[Buddha-l] Sex Scandals Has U.S. Buddhists Looking Within

[Piya Tan]

Pedro,

There are many Buddhisms. Zen although rooted in China is a product of
secularized Japan; just as Vajrayana is very much Tibetan. But when these
traditions are transplanted into a more socially "free" environment of the
West, the idols fell on their clay feet.

We could say that this is part of the westernizing process of Buddhism.
There is a lot of painfully learn. Many of we Buddhists in the east are
watching all this with interest, as there is much western influence here,
too, and we need learn new ways of coping with Buddhism in our age.

Piya Tan

On Sun, Aug 22, 2010 at 11:01 PM, Vera, Pedro L. <pvera at health.usf.edu>wrote:

> Joanna wrote:
>
> >There's a lot more that most American Buddhists either don’t want
> >to know about, or turn a blind eye to,  because of the
> >brainwashing mentality promoted by many Buddhist sects of total
> >surrender to your teacher. Another delusional idea is the
> >untouchability of the higher monastic authority. Versions of
> >these two ideas are not limited to American (or any other kind
> >of) Buddhists, but also surface as the psychology underlying many
> >Protestant Christian and Roman Catholic incidents.
>
> So, my question is:
>
> If these Buddhist masters, suposedly "enlightened" individuals and
> purveyors of "enlightenment", abuse authority and engage in destructive
> behaviors either by themselves, or worse, with their disciples (presumably
> in a weaker position) how are they different from any of the other religious
> or political figures? Or, alternatively, if we are to judge by its products,
> is Buddhism different from any other -ism or -anity? If not different, then
> can it make any claims that it is better?
>
> Maybe it's just my disillusionement but a very reasonable argument can be
> made for throwing all of these religious systems out of the window, a la
> Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, although, in my opinion,
> they tend to be too easy on Buddhism.
>
> god bless the atheists!
>
> Pedro
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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