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.