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Welcome to Twitter Hell. ~ Bill Schwartz
by elephantjournal.com on Feb 8, 2010
Tibetan Buddhism, Don’t Ask Alyce—and How to Stop Online Bullies.
~ by Bill Schwartz @RyderJaphy on Twitter (via @elephantjournal)
“Hell is just resistance to life.” ~ Pema Chodron
Props to Waylon for publishing “Bite me, Boulder Buddhists.” That took a pair, my friend. Not bad for a “Dharma Brat.”
Now for the latest controversy—what everyone is tweeting about these days—the appropriateness of questioning Dharma teachers on Twitter. My position: if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
Last September, here in Chicago Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, my beloved guru of 28 years, was taking questions from the Karma Thegsum Choling audience. At 80 years of age he rarely leaves his charges at Karme Ling, in Delhi, New York, where he is Master of the traditional three-year retreat.
[That spring I had suffered a silent heart attack. Over six months I went from a middle-aged man with perfect blood pressure and cholesterol, who had never smoked, rarely drank, walked an hour daily along the lakefront, and most important, because of a family history of sudden death, saw my internist every three months...to a senior citizen who couldn’t walk half a block unassisted.]
In my private interview the day before I had asked for Rinpoche’s final instructions and blessings; though feeling at death’s door I insisted over his protestations on doing my three prostrations and sitting on the floor. Old-school Karma Kagyu to the bitter end, no way was I about to take a seat higher than my Vajra master.
Even if it killed me!
At the end of the audience, I blurted out my question, “I can’t help but think of Rinpoche as anything but perfect. But do you ever feel like you aren’t good enough?” The translator was from Taiwan and wasn’t familiar with the idiom. “You know, disappointed in yourself, like you don’t measure up to expectations.” Before the translation of my question was complete, Rinpoche was smiling and laughing.
“All the time,” he responded. “I’ve lived in the West over 30 years, don’t speak English, don’t get the culture of my students”…and the list of complaints he had about himself went on (to the delight of the audience). For whatever reason, I’ve always been able to ask difficult, pointed questions of the most venerated teachers of the lineage without a second thought.
In our tradition here in Chicago, that is the purpose of our afternoon session. We don’t do the lineage supplication [request of teachings] beforehand or dedicate the merit [to all sentient beings] afterward. According to Rinpoche, “The questions have improved over the years, but they aren’t Dharma.” Obviously, this is simply an opportunity for people in the audience to ask whatever is on their minds.
~
On Twitter, the other week, I asked Jetsunma Akhon Lhamo (Alyce Louise Zeoli) of the Palyul lineage of the Nyingma tradition a question. She’s on Twitter constantly, tweeting under @AkhonLhamo about animal rescue mostly and promoting the prayer vigils she presides over at her center in Poolesville, Maryland. Not my cup of tea, but she asked me to follow her, and with proper Twitter etiquette, I did so.
I had just finished reading Tyler Dewar’s (@tylerdewar on Twitter) recent interview in Bodhi Magazine with the 17th Karmapa. There was a graph in which His Holiness discussed the importance of sangha [community] as a harmonious coming together. Nalanda West, Seattle, Washington (@NalandaWest), had tweeted a link to the interview, and I re-tweeted it to share with the people who follow my Twitter stream.
Then I asked the question, “What does His Holiness mean?” and people began to chime in to discuss what they thought. Much to my surprise Jetsuma chimed in with “Consistency.” I tweeted back “What do you mean?”…
…and the sh*t storm began. Maybe I missed something, but she called me an asshole and made a snide remark about my heart, which gave her devoted Kunzang Palyul Ling followers the green light to begin attacking me.
I laughed it off and mentioned it in my last Elephant Journal article—“I’m an asshole, but that’s beside the point”—and returned to my daily routine of practice and tweeting Dharma quotes and music during session breaks without giving it a second thought. I had no idea of the Twitter hell I was about to catch.
From the point of my initial exchange with Jetsuma, the attacks escalated from strangers ridiculing the fact that I’m dying of congestive heart failure to a personal threat—“I know people in Chicago”—from one of her devoted followers. I’ve always known that the Nyingma have had issues surrounding Penor Rinpoche recognizing the “actor” Steven Seagal as a tulku, but I had no idea what a pile of sh*t I had stepped into.
Thankfully, Twitter isn’t a message board, and I can block Jetsuma’s followers from seeing my Twitter stream. I’ve had to block only one person who created a shell account to spam my @Replies (Twitter inbox) with threatening messages. Why would a Dharma teacher on Twitter allow her or his followers to behave in such a shameful manner? Perhaps she didn’t know. I haven’t a clue.
Ending on a positive note…Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche (@ponlop) has followed me back; he wasn’t following anyone on Twitter when I wrote my last article. We’ve been exchanging direct messages (private tweets); he enjoyed “Bite Me, Boulder Buddhists” and mentoring me through the process of dying.
Also, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (@yongeymingyurrinpoche) is on Twitter now, but has yet to tweet.
What about Twitter hell? My bad; it ended in a tweet. “Founding member Chicago KTC, well regarded over 28 years, will not hesitate to take legal action against anyone stating otherwise here.” And so while we can “drive all blames into ourselves,” as the Lojong slogan goes—and while I remember to be grateful to my “enemies,” who are my greatest teacher—well, Twitter hell turned out to be for those deluded enough to think they could push Bill Schwartz around. Later.
Karmapa Chenno
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Again, friend, I am surprised at the conflict you describe. I am buddhist, an avid twitterer and also a bit of an asshole but I don't seem to get the flack that you do. I think people need to think before rushing to the "rescue" of their teachers or gurus. Another person's words really mean very little and usually asking for clarification or communication will clear up these issues.
That being said, Twitter really doesn't avail itself to that sort of conversation. Comments are brief, blunt and sharp with very little room being made for niceties. I have found that, more so than on other sites, I need to think and ask first before attacking at a percieved slight.
Of course I did tell @deepakchopra to "suck it" this weekend and he made fun of my mother but I think we walked away happy with each other!
Cheers and many bows for another good article and breakdown of the Tibetan Twitter scene.
John
http://www.zendirtzendust.com
Khenpo Karthar recently made cryptic statement to me "support Chicago Karma Thegsum Choling;" which turns out wasn't a request but advice about what he saw for me in the future. Not soon afterward Waylon asked me to write for Elephant Journal.
Twitter has been a blessing for me. I have met so many interesting people, such as yourself. I have never had a problem with being brief, or hitting a target when in my sight. If you push me I will bring you down so fast you won't know what hit you without a second thought.
I've also made an unexpected new friend Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche (@ponlop) whom has been mentoring me using the DM (private tweets) with timely comments and advice. For a devout Karma Kagyu it doesn't get any better than that my friend, and all thanks to this amazing new medium.
As you well know, just being yourself, is provocation enough for some people, especially Tibetan Buddhists, to get their robes in a twist and blame you for how they conduct themselves online. Their robes may be perfect but they haven't changed their underwear in years and you can smell them a mile away.
Like I told my friend @dharmacharya just this afternoon, to quote Terchen Barway Dorje, “Love your enemies from afar, where they can’t harm you.” Keep the high ground. People can only hurt you if you put yourself in a position to be hurt. Take nothing personal on Twitter, and your powder dry and you're golden.
BTW had the Cardiac MRI this morning to evaluate the blood clot in my left ventricle. Will get results in 2-3 days. It was an amazing experience, kind of like being in a coffin for an hour. They gave me a head set, and every minute or so would tell me to exhale and then hold my breath. The wonders of 21st century cardiology.
John,
I just looked over and (lightly) edited the above article, and I did find the gap between what Bill said he said and the violent reaction from Lhamo herself and her students to be somewhat confusing.
That said, I've watched Bill go at it on twitter with others, and I can say that he seems to be pretty fair, gentle, strong…while others seem to enjoy spinning off on him.
If you can't beat @ryderjaphy, join him!
LOL Arguing with me about the dharma on Twitter is a bit like sticking your head in a wood chipper without an off switch. Thanks for the edit. My wife the book editor didn't think it was my best effort.
I like this one a great deal. Easier to understand for me, and fearless–you get into the waves of twitter and community and Dharma without apology. I think it's a helpful offering to all Buddhist communities to relax and communicate.
I just went in and followed @Ponlop, and the others mentioned.
John wrote, "I am surprised at the conflict you describe. I am buddhist, an avid twitterer and also a bit of an asshole but I don't seem to get the flack that you do."
Good heads-up observation. Fits in the "what is wrong with this picture" category?
My old Pappy had a dog that he loved. Nobody else could see the use, but since we all loved Pappy, we put up with the beast.
Now, as time went by, it became obvious that dog was touched in the head. Even Pappy came to see it, but since he was kind-hearted, he never let us put the dog down. He would just warn people, explaining that the dog was sick. I guess he kept hoping for a miracle.
Well, Pappy up and died, and that dog just kept getting worse. Out of respect for Pappy's memory, we let that dog hang around — getting fatter and meaner, snoring, farting, and snapping at people — but, we keep it on a short leash.
Bill, I am so sorry that the damn dog took a bite at you. I guess you know how embarrassed we all are when something like that happens.
In future, it might be helpful to understand that the dog thinks it is a Queen, so if you call it "Your Highness," it will wag its tail and lick your face.
That's the syllogism isn't it? It goes like this: (1) Penor Rinpoche was a Living Buddha, (2) Penor Rinpoche recognized Alyce Zeoli as the tulku of Ahkon Lhamo, (3) Since a Living Buddha doesn't make mistakes, anything goes where Alyce Zeoli is concerned.
Except it didn't and it doesn't work that way. An unrealized and out of control tulku is a devil in disguise, and Penor Rinpoche eventually came to explicitly warn people against his creation.
You won't hear much about it, out of sectarian sensitivity and the P.R. machine that Zeoli herself uses to keep it under wraps. Hers is a lifestyle very much dependent on other peoples' money, she is 60 years old now, set in her ways, and incapable of change. When you questioned her, you threatened that lifestyle, so she set her machine to work on you. That is her history… along with burning ex-husbands in effigy (and demanding that her "students" join in), or making a career out of defaming ex-lovers with Internet hate sites and Twitter campaigns.
Is this Buddhism in the West?
Well, it is in the West, but I sure wouldn't call it Buddhism.
If you are interested in the Nyingma School in general, or the Palyul Lineage in particular, there are a number of credible teachers without all the baggage who aren't all that difficult to find. If you want to practice Dharma in the context of that lineage, I imagine there are ways to do so without responding to a Nixonian "Enemies List" and engaging in threats and libel. These are cult behaviors, and should be recognized as such.
Thankfully, Ahkon Lhamo is fading away. Her "Twitterverse" is her last gasp. The cult she fostered will not survive her death, and is already shrinking to a handful of aging faithful, now facing the golden years with empty pockets and a growing sense of no road left to travel. They report that they will feel "lucky" to die in her orbit, because she has the power to send them immediately to the Pure Land.
In the interim, like Sicilian Catholics between confessions, anything goes.
Just to be on the safe side, Bill, I'd get a stout lock on the back door.
I have no problem with Jetsuma and KPC as a dharma practitioner. Only when they started using Twitter to attack people I enjoyed following in the name of "Protecting Nyingma" did I become concerned. I zero-tolerance for cyber-bullying regardless of provocation.
No doubt, there was provocation. There's no shortage of people with horror stories about their experience with the sangha. Shit happens. We all have people that would like to see us fail. As Tibetan Buddhists though, we have practices, like Vajrasattva to address such issues.
Going through the public records of people you don't like isn't "Protecting Nyingma" to me; Dharma protection is best left to dharma protectors; for example, Vajrakilaya, protector of the Nyingma. To have KPC monks going after each other like 14 year-old girls on Twitter, even with their teacher's permission, is beneath them.
Then they started checking to see who was "following" their enemies on Twitter and going after them. Finally, someone had to shut them done and the task fell to me. I provoked a response from Jetsuma in a manner which allowed me to appear to be a victim of her devoted followers.
I let them go where they should no better than to go, in the heat of the moment; like my congestive heart failure, and my chops as a dharma practitioner. Finally, one member threatened "I know people in Chicago" which constituted grounds for filing a restraining order in Cook County.
I let the individuals involved know that I intended to take legal action in a major media market with the assistance of a prominent local trial lawyer who is on the board of Chicago KTC, and that was that. No name calling, nor disrespectful conduct was required. Just life in the big city.
I haven't heard a peep from Jetsuma and KPC since I might add. To quote Roshi Tatsugami “A tiger catches a mouse with his whole strength'” No hard feelings, Twitter is about listening to each other and learning from the experience. It isn't always pretty, but it works.
As apt as your description of Jetsuma as a dog may be, you only make her students feel obligated to defend her as the first Western woman recognized as a Tulku, which is their strength. She continues to enjoy the support of the Payul lineage apparently.Such an approach can only result in a flame war I'm afraid.
In the end they will move along, as all bullies do when someone stands up to them, so although it made for an amusing topic for an artiicle, it really isn't something we have to worry about as Tibetan Buddhism. Given the shit storm Penor Rinpoche let loose when he recognized Alyce Louise Zeoli and the actor Steven Seagal as Tulkus of the Palyul lineage we won't be seeing anything like that again in this country.
Not just you. When a very senior tulku associated with the Palyul lineage pointed out, on Twitter, that the admittedly unusual person you enjoyed following was indeed a recognized tulku, even HE was subjected to days of abuse by this crew. Maybe this is because of a bad love story between two Western tulkus? I don't know whether to laugh or cry. What is that old James Taylor number? "This used to be her town…. this used to be your town too…"
______March 03, 2008 see youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ns6H-za8vBQ
When H.H. Gyalwang Drukpa of Drukpa lineage gave the name Jetsunma to one of his nuns he felt it necessary to give an apologetic statement before he gave that title to her. Listen to the Quote below, what H.H. Gyalwang Drukpa (head of Drukpa lineage) has to say at the 1:23 point, quote:"…of course I overheard, a few days ago, or a few weeks ago, there's somebody sort of like… ah… was a little bit like ah, how do you say it, feels a bit, discomfort, because of you know, some other Jetsunma, I don't know who, but some recognized Jetsunma, … has not a really, a that good reputation, so therefore, they were sort of like, like asking, BEGGING you know, asking me to the meaning of the name, the meaning of Je and tsunma"
From what I understand we draw and create these things ourselves. Expereince reflects back at you like a mirror, these are your own experiences. All of that is part of you, all of it. One can't pass that to others. How you help to create this stuff is what to think about and contemplate. I don't know of any of other Lamas with that kind situation or circumstance.
My gosh, Bill does love his Buddhist quotes, but don't we all. One recent Milarepa Tweet of his comes to mind:
"Not separating appearances and emptiness, this is view mastered as it can be."
Isn't this refreshing? Doesn't this bring such comfort and ease? Wouldn't it be better to let consciousness make a tiny shift into cultivating emptiness instead of aversion? What is so delicious and intriguing about Hell? Does Bill have anything new to tell me about the Hell of playing the friends and enemies game? No, he doesn't and who needs all that anger anyway? Who wants to float about disembodied and freaking in the Bardo of Hell?
It does rather surprise me that Elephant Journal gives space for one Buddhist to slander another and for one (or more) to cultivate hate against another. Reading what Bill has decided to write makes me feel sad, and, not hopeful that if I put into practice Buddhist teachings, I too might overcome suffering. I'm also surprised that Bill seems to think that what he writes rises to the level of "Buddhist debate". Is this what the Kagyupa teach? I'm astounded.
At the very least, in the interests of fairness, why not invite Ven.Jetsunma to write a piece for Elephant Journal of her choosing,. Ask her to give that 'O Dharma Wheel a spin. Honestly, isn't it difficult to have any real debate on Twitter? E
With Metta,
Joyce
Firstly, there is no "Ven. Jetsunma." There is only Ahkon Lhamo nee Alyce Zeoli, who conferred upon herself the title "Jetsunma." Second, she doesn't write. It is also written for her by the children's author W.W. Rowe (in many cases), who is also the deed holder on most of her properties in Arizona, and her largest benefactor. There are also a couple of other ghostwriters of lesser distinction. Just because she is recognized doesn't mean she is realized. That is one reason you never see her live, unscripted, handling heavy questions from an audience of strangers. Never.
Dear Mr,/Mrs./Ms Patootey,
I've never met Ven.Jetsunma but she is recognized as a teacher in the Buddhist world whatever people's opinions are so there's no fault in being polite, is there? I do know that various Rinpoches relate to those in her community, for instance, Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso, who is one of my teachers and an impeccable human being, therefor, it seems others are doing their best and so shouldn't we? What good does it do for us to cultivate gossip, slander, right fighting, hearsay and rumor. This is endless suffering! An endless burden! The abject hypocrisy of it all! Aren't we trained to look at our motivation and intention in everything we do? Am I any better than Ven.Jetsunma? All I have to do is look at my own mind. I don't practice and yet I have time to criticize the imperfections of others – do mantra from one side of my mouth and condemn with the other side? Is there anyone here that can validate this as a reflection of what Buddhist teachings are?
With Metta.
Joyce
We have a habit of giving space to any and all who are devoted to "the mindful life"—living a life of benefit. As reflected in John and my comments above, we do think that @RyderJaphy does play hardball instead of engaging in "drive all blames into one" and resolving controversy into peace—that said I grew up in a Buddhist community whose response to any controversy, discussion, complaint, tough times was…"Sit more."
That's wise. That's also highly disfunctional.
So I'll side with openness and yes, given the 2.0 nature, the give and take of the internet, I'd be most humbly honored to see Ven. Jetsunma write an article on any subject, at any time, on elephant. We'd be sure to give her the same space and respect as we have our friend, the fiery "old dog" Mr. Schwartz who is at this time one of the leading presences nationally for Buddhism on twitter. Cheers!
Hiya EJ ~ Perhaps there is space for driving all blames into one and the (ultimate) response, "sit more" and openness at the same time. It may not be either/or. BUT, let's have an even playing field, eh?. Let's allow everyone equal access to speaking their truth without resultant threats and shouts for the lawyers by the fiery Old Dog. Old Dogs shouldn't climb into the fire unless they can stand the heat. So, it's doggish gossip & shouts for the lawyers or Dharma debate. Let us know what goes here.
On further reflection, chickens get better results than we do from sitting – there may be more to it.
Sarvamangalam,
Joyce
Dear Elephant:
How could you be sure she wrote it, as distinct from her ghostwriters? Because when she writes, on Twitter, it is all about her dog's bowels, her bad knees, her latest fundraising emergency, and the people she hates.
This is something I respect about you and Elephant journal.
Waylon,
I look forward to Jetsuma's response if one is forthcoming, but for my part the war is over, and it time for us to secure the peace we so enjoyed before her recent arrival on Twitter.
As a personal note, I appreciate how difficult publishing my articles must be; this one in particular.
A Karma kagyu, I too practice Tonglen daily, but as a Vajrayana practitioner, in the form of guru yoga, as outlined in Kama Chakme's "The Quintessence of the Union of Mahamudra and Dzogchen" as taught by Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.
I'm more than familiar with the use of Atisha's teachings on mind training, as a Karma Kagyu; through the teachings of Gampopa.
.
as a form of controlling dissent in sanghas, though, I have always steadfastly maintained the inappropriateness of the use of "antidotes" beyond the individual guru-disciple relationship.
For as with any medicine dispensed without regard for the particular symptoms presented the only result can be harm.
For every obscuration their is an antidote I have been taught, but there is no antidote for the dharma when used for an end other than benefiting sentient beings.
Shutting down dissent, and discussion in a sangha only serves the interests of the powers that be.
As you have noted, such "mindfulness" is far from mindful, but dysfunction in practice, a futile attempt to instead force our minds into a "Buddhist" straitjacket I'm afraid.
To quote Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche ""Meditation is about learning to work with the mind as it is, not trying to force it into some Buddhist straitjacket."
Not that many haven't tried in my experience to do so, but I've yet to see it succeed, at least with non-monastic Western practitioners of my generation at least.
In the end meditation is meditation, not ethics, or worse, an excuse for suppressing dissent in a sangha, whether a brick and mortar dharma center or Twitter.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
Joyce I whole heartedly agree with you. Can we look at ourselves and say that yes we are truly engaging in right conduct and right speech with this gossip?
Leslie,
It's called transparency, welcome to the 21st century. Furthermore, I'm not a monk and the internest isn't a monastic institution.
I didn't start this. I never even heard of Alyce or KPC before Twitter. My article is about Twitter. My article is about my lifetime of devotion to Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche.
The hook for my article is the fact that ordinary people such as myself can stand up and make cyber-bullies step off by simply standing up for their legal rights in this medium.
You can't evoke monastic codes and then turn around and drag my good name through the mud on the internet without answering for your statements before a Cook County judge.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
Hey Joyce,
Just woke up, always encouraging when you have congestive heart failure. Glad to see Jetsuma's students have discovered Elephant Journal.
As the record will reflect I have never attacked Jetsuma. On the other hand, we have a record of your statements regarding me against my good name.
If you wish to stand behind your comments as posted please leave your contact information for my attorney and I will gladly see you in court here; will even give you a lift from the airport.
Bill Schwartz
I'd be more comfortable with more respect, my man, less legal threats in this forum. What elevates this to transparency, from gossip, is both frankness (which I love in you) and understanding. Hard back, soft front as Trungpa Rinpoche used to say.
My gosh! What fun. A La La! It's always encouraging when any of us wakes up. I'm not a student of Ven.Jetsuma's. This is perhaps a question of style as I'm more of a zenny twig type. I am a student of HH.Penor Rinpoche and others. I'm also a student of Sasaki Roshi and various Burmese teachers as well. This is more due to longevity than capacity. As for my contact info. I left my email. I don't think piercing your rather reactive ego is grounds for suing somebody nor does your spewing of threats give me any second thoughts about retracting what I've written nor am I inspired to pander to you.
If you want to debate whatever your position is (besides your hurt vanity) let's go for it, based on the Dharma. I' ve been waiting for one of the Zen guys here to ask you when you're going to put Ven.Jetsunma down LOL! Maybe better
call for Vajrakilaya instead of the lawyers.
Leslie,
I'm Karma Kagyu, so Dorje Bernakchen has my back. So, you are a "Zennist" and wish to discuss the dharma? That's all you got girlfriend? Ego? I hope you have more than that. I've heard better retorts from 14-year-olds on Myspace.
Bill
oops, that last comment was for Joyce, sorry Leslie.
My two cents as a passing twitterer.
There seems to be a big problem within the online and offline Buddhist community with something called "Passive Agression". The majority of the KPC tweets against their "enemies" are steeped in this type of dialogue. The "I only speak kind words, but inside I want to cut your throat and deficate in your skull" type of comments. There's nothing to protect, only a concept in your mind.
I don't believe that a Tibetan style monarchy is appropriate within Western culture. Most likely it's not appropriate at all anymore. Western culture is too greedy and materialistic. It served it's purpose and now it's time to integrate what is benificial from each culture and move forward. I think Trungpa recognized this to a certian extent and so did Suzuki Roshi. Lineage is useful, but there isn't such a thing as purity. A Lama can be a dick just like any other human.
As much as I love monastics, Monastic life can lead to a denial of our human nature, just as the preisthood can lead to the molestation of boys by men who have never worked on their relationship and sexuality issues.
Many wars have started in the name of peace. Many have been hurt in the name of love.
It takes a long time of practice, contemplation and work to make progress along a path. And no matter how you speak, whether in be with a gentle tone or a loud boom, an attentive person can see when someone thinks their shit don't stink.
"Passive Agression" is ugly, not beautiful. Saying "I love you" with a Judas kiss is insedious.
It's a process though see our own faults. May we continue to progress along our paths and benefit all beings.
That was an overall type of comment and not necessarily directed at Joyce or anyone in particular.
Dear Johnny Appleseed,
Back in the 1990's Mitchel Kapor wrote an article on "Emotional Bandwith" published by Tricycle Magazine. He pretty much nailed what our challenge as Buddhists will be in the 21st century. Just when we think we're good, have everything under control, we find ourselves dumping our neatly packed away emotional baggage in the middle of what was then called the information highway.
Over the years I've been online discussing the dharma with fellow dharma practitioners it never ceases to amaze me how quickly those I'm attempting to engage in discussion resort to shameful personal attacks at the slightest provocation. It doesn't have to be this way. We just need to grow up.
When I Tweet I update with the understanding that anything I tweet will make its way back to my guru Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche. My "friends" monitor my online activities and have asked my guru to shut me down, which he has declined to do so much to their consternation. Such devotion obviously isn't for everyone, but that's how we Tibetan Buddhists roll in the West.
Although our masters maintain strict Tibetan tradition they are cognizant that we expect transparency of process and will settle for nothing less our devotion to them notwithstanding. When we pay for teachings, something unheard of in Tibet, they take our money. In return we expect a strict accounting of how those funds are used. It's a delicate balance.
Fortunately, thanks to the Tulku system, at least in the Karma Kagyu, we aren't under the thumb of an elder but a dynamic open-minded young man who can guide us as a lineage in a global environment, the 17th Karmapa. I speak only for myself as someone dying of congestive heart failure; I have no doubt regarding the future of Tibetan Buddhism for we are in good hands.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
Hiya Johnny ~ So relieved this wasn't directed towards moi. I think, I could be wrong, what you may be describing as passive aggression is cognitive dissonance. This is the idea that we feel discomfort when holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously. It does seem we can go through a phase when we believe that a Buddhist practitioner should be a certain way: such as compassionate (isn't that loaded!) & wise (O dear!) or at least nice, and we don't always feel very nice. To say nothing of all our social conditioning that pressures us to be a certain way and to create a certain persona. Whatever. Leaving aside all those other people you mention, as quite honestly, what can one do about other people? What is your solution, within the context of Dharma, and I'm open to anything, to the problem as you see it? If you'd care to say. And, if you have a teacher, what would he/she say?
Metta,
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
I'm just a poor passing Dharma practitioner/comment jockey, that reads a lot and asks questions when I feel I need to ask. Visited a Karma Kagyu center for a while and a Pure Land/Zen Temple. No formal teacher.
No, I think passive aggressive is the term I wanted to use. Maybe we can call it written passive aggressive, since said entities aren't really using silence online to abuse, but kind words in the guise of abusive words. Like "I'm very nice with my kind words and you're an asshole for standing up for yourself." It's not the words but the feeling behind them. Then a whole ganging up. If people love their guru and will doing anything for them and the guru is flawed and abusive, well, we can imagine what might happen to the followers of said no-so-fictitious gurus.
In a Mahayana sense Thich Nhat Hanh might say "give your 50%" but know that you can necessarily expect others to do the same.
Any action we take will have billions of unintended repercussions as far as relative Karma is concerned which is why it is often said, "silence is best", but i think it this day and age it is more useful to be engaged.
Continue to practice and become a Buddha. Until then set you intention and do your best to help sentient beings.
When my wife edited my final draft Sunday evening after the Super Bowl she told me it wasn't my best effort. She's a book editor for a major publisher. Was prepared to trash it but since I promised Waylon I would have something for him I left the decision to publish it to him.
It's a delicate subject for Tibetan Buddhists. Most important, as a Karma Kagyu it isn't any of my business how Nyingmapas run their shop.
The issue is cyber-bullying and the importance of making sure we keep it off Twitter which we have been able to do prior to Jetsuma and her students brought it to the fore by threatening their enemies using our beloved medium.
This isn't about Jetsuma or KPC but transparency, a fight I have been waging for 28 years as a Tibetan Buddhist. The use of dummy accounts and coordinated attacks against individuals in the name of the dharma will not be allowed to stand.
State who you are, where you can be found, and be prepared to answer for what you say about someone before updating your status because you will be held accountable not just by Yama but in court if need be.
As distasteful as this article may be, the personal messages I have received from Nyingmapas clearly indicate that this matter has been brought to their attention, and hopefully will be resolved on their end.
What I appreciate and love about Bill is 1) his humor and 2) his willingness, nay eagerness, to engage where most of we American Buddhists are not too good at communicating when conflict comes up.
Yes, we should be able to resolve conflict into peace, bring onto the path. I hope that can happen on this page. But we won't be able to do so if we keep sweeping confusing under the zabuton.
Thank you Waylon, I'm not worthy. Sweeping the mess under the shrine room carpet accomplishes nothing. We can stop Tibetan Buddhists engaging in cyber-bullying in the name of the dharma. This article has been online for 24 hours and concerned representatives of sanghas around the country have reached out to me determined that such behavior is stopped before it brings us all down as Tibetan Buddhists, all thanks to you, and Elephant Journal I might add.
I follow the Mahayana tradition, but know that no vehicle really supports this kind of conflict… Surely, there is a middle path here.
Tibetan Buddhist sangha representatives around country have been reaching out to me on issue to make sure all our years of hard work to make sure we are all on the same page regarding how we conduct ourselves with new media.
Geoff, exactly. You see clearly.
Amazing outpouring of support from people on Twitter; we've had enough of cyber-bullying in the name of the dharma. I wish I could share some of the horror stories people have direct messaged me (private tweets) out of fear of becoming a target. I was prepared to not submit this article to Elephant Journal unsatisfied with the final draft; wife said it wasn't my best effort, but I'm glad I left it to Waylon to decide.
Khenchen Tsewang will be at the Alexandria center from Feb 11-17th 2010 You can send him an email of the article
or print it out and send it too this address with your concerns:
Too Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso
% Palyul Changchub Dargyeling
211 King Street, 3rd floor
Old Town Alexandria, VA 22314
•Give a call at (301) 879-8903.
•Or send an email: palyuldc@gmail.com
Website: http://www.palyuldc.org/
Holiness Karma Kuchen (send a copy)
Lama Lobsang's attention (send a copy)
you can fax or you can write:
HH Penor Rinpoche's Zimkhang
Namdroling Nyingmapa Monastery
Arlikumari, P.O. Bylakuppe pin 571104
Mysore District, Karnataka State, India
Tel: (91) 8223-254-318 Tel: (91) 8223-254-038 Lama Lobsang: (91) 8223-254-036
Fax: (91) 8223-252-039
Instead of a lawsuit first maybe start by writing to Khenchen Tsewang or give him a call, send a copy to Lama Lobsang by fax for His Holiness the Fifth Karma Kuchen Rinpoche to read, this is a well written article.
Lama Lobsang will short stop it, and it will never get any farther than the round file. Best shot is straight to HHKK with copies to MT — but guess what? They already know. It is a bad joke at Namdroling.
I'm sure they will want to hear from sincere practitioners, especially concerning how this impacts individuals in a Kagyu sangha. I'm sure Bill has discussed this with his own western Lamas as pictured and they've probably recommended writing as well. I feel sorry this upset him over his reputation. I can't imagine being called an asshole on twitter by a High Lama, then the same Lama lets me know that they know people in the town I lived in "Chicago" as if to intimidate.
Chogyam Trungpa on spookiness
http://www.chronicleproject.com/stories_160.html
Thank you for the contact info and kind words. I have congestive heart failure and hopefully will be getting defibrillator next week depending on my pre-op evaluation Monday, otherwise I'd be doing more.
As Lama Sean, the young man to my left in picture, whom I spoke to earlier this evening, Penor Rinpoche, and the Palyul lineage is very dear to us as Karma Kagyu.
Please correct me if I have been misinformed, but it my understanding that Jetsuma only answers to Jetsuma, and going through the Palyul lineage hierarchy has been tried without success I'm told.
The threat of obtaining a restraining order has put an end to the threats, so I feel that my message has been received in that regard thankfully.
On the other hand, the cyber-bullying has taken an interesting twist since this article was published, with Jetsuma preaching love and forgiveness, leaving the hatchet work to others.
As I have noted before, I have no issue with Jetsuma in terms of the dharma; it's a Nyingma issue to address, and prefer to keep the focus on cyber-bullying in the name of the dharma.
I do implore those Nyingma, both readers of Elephant Journal and Twitter, to reach out through whatever channels available to them in the hierarchy to make those in authority aware of what is happening on Twitter.
I'm dying, and all I have left is my name, and I will defend it in court if need be to the bitter end, and I can assure those not from Chicago that there is nothing Cook County judges love more than a media case.
Bill, you're totally welcome, I wish you well with your pre-opp on Monday and I'll say Medicine Buddha for you dedicating that practice to for you and all sentient beings.
Chanting along the Medicine Buddha mantra is important and beneficial :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g263N4XzoZo
To answer your question, I don't know of any trial, but they better not try to take away that Blackberry, lol
When she tweets its with a kind of nuclear energy, lol
Most western people would not encounter such a tulku, they were usually kind of hidden over in Tibet, but now there is twitter, internet, media etc…and here comes all kinds of different energies we usually don't encounter. We have our humanity in common, that's what's important, everybody is a human being, tulkus too, and everybody has some kind of something they need to work on.
Back in the old Tibet the Lama would pretty much stay in one location, and sometimes go around in Tibet and teach, women usually didn't do that, gender was an issue, although there were some exceptions of course, these days to see a location (Barnsville) with the same kind of energy and activity, well, if you have karma with that then its like you can understand that, also you would view work there as the activity of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as many of her devoted students do, however many of us have karma and indeed merits to connect with different teachers is all, a different tradition, one has to go where one belongs to really progress imho, for example individuals may understand and have the capacity to learn from Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ5mcPvCBIk or from His Holiness The 17th Karmapa http://www.kagyu.org/kagyulineage/karmapa/news.ph...
Basically it's the ole saying, "if the shoe fits wear it".
As a practitioner, does it not seem to be the complete anthesis of what we strive to accomplish, to worry about the appearance our "My" good name?
Too right, Leslie. Absolutely absurd to get in a tizzy about appearances.
So bad ya gotta laugh! Must be a Buddhist quote or 1000 about this . How's about –
"Nothing is worth hanging onto as 'me' or 'mine.'"
So true.
Metta,
Joyce
Leslie,
We have a saying in the Karma Kagyu, from Dusum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa “To see the mountain on the other side, you must look at the mountain on this side.” My good name in Chicago as a practicing Karma Kagyu, a disciple of Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche, and founding member of the 16th Karmapa's oldest dharma centers in this country, represents this side of the mountain. We call it auspicious coincidence. Without such good fortune nobody has a chance to see the other side of the mountain.
What I know of the other side of the mountain depends upon my lifetime of effort on this side of the mountain. Anyone who denigrates my name in public medium as the internet must therefore answer on this side of the mountain. I'm not on the other side of the mountain. When I die, perhaps. All I can say is that with the blessings of the Karma Kagyu lineage I will someday.
I do not know you, Leslie, or anything of your path. My guru's father was a nomad in Kham, and one dark night bandits attempted to rob him and his family of his livelihood. Though outnumbered, and unarmed but for a knife, he charged into certain death like a true Khampa warrior. Terrified, the bandits scattered, when faced with the presence of an accomplished yogin, in the form of a humble mantra mumbling yak herder. Don't ever let someone push you around in the name of the dharma. For what it's worth, that's my view, and why I will take legal action against anyone on the internet that attempts to damage my good name on this side of the mountain.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
Hey Bill,
Overall I think you are doing some great work in this particular Twitter conflict. I appreciate your presence on Twitter and wish you the best with your health.
Having recently been on the other end of a legal threat for "defamation," I'm not sure I understand why you are claiming others are "damaging your good name" or why legal action would be called for. But then again I'm not really that involved in what's going on and don't have all the specific information.
Did someone make a false claim about you? Something that constitutes a "verifiable fact"? Opinions, insults, and name-calling do not constitute slander or defamation–only lies. Such insults, while not nice, are perfectly legal. If someone did make false-to-fact, verifiable claims that are damaging, then perhaps legal action is appropriate. But if this conflict is just about name-calling and meanness from tulkus and their followers, then legal threats might appear to some to be just more bullying.
In any case, I'm glad to have made your acquaintance in this weird cyber world.
~Duff
Hey Duff,
Love you man, but I was personally threatened, "I know people in Chicago," on Twitter which is very different than your situation. Regarding defamation, when an individual broadcasts on Twitter statements that they cannot support, maliciously false to fact, I have no recourse but to avail myself of my right to have my day in court. If the tweets in question were spoken to my face I can assure you this wouldn't be a legal issue; other than the criminal ramifications of putting my size 12 boot on said person's neck until they beg for mercy, which was more my style as a young man.
I'm cognizant of the fact that many use the threat of legal action to stifle debate on the internet, as your own situation clearly demonstrates. In the context of cyber-bullying on Twitter I believe that we need more transparency; in fact, I request that people that get in my grill to please identify themselves, which usually is enough to get them to step off as we say in Chicago. We all have from time to time said things on the internet in the heat of the moment that is beneath us as dharma practitioners.I know that I have myself.
Unfortunately, there are some individuals on Twitter for whom such an approach is not sufficient I'm afraid, and sterner measures are required. In such circumstances the party in question needs to be made aware that they have crossed a line in their statements and that they will be held accountable before a judge here in Cook County, which to date has been sufficient regarding my personal situation on Twitter. The threats have ceased, and there has not been a single tweet referencing me that even approaches a false to fact statement.
Is that bullying my friend? I'm 6'2" tall, 267 lbs, stretch my ears, and covered with ink; it wouldn't be the first time in my 51 years that I've "bullied" someone that made the mistake of getting in my grill. If compelling someone to step off in such a circumstance is bullying I'm a bully then. I'm a Tibetan Buddhist, a warrior at heart, and not to be mistaken for Mother Theresa, for better or for worse.If you or anyone else has discovered a way better than transparency and accountability on Twitter I would love to hear about it my friend.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
It's not the approach I would take, but fair enough. I realize that different contexts require different approaches, and there are appropriate times to threaten legal action.
Take care,
~Duff
This is my interpretation of what I think she is trying to do in twitterverse:
One day a learned man was walking down the beach and noticed a little figure in the distance, moving like a dancer. As he grew closer, he saw a little girl in a pink bathing suit. She wasn't dancing, but bending down over and over again, throwing something into the sea.
When he got closer he realized she was picking up starfish that had washed up on the sand. The man chuckled and shook his head, “Why are you throwing those starfish into the ocean?”
The little girl pointed up, “The sun is hot and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they will die.”
At hearing this the man replied, “Don't you see that there are thousands of starfish along many miles of beach? Your little effort can't possibly make much of a difference.”
The little girl looked up at him with big blue eyes and then bent down again. She picked up another starfish and threw it into the water. As the wave took it away, she smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one.”
Looks like the word twisters (this time @saddha) are harassing @Ogmin now. You know who they are because they always, always, always RT @ ahkonlhamo. Again, passive aggressive attacking.
Hey Johnny,
'Em,this does seem a bit attackish, a bit of attackatude from a dude. Why not chat directly to @saddha, I won't eat you. I note Bill's theme here was bullying on Twitter. When someone posts slander against someone, slander they themselves don't know if true or not, I feel its valid to ask for a little more info. Interestingly, people here don't seem to care if what they say about another is true or not if it's said about someone they don't happen to like for whatever reason. Lets 'get' Jetsuman (or whomever is currently on the outs) and even go tattling to Lama's, which is so laughable, and the icing on the cake, we'll quote Trungpa Rinpoche as a paragon of virtuous wisdom. SO much suffering in all this, so little interest in applying Dhamma.
Again, I'm not a student of Jetsunma and have never met her. I react viscerally to this kind of hate against anyone and make my small fruitless protest. So sue me. Anyway, Johnny, always an open invitation to chat. I promise, I'm quite nice so don't be afeerd. PS. I didn't RT ahkonlhamo. Please don't tell tales to embellish the drama.
Metta,
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
Not an attack, I must say it's just frustrating to an onlooker, and a fellow dharma practioner, to see that anytime anyone tries to look for truth/information about @ahkonlhamo, they are harassed by a group of people, and the majority of these people are RTer's of @akhonlhamo. Maybe they think they are doing well for their teacher? They are helping others? Before @akhonlhamo's twitter KPC started hunting their witch hunt on a supposed fake tulku, no one knew much about her, nor cared. Now it's all about online twitter cyberbully-ing or at least cyber annoyance.
For a while it was just messing with people to try to find out if they were that @tenparinpoche guy and then accusing a guy named @tigerkyoto/@driedshitzen of being said previous guy. Perhaps he was, perhaps he wasn't. Why witch hunt? What kind of Dharma practice is that? More crazy than crazy wisdom it seems.
I don't know if you are @saddha or not, but @saddha did RT @akhonlhamo more than once.
In the ultimate scheme of things I wish all well, but sometimes when a teacher believes them self unfailing, perhaps they should really look about how they feel and how they are treating others.
Again, I think old time Tibetan politics, marred with good ol gung ho American attitude is a recipe for disaster.
Thank God for ultimate truth.
Love to @akhonlhamo and you. May all, including myself, see their faults clearly.
Johnny
Hi Johnny,
I guess as I encouraged you to chat I'd better chat. If you wish information on any Lama of the Nyingma lineage why not get in touch with one of the Rinpoches. Don't rely on Twitter gossip. I recommend Khenchen Tswewang Gyatso. He has been coming here over the past ten years and is a wonderful teacher. You would want info about any person you wish to be your teacher and vice versa. Other than this, is it necessary to become involved in activity that is not exactly dharmic acitivity by any stretch of the imagination. I usually leave the twitter crap alone except for watching my own mental reactions which I consider good twitter practice. When one gets stuck on anything, that's the time to look at what one is projecting.and reown one's own shit. We are all mirrors for each other. How kind of Jetsunma to do this for us and yes, it behooves us to see how we treat each other. I especially value "the sacred mystery of exchanging self and other." Very deep that one.
I did not retweet to Jetsunma as I have no reason to and generally don't cultivate web relationships. I am me -I don't lie, don't have an agenda, am really quite ordinary and don't have an American attitude because I'm Canadian.
Thanks for the chat, take care of yourself,
Joyce aka @saddha
Just woke up, one of those rare beautiful days we get here in Chicago after a heavy snow. Just want to reiterate, after checking my tweet stream, for those whom consider this article a smack down of Jetsuma and the KPC sangha that it is nothing of the kind. Please, as it pertains to the parties in question, it wasn't personal.
My being, as Waylon put it, “one of the leading presences nationally for Buddhism on twitter,” it was simply a task that fell to me I'm afraid.
As Jetsuma and the KPC community have noted the late Penor Rinpoche's dharma activity, recognizing Jetsuma, and the mass ordination of her followers, although incomprehensible to many old timers of Tibetan Buddhism in this country, as Tibetan Buddhists, regardless of sectarian affiliation beyond reproach.
The Buddhist Twitter war is over, and nobody won because that is not what it was about. Buddhism on Twitter, transparency and accountability prevailed.
Twitter is not the easiest medium to master and we all make mistakes, myself included, in the heat of the moment. I hope we can overcome them together as Buddhists on Twitter, and confident that we can do so moving forward.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
Just woke up, one of those rare beautiful days we get here in Chicago after a heavy snow. Just want to reiterate, after checking my tweet stream, for those whom consider this article a smack down of Jetsuma and the KPC sangha that it is nothing of the kind. Please, as it pertains to the parties in question, it wasn't personal.
When I was a kid during the Vietnam War, there was a favorite cartoon of mine. It pictured a middle class couple enjoying breakfast, the husband reading the morning paper. The caption:read "Good news dear, it's all over but the fighting.."
The Twitter war is over, let us not continue fighting over what we need to put behind us as Buddhists. It's time to move forward.
All Buddhists on Twitter have won, transparency and accountability has prevailed.
The snarkiness I continue to see is understandable after what we have been through as a sangha but it serves no end other than pouring salt in old wounds.
Such behavior is beneath us as Buddhists.
Sincerely,
Bill Schwartz
so it's ok if i drive a prius??
Buddha mobile… zoom! zoom! : )
"Although we seem to get in the way of reality, in fact this is impossible. The hindrances that we throw up are used by reality. They become part and parcel of our Dharma training. They are the means by which we meet ourselves and realise that we are ordinary beings, ourselves subject to the relentless flow of existence-time."
Every lama I've ever seen over the past few years was either in a Landcruiser or a Mercedes-Benz.
LOL, you must belong to a much more affluent Sangha than mine; where lucky to have someone that even has a car to drive visiting Rinpoche's around in. Of course, we can always ask the local Shambhala Buddhist sangha for a lift in a pinch. The only downside with that option though is the kasung and they always have to be late because Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche was always famously late for teachings back in the day.
The "zoom zoom" slogan was for Mazda car commercial; would be too ironic if it was Toyota. Favorite Tibetan Buddhist bumper sticker "My other vehicle is the Vajrayana," of course.
LOL, as long as you don't eat granola while driving (gets under brake pedal) and resist the temptation (a hard one for "men" in Boulder, of course) to use the rear view mirror to admire your pony tail.
Yes Waylon, this was not my best effort here. Never ask your wife to edit a manuscript after a Superbowl Game party. Especially if they think Peyton Manning is cute. Talk about sticking your head in a wood chipper.
Hope we get a good response from here on our next collaboration here.
I once had a a boss that came back from a management seminar spouting off these ridiculous self -improvement phrases. "There is no 'I' in team work," to which I of course retorted "true, but there is an 'I' in bite me."
Lasted seventeen years there; oh has the world changed, and so has the dharma. Thank you for @elephantjournal and kudos on not turning out like the kind of dharma brats we all so feared your generation would become..
Just dropping in Waylon, not many comments dude. I'm calling all my friends excitably like a child that just received a bike, "It's a go on the pacemaker!" I'm all excited that they are going to induce cardiac arrest and I can be awake for it (doctor suggests anesthesia). My friends must think I've lost my mind.
Was chatting with surgeon about, a baby faced Korean American kid, about New Years. He looks at me stunned " can you believe my parents still expect me to bow to them. To grow up Asian American must be tough in ways their white bread friends can never imagine.
Waylon mentioned I had received a lot of comments. This is nothing compared to the old MySpace message war days before the heart attack; should be practicing anyway. That's the deal with counting mantra's; much harder to bullshit yourself into thinking you are practicing or not. You can't argue with the numbers.
[...] note: I personally am a longtime fan of Tricycle. I also would have included japhyryder in this list. That said, Mr. Pappas is the greatest troublemakin’ heartfelt twangha member [...]
[...] being said, a number of people have asked: How did I survive the Great War I wrote of in “Welcome to Twitter Hell” (ranked “most commented” on EJ)? Cover your eyes and ears, Helen (sexist statement to follow); I don’t fight like a girl, in a [...]
Hey Duff,
I've followed your ordeal and support your position regarding free speech without reservation. Tactically speaking, though, living in a major media market which would have a feeding frenzy over a Twitter lawsuit, and a local judiciary not shy about publicity, the advantage is mine and would be a fool not to take advantage of it given the circumstances. As far as the Twitter wars, as far as I'm concerned, it is over, thanks to this advantage, and I am thankful for it. If I lived elsewhere it would merely be an idle threat and hardly worth the effort.Please know that I thought of you and your situation, a gross abuse of the legal system in my opinion, before going where I felt compelled to go. To quote Roshi Tatsugami “A tiger catches a mouse with his whole strength.” To do otherwise when confronted by an adversary on Twitter would leave the medium overrun with mice I'm afraid. I refuse to allow that to happen. We have from the beginning of Twitter been free of such cyber-bullying prior to the arrival of Jetsuma and KPC. We don't want it, and we won't tolerate as a community. The sooner we put this behind us the better. The war is over; all that's left is to win the peace.
Ok. Again, I don't know all the details, so I'll have to trust you on this one.
We recently had (real) mice here at our apartment in Boulder. We have been trying to deal with the situation non-violently, but it has proven ineffective to try and catch mice without killing them and put an end to the problem. So your metaphor is meaningful to me–sometimes more aggressive action is the best way to solve the problem up front.
May you be happy and healthy,
~Duff
Duff,
All that matters is that it's over, thankfully; transparency and accountability has prevailed. Sorry to hear about the mice, always a troubling issue for Buddhists. A cat is the only solution I'm afraid, short of killing them yourself which really isn't an option.
Bill