Nuns behaving badly and disrespectful

[dsiluvu]

The nuns shows us that the signs of degenerate times has begun as the Buddha predicted...
So whether or not they are nuns... it clearly does not matter because even nuns, monks, priests and many many religious representatives have shown us bad examples throughout history. As the saying goes... looks can be deceiving. 

During this degenerate third age, it is believed that people will be unable to attain enlightenment through the word of Sakyamuni Buddha, and society will become morally corrupt. In Buddhist thought, during the Age of Dharma Decline the teachings of the Buddha will still be correct, but people will no longer be capable of following them.

 
The Buddha Shakyamuni has already predicted 2500 years ago that this would happen. He has foretold that the true teachings will gradually lose their clarity and then disappear. Few people will reach enlightenment and even fewer will be able to reach enlightenment in one lifetime. This will proceed into darkness of times, when the truthof things will not be seen anymore, until very far in time, a new Buddha, BuddhaMaitreya, will appear. Thus is his prediction and the signs are all over.The Buddha called these the “degeneration times”. This is so, because these times aremarked by 5 degenerations.

1) Decrease of lifespan.
2) Increase of wrong views.
3) Increase of disturbing emotions.
4) Increase of mental afflictions.
5) The prevalence of bad times, including war, famine and disease.

First: the decrease of lifespan.
We proud ourselves to have lengthened general lifespan from maybe 30 years some 500years ago, till 70 years in modern times. However, looked at it closely, this is not muchof an achievement. In the third millennium BCE, the traditional wisdom in China spokeof the people of old, who could reach the age of 100 years without showing any signs of aging (Huang Di Neijing Suwen, The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine). Alreadysince then, our lifespan has gradually been reducing. During the Middle Ages, peoplelived in dark, ignorant and extreme unhygienic times. What achievement is it really, tocorrect this little by little by artificially expanding the lifespan by using medicaltreatments.
 
The general trend towards the future will still not be to have no aging signs by the age of 100 years. From this perspective, we are degenerating, not progressing.

Second: increase in wrong views. Everywhere around, the world is filled with misconceptions. We corrupt our spiritual view by superficial scientific endeavors and materialistic preferences. The truth of our views is shallow and never reaches the point of deep awareness, where all truth stemsfrom. This wrongness of view has been accelerated by the Industrial Revolution and its consumerist value system.

Third: increase of disturbing emotions.
People are driven by ignorance, anger, desire, jealousy and pride, so much, that they cannot even come clear on their own faults. Who is willing to admit his ownshortcomings nowadays and to seek to correct them? Mostly people behave rudely and do not consider the needs of others.

Fourth: increase of mental afflictions.
It seems very common for people to lose proper perspective on life, themselves andothers. Mental health is increasingly a worrisome issue in modern medicine. Many lose their mind in undue dreaming, sickness or disturbance.Fifth: prevalence of bad times.Our televisions are dedicated to war, disease, famine or any other natural or man madedisasters. We do not need statistics to realize that bad times do prevail in our world rightnow, whether we like it or not. Because of all this, it is more and more important that we dedicate ourselves to not get lost in the degenerations. We should encourage each other to seek and find out whatever is remaining of the true spirituality and its traditions, and to cherish them.The degeneration of the times should not stop us from looking for spiritual truth. On the contrary, it should motivate us to make a bigger effort. There are still blessed ways to find the Path, how ever more rare. While this is still so, do not waste your precious human life and seek to find, right now!

His teachings will not deviate from that of previous Buddhas, except for an interesting tradition that he will not teach any esoteric Tantras (most likely hinting that Maitreya's mission will in general be more effective than Shakyamuni's). This does not show a difference in the perfection of liberative techniques of the two Buddhas, rather a difference in the evolutionary stage of the human beings on the planet (Shakyamuni Buddha taught at a time of violence and widespread militarism, and had to turn to the martial qualities of toughness, ascetism and determination toward the pursuit of enlightenment.


Shakyamuni Buddha also predicted that those who followed his teachings would be reborn in the first circle of Maitreya's entourage and would be able to complete the spiritual path under Maitreya's guidance.

Fearful is the act these nuns have committed for it seems like no.2 - 4 happened... what lies ahead of them at the time of death. They've broken their Guru samaya, destroy a Buddha image, and cause schism. This act will surely bring them to a not so nice realm following the teachings of Lord Buddha.

[Carpenter]

Thus resulting in 2,500 years during which all of the Five Disappearances must occur. The year 2500 of the Buddhist Era was celebrated in AD 1956. This ties in very well with AD 1943 as the last possible date for the appearance of the Metteyya Buddha. Baha'is believe that Baha'u'llah, who appeared in the century before the expiration of this deadline, was the Metteyya Buddha.

The Five Disappearances refer to the gradual disappearance of the Dhamma from the world. This is something which the Buddha knew would happen since everything in this world is transient and changes.

He describes the gradual fading of the efficacy of his teachings until even the 'true sacred relics (Dh'atu), not receiving reverence and honor, will go to places where they can receive them. If we consider the situation in the Buddhist world at the time of the advent of Baha'u'll'ah in the middle of the nineteenth century, we will note that all of this prophecy had been fulfilled by that time.

Buddhism had disappeared from native soil in India, the sacred relics had gone from India ' to places where they can receive reverence and honor in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand and elsewhere in the Buddhist world. The scripture and the Dhamma could even be said to have disappeared from the Buddhist community, when Colonel Olcott arrived in Sri Lanka in the last half of the nineteenth century, he could find no monks who knew Pali and could read the scriptures.

Yes, this is very sad indeed, many of us has created many wrong views in Buddha's teaching, we even can twist the essence of teaching easily to suit our desire and attachment. in years to come, Buddhism will be even worse than now, if we do not hold on tight on the teaching and transform now, how we expect to change in future. So we should stop giving excuses and do something right now.

To preserve the Dharma teaching, we do not hope for others to do it, because if everyone think like that, nothing will happen, we must do it first and inspire the people around.

[michaela]

I think I have responded to similar post with the exact same topic.  My view remains the same we should view the problems as it is, a destruction of a statue, and not turn it into hate crime or condemnation. 

When a copy of Koran was flushed down the toilet by a US soldier in Guantanamo bay in year 2005, it has caused international outraged.  Many religious leaders condemned the act.  Only one person, a Buddhist monk of Theravadan tradition, Ajahn Bram, gave a reasonable answer.  He said that if this happened to Buddhist bible (being flushed down the toilet), he will call a plumber.

Again, we should focus on exposing the truth and arguing why the ban should be removed and why DS is the appropriate protector in this degenerate time, and not exaggerate and focus on what a group of nun did back in year 1996 - that is destroying a statue.

[dsiluvu]

Michaela.... Sometimes people need to hear such stories and accounts of what happened that makes us want to enthusiastically "exposing the truth". I find these type of topics intriguing not because we want to focus on the past... but it can also be a inspiration to talk about the "truth". Depending on your perspective really I don't see it as negative at all, in fact an inspiration to want to do MORE! SPREAD the TRUTH!!!

Here we are just talking about the consequences of such a horrible act, which I find is interesting to know so that whoever who reads it here, they realise that such an act is indeed a negative one with negative repercussion and with such knowledge they will be more aware as well on how to NOT disrespect a "statue" be it a Buddha statue or a "worldly" God one... In fact if Dorje Shugden was "worldly God", they would indeed be in bigger trouble because a "worldly God" will in fact get angry and befall upon them trouble... So in a way... lucky for them Dorje Shugden is Buddha Manjushri and would not take revenge.

But yes I do agree with u Michaela... we need to EXPOSE the TRUTH and educate people on Dorje Shugden and spread the teachings.

[shugdenpromoter]

These nuns are quite misguided. I feel sorry for them.

They will regret and one day soon apologize to King Dorje Shugden.

TK

I agree with TK that the nuns were misguided. Not all nuns were involved but those which were not involved did NOT stop the others from that awful action.

A lot have change since 1996. I have heard from the Trijang Ladrang monks in Shar Gaden last year that the nuns from Gaden Choeling Nunnery do drop by Trijang Ladrang to make offerings to Trijnag Rinpoche's stupa, of course discreetly in the middle of the night. And these has been frequent.

As I said earlier, a lot have change BUT not enough for HH to retract the ban. We need to promote Shugden more, highlight the controversial, the human rights aspect of this religion prosecution and etc. The pressure is there but NOT enough.

[vegeing]

Gen-la Dekyang sharing is very truth. Dorje Shugden love & care it is pure & wide, and continuously.
Even our self also can promise our children & partner, our love can be forever never end.

Dorje Shugden, bring us love & harmony.

May Dorje Shugden BAN remove ASAP , May the practice can reach more people & safe their future!

[Carpenter]

Gen-la Dekyang sharing is very truth. Dorje Shugden love & care it is pure & wide, and continuously.
Even our self also can promise our children & partner, our love can be forever never end.

Dorje Shugden, bring us love & harmony.

May Dorje Shugden BAN remove ASAP , May the practice can reach more people & safe their future!

Yes, I totally agree with your statement, and I believe that these nuns are misguided, the actions of a monk and nun today shows how much degenerated the Dharma is, even inside Dharma itself there is misguiding,  leads to an action that is totally opposite of what Dharma is teaching, we need help on our delusions, we definitely needed help very much, because we alone don’t have the ability to overcome this.

http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2120.0

The above is a link is a short video clip of Dharma talk session given by Genla Dekyong at Manjushri centre in England. He did mentioned how much delusion we have today and advice us to seek for Dorje Shugden’s help to help us in our Dharma Practice. For anyone who is anti-Shugden, I hope you can watch this video link and see what type of motivation they have here.

Please listen with an open heart and give a fair chance to see for what Dorje Shugden Practitioner is doing and will be doing before taking such extreme actions, don’t you think this is fairer to them and everyone else that are practicing Dharma sincerely?

[biggyboy]

Even to date, I still do not understand nor to perceive what and why the Sangha doing something that is against the teachings and the law of karma?  Aren’t they should have more understanding and done much contemplation to say the least for they are one of the 3 Jewels that lay people look up to and seek refuge?  Yet they jump and act according to what was told to make their Guru happy? Is this Guru Devotion to say the least?  Yet it still don’t jive and logical to drag or destroy a holy image?! No respect. Just can’t imagine the huge repercussion that they would face.  Very sad to see this degeneration marks and we are in fact, approaching the end of life span shortening period which we can see so prevalent now as predicted by Buddha 2500 years ago. I have chanced upon the following site and would like to add on to what dsiluvu has pointed out on the 5 degenerations.

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol8no2a.htm

....Approaching the end of the life-span shortening period in the cycle of each small kalpa, i.e. when the average life-expectancy of human beings is reduced to 10 years, the extremely evil nature of people's minds will bring about "Three Small Calamities". These small calamities are:

(i) Calamity of war: The people of this time are lawless, irresponsible, poisonously hateful and instinctively murderous. At an instant, the people can pick up a leaf and use it as a knife. They can utilise any item at will as a deadly weapon for killing. Between human beings, there are not only strife and fighting, but also cruel injuring and killing. Human life is worth less than that of ants and insects. At the end of the life-span shortening period of the kalpa's cycle, such calamities take place frequently. Occurrences are intermittent, each lasting a period of 7 days.

(ii) Calamity of plague: As a result of the evil nature of people's minds, pestilence, plagues and epidemic diseases are commonplace. People suffer from a myriad of incurable illnesses. Because people's minds are poisoned with evil, their internal organs also become intoxicated. Moreover, their exhalations are so venomous that people die immediately upon contact. These disasters occur frequently at the end of the life-span shortening period of the kalpa's cycle, approximately lasting 7 months and 7 days.

(iii) Calamity of famine: When people's minds are exceedingly vicious and evil, unfavourable seasonal changes result. Lengthy droughts occur, destroying the harvests. People suffer from hunger. Even feeding on roots and bark will not sustain life. There is no livestock remaining. People resort to cannibalism. The duration of such calamity is longer, persisting for 7 years, 7 months and 7 days. During this period, there is almost 100% human mortality by starvation.
Nowadays the average life-span of humankind does not exceed 60 to 70 years. The public morals of the present society are degenerating. The minds of people are no longer as pure as before. People tend toward wickedness, and ridiculing the virtuous. The virtuous are harmed, while the villainous are revered. If, the average life-span of humans shortens by one year in each century, by the time the life span drops to 10 years, the above-mentioned Three Small Calamities will take place.

In recent years, natural disasters have become commonplace on earth. These are the effects from the human mind turning toward evil. On reaching the end of the life-span shortening period of the kalpa's cycle, one can well imagine the retributive sufferings that humanity has to face. Other religions may consider this period to be the "End of the World". But in fact, it is not so. On the contrary, it can only be said to be the final phase of a small kalpa. At the end of this small kalpa, people will have encountered the extreme of all suffering. Meanwhile, the minority of people who have been cultivating and performing virtuous deeds for aeons of lifetimes are repulsed by the immoral state of society. They withdraw and live in solitude in the mountains. They only just manage to escape the calamities and survive. In time, when people have suffered enough and are seeking deliverance, these survivors will emerge and return to society. They will advise and encourage whomever they encounter, so that these people may learn to lead wholesome lives and perform virtuous deeds. As a result, people are inspired to develop their virtuous minds, conduct and karma, which in turn allows their societies to once again thrive and prosper. The life-span of human beings will then begin to increase, lengthening a year per century, until the average person's life-span reaches 84,000 years. At this point, the cycle repeats such that the human life expectancy decreases again. This marks the beginning of the shortening life-span phase of the 10th small kalpa of the Existence Kalpa. At this time, the next Buddha, Maitreya Buddha will come down to be born into this world....

[diamond girl]

Very disturbing video on seeing the nuns destroying the Buddha Dorje Shugden. Do these nuns not take their Bodhisattva vows seriously? And how about Karma? This is very bad and how deluded their minds are.

One of the 18 Root Vows:
Committing the five heinous crimes. ("Kings vow")
The five heinous karmas are killing one's father, killing one's mother, killing a Foe Destroyer (Arhat), wounding a Buddha and creating a schism in the Sangha. Doing any of these very heavy negative actions will break this root vow.

source: http://viewonbuddhism.org/resources/bodhisattva_vows.html

What is being done here in this video is all against this root vow. The list of broken vows can go on and on but this one sticks out for me. For someone like me who is still quite new to understanding the depths of Buddhism, it is extremely disturbing to watch such a video. The actions of HHDL has created this and I am very sorry to say...

When HHDL does pass on, will these pains ever be repaired? Will HHDL lift the Ban before he passes? I strongly feel that he must lift the Ban from his own mouth before he passes, this is the only way I see that he can purify his actions... I am not against HHDL but I cannot stop myself to think that despite the argument that the Ban is "good" for promoting DS, it has caused so much suffering. Does the "good" here justify the actual evils which have happened? The "good" is speculative, fact is many are suffering and if nuns who are ordained and taken vows, can do this, how about those not ordained and hold no vows like the CTA? Can they just go destroy freely!

[samayakeeper]

I hope Gary had watched and read the comments in this thread. His claim mentioned here

http://www.dorjeshugden.com/forum/index.php?topic=2138.0

is just mere speculation and a pale comparison to what these nuns would have suffered if Dorje Shugden were a demonic spirit.

This video of witnesses’ accounts of the incidence that happened some time back is shocking and it shows the world especially non Buddhists how those nuns behaved. Buddhism becomes a laughing stock from the violence told and shown in the video when it should be a practice of tolerance, love, compassion, wisdom and all the good qualities it embraces. Shame on those nuns!

[Jessie Fong]

I would think that the nuns are deluded to be able to do such a despicable act.  Did they note take a moment to remember how DS had helped them?  It is shocking that members of the Sangha should even lift a finger to desecrate a holy item.  They forgot their vows.  They thought that by destroying statues of DS would mean a step further to enhance the ban.  And to make their guru happy?

What will happen to them when the ban is lifted?  How do they repair? 

[AnneQ]

When HHDL does pass on, will these pains ever be repaired? Will HHDL lift the Ban before he passes? I strongly feel that he must lift the Ban from his own mouth before he passes, this is the only way I see that he can purify his actions... I am not against HHDL but I cannot stop myself to think that despite the argument that the Ban is "good" for promoting DS, it has caused so much suffering. Does the "good" here justify the actual evils which have happened? The "good" is speculative, fact is many are suffering and if nuns who are ordained and taken vows, can do this, how about those not ordained and hold no vows like the CTA? Can they just go destroy freely!

Yes I do sometimes, in fact many times now, question the whole 'bigger picture' theory that has been and still is so fervently promoted in this forum. Like Diamond girl, I do wonder whether the ban does justify all the sufferings and evils that have reared due to following HHDL's "orders"? Yes this particular incident happened over 15 years ago and perhaps things may have improved with HHDL now focusing less on destroying DS and promoting better relations with China and the world over etc etc, one cannot deny the fact that the CTA is still going around discriminating and condemning their own fellow Tibetans who have chosen not to break their vows to their root gurus. As far as I can see from my own personal observations, these 'degenerate times' have been perpetuated by the very act of the Ban itself. So on what level of degree has the 'good' out weighed the 'bad' of the Ban?

[biggyboy]

I would think that the nuns are deluded to be able to do such a despicable act.  Did they note take a moment to remember how DS had helped them?  It is shocking that members of the Sangha should even lift a finger to desecrate a holy item.  They forgot their vows.  They thought that by destroying statues of DS would mean a step further to enhance the ban.  And to make their guru happy?

What will happen to them when the ban is lifted?  How do they repair?

I just cannot imagine how the nuns and many others whom has done the same would face the world when the ban is lifted!  On the contrary, am worry of how they would react and how they are going to repair their samaya.  Hope they would not distance themselves physically and mentally.  If they do, then they will degenerate even further as they would be angry and ashamed to face all DS practitioners.  It is hard to face yet have to face the truth.  Hope, they would not hold on to it as if it is hard and to change. And not  degenerate to the point of not realising all situations are impermanent as it give hope and light....

[sonamdhargey]

I find the some of the sangha in this video shocking. Sangha members destroying, spitting on statues and attacking another Sangha due to indifference in their belief. As a dharma practitioner, we should show compassion, tolerance and respect for each other to create harmony amongst each other. In this degenerate times, even the Sangha acted in violence just to be right or so called up holding and be righteous. I find it really hypocritical about these Sangha preaching Buddhism but their actions contradicts the Buddhist teachings and their own vows.

[Benny]

I do not find it shocking that these sangha members could carry out such heinous acts, simply because they are Vajrayana buddhist that places utmost importance to guru devotion.

These " shocking " acts are in fact to these nuns an act of guru devotion! To them they are simply making their guru "happy" by expressing their disgust towards what he has labelled as "spirit" or "demonic" practice.  So it is in their believe that they are practicing guru devotion to the letter as taught in the "Fifty Stanzas Of Guru Devotion"; where it is stated that one should even willingly give up ones wife or family. Although this should not be read literally , these nuns seems to have done exactly that.

As in Christianity , the prophet Abraham was also asked to slaughter his son like a sacrificial lamb to prove his devotion to "God". But in the end "God " stopped him. So in this case the "God King' ( as the HHDL is defined by the west ) ) did NOT stopped these " devoted' nuns or sangha from carrying out these unbecoming acts, thus in their minds they are doing what pleases their guru and as such doing meritorious acts !

Such are the risks of misinterpreting the stanzas of guru devotion, it is a real danger as well, when misused by "evil gurus" ( we have to admit in this degenerate age this is highly possible ). Throughout Tibetan history,  countless murderous plots and political asasinations were carried out in the name of Guru devotion. I wonder if this the reason for the lack emphasis on the "guru" in other lineages such as Theravadian and Mahayana , as a truly qualified and good guru is hard to come by in this degenerate times.