Fri, 04 Dec 2009
Silly Stuff
Some silly stuff tonight, so let's get the serious stuff out of the way. I've posted my notes from Lama Phurbu Tashi's talk on tonglen over on the Gampopa Center website.
Without sentient beings we would not be able to practice the six perfections. If you take this attitude, you will deal with the problems that other people give us joyfully. And that happiness we can give to others.
The nineteenth century theosophists had mixed feelings about Tibet and Tibean Buddhism. Madame Blavatsky praised the yellow hat lamas (Gelugpas), but criticized red hat lamas as a degenerate, demonic religion. One example of that is in the theosophical romance, Brother of the Third Degree:
"In Paris," he answered in a low voice, "there is a branch of the Red Dugpas of Nepaul, a band of black sorcerers, and they, having learned that you seek initiation into the White Brotherhood, have laid a plot to lead you from the true path into their red association."
"These men are sorcerers and necromancers, and most skilled in the black arts. By their nefarious practices they evoke the astral embodied dead, call up elemental spirits, and make the invisible messengers do their bidding. In this manner they obtain knowledge of the most carefully-guarded secrets and use them for evil ends."
Here's a video of Shonen Knife singing Red Kross. I hope it brings a smile to your face like it does to mine. "Crazy people in LA. Genius people in LA."
