...based on what I read here. Ultimately, any "teacher" whose misbehaved in the course of his teaching will have to deal with the fallout of that, as will the objects of that "teacher's" misbehavior.
But there's no point in trotting near paranoia and conspiracy theories.
But...let me just say this:
The rumored or reputed misbehavior of "teachers'" is not the Way, but so it is also for scandal blogging for the sake of scandal blogging.
Point is this: Even Genpo and Eido Shimano and George W. Bush are worthy of compassion.
Difficult, ain't it? Genpo may be a phony (Brad Warner's very legit beef with him), but that guy too is worthy of compassion.
8 comments:
And there are a couple of reasons the "bad guys" deserve compassion, but in this comment I'll focus on reason #2 because it is less obvious.
Some of the angriest people I have ever met have been peace activists. I also met peace activists who seemed very happy and whole, even in the midst of upsetting events and disappointments -- like the Iraq war itself. Guess which of these two groups saw people burning out.
My observations suggest to me that the process matters: it's not just what we do, but how we do it. A person can pursue positive aims in a negative way, if practice is not a part of the process, and the results can be quite harmful for the individual. Returning to the anti-war movement of a decade ago, I watched it neutralize itself with in-fighting and competition among different groups and so forth. How frustrating that must have been for them; and what a loss for the world, not to have an effective and *positive* mass movement in the United States against that war.
The process matters. Being clear about one's motives and the direction one takes, that really matters. And yet when the desired result is in view, very often people -- even people who like the idea of zen practice -- decide that being clear is a luxury they can't afford.
“Self-importance is our greatest enemy. Think about it – what weakens us is feeling offended by the deeds and misdeeds of our fellowmen. Our self-importance requires that we spend most of our lives offended by someone.”
~Carlos Castaneda
Be prepared for Adam to attack you for saying this. He's attack you personally and then hint that you think sexual hijinks by Zen masters is ok because you posted this.
This is his modus operandi. He cannot take any criticism but personally and turns around and attacks those that don't speak glowingly of him.
He's done it to me and others and you're next.
Of course, certain folks in the Zen community turn a blind eye to it because he's saying what they won't say in public, no matter how much of a bully he is.
A bully?
I've never said throw compassion out the window. I don't know where that assertion came from.
Because the previous poster is anonymous, by the way, there is no way to confirm anything they've said. I do my criticisms in public, as myself. Just be yourself. Then we can have a dialogue.
Anyway, people can criticize my work or the website however they like. I've never once claimed I'll navigate any of this crap up to all expectations.
So, whatever. I'm a bully now. It's all good.
Adam-
What I mean is it seems, after a certain point, that the blogging about it is not effective (and everybody really does know what the solutions are, as I've written elsewhere) - thus after a while such energies might be more productively used elsewhere.
As to what others say in this blog,
that's what they have to own - you know, mustatis mutandis with what I wrote re: your stuff, and me, mine, etc. But I don't get you being a bully...
I could say how he's a bully but then I'd have to identify myself, giving him an opportunity to do it again to me, once he knew my name.
With Adam, either you're part of his cheering squad or you're out to get him, which means you're game for attack on his site. I prefer to no longer be his target.
If you disagree too much with him, maybe he'll write about you to his readers!
Again, please provide an instance of where I have bullied you and we can talk about it. If you want to see bullying, read some of the comments on this very blog and the nasty attacks from the author himself and the things he approves.
But, again, I'll take you up on it. Who are you and how did I bully you? You have a platform here to tell us your story.
Over and over, one common theme: anonymous. You know you take cheap shots at me all day hiding over there while trying to stir up a controversy. But you're anonymous. You've provided zero documentation or proof of anything. I challenge you to do so.
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