Very well-stated and thoughtful comment. Thanks, Steve. --- On Fri, 2/18/11, SteveW <[email protected]> wrote:
From: SteveW <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Zen] An Article of Interest To: [email protected] Date: Friday, February 18, 2011, 10:39 PM --- In [email protected], Kristy McClain <healthyplay1@...> wrote: > > Hi Steve, >  > There are many ideas in the article you post. In light of your discussion > with Mike on a different thread about zen sects and religion, and the > clipped paragraph below, how is all this different from a cult? >  > That parallel was one of the things that kept me at a distance-- to > co-exist with my skeptical trust level. >  > Kristy > Hi Kristy. IMO, there is always going to be the very real danger of cultism. IMO, the solution is to not allow authority to rest in just a few hands. Also, there should be a critical review board comprised of both teachers and students that have a say in overseeing daily operations. And I cannot stress too strongly that all personnel involved in teaching be held to the strictest standards of conduct, with zero tolerance for any hint of antinomian thinking. In addition, I think that we should always embrace Gotama's own words that we not believe anything merely on authority, but always subject it to critical evaluation, based on both our reason and actual experience. There are many aspects of Buddhism which I am entirely agnostic towards. This does not mean that those tenets are not true, but it does mean that I intend to find out for myself. Steve
