Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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cooran
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Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by cooran »

Jack Kornfield says Burmese Buddhists are betraying the Teachings and urges us to take action:

Buddhists betray the Teachings
http://shambhalasun.com/sunspace/buddhi ... more-38207

With karuna
Chris
---The trouble is that you think you have time---
---Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe---
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tiltbillings
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by tiltbillings »

Thanks for posting this.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Kusala
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by Kusala »

cooran wrote:Jack Kornfield says Burmese Buddhists are betraying the Teachings and urges us to take action:

Buddhists betray the Teachings
http://shambhalasun.com/sunspace/buddhi ... more-38207

With karuna
Chris
Food for thought... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Burma ... slim_riots

2013 Burma anti-Muslim riots

"Tensions between Buddhist and Muslim ethnic groups flared into violent clashes in Meiktila on March 20 and continued until the 22nd, killing at least 40 and wounding 61 people. The violence started on March 20 after a Muslim gold shop owner, his wife, and two Muslim employees allegedly assaulted a Buddhist customer and her husband in an argument over a golden hairpin. The situation further escalated when a local Buddhist monk was dragged from his bicycle, doused in petrol, and burnt alive by six Muslim youths at a nearby mosque.[1]"
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "

--------------------------------------------
"The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
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purple planet
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by purple planet »

I would add that while we are buddhist we are not Burmese
i really hope that no one will form a "strong opinion" on this situation without having a very "strong" knowledge first
LXNDR
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by LXNDR »

purple planet wrote:I would add that while we are buddhist we are not Burmese
i really hope that no one will form a "strong opinion" on this situation without having a very "strong" knowledge first
no, as Burmese they are free to do the most heinous things, after all Burmese are humans as well, no more no less

the dissonance begins when these things are being perpetrated or incited for in the name of the Dhamma with orange robes flashing in the background

just keep the Dhamma out of this mess
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purple planet
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by purple planet »

the dissonance begins when these things are being perpetrated or incited for in the name of the Dhamma with orange robes flashing in the background
on this specific point i agree - monks shouldn't intervene in politics

mods please delete this post im not srue of it - actually never was - its beyond my understanding level
Last edited by purple planet on Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
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dhammafriend
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by dhammafriend »

I actually gained more insight from the first comment below the article than from the article itself. Totally agree with Mr Kornfield about the truly appalling violence against defenseless people. But I am uneasy with judging the the perps solely through the lens of their Buddhist identity. It 'feels' just as dehumanizing as how the extremists there are portraying the Muslims. Violence is disgusting period, not more so because they are Buddhists. And yes, they are Buddhists. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
I was born and grew up in Burma. My family was both Catholic and Burmese, a somewhat amazing melange of religious beliefs that had us attending Latin Mass in the morning and chanting in pagodas in the afternoon. In my recollection of those days, I felt no "ignorance" of the Buddha's teachings nor of Christ's. We understood that the suttas as well as the gospels were the purview of the monks & priests and therefore their elucidation and complexities were not a necessary part of our practice. We learned that compassion and love were the Buddha's and Christ's message whether this was imparted in Pali or Latin. In that sense, I would suggest that neither Buddhists nor Christians could be referred to as "ignorant" of the teachings but that the hierarchy of religion resulted in a different expression of the content of the scriptures. As you may understand, I would be a little concerned about referring to a culture - any culture - as "being ignorant of" something that is deeply embedded and perhaps not available to those outside that culture.
Again, the teachings of the Buddha were embodied as practices and while we may have recited them it does not therefore extrapolate to a lack of emphasis. As you already know, the intellectual emphasis of the teachings is really a recent phenomenon and not likely easily mapped onto a culture that has evolved (or in some cases remained static) in a different way.

As a student in and product of the Burmese education system, I recall that our style of learning was based in the oral tradition, not that different from the oral tradition of the monks of the Buddha's time. It was also a blend with the British colonial system that, though left in tatters after the British exited Burma, retained a strong hold over the education process. However, rote learning is not less than analytic learning. Again, different intentions, different cultures, different expectations of authority. I would also argue that the Burmese education does not fail to teach a questioning of authority. And furthermore, I wonder if it is a fair statement that the Burmese education system does not teach us to question authority.

We are a rich culture of intellectuals, spiritual leaders, artists, musicians, and teachers. To present us as having been herded into a thoughtless practice of rote responses and placid generosity is sadly misrepresentative of who we are. And that this infers such ignorance and passivity as the cause of the violence and hatred (even if that was not your intention) is something I would respectfully ask you to reconsider.
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Natthi me saranam annam buddho me saranam varam
For me there is no other refuge, the Buddha is my excellent refuge.
Etena saccavajjena vaddheyyam satthu-sasane
By the utterance of this truth, may I grow in the Master’s Way.
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by Mkoll »

LXNDR wrote:just keep the Dhamma out of this mess
I agree with you. Ideally, that's what would happen. But I don't think it will in this case because Buddhism is too closely intertwined with many people's nationality, culture, family, sense of identity, ego, etc. There will be no cutting of the Gordian knot here.

That's not to say the violence can't be stopped or reduced. And that will only happen thanks to actions of Jack Kornfield and others.
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
Namo tassa bhagavato arahato samma sambuddhassa
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by Sokehi »

Mkoll wrote:Ideally, that's what would happen. But I don't think it will in this case because Buddhism is too closely intertwined with many people's nationality, culture, family, sense of identity, ego, etc. There will be no cutting of the Gordian knot here.
:goodpost:

Ajahn Sumedho is backing Jack Kornfields efforts as well, sweet
Get the wanting out of waiting

What does womanhood matter at all, when the mind is concentrated well, when knowledge flows on steadily as one sees correctly into Dhamma. One to whom it might occur, ‘I am a woman’ or ‘I am a man’ or ‘I’m anything at all’ is fit for Mara to address. – SN 5.2

If they take what's yours, tell yourself that you're making it a gift.
Otherwise there will be no end to the animosity. - Ajahn Fuang Jotiko

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Tex
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by Tex »

Thanks for the link.
"To reach beyond fear and danger we must sharpen and widen our vision. We have to pierce through the deceptions that lull us into a comfortable complacency, to take a straight look down into the depths of our existence, without turning away uneasily or running after distractions." -- Bhikkhu Bodhi

"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." -- Heraclitus
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tiltbillings
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Re: Buddhists betray the Teachings - Jack Kornfield

Post by tiltbillings »

Off-topic posts removed.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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