No doubt someone will find it informative and be willing to pay the freight to read it. I won't -- not even for free.
Like a lot of such 'concerned' Buddhist articles, it's a bit like reading Israel's latest press release about one of their rocket attacks on Palestinians: One point of view is apparently enough when engaging the subject ... what the Palestinians say is irrelevant in the spotlight of righteous and rightful indignation: Not one victim of Buddhist power abuse seems worthy of being included in this concerned forum.
"We care," the title topic implies, but not enough to include anyone who was victimized. We'll be happy to take the additional sales that are likely to evolve from the topic. We'll be happy to be known as fair-minded and caring Buddhists ... but we will steer clear of the painful core: The victims may be lying after all and we wouldn't like to open ourselves to a lawsuit. We prefer to admit the situation exists and ask the talking heads for their viewpoints within the wondrous construct called Buddhism ... but we will refrain from anything like a gritty compassion.
It is a bit like putting a very pretty bandage on a very large shrapnel wound together with the warning, "let's not get the bandage dirty."
Strange to see -- or maybe not -- institutions and their minions doing what individuals do in tight situations ... excuse their lapses based on sincerity when sincerity that is complicit in some heavy bleeding hardly matters much. Honesty goes begging but ...
"We can only do our best," the snivelers assert.
No one says "bullshit!" because that's not a nice word.
But someone's bound to swallow it, I guess.
White wash comes to mind, like the white paint/white light the new agers laid over xtianity some years back. Everything's fine. Go back to sleep.
ReplyDeleteThe article under discussion is available in full online in the Shimano Archive at http://www.shimanoarchive.com/NEWindex.html
ReplyDeleteIt is incredibly telling how the Buddhadharma Magazine editorial staff limited their inquiry to four alleged reputable “Buddhist leaders.” One of who is an alcoholic and another a weak willed abettor-clone of Eido Shimano. Notably absent from the purported “discussion” is any “victim” or person who feels that they or their family or friends have been harmed by Mr. Shimano’s violations. Likewise, there is no representation by any “whistleblower” or internal “informer”, or past senior leaders of The Zen Studies Society.
What we see here is in reality is an orchestrated, although not necessarily conscious, cover-up by so-called “Buddhist leaders” who are so self righteous in their belief systems that they cannot see beyond their self-serving notions and oh-so righteous unquestioning disregard for the truth.