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Gigu

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  1. COMMITMENTS FROM INITIATIONS 1. Chenrezig initiation: never to forget great compassion. 2. Manjushri initiation: never to lose appreciation for Manjushri's wisdom, and the wish to develop it. 3. Vajrasattva initiation: resting in the nature of mind 5 minutes per day; and if one cannot, then reciting his mantra for 5 minutes, or reciting OM AH HUNG HRIH (with or without the fingers mudra) and if one cannot, then reciting the short sylable HUNG. 4. King Gesar initiation: never to fight among ourselves; reading the Guru yoga prayer as often as possible, but the commitment is not daily, 3 times recitation of mantra minimum. Long mantra is in the Guru Yoga prayer, and short one is: OM GURU MANI RANDZA SIDDHI HUM. 5. Mahakala initiation: to do the sadhana regularly at the Centre as group practice; or if not possible one can do it at home, but it is not a daily commitment. Minimum daily commitment: to do 3 recitations of the mantra. The long mantra is in the sadhana and the short one is OM SHRI MAHAKALA HUM PHAT. ZAVEZE OD INICIACIJ 1. Iniciacija Čenreziga: nikoli pozabiti veliko sočutje. 2. Iniciacija Mandžušrija: nikoli izgubiti spoštovanja do modrosti Mandžušrija, in želje, da bi jo sami razvili. 3. Iniciacija Vadžrasatve: počivati v naravi uma 5 minut na dan, in če to ni mogoče, recitacija mantre Vadžrasatve 5 minut, ali recitacija OM AH HUNG HRIH (s prstnimi mudrami ali brez), in če to ni mogoče potem recitacija kratkega zloga HUNG. 4. Iniciacija Kralja Gesarja: nikoli se prepirati med seboj; recitacija njegove molitve Guru joge kolikor mogoče redno, vendar ni dnevna zaveza. Najmanj recitacija treh manter dnevno. Dolga mantra je v molitvi Guru joge, kratka pa je OM GURU MANI RANDZA SIDDHI HUM. 5. Iniciacija Mahakale: izvajati sadhano redno v centru kot skupinsko prakso, in če to ni mogoče jo je mogoče izvajati redno doma, vendar ni dnevna zaveza. Dnevna zaveza recitacija najmanj treh manter. Dolga mantra je v sadhani in kratka je OM SHRI MAHAKALA HUM PHAT.
  2. It is of course possible to recite just the mantra. Yet, the whole power of this sutra reside in reciting it completely.
  3. The account of "Hooroszlan" - self-claimed yogi and pretend to be healer - has been suspended, has he transgressed the rules of these forums, which are not to insult or slander, specially since the last message (which has been removed) was against Rinpoche, without any ground or wish to learn on these forums. Follow the link published by m_v, and scroll till the end to see the childish mixing of eveything, misuse of mudras exposed on a public page, etc... Pathetic... No wonder why it is said Dharma is entering a period of degeneration. Thank you.
  4. http://www.dharmaling.org/forums/index.php...amp;showentry=9 By Lama Shenpen Rinpoche Israel didn't respect any of the resolution passed since 1948, requesting to respect human rights, requesting to respect the line established when they were given some land (stolen by the English and divided from the rest, proclaimed as a nation for lame political reasons and even more stupid so called historical ones). The Hamas aroused because none of their rights are respected since 40 years. Children grew in violence, surrounded by a "wall of shame", beton and barbwires, everything is controlled by Israel, lands are constantly stolen for expanding colonies, road are closed to avoid Palestinian to come too close to colonies, etc... I won't agree with the violence, but I surely can understand the reasons. If the means used are not, the request of the Hamas is legitimate. In 1943, the Jews of the Warsaw ghetto decided to fight and eventually die free with honour. Since the end of the war, we hear constantly the litany of their brave resistance against the Nazis. Today, Palestinians are resisting, but they are named "terrorist" and massacred under the eyes of the coward societies who do not move because otherwise they get scold by the US, or labelled as "anti-Israel". Because of the greed of a nation -who should be the one remembering History- violence is growing and won't cease. Israeli government say to act for security reasons. But they are the reasons for the insecurity of their own people. In Gaza, they are using weapons not allowed, against children, women, and old people. And even tested some new weapons of incredible violence and pain. Over 1.200 have been killed by the rage of Israeli government. Now they pretend to be the good people by "bestowing" a ceasefire? The root of the problem hasn't been addressed, and even less solved. And this move is intended to avoid a deepening of a diplomatic treaty agreed by both sides. The solution? To give back to Palestinians what is theirs, to go back to the 1967 green line, and to open the "check-points" to allow free movement of goods and people. This would solve the violence. But obviously, this solution is not even in consideration by Israel, the US, and their supporters. The solution chosen is to kill as many Palestinians as possible, destroy all their infrastructure (including schools and hospital, even when they are under UN protectorate). All the kids growing in this war will be fuelled by an un-extinguishable hatred against the occupator who has killed sometime their whole family under their eyes! In three weeks, Israeli government has slaughtered over 1200 Palestinians, and built the characters of thousands of survivors, who will have for only objective to kill as many Israelis as possible. Good job! I'm a religious man, not involved personally in this conflict, neither by having relatives there, neither by religion. I just would wish Peace, for both Israel and Palestine. And I make clear difference between Israel government and Israeli people, as so many of them simply wish to respect and treat decently Palestinians also. But I'm not blind, and I'm not afraid to speak out what I think to be the real problem in this region, which is greed and total lack of compassion from the invader. Though, I will surely be labelled as anti-Israel, or (worst) anti-Jews, as it is their tactic to muzzle the freedom of speech...
  5. Spontanéité, si, mais dans le cadre de ces forums
  6. Nous vous avons déjà expliqué que c'est un forum Bouddhiste ici. Ganesha est une déité Hindue.
  7. Vous êtes ici sur un forum Buddhiste, traditionel, pas Hindu, ni new age ... Par ailleurs, essayez de formuler vos messages de manières plus simple et sans mettre le tout en gras
  8. I would like to know on which basis he has the title of "Lama". According to his biographie, he is only monk. Then, his web site is curiously close to www.tibetanlama.com, I wonder why...?
  9. Po temeljitem premisleku o tem, kako ukrepati in kako se odzvati na napade ge. Alenke Bone, uperjene proti Dharmalingu in Lami Shenpen Rinpočeju, smo se odločili pojasniti trenutno situacijo v Sloveniji. V Sloveniji je majhna skupina ljudi registrirana pod imenom "Buddha Dharma, Zveza budistov v Republiki Sloveniji". Vodi jo Alenka Bone, ki si je nadela naziv "Njena eminenca Lama Tara Tulku Drimed Drolkhar Rinpoche". V naši družbi lahko posameznik uporablja katero koli ime ali naziv, če s tem ljudi ne zavaja za svojo lastno korist. Prav tako lahko vsak izraža svoje mnenje. Ker torej ne moremo neposredno ničesar ukreniti glede zgoraj omenjenega imena skupine in nazivov, ki jih uporablja njena voditeljica, želimo vsaj izraziti svoje mnenje in svojim članom posredovati verodostojne informacije. A. Nazivi: Nazive kot so "Lama", "Tulku" in "Rinpoče" lahko posameznik pridobi samo po opravljenem posebnem študiju (Lama) ali z uradnim priznanjem s strani samostana in/ali že priznanega učitelja. A1. Voditeljica te majhne skupine trdi, da jo je priznal učitelj Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. A1.1. To informacijo smo preverili neposredno pri njem in odgovoril nam je, da tega ni nikoli storil. A1.2. Voditeljica te skupine neupravičeno uporablja svoj naziv, kot če bi trdila, da ima doktorat brez ustrezne diplome ali da je škof, ne da bi jo imenovali na ta položaj. A1.3. Za povrh trdi, da je inkarnacija Tare, torej Bude! To je tako, kot če bi na Zahodu nekdo trdil, da ni nič manj kot utelešenje Device Marije! Ta podatek jasno razkriva vso nesmiselnost te situacije. B. Naziv skupnosti: B1. Naziv "Zveza budistov v Republiki Sloveniji" je zelo vprašljiv, če organizacija ne povezuje ničesar in če gre samo za peščico ljudi. B2. Odkar Dharmaling deluje v Sloveniji, nismo slišali za nobeno dejavnost voditeljice te majhne skupine in kolikor nam je znano, se je samo enkrat (novembra 2008) udeležila sestanka na Uradu za verske skupnosti. C. Napadi: C1. "Buddha Dharma, Zveza budistov v Republiki Sloveniji" in Alenka Bone sta Okrožnemu državnemu tožilstvu v Ljubljani poslali dopis, v katerem sta Lamo Shenpen Rinpočeja obtožili "kršitve enakopravnosti" (po 141. členu takrat veljavnega Kazenskega zakonika RS) in "vzbujanja sovraštva, razdora ali nestrpnosti, ki temelji na kršitvi načela enakosti" (po 300. členu takrat veljavnega Kazenskega zakonika RS). Po policijski preiskavi obtožnica ni bila vložena. C2. Alenka Bone nas je na sestanku verskih skupnosti javno obvestila, da nas bo še naprej obtoževala sovražnega govora ter da se je že obrnila na Varuhinjo človekovih pravic in druge ustanove. D. V vednost: D1. Budistična kongregacija Dharmaling je v Sloveniji dejavna od leta 2002 in ima intenziven program predavanj in verskih praks. Kongregacija je ustanovila tudi zavod za neverske dejavnosti in pomoč v družbi. D2. Predstojnik Dharmalinga, Lama Shenpen Rinpoče ima uradni dokument, ki potrjuje nazive, ki jih uporablja skupaj s svojim imenom v skladu s tradicijo tibetanske veje budizma. D3. Potem, ko je Vlada republike Slovenije preverila informacije in zavzetost naših dejavnosti za širšo dobrobit družbe, je z Dharmalingom julija 2008 podpisala sporazum o sodelovanju. E. Zaključek: E1. 0,5% dohodnine - Zgoraj omenjena verska skupina se je registrirala za dodelitev deleža dohodnine, vendar je ne smemo zamenjevati z Budistično kongregacijo Dharmaling. Gre za dve popolnoma ločeni organizaciji. E2. Pri Dharmalingu smo bili doslej zelo potrpežljivi, toda ker omenjena verska skupina po neuspelem poskusu prijave še vedno širi govorice, smo se odločili ukrepati na najustreznejši način po nasvetu naših odvetnikov. E3. Naš prvi ukrep je obvestiti javnost, da bi preprečili neljube posledice, ki bi jih delovanje "Buddhe Dharme" ali njene ustanoviteljice lahko imelo na budizem v Sloveniji ali na našo kongregacijo ter naša prizadevanja nuditi javnosti informacije o tradicionalnem in pristnem budizmu.
  10. Dr Carley's web site a bit messy but containing lot of information. Excipient contained in vaccines
  11. Gigu

    New year bazaar

    You are not afraid it will be dark and cold? What's about in afternoon rather, around 15:00 or 16:00?
  12. Article de Le Monde sur la méditation, avec Matthieu Riccard : ------------------------ Après avoir fait de la recherche en génie cellulaire, vous avez embrassé le bouddhisme, et vous êtes l'interprète en français du dalaà¯-lama. Pourquoi avoir consacré un livre à la méditation ? La méditation, cela ne veut rien dire en soi : on médite sur quelque chose. Ce n'est pas faire le vide dans son esprit, ce n'est pas se relaxer, c'est cultiver, développer certaines aptitudes, certaines facultés. Ayant vécu quarante ans dans l'Himalaya où j'ai médité 40 000 heures, je me suis retrouvé, en 2000, projeté dans la recherche en neurosciences. Un peu comme un cobaye, pour inspirer d'autres "méditants" à participer à ces recherches, mais aussi en temps que collaborateur, pour étudier ce qui se passe dans le cerveau. L'objectif est de comprendre comment un individu qui a la maà®trise de son esprit va diriger cet esprit, entrer ou sortir de l'état de méditation, focaliser son attention, pendant quarante-cinq minutes, sans être distrait. Le cobaye décrit avec une grande précision ce qu'il a fait. Je vais trois ou quatre fois par an dans les laboratoires, j'ai dà» l'équivalent de 200 ou 300 heures d'IRM (imagerie par résonance magnétique). Richard Davidson, un grand scientifique, avec qui ces travaux ont commencé à Madison, dans l'Etat de Wisconsin (Etats-Unis), a tenu à ce que je sois cosignataire du compte rendu pour bien marquer le fait que les méditants sont des collaborateurs à part entière. Que montrent ces recherches des bienfaits de la méditation sur la santé ? Avec l'IRM, l'électroencéphalo-gramme, la présence de cortisone dans la salive qui mesure le stress, on note les différences entre un état au repos et un état méditatif, entre des sujets entraà®nés ou non. Ces travaux donnent des résultats significatifs sur le renforcement du système immunitaire, la diminution de l'anxiété, de la colère, de la tendance à la dépression, pour ne citer que cela, et puis sur de nombreux aspects cliniques, comme l'accélération de la guérison du psoriasis ou encore la baisse de la tension artérielle. Les travaux sur la pleine conscience - être pleinement conscient de ses sensations - ont démontré son efficacité sur la réduction du stress et de la rumination mentale. On commence à parler des neurosciences contemplatives comme d'une nouvelle branche de recherche à part entière. Surtout aux Etats-Unis, mais aussi à Zurich (Suisse) et à Maastricht (Pays-Bas), où sont étudiées, en laboratoire, l'empathie et la compassion. L'empathie, c'est se mettre en résonance avec les émotions et les sentiments de quelqu'un. Vis-à -vis de la joie : quelqu'un est joyeux, cela déteint un peu sur vous comme une contagion. Ou vis-à -vis de la souffrance. Les aires du cerveau qui sont activées sont les mêmes : vous éprouvez de la souffrance en sachant de manière cognitive que ce n'est pas vous, mais la souffrance est réelle et indistincte de votre propre souffrance. Ces travaux ont montré que si on ajoute une sorte d'amour inconditionnel, une bienveillance, cela pallie les effets de l'empathie qui engendre la détresse. Comment définissez-vous la méditation ? J'ai voulu faire un livre sur les techniques de méditation pour la démystifier, pour dire à quoi elle sert, sur quoi méditer et comment méditer. J'ai décidé d'expliquer pourquoi cela valait la peine de transformer son esprit. On fait plein de choses pour la beauté physique. Et notre esprit, cette espèce de garnement, ce singe qui n'en fait qu'à sa tête, qui n'arrête pas de bouger, on le laisse en friche, dans l'état le plus sauvage. La méditation, c'est transformer la manière dont fonctionne notre esprit, non pas pour le museler. Les gens confondent la maà®trise de soi et le contrôle de l'esprit. J'aime bien prendre l'image du marin dont la liberté serait de ne pas toucher le gouvernail, de laisser son bateau aller au gré des vents et des courants. Cela ne s'appelle pas naviguer, mais dériver. La méditation n'est-elle pas une pratique plutôt étrangère à la culture occidentale, donc difficile d'accès ? Cela n'a aucun sens d'opposer Occidentaux et Orientaux. La méditation, c'est l'entraà®nement de l'esprit. On dit : "Je suis comme ça, c'est à prendre ou à laisser." L'idée qu'on ne peut pas se transformer me paraà®t une attitude extrêmement défaitiste et un peu paresseuse. La méditation, cela n'a rien d'oriental : c'est transformer son esprit, c'est-à -dire la façon dont, du matin au soir, on fait l'expérience du monde. Ce n'est pas quelque chose de mineur. C'est la qualité de chaque instant de l'existence qui dépend de la façon dont fonctionne notre esprit, de la façon dont on est, ou non, le jouet d'émotions destructrices, de la distraction permanente, des hauts et des bas absolument incontrôlables et excessifs, comme de passer de l'euphorie à la dépression. Cela vaut la peine qu'on mette un peu d'ordre là -dedans. Il ne s'agit pas de faire des choses extraordinaires, il ne s'agit pas de léviter, ni d'acquérir la transmission de pensée, mais de vivre de façon optimale. La méditation, ce n'est pas faire du body-building mental mais atteindre un état optimal de bonne santé. L'optimal, c'est la paix intérieure, la force d'à¢me, c'est une forme de confiance, d'altruisme, de compassion. C'est une manière d'être, et les manières s'apprennent. On apprend tout dans la vie, pourquoi n'apprendrait-on pas à mieux faire fonctionner son esprit ? La méditation peut-elle être une pratique strictement laà¯que ? La méditation, comme le dit le dalaà¯-lama, peut faire partie d'une spiritualité laà¯que. La particularité des bouddhistes a été, depuis 2 500 ans, de faire des investigations sur la façon dont fonctionne l'esprit. Par esprit, j'entends le flot de la conscience. Ils ont une compréhension très subtile des mécanismes mentaux, et cela n'a rien de religieux. Lors d'une rencontre à Boston (Massachusetts), entre le dalaà¯-lama, des méditants et les scientifiques d'Harvard, Steven Kosslyn, en charge de la chaire de psychologie, a commencé son intervention par une déclaration d'humilité devant la masse de données - empiriques - qu'apportent, dans le domaine de la psychologie, les contemplatifs. Comment, en France, trouver un instructeur ? Il y a un problème de compétences, peu de guides qualifiés, et le lobby des psychanalystes qui bloquent le milieu académique. Comme il n'y a pas de thérapie cognitive enseignée dans les universités, les gens se rattrapent sur des coaches qui n'ont pas de formation, c'est la foire d'empoigne. David Servan-Schreiber, Boris Cyrulnik apportent une vision un peu différente des choses. Les mouvements liés aux thérapies cognitives et les techniques de Jon Kabat-Zinn sont développés avec succès, dans plus de 200 hôpitaux américains, pour diminuer les douleurs postopératoires et celles associées au cancer et autres maladies graves. En France, certains centres hospitaliers commencent à utiliser ces méthodes : à Lyon, Patrick Lemoine et Frédéric Rosenfeld, et, à Paris, Christophe André, à Sainte-Anne, qui travaille sur les phobies. Mais, cela reste très mal vu et on est nettement en retard par rapport à l'Angleterre et l'Amérique. Pourquoi se priver de remèdes simples et efficaces ? L'entraà®nement de l'esprit c'est avoir à faire avec ce dont nous sommes tous dotés, du début à la fin de notre vie, et dont on s'occupe si mal. Propos recueillis par Florence Evin
  13. Dharmaling uploaded some videos of Rinpoche on Youtube www.youtube.com/user/Dharmaling1
  14. It can be a nice article to put here... The article and web site are primarily oriented from a Hinduist point of view, but quite interesting: --------------------------------------------------- The Greatness and Culpability of Tantra In various publications, I have spoken of the greatness of traditional Tantra. Some of my readers seem to believe that I have only praise for this pan-Indic tradition and entertain absolutely no misgivings about its various known excesses. They obviously have not read my works carefully enough, and so I need to clarify my position. In this brief essay, then, I will be more specific about what I consider to be Tantra’s strength, but will also be more explicit about its weaknesses. To begin with, I would like to articulate those features that, in my mind, make Tantra a vitally important spiritual tradition. First of all, as I have stated on a number of occasions, Tantra emerged in medieval times as a sweeping synthesis of then current traditions as well as many significant preceding cultural, philosophical, and practical spiritual strands. As Mircea Eliade pointed out in his magnificent (if slightly dated) book Yoga: Immortality and Freedom (p. 200), the Sanskrit word tantra itself connotes, among other meanings, the sense of continuity or unfolding. This suggests that Tantra is not a brand-new system that appeared about 500 A.D. or earlier, but is a development out of ancient India’s astonishingly rich and complex heritage. It achieved mature expression by c. 800 A.D. Eliade correctly recognized that Tantra emerged more or less simultaneously both within marginal circles in what later came to be called Hinduism and also within Buddhism. In both religio-cultural complexes, Tantra was destined to develop into an overarching practice-oriented spiritual tradition that consciously attempted to integrate several crucial features of Indic culture. I happen to believe that this integrative effort was as successful as it could have been at that time and that it offers us moderns important lessons. The salient integrative efforts of Tantra, which are both on the theoretical and practical levels, are the following: 1. to round out the protracted process of amalgamation between mainstream Brahmanism and Buddhism on the one side and the Indic folk traditions on the other; 2. to bridge the gap between the supreme socio-cultural ideal of spiritual liberation (moksha) and the three other legitimate socio-cultural goals of Indic society, namely material security (artha), pleasure (kà¢ma), and moral lawfulness (dharma); 3. to integrate the powerful cultural trend inherited from ancient India (certainly ever since the days of the Upanishads) to renounce the world lock, stock, and barrel with the equally powerful trend toward liberation in the context of a spiritual life lived as a householder respectful of the usual social mores and customary obligations; we see this integrative trend first clearly emerging in the teaching of Karma-Yoga (Yoga of self-transcending action) in the Mahà¢bhà¢rata epic in general and its Bhagavad-Gà®tࢠepisode in particular; 4. to overcome the body-negative attitudes found in extreme renunciatory schools by means of an integrative approach that respect material embodiment and even regards the body as a fit vehicle for spiritual growth and liberation; 5. to surmount the restrictive notion of sexuality as being necessarily a substantial stumbling block on the spiritual path with a more moderate orientation that, at least in some Tantric schools, even includes the notion that sexual vitality is a necessary ingredient of successful spiritual practice and ought to be properly cultivated; 6. to replace the widespread misogynic attitude, especially among renunciatory schools, with a more positive regard for women and the feminine principle in general; 7. to emphasize individualistic metaphoric spirituality over orthodox rigid literalism, particularly in the area of moral behavior. The above features are all interconnected and form an essential part of what has been called the Tantric Revolution. They are praiseworthy developments in themselves and clearly worthy of consideration from within any cultural context. We know from psychoanalysis what happens when a person merely represses instinctual impulses for the sake of achieving higher “noble” ideals. Premature “renunciation” of desires merely leads to neurosis and possibly psychosis. We also know that no good can come of ignoring the body or even bodily existence in general, as some ascetics East and West have been wont to do. This tends to lead to mere neglect, which has undesirable physical and mental consequences. Then again, one can also not fail to notice the unashamed narcissism of a certain orientation within the Tantric branch of medieval Hatha-Yoga, which foreshadowed the fitness cult of our contemporary Western society. The phenomenon of Neo-Tantrism, which is a poor imitation and even a distortion of traditional Tantra, must be cited here as being among the most self-indulgent trends of modern times. Even the most cursory glance at Neo-Tantrism shows that it lacks the integrative spirit of Tantra and in particular has replaced the central Tantric notion of innate bliss (mahà¢-sukha) with mere instant pleasure, as if pleasure (specifically orgasm) could lead to or signal spiritual maturity and liberation. One way of looking at this is to say that Neo-Tantrism favors simplistic literalism rather than the sophisticated metaphoricism of traditional Tantra. In an attempt to soften my strong criticism of Neo-Tantrism, I have in a couple of previous publications regrettably allowed for the possibility that the overt sexual preoccupations of Neo-Tantrism may prove helpful to some individuals who are sexually inhibited and in need of sexual self-exploration. Upon further reflection, I would now like to amend my earlier view by saying that I am doubtful that Neo-Tantrism has any such therapeutic merit. Basing myself on my acquaintance with a number of proponents of and participants in Neo-Tantra, I now consider it much more likely that it facilitates rather than dissolves sexual fixations. The women’s liberation movement has brought to our attention many areas in which our culture has systematically repressed the psyche’s feminine side to everyone’s detriment, which thankfully has led to a progressive reassessment of the role of the female gender in our society and the function of the feminine principle in our mind. In particular, the work of C. G. Jung has contributed significantly to this reevaluation leading to a more balanced view of the role of the feminine principle in our personal life and in society at large. In some ways, this reevaluation represents historically a rediscovery of core Tantric insights. With the rise of the physical and social sciences, not least the psychological disciplines, to cultural preeminence, we have also had ample opportunity to examine the stranglehold of ideology, particularly in the form of religious orthodoxy. For a variety of reasons, our own culture has undergone far-reaching changes, which has brought the topic of integration and a nonideological spirituality into sharp focus for us and which makes a careful study of the historical phenomenon of Tantra especially relevant. At the same time, the very plasticity, or liberalism, of Tantra has unquestionably given rise to certain reprehensible features to which I will pay attention next. The most blameworthy aspect of medieval Tantra is its inclination toward unbridled antinomianism and an excessive licentiousness in the sexual domain of the so-called “left-hand” schools. More moderate Tantric schools and scriptures may still utilize a sexually explicit language but, in fact, understand it in highly symbolic ways. Other schools and scriptures, however, intend for their sexual suggestions to be taken literally, which effectively amounts to an inversion of common morality. Thus, the left-hand stipulation to pursue sex with minors or with one’s own mother is appalling whichever way we want to look at it. If meant only metaphorically, such notions are intended to shock and startle the conventional mind out of its complacency in order to guide it to inner freedom, but even so we must question the educational value of coarse ideas of this kind. It is on account of the perverted ideas and practices of certain Tantric schools that Tantra early on fell into disrepute in its native land. Such perversions should be equally shunned by Western spiritual seekers. Viewed from a sound spiritual basis, perversions are perversions whatever the country or epoch may be. Immorality simply does not equate with healthy spirituality, which is always connected with the cultivation of the great universal moral virtues, such as nonharming, love, compassion, generosity, and patience. Many Tantric adepts, even of the more moderate schools, have seen an advantage in deploying shock techniques to their disciples and also the public at large in order to elicit in them a better understanding of psychological and societal blocks to inner freedom and wisdom. So-called crazy-wisdom teachers have tended to freely avail themselves of all sorts of ploys to force the conventional mind to face reality as it is, without cultural or personal (egoic) cushions. In the case of an enlightened adept, such shock tactics may be excusable. But the problem is that the unenlightened person cannot ascertain who is or who is not truly enlightened, which is why there can be so many self-styled enlightened teachers in the East and the West. There have been numerous so-called masters who act in highly unconventional ways for the real or imaginary benefit of their students. Often, one suspects, they neither know the full effect of their behavior nor are necessarily deeply concerned about their disciples’ spiritual welfare. In my experience, the greatest masters fairly consistently behave with utmost simplicity and with exceptional kindness and generosity. Crazy Wisdom, as the unconventional mode of behavior of adepts is often labeled, is a very tricky matter and, as H. H. the Dalai Lama has suggested, is best avoided. This is very good counsel especially in modernity, where self-appointed adepts of this or that denomination or lineage can readily attract numerous followers, who then are liable to become subject to exploitation, abuse, and vast disappointment. This danger is heightened whenever an adept purports to initiate students sexually, which is particularly inexcusable in our culture in which sexual exploitation is rampant. In addition, our culture lacks proper spiritual bearings and thus makes it almost impossible for the ordinary individual to correctly gauge the spiritual or moral integrity of a teacher, thereby making students susceptible to exploitation. Ever since the entrance of Tantra into the Western hemisphere, I would argue, the liability of exploitation of various kinds among Western students has greatly increased. I see two major reasons for this. First, there is the ignorance, naà¯veness and gullibility of Western spiritual seekers, which, secondly, are pitted against the natural human frailty of those placed in a position of authority and power over others. That this is an age-old problem can be gleaned from statements in the medieval Tantric scriptures themselves, which cautioned against false gurus, who seek the disciple’s wealth but are incapable of true spiritual guidance. In view of Tantra’s well-known failures and liabilities, we may ask whether this tradition is still worthy of our attention? As I stated at the beginning of this essay, I believe so. I think that especially in the form of Buddhist Tantra (Vajrayana) and the Hindu Tantric branches of Shrà®-Vidyࢠand Kashmiri Shaivism, Tantra not only deserves to be studied but also practiced. Unfortunately, there are few teachers, never mind qualified adepts, of Hindu Tantra in the West. Buddhist Tantra is far better represented in our part of the world, largely because of the Tibetan diaspora. Moreover, Vajrayana Buddhism, particularly the Gelugpa Order, has perhaps more built-in safeguards than Hindu Tantra, which has tended to breed mavericks. Because of their strict monasticism and focus on the bodhisattva ideal, the Gelugpas have a tighter educational system in place and—in my opinion—have produced fewer teachers whose moral integrity could be challenged. A radical spiritual tradition like Tantra unavoidably challenges the habit patterns of the unenlightened mind, which is the same mind that creates and maintains conventional society and culture. It is, therefore, crucial that the teachers of Tantra have great integrity and also demonstrate this to their disciples and the wary public. Spiritual seekers, in turn, ought to be sincere about their pursuit of inner growth and liberation and examine closely the adepts they wish to call their teachers. They should feel free to readily dismiss self-appointed gurus, who are without a recognizable and respected lineage, and have reasonable expectations of their teacher or teachers—expectations that are firmly based on careful study of the specific tradition with which the seekers wish to be aligned. In other words, for the spiritual process to be successful under the guidance of a qualified teacher, at least two elements need to be present: the integrity of the teacher and that of the student. © 2008 by Georg Feuerstein Reproduced with permission from Traditional Yoga Studies.
  15. From an article published in "Le Monde" (one of the most important national French newspaper): http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2008...99232_3224.html, rough translation follows: One of vaccines against hepatitis B, Engerix B, seems associated with the child to an increased risk of developing, three years later, multiple sclerosis. This risk, which is not found for the whole of vaccines against hepatitis B, would be multiplied by 1,74 in the case of the Engerix B. The health authorities have launched a "expertise" in order to see if there is reason to change the recommendation to vaccinate infants to prevent a disease which are linked more than 2800 deaths per year. The study, which Le Monde has seen, was conducted by the team of Professor Marc Tardieu (Service neuro-pédiatrie, the hospital Kremlin-Bicetre) and must be published soon. So far, the two studies in children vaccinated against hepatitis B had not detected aggravated risk of secondary effect neurological. In the adult, a single study has found a statistical link between the vaccination and the subsequent occurrence of multiple sclerosis (Le Monde of September 16 2004). LOW COVERAGE The study of the team of Marc Tardieu concerns the vaccine against hepatitis B is the most used in France: 787.754 doses of Engerix B children and infants were reimbursed by health insurance in 2007. The authors state that their study does not rule out an increased risk with another vaccine, the GenHevacB. "The immunization coverage against hepatitis B is low in France: 29% of children aged 2 years and 32% of adults, underlines the Director General of Health, Professor Didier Houssin. Yet, our country 300.000 chronic bearers of hepatitis B and 3.000 new hepatitis B by year. " The director general of the Health indicates that because of this situation health authorities are working for several months to improve the public information, prevention and care of people affected by hepatitis B. "We will measure the scope of this study. However, its preliminary analysis does not call into question the recommendations of vaccination. In the current state, the Department of Health maintains the vaccine recommendations ", says the Director General of Health. The Directorate General of Health has met, Wednesday, September 24, epidemiologists to analyze the study. The Technical Committee of vaccinations, then the top council of public health will be consulted early October. The Department of Health will also manage the reactions of parents whose children were vaccinated with Engerix B. Since the placing on the market of vaccines against hepatitis B, 33 million people have been vaccinated in France, whose 12 million children under 15 years and 3,4 million infants. Nearly 1 300 cases of neurological complications were identified among people vaccinated. Paul Benkimoun
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