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

[Michael LaTorra]

The Geshe Michael Roach scandal -- and that's truly what it is -- is one more 
example of a spiritual teacher who abuses his position. We've all seen or 
heard about such things before. I could name half a dozen similar cases.

This is not about Roach's claimed level of spiritual realization; it's about 
his violation of his vows, and his attempt to cover up his activities. Several 
remarkable, charismatic, apparently "realized" spiritual teachers have had 
illict sex with their students (including married ones), misappropriated 
funds, abused drugs, and generally behaved in a way that makes you want to 
smack them upside the head. Being gentle Buddhists, however, we are advised to 
take less drastic measures. After all, many of us have taken vows to save 
miscreants just like Mr. Roach.

In wide-open, "liberal" Western societies, Mr. Roach is certainly free, as a 
matter of law, to live like Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner if he so chooses. (The 
80-year-old Mr. Hefner, as you may know, lives with 4 young women in his 
palatial Los Angeles mansion. He makes daily offerings to the god Viagra.)  
However, Mr. Hefner never took a vow of celibacy; Mr. Roach did.

If Mr. Roach were to start "The Church of the Roach" and preach polymorphous 
perversity, he could probably do it (again, as a matter of law). However, if 
Mr. Roach claims to represent Tibetan Buddhism, then the Office of H.H. the 
Dalai Lama certainly has the right, and indeed the duty, to anathematize and 
formally eject him. 


Regards,

Michael LaTorra

mlatorra at nmsu.edu

Department of English
New Mexico State University