[Buddha-l] modern buddhist teachers

[Richard Hayes]

On Jul 3, 2009, at 3:38 AM, Dan Lusthaus wrote:

> I have no doubt that he still believes them -- they were epiphanies  
> for him.
> I also have no doubt that "political realities" have forced him to  
> publicly
> backtrack on most of it, for the sake of the community and its  
> longevity.

There was a discussion here some years ago about the stark differences  
between what the Dalai Lama says in the West and what he says in  
India. All the things I reported hearing him say were said to a  
smallish (about thirty or forty) group of Canadians involved in NGOs  
and in ecumenical work and in the academic world. It was at a  
conference he had asked his handlers to organize for him. One of the  
things I vividly recall him saying was "The Tibetan people treat me  
like a god. But they rarely listen to me." I doubt he would say that  
in Dharmasala.

> It's not a matter of pramāṇa, but the old Buddhist practice of  
> tailoring the
> message to the audience. I suspect (sans pramāṇa) that the folks  
> who still
> hear this message are those inclined to want to hear such messages.

Well, that's the way messages work in general, n'est-ce pas? I think  
Paul Simon wrote a lyric about that: "A man hears what he wants to  
hear and disregards the rest."

>
>
>>> an axis of evil
>>
>> Well, if you'll let me put the United States and Israel on the list,
>
> Sigh! Bad habits die hard.


Yes, it does seem to be hard for the United States to break the habit  
of having bases and troops in countries all over the world, and it  
seems to be hard for some Israelis to break the habit of building  
settlements in occupied territories. As you know, "evil" is not a word  
I find meaningful or helpful. I prefer words like "incompetent" and  
"short-sighted." But I have to admit that David Frum's phrase "axis of  
evil" has more rhetorical punch than "axis of short-sighted  
incompetence."

Richard