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Bite Me, Boulder Buddhists! ~ Bill Schwartz
More Twitter, Don’t Disrespect Chicago and other Buddhist Nonsense —Bill Schwartz @RyderJaphy on Twitter
“To know yourself is to forget yourself, and if you forget yourself then you become enlightened by all things.” Dogen
These are interesting times on Twitter for Tibetan Buddhists. Asked @Ponlop if this was Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s account; the response was affirmative. He doesn’t appear to be ready to take the plunge and follow anyone back as of yet but we can only hope. He has a wonderful wit in person and a natural for the brevity so necessary for successful tweeting.
The @Karmapa17 account isn’t His Holiness, obviously; updates instead of engaging, but better than nothing. It’s a new medium, but just as with merit and wisdom, you can’t have the one without the other, or your tweets will drop like bricks; tweeting should be a no-brainer for any dharma practitioner.
No-Newsflash: I’m apparently an “asshole” according to @ahkonlhamo; a blessing in Twitter Buddhist circles. Responded, “My being an asshole is beside the point; answer the question.” The whole back-and-forth nonsense of personal attacks between warring Penor Rinpoche students has petered out but nerves are still frayed from the flame wars of past months.
When I posted the question “Is being a Tulku and a fraud mutually exclusive in Vajrayana?” no disrespect was intended. We’re all equals on Twitter. Jetsuma, you aren’t the only one on Twitter. Alas, it wasn’t well received; not that I give a shit. I would have asked it at a public teaching and received a civil answer.
Last but not least Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is on Twitter, sort of, as @TergarOnline, but not Rinpoche tweeting himself. Kudos for following back in terms of tweep etiquette; personally reluctant to follow back myself, I understand. I try to keep mine around six hundred, which is half of the people that follow me. That way there is usually someone interesting around when I drop in.
I have a shout out @dromtonpa tweeting from Italy, Pema Chodren isn’t just an “American nun,” as you put it, but a jewel in the Karma Kagyu mandala; to make the difficult easy to understand is not a sin in my opinion. I look forward to our paths crossing again in the future. Every point of view is valid in its own terms.
One of the first people to follow me on Twitter was Waylon. He sent me a direct message introducing himself as a dharma brat, the curse of any newbie trying to meditate in a group for the first time: some sangha member’s child running naked through the shrine room with his mom in hot pursuit, bath towel in hand.
I was just a kid myself in 1981 when I got the call. It was Colleen Reed, a friend and Rogers Park neighbor (today known as Lama Colleen, then founder of Chicago Karma Thegsum Choling, presently on Staff at Karma Triyana Dharmachackra in Woodstock, New York) on the phone. “Bill, we need you to move some mattresses to Zion.”
The 16th Karmapa was dying of cancer and the local Karma Kagyu sangha was throwing together a household near the hospital for the Karmapa’s “heart sons,” Shamar, Situ, Jamgon Kongtrul, and Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche.
The next morning Bob Martinez and I were behind the Dharmadhatu (the Shambhala Training center of its day) on Clark Street, beneath the elevated tracks just north of Belmont Avenue where the Brown and Red lines merge, freezing our asses off in a rented panel truck.
It was like cats and dogs, two very different sanghas, Vajradhatu, of Boulder, and Karma Triyana Dharmachakra, the Karmapa’s seat in North America located in Woodstock, New York, forced by circumstances to work together. Almost thirty years later not much has changed.
One evening an exasperated Shamar Rinpoche declared “Let’s just go to McDonald’s,” which we did. One day you’re in Rumtek Monastery in the far reaches of northern India and the next you find yourself biting into a Big Mac for the first time in your life in an apartment outside of Chicago. It was all good for the Rinpoches, of course, just kids themselves back then.
I bet the monks were glad to get their young charges back to Sikkim safe and sound when it was all said and done. Whenever a Rinpoche visits us, what happened near Chicago invariably comes up. The Karmapa planted his flag here, and we take great pride in that. His Holiness could have died anywhere, but of all places he chose the greater Chicago area to pass into Parinirvana.
An incredulous Elephant Journal reader sent me a message (I love messages, keep them coming!). She was unaware that Chicago, a city she had once lived in when very young and apparently hated, could have anything to do with the dharma, unaware that the friggin’ place is basically sacred to Karma Kagyu around the world.
I’m always amazed by this notion that Boulder, Colorado, is the center of the Buddhist universe. What’s the deal with that? It doesn’t mean shit to me I’m afraid. It’s not like the Varjacharya invented Tibetan Buddhism, only a form of it that appeals to those put off by its traditions already long represented here.
Needless to say, I had a few choice words (for someone I imagine as a Prius-driving, granola-crunching, tree-hugging, tea-sipping hippy) on the history of the Karma Kagyu lineage in Chicago. Believe it or not, Rinpoches actually love visiting Karma Thegsum Choling, our dharma center in the heart of a working-class Mexican neighborhood in the Chicago suburb of Cicero, Illinois.
Not that Boulder doesn’t have its charms, of course, but when it comes to Tibetan Buddhism, and the Karma Kagyu in particular, it’s no Chicago in my book.
Hey, even the Vajrachayra himself felt compelled to fold up his tent and move to a small fishing village in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to get away from the circle of hipness of the day. So, to the dharma brats of the 11th most populous city of Colorado, get over yourself; or as we say in Chicago, “Bite Me!” Later.
Karmapa Chenno!
Enjoyed this, Bill.
One of the reasons I enjoy Elephant Journal is that I get exposed to this fascinating world of Buddhism, which I have known very little about up until now. The philosophical differences with Yoga philosophy are fascinating enough. But then I find there is this whole layer of Buddhists battling among themselves.
And this is just Tibetan Buddhism, which my Zen Buddhist priest neighbor down the street views as overly elaborate and ritualized compared to the spare no-nonsense practice of his beloved Zen. It's all fascinating stuff, and I'm happy to learn about it, even though I don't think it will ever be for me personally.
Thanks for a very interesting read.
Bob Weisenberg
http://YogaDemystified.com
HAha! Well, twitter can get loud at times. I am curious about the Penor Rinpoche warring students though. I am not a tibetan practitioner so the sublties are lost on me but I hav noticed a bunch of noise lately
Jeez Bob, those Buddhists can really sling some crap around, eh?
Cheers,
John
http://www.zendirtzendust.com
Thank you, Tibetan Buddhism is only as elaborate as you need it to be.
I believe that, Bill. I was just relating my Zen neighbor's opinion. Even with my limited exposure I've seen great variety in Tibetan Buddhism.
Oh, my. One good thing RyderJaphy did – if I have the right person – was post unpublished papers by Trungpa. If I recall correctly some did not take kindly to the generous gesture.
Oh, yeah, and leaving Chicago for Boulder was one of the best things I ever did. (Though, unfortunately, I am no longer there.) Chicago is perfect, however, for Buddhists searching for suffering they can address.
Married to a editor book editor for a major publisher I would never violate copyright. I did have a copy of Lama Colleen Reed's Vajradhatu Seminary transcript found in the basement in a pile of clutter to be thrown out in my home from which I shared short quotes on MySpace four years ago on my message board. People enjoyed the quotes very much and we had some very interesting exchanges on the subject. Colleen thought it inappropriate and I gladly sent the transcript to her and out of respect for my longtime friend I deleted the thread. There was nothing inappropriate given the context. She had moved away and it was clearly destined to be thrown out. It does seem like an odd thing to bring up here, but not at all unexpected I'm afraid giving the nature of the article.
The dharma, and the Karma Kagyu, has a history in Chicago that Buddhists in Boulder simply don't get as your comment only confirms. As appreciative as I am of the life and work of Chogyam Trungpa I detested his students here in Chicago for looking down their noses at those of us that chose to follow the 16th Karmapa as Westerners pretending to be Tibetans back in the day for not embracing the Vajracharya's vision for a uniquely Western approach to the dharma which was wildly popular at the time.
Fortunately, today, under the leadership of the Sakyong, such bad blood is but a memory. What happened back in the 1980's is part of our history here though and as an early adopter of the Karma Kagyu in this country I'm not about to sit back and allow some Boulder dharma brat ridicule as the Elephant Journal reader that inspired this article did the memory of the 16th Karmapa's parinirvana here.
On the positive side, as we plan for Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche's visit this Spring both Karma Thegsum Choling and the local Shambhala Training center are working together like not since the parinirvana under the leadership of the 17th Karmapa whom in his 2008 Karmapa in America tour made it clear to us how we have to work together despite our differences. Whatever you think of Chicago, I couldn't care less; personally, I'd rather live in San Francisco or Seattle. It isn't about the cities but our history as Karma Kagyu, the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Karmapa Chenno!
Yep. That was the series of events to which I referred. Probably the best posts you loaded up.
Oh, my. Greg, imagine my surprise when I googled you and read that you are "managing director" of Teahouse Media, specializing in conflict resolution. You must be in charge of drumming up business.
We had a nice laugh at your expense this morning in Chicago; something I posted on MySpace four years ago, that's all you got son? Thanks for the entertainment.
If I was interested in drumming up conflict resolution business, I would follow you around. A man could make a good career of that. Nothing like the charm of RyderJaphy!
Hey Boulder Buddhists, what's the deal with this http://bit.ly/dtpLKN shared by a Shambhala Buddhist? You want to take down and put into storage a Vajradhara Thangka blessed by 16th Karmapa! Always thought you guys were provincial; some things never change. Please send to Karma Thegsum Choling in Chicago for the 30th anniversery of his Parinirvana. We will proudly display it over our shrine. With the 2008 Karmapa to visit to Boulder thought Sakyong was bringing Shambhala Buddhism back into the Karma Kagyu fold but apparently Boulder Buddhists didn't appreciate the significance of the historic visit and are actually going to let this happen.
Actually, the international Shambhala community seems generally up in arms about the idea to take down this glorious, historic, present momentful thangka.
No disrespect intended, but I pray that the dharma brat Shambhala "McBuddhists" of Boulder grow a pair and do the right thing and loan Chicago Karma Thegsum Choling for our celebration of the 16th Karmapa's Parinirvana here instead of rolling up the Vajradhara Thangka and putting it in storage until they mature enough to realize that Shambhala Training was a side project to the Vajracharaya's Vajradhatu sangha to reach out beyond his Karma Kagyu. Needless Karma Kagyu around the world are watching and will not take kindly to your disrespecting the memory of His Holiness in the name of promoting your franchise's "McDonald's-like" trade mark consistency. Stop worrying about your problems with your Prius brakes you damn hipsters and man up and do the right thing.
LOL, man, you crack me up. We're not only NOT going to lend you our big ol'thangka, we're gonna make sure it stays up on the wall where it belongs! I'm fighting change, impermanence hurts!
Bonus: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2008/10/a-short-vi...
Wasn't holding my breath, Boulder does have its place in the history of the Karma Kagyu lineage. It's no Chicago, of course, but I'm biased in this regard. I get that it isn't everyone's cup of tea, their preference being for a Western Buddhism. By comparison we must seem like a hoard of illiterate yak herders with our esoteric Vajrayana samaya I'm sure. I'm just glad that somebody there is ready to fight tooth and nail to keep the Vajradhara thangka where it belongs in Boulder.
No, being a tulku and a fraud are not mutually exclusive in Vajrayana, as Ahkon Lhamo herself so perfectly demonstrates. Every word she says is carefully scripted by ghostwriters (now that ex-husband Michael Burroughs has been burned in effigy, the task often falls to children's author W.W. Rowe, but not exclusively so), she has never even attempted much less completed ngondro, and when Bhaka Tulku was sent by Penor Rinpoche to instruct her, she sent him packing after two weeks. She is openly and notoriously under the care of a psychiatrist, on medication, yet offers advice about "stabilizing the mind." You got just a small taste of what it feels like to point out that he is in the nude, Bill… from the "sangha" that loves to hate.
All I did was ask a simple question of Jetsuma last week and opened the gates of Twitter hell I'm afraid. I'm Karma Kagyu so none of my business how Nyingmapa's run their shop; we have enough controversies ourselves without sticking my nose in their business. I only added mention of what's happening on Twitter on final draft of article to make it more topical for people interested in the mysteries and many pitfalls of social media. It's nothing personal. Her students have been coming at me all day. Nothing I can't handle but would rather be practicing; closing in on three million Mani recitations, but a day of Tonglen on Twitter being insulted is not without its benefits of course.
Never was a supposed Buddhist teacher so obviously mired in the Eight Worldly Dharmas that she employs her students to spin-doctor every word written about her by others — as your own experience is a perfect illustration. Senior Palyul Lineage tulkus are polite to her in public, but in private interviews uniformly condemn her conduct and warn off potential victims. Even the late Penor Rinpoche made an ample record, counseling visitors to Namdroling to steer clear of her, and at the end of his life, expressed regret that he recognized her, saying "she has throughly failed to live up to my expectations." Her case is sad to the level of tragic: a black eye for the Nyingma, the Palyul, and America. If you read what she writes on Twitter, it is an immediate turn-off.
Jetsunma paranoia on twitter may be due to the fact that the feds breathing down her neck…big time.
http://tibetanaltar.blogspot.com/2009/09/judge-sl...
Jetsunma was charged with battery in Maryland for beating a nun and I believe it's the same nun (above link) that was being harassed by Jetsunma and her followers online.
"We are informed the order came in response to a cynical cyberstalking campaign — cynical, because it at times masqueraded as an "anti-cyberstalking" effort to "protect women," but was in fact a systematic campaign of internet and other forms of harassment directed toward a woman: a Tibetan Buddhist nun formerly associated with the so-called Jetsunma Cult, Kunzang Palyul Choling (KPC)."
Now on twitter it's "stop the hate"?
The key to Twitter is filtering out the noise by focusing on your @replies where people are speaking directly to you and expect a response, and direct messages. I use the stream mostly to see who is on that I might be interested in having a conversation with without otherwise trying to keep up with what people are saying. My life is dramatic enough without butting into other people's business; too much of a headache.
Better watch it, Bill keep posting stuff like this and they're going to think you've joined the Zen iconoclasts. You know like that guy…what's his name…oh yeah John Pappas. haha
That John guy's a jerk.
What the hell?! Of course, I'm a jerk! I was a jerky Christian, then a jerky atheist and now a jerky Buddhist!
But on to serious matters. I am in a weird position of being aquainted with most of these twitter folks and I am amazed at how many different views I get from the lamas and individuals mentioned. So much so that I am staying out of this round. At least until I can assign black and white label in an arbitrary fashion to those involved so that I may join someone's ranks.
I understand that debate is important in spiritual matters and especially so in Tibetan Buddhism (from what I gathered, I practice Zen so we usually just sit staring at a wall and occassionally sling a cryptic barb at each other) but where is the benefit?
If no benefit then why push the conversation/argument?
Cheers,
John
http://www.zendirtzendust.com
Hey, you know we're good my friend; the rhetoric may be hot and heavy, but there are facts you can evaluate for yourself; the whole Jetsuma issue was a late topical insert in my final draft and secondary to my issue in this article which is my response to an Elephant journal reader that totally disrespected Chicago, and long history of the Kama Kagyu in my home town. My next article "Welcome to Twitter Hell" which my wife will edit this weekend before submitting to Elephant Journal will shed more light on the subject, so watch this space my friend. As a Karma Kagyu I couldn't care less how the Nyingma run their shop as I have stated before. It's none of my business. In confidence I have shared what my trusted sources have passed on to me on the subject but don't expect me to tell you what is true and false in this regard. The late Penor Rinpoche and the Palyul lineage are beyond reproach when it comes to who they recognize as a Tulku or not, but how those who are recognized as Tulkus are accountable for how they conduct themselves as they always have in all Tibet Buddhist tradition. It's a title, and there are obligations to be fulfilled, such as doing as your tutor instructs you to do in terms of formal practice and training. In the Karma Kagyu we recognize our tulkus as young children and they receive back from their previous teachers what was taught to them, as we have done for centuries up to the present. Obviously, the Nyingma have a different approach which we must respect as Tibetan Buddhists. I know from interacting with you over the past year on Twitter that you are not an honorable man and dedicated dharma practitionor for whom I have nothing but respect despite not agreeing with everything you say about the subject of the dharma.
From the outside looking in it is very difficult to get a feel for the conversation but it piecing together slowly. Similar issues are well known in Zen circles as well. I hope this conversation continues and provides some insight and benefit (as every good argument should).
I should point out though that you may have made a typo in this sentence
"I know from interacting with you over the past year on Twitter that you are NOTan honorable man and dedicated dharma practitionor "
Wow! Thats rough man!
Cheers,
John
http://www.zendirtzendust.com
I'm pretty much do a "do your told" Karma Kagyu; just trying my hand at writing and it just comes out. My wife's a book editor for major publisher. She cleans it up and makes it ready for submission. The fine folks at Elephant Journal do their magic and can't believe I had anything to do with it.
I had a silent heart attack last Spring; not even a twinge of pain. After two angioplasties, four stents, found out this morning ejection fraction barely 35% (normal being 65%); it's a pacemaker, and pharmacology from this point forward for me; conjestive heart failure.. Writing for Waylon helps me with the process. I owe him big time.
I'm not special but in a special place most people miss, according Ponlop Dzoghen Ponlop .We exhange Direct Messages (DM's) on Twitter to help me though this amazing process, and the words have just be coming out like never before. I'm amazed that any of this makes sense to people. I' m just a nobody, taking his time dying.
On day I won't wake up, maybe I slump over in middle of conversation. Trust me, there are worst ways to die.Could happen in next moment, a month five, years, there's no telling when. The mortality rate is higher than cancer, but it'll be sudden, just like I've practiced my entire life as a Tibetan Buddhist. For first time in my life can't say I have nothing to write about, and surprise surprise .people like; better late than never.
The hate-filled followers of "Jetsunma" (Alyce Zeoli) who attacked you on Twitter are currently being taught to replace the Six Syllable mantra, OM MAN PADME HUM, with the "New Age" mantra: OM JETSUNMA AHKON LHAMO HUNG. See the screen shot from Twitter, here: http://friendofpadma.blogspot.com/2010/02/horror-...
If anybody needs evidence that this is nothing more than a cult… you don't need to look too much farther.
My faith in Penor Rinpoche doesn't allow me to go there I'm afraid. I have to believe there is a purpose beyond my comprehension at work in this mess. Thankfully, I'm Karma Kagyu. We never have a shortage of our own controversies to struggle with I'm afraid. I find they have deepened my faith in the healing power of samaya; that which makes us question our faith in the guru makes us stronger. To quote Terchen Barway Dorje, "If it displeases you, leave it alone,” has served me well over the years. It's really an issue for the Nyingmapas, and lineage holders of the Palyul lineage she represents, and not something for outsiders like myself to judge. I do feel your pain though and implore you to have faith that you are in good hands; there are no shortage of lineage holders for you to study with if you find Jetsuma not suitable to your needs as a dharma practitioner.
[...] to Waylon for publishing “Bite me, Boulder Buddhists.” That took a pair, my friend. Not bad for a “Dharma [...]
[...] but don’t hold your breath, my online friends, if you expect us anytime soon to allow McBuddhists access to our most profound [...]
So Bill you're really identifying yourself as a disgruntled, angry, shallow, Buddhist wannabe. What difference does it make it you "helped establish Karma Kagyu in Chicago?" Jim Jones established Jonestown. David Koresh established the Branch Davidians. Should we hold these two in ANY regard just because they played a lead role in establishing their sects?
This debating is absolutely ridiculous all it is is buddhist distinguishing themselves from other buddhists and hating on each other. The comments about chicago and boulder being the most sacred to any particular form of buddhism is absolutely ridiculous. all land is equally sacred and any statement saying otherwise is coming from a seriously dualistic perspective.why dont we all stop focussing on our differences or at least embrace them. whether your a "tree hugging" buddhist or a hummer driving buddhist you are still a buddhist and realizing absolute bhodhichitta is still the core of your path. distinguishing anyone as being better or anyplace as being more sacred is merely creating a spiritual ego.
David Sheingold
That was a typo, my apologies, just found out that I have a blood clot in my left ventricle and have to have a cardiac MRI monday. Again, please accept my apologies.