---Ah, alex, it's called learning. Since Genryu and Fudo started posting I have seen the error in searching for understanding outside of oneself. If growing is foolishness, then I am happy to be the "King of Fools". And, yes, at this point I would say i'm pissing on the title of my own thread, I would encourage others to do the same. I never ridiculed anyone for reading the sutras,if it helps you, please continue, I won't stop you. What I responded to in Genryu's post was what he said about truth; it's sometimes very painful, but it's better to confront it than bury your head in the sand. Something I've believed for years and been admonished for thinking. Alex, remember what I said about the storms of life; blow all you want, howl, moan, piss, scream, when you're done, I'll be right here. Peace, Guy.
[email protected], Alex Bunard <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The world is full of funny people. First this guy asks > me for the suggestions for reading (see the title of > this thread), and then the next thing you know, he's > pissing on his own thread and ridiculing anyone who > reads the sutras. Hello! > > Yes, the world is full of fools, idiots (such as > myself), and Kings of Idiots. When it comes to Kings > of Idiots, you, my friend, take the cake! > > Alex > > --- ventouxboy <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > ---Right on, Rev. Genryu. You tell it as it is, not > > how it ain't.:) > > Guy > > > > In [email protected], "Rev. Genryu" > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Pissing off the 'Buddhists' - Brad Warner > > > > > > Guys who like to run around telling their friends > > they're > > Buddhists have to work very hard at keeping up a > > certain pose. > > They've got this special "Buddhist" way of talking, > > kinda like Mr. > > Rogers as a guest on a New age talk show quoting > > lines from Richard > > Gere movies. Then there's this little smile they've > > got stapled to > > their faces at all times to tell the world they've > > achieved a rare > > state of inner peace and enlightenment. Maybe they > > think they're > > fooling their friends. But that shit never fooled > > anyone. You can > > tell it's really rough keeping up the pose by the > > way they've > > permanently stiffened their facial muscles into that > > cute little > > grin so hard it looks like a plastic mask. > > > > > > People like this would be massively annoying if > > they weren't so > > God damned funny. Whenever I get around a group of > > them I always > > feel like I've walked into a convention of teddy > > bear collectors or > > maybe a baby powder factory or something. It's like > > they've created > > this intensively cute fantasy world in which there > > are no sharp > > edges and everything is all soft and warm. They love > > you. They love > > me. They love the Bush administration. They love > > Saddam Hussein. > > Lots and lots of icky sticky gushy sugary sweet > > love. You better not > > do anything to contradict their fantasy or they'll > > -- oh my God -- > > they'll shoot love beams at you to melt your cold > > hard heart (You > > think I'm kidding? I've actually had "Buddhists" try > > to shoot > > imaginary love beams at me out of their eyes -- No > > joke!). > > > > > > Guys like this always want to give you their > > teachings. No matter > > what you say to them, it's an opportunity for them > > to point out > > where you're wrong and how your life would be so > > much better if you > > could only learn to be just like them. "I've got > > this hangnail," you > > say. And they come right back at you with, "The body > > is but an > > immaterial object, remain in the now and do not be > > bothered by its > > sensations." Hey, just lend me some nail clippers > > and shut the fuck > > up, OK? > > > > > > The thing that makes it real fun to piss phony > > Buddhists off is > > the fact that when they get pissed off, it's not > > enough for them to > > just be pissed off. They're also pissed off because > > they're pissed > > off. And they're pissed off that they're pissed off > > that they're > > pissed off. And... well, you get it, it just goes on > > like that > > forever. > > > > > > Plus they're extra especially pissed off that the > > guy who's > > pissing them off claims to be an ordained Buddhist > > priest, something > > they've fantasized about becoming for years. Maybe > > they've never > > even actually met a Buddhist priest before. But they > > know exactly > > what they're supposed to be like. Buddhists priests > > are supposed to > > be safe for guys like this. They're supposed to > > agree with whatever > > they say. They're supposed to be lovey dovey people > > who'd never do > > or say anything that could ever bother anyone. > > > > > > When I used to get these just absolutely > > poisonously angry e-mails > > from guys like this, I made the mistake of saying > > stuff like, "I'm > > very sorry what I wrote upset you." Really, though, > > I meant it. > > > > > > But boy does that ever tick off a "Buddhist!" The > > last thing > > they'll admit to anyone in the world is that > > something yanked their > > chain. They're above that sort of thing, you see, > > since Buddhism > > showed them The Light. And they consider it an > > insult to be > > apologized to. So now not only are they so mad they > > could spit (and > > even madder at the fact that they're mad in the > > first place), they > > have to pretend they're not mad, which gets them > > even hotter under > > the collar. Reading what they write I swear I can > > hear them just > > slamming away at their keyboards like Sean Penn > > wailing on some > > tabloid reporter's face. > > > > > > I'd like to believe maybe a couple of these guys > > took a few deep > > breaths and thought to themselves, "Hey, maybe > > there's a little > > problem here." But I tend to doubt it. See, they'd > > already figured > > out what the problem was. It's that guy who writes > > the stupid > > Buddhist web page! Buddhism is supposed to calm you, > > soothe you. > > It's supposed to be stilling. Kind of like a lullaby > > from mommy. > > When someone starts using Buddhism in a way that > > makes people angry - > > - especially people who've devoted so much time and > > effort to > > memorizing every little tid-bit in every book at the > > local Barnes > > and Nobles with "Zen" in the title -- well, that's > > (pant, gasp) > > that's just... (twitch, twitch) that's just not > > right! > > > > > > But that kind of gooey candy coated garbage isn't > > Buddhism at all. > > Buddhism is realism. And reality is rarely soothing. > > It's not a warm > > fuzzy blanket you can curl up into. Sometimes it's > > ice cold and hard > > as a rock. It's got all kinds of jagged edges and > > nasty little > > pointy bits that can scrape you up pretty bad. Ah, > > but here's where > > Buddhism comes in. That stuff can only hurt you when > > you believe > > it's something different from you. When you discover > > that that > > coldness, those jaggedy edges, all those nasty > > little things you > > wish you could avoid are really just you, when you > > see that what's > > hurting you isn't the stuff outside, but your > > reaction to the stuff > > you encounter, then everything changes. Inner > > balance doesn't come > > from finding a clever way of hiding from or steeling > > yourself up > > against what you don't like in life. It comes from > > facing it head on. > > > > > > Nishijima once said to me, "It's important to face > > hated > > information." I'd been talking to him about some > > stuff which I found > > very disturbing to read about. His advice was to > > read as much of > > that stuff as I could get my hands on. And y'know, > > when I did that, > > I started to see right through that stuff, to see > > that what I > > thought was powerful and even dangerous to my psyche > > was really > > nothing at all. Just words typed by some human being > > who saw the > > world in a certain way. Big, fat, hairy deal. > > > > > > If my "Buddhist" friends out there in computer > > land were able to > > see things in a realistic way, they'd see that > > that's all my writing > > was too. Just words. What's far more important than > > reacting to > > words is to see just how that process of reacting to > > words works. > > You've got to say to yourself, "Who am I? And why is > > it that I'm > > getting this kind of a reaction to what I'm > > reading?" Why is it so > > important for you to establish that these words are > > WRONG. Why do > > you feel the need to try and silence those who say > > the things you > > don't like? Or on the other side what is it that > > makes you think > > certain words are right, that they're beautiful and > > stilling. What > > is it that drives you to seek out stilling, calming > > words while > > doing your utmost to avoid anything that disturbs > > you? > > > > > > I hate bigotry, racism, sexism and just plain > > stupidity and > > ignorance in whatever flavor it comes. For years I > > tried to shout it > > down. I wished I had the power to somehow rip the > > larynxes out of > > every member of the Moral Majority or the NRA, to > > break all their > > fingers so they could never even type their poison > > words again. My > > change of mind about this began when I watched a > > public access cable > > TV show produced by the KKK. The thing was so > > utterly stupid I was > > glad no one censored it. I think the people with the > > dumbest, most > > ignorant, most asshole-ish beliefs should be given > > free prime-time > > network access. There would be no better way to show > > the world just > > how stupid their ideas really are than to let them > > explain it for > > themselves. (Actually when I get tapes of American > > TV from friends, > > I wonder if this isn't already happening.) > > > > > > I know what you're thinking, sometimes jerks like > > these can be > > very convincing, if not to a majority then to a > > fanatical minority > > who are crazy enough to start trying to put those > > idiotic notions > > into practice. BRING 'EM ON, THEN! The idiots out > > there who'd fall > > for drivel like that are out there anyway, make them > > show themselves > > so the rest of us can identify the bastards and > > remove them from our > > midst. The sooner, the better. > > > > > > Cuz believe it or don't, there always have been > > and there always > > will be a lot more sensible people in the world than > > there are > > idiots. I know that's hard to believe when you're > > standing in line > > at the post office with exact change in your hand > > waiting to buy > > three stamps and there are twelve morons in front of > > you with > > unwrapped wooden ponies for their nephews in Peoria > > going, "Do you > > have a box this can fit in?" But I still believe > > there are more > > basically intelligent people than there are complete > > dumb-asses. And > > that means that in terms of sheer numbers alone we > > have the > > advantage. Truth is power. It's the Ultimate Power. > > Just try going > > against it. You'll always fail. > > > > > > Always. > > > > > > > > > Would it be possible to cease and desist with your > > > incessant new age Deepak Chopra 'wrinkless wisdom' > > > types of assaults? This is a forum dedicated to > > the > > > practice of Dharma, not some brainless 'discover > > > yourself' crapola. > > > > > > Alex > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been > > removed] > > > > > > > > > > > ===== > No karma was produced during the composition of this letter > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> In low income neighborhoods, 84% do not own computers. At Network for Good, help bridge the Digital Divide! http://us.click.yahoo.com/hjtSRD/3MnJAA/i1hLAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! 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