Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Tell us how you think the forum can be improved. We will listen.
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retrofuturist
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

I just wanted to say something rather personal, that I'm sure will resonate with some long-term members, which I think is quite relevant to much of what has been said in this topic to date.

About roughly 4 years ago (possibly in line with Bhikkhu Bodhi's growing interest in activism?), this forum gradually became increasingly tilted and biased in favour of certain people and perspectives, and tilted against others. The Terms of Service became secondary to social engineering agendas, and protecting favoured friends and views, at the expense of others. We lost members due to this partiality... both the disadvantaged members who were banned or voluntarily left, plus those who disagreed with a forum being managed with such blatant biases. (I myself left Dhamma Wheel for about 4-6 months because of the latter reason).

Then, there was a period of upheaval and change, where David and I set about restoring the balance and putting everything back on a level playing field, with everyone equal under the Terms of Service. Those who had introduced the biases left the forum on their own volition, as did those who felt a strong allegiance to them who felt that they'd been hard done by. Thankfully, this departure was partly offset by the return of former members, but it was another unsettled period for Dhamma Wheel.

What dismays me most about all of this is that it was so totally unnecessary! It didn't need to be this way, and as sure as I'm still a member here, I'm committed to ensuring it never happens again. There is a scar across this community that is slowly healing, but there is a way to go yet, until our relationships are as congenial and mutually respectful as they could and should be.

To that end, what I ask of you personally, if you're amenable to doing so, is to hold metta, karuna and mudita in your heart for all past, present and future members. If you hold grudges against anyone for any of their involvement in any of the above, please consider releasing them for the benefit of yourself, for the other, and for the benefit of this community. If there are past members you know, who may have left due to some of the upheaval, who you would like to be here, please invite them back. If they happen to have been banned for their views and perspectives, please let me know and I will restore their access. As soon as people can let bygones be bygones, the faster the scar will heal, and the events I outlined will no longer cast a shadow over our community, and will serve only as a precautionary lesson for what we can never allow to occur again.

If you feel I hold a grudge against you personally, I assure you that I don't. If you need me to say that explicitly to you personally to help with that healing process, please let me know. If you feel in any way wronged by me, please get in touch.

Thanks for listening.

Metta, mudita & karuna,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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No_Mind
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by No_Mind »

retrofuturist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:10 am social engineering agendas,
This phrase quite resonated with me.

Back in March I had written that women cannot perform Hindu pujas since they have menstruation and cannot be a priest for few days of the month (being a priest is full time duty ..). I just stated the practice .. not that I see any merit in it or support it. For that I was jumped on and trampled with hob nailed boots by a hyper feminist. I was just providing info to David, not indulging in period shaming.

Someone gave me a long lecture about merits of not eating a tiny piece of fish weighing 4 oz once a week (because my eating that fish is apparently causing environmental degradation) but shied away from answering why he (or she) does not lecture his (or her) neighbours who drive a 24 valve 3.5 liter 214 cubic inch 450 horsepower SUV to kid's soccer game.

To make DW more Buddhist it has to be more culture neutral. Buddhists and Buddhist converts from across the world are not going to subscribe to California school of Buddhism (by which I mean "post modern Western political and social correctness meets cherry picked Dhamma school of Buddhism" .. ask members of that community to state if they fully and categorically believe in doctrine of Kamma and that a person who cleans toilets is doing so due to past Kamma and they would refuse to answer .. I can provide examples of such interaction from previous threads but am too busy to hunt down old conversations using keywords) and those who subscribe to the same have to have patience for those who do not.

I still read DW regularly. I am a more committed Buddhist now than when I participated here. But I am not going to ask any questions or engage here until more people of colour like me from across the world participate.

:namaste:

No_Mind
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
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robertk
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by robertk »

why he (or she) does not lecture his (or her) neighbours who drive a 24 valve 3.5 liter 214 cubic inch 450 horsepower SUV to kid's soccer game
I drive one of those and so do my neighbours. :toast:
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No_Mind
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by No_Mind »

robertk wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 6:24 am
why he (or she) does not lecture his (or her) neighbours who drive a 24 valve 3.5 liter 214 cubic inch 450 horsepower SUV to kid's soccer game
I drive one of those and so do my neighbours. :toast:
Good for you :thumbsup:

The biggest I have ever ridden in is a 3.2 liter, 197 hp turbo diesel Ford Endeavour (five-door SUV variant of the Ford Ranger T6 four-door pickup truck and called Ford Everest in some markets). We are used to 1.5 liter compacts the size of Hyundai i20 and smaller SUVs and the Endeavour seemed like Titanic. Great ride though.

:namaste:

No_Mind
Last edited by No_Mind on Sun Dec 17, 2017 10:52 am, edited 3 times in total.
"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”― Albert Camus
binocular
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by binocular »

retrofuturist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:10 amTo that end, what I ask of you personally, if you're amenable to doing so, is to hold metta, karuna and mudita in your heart for all past, present and future members. If you hold grudges against anyone for any of their involvement in any of the above, please consider releasing them for the benefit of yourself, for the other, and for the benefit of this community.
Although not just a few posters here think that I hold grudges against some Buddhists, this is not the case at all. The events with some Buddhists in the past made me doubt whether the Dhamma really is egalitarian and free-for-all. Or whether, like most things in this world, Buddhism, too, is just another instance of this dog-eat-dog world and I just need to accept that and my lowly station in this system.
I don't know how to gain clarity over this matter.
Hic Rhodus, hic salta!
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catsquotl
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by catsquotl »

binocular wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 11:57 am
retrofuturist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:10 amTo that end, what I ask of you personally, if you're amenable to doing so, is to hold metta, karuna and mudita in your heart for all past, present and future members. If you hold grudges against anyone for any of their involvement in any of the above, please consider releasing them for the benefit of yourself, for the other, and for the benefit of this community.
Although not just a few posters here think that I hold grudges against some Buddhists, this is not the case at all. The events with some Buddhists in the past made me doubt whether the Dhamma really is egalitarian and free-for-all. Or whether, like most things in this world, Buddhism, too, is just another instance of this dog-eat-dog world and I just need to accept that and my lowly station in this system.
I don't know how to gain clarity over this matter.
The path does not equal the people that travel it.
Even though Theravadan buddhism is fairly new to me, I have been around the block a few times when it comes to spirituality in a broad sense. I found that everywhere there's people i like. People i dislike. People that resemble what i hold as ideal practitioners and those that to me look like users. I.e. doing it wrong.

What drove me here is that The Buddha described a path anyone can follow. Even and maybe especially walk it alone/ without the aproval of others.

Ihope this helps a little

With love
Eelco
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Please share your light in abundance
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Crazy cloud
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Crazy cloud »

“Where there are humans,
You'll find flies,
And Buddhas.”
― Kobayashi Issa

:smile:
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
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Mr Man
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Mr Man »

Dear All
retrofuturist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:10 am The Terms of Service became secondary to social engineering agendas, and protecting favoured friends and views, at the expense of others. We lost members due to this partiality... both the disadvantaged members who were banned or voluntarily left, plus those who disagreed with a forum being managed with such blatant biases. (I myself left Dhamma Wheel for about 4-6 months because of the latter reason).
In my opinion now more than ever this forum is being driven by an ideological agenda.
retrofuturist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:10 am Those who had introduced the biases left the forum on their own volition

The old admin was removed and so was one moderator.
retrofuturist wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 12:10 am , as did those who felt a strong allegiance to them who felt that they'd been hard done by. Thankfully, this departure was partly offset by the return of former members, but it was another unsettled period for Dhamma Wheel.

I wondor how many left due to a sense of allegiance and how many left due to not liking the ugliness of what happened and the new direction of the forum and how many are continuing to leave. One of those who returned has now left again because didn't "want to be part of a community that normalizes islamophobia."

:)
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retrofuturist
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by retrofuturist »

Mr. Man,
Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:29 pm In my opinion now more than ever this forum is being driven by an ideological agenda.

So you say.

...and say..... and say... :roll:
Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:29 pm The old admin was removed and so was one moderator.

From staff, yes... and the admin was offered a moderator role, if he wanted to moderate according to the Terms of Service. There is nothing new here, Mr. Man. When you own a forum, you'll be at liberty to decide who is on your team and what roles they have too. May you never have the misfortune of having to deal with rogue operatives who you consider friends.
Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:29 pm One of those who returned has now left again because didn't "want to be part of a community that normalizes islamophobia."
No one can please everyone. I think No Mind was onto something here...
No_Mind wrote:To make DW more Buddhist it has to be more culture neutral. Buddhists and Buddhist converts from across the world are not going to subscribe to California school of Buddhism (by which I mean "post modern Western political and social correctness meets cherry picked Dhamma school of Buddhism") ... and those who subscribe to the same have to have patience for those who do not.
And it's clear we certainly can't please a vocal minority of members who are wilfully determined to be a crashing bore of misery and quarrelsomeness, year in year out.

:?

If your portentous negativity weren't such a negative influence on this forum, it would actually be mildly amusing. Unfortunately, it just festers and stinks. It really is quite off. It's the kind of thing I'd love you to move past, but it seems you'd rather stink up the forum instead. Your choice...

Karuna,
Paul. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Sam Vara
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Sam Vara »

Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:29 pm One of those who returned has now left again because didn't "want to be part of a community that normalizes islamophobia."
What about Trumpophobia?

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=30770

Should that be a proscribed phobia, or licit?
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Mr Man
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Mr Man »

Sam Vara wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:02 pm
Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:29 pm One of those who returned has now left again because didn't "want to be part of a community that normalizes islamophobia."
What about Trumpophobia?

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=30770

Should that be a proscribed phobia, or licit?
Hi Sam
I don't see the relevance of your question but if you are interested in exploring this perhaps start a new thread.
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Sam Vara
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Sam Vara »

Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:13 pm
Sam Vara wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:02 pm
Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 1:29 pm One of those who returned has now left again because didn't "want to be part of a community that normalizes islamophobia."
What about Trumpophobia?

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=30770

Should that be a proscribed phobia, or licit?
Hi Sam
I don't see the relevance of your question but if you are interested in exploring this perhaps start a new thread.
I think the relevance is clear enough, so unless the mods object, it can well stay here.

The claim was made that this community "normalises islamophobia". I take that to mean that some posts here express something like a hatred of Islam. (If it means anything stronger - e.g. that the management are actively trying to move the forum towards more Islamophobic stances, etc. - please let me know.) Now, as there is a parallel thread running which openly expresses hatred for Trump, I was wondering if there was any hierarchical ranking in the expressions of hatred which should be favoured. The Buddha advised against hatred, but it might be that some hatreds are, on a forum, less advisable than others.
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Mr Man
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Mr Man »

Sam Vara wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:24 pm
Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:13 pm
Sam Vara wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 3:02 pm

What about Trumpophobia?

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=30770

Should that be a proscribed phobia, or licit?
Hi Sam
I don't see the relevance of your question but if you are interested in exploring this perhaps start a new thread.
I think the relevance is clear enough, so unless the mods object, it can well stay here.
Hi Sam

I don't think your question is relevant to the OP.

I think it is a false equivalence comparing antagonism to an individual and antagonism to a religion/large grouping (I personally wouldn't choose to use phobia).

It's also a false equivalence given the amount of hostility shown to Islam across multiple threads for a sustained period of time on this forum.

If there were multiple threads with Trump as the subject possibly some intervention would be needed.

You are also begging the question as I hadn't suggested that any particular type of phobia should be proscribed.
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Sam Vara
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Sam Vara »

Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 7:43 pm
I don't think your question is relevant to the OP.

I think it is a false equivalence comparing antagonism to an individual and antagonism to a religion/large grouping (I personally wouldn't choose to use phobia).
Entirely relevant, I think. I'm not making any equivalence, just noting that the existence of "Islamophobia" was cited as being relevant to the question of how "Buddhist" this forum is, and asking whether some sorts of antagonism or hatred are more licit than others.
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Re: Let's make this forum more Buddhist!

Post by Pseudobabble »

Mr Man wrote: Sat Dec 16, 2017 7:43 pm I think it is a false equivalence comparing antagonism to an individual and antagonism to a religion/large grouping
I understand that you are talking about the proportion of incidents, but from a practical perspective, this is incorrect. Hatred of a person, and hatred of a category (of people, cars, w/e), both excite the same emotions and mental states, cause the same neurochemical cascades in the brain, and the same physiological and hormonal responses - raising adrenaline, noradrenaline, increased heart rate, etc etc. In fact, hatred of anything causes these changes. Which is why it is hatred per se which is advised against by the Buddha. It's not 'ok' to hate some people or categories, whether it be Trump or 'Muslims', because they don't accord with our societally conditioned morality.
"Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"

"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. What a Tathagata sees is this: 'Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is perception...such are fabrications...such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.'" - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta


'Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.' - Genesis 3:19

'Some fart freely, some try to hide and silence it. Which one is correct?' - Saegnapha
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