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 Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 11:29 am
[ Jizo Bosatsu ] This is another yellow flag. Most of the really bad fake Buddhist teachers I have seen like to tout the fact that they have very eclectic backgrounds. They're always "well versed in numerous spiritual traditions including..." followed by a long list of anything and everything from Sufi-ism and Rosacrucianism, to psychotherapy and advanced Ping Pong. Though it would appear logical to think a good teacher would be one who has gathered the best of a variety of different traditions, this does not seem to be the case. What usually happens is that these guys have a superficial knowledge of a variety of traditions from which they have extracted those portions of the teachings that suit them personally. They bounce around from temple to temple never really getting to know any of them very well. In a single human lifetime it is simply not possible to delve deeply into numerous traditions each of which takes decades to fully comprehend. You're better off with someone who is well versed in a single tradition. Extensive traveling is another yellow flag (this is coming from an Ohioan who lives in Japan, mind you). It impresses people, but it's not at all necessary to go to some distant land to understand Buddhism. Extensive adventuring tends to make people dull, unable to appreciate the beauty of their ordinary surroundings. I do not agree with this. A lot of people explore different faiths before coming to the one that suits them. Why should these teachers be any different? They're human like us, after all. Sheesh. Also, about the traveling thing, why should it matter? Someone can surely appreciate where they are and somewhere else. Out planet is really neat. It's like you're saying, if one becomes a buddhist teacher, traveling is a no-no.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 7:01 pm
I think the aim behind that is to be wary if the person starts out by using all the different faiths he has researched/been part of as a bragging tool. Ignorant as I am, that would strike me as a good warning sign of something being wrong.
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Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 10:38 pm
Thanks for the post. Very informative, especially since I'm looking for a teacher/local gathering.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2007 8:22 am
Ligier the Green Sun The most comprehensive site of Buddhist Cults: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/4886/cults.htm Oh Ligier this link doesn't work anymore...
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 10:38 pm
off topic...
thy greatest teacher is thy self.
figure that out.
PS very informitive, but not much further than common sense if you ask me.
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Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2007 10:47 am
Many thanks for the post! No doubt there are plenty of scam-artists out there... mad
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 11:58 am
(I levelled my monk up to level 8. am i a master yet?) ninja
*runs away*
But, all in all, I agree. Most notably the people who "study a variety of things and backgrounds" because they are often just a new age conglomerism of "things that will comfort you at night" in a kind of pseudo-religious, spiritualist & morally relativist way.
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Posted: Sat Sep 08, 2007 12:00 pm
minoruII off topic... thy greatest teacher is thy self. figure that out. PS very informitive, but not much further than common sense if you ask me. Common sense is, alas, oddly uncommon. whee
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Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 6:30 pm
If I ever do plan on getting a teacher, then I would certainly take these items you presented into contrast, but... I don't have a teacher, but I'll keep them in mind. Thanks biggrin
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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 8:48 pm
Wings Akimbo [ Jizo Bosatsu ] This is another yellow flag. Most of the really bad fake Buddhist teachers I have seen like to tout the fact that they have very eclectic backgrounds. They're always "well versed in numerous spiritual traditions including..." followed by a long list of anything and everything from Sufi-ism and Rosacrucianism, to psychotherapy and advanced Ping Pong. Though it would appear logical to think a good teacher would be one who has gathered the best of a variety of different traditions, this does not seem to be the case. What usually happens is that these guys have a superficial knowledge of a variety of traditions from which they have extracted those portions of the teachings that suit them personally. They bounce around from temple to temple never really getting to know any of them very well. In a single human lifetime it is simply not possible to delve deeply into numerous traditions each of which takes decades to fully comprehend. You're better off with someone who is well versed in a single tradition. Extensive traveling is another yellow flag (this is coming from an Ohioan who lives in Japan, mind you). It impresses people, but it's not at all necessary to go to some distant land to understand Buddhism. Extensive adventuring tends to make people dull, unable to appreciate the beauty of their ordinary surroundings. I do not agree with this. A lot of people explore different faiths before coming to the one that suits them. Why should these teachers be any different? They're human like us, after all. Sheesh. Also, about the traveling thing, why should it matter? Someone can surely appreciate where they are and somewhere else. Out planet is really neat. It's like you're saying, if one becomes a buddhist teacher, traveling is a no-no.
What I think Jizo meant was be careful of people who say they have "mastered" every other religion as well. Like if I said I was the Pope and quit to be a Buddhist, you'd be careful of me, assuming I am lieing, right?
And the whole point is it is our "human nature" to assume things in our every day life mundane and boring. The more "extravagant" things you see makes these "boring" things more "boring" to you as a person and keeps you off the path to enlightenment. Be careful around people who tend to bore easily is a better phrase for that sentence.
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 12:36 am
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Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 3:42 pm
Byaggha I want to be well versed in ping pong. I mean in a spiritual sense. Aside from that, I have nothing to add to this but my thanks. xd Like much of what I read in this post, that was pretty funny. Thank you for the laughs, and thank you to Paris No 5 for a lot of information I intend to make use of in the (near and far) future.
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Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 12:38 pm
:'o
Your writing a book?
(Tell me when it comes out)
:'P
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Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:29 pm
Wings Akimbo [ Jizo Bosatsu ] This is another yellow flag. Most of the really bad fake Buddhist teachers I have seen like to tout the fact that they have very eclectic backgrounds. They're always "well versed in numerous spiritual traditions including..." followed by a long list of anything and everything from Sufi-ism and Rosacrucianism, to psychotherapy and advanced Ping Pong. Though it would appear logical to think a good teacher would be one who has gathered the best of a variety of different traditions, this does not seem to be the case. What usually happens is that these guys have a superficial knowledge of a variety of traditions from which they have extracted those portions of the teachings that suit them personally. They bounce around from temple to temple never really getting to know any of them very well. In a single human lifetime it is simply not possible to delve deeply into numerous traditions each of which takes decades to fully comprehend. You're better off with someone who is well versed in a single tradition. Extensive traveling is another yellow flag (this is coming from an Ohioan who lives in Japan, mind you). It impresses people, but it's not at all necessary to go to some distant land to understand Buddhism. Extensive adventuring tends to make people dull, unable to appreciate the beauty of their ordinary surroundings. I do not agree with this. A lot of people explore different faiths before coming to the one that suits them. Why should these teachers be any different? They're human like us, after all. Sheesh. Also, about the traveling thing, why should it matter? Someone can surely appreciate where they are and somewhere else. Out planet is really neat. It's like you're saying, if one becomes a buddhist teacher, traveling is a no-no. In moderation I agree with what Jizo said. Personally, I can say I have experience in Taoism, Buddhism, Japanese Shinto, Christianity, Celtic Druidism, Wicca, Paganism, and more. However, most of the experience is so slight that I would not teach more than the basics of any one of those belief systems. If I were to use my variety of experiences to try boosting a reputation as a spiritual leader, it would be wrong of me, and there are people who do that. Wicca and Paganism were so slightly learned about that I could really only define what they are. I would definitely be in the wrong for trying to use either of those to boost a reputation. A good teacher would know this and thus not bother pointing out those experiences when teaching something entirely unrelated anyways. All I can teach without feeling in the wrong is Christianity, Taoism, and Buddhism, but even with those three I find myself frequently clarifying that I am not a master and will only teach the basics. I often encourage finding an expert or master to take any students further along the path of learning.
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Lord Alucard Ere Casanova
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