Dan74 wrote:Up until the point when Kusala posted that Venerable's video, people have been expressing their opinions. But once there is a public statement by a Venerable who dismisses an entire Buddhist tradition as having no taste of liberation...
No where in that video does the monk "dismisses an entire Buddhist tradition as having no taste of liberation".
Or maybe I missed it? Please let me know the timestamp of where he says that.
Besides it is even against the ToS, I believe.
If you think a post is against the TOS then I think it is better to report the post than to hijack a thread.
there is a world of difference between saying "I don't really get X" or "X doesn't appeal to me" and "X is crap". Or am I being pedantic?
In my opinion, you are being pedantic. One is more polite than the other, but I think anything anyone says on this forum is "in their opinion" or "according to their understanding". We are all just people talking. Even that monk.
Peter, I don't think you are being fair.
And I don't think it's fair to ask Theravadins in a Theravada forum "Since our stuff is better than your stuff, why did you choose your stuff?" and then when people answer "Cause I think your stuff isn't good," you get offended. Don't ask the question if you don't want the answer.
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Here's my summary of this thread, how it looks to me:
OP: "Korean Seon practices cut out a lot of talk and conjecture going straight to the core. Hwadu practices are a direct path to Enlightenment. Given this, why would you choose Theravada?"
This kind of question is I think inherently rude, but it's also understandable that people would ask it. People gave a good shot at replying. Then...
Monk: "Mahayana monks don't adhere to the Theravada Vinaya and they got upset at me when I brought it up. Mahayana laypeople insist the Buddha taught vegetarianism and they got upset at me when I said he really didn't. I found lots of contradictions between Mahayana and Theravada teachings."
Nothing rude here. Pretty standard stuff actually. Then...
Response: This monk is deluded. We must defend Mahayana against these slanders. This thread will now be about how awesome Mahayana is.
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I remember a number of years ago I had an encounter with a Tantric practitioner. He started coming to a meditation/study group at a Theravada temple, presumably because he couldn't find any Tantric temples to go to. One night he said to me, "If a shortcut was discovered, why wouldn't you take it?" My reply was somewhat mumbled and somewhat garbled because I couldn't think of polite way to say "I find people offering shortcuts, especially in spiritual matters, are usually full of shit."
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"My thing is so obviously superior to your thing. Why on earth would you choose your thing?"
How do I respond to this without resorting to vulgarity? or decapitation by lightsaber?
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Y'know what I would never do? Go into a Mahayana forum or temple and ask "You're stuff is obviously made up. Why don't you go practice something authentic, like Theravada?" Y'know why I wouldn't do that? Because I'm not rude. Also because what the heck do I know? Maybe they're doing it right and I'm doing it wrong. I have no standing to criticize another's practice.
I also don't tell my born-again sister that I think her religion is awful.
I also don't tell my Jewish parents that the Torah is often violent and ridiculous and to get from what the scriptures say to what the rabbi is sermoning about is an incredible leap.
I'm happy to let everyone practice what they want to practice in peace. I believe we are all on the path we need to be on.
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I watched a very popular forum, a place I put a lot of time and energy into, implode and disappear because some people couldn't get over the fact that a lot of Theravadins don't give a crap about Mahayana. Enjoy your religion! Go at it with vigor! I hope you find everything you're looking for. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.