[Buddha-l] modern buddhist teachers

[jkirk]

Vivekananda proclaimed that the 20th century would begin the Age
of the Śūdra. Can anyone who has witnessed the ridiculous and
embarrassingly maudlin histrionics in the wake of the death of
Michael Jackson doubt that Swami-ji got that one right? Judas
Priest, there's a military coup in Honduras, a velvet coup in
Iran, a North Korea that is testing missiles and probably
producing plutonium, a rogue US president sending marines into
Afghanistan, a worldwide economic collapse and more dire
predictions than ever before about the effects of global warming,
and three-quarters of the allegedly free world is distracted by
the death of a guy who could do interesting dance moves while
singing godawful music. But I digress, as is my wont.

Carry on.

Richard
==============
"Vivekananda proclaimed that the 20th century would begin the Age
of the Śūdra." 
Guessing that he chose the 20th c. because as an Indian
nationalist he looked back on  previous pre-Brit Raj centuries as
more spiritual.
In this prophecy he was following the one found in the
Mahabharata. V. didn't invent or discover it.  And, the
Mahabharata is, au fond, about the higher morality of peace, not
war (leaving aside the latterly inserted Bhagavadgita, which
favors war if that is your dharma). Recently I read (written by
an Indian) that in India people rarely read the unwarlike,
critical later texts of Mhbh. Modernity did not erase war from
minds (vide Sri Lanka), it just intensified the madness.

However, the Kali Yuga arrived much longer ago than the 20th c.,
but things have predictably been going downhill with each passing
century, the latest rumble of delusions being, as you said,
godawful in every way.

Appreciate your reminiscing about what the Dalai Lama said. Good
to be reminded.

Joanna 






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