolm wrote:
Pretty true. I don't do IG or Tiktok, or Telegram. Facebook barely, anymore.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 4:36 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Anyone who has hung around here long enough knows what Buddha meant by karma and rebirth.

PadmaVonSamba said:
But do they?

Malcolm wrote:
If they don't, they have not been paying attention.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 3:01 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Jesse said:
I was specifically targeted and called out as "Not a Buddhist", a "Tourist", and as "not on the path"

So, as I was saying -- what are your qualifications for making such claims?

Malcolm wrote:
If one does not accept rebirth and karma, one is not a Buddhist, whatever else one may like to call oneself.

PadmaVonSamba said:
One needs to define what it is one thinks that karma and rebirth are. If one rejects the idea that when you die, your soul takes on another body, well the Buddha also rejected that idea.
If one rejects the idea that the universe dishes  out rewards and punishments based on peoples moral behavior, fine. That’s also what Buddhism doesn’t teach.

Malcolm wrote:
Anyone who has hung around here long enough knows what Buddha meant by karma and rebirth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 1:51 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
Here's what Dogen had to say:

Malcolm wrote:
Sorry, but was Dogen omniscient? What are his qualifications for making this claim? How dare he say someone is not a buddhist.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Thursday, March 31st, 2022 at 12:09 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Jesse said:
I was specifically targeted and called out as "Not a Buddhist", a "Tourist", and as "not on the path"

So, as I was saying -- what are your qualifications for making such claims?

Malcolm wrote:
If one does not accept rebirth and karma, one is not a Buddhist, whatever else one may like to call oneself. This is so obvious that those people who like to call themselves "Secular Buddhists" have to make it obvious that they are not actually followers of Buddhadharma by adding "secular" to their designation. These people are secular humanists who like to sit on cushions and practice śamatha, and that is all they are or ever will be, as long as they do not address the fundamental question the Buddha solved. There is no liberation apart from eradication of the afflictions that cause rebirth in the three realms. Any other kind of liberation is not the liberation the Buddha taught.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 10:02 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Jesse said:
Tourist, Not a Buddhist, The path is closed to us.

Malcolm wrote:
It is precisely correct. There are a lot of spiritual tourists in the West, who get the tee shirt, and then post about their wonderful experience on Instagram.

However, tourists can go native, but there are some things they need to absorb, like the actual cause of suffering: affliction and karma.

Jesse said:
Sorry to say Malcom, but you are in no position to make these claims either.

Malcolm wrote:
It is disingenuous for you to say you are sorry to say something you are not at all sorry to say.

Exactly what are your qualifications for making any of the claims you have made in this thread?
What's your background?
Who have you studied under?
What texts have you studied?
What's the longest retreat you have ever done?
Have you gained expertise in any primary Buddhist languages?
Which ones?

Jesse said:
Neither you, nor Malcolm have any exclusive claim over what is, or isn't BuddhaDharma. Who is, or isn't a practitioner, or whom the path is open or closed to.

Malcolm wrote:
Buddhadharma is pretty clearly stated by the Buddha. Maybe you should read him sometime and see how well your claims stack up against his teachings.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 9:31 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Jesse said:
Tourist, Not a Buddhist, The path is closed to us.

Malcolm wrote:
It is precisely correct. There are a lot of spiritual tourists in the West, who get the tee shirt, and then post about their wonderful experience on Instagram.

However, tourists can go native, but there are some things they need to absorb, like the actual cause of suffering: affliction and karma.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 9:24 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Queequeg said:
Rebirth is a central pillar of Buddhism. If one rejects it, then the Buddhist path is closed to them. So long as its possibility is accepted, then progress on the path is possible.

Malcolm wrote:
Just so long as it is understood Buddhism does not defend rebirth, it seeks to end rebirth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 8:22 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
I have no doubt of the Dharma of anicca, anatta (& sunnatta), and dukkha, also dependent origination in its simplest form, “from the arising of this, that arises” and “when this ceases, that ceases”; and the benefit of meditation. That is enough for me.

Malcolm wrote:
This formula was uttered by the Buddha in response to the question of some monks past lives. Buddhas response here should be taken to mean, when there is affliction, there is karma, etc.

There is no doubt the Buddha’s central teaching was oriented towards the ending of birth, as witnessed by many arhats exclaiming wonder that they were in their last birth in samsara.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 5:21 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
I'm not arguing for a lack of rebirth, or karma -- merely that they are unnecessary from a practical standpoint to achieve liberation.

Malcolm wrote:
Without karma and rebirth, what is there to be liberated from?

clyde said:
Dukkha.

Malcolm wrote:
Dukkha is the result of karma and rebirth. No karma, no dukkha.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 4:56 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
I'm not arguing for a lack of rebirth, or karma -- merely that they are unnecessary from a practical standpoint to achieve liberation.

Malcolm wrote:
Without karma and rebirth, what is there to be liberated from?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 4:46 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
If suffering is momentary and ends on the breakup of the body, then Samsara is just kind of a bummer.

Jesse said:
That's exactly the sort of view that arises from self. Suffering is infinite, only because beings are infinite. There is no transmigration of a soul, there is no rebirth that happens in such a way that the precise elements and conditions creating any single individual are continued into a 'new life'.

Delusion is present in every sentient being, sentient beings arise because of delusion. Rebirth is the process of continuing confusion/bondage.

Delusion/bondage/suffering isn't a soul.

Malcolm wrote:
No, and it isn't a person either, but it is a continuum and that continuum has its own causes and conditions.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Wednesday, March 30th, 2022 at 2:16 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
How does reincarnation solve the problem of dissatisfaction in the present moment?

Malcolm wrote:
Specifically, rebirth and karma are the existential problem Buddhism proposes to solve. The solution makes no sense if the problem is actually not a problem one needs to solve.

Why? They are the cause of suffering.

As far as the present moment goes, if one is free of affliction, one will be free of dissatisfaction, then one will not engage in actions which result in further suffering.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 11:34 PM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:



Nicholas2727 said:
How should this be understood then if a Lama says that one does not have to use real meat in tsok offering?

Malcolm wrote:
He is wrong. Entitled to his opinion, but mistaken.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 11:13 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 9:30 PM
Title: Re: Teachers
Content:
tingdzin said:
He is also one of the last of the generation who was trained in Tibet.

Malcolm wrote:
No he wasn’t. He went to Varanasi. He was there at the same time my Sakya mentor, Khenpo Migmar Tseten, was there.

His late brother, Khenpo Palden Sherab, was able to complete his training in Tibet, at Riwoche.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 9:21 PM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:
tingdzin said:
It is also a mistake to think that Sonam Tsemo and Buton had a good grasp of what the varna system was like on the ground. Again, the triumph of theory over observation.

Malcolm wrote:
For example, vegans can’t practice HYT, due to meat being a required sacrament, etc.

Nicholas2727 said:
It seems there are differing opinions on this from my limited understanding. I haven't taken HYT empowerment, but as a vegan myself when I came across some of this information I thought Tibetan Buddhism might not be for me and I should look else where instead of having the tradition change for me. I talked with a few teachers and practitioners and most of them said that meat substitutes can be used. The Karmapa I believe has stopped using meat in ceremonies as well, but I may be wrong.

Malcolm wrote:
This is a result of undue influence of Chinese Buddhist clients.

Lower tantra practice, however, is vegetarian oriented, and plenty of people in Tibetan Buddhism don’t practice HYT. Arguably Mahamudra practice in the Kagyu and Ganden traditions can be practiced by vegans. But HYT and Nyingma inner tantra cannot be practiced by people with ideological food preferences, no matter how noble their intentions may be.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 7:31 PM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Sonam Tsomo had regular contact with Indians due to Sakya’s position on trade routes.

tingdzin said:
This just means he was getting Indian theory from Indian theoreticians, probably themselves heavily Brahmanized.

Malcolm wrote:
The point about the four castes and four divisions of tantra is behavior— each division offers behavior amenable to the mores of a certain type of person. For example, vegans can’t practice HYT.

tingdzin said:
OK, of course, but one's disposition and behavior are not set according to the caste one is born into. I really fail to see why Western Buddhists are willing to swallow whole the most un-Buddhist aspects of Indian culture.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, because Tibetans did, including Bonpos.  For example, in klu ‘bum texts, the nagas are categorized according to caste: bram ze, rgyal, rje, mamgs, gdol pa, etc.

Also Plato divide society into four castes, and so on.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 7:25 PM
Title: Gangster Monks
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
https://apple.news/AwM4O4u9MQGaKZgRU_-xTJg

Unknown said:
In Thailand, where Buddhism is the official religion and followed by about 93 percent of the population, the country’s 300,000-plus monks are historically revered for leading lives of moderation and being models of virtuousness. But the monkhood’s pious image has been increasingly eroded in recent years with a series of high-profile arrests and scandals.

Barely a week goes by without reports of monks charged with money laundering, drunk driving, drug trafficking and even murder—rocking the clergy’s reputation in Thailand with each new headline. With these scandals shining a light on the underbelly of monkhood, experts say that the sacred institution of Thai Buddhism is confronted with whittling public trust and legitimacy.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 7:06 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Queequeg said:
But Buddhism is cool. Except for all the religious stuff.

Malcolm wrote:
Yeah, like Buddhism, but it’s still cool.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 6:57 PM
Title: Re: Is Shingon lesser because it has less tantras than Tibetan vajrayana?
Content:
tingdzin said:
It is also a mistake to think that Sonam Tsemo and Buton had a good grasp of what the varna system was like on the ground. Again, the triumph of theory over observation.

Malcolm wrote:
Sonam Tsomo had regular contact with Indians due to Sakya’s position on trade routes. It was a major stopping point for Indian masters who were on teaching tours in Western Tibet, as well as Tibetan translators, and like his father and brother, his Sanskrit was good. The second throne holder of Sakya was Bari Lotsawa, who spend some years in India, etc.

The point about the four castes and four divisions of tantra is behavior— each division offers behavior amenable to the mores of a certain type of person. For example, vegans can’t practice HYT, due to meat being a required sacrament, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 6:47 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:



Jesse said:
They are perceived as cultural religious ideas. Even by many Buddhists.

Malcolm wrote:
So what? Without them Buddhism makes no sense. In that case, Buddhism itself is just a cultural religious idea.

Jesse said:
How specifically does Buddhism fail without Karma and Rebirth?

Malcolm wrote:
Specifically, they are the existential problem Buddhism proposes to solve. The solution makes no sense if the problem is actually not a problem one needs to solve.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 10:26 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
Having those cultural/religious ideas limits the audience that's willing to read, engage, and practice. Stripping those out and working it all into something made for modern western minds would vastly increase the audience for it, and simultaneously increase the amount of people who even reach stage 1 of liberation.

Malcolm wrote:
Rebirth and karma are not cultural ideas. Without them Buddhism makes no sense. Sure you aren’t a secular humanist?

Jesse said:
They are perceived as cultural religious ideas. Even by many Buddhists.

Malcolm wrote:
So what? Without them Buddhism makes no sense. In that case, Buddhism itself is just a cultural religious idea.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 10:23 AM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:
KristenM said:
. Like thinking that getting into a fistfight is the way to handle being “disrespected.”

Malcolm wrote:
Male childhood is a little like prison. So yes, sometimes that’s exactly what you have to do. It depends on whether or not you dealing with a real bully or a loudmouth.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 10:14 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
Having those cultural/religious ideas limits the audience that's willing to read, engage, and practice. Stripping those out and working it all into something made for modern western minds would vastly increase the audience for it, and simultaneously increase the amount of people who even reach stage 1 of liberation.

Malcolm wrote:
Rebirth and karma are not cultural ideas. Without them Buddhism makes no sense. Sure you aren’t a secular humanist?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 9:11 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
The only innovation Buddhism needs is a Dharma entirely stripped from it's Buddhist/Religious packaging.

Keeping the essence of the teachings but without any cultural ideas added in would be pretty difficult, but I think it can be done.

Fundamentally it would be a modern philosophy, psychology with instructions on compassion, mind training, wisdom, etc.

Malcolm wrote:
Agree with the second statement.

Disagree with one and three. The first results in Sam Harris' bullshit. The latter, Stephen Batchelor's bullshit.

Jesse said:
I haven't read Sam Harris, or Stephen Batchelor but if what they created was shit -- then they simply didn't understand the dharma well enough to do what they attempted.

Malcolm wrote:
The two premises are bullshit. We can’t abandon rebirth and karma and we don’t need modern philosophy, psychology, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 8:46 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
"O Atula! Indeed, this is an ancient practice, not one only of today: they blame those who remain silent, they blame those speak much, they blame those who speak in moderation. There is none in the world who is not blamed. "

Is just kinda how a thing like this is.

Malcolm wrote:
Exactly. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 8:31 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Caoimhghín said:
Does no one take in a good old string quartet anymore?

Zemlinsky has some very subversive-for-the-time offerings. Of course, "subversive-for-the-time" = "conservative today."

Svalaksana said:
How about some atonal subversion à lá Arnold Schoenberg? Now that really makes the hair in the back of my neck tingle.

Malcolm wrote:
Let’s see….Schonberg or Cage’s Harvard Sq. Concert…


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 8:28 AM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:
Shinjin said:
. A masculine man is always in full control of his emotions and would have dealt with it in a better way.

Malcolm wrote:
I guess real men only piss once a day too.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 7:57 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Bhumi108w said:
This has gone a little too far. How about just not following him? Praise him for the good he has done and just not follow him.

Malcolm wrote:
It’s constructive criticism. I’d prefer it if major Dharma influencers actually knew what they were talking about when writing letters in support of people like Aung San Su Kyi. It doesn’t mean I don’t recognize his use of his title to benefit the Dharma. But his politics don’t, they detract from his overall message.

As for it not being “Buddhist-like”, you clearly have had very little exposure to Tibetan polemics. Some Tibetans are still pissed at Sakya Pandita for what they perceive as appeasing the Mongols. Get some perspective.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 7:50 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Caoimhghín said:
Does no one take in a good old string quartet anymore?

Zemlinsky has some very subversive-for-the-time offerings. Of course, "subversive-for-the-time" = "conservative today."

I listen to drum and bass too. Can I be a cool kid?

Malcolm wrote:
I am not sure you were born when Little Fluffy Clouds was first released (not drum and bass).


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 6:11 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
KeithA said:
But, prefer these guys:

Queequeg said:
Back when music could be subversive and dangerous. Listened to some Bad Brains recently. Chills.

KeithA said:
Saw Reagan Youth live, back in the day. You would be surprised what lives in my phone, musically speaking. It definitely includes the the Bad Brains! There is still plenty of subversive stuff out there. Sleaford Mods leap to mind.

Malcolm wrote:
My subversive music days are over. These days...Sly and Robbie, The Orb, System 7, etc. Dub and electronica.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 5:48 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10655501/Ukraine-claims-Russian-tank-commander-killed-reserve-tanks-unserivcable.html


Unknown said:
The sixth Russian commander killed since the invasion began was said to have been Colonel Yuri Medvedev, who was brutally taken out by mutinous soldiers after their 37th Motor Rifle Brigade suffered huge losses. The[sic] ran him down with a tank.

...

A senior NATO military officer said the alliance estimates that Russia has suffered between 30,000 and 40,000 battlefield casualties in Ukraine through the first month of the war, including between 7,000 and 15,000 killed.

Malcolm wrote:
Truly shocking.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 5:27 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 4:43 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Queequeg said:
I figured, Sleepy Joe would be the breath of calm we needed after 4 years of domestic abuse.

Caoimhghín said:
I'm surprised surprised boomer crowd isn't going wild with Gran Torino memes.

Malcolm wrote:
Well, Clint lost his sheen with the empty chair stunt.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 4:16 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
On Joe's walkback, no walkback:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 4:11 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
More Joe:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 4:07 AM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 3:47 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
You go, Joe:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 3:44 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 3:32 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
You're not answering the question.  Why did all of those people walk Biden's comments back?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 3:25 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 3:21 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
And what did he say in response to you, Malcolm?

Malcolm wrote:
Crickets...of course.

Crazywisdom said:
Of.course.

Malcolm wrote:
However, he did stop making historical claims that could easily be refuted so...now he just posts other people's bad history, with the old Glen Beck/Tucker Carlson, "Just asking the question..."


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 1:42 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Norwegian said:
If Kadyrov has the balls to enter Ukraine, anybody with a decently functioning rifle and scope will end him.

Malcolm wrote:
Generals have a short battlefield life in Ukraine. One was killed three days ago. Five Russian Major Generals (one star, equivalent to a US Brigadier General) and two Lieutenant Generals (two stars, equivalent to a US Major General) have been killed so far.

In the past five decades, only one US general has been killed in battle. The Russians have lost five in one month.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 1:36 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
And what did he say in response to you, Malcolm?

Malcolm wrote:
Crickets...of course.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 1:33 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
You're not answering the question.  Why did all of those people walk Biden's comments back?

Malcolm wrote:
They are not walking anything back at all. Biden's comment is not indicative of a US policy to remove Putin. So, nothing to walk back.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 1:27 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The general wears Prada:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 1:13 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Genjo Conan said:
I think everyone defending Biden's comments should maybe try to explain why his White House aides, the Secretary of State, the British, the French, and Biden himself walked those comments back.

I know that nuance is the first casualty of wartime, but it is entirely possible to think that Putin is a horrible person who is prosecuting an illegal and immoral war, and that it was careless of Biden to call for regime change.

Malcolm wrote:
He didn't call for regime change. He said: "“For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power."

He did not say, “For God's sake, remove this man from power."

Why? Because Biden knows that there is no one who can remove Putin from power. They've already gamed it out, multiple times.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 1:06 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Shinjin said:
No excuses, just calling it the way I see it. He was a terrible leader like your man Joe. The US hasn't had a competent leader since Ronald Reagan.

Malcolm wrote:
You're living in the past. Ronny wasn't the worst president, but he was hardly the best. And he actually did have Alzheimer's, unlike Biden.

Bush 1 had more impact on destabilizing the USSR than Reagan.

Crazywisdom said:
That's false. Reagan boosted defense spending into the stratosphere to bankrupt the Soviets in the arms race.

Malcolm wrote:
Elections brought down the USSR. Then there was a coup.

https://millercenter.org/statecraftmovie/gorbachev-and-ussr

Of course, we can't really discuss this in soundbites, but it is a conservative myth that we bankrupted the USSR into nonexistence. Reagan walked back his aggressive tone and chose to be chummy with Gorbachev. That set the stage for Bush's administration relationship with the USSR:
Indeed, many conservative commentators would prefer to sweep these historical nuances under the rug. These realities also directly contradict a deeply ideological (and ahistorical) narrative that – short of war – massive defense buildups, bellicosity and tough talk bring authoritarian regimes to their knees.

With access to thousands of pages of Soviet records, oral histories and memoirs, we now know that the confrontational approach that defined Reagan’s first few years in office had very little, if any, impact on Soviet strategic decisionmaking. In fact, the antagonism of Reagan’s early presidency likely prolonged the Cold War by elevating hardline, anti-American voices over those of moderate reformers like Gorbachev.

Reagan’s true Cold War legacy is rooted in his deeply personal diplomatic engagement with Gorbachev. Reagan’s embrace of Gorbachev and praise for his reforms gave the Soviet leader the latitude to enact the political and social changes – perestroika, glasnost, demokratizatsiya – that ultimately caused the collapse of the Soviet Union.
https://thehill.com/opinion/international/478941-lets-stop-revising-history-reagan-didnt-win-the-cold-war


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 12:57 AM
Title: Re: “special transmission”?
Content:
clyde said:
Really, the “special transmission” and Flower Sermon are not about dhyana or an awakening experience. Simply, investigate “dharma transmission” to understand this koan.

Malcolm wrote:
Correct, that story is about one person recognizing the awakening of another. It assumes that Kashyapa was already awake, which of course he was, since he was an arhat.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 12:35 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Shinjin said:
It's always easier for Democrats to blame Trump for all the errors of this administration rather than take responsibility.

Malcolm wrote:
Trump left a mess. It is still being cleaned up. He was the most incompetent president in US History, the carnage is immense. I get it if you are a Trump fan boy, but if you are not, stop making pathetic excuses for the man.

Shinjin said:
No excuses, just calling it the way I see it. He was a terrible leader like your man Joe. The US hasn't had a competent leader since Ronald Reagan.

Malcolm wrote:
You're living in the past. Ronny wasn't the worst president, but he was hardly the best. And he actually did have Alzheimer's, unlike Biden.

Bush 1 had more impact on destabilizing the USSR than Reagan.

Biden has decades of foreign policy experience. As far as I am concerned, he is doing a good job with the mess the GOP always leaves the economy in, every damn time, from Hoover to the present. It never changes.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 12:14 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
his epic screw up in Afghanistan.

Malcolm wrote:
Biden didn't screw up in Afghanistan, that was all Trump. Trump made the mess (for example, from drawing down US troops to level below where they could maintain operational security to excluding the Afghan gvt. from talks, and dealing only with the Taliban), Biden got blamed because he held the mop.

Shinjin said:
It's always easier for Democrats to blame Trump for all the errors of this administration rather than take responsibility.

Malcolm wrote:
Trump left a mess. It is still being cleaned up. He was the most incompetent president in US History, the carnage is immense. I get it if you are a Trump fan boy, but if you are not, stop making pathetic excuses for the man.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 12:11 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:



PeterC said:
"Asian" is a Western idea in the first place. It's a massive simplification of huge cultural differences.  Nobody would think a Dane culturally similar to an American, but the differences between countries in Asia are far greater than that.  Does he think, for instance, that a South Korean has moral authority to have opinions on, say, Bangladesh, in a way that a Norwegian doesn't?  His statements on these issues are extremely simplistic and haven't really progressed past Lee Kuan Yew circa 1990.  His letter to Aung Sang Suu Kyi was terrible - he was (a) trying to assert himself as an authority on "Asianness", and (b) presuming to advise someone who runs a country (albeit badly) on how to handle cultural diplomacy.  Totally out of his depth.  He should leave commentary on this to people who actually know what they're talking about, and focus on the Dharma, on which by all accounts he really does know what he's talking out.

Malcolm wrote:
DJKR's has made a number of fallacious historical claims, but perhaps the most telling historical gaffe was the one where he attributed the decline of Buddhism in Japan to Americans after WWII. I pointed out to him that the decline of Buddhism in Japan was a function of the Meiji restoration, where 45k Buddhist temples were destroyed by the Japanese gvt. in the late 19th century, etc.

PeterC said:
I guess he also wasn’t aware that the US took Kyoto off the list of target candidates for the nuclear attack because of the damage it would do to Japanese cultural and religious heritage?

He really knows a lot less than he thinks he doesn’t. In his letter to AYSK he said, confidently, that the Rohingya were foreign laborers brought in by the British.  They weren’t: they had been living there for a century before the British arrived.  Not that he should know that, though. Why should butanese semi-royalty know anything about the demographics and history of a minor country two thousand miles away?

This is why I don’t give much credence to the hypothesis that he’s being deliberately provocative to make people think. There are obvious explanations that better fit the facts.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, I also corrected him on the presence of the Arakanese.

He could have just educated himself on this point:

https://www.soas.ac.uk/sbbr/editions/file64388.pdf

The Burmese have been ruthless in their persecution of the Arakanese since 1784, when they conquered that Arakan Kingdom.

Oh well.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Tuesday, March 29th, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
Boys dropping out of the sky. There's no defending that. Inept management. Period.

Malcolm wrote:
That's not on Biden. Sorry, you are blaming the wrong people for that. You should blame the Taliban who so terrorized people that they would make such suicidal choices.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 11:57 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
ratna said:
They just can't help themselves.

Malcolm wrote:
WSJ article:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/roman-abramovich-and-ukrainian-peace-negotiators-suffer-symptoms-of-suspected-poisoning-11648480493?mod=e2tw


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 11:28 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Jesse said:
The only innovation Buddhism needs is a Dharma entirely stripped from it's Buddhist/Religious packaging.

Keeping the essence of the teachings but without any cultural ideas added in would be pretty difficult, but I think it can be done.

Fundamentally it would be a modern philosophy, psychology with instructions on compassion, mind training, wisdom, etc.

Malcolm wrote:
Agree with the second statement.

Disagree with one and three. The first results in Sam Harris' bullshit. The latter, Stephen Batchelor's bullshit.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 11:09 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
his epic screw up in Afghanistan.

Malcolm wrote:
Biden didn't screw up in Afghanistan, that was all Trump. Trump made the mess (for example, from drawing down US troops to level below where they could maintain operational security to excluding the Afghan gvt. from talks, and dealing only with the Taliban), Biden got blamed because he held the mop.

Crazywisdom said:
His hasty exit was a damn shame. No way around that.

Malcolm wrote:
It wasn't Biden's hasty exit, the time table was set by the previous administration. In fact, Biden wanted to Obama to limit our involvement in Afghanistan in 2009:
In 2009, the new Obama administration debated whether to “surge” troop levels in Afghanistan after nearly eight years of war had failed to quell the insurgency from the overthrown Taliban forces. Top generals asked early that year for 17,000 more US troops and then, having gotten those, asked for an additional 40,000 to try to weaken the Taliban and strengthen the Afghan government.

Then-Vice President Biden was consistently one of the biggest skeptics of the military’s recommendations. Throughout months of debate, he repeatedly raised the inconvenient point that the generals’ preferred strategy seemed extremely unlikely to lead to actual victory. “We have not thought through our strategic goals!” he shouted during the Obama administration’s first meeting on the war in Afghanistan.

All this was documented at the time in Bob Woodward’s deeply reported 2010 book Obama’s Wars. Biden did not actually support withdrawal at the time — he pushed for a more limited mission focused on counterterrorism, accompanied by a smaller troop surge than the military wanted.

...

Building a functioning nation-state in Afghanistan was impossible. Woodward writes that during one October meeting, Biden asked the generals, “If the government’s a criminal syndicate a year from now, how will troops make a difference?” He followed up with, “If a year from now there is no demonstrable progress in governance, what do we do?” He didn’t receive a convincing answer to either question.

Later on, he wrote memos to Obama arguing for “no full counterinsurgency” and “no nation-building.” He thought the military’s goals of strengthening Afghanistan’s military and police force were doomed. And he said the following at a meeting with National Security Council leaders, per Woodward:

"Historically, [Biden] said, it’s been very difficult—impossible—for foreign interventions to prevail in Afghanistan. With tens of thousands of troops on the ground already, if we can’t do it with this number and we don’t have a reliable partner in the Afghanistan government, then it seems irresponsible to inject additional troops on top of that. We’re just prolonging failure at that point, he said."
In order to make the exit "softer," Biden would have had to recommit troops, prolonging our involvement by a year. Face it, no exit would have been pretty after Trump cut the Afghan gvt. off below the knees. Afghan troops literally dropped their weapons in the streets.

Biden is not a dummy, nor is he demented, nor is he addled. As the VP, he observed our failure after failure in Afghanistan for eight years, and consistently argued for policies that Obama and the Pentagon would not follow. Had they taken Biden's recommendations, it would have all ended considerably differently, but probably no less messier. The mistake was Bush's for going in in the first place.

Biden's comment might have alarmed the Neville Chamberlains of the world, but he was right to make it.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 10:59 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:



PeterC said:
"Asian" is a Western idea in the first place. It's a massive simplification of huge cultural differences.  Nobody would think a Dane culturally similar to an American, but the differences between countries in Asia are far greater than that.  Does he think, for instance, that a South Korean has moral authority to have opinions on, say, Bangladesh, in a way that a Norwegian doesn't?  His statements on these issues are extremely simplistic and haven't really progressed past Lee Kuan Yew circa 1990.  His letter to Aung Sang Suu Kyi was terrible - he was (a) trying to assert himself as an authority on "Asianness", and (b) presuming to advise someone who runs a country (albeit badly) on how to handle cultural diplomacy.  Totally out of his depth.  He should leave commentary on this to people who actually know what they're talking about, and focus on the Dharma, on which by all accounts he really does know what he's talking out.

Malcolm wrote:
DJKR's has made a number of fallacious historical claims, but perhaps the most telling historical gaffe was the one where he attributed the decline of Buddhism in Japan to Americans after WWII. I pointed out to him that the decline of Buddhism in Japan was a function of the Meiji restoration, where 45k Buddhist temples were destroyed by the Japanese gvt. in the late 19th century, etc.

LKY's problem (among others) is that he thought the US was trying to foist democracy off on everyone. The actual fact is that during the Cold War, that US was saying to countries: "If you want to do business with us, and have access to our markets, you can't do business with the Communists governments. If you decide to implement liberal democracy, so much the better, but at minimum you can't do business with Communists. If your country already has significant access to Western capital investment, and you try to align with the Communists and nationalize our investments in your country, we are going to take your government down and replace it with someone who better aligns with our interests and will protect our capital investments."

The failures in US foreign policy after the Cold War mainly come from this line of reasoning: "Communism will inevitably fail. It failed in Russia and it will fail in China. We should do business with Russia and China based on this assumption. The only thing we have to worry about now are the recalcitrant Muslim countries, who are state sponsors for terrorism. Liberal democracy driven capitalist development is inevitable. Resistance is futile."

The difference is pragmatism. Our Cold War foreign policy was pragmatic, occasionally dressed up in ideology. Our Post-Cold War foreign policy has been ideological, and abandoned pragmatism for slogans.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 10:18 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Jesse said:
Biden’s Putin remark pushes U.S.-Russia relations closer to collapse

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/03/27/biden-putin-regime-change/
French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that Biden’s comment did not sit well with all leaders in Europe. “If we want to do that, we can’t escalate either in words or actions,” he said of the odds for diplomatic success.

Malcolm wrote:
The new Neville Chamberlain.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 10:14 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
his epic screw up in Afghanistan.

Malcolm wrote:
Biden didn't screw up in Afghanistan, that was all Trump. Trump made the mess (for example, from drawing down US troops to level below where they could maintain operational security to excluding the Afghan gvt. from talks, and dealing only with the Taliban), Biden got blamed because he held the mop.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 8:31 PM
Title: Re: Oscars shocker!
Content:
Queequeg said:
Oscars are done. Does anyone pay attention to this beyond scandalous emcees? The producers are thrilled that they had a click worthy event for an event no one cares about anymore. "Movies" are done. Just more content churned out of the entertainment industrial complex to fill out those streaming catalogs.

Will Smith has always been a douche. Him and his weirdo family. Chris Rock hasn't been funny for 20 years.

Malcolm wrote:
What you talking about? JPS was awesome as Fish Mooney on Gotham.i


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 12:01 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
I dunno, I think the President should probably be held to a higher standard than the drunk guy at the end of the bar.  "Don't frak up international diplomacy" being a pretty big part of the job and all.

Malcolm wrote:
Right, we are all supposed to be polite and pretend that normal diplomatic protocols apply…


Genjo Conan said:
Ok.  Put out more flags.

Malcolm wrote:
The fact is that Biden sees things as they are. No one imagines the Russian people are going to toss Putin out. That’s not happening. No one imagines we are going take him out with a drone strike, least of all Putin himself. But Putin has no legitimate claim in the region, none. Moreover, he has done harm to his own nation that will set Russian development back 30 years. By the time Russia recovers from Putin’s folly, Ukraine will have much developed quite beyond where Russia is, with aid from the US and EU, etc. Putin’s rule is no longer viable, but that does not mean he won’t retain power. But he will be overseeing a country he himself hollowed out. He threatened NATO. That was dumb as shit. He threatened to use nukes, and people worry about Biden’s honest assessment, sheesh.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 11:37 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
I dunno, I think the President should probably be held to a higher standard than the drunk guy at the end of the bar.  "Don't frak up international diplomacy" being a pretty big part of the job and all.

Malcolm wrote:
Right, we are all supposed to be polite and pretend that normal diplomatic protocols apply…


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 11:27 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Genjo Conan said:
The French and the Brits have both said that Biden's "Putin must go" comment was unhelpful, and even Biden himself has now denied that he was calling for regime change.  Whether or not you agree with the sentiment, it seems clear that it was not a wise piece of diplomacy.

Malcolm wrote:
It’s wasn’t diplomacy, it was honest sentiment, one I agree with. Let’s not pretend Biden is wrong.

You have to admire Bidem’s version of “Russian warship, go f**k yourself.”


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 4:09 AM
Title: Re: “special transmission”?
Content:


clyde said:
Sorry, but I don’t understand your point. How is a discussion of dhyana related to this topic?

Malcolm wrote:
It isn't, other than the fact that Chan means dhyāna.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 3:37 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
HePo said:
Perhaps this makes it a bit clearer https://fredericklenzfoundation.org/events/2022-the-future-of-american-buddhism/ series.


Malcolm wrote:
I am surprised that Ann Gleig is participating. Sad that Alejandro is, someone ought to tell him.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 2:59 AM
Title: Re: “special transmission”?
Content:


Aemilius said:
The higher dhyanas (than the first one) are non-conceptual, they are devoid of all concepts or devoid of gross concepts. They are not called higher without a reason. Also, dhyanaloka (realm of one-pointed concentration) is higher than kamaloka (realm of sense desire).

Malcolm wrote:
Incorrect. They are conceptual. That's why they are not liberations. In ordinary people, engaging in them generates traces, latent afflictions, which then have to be purified. They create paths of rebirth. This is very clearly explained in Abhidharma. They are mundane and samsaric.

clyde said:
Without entering into which of you is correct, what do dyanas, higher or lower, conceptual or not conceptual, have to do with this topic, “special transmission”, the Buddha holding up a flower, or Mahakasyapa’s smile?


Malcolm wrote:
Nope.

The dhyāna to which Chan refers is based on the realization of reality, not supported by mental factors nor supported on a conceptual object.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 2:34 AM
Title: Re: “special transmission”?
Content:


Aemilius said:
The higher dhyanas (than the first one) are non-conceptual, they are devoid of all concepts or devoid of gross concepts. They are not called higher without a reason. Also, dhyanaloka (realm of one-pointed concentration) is higher than kamaloka (realm of sense desire).

Malcolm wrote:
Incorrect. They are conceptual. That's why they are not liberations. In ordinary people, engaging in them generates traces, latent afflictions, which then have to be purified. They create paths of rebirth. This is very clearly explained in Abhidharma. They are mundane and samsaric.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 2:17 AM
Title: Re: Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche online reading transmission of the 17 Dzogchen Tantras
Content:
Lingpupa said:
I was going to pm you, but I see that's not available. I started reading the Self-Arisen Vidya this afternoon, and figured it was time to thank you for the astonishing work you've done!!!

Malcolm wrote:
Thanks. I am glad you are enjoying reading it. I enjoyed translating it.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 2:12 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


HePo said:
https://futureofamericanbuddhism.com/livestream/
is an event Streamed Live from the Garrison Institute June 2-5, 2022

Malcolm wrote:
Gross.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 1:46 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
haha said:
However, his book on Candrakirti’s writing was quite informative.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes. He knows the Sakyapa scholastic curriculum quite well.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 1:21 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
Meanwhile, the Russian talking heads are saying:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 1:13 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 12:29 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:


heart said:
In my opinion it seems more like the world he knows is not the world you know rather than that he know very little of the world. Very few Tibetans in his position knows so much about Western and Asian culture. He just see things differently.

Malcolm wrote:
That's the thing. I don't think he betrays much knowledge of western culture at all. Culture is in history. If you don't study Tibetan history, you don't know Tibetan culture.

He knows some western people. But they are mostly devotees. That does not mean he knows the west well at all.

heart said:
He is free to have any opinion he likes, just like you.

Malcolm wrote:
Definitely. One of the benefits of the liberal west he loves to criticize.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Monday, March 28th, 2022 at 12:18 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
There is no scenario where Putin doesn't escalate, unless he's killed first. And then who will take his place? Some Stalin? Russia gets Ruthless fast. This is the same La La land where we thought democracy will blossom if we take out Saddam and Momar.

Malcolm wrote:
Kaddaffi was taken out because of article 5. That was a NATO job. Iraq, everyone understands, was a function of Cheney (who was never a spook, and never acted like one) fabricating intelligence, but it is not that simple.

Crazywisdom said:
Iran revolution was a grassroots deal.

Malcolm wrote:
Under the Shah, Parsees were invited back from India, Bahais, Jews and Christians allowed to freely worship, etc., and the power of Muslim clerics was curtailed. Women did not wear the hijab, they wore dresses, one could buy wine, etc., and after the overthrow of Mossadegh with the help of the CIA and British intelligence, Iran continued to westernize. One of my friends was the late Prince Ali Reza. Most people really do not know the story of the revolution. I still have friends close to the Shah who left for France after the revolution. Despite the Shah's use of secret police to suppress the opposition, the Shah was progressive and pro-Western. The problem with the Shah was the problem all monarchies face. He had no good plan of succession, his kids were too young, and Iran was no longer a constitutional monarchy. The Iranian revolution set back the development of Iran by decades. Iran was the closest US ally in the region before the revolution.

The Iraq war against Iran was eventually backed by the US, but not enthusiastically. The decision was taken by the G7 to support other friendly Arab states, the main concern being that the war might spread throughout the middle east. Both Iraq and Iran were supporting terrorist groups, and Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran and the Kurds (an Iranian speaking people) many times. Shortly after the Irag/Iran war was over, Iraq invaded Kuwait for "cheating," it was a bedouin raid with tanks, jeeps, and APCs. Naturally, we punished Iraq. The UN levied very harsh sanctions against Iraq (which for some bizarre reason everyone blames Albright for, well because they are idiots who don't know history), and Wolfowitz and crew, managed to convince Bush II that Hussein was linked to Al-Qaeda. The rest you know.
Crazywisdom said:
We don't have good data about Russia. We don't know pro democracy stands a chance there. Now you're saying he has support from Christian fascists and the Duma wants invasion of Poland. So he's not alone and surely there is an ambitious dude ready to keep the fight going if Putin dies. We are one month into a war that will last years. Seems inevitable now that Putin takes on NATO.

Malcolm wrote:
Russia is a weak country. They will grow weaker. Everyone who can is leaving. You want to understand what is going on? Read this guy.

























etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 11:36 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
heart said:
You are welcome to criticise his politics as much as you want. I just wanted you to know that there are actual disciples of him here.

Malcolm wrote:
I am aware. But then, they know who he is. Right?

heart said:
I never heard him say anything about ChNNR so I can't comment on that.

Malcolm wrote:
I have been told he has by people who heard him first hand do so.

heart said:
Last event I was at we actually sang the SoV with his tune during tsog.

Malcolm wrote:
That's interesting. Well CHNN also pointed out that a lot of Lamas also discovered what he had known for decades, that the Ngondro approach isn't really working for many, many westerners.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 11:08 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
heart said:
I can tell you this: DJKR is an awesome Vajrayana teacher. One of the very very best in my opinion.

Malcolm wrote:
Sure, but we're just talking about his politics.

heart said:
Maybe you where but there was a lot of other rather unnecessary comments.

Malcolm wrote:
DJKR is polarizing. Many people think his approach to Sogyal's scandal was insincere, and his unconditional admiration for Trungpa really gross. They don't like his support for Aung San Su Kyi, and his take on the present war.

Many people don't agree with his take on guru devotion, etc.

You have to recognize, Magnus, that he has set himself up for criticism by being so vocal in his opinions. There are many Tibetans who really don't like him either, because he has criticized the Dalai Lama by criticizing the Dalai Lama's emphasis on Nalanda masters. So, pick a controversial guru, you get controversy. A lot of Tibetans (like Dzongsar) don't like ChNN, even now. He was also controversial in his day, especially when he was writing in the 1970's. Much of that is because the book that was recently published, Necklace of Jewels where he first began to synthesize his deconstruction of the imperial era myths about the nonexistence of Tibetan culture before the introduction of Buddhism, etc.

Pick a controversial guru, you are going to hear a lot of people voice criticisms of that guru. It's natural. But it is not fatal. And it does not negate that person's positive contributions. For example, the 84000 project, as I mentioned before this, is a very good use of DJKR's title and money.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 10:53 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
heart said:
I can tell you this: DJKR is an awesome Vajrayana teacher. One of the very very best in my opinion.

Malcolm wrote:
Sure, but we're just talking about his politics (mainly).

It is quite understandable that many Tibetans have different politics than Westerners.

I just wish that DJKR would actually study modern history, and not just watch random videos on the internet.

For example it is fine that he likes Mearsheimer. But he should also read Inkenberry, etc., in other words, he ought round out his opinions by reading the best scholarship, not just one position.

The funny thing to me is that he advocates for a so-called "realist" position (which is fundamentally amoral). But he seemingly has no understanding at all of the benefits he has received from liberal internationalism. The British Empire produced modern Indian democracy and Bhutanese democracy, where English is the defacto language of government and bureaucracy. When Tibet fell, where did the Tibetan Buddhist establishment move? India. He was born in Bhutan, a protectorate of Britain, originally. The Dalai Lama is strong advocate of liberal democracy. DKJR should listen.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 10:46 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Jesse said:
in case you haven't noticed we are doing something,Russia is being isolated from the rest of the world. He, and his country are losing every single benefit wrought from globalism.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, and rightly so.



Jesse said:
They have no real end game for Ukraine, any military victory will be hollow, they have fundamentally been defeated, wasted an enormous amount of money, resources, lives, and time gaining exactly nothing. This itself will destabilize Russia over time.

Malcolm wrote:
That's what happens when you try to overthrow a country that is seeking to integrate itself in the Western Bloc, and happens to be located next to NATO.

Jesse said:
This strategy has worked well, but it won't prevent Ukraine from being destroyed.. This is still a superior end than global nuclear Armageddon. The fact is they are walking a fine line even now, providing weapons, materials, intelligence, and other support to Ukraine. They are fundamentally walking the finest line possible to defeat Russia without escalating into direct conflict with them.

Malcolm wrote:
American and Russian pilots faced off in Korea and Vietnam. The fear of escalation to a nuclear war is overstated. You need to examine how Kennedy faced down Kruschev during the Cuban Missile crisis.

Jesse said:
I think fears that Russia will further invade Europe are mostly unfounded...

Malcolm wrote:
That's what they said about Hitler.

It is not unfounded that Putin might compound his errors. People in the Moscow Duma are already calling for an Invasion of Poland.

Jesse said:
to call NATOS response anything less than brilliant would be an understatement. Ukraine will be largely sacrificed to defeat Russia without getting into a nuclear war that would destroy us all. Ukraine included.

Malcolm wrote:
NATO has responded with insufficient support for Ukraine thus far.

Jesse said:
Really all that remains is for them to continue their present strategy while avoiding the pitfalls, and if they pull it off.. it will probably be the single best display of wartime strategy ever pulled off.

Malcolm wrote:
Originally, NATO thought Russia was stronger and more competent. We see more clearly now that Russia's corruption and autocracy has weakened Russia considerably over the past 20 years. I would argue that NATO"s response was too ginger. However, we now see that Russia is weak and disorganized. They are entirely dependent on the West for their technology and have been since the 1920's.

Jesse said:
They are beating one of the largest militaries on earth without firing a single shot(themselves),  but rather purely through strategy, non-violent warfare (economic war, sanctions, information war, psychological war).

Malcolm wrote:
The Russian Military is weak for a number of reason, not least of which they are potentially the main threat to Putin's power. You need to read all Kamal Galeev's threads on twitter.

Jesse said:
High functioning sociopaths ARE rational. Using nukes isn't inherently an irrational thing to do, it depends on the circumstances. Deciding to kill everyone using nukes in the event your only remaining option is death isn't irrational, it's mind mindbogglingly aggressive, free from any moral, empathetic, or sympathetic concern; but still not irrational.

Malcolm wrote:
Putin isn't a sociopath. He is a cop, a policeman, and behaves like a policeman. He is not military guy. Huge numbers of the "soldiers" sent to Ukraine were police, armed with riot gear. He thought he was going in to make arrests after the Ukrainians put down their arms and let his army in.

He is also not a Bond villain. He is motivated by a Christian fascist ideology (Ivan Ilyin) supported by a fascist movement in Russia. It's unlikely he will use tactical nukes. There are layers of command between him and Russia's strategic nukes. Remember Mark Milley's comments to Pelosi about Trump's access to nukes? It is the same in Russia.

So far, the Russian command structure has been compromised electronically. Their vaunted secure communications system uses 3g. They blew up all the 3g towers in Eastern Ukraine. This is why they switched to using Iphones, enabling everyone to listen in on their communications. If they plan on using tactical nukes, we will know about it right away, before they use them. They will use chemical weapons before they use nukes. They've already used phosphorus. In short, we know what the Russians are planning, and when they are going to move.

You are correct that we have the upper hand. But we need to end this now, for Ukraine, and drive the Russians back into the Russia, and continue to crush them so Russian Federation falls apart. In my opinion, Russia has lost the right to be a federation.



The 300 year era of Russian colonialism is now over, permanently.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:54 PM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:



PeterC said:
So by that logic, if you’re thinking of reading that particular translation of the Nang Jang, you would explain Chatral R’s foreword and ask your lama if it’s ok?

stoneinfocus said:
Why would I if I have transmission and permission to read Nang Jang already from my lama?

I don't understand your point about KDL. KDL chooses to teach a text to his students. His students can utilize his teachings. End of story. What is there to discuss about this?

PeterC said:
Malcolm’s point is that KDL himself didn’t have the lung.  He was going back to the original argument about the content of the 17 tantras containing everything subsequent in the development of mennagde and therefore being sufficient as a basis for studying anything else in the tradition.  My point was that sure, if KDL decided to do that then nobody is going to disagree with him because he’s KDL, but should you trust yourself to do the same.  Like my earlier hypothetical it’s an appeal to intuition.

Malcolm wrote:
For example, ChNN pointed out he did not have the lung for the commentary on the Sound Tantra, but he pointed out that he did have the lung for the Sound Tantra, and therefor he didn’t need the lung for the commentary. So, we don’t either, as long as we have the lung for the Sound Tantra itself.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:51 PM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:



PeterC said:
Of course I’d trust KDL’s opinion on a Thogal text given his experience. But should I trust my opinion about the same Thogal text when I don’t have his experience?

stoneinfocus said:
No, which is why you listen to qualified teachers. If KDL is your lama, then as his student, you can utilize the text if he says you can. If he's not your teacher, then you don't. This is very easy.

PeterC said:
So by that logic, if you’re thinking of reading that particular translation of the Nang Jang, you would explain Chatral R’s foreword and ask your lama if it’s ok?

Malcolm wrote:
This is a funny question. Chatral Rinpoche didn’t know English, not one word. There is no way he can endorse one English translation against another.

Two of these translations are restricted: the Padma Publishung one and the new Shambhala one. Wallace’s is not, but Wallace also received the transmission for these things from Gyatrul R.

It’s all really moot, actually. Of course my personal practice is to get the lung for things I want to read, but I am not anyone’s boss. All I can say is that having at least the poti wang makes a connection with the texts. I can encourage people to get lungs, but it’s really up to them.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:44 PM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:



PeterC said:
I made the cost of choosing the alternative zero in the hypothetical - so clearly you value the possibility of acting against the wishes of a well-respected and important lama at zero.  That is a curious choice.

Malcolm wrote:
Counter example. Kunzang Dechen Lingpa taught Khenpo Ngakchung’s Thogal Zintri despite not having received the lung. Why? His explanation was it was just thogal, little different than what was in Yeshe Lama.

We forget that Dzogchen is an intimate instruction that does not come from a text. We also forget that these texts are extremely repetitive. If you’ve read the four Dzogchen treasuries of Longchenpa, you’ve pretty much read everything one needs to practice, providing one is under the guidance of a qualified teacher.

PeterC said:
Of course I’d trust KDL’s opinion on a Thogal text given his experience. But should I trust my opinion about the same Thogal text when I don’t have his experience?

Malcolm wrote:
The point I am making is that Chatral Rinpoche had put a restriction on this text . One cannot download it, etc. I certainly agree that people should not read Dzogchen texts without guidance, but after a certain point we have to be realistic and understand that Tibetans read all kinds of things for which they do not have the lung and that if they are sufficiently interested in something, they go get the lung. Of course, this only applies to educated Tibetans. Prior to 1959, only 15% of the Tibetan population was actually literate.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:22 PM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:
PeterC said:
So in my hypothetical above, you would feel perfectly happy reading HHDL’s heart sutra book, and not think it a better idea to pick up one of the hundreds of others that doesn’t have a forward expressing the explicit wishes of the lama publishing it that you do not read it?

The problem with my hypothetical is that not all translations are equal. But let’s leave that to one side for now.

stoneinfocus said:
Yes. Unless there is some text or commentary in there or addition that is not available elsewhere. The Heart Sutra is the Heart Sutra. Another text like a commentary is a different story.

PeterC said:
I made the cost of choosing the alternative zero in the hypothetical - so clearly you value the possibility of acting against the wishes of a well-respected and important lama at zero.  That is a curious choice.

Malcolm wrote:
Counter example. Kunzang Dechen Lingpa taught Khenpo Ngakchung’s Thogal Zintri despite not having received the lung. Why? His explanation was it was just thogal, little different than what was in Yeshe Lama.

We forget that Dzogchen is an intimate instruction that does not come from a text. We also forget that these texts are extremely repetitive. If you’ve read the four Dzogchen treasuries of Longchenpa, you’ve pretty much read everything one needs to practice, providing one is under the guidance of a qualified teacher. There isn’t one single thing in Dudjom Lingpa oeuvre that is more profound than what is contained in Longchenpa’s works.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:10 PM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:



PeterC said:
This is a better argument.  But it runs into the same problem as my first hypothetical above. There is a translation out there that doesn’t even raise the issue of Chatral R’s wishes.  Now I’m not going to comment on the relative quality of the two translation, but I know people have opinions on that.

stoneinfocus said:
The text is the text. If your lama says you can read it, you can read it. I get that you're trying to respect every lama's wishes, but what your lama says first is what matters most. If you come across a situation like you describe and you want to ask them, that's fine, but there is no fault in reading a text you have permission for, regardless of some lama putting a restriction on it.

You can either follow the spirit of how transmission and permission works, or you can cling to rules. Personally, I'll not question when my lamas say I can read something. It's not a fault to read something they said I could read.

PeterC said:
So in my hypothetical above, you would feel perfectly happy reading HHDL’s heart sutra book, and not think it a better idea to pick up one of the hundreds of others that doesn’t have a forward expressing the explicit wishes of the lama publishing it that you do not read it?

The problem with my hypothetical is that not all translations are equal. But let’s leave that to one side for now.

Malcolm wrote:
The fact is that Tibetans don’t respect these prohibitions and never have. Marpa for example.The only way to keep a text unread is to keep it in a manuscript.

The system of lungs exists solely due to scarcity of paper and the low level of literacy in Tibet.

The value of reading transmissions is in continuing a lineage of a text. That is a valid point. However, the absence of a lung for a text does not mean it does not get read. I can provide many examples of texts that have no lung and continue to be read widely, for example Nubchen’s Lamp.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:06 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Jesse said:
People don't understand the speed at which nuclear war is actually fought.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes we do. Quite a few of us grew up during the first Cold War.

Jesse said:
Many do not -- thus the public calls for assassinating Putin, Establishing anti fly zones, sending fleets of aircraft to Ukraine.

Chest thumpers without the slightest understanding of the reality of nuclear war, and just how quickly it can happen.

Malcolm wrote:
So we cave? Let Putin have his way with Europe?

Jesse said:
Nearly anyone when put in this situation would be likely to use the nuclear option; Putin is likely a high functioning sociopath, and potentially a high functioning psychopath. The exact type of personality which would resort to killing everyone in the event he loses everything.

Malcolm wrote:
Generally speaking, no one believes Putin is that irrational. He is not a Bond villain. So it is better to treat him as a rational actor. He won’t use strategic nukes, even if NATO or the UN sends troops into Ukraine.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 7:11 PM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Jesse said:
People don't understand the speed at which nuclear war is actually fought.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes we do. Quite a few of us grew up during the first Cold War.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 7:07 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Brunelleschi said:
Respectfully disagree about Buddhism being passed to the West. English is and will probably be one of the bigger languages used, but that is about it. Look at the statistics:

A miniscule proportion of the world's buddhists live in the West as we see here. Only ~1% of Americans are Buddhists (Wikipedia). Probably even less in Europe.
Stat_1.jpg

Not a single western country in the top 10.
Stat_2.jpg


Via: https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/buddhists/

Malcolm wrote:
99 percent of that 98 percent are nonpractitioners, cultural Buddhists. My remark still stands.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 10:42 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


PeterC said:
A popular revolt against him is a fantasy. The only plausible scenario in which he goes is that a few senior, respected military figures kill him.

Malcolm wrote:
That won’t happen. It won’t be the military. Russia’s military is weak, low man on the totem. It would have to be the secret police, the state security apparatus, they are the elite in Russia these days, at least, according to Kamal Galeev,


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 10:12 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Sādhaka said:
Because Biden is the voice of sanity (?)

Malcolm wrote:
Because he is right.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 10:06 AM
Title: Re: Stream of Lapis And ChNN namchö medicine Buddha …same?
Content:
dechenpa said:
There are about 40 deities in the Namcho cycle,

Malcolm wrote:
There are 37 different dakini practices in Namcho alone.

You might want to recount.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:39 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:35 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:29 AM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
What's a "department store"?

Malcolm wrote:
Woolworth’s, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 9:14 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Johnny Dangerous said:
You don’t think it’s stupid to make a paranoid dictator with access to the worlds largest cache of nuclear weapons, one who is basically obsessed with the notion that he is in a cultural battle with The West more paranoid with your statements? It’s dumb as shit to do that, true or not.

Malcolm wrote:
Sorry, but someone has to stand up to,Putin. If not now, when? After he has attacked a NATO country like Estonia? When does the appeasement end?

I am glad Biden said out loud what every sane person in the West thinks.

I think it is bullshit that we have not declared a no fly zone.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 6:14 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:


Jesse said:
In a few short hours on live television, and in front of the UN he managed to call Putin: A war criminal, a Butcher, and then say that he needs to be removed from power.

Malcolm wrote:
All three things are true. Putin is a war criminal, a butcher, and needs to be removed from power.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 5:31 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
It seems the Naropa University has a relationship with the Lenz Foundation.

Malcolm wrote:
Yes, sadly they do. But it is not surprising at all. I explained the connection above.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 4:51 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
I vaguely remember about Frederick “Zen Master Rama” Lenz and I have no idea what the Lenz Foundation does.

Malcolm wrote:
"We Are Building American Buddhism"

It mostly exists to promote this bullshit:

https://www.ramameditationsociety.org

For example, there are two insipid pieces of dreadful, derivative new age dross. Here is one:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 4:05 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
The Lamp of Dharma is not going out in the East and the best lamas live there...

Malcolm wrote:
It is and not for long.

You have no idea how degenerate things are in Tibet. All the "best lamas" are passing away. I have a Chinese friend in Tibet, fluent in Tibetan, who can go everywhere, and has spent the past several years living in Golok, Kham, Lhasa, etc., with access to all the best lamas in Tibet—Jonang, Nyingma, Kagyu, and Sakya—collecting as many transmissions as he can before it all goes to pot.

I get reports from him fairly regularly. It is worse in India and the rest of Asia.

English is now the international language of Buddhism. Everyone recognizes this, including DJKR.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 3:51 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


HePo said:
Malcolm
...
After Lenz’s suicide/accidental death (it’s not clear which),
perhaps taking 150 tabs of Valium mightb be a clue?
the woman he was with only took 50 Valiums.

Malcolm wrote:
A detail that escaped my less-than-engaged attention in the whole thing.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 3:18 AM
Title: Re: Money for Yumka Tsok?
Content:
treehuggingoctopus said:
Apparently very much a traditional Tibetan thing. One of my teachers (a Tibetan) has told me that Tibetan families will keep detailed notes about who donated how much (or what) to whom and when and in which circumstances, so that gift-giving is actually a very demanding game if it is to be played correctly -- you need to take into account whether the recipient, or someone in their family, has the capacity/opportunity to reciprocate in the future. The aforementioned book-keeping endeavour spans generations. (The teacher sharing the story seemed to find the practice silly, hilarious but not really reprehensible.)

Malcolm wrote:
Thai Buddhists also keep ledgers where they note how much they gave, to whom, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 3:03 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:




Shinjin said:
It very well could be but consider the fact that Pure Land is the most widely practiced form of Buddhism in the world right now.

Malcolm wrote:
That's now, not the future.

Crazywisdom said:
GP also said it will be like a flash in the pan and as suddenly as it becomes the thing it will perish.

Malcolm wrote:
That is not how it is described in the commentary of the Sound Tantra. In the Sound Tantra and its commentary, Dzogchen is the final remaining Dharma after all the others, including Mantrayāna, has vanished.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 3:00 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
I find his comments disappointing, but not terribly surprising. It seems like much of his social commentary the past years has narrowed from occasionally  insightful to romantic and reactionary.

Crazywisdom said:
Did he ever come out as gay? I feel like he's struggling with it.

Malcolm wrote:
He has a partner, a woman who grew up in the Shambhala community, as I understand things.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 1:52 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Shinjin said:
The future of American Buddhism is Shin Buddhism according to DT Suzuki.

Malcolm wrote:
The future of Buddhism period is Dzogchen, according to Garab Dorje. YMMV.



Shinjin said:
It very well could be but consider the fact that Pure Land is the most widely practiced form of Buddhism in the world right now.

Malcolm wrote:
That's now, not the future.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 1:47 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Shinjin said:
Regardless I think he is a great teacher. People pay too much attention to politics especially Americans. Dharma is more important.

Malcolm wrote:
Sorry, but Europeans definitely have us beat in the "Paying too much attention to politics department."

Politics are important to Dharma, that is why there are so many sūtras and rituals devoted to protecting nations, etc., so that the Dharma can flourish.

The Lamp of Dharma has clearly passed to the West, whether people realize it or not. Liberal democracy is responsible for that. The age of kings is done.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 1:43 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:


Shinjin said:
Ethics are for suckers? We are definitely in Mappo.

Malcolm wrote:
He is referring to people who expect Vajrayāna gurus to conform to conventional Buddhist ethics. Such people, he writes, should stick with common Mahāyāna, because somehow, there is some magical substance in Vajrayāna samayas that make you fall into hell if you disapprove of your guru's conduct or resist their abuse, should they in fact be abusive in a real sense.

Somehow, in some people's minds, the ritual of empowerment creates a magical chain that turns one into a Buddhist serf if one should take empowerment. This idea is perfectly understandable in the context of Tibetan culture, as the Tibetans tend to view the relationship between teacher and student as something resembling a lord and a vassal. Of course in the real world, it does not necessarily play out like this at all. But generally people like to use the fantasy novel about Milarepa written in the 15th century, or the accounts of Naropa's trials under Tilopa as proof that we should allow our gurus to torture us for our own good, excusing the pathological behavior of Trungpa and others on such grounds.

In his writings DJKR devotes thousands of words to criticizing people who are offended when they are treated badly by some Vajrayāna teacher and wish to leave, basically asserting that feeling harmed by some person they participated in a ritual with means they will never achieve liberation, not even considering for one second that the real situation is that student and that teacher do not have the right karmic connection at all and it is better for them to separate. The real problem here is a catechistic and realist interpretation of samaya and a failure to appreciate that teachers can and do break samaya with their students. This point is never actually addressed in any comprehensive way by DJKR in any of his writings. In his writings, the onus is always placed on the student to behave, never the teacher.

As far as DJKR's politics go, well, he likes to stir things up and create controversy. But over the years a very distinct pattern of conservatism has emerged—there is nothing good at all about the West, and basically, I am quite sure that in his mind we should go back to the some time where there was an enlightened dharmarāja to run the world (which is a fantasy). I find in his writings a great deal of nostalgia. He seems to be akin to what Ann Applebaum, a conservative columnist for the Washington Post, describes as a nostalgic conservative:

Radically different from the reflective nostalgics are what Boym calls the restorative nostalgics, not all of whom recognize themselves as nostalgics at all. Restorative nostalgics don’t just look at old photographs and piece together family stories. They are mythmakers and architects, builders of monuments and founders of nationalist political projects. They do not merely want to contemplate or learn from the past. They want, as Boym puts it, to “rebuild the lost home and patch up the memory gaps.” Many of them don’t recognize their own fictions about the past for what they are: “They believe their project is about truth.” They are not interested in a nuanced past, in a world in which great leaders were flawed men, in which famous military victories had lethal side effects. They don’t acknowledge that the past might have had its drawbacks. They want the cartoon version of history, and more importantly, they want to live in it, right now. They don’t want to act out roles from the past because it amuses them: they want to behave as they think their ancestors did, without irony.

It is not by accident that restorative nostalgia often goes hand in hand with conspiracy theories and the medium-sized lies. These needn’t be as harsh or crazy as the Smolensk conspiracy theory or the Soros conspiracy theory; they can gently invoke scapegoats rather than a full-fledged alternative reality. At a minimum, they can offer an explanation: The nation is no longer great because someone has attacked us, undermined us, sapped our strength. Someone—the immigrants, the foreigners, the elites, or indeed the EU—has perverted the course of history and reduced the nation to a shadow of its former self. The essential identity that we once had has been taken away and replaced with something cheap and artificial. Eventually, those who seek power on the back of restorative nostalgia will begin to cultivate these conspiracy theories, or alternative histories, or alternative fibs, whether or not they have any basis in fact.

Applebaum, Anne. Twilight of Democracy (p. 74-75). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

In DJKR's case, it seems he feels that it westerners and democracy itself are attacking, undermining, and sapping the strength of the Dharma. Take this post on Facebook:



In short, he really dislikes the West and liberal democracy. Not sure what he wants to replace it with...


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 12:36 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Shinjin said:
The future of American Buddhism is Shin Buddhism according to DT Suzuki.

Malcolm wrote:
The future of Buddhism period is Dzogchen, according to Garab Dorje. YMMV.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 12:24 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
I tend to agree with him that Westerns filter dharma through biases that seem more important to them than dharma.

Malcolm wrote:
Tibeans and Bhutanese do the same thing. It is no different.

Obedience to autocratic authority in the name of imaginary friends ("wisdom beings") whom one claims to speak for is not actually part of the dharma. But it is what passes for guru devotion in DJKR's writings.

Most people don't realize this, but "rājas" in Buddha's tribe were elected. It was not a hereditary position. The Buddha instituted a form of representative democracy based on seniority in the monastic sangha, which still exists today. For example, the head of the Geluk school is elected, not appointed.

Anyway, DJKR does enough good things for the Dharma that his unfortunate naivety in politics and lack of understanding of modern history is forgivable. I'd definitely never vote for him though. I'd never take teachings from him either (which I am sure he prefers). But that's just me. It's better he remains a vajra brother.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 12:18 AM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:
Archie2009 said:
Though Chatral Rinpoche being a transmisison holder for Sera Khandro would have resulted in one translation being sold at only 2 stores worldwide, while the Wallace translation can be ordered at your local department store.

Malcolm wrote:
Another rather absurd situation, like the one you describe, is Mipham's short commentary on Guhyagarbha. The LOB translation is restricted, the Dharmacakra translation is not.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 12:13 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
American Buddhism. That's funny. Will there be a representative from Peru? American Buddhism is bigger than US of A.

Malcolm wrote:
The USA is the only country with the word "America" in its name. Hence, "American Buddhism" refers only to Buddhism in the US.

Small point, but worth considering for context.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2022 at 12:04 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:49 PM
Title: Re: Buddhahood In This Life
Content:
PRESTONCHRISTIAN23 said:
but does the 17 tantras allow me to be connected to where I can read that?

Malcolm wrote:
If you have received Dzogchen transmission and some teachings already, then I think it is ok. If you have not, then maybe it is better to find a teacher first.

Archie2009 said:
Let's say you have received Dzogchen transmission and some teachings and perhaps some more. In the information session you mentioned that everything in the Tshig don mdzod, but also basically everything in Lonchenpa's writings is based on the man ngag sde 17 tantras. Wouldn't that then basically also hold for every Heart Essence Dzogchen text composed after him? So you could read almost anything with the intention of getting the lung afterwards as soon as the opportunity presents itself? Let's say Wonderous Dance of Illusion on which the publisher of the English translation has tagged a restriction for possession of the lung. I think this particular restriction came at the request of Chatral Rinpoche, but I personally think it is silly since there is (probably) no such restriction attached to the Tibetan original.

Malcolm wrote:
That's something you must decide for yourself. And yes, you can download that autobio from BDRC with no problem. Other texts of his are restricted, meaning you cannot download them.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:40 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
But one could easily criticize you for your myopathy and attachment to views.

Malcolm wrote:
It is easy to criticize anyone, even the Buddha.

Crazywisdom said:
Deadbeat dad.

Malcolm wrote:
Indeed.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:28 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Crazywisdom said:
But one could easily criticize you for your myopathy and attachment to views.

Malcolm wrote:
It is easy to criticize anyone, even the Buddha. I think you meant myopia.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 9:55 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
KristenM said:
I’ve got a similar feeling about Uma Thurman, whom I have met and wasn’t totally blown away by her Bodhisattva qualities either.

Tilopa said:
Not intending to be critical but afaik she's just an ordinary person so expecting her to have the qualities of a bodhisattva may be a bit unrealistic.

Or am I missing something and she's been recognized as the incarnation of a Lama?

Either way maybe you just got her on a bad day.

KristenM said:
Just for the record, I met her multiple times and she was supposed to be a mentor to me, but she wasn’t even famous then. Anyhow, I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sure she is just fine.

Malcolm wrote:
She was awesome in Kill Bill.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 9:47 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
KristenM said:
But this event does look like some corporate pc schlock.

Malcolm wrote:
And the grift goes on…

Set to tune of “And The Beat Goes On” by the Whispers:


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 7:55 PM
Title: Re: Proclamations of Attainment
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The tale of the bodhisattva bhikshu who takes on a suicidal lover is recounted in the Muni’s intent by Sapan.

But the main point overall is that motivation trumps the deed every time. For example, lying to hunters about the location of game they are pursuing, etc.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 7:46 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Bhumi108w said:
I sense some folks are not fans of DJKR here.

climb-up said:
I really like his book “what makes you not Buddhist,”’and the part of “not for happiness” that I read.

I am not a fan of this nonsense!

Malcolm wrote:
The nonsense is DJKR’s continued insinuation that Putin’s invasion of the Ukraine is somehow the fault of the US, his frequent attacks on liberal democracy, and his general cheerleading of autocrats.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 7:34 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


narhwal90 said:
Big events like this are how the big dharma machines operate; you have to get the butts onto cushions on a larger scale.

Malcolm wrote:
Corporate Buddhism is horrible. All the big scandals come from such entities.

Is it a surprise that the Lenz Foundation is sponsoring this? No. Fredrick Lenz was a huge fraud. The Lenz Foundation has about as much to do with Buddhism as Exxon has to do with combatting climate change.

Lenz’s grift was “American Buddhism.” His scheme was to get naive people to come to concerts by his Kitaro influenced new age band, Zazen, and call that meditation. He wrote stupid, orientalist adventure novels that make T. Lobsang Rampa look credible by comparison, such memorable titles as Surfing in the Himalayas, featuring, I kid you not, a fellow named Master Fwap, etc. The more intelligent people he sent to school to learn computer science, set them up with Wall Street jobs, and tithed them 10%. In this way he became wealthy very quickly through his software company filled with devotees. But it all had nothing to do with Buddhadharma.

After Lenz’s suicide/accidental death (it’s not clear which), one of his main students married one of Namkhai Drime Rinpoche’s daughters. Her sister married Mukpo and became queen of Shambhala. You can guess the rest.

The advisory board for the Lenz Foundation is telling:

Liz Lewinson, Chairperson
B. A. Smith, Co-Chairperson
Dr. Koshin Paley Ellison, MFA, LMSW, DMin, co-founder, the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care
Lisa Marshall, CEO, Rama Meditation Society
Acharya Fleet Maull, Prison Dharma Network
Jeffrey Richardson, Sr. Consulting Information Technology Architect, IBM
James Shaheen, Editor and Publisher – Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies, Naropa University


I wouldn’t participate in one of their conferences if you paid me. This isn’t about getting butts onto cushions, it’s about legitimizing one of the biggest grifters in the short history of Buddhism in the West.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 7:08 PM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
narhwal90 said:
I like the outreach angle, maybe get a bunch of visitors and so on.   Even if SFZC was my home center I wouldn't attend as a participant, but I'd make assisting the production a form of work practice.

Big events like this are how the big dharma machines operate; you have to get the butts onto cushions on a larger scale.  Happily there are smaller dharma operations also, for those so disposed.

HePo said:
I do not know how much SFZC is involved - only one on the panel is associated with SFZC.

It seems to be part of a series organised by https://fredericklenzfoundation.org/events/2022-the-future-of-american-buddhism/%5B/url

Lenz Foundation - Frederick Lenz aka Zen Master Rama

Malcolm wrote:
Part of the reason Shambhala is going off the rails is the influence of the Lenz foundation.

I recall seeing this guy hanging up his own fliers in Harvard square back in the 80’s.

He drowned off the end of his dock in Long Island, found wearing a dog collar.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 7:02 PM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
What makes you think DJKR is anything other than an ordinary person?

Tilopa said:
Nothing at all, never met him.

Maybe I'm naive but I do expect incarnate lamas, dharma teachers and gurus to behave a little better than ordinary people who may not necessarily be familiar with mahayana philosophy, practice and ethics. I'm well aware some don't but therein lies the difference between trustworthy teachers and charlatans best avoided.

Malcolm wrote:
DJKR has made it very clear in many of his writings that ethics are for suckers, and that if you expect gurus to be ethical, you should not practice Vajrayana.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:37 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:



Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:33 AM
Title: Re: Money for Yumka Tsok?
Content:
pemachophel said:
I don't know about other Asian societies, but Chinese culture is very into consensus building, often by peer-pressure. Also very into ranking. I have seen several Tibetan Lamas with large Chinese sanghas, whether in Asia or the West, adopt this technique after seeing its impressive financial results, and, yes, it is very uncomfortable for Westerners.

Malcolm wrote:
They didn’t adopt it from the Chinese.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:28 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
I think a discussion between committed practitioners about “tradition and innovation” could be interesting. Ten years ago I saw Jack Kornfield on a panel noting that “Every generation has both ‘conservers’ and ‘adapters’” and that the first argument between them began immediately at the Buddha’s passing.

Really, whether this conference will be of any value is mostly dependent on the speakers, not the topic labels.

Malcolm wrote:
People will meet, talk, eat food (the sensible people will also get a drink together), have a nice feeling, go home

KristenM said:
Isn’t it a Webinar?

Malcolm wrote:
Even more hollow and self-important, then.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 11:03 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:
clyde said:
I think a discussion between committed practitioners about “tradition and innovation” could be interesting. Ten years ago I saw Jack Kornfield on a panel noting that “Every generation has both ‘conservers’ and ‘adapters’” and that the first argument between them began immediately at the Buddha’s passing.

Really, whether this conference will be of any value is mostly dependent on the speakers, not the topic labels.

Malcolm wrote:
People will meet, talk, eat food (the sensible people will also get a drink together), have a nice feeling, go home, and nothing will have happened of any significance other than a Tricycle article about how important it all was.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 10:35 AM
Title: Re: Does reincarnation really exists or is it just in the mind?
Content:
Johnny Dangerous said:
The thing is that even with modern physics (if we go that route) it’s hard to argue for the “real existence” (I.e. “outside”) of anything beyond just obstruction via…I don’t know, probability fields or something.

So, all *experience* is of the mind, and we can only ever know of “outside” existence via inference.

Malcolm wrote:
No object, no experience. This can be known through direct perception and not inference. If you argue that all experience is inferential, than awakening is impossible, since it is also reduced to an inference.

Johnny Dangerous said:
Not saying all experience is inferential, that wouldn't make sense at all. I'm saying things that are labelled "outside" experience - stuff like atoms etc. (not in the abidharma sense, in the modern sense) are only knowable through inferences made about subjective experiences.

Malcolm wrote:
Inference is a form of valid knowledge.

But we don’t need to infer that in absence of light our eyes can’t see outer objects, and when there is light they can see outer objects.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 10:27 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
KristenM said:
I’ve got a similar feeling about Uma Thurman, whom I have met and wasn’t totally blown away by her Bodhisattva qualities either.

Tilopa said:
Not intending to be critical but afaik she's just an ordinary person so expecting her to have the qualities of a bodhisattva may be a bit unrealistic.

Or am I missing something and she's been recognized as the incarnation of a Lama?

Either way maybe you just got her on a bad day.

KristenM said:
For sure. It is an unrealistic expectation to assume a child of a great Buddhist practitioner would have those same qualities.

Malcolm wrote:
Who says Thurman is a “great Buddhist practitioner?” I met him, and while he can be funny, I found him to be rather hysterical and brittle in general.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 10:01 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Tilopa said:
Not intending to be critical but afaik she's just an ordinary person

Malcolm wrote:
What makes you DJKR is anything other than an ordinary person?


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 9:56 AM
Title: Re: The Future of American Buddhism
Content:


Queequeg said:
Leadership, Power, and Empowerment…

pass.

Malcolm wrote:
Sounds pretty Holiday Day Inn business conference-style, real estate seminar.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 9:47 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Bhumi108w said:
I sense some folks are not fans of DJKR here.

Malcolm wrote:
DJKR’s politics are not interesting or particularly well-informed. His grasp of modern history is atrocious.

Nevertheless, he has used his reputation to benefit many people with the dharma, despite what ever one perceive his personal limitations to be.

I generally make a point of separating people’s politics from their commitment to Dharma.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 6:10 AM
Title: Re: Any empowerment of the potential of vidyā (rig pa'i rtsal dbang) for 2022?
Content:
Toenail said:
So that would be a good thing for OP

Malcolm wrote:
Not really. The rig pa'i rtsal dbang is deeper than the fourth empowerment. Of course attending a Hevajra empowerment is not negative, but it is not related to Dzogchen teachings directly.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 6:01 AM
Title: Re: Ukraine Crisis
Content:
Toenail said:
Putin seems to retreat from Kiew and focus on Donbass region? Maybe they will settle for the east and call it a victory? They been releasing a statement saying their mission is partly completed.,


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 5:57 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:


Norwegian said:
What an incredibly dumb take by Dzongsar Khyentse...

Malcolm wrote:
DJKR stays on facebook where he is lauded by sycophants, no matter what he says.

I don't think he could take on the twitter mean girls. For them, he would just be a light snack.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 5:41 AM
Title: Re: Proclamations of Attainment
Content:
Caoimhghín said:
I think that that "really" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. I think that it's dragging a lot of unsaid material behind it.

Malcolm wrote:
The point is that motivation is the underlying determining factor for whether a bodhisattva has broken their vows, not the action itself.

There is a vast literature in Tibetan Buddhism on the three vows. I personally agree with Sakya Pandita's point of view, where the higher vow contradicts the lower vow, one follows the higher vow.

For example, he points out that bodhisattva bhikṣus can handle gold and silver, own property, engage in trade, etc. This is prohibited for śrāvaka bhikṣus. Likewise, Vajrayāna bhikṣus can eat meat, drink alcohol, which is prohibited for Mahāyāna bhkṣus.

As I said, anything for the cause.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 5:37 AM
Title: Re: Proclamations of Attainment
Content:
Malcolm wrote:
The usual example is the bodhisattva bhikṣu who had sex with a young women who threatened to kill herself if he did not make love to her. His prātimoḳsa defeat is not considered a defeat in the bodhisattvasamvara.

Losal Samten said:
Would he still be disrobed?

Malcolm wrote:
Externally, I am sure. Internally, he never broke his prātimokṣa. The case of Virupa is a little similar, though the context is different.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 5:33 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Toenail said:
It is not really as simple as just saying one does not endorse certain views etc., if you share it you kinda wear it. I don't really get his edgy internet persona.

Malcolm wrote:
It is pretty simple: he is a reactionary who neither understands nor supports liberal democracy.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 5:30 AM
Title: Re: Someone go tell DJKR
Content:
Toenail said:
It is not really as simple as just saying one does not endorse certain views etc., if you share it you kinda wear it. I don't really get his edgy internet persona. I met him on the Boudhanath stupa and his presence gave me goosebumps even without the groupies and yuppies around him. But I don't really get his social media activity.

Norwegian said:
I feel like there's a particular context here that is missing. Maybe if you shared what you're referring to, it'd be easier to understand where you're coming from.

Malcolm wrote:
The context is that DJKR thinks the US is bombing the Ukraine.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 4:53 AM
Title: Re: Money for Yumka Tsok?
Content:
pemachophel said:
This is typical of Chinese sanghas.

Padmist said:
It is majority Chinese yes due to area. That could be it.

Malcolm wrote:
The logic of this is that it allows other people to rejoice in the merit of the donor. Definitely cringy from a western POV, but I have also seen this in large Tibetan teachings as well, such as Lamdre, etc., as well, where the sponsors of tea offerings have their names read off before the tea offering begins.


Author: Malcolm
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 2022 at 4:39 AM
Title: Re: Any empowerment of the potential of vidyā (rig pa'i rtsal dbang) for 2022?
Content:
Toenail said:
And not sure what Tantra class etc it is but you can research and look it up.

Malcolm wrote:
Unsurpassed Yoga Tantra, Nondual Class, according to the Sakyapas.


