Another Video About Buddhist Sex candals

[@ShaunBartone-e8w]

I've seen so many of these sex-money-cult scandals that I gave up following anyone as a teacher. I learn from everyone; I follow no one. So that's why I'm pretty happy listing to Brad and doing meditation with Michael Taft on KZbin. I can't get burned-again.

[@philmcdonald6088]

be here now do no harm help others be still close eyes listen to your breathing...book recommends: THE HEART SUTRA by red pine. THE BASIC SPACE OF PHENOMENA by longchen rabjam...free advice: make retreat your "default setting". sit in your cell as in paradise.

[@philmcdonald6088]

prajnaparamita ("wisdom perfection") = present awareness.

[@michigandersea3485]

@@philmcdonald6088 is that so? I think many would argue prajnaparamita is more than just present-moment awareness…

[@from-Texas]

Sex has a magnetic center that ignores morality and that's a good thing

[@michigandersea3485]

@@from-Texas Only if you like a samsaric trail of destruction

[@kevindole1284]

Buddhism is not just about spiritual insight. It is also about alleviating suffering through moral action. Teachers who can't abide by the most basic of human ethics and buddhist teaching are failing their students. ZWIKDIC is a great book. Your actions scandalized some but are not of the same degree of Sasaki or Nugent. Don't put yourself in their company.

[@michigandersea3485]

Yeah man, I read Shozan Jack Haubner’s book Single White Monk… Joshu Sasaki was a sociopathic cult leader who happened to teach Zen, and Haubner’s unwillingness to state that, despite any spiritual benefits he may have obtained, he was hoodwinked by a sociopathic cult leader, I find to be a bit unimpressive. no offense to Shozan but I don’t think he had really come to terms with the fact that he was in a cult for all those years. I grew up with the aftermath of a cult, my parents and everyone else in the community were ex-cult members in a small village that was built by the cult and believe, me I’ve seen the whole spectrum of responses, from denial and affirmation of the cult leader’s eternal rightness, even after his death, to complete and utter demonization of leader and teachings . I respect Shozan and his understanding of Zen though

[@michigandersea3485]

Brad just dated his students? That’s consensual. I don’t quite approve of it in Buddhism, not that I am any sort of authority, but it’s generally socially acceptable for, say, Christian pastors to date parishioners or something. It is not abuse. I’m most influenced by Theravada thought so I think precepts and renunciation are important, but somehow we have to square that with a culture that wholeheartedly rejects that

[@kevindole1284]

@@michigandersea3485 You are correct. A dharma teacher openly, consensually dating his students is frowned upon but is not the same thing as rape. It might scandalize other people but maybe it can be done ethically, regardless of what anyone else thinks. So then why is Brad going out of his way to say that he "doesn't care" about about Sasakis long record of sexual assault and acting as if it doesn't matter because the guy really understood zen? When Brad discusses Sasakis collosal failure and his own controversial behavior in the same video it looks like HE is comparing the behaviors - not me. It gets even worse when he brings in Ted Nugent. Nugent's politics might be excused as they are separate from the music but you know what definitely part of the music? The lyrics where Ted sings songs about having sex with children. And the fact that Nugent is literally on record as having done so makes it really hard to argue of art is separate from the artist! Could Brad not have picked a better example?! This video is embarrassing. Brad is undermining a defensible point with terrible examples and bad logic. He comes off looking like an out of touch creep.

[@sea_squirt]

Wang dang sweet poontang is almost certainly enjoyed by a lot of Buddhist teachers

[@lopezb]

That's why Teisho can be so great- like Suzuki Roshi's talks. He's almost always at that level, which is why I can listen to his talks over and over and it never gets old. It's not like a "lecture" on something, providing information, which you can only hear once. The main purpose is to inspire us to sit! Reminding me, I have to sit!!! Now!!!

[@guido3771]

Didn't help him in making bad choices with dharma heirs.

[@WoodsyLadyM]

Two consenting adults having an affair is one thing, being a sexual predator is quite another.

[@HardcoreZen]

Well, yeah... I decided that wasn't necessary to say in this video and the video was already too long.

[@WoodsyLadyM]

@@HardcoreZen It's an important distinction as Sasaki harassed, coerced, and molested who knows how many women. You also forgot to mention his own financial scandal. Back in Japan, Sasaki was sentenced to eight months in jail for misappropriating funds at Zuiganji Temple to go on a spending spree that included payments to several women. It was after he got out of jail that he was sent to the U.S.

[@WoodsyLadyM]

​@@HardcoreZen You forgot to mention Sasaki's own financial scandal. While still in Japan, he was sentenced to 8 months in jail for misappropriating funds at Zuiganji Temple. He went on a spending spree, including payments to several women. After his release, he was sent to the U.S.

[@fhilbo1701]

​@HardcoreZen the "I don't care attitude " could easily come off like you don't care about teachers being sexual predators. I'm sure that's not true, but if you don't want people "squawking" at you, it might be advisable if not necessary. Squawk!

[@HardcoreZen]

@@WoodsyLadyM It's unimportant to me.

[@jethrobradley7850]

I agree with you about the money side of things. I can't help feeling that any teacher, school or spiritual path that charges serious money for retreats and courses etcetera is up to no good. I am amazed that more people don't walk away when asked for thousands of dollars to sit in a hall for a couple of days while someone speaks very slowly next to a vase of flowers. Or maybe I just skipped those bits in the scriptures where Buddha and Jesus sold tickets online?

[@GaryBish-i8s]

I really enjoyed this one; quite thought provoking.

[@Mac-ku3xu]

Neil Young sneaked his music back on to Spotify. Probably given up on his "boosters" 💀too.

[@ninaashik]

I am loving Shogun. It is a story about William Adams, (his real name is not used in the film or the book) He continued to live the rest of his life in Japan and is still revered in Japan. Look again or read the book, or not.

[@SageBlackthorn]

Regarding getting out more, that comment immediately reminded me of that one scene in Ghostbusters 2: "Lenny, have you been out on the street lately? Do you know how weird it is out there? We've taken our own head-count. There seem to be three million completely miserable a$$holes living in the tri-state area". Because it has gotten really weird out there over the past 10 years or so.

[@Scythe69]

RIP Zuiko. She was my personal mentor, guider, and counselor. Was excited to see her this weekend then I heard the news. To her I was just another student but to me she was my first Buddhist teacher, made me excited to learn and grow. I appreciate your inclusion of her in the intro. ❤

[@kirtundercoffer7655]

Brad - actually within the White Plum Asangha, Genpo Roshi was criticized for the Big Mind marketing approach. It is however true that he was not publicly criticized until the sex issues came up.

[@HardcoreZen]

I'm glad somebody said something.

[@baizhanghuaihai2298]

Very sorry to hear of Zuiko’s passing, she was truly a force of nature. In this world of emptiness May we exist in muddy water with purity like a lotus Nothing surpasses the boundless mind Thus we bow to Buddha 🙏

[@henryburby6077]

Suzuki has to be on the list of "controversial" teachers for his participation and promotion of the Japanese empire.

[@baizhanghuaihai2298]

@@henryburby6077 Suzuki? Who mentioned him? I was referring to Zuiko Redding, an American Zen teacher in Iowa who recently died. As far as I know, she was not part of the Japanese imperial war machine.

[@dinkpress4214]

attributed to the poet Dattatraya: “Do not worry about the master’s defects. If you are wise, you will know how to make use of the good in him. When you cross a river, it may be in a boat painted in ugly colors, but you are thankful to it for helping you cross to the other side.”

[@lopezb]

Agreed 100%. As a math prof, I experience this all the time: when I am "on", it can be incredible. But I don't "own" that. And anyone in a position of power has to be very aware that this is not "us", we can't really take credit for it- in fact the taking credit destroys it. And can be dangerous. I followed Genpo for while, went to maybe 5 or his sesshins in Europe (pre-Big Mind) and when he had an affair with a student, I lost interest- but it wasn''t because of that, it was because I personally didn't trust him. A weird feeling that he was very selfish... Now I will have to listen to Ted Nugent, whom I had been avoiding because of his politics!

[@OxymoronInchief-pj1jr]

Total eclipse in Ohio was amazing. I never had those glasses before. They are totally black and then you see the moon shadow creeping across the sun face. Then when there is just a thin sliver of sun at the edge of the moon sphere you peek and see to the naked eye the sun is still a full sphere.You would not have even noticed anything was happening except for the dimming twilight and chill in the air. So nice that we in Ohio got to enjoy a stunning natural phenomenon for a change.

[@sparkledog2631]

I love that dog basket watching you play the guitar.

[@aaronroth1738]

In the West, especially in the US and to a lesser degree in Canada, whether people like it or not, the Puritan Protestant ethic is very much a fabric of the culture. This creeps into American Buddhism in particular through the weaponizing of the precepts in a manner similar to talking about the 7 deadly sins and 7 virtues, and the over specific moralizing that follows. It’s the risk of abduction that happens when one wold view (Puritan Christianity) still remains as a significant undercurrent in the culture and then we bring in another worldview (Buddhism) over top. The issue won’t come to peace until both are recognized for what they are in the broader context.

[@aaronroth1738]

@user-cn3du8zi3z indeed. And that should be the focus THEIR life, not weaponizing the precepts toward others.

[@captainadele]

Anyone doing personal spiritual counseling should have training like psychologists and psychiatrists in how to handle transference and counter transference. It is their responsibility to guide the relationship. They are in a position of power. If someone is having a.relationship with a non student, that’s a whole other story.

[@dinninfreeman2014]

It may be that they are attempting to evaluate how good a teacher is at the spiritual path but answering that question is difficult and evaluating every claim based on it's merit is hard so they substitute it for an easier question that being rather or not they are a "good person"

[@TonyMacaroni1234]

You gave me gold with the Stranglehold solo. Cheers :)

[@chilldragon4752]

I couldn't agree more. I think this comes down to the separating the art from the artist conversation. Michael Jackson was extremely talented but also very controversial. But to say he had nothing to give the music industry because of his contraversy would be wrong. Same with Buddhist teachers. I think some of this may come from the idea that when you are a long time practitioner or you have had some level of (dare I say) "spiritual realization" that all of your so called negative desires just magically go away lol.

[@Chingfordassociates]

I have read the Sloss book, it was a big moment for me as I was hugely into Krishnamurti when I was young. I could never quite read K in the same way afterwards which was good, I think. Maybe it taught me that life is a messy and contradictory business, even for former 'world teachers. '

[@fhilbo1701]

There are almost certainly people who have experienced sexual abuse from a teacher who are going to watch this video. So they're gonna hear you calling their speaking out about their experiences as squawking.

[@HardcoreZen]

That is not what I was referring to.

[@dukebanerjee4710]

There's a difference between victim testimony and gossip rags. There's wisdom in staying away from gossip, and wisdom in knowing when compassionate listening is required.

[@HardcoreZen]

Most of what I read regarding Sasaki was gossip rag level stuff and moral posturing by ppl who wanted to display their virtue by contrasting it with Sasaki’s lack thereof. I saw only 2 pieces written by women who’d experienced what he is accused of doing. One was a poem called something like Roshi You Are a Sex Abuser. It was… odd. The other was from a woman who said she might be classified as one of his “victims” but that she did not feel victimized at all. I’m sure there’s more stuff than what I read. But I couldn’t stand wading thru all the moral grandstanding by ppl who were not even there to try to find the relevant material.

[@johnhaller7017]

I have at times given Dharma talks and I have also written and composed music. With both those activities in mind there is certainly a flow state which I refer to as the muse, at least in musical creative terms and this points to the flow seeming to come from an external source. Maybe its the subconscious? I know enough Dharma to speak with some clarity, but put me in front of an audience for any other reason and I would probably struggle, but that's because the subject matter has a high sense of purity and the Dharma is a complete model, at least as I understand it. Musical composition has a similarity, but in my case I have to follow what the muse reveals, at least as a starting point. As for moral conduct, somewhere about 11 years of age I realized that friendships were optional, not compulsory and so I was cautious with associations. Discovering Buddhism in my 30's gave me guidelines to follow, five precepts. For the most part I let these be my guide. What others do is up to them . It's hard enough to know my own heart at the best of times, but tranquility generally brings clarity and clarity brings release. Contentment. Thanks Brad. I have a song by Buffalo Springfield as it happens on my car stereo, "Hey now what's that sound, everybody look what's goin' down" Steve Stills main vocal.

[@repsakverschaeve]

I do understand the dissapointment in the teachers for their unethical behaviour. Many people practising buddhism, me included, feel like it's a beneficial practice in their own life and could be beneficial for the world as well. But when a 'master' in buddhism behaves like this, they start to doubt buddhism as a whole. If the practice doesn't even make a 'master' behave like a decent person in the world, how can it make the world a better place. What's left is its beneficial effect for oneself: more equanimity, calm etc. Which makes it kind of an egoistic practice with less depth than previously thought.

[@valentintaubin4257]

I think that “something” that pours out is what is often referred to as a stream of consciousness in the arts and the “flow state” in sports. It’s a magical thing that happens when you’re in the moment and your ego is suspended

[@martinyelverton]

Thanks for the intro to the Amboy Dukes. 👌 Your talk was interesting too. 🙏

[@carmelaloperena8972]

There is a video with the title: "Mi Experiencia de abuso en un Monasterio Budista" with English Subtitles, in which the Lady after 20 years tells her own overwhelmingly story while she was still a novice in a Zen Monastery , Brasil.

[@barefootarts737]

The standards that Students hold their Teacher to, reveals how well they are able to recognize distractions in their own practice.

[@garynaccarato4606]

I think that if somebody was willing to pay fifty thousand dollars to have an enlightenment experience after a single session then its quite easy to fool, trick or convince oneself into believing that they've had some sort of legitimant enlightenment experience because nobody wants to believe that they've pissed away that much money for absolutely no pay off or reason.

[@Visionary777]

I was a student of Joshua sasaki . I know all these organizations mentioned with scandal was treated perfectly Tibet groups. But I could tell you that non of them were my main teachers. And most of my main teachers no major scandal . Find a sr monk or nun learn the language you will know if they have any knowledge and renunciation and get the real teachings and drop out of glamour spiritual materialism super egos. I refuse to see women as the victims they refused me many times but offer themselves to the rock star the guru or a rich student. But I’m not saying grooming them, sexual assault even rape bust be eradicated.

[@semiotik]

This video was worth it for the moral busybodying in the comments alone.

[@dianeyoung8068]

You can include your comment in that category.

[@semiotik]

@@dianeyoung8068 lol adorable.

[@freeman0216]

The Big Mind process as developed by Genpo Roshi is based on the psychology of Voice Dialogue of Hal and Sidra Stone. For my zen practice it was useful to become aware of the different voices of the self and also non-dual voices.

[@PhilipRyanDeal]

I thought you were going to talk about Buddhist Sex Candles... lol. That's why I clicked on the video.

[@gerrykitt4145]

Thoughts precede actions. Sexual impropriety means you've aloud thoughts of lovemaking to continue on in your head in anticipation of pleasant wonderful etc sense stimulation. You've selfishly not considered the feelings of the married woman having to lie to her husband. Youve chosen sensual satisfaction over your path to enlightenment { What ever that might mean) not some one to consider as transmitter of Buddha dharma.

[@HardcoreZen]

Is that so?

[@dukebanerjee4710]

There's a logical fallacy called "ad hominem", where you say someone is wrong only because you don't like them. Some people are great teachers, but are terrible people. You have to judge for yourself if the personal stuff is too distracting for you to receive the teaching. Nobody is perfect, which is why you sometimes have to learn how to separate the shit from the sugar, to get any sugar at all.

[@barefootarts737]

I don't think Buddha Dharma is constrained to particular individuals with specific measures of virtue. If I'm wrong, I would love to see the metrics for the production of Buddha Dharma. Everyone is a Somebody. And it is not required for anyone to care about 'who' we are, or who others are. The identity of individuals is not an important, unless we are playing a personal game of sentiments. Which is okay. But being honest and self aware is important.

[@philmcdonald6088]

be here now do no harm help others be still close eyes listen to your breathing.

[@EvanBerry.]

I remember one day at work I was singing I Wanna Rock by Twisted Sister (as you do), and my coworker mumbled something like, "Blah blah blah crazy right-wing blah blah" and I said, "I don't know anything about politics, I was just enjoying the song." I'm glad you're able to separate the artist from the art -- I have trouble sometimes doing that with authors and their books sometimes.

[@nicksymons635]

I agree…cancel culture is such a black and white perspective. However just throwing this out there for the purpose of debate, do you think some people will naturally get a pass because their contribution to a particular field is pleasing or exceptional. I mean everyone still loves Michael Jackson despite his questionable interactions with minors.

[@EvanBerry.]

@@nicksymons635 I'm glad to hear you say that everyone still loves Michael Jackson, but I honestly don't think that's true. At least, I know many people who don't listen to him anymore, and even more who can't refrain from a tongue-in-cheek comment about him if a song of his starts playing or if he comes up in conversation. You might be on to something, though -- I think there are people in Hollywood who would still jump at the chance to work with Roman Polanski. I guess at a certain point people look at their values and decide to what extent enjoying the creations or art involves a compromise or cognitive dissonance. For me, I have trouble reconciling the antisemitism of writers like Charles Dickens with my enjoyment of their works, and sometimes I really wish I could separate the two.

[@OneWithManyThings]

Sex candles?

[@kraz007]

Sorry for double commenting but I recently found out Prince was a Jehovah witness and that was the main reason he refused an operation to address the chronic pain from years of dancing (splits!). Music comes from a special place.

[@kriseikenbery112]

I agree with you, Brad. I like Nugent. Listened to him a lot back in my teens and 20’s. He’s a somewhat of a nut job, politically. Neil Young has kind of gone off the deep end, also. That being said, I still enjoy Motor City Madhouse and Rust Never Sleeps. The music can transcend politics and personal taste.

[@michaelmcclure3383]

Great take. It reminds me of Ikkyu who famously condemned fame and fortune zen and had a far less judgemental attitude about sex. In my view there seems to have been some kind of agreement between monks and their patrons .. you be a good sexless house cat and we will continue to support you. But an absence of sexuality isn't tantamount to enlightenment, nor is the presence of sexuality a disqualification.. if you think it is, book yourself an appointment at the vet.. Greed and lust for power however would be a much stronger candidates haha

[@ACGomes1977]

09:41 - Buffalo Springfield kzbin.info/door/H-BBvNWh1CONPAjpeocGcw 10:01 - Amboy Dukes kzbin.info/door/hY6FuFplw4PREezvATP5Jw 11:08 - Ted Nugent - Stranglehold kzbin.info/www/bejne/nqupoZyNatt7qMU

[@crestonediamond]

No, he meant that you should just get out more; away from the house, away from the computer....

[@SilA108ks]

This is valid for all human beings. We all have a dark side. Some people by whom I was “disappointed” : John Lydon, Morrissey, Arthur Schopenhauer, Albert Einstein, literally anyone I’ve ever admired let me down somewhere. I read that morality is not such a dogmatic concept in your formative spiritual land Japan. It’s okay for there to be contradictions in humans in the East.

[@dre.v.8383]

As someone that had this weird experience as woman with people practicing (monks, one teacher), I can say that as woman have to be aware about sex predators in every field of life, including "spiritual one". In my experience, I don't want to relate (and I don't have anymore that relations present in my life), that way with people, doesn't matter if it is a teacher or not... I'm still making my path under my foot... In other place 🙏

[@dooley3238]

You were taught by a guru.

[@wenshu888]

I taste sanity. I think I'll subscribe.

[@lopezb]

I talked to Genpo about his doing the est training and 6-day course (which I did too) and I think that polluted his thinking. He told me he might try to combine that with zen, which along with other course he had done, led to Big Mind. My own view looking back (I did nearly all their courses) is that just sitting is a much much better use of my time. The other stuff is like an ice cream cone.

[@MisterMeow-vt8kl]

Spirituality is big business. So money comes first for many. In the Pali Cannon the percepts and teachings of the Buddha are very clear. However I do understand we are all human, yet when we have a transgression it also is clear what we should do to rectify it. I think this makes a big difference in how someone handles something unwholesome. We should strive to do better. First of all the Mind is Buddha, and when you take refuge, you are taking that refuge in yourself. Only you can save yourself, only you are responsible for your salvation. Stop with the cult of personality.

[@Strayanoo]

Separating the art from the artist to enjoy music is one thing, because music or creation can stand on its own, it is its own entity. However, you cannot separate the buddhist teachings from the person, because if the subject who teaches is impure, the core teachings of the Buddha will not be fully comprehended by the teacher as he or she will not be enlightened. Buddhism is a philosphy where by an individual must follow the path to enlightenment, and those teachings are very much in place for very good reasons, because failure to adhere to them leads to suffering and ignorance, therefore tainting one's perceptions, which are then passed to the students. Buddhism is about understanding the nature of reality, and realising (through experiential reality, not just intellectually) that desire is the root of suffering, if a teacher submits to his desires, then perhaps this person should be judged as someone who needs to work on themselves too. That is to say that in order to teach you must be perfect? No, but at least, if you teach, you must be more wholesome than those who you are teaching, because we are all triyng to become enlightened, and thefore,free from clinging. So as much as i can now like Burzum, black metal composed by Varg Vikernes, a literal murderer, i cannot say that i can appreciate a buddist teaching from a pedophile teacher (if that were the case)

[@CharlesLamb-bw1hq]

Reminds me of how, from time-to-time, they try to trash John Lennon, yet his music always transcends the backlash.

[@gojuglen]

Very interesting to hear your thoughts Brad. I guess it would be good if most Zen teachers told their “students” right off the bat, just how fucked up they remain, regardless of their dharma transmission and any so called enlightenment experiences they have had. Being honest about just how messed up and human we are should be the no 1 priority of the teacher imo. (I’m not a teacher obviously 😊). No matter how much Zazen. We still remain vulnerable and human. The role of the teacher is more of a guide. Sure. We all work with the precepts and we will all fail. A zen teacher has just failed more than you by virtue of the time spent practicing. Obviously serious abuse is quite another matter, but we all remain human. 🙏 take care, Glen.

[@sawtoothiandi]

was tryna think of a track youd likely like, but perhaps? never heard.. The La's - Looking Glass (audio only)

[@OKSezMe]

Got plans to do any teaching this year? I checked out the calendar on your blog but it doesn't go past November 2023.

[@Steve55yt]

I disagree. Actions speak louder than words.

[@yoga.theawarenessinstitute482]

About the sex scandal confusion… perhaps it is that there is a thread of ignorance running thru American Christian (catholic) culture that pretty much all sex is naughty. That is not an easy mental string to cut, even after sitting zazen for almost 30 years.

[@HardcoreZen]

Oh for sure! I think that's really interesting about our culture. Sex, in and of itself, is naughty. Any kind of sex! When I lived in Japan I realized that Japanese culture doesn't see sex as naughty. It's kind of shocking the way this plays out.

[@Nattapong69]

I thought this was gonna be some soy lecture about how x y or z Buddhist teacher is evil because he had a 17 year old gf or something. But I was wrong. Actually pretty good video.

[@henryburby6077]

Suzuki has to be on the list of "controversial" teachers for his participation and promotion of the Japanese empire.

[@HardcoreZen]

Which Suzuki?

[@kraz007]

Thank God, we finally have some of these! We can't allow a scandal gap to develop with the Christian priests. /S

[@pertinaciousD]

Would that ‘place’ where inspiration comes from be in the vicinity of Prajna?

[@cju1135]

I got tired of uncle Ted's ego years ago. However, Hibernation and Great White Buffalo off Tooth, Fang and Claw are songs that i still totally dig and try to play.

[@Jesse-w3p]

I had this dilemna recently with Neil Young. After the Gold Rush is one of my favorite records, but sort of hate the Topanga Canyon genesis of it. I had to reconcile that the album had meaning to me in time and places that were really my interpretation, and that mattered more to me than his intention. We CAN reconcile artistic or intellectual output thatis excellent, aside from people being even despicable personally. It's ok that i like the Cosby Show and hate his actions. Picture page is grand. Ruphys are horrible. People are complicated. To say even duplicitous does a disservice

[@HardcoreZen]

People are not static objects. They fundamentally change.

[@joeg3950]

It’s all fun and games until the teacher sleeps with your significant other. Like you say and others, money and the ego-stroking is the worst which is why I’m still surprised Richard Baker is where he is. Viva Ziggy!

[@sakurakinomoto6195]

This requirement of absolute purity is surely noch limited to people interested in buddhism. The emotional stress imposed on those who read about sex-affairs is partly due to voyeurism and partly to self-righteousness, but with a limited scope: The neglection of the Dharma is nothing the public is sensitive to, but any deviation form what is considered as sexually "pure" behaviour is condemned by everyone. The whole person is reduced to this "faulty" step and condemned,too without any chance of rehabiltitation. It's a symptom of the sickness of our time, to reduce anyone on the single faulty detail which is discovered.

[@Rocky-pc1bj]

Heidegger had the same effect on me. Great philosophy IMO but really bad political views.. In Heidegger's case, people like to conflate the two and suggest idea B leads to nazism because that's how books get sold even though he was talking about ontology rather than contemporary politics.

[@AmericanLabInScotland]

It's cause people like they way you read your stuff, I think if someone else read them it wouldn't be as popular.

[@jogen62]

I had the same with Ted and Neil, maybe the money made them stupid....

[@guido3771]

I disagree. The teachings do not come from "another place", they come from an individual's brain and have individual traits. Dogen and Linji e.g. differ. And it is exactly the teachings that have to be checked rigorously. "Another place" suggests that one might not be able to do that. Most American (and other) Zen teachers lack in insight already, so every moral defect or even "purity" is simply not interesting anymore.

[@colonelbrando]

Enjoy the ivermectin I guess? I wish you'd make your political signaling a little less ambiguous if you are gonna tease us with it. Is dispassionate indifference a part of Zen? I'm not trolling you I'm just trying to figure it all out.

[@dukebanerjee4710]

Depending on what you mean by dispassionate indifference, isn't it central to Zen? The idea is to see reality for what it truly is, which means you have to get rid of self concepts which distract from the experience of the moment. Like, you can be absorbed in the experience of a wicked guitar solo, without having to judge the experience. Do you feel like a bad person for enjoying music produced by a bad person? Should you be making a stand? All these thoughts are distractions from the moment. Is that indifference?

[@colonelbrando]

@@dukebanerjee4710 I agree, and, I don't think being a disgusted south park style centrist is the same as being indifferent. Isn't there something narcissistic about believing you are above "normal people" and not a political subject? where is the ego? you get to escape worldly concerns and other's suffering, then ask for donations. IF the point of enlightenment is solipsism I'm wondering if it really matters at all.

[@HardcoreZen]

Never tried ivermectin.

[@dukebanerjee4710]

@@colonelbrando believing you are above other people is a self-concept, and since narcissism is the ultimate self-concept, I would think that indifference in this way cannot be narcissistic. But ultimately, enlightenment can be that you see that nothing ultimately matters, because of impermanence, and you can let go of judging and controlling the experience or other people or the state of the world whether you are above or below others whether you have stuff or not. You could even say enlightenment doesn't matter. Some people might find that to be a cold and heartless way to live, and even if this path leads to the cessation of suffering, is it worth it if you feel you're losing your humanity? I guess that's the thing you have to figure out when deciding which spiritual path to follow and whose teachings you think are worthy.

[@billsprestonesq9569]

Brad, I find some of your comments in this video worrying, and, frankly, irresponsible. To even suggest you should have a website without an SSL certificate, in this day and age, is reckless. You are leaving yourself wide open to a man-in-the-middle attack.

[@kevindavis9161]

Seems to me that this all comes down to a personal choice. That is, it is incumbent upon each of us to thoughtfully examine these circumstances and decide our own course of action. For you (BW), if I understand what you are saying, the line was crossed by Genpo, and not crossed by Ted Nugent or Neil Young. For you this is right action, no? For someone else right action may be a different decision. I realize this treads probably too close to some sort of ethical relativism. But it also somehow makes a certain sense to me. Unfortunately it is also a little like the old saw about pornography. It’s difficult if not impossible to define, but I know it when I see it.

[@Joejoe-q6w]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@John-uw7wd]

Why not find a voice actor to read Zen wrapped in karma dipped in chocolate?

[@fhoniemcphonsen8987]

Cage Match Nugent vs. Young

[@KingJorman]

Ted Nugent? That's it! I'm unsubscribing! Wait, I never subscribed. I'm un-unsubscribing! Take that!

[@JuhaniSaarilehto]

hi.

[@playlistener1]

hardcore blathering, hardcore nonsense.... you should go into politics...

[@dennisdolan7250]

Original Sin. If you believe nothing else from Christianity, believe that the world ( and 8:12 we!) are broken. They nailed that and the evidence is everywhere and always present. Start to factor that into your equations going forward . Be shocked but don’t be surprised.

[@dennisdolan7250]

Or discouraged😎

[@t.c.bramblett617]

The world isn't broken, it is our own understanding of our nature that is broken

[@dukebanerjee4710]

You're in the wrong place. Nature and us are not broken, we just are. The real question is why are we obsessed with labeling things as "broken"? Letting go of concepts like "brokenness" is pretty central to achieving relief from suffering.

[@fartguy69]

Nice clickbait here, I support it, thanks Brad!