Warning: BUDDHIST CLASS - New Buddhist Meditation classes = cult?
Submitted by tom on Tue, 12/11/2007 - 20:14.
Please pay attention to the following discussion from Tainan-Bulletin:
This was the the first posting:
A qualified Buddhist teacher is going to be teaching English Buddhist
classes at Chengong University.
The classes are open to everyone whether you are from there or not.
Please feel free to come.
Classes are every Monday at 1pm. The classes are in the activity
centre which is just next to the main entrance (across the road from
7-11).
Just walk to the building (activity centre) on the left after you
walk into the main entrance and the classes are done outside under
the shade (as the building has open space to meditation under).
The classes will help you to relieve stress and teach you how to find
happiness within.
The classes are associated with the Kadampa Buddhist Union.
If you require anymore information, please email me.
Shen
Then the following information about the Kampada Buddhist Union was posted:
Hey everyone,
Woe is us! Another controversial NRM (New Religious Movement)
targeting our expat community on the bulletin to advertise their cult
activities!
Is that harsh? Well check it out yourself and see ->
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Kadampa_Tradition (it's a lot to
wade through, but scroll down to Controversies)
In a nutshell: the leader, Kelsang Gyatso has been excommunicated by
the monastery where he studied and supposedly got his teacher's
degree. All of the teachings in his Kadampa organization are based on
his sole authority. There is even a Yahoo group for those harmed by
their involvement with the group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/newkadampasurvivors/ He is completely
isolated from the rest of Tibetan Buddhism and is opposed to and by
the Dalai Lama.
Besides the NKT being a self-aggrandizing cult, the main point of
contention is the worship of Shugden by Gyatso and his followers in
the Kadampa "tradition". The practice is dedicated to a demon
"protector" who's purpose is mainly the death and destruction of their
opponents. Not only the major other Tibetan schools are targeted, but
even any not toeing the line within their own school. Three monks
against Shugden were even brutally murdered over this!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorje_Shugden_Controversy
Anyway, meditation can be a wonderful way to relax and find out about
yourself. BUT, it's in one's self-interest to be weary of getting
involved with political and religious controversy. This is especially
true of NRM cults based on one founding individual and isolated from
the same tradition they claim to be from.
Peace and Beware!
I would be interested if anybody has been attending the Monday's meditation and can share some experiences
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New Kadampa Truth
If you would like to know the truth about the New Kadampa Tradition please visit this website which refutes the smears listed above:
http://www.newkadampatruth.org
The Truth about the "New Kadampa Truth"
If you would like to know the truth about "the truths about the New Kadampa Tradition" please visit this website which refutes the smears listed above:
http://nktworld.org/
For independent neutral information you can contact INFORM:
http://www.inform.ac/index.html
INFORM is an independent charity that was founded in 1988 by Professor Eileen Barker with the help of British Home Office funding and the support of the mainstream Churches. It is based at the London School of Economics.
Review web site covering range of NKT controversy:
http://info-buddhism.com/
Most of what you read about
Most of what you read about the NKT on chat forums is rubbish and propaganda put out by those followers of the Dalai Lama who are trying to destroy this pure tradition of Mahayana Buddhism. Just because it's published on the internet, people believe. NKT has spent ten years with people spreading these lies, now it's time to tell the truth.
These are, indeed degenerate times when people criticise Mahayana traditions which is against the Bodhisattva vows - how sad! Check the facts and be wary of what you read, especially anything by Tenzin Peljor.
Another site to read before
Another site to read before you make your mind up about the NKT is www.newkadampatruths.org Its put together by people who were actually in the NKT and left. Tenzin Peljor has reason to feel hurt by the NKT :)
The NKT and Tenzin Peljor
In response to your comment, Tenzin Peljor has not been anywhere near an NKT Center for over ten years and really has no idea what he is talking about -- his version of the NKT is the direct opposite of thousands of other peoples' perceptions.
No one is saying the NKT is perfect -- it is, after all, comprised of human beings. But people in the NKT are genuinely trying to become kinder, warmer and wiser human beings through the steady application of Buddha's teachings to their daily lives.
Tenzin Peljor's agenda is inevitably based on his own odd history with his teacher, Carola/Dechen, who established a personality cult with German followers (Tenzin her right-hand man), such that Geshe Kelsang had to request her to step down as an NKT teacher. His view of the NKT seems to have been thoroughly warped by his dealings with Carola and his lack of contact with Geshe Kelsang and other normal NKT students (i.e. those not under the spell of Carola). He projects Carola's faults onto Geshe Kelsang, if anything.
Tenzin Peljor has harmed the NKT a great deal by his non-stop campaigning against it, with the avowed aim of destroying it. The NKT has no desire to destroy Tenzin Peljor, but it would be nice if he could leave us alone for a while!
Please see www.newkadampatruth.org for some facts to displace the smears.
Most of What You Read About
This is priceless Wisdomtruth. Most of what you read about on internet chat forums is from NKT members who have given their life to the NKT only to be discredited by senior NKT management.
Why is this? Because they dared to question anything whatsoever about the running of the organization. It is undeniable that the NKT have been severely damaged by the sexual misconduct of senior NKT teachers and the complete denial of what was going on. It was only until people started talking about this kind of thing on the internet that the NKT/GKG did anything about the actions of his senior teachers. Up until that point anyone who new anything about what was going on was told they were deluded, discredited and forced to leave NKT centers.
So the NKT respond to this by engaging in a worldwide campaign against the Dalai Lama. Now any critics are labelled as followers of the Dalai Lama - the common enemy and are of course delude. The simple message the NKT propagate is we are pure - if you are not with us then you are against us - and thus you are impure.
The basic tenant of Buddhism is that there are no external enemies, mere projections of your own deluded mind. But if you are the NKT this only applies to anyone who disagrees with their POV.
Look at Wikipedia. A few months ago you could find both pro and anti NKT stances. Now you will find only pro NKT - everything else has been removed by the NKT. But if you look in the history section of the revisions you will get a clear idea of what is going on - using multiple identities and sock-puppets to do this. It got so bad that Wikipedia moderators considered deleting the whole thing.
It's the NKT who started this and they intend to finish it by rewriting history and discrediting their enemies by attacking them personally, whereas their critics are critical of the organization. Says it all really. A healthy organization would listen, look inside but not the NKT. Oh and before the reply comes back that the NKT is changing - we are listening - just try posting anything on their own 'fight the smear' sites which debates against their POV - it will be quickly removed.
I agree - degenerate times - for the NKT. Be wary of NKT truths - check out the facts and most definately read what Tenzin Peljor has got to say - he is kind, considerate, never makes personal attacks, is willing to listen and change his POV if he makes a mistake. In short he is everything the NKT is not.
I used to be in the NKT - for 10 years - and i am not a follower of the Dalai Lama
Jaundiced!
Is having a jaundiced view of a pure spiritual tradition the only thing you learned in your ten years with the NKT? If so, I genuinely feel sorry for you. I think you missed something very precious and important.
I hope you find what you need for your spiritual life.
Lineageholder
Seems you have perfected the art of being patronizing. A pure spiritual tradition requires pure practitioners. Pure practitioners require honest introspection rather than looking at the faults of others. You take the highroad and i will take the low road. See you on the other side.
The NKT is a Mahayana Buddhist Tradition
The website you refer to above, NKT World, is written by someone calling themselves Truthsquad88 who has never been to an NKT center, as far as anyone can tell, and whose version of it is unrecognizable to most people who attend Centers. There is a reply to one of Truthsquad's odd articles here: http://wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.blogspot.com/2008/10/reting-lama-how-he-...
Inform give out information on any religious organization where people send complaints and a letter writing campaign was organized by Carol McQuire to get people to write in their stories. If you read their literature, however, you will see that they say the NKT is completely fine in general. At the end, they give a few examples of disgruntled ex-members whose complaints are really no different to the complaints heard by ex-members of organizations throughout the world. Moreoever, most of these complaints have been processed by the NKT, which is always trying to improve and does not mind receiving these complaints as it helps them improve. As the NKT does not claim to be perfect, the Inform leaflet does not pose any problem. Inform certainly do not say that the NKT is anything other than a respectable Buddhist organization.
That info buddhism site belongs to Tenzin Peljor -- someone else tells the story of this tireless anti NKT campaigner elsewhere on this site.
Dorje Shugden Truth
You can find out the truth about Dorje Shuden here:
http://www.wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org/
..
Seems like a blasphemous suggestion, when faced with the mass of internet links above, but why don't people just go along to the session and then make their minds up??
Experiencing it for yourself is always better than taking someone else's advice (unless it's something like 'The river has crocodiles, don't swim'). Or. At least that's my advice lol.