Greetings Ron,
Ron Crouch wrote:I wanted to offer myself up for questions directly about this essay and what I meant by it, since there is a lot of speculation here. Despite having a last name that is suspiciously close to "grouch" and having written such a rough essay, I'm actually a pretty easy going person! I really enjoy answering questions, so don't hesitate to ask me directly. What would you like to know?
Welcome to Dhamma Wheel.
I don't have any questions per se, but do feel free to respond to any of the comments that have been made by myself or others.
If you do decide to respond to my comments, I'll give you some context, so you know how best to pitch your points. I follow the Noble Eightfold Path of the Buddha, as opposed to any of the subsequent "paths" developed by subsequent commentators (e.g. Buddhaghosa) or meditation "masters" (e.g. Mahasi, Ingram). First and foremost, I am a Buddha-dhamma practitioner - my path is based on the Buddha's Dhamma, as much as is it is possible for me to do so. If you can make your points with recourse to the Buddha's teaching, rather than the teachings/terminology/frameworks of later Buddhist sects/lineages/teachers/subcultures then I will be all ears.

I have nothing inherently against those other paths and teachings, other than that they are not mine - they are not Buddhavacana, so they are not my path to follow.
I do express reservation however when alternate paths are:
1 - at odds with the Buddha's instruction and;
2 - are being
taught as Buddha-dhamma (as claimed on your site -
http://alohadharma.wordpress.com/genera ... -teaching/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)
... and this reservation is in accordance with the Buddha's instructions on the "four great references" in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta.
Mahaparinibbana Sutta wrote:And there the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Now, bhikkhus, I shall make known to you the four great references. Listen and pay heed to my words." And those bhikkhus answered, saying:
"So be it, Lord."
Then the Blessed One said: "In this fashion, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu might speak: 'Face to face with the Blessed One, brethren, I have heard and learned thus: This is the Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation'; or: 'In an abode of such and such a name lives a community with elders and a chief. Face to face with that community, I have heard and learned thus: This is the Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation'; or: 'In an abode of such and such a name live several bhikkhus who are elders, who are learned, who have accomplished their course, who are preservers of the Dhamma, the Discipline, and the Summaries. Face to face with those elders, I have heard and learned thus: This is the Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation'; or: 'In an abode of such and such a name lives a single bhikkhu who is an elder, who is learned, who has accomplished his course, who is a preserver of the Dhamma, the Discipline, and the Summaries. Face to face with that elder, I have heard and learned thus: This is the Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation.'
"In such a case, bhikkhus, the declaration of such a bhikkhu is neither to be received with approval nor with scorn. Without approval and without scorn, but carefully studying the sentences word by word, one should trace them in the Discourses and verify them by the Discipline. If they are neither traceable in the Discourses nor verifiable by the Discipline, one must conclude thus: 'Certainly, this is not the Blessed One's utterance; this has been misunderstood by that bhikkhu — or by that community, or by those elders, or by that elder.' In that way, bhikkhus, you should reject it. But if the sentences concerned are traceable in the Discourses and verifiable by the Discipline, then one must conclude thus: 'Certainly, this is the Blessed One's utterance; this has been well understood by that bhikkhu — or by that community, or by those elders, or by that elder.' And in that way, bhikkhus, you may accept it on the first, second, third, or fourth reference. These, bhikkhus, are the four great references for you to preserve."
So yeah, if you do wish to respond, you can at least see what I consider authorative, and can hopefully understand why I believe pushing post-Buddha paths as Buddha-dhamma is wrong, and (depending perhaps on your intention) slanderous to the Buddha.
AN 2.23 wrote:"Monks, these two slander the Tathagata. Which two? He who explains what was not said or spoken by the Tathagata as said or spoken by the Tathagata. And he who explains what was said or spoken by the Tathagata as not said or spoken by the Tathagata. These are two who slander the Tathagata."
Call what you teach meditation, liberating, enlightening, or whatever you like, but calling it Buddha-dhamma is disingenuous, when it bears little or no relation to it, as is the case with respect to your earlier quoted blog entry on "dark night" - a notion or experience without any real parallel in the teachings of the Sutta Pitaka. Reflecting and repackaging the teaching of a particular meditation sub-culture does not maketh the Buddhadhamma.
P.S. I like that 'artwork' picture of you on your site, it makes you look like Hank Scorpio.
Metta,
Retro.
