Personality cults and fundamentalism

[Kevin Solway]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

what do you do?

My body does whatever it wants to do. And just as it breathes without any additional effort required, so does it make videos and say whatever it does.

That's what "sitting" means to me. It means to "sit" with what is natural, rather than to create unnecessary complications from the conceptual realm.

It's like in a game of cards, when you have the perfect hand you say, "sit", because you don't want any more. More is less.

[Tobiishi]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

But my humble suggestion is that if you're going to attempt to find faults, and to communicate those to others, you'll have to learn to do a lot better than "You are deluded".

No one is attempting to find any faults. We all wear our faults right on our noses, just like you. Perhaps "You are deluded" is the best starting point, if you have not yet accepted the truth of it.

Mu.
-Tobiishi

tobi barks back
sitting in the shrubbery
twiddling thumbs
rubbing incense into the dirt.

earth gave way
and the dog is the wisest.

gassho

[Taigu]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

Kevin,

My body does whatever it wants to do. And just as it breathes without any additional effort required, so does it make videos and say whatever it does.

That's what "sitting" means to me. It means to "sit" with what is natural, rather than to create unnecessary complications from the conceptual realm.

It's like in a game of cards, when you have the perfect hand you say, "sit", because you don't want any more. More is less.

Ok. This answer is dead clear... Call it a day with me, Kevin.

I am deluded: best starting point for all of us, yes... thank you Tobiishi.

Happy Jihad


gassho

Taigu

[Eika]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

That's what "sitting" means to me. It means to "sit" with what is natural, rather than to create unnecessary complications from the conceptual realm.

Hi, Kevin.

http://www.theabsolute.net/minefield/index.html

A perusal of your website suggests to me that you are a person who cherishes his opinions (most often about Truth). So, I've little hope that I can change your mind about anything. I will say that I see just as much unTruth on your website as you claim the Dalai Lama is responsible for supporting. For instance:

-Woman: a biped with two hands, two feet, two breasts, two eyes and two faces.

- A woman has three reasons for everything she does: the reason she says she has, the reason she thinks she has, and the reason she really has.

- I will not say that women have no character, rather, they have a new one every day.

- I've never met a man of good character who has had anything to do with a woman.


There is so much time spent on your site discussing the Genius (always male), women and the feminization of the modern world. He protesteth too much, methinks. You have a litany of opinions about what is True and unTrue. It reads like the manifesto of a madman . . . who can have this many opinions?!!

My advice as a Buddhist: LET ALL OF THIS STUFF GO. Have opinions but do not cherish them. And, if you really want to discuss Buddhism/Zen then SIT, SIT, SIT, otherwise it is like an argument about music between a musician and a music critic . . . the epistemological gulf between them prevents them from even understanding each other's questions.

Gassho from a fellow man of flaws,
Eika

[Kevin Solway]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

Happy Jihad

Happy Jihad?

That's a bit passive-agressive, don't you think?

[Kevin Solway]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

who can have this many opinions?!!

The Buddha himself had a great many opinions.

And his opinion on women coincides very closely with my own.

For example, from "The Ultimate extinction of the Dharma sutra":

"When the Dharma is about to disappear, women will become vigorous
and will at all times do deeds of virtue. Men will grow lax and will no
longer speak the Dharma."

"Good persons will be hard to find; at most there will be one or two.
Men will die younger, and women will live longer."

LET ALL OF THIS STUFF GO.

So are you going to tell the Buddha to let go of all of his opinions about women too?

Have opinions but do not cherish them.

This "cherishing" is only your speculation. You''re welcome to speculate, but remember that that's all it is.

[Eika]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

So are you going to tell the Buddha to let go of all of his opinions about women too?

Have opinions but do not cherish them.

This "cherishing" is only your speculation. You''re welcome to speculate, but remember that that's all it is.

Appeal to authority. And, Buddha lived (if at all) 2500 years ago when a great many things were different, including the role of women. Besides, the Buddha might have been wrong about a thing or two, and/or he may have different things to say if he were teaching today.

Also, of course I'm speculating . . . and? If we go down that road, all debate becomes argument.

I have no desire to argue points on any of this, I merely question your motivation.
I think there is enough evidence on your website that you are defending an image of yourself as one of the übermensch geniuses that you so admire. You love a particular kind of thinker and fancy yourself one too. OK, cool. I fancy myself a few things too, we all do. But, why bring your fight here to Treeleaf other than to pump yourself up a little bit? To educate the feminized, postmodern male that all of their actions are for naught? To tell Zennists that they are wrong to drop the Truth and instead fight for your cobbled-together version of it? To make the world see things your way?
ALL OF THIS IS FOLLY.
It all misses the point of what is being done here. So, if you need to feel like a Genius by throwing around dated intellectual feedback loops, then this is the wrong place for that. If you want to discuss (which means talking AND listening) the way that Buddha and Dogen viewed the transcendence of suffering and how that plays out in the lives of 21st Century laypeople, this might be a good place. No Truths to be found here other than the ones you bring . . . the point, as I see it, isn't the possession of Truth, it is the personal discovery of Truth. Transformative and personal. We cannot open a lid on each other's heads and pour Truth in, it must be experienced. Sitting is a good place to start.

All in good fun ('cause this really is just a bunch of words on a page),
Eika

PS--Reading back over my post, I sound like an arm-chair psychiatrist. For that I apologize. But, nonetheless, I still think the issue I have with your thread, Kevin, is one of motivation.

[Kevin Solway]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

I merely question your motivation.

I would expect nothing less, especially since my views are so unusual, and especially those about women.

I don't believe that men and women have fundamentally changed over time. I've travelled all over the world and found that the psychology of men and women is essentially the same in all cultures. So I'm not one of those who believe that the psychological differences between men and women is the result of changing cultural environments.

I think there is enough evidence on your website that you are defending an image of yourself as one of the übermensch geniuses that you so admire.

I'm far from perfect, but yes, given what I believe I know, and what I am able to see, I have no choice but to objectively label myself a "genius" of sorts. But it's just a label, and isn't significant in itself. It's the ideas, and way of seeing the world, that really matter. The freedom to bend with nature, without sacrificing truth, and the inner stillness.

But, why bring your fight here

I'm only responding to comments people have made about my videos.

And while I've been here I've noticed several entrenched delusions, or blind spots, of the members of this forum, which I have indicated.

And I don't consider my criticisms of the Dalai Lama as a "fight". He's a likeable fellow who is simply out of his depth, and I see it as my duty to say so.

It all misses the point of what is being done here.

The only thing that should be being done here, or anywhere, is the dropping of delusion.

That is the essence of my whole "philosophy", for want of a better word.

All in good fun ('cause this really is just a bunch of words on a page),

Taken in good spirit.

[Jundo]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

If anything, this thread has been a lesson in how we each will often fill our heads with all manner of ideas, illogical (though seeming sensible to us) conclusions, very personal visions of "Truth", self-styled findings of 'right and wrong', rigid opinions ... many of which may not have much connection to how the world actually works (much as people in centuries past convinced themselves that certain folks were witches or heretics, deserving to be burned at the stake). So much of what we think, is of our own making alone.

We sit Shikantaza Zazen to drop all of that, clear out the opinions and divisions, and experience the world in a way free of that and that ... free of this and that and the other too.

But we are all engaged, in one way or another, in self-creating a worldview, and binding our self in judgments and separations, our self convincing our self that we are "right" and something is "true" that may not be (it is a disease that infects religions of all colors, politics too). It may be a little more obvious in some of the postings in this thread, but it is a game we all engage in to some degree.

Sorry Kevin ... some of your opinions and conclusion may be brilliant, even though few share them now. More power to you there. But many seem perhaps to be of your own making alone, and I urge you to see through those.

Let's all just sit ... dropping all judgments, aversions and attractions, thoughts of right and wrong. divisions and separations. Let us hit the "reset" button on our thoughts and emotions, clear out the attic of dust & clutter which is our head .... and be very hesitant to restock it with more junk once we do.

Gassho, J

[Eika]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

But, but, but, but . . . oh, alright. (My best impression of my 6 year-old daughter).

A sincere gassho to everyone here,
Eika

[AlanLa]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

I like to listen for wisdom, not judgment. Speaking, on the other hand, gets much more problematic. This thread shows examples of all of the above.

[JamesVB]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

I think I've seen this thread on "The Princess Bride."

Man in Black: All right. Where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right... and who is dead.

Vizzini: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you: are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet or his enemy's? Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I am not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool, you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You've made your decision then?

Vizzini: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows, and Australia is entirely peopled with criminals, and criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.
Man in Black: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

Vizzini: Wait til I get going! Now, where was I?
Man in Black: Australia.

Vizzini: Yes, Australia. And you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.
Man in Black: You're just stalling now.

Vizzini: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong, so you could've put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied, and in studying you must have learned that man is mortal, so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

Man in Black: You're trying to trick me into giving away something. It won't work.

Vizzini: IT HAS WORKED! YOU'VE GIVEN EVERYTHING AWAY! I KNOW WHERE THE POISON IS!
Man in Black: Then make your choice.

Vizzini: I will, and I choose - What in the world can that be?

Vizzini: [Vizzini gestures up and away from the table. Roberts looks. Vizzini swaps the goblets]
Man in Black: What? Where? I don't see anything.

Vizzini: Well, I- I could have sworn I saw something. No matter.First, let's drink. Me from my glass, and you from yours.

Man in Black, Vizzini: [they drink ]

Man in Black: You guessed wrong.

Vizzini: You only think I guessed wrong! That's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned! Ha ha! You fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well-known is this: never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha...

Vizzini: [Vizzini stops suddenly, and falls dead to the right]

[disastermouse]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

Kevin,

You are no different than most people. You believe your own opinion to be better than another's. You praise those who have the brilliance to agree with you and you chastise those who have the lack of wisdom/intelligence/perception to disagree with you.

You are like all the rest of us and not really so special at all - all of us supposing to be captains of the ship of the world and cursing how much better it would be if people would just listen to us - as clearly we are right.

Chet

[BrianP]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

Well what a week! It started off with me chairing a meeting of Buddhists of several traditions. The ensuing debate largely centred around problems caused by controversies within Tibetan Buddhism and how this could be tackled by our constitution. I had to let them all have their say and the meeting went on and on eventually over running by two hours! ops: And then this thread started! :roll:

I must say it has all been very interesting and I am sure we have all learned a lot from it. I know I have. (You`r never too old to learn) :wink:

I am off tomorrow morning for a few days to the balmy beaches of Babbacombe Bay in South Devon with my wife to celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary on Tuesday . Perhaps you will have sorted things out by the time I get back.

Much metta to all,

Daiku

[Kevin Solway]

Re: Personality cults and fundamentalism

You are no different than most people. You believe your own opinion to be better than another's. You praise those who have the brilliance to agree with you and you chastise those who have the lack of wisdom/intelligence/perception to disagree with you.

Buddhas also perform all those activities you mention, so I don't think those measures are ideal for making the argument that all people are equally deluded.