[Buddha-l] H.H. The Dalai Lama vs Geshe Michael Roach

[Barnaby Thieme]

>Weel, you can also see it as a kind of powerplay. Geshe Roach tries to fuck 
>up the system and the system has to defend itself. The rules for 
>initiations are a very important part of the game. If those were to lose 
>their absolute validity, the whole semiotic system of tantric initiations 
>would collapse. So I think this is quite important and interesting.

Valid points, all, except I don't see Michael Roach trying to fuck up the 
system, per se. It looks to me like he's just asserting his authority to 
teach, which he has done in a similarly-autonomous way for decades. I don't 
remember anyone complaining about Roach when he was running a jewelry 
business and cutting large checks to the Sera monastery, but maybe $2,000 
isn't enough to silence the traditionalists.

I find it interesting that the 'system' is interpreting Roach's actions as 
dissident, now. This gets me back to my original point, which is my disgust 
with the metrics being used to evaluate his actions. Supernatural powers and 
tradition are poor tools for determining spiritual legitimacy IMHO.

Question - could there be a subtext in play here regarding Roach's lineage, 
which has favored propitiation of a certain troublesome protector?

B


What kind of strategy will the system use
>to defend itself? Ignore the deviant, ban him, humiliate him? Another thing 
>that would interest me is the psychological dynamics which lead Roach to 
>challenge the system. Why not go along, it's much easier, isn't it?
>And besides it reminds us of the strong Vedic roots of many Buddhist 
>rituals.
>
>Erik
>
>
>www.xs4all.nl/~jehms
>weblog http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/pub/blogs/blog.php?uid=2950
>
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