Spiderwebs and Dissing the Prophet

Oh, what a tangled web we weave!  Yes, the spider gizmo looks great, especially for Buddhists who are trying really hard to uphold the equality of all life.  And, yes, it's nice that His Holiness the Dalai Lama buys tools and things from the internet source that the spider rescue thing comes from.

Not that there aren't more important things one could say about the Dalai Lama!

In fact, the November 17 post from blogger and convicted felon William Cassidy (who likes to call himself "Tulku Urgyen Tenpa"--as if!) continues and expands his trend of trivializing Buddhism.

Not content with that project, he has used a mere gossamer wisp of connection to segue into AK47's in Pakistan, Islamic insurgents, and . . . the Prophet.  (Peace be upon him!)  The story about the Prophet remaining undiscovered in his hideaway in a cave because of a spiderweb at the entrance . . . well, maybe it is told that way.  But it's a story we learned as a child (from Children's Digest, in fact) about Robert the Bruce of Scotland.  To each his own?

"To each his own" would be a charitable interpretation of the blog's parting shot at all people of faith:  "So you can give one of these to your Muslim friends.  For Christmas.  You'll excuse me, as now I have to go sing Kumbaya."  That belief thing?  Whether Buddhist, Muslim, or Christian--the blogger displays equal opportunity contempt.

Straight Outta Nowhere

O-o-o-o! Sounds like a threat! A sweet-voiced female cover for "Straight Out of Compton." We'd like to be able to say, "I knew Ice Cube. Ice Cube was my friend! And, sir, you are no Ice Cube"! (But it wouldn't be true. The person to whom we refer is, in fact, an ice cube: hard as a rock, but easy to see through. And disappears when the heat's on.)

You would think that someone who claims a quarter million readers wouldn't bother to waste pixels with an obviously private message to someone who has . . . annoyed him. But there you go--if that blog has a quarter million readers, we will personally eat them! Or let them melt in our glass.

"Which 'Hood," indeed. The same hood that writes about the 'net and the 'blog. That comment at the head of that post? A voice crying in the desert--that's the 'hood. Pretty lonely out there, since Las Vegas got too hot to handle, eh?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Buddha Rascals Way of Lies

The fact that there are so many spiritual charlatans who prey on innocent truth seekers is scary. Those who are seeking the way out of suffering - the Dharma - and who do not yet know how to discern a true teacher from a conartist are at their most vulnerable. They don't know any better. A particular Dharma-touting rascal comes to mind who has managed to fool even longtime Dharma students. A man named Bill Cassidy who calls himself "Tulku Tenpa Rinpoche," who writes a blog called Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar. This week his virtual "altar" offerings were rants about China and global economic pressures and debates about Marxism. But today is Thursday , his "compassionate" day, so he dusted off an old poem he wrote a couple years ago that reads surprisingly like Shantideva's Bodhisattva's Way of Life. He does not acknowledge that Shantideva's work was the foundation of his poetic aspirations, but lets compare some stanzas just for fun: From Tenpa's Mercy without Hesitation: For the cold I sow warmth For the tired I sow rest For the hungry I sow food For the poor I sow jewels For the naked I sow cover For the childless I sow children For the lonely I sow companions I am your fearless husbandman I am your peerless wife Here! Now! Immediately! For the powerless I sow accomplishment For the sick I sow medicine For the unfortunate I sow success For the prisoners I sow parole For the fearful I sow safety For the homeless I sow home I am the hand reaching for your hand I am the soft gesture upon your brow From Shantideva's Bodhisattva's Way of Life: May I be the doctor, the medicine And may I be the nurse For all sick beings in the world, Until everyone is healed May a rain of food and drink descend To clear away the pain of thirst and hunger, And during the aeon of famine May I myself change into food and drink. May I become an inexhaustible treasure For those who are poor and destitute; May I turn into all things they could need and be placed close beside them. On the surface they seem similar. And if you didn't know any better, you might even think that this guy Tenpa had some decent qualities. But you would be wrong. Very wrong. This man is no teacher. Far from it. He has a long criminal history that includes violent crime. He lies in wait to dupe would-be students with his sweet words that sound like Dharma. One pretty poem, a cheap knock off of the real deal, does not a Dharma Teacher make. Follow the advice of the great masters, and the Buddha himself - examine a spiritual teacher very carefully, even for seven years. Do not take them as your teacher until you are unshakingly convinced that their actions and words are imbued with good qualities. Until then, tread lightly. Don't be a victim of sweet talk and ego-stroking.