DharmaDefender
you are shining big beams of light into the world - what a great article! You sure are doing what your name means! I, like many others, have huge respect for Geshe Kelsang and what he is creating all over the world. A lot to rejoice in, especially when we consider these degenerate times.
The thing to note of this article is the very strong message that the teachings are always pure and real and never detract from Lama Tsongkhapa's teachings. (Of course! Why would they?) But it is also important that we realise that the method of practice and teaching will be different across different centres and people and countries. We have to move with the times, folks! The purists who feel that things must be exactly as they are in the monasteries cannot be right, simply because conditions of practice are so vastly different between one place and another. For example, NKT don't incorporate the tulku system in their organisation. This doesn't mean it doesn't exist but by Geshe-la's wisdom, he probably understood that it wouldn't have served his students who come from very different backgrounds. So he found another skilful method instead which would have suited their communities better.
This is what is so special about our teachers - they could teach in one way in their monasteries and another way when they come out to teach us lay, western-minded students. Has anyone seen that great life-documentary about Dzongsar Kyentse? Ah, there is a beautiful contrast there when you see him watching the world cup with his students, and how he is received by the people in Bhutan. here it is! http://wordsofmyperfectteacher.com/
But most important, we MUST realise how important it is not to criticise other teachers and their methods because we just don't know what their students / communities / countries are like. The teachers are all employing different methods to teach and bring dharma firmly into the lives of their students. Far be it for us to tell them how it should or should not be done! I am saying this also because I have met many people from across many traditions who make comments on how a teacher should or shouldn't act and how it is in the monasteries (and therefore it should be that way for us too) and etc
How tiring to hear them going on and on and on about how the lamas should behave and teacher.
This article makes it clear why different approaches and methods are absolutely necessary for dharma to grow more strongly in the lives of people everywhere. Thanks DharmaD! I think many more people should read this.
yours, beggar
Ahem - well, I do try! (HA!)
That is quite an important message and one that I felt was unwavering throughout the whole article. They were firm but yet polite and fair - to be honest, I was blown away by the article.
I've seen that documentary you mentioned, yeah it's well-worth a watch. It goes a long way to clearing up misconceptions people have of Guru Devotion. I mean, just reading the 50 Verses without guidance, I first thought it stung of Buddhist fundamentalism that I couldn't wear aftershave, couldn't step on my guru's shadow, etc. Came across like mild slavery but with a bit of guidance, you realise it's not so much about the action itself but about the mind training you get from following the rules.
That was my sentiment exactly when it came to the criticising. Our delusions are so great, and realisations are so few - can we really comment on the methods of lamas? How many stories have we heard of highly attained beings emanating as being a wee bit mental for their methods, but then later revealing themselves to become great mahasiddhas? The only way we can 'judge' (awful word) the method of a lama is by judging his / her results (i.e. by looking at his students). If just some students remain a bunch of quarrelsome, petty people but others transform into compassionate and kind people, then is it the fault of the lama and a flaw in his / her methods, or the fault of the quarrelsome, petty students who didn't take the teacher's advice fully to heart?
What Wisdom Being said about resolving issues within the organisation, I feel like that's very relevant. At the end of the day, you don't like the rules and you can't take the training, fine - leave. But as you're leaving, I think some of those closing the door behind them could've shown a little kindness, and respected the fact other people will still find the dharma through NKT. I don't think they should have set out to try and destroy them. If they wanted to hurt the NKT image just because they'd come across a few nasty people in the organisation, deeper contemplation would have shown them that perhaps it was just their individual experience...and if they'd looked at the rest of the students, they would've seen everyone else was lovely and great.
So really, it comes down to us as individuals practising Dharma, and representing our teacher well. We don't know who is going to do what in the future, so the best defence is a good offence, aye? And our best offence is a pro-active attitude in making sure no one is ever motivated enough to set up an anti-our-organisation site, by being good people. I hardly doubt Geshe-la's got the time to defend himself against all these...monkeys.
