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Another Zen Roshi, 105, Investigated For Career-Long Sexual Misconduct
I was staying at a monastery, the head monk - he hated that designation but he was, was making passes at boys of about sixteen. Some would have been quite vulnerable. Twice he was warned and promised to not abuse his trust. The third time it broke in the local paper, he fled. I only found out through 'gossip', was not reading the news at the time . . .
Putting robes on does not make you a saint. Anymore than wearing a police uniform makes you law abiding.
We have to go beyond superficialities and labels. Once we 'know ourselves', we also know others, behind their masks.
@Dakini i am not sure of the definition of a yogi but i definitely see Tsem Rinpoche as an attained being who wants nothing for himself but to benefit others and will do anything it takes to help his students transform for the better at all costs to himself. i have personally seen this with my own eyes and many of his closer circle of students too. Closer circle does not mean exclusivity but that the group is willing to learn and practice Dharma. He is like a personal spiritual trainer. Yes it is Dharma bootcamp and i can assure you there is NO sex, drugs, alcohol etc involved. Rinpoche has never smoked, drank alcohol (he doesn't even want it in food!) and is 100% celibate. He holds his monk vows impeccably. In the Tibetan tradition, monks are allowed to have hair two fingers width long. When he was modeling and he was in lay clothes, he had longer (i.e. normal men's length) hair but he cut it short once he went back to wearing robes. Hope this helps answer your question
One's practice must of course be based upon a secure realization of Sunyata and without this there may be serious consequences. On this point there is a good story.
Once there was a lama of the Yellow Party who had taken for his yidam Jig-je (Vajrabhairava), a very wrathful form with an awe-inspiring face and three eyes angrily glaring. From the mouth come flames and any one caught in these would be completely burned up. Upon his yidam, this lama maintained a great concentration until particularly the eyes of Jig-je and his own became identified. After this he found that everyone he met died from his wrathful glance and anger seemed constantly burning within him. He became very distressed over this and did not dare go out or meet anyone. Finally, he told his guru what had happened: I am very sorry about this, said the Lama, for I want to save others, not to kill them. His guru told him to stop meditating on Jig-je's eyes and also that his ability to kill indicated that the Bodhicitta was not developed sufficiently.
But I think it was not the lack of Bodhicitta for in every Yana some degree of Bodhicitta is found. It was the fault of the guru who should not have given him initiation unless the Bodhicitta was already strong. But this lama had already come to the practice of a tantric yidam and therefore the time for the meditation on the Bodhicitta had passed. The guru was also at fault in that he should not only instruct in the form of the yidam but also in the philosophy underlying the practice. The yidam is the reflection of Sunyata and neither the void nor its reflections can work any harm when they are well identified. The wrathful eyes of Jig-je do not show human wrath, but the latter if not sublimated in the Mahayana can do much evil if associated with such deities in the Vajrayana. Thus, the lama's eyes killed from the power of the untransmuted human anger in himself and not by the Great Wrath of Jig-je.
This story shows the importance of going step by step and is surely a good warning for those who might think of rushing headlong into the Vajrayana. Especially it shows how important are the Sunyata meditations and their thorough realization.
- Of course death is not immediate, but comes late as if after experiencing great shock to the mind...
Excerpt; III. Third Initiation Meditations
There are two kinds to be considered here, Mr. Chen began. One is for monks and the other for laymen. In the case of the bhikshu he is obviously not able by the nature of his precepts (the Vinaya) to use a physical Dakini. For his practice, there are visualizations to be performed in which he embraces a mind-made Dakini and this brings about the great pleasure which has to be identified with the great void. The purport of the meditation is in any case the same for the bhikshu or the layman and only the conditions are different. The layman can of course use a physical yogic partner if he wishes.
It must be as Milarepa said: "On the pleasure meditate with Sunyata; on the Sunyata meditate with pleasure." Sometimes when the yoga is practiced, these two factors are not identified. Sometimes there is more pleasure and at other times, more concentration upon Sunyata. But a good yogi will try to get these perfectly identified with one another.
Before I finished this section of my life, I should like to make clear that it was necessary for me to go to Xi Kang to obtain the secret doctrines of the third initiation (dbang) which is not completely available in China. By this, one is empowered to practice the tantras requiring the participation of a female consort. These yogas have certainly been practiced by me both with my own wife and with other consorts. But I have not gone into detail of them out of respect for the position of the two Bhikshus present. Bhikshus being celibate members of the sangha only practice the third initiation of the Tantras if at all as interior practice, never of course using an external consort.
Tibetan Yogis typically have hundreds of precepts and not the few that we as laity do. So, we are not Yogis!!! Especially those so called experts in TB after joining a centre for a few years.....
Joshu Sasaki was my roshi in Los Angeles over thirty years ago. He was a good teacher. Funny. Weird. When he first came to the U.S. he was quoted as saying he hadn't come to America to teach - rather to have good time! What an understatement! As to female students bearing responsibility for these forms of sexual abuse (misconduct?) there exists a quote in the archive (link provided) from female students who slapped and spit in Roshi's face when groped and one (probably others) who said "No!" to his advances. When asked why not by Roshi one women who refused replied that she had a boyfriend for whom that activity was resereved - Roshi responded, "Good answer!" - and never repeated the advances with that student. So this supposed sexual miscreant had/has the ability to "keep it in his pants" under some circumstances - and - there exists female students with the self awareness to responsibly resist unwanted sexual advances. It isn't fair at all to say that those women who succumbed were/are weak willed or seductively complicit or spiritual supplicants either. But what if they had said, "No!"? And why didn't they? Yes, the Zen and Tibetan traditions seem to have the corner on so called sexual misconduct among teachers. But at the end of the day isn't the balance of power between the sexes for congress nearly always (at least subliminally) on the line wherein either sex (but usually the male) is negotiating for the pleasure of primordial procreative expression - no matter the venue?. Alas, these roshis and rinpoches are not buddhas are they? Sure, they have the potential to be, however in their roles they are mere guides to enlightenment - but they have their warts (std's!). Zen is not and should not be confused with the supposed moral high ground propounded by Judeo/Christian ethic that slithers through western culture. While considered substantively ethical, Zen is also widely encompassing of human (monkey) behavior. Should we take the wider view and forgive an old toad like Sasaki - or should he be censured? IDK. Do you?
This comment by one Western Zen monk reads like a pretty good critique for learning what policies and practices to institute in sanghas to help prevent these types of situations from getting out of hand. Thanks for posting, @IronRabbit.
"After lengthy consideration, I hereby declare independence for myself as a Zen osho from Rinzai-ji." "Among the reasons for this decision:"
"my objection to the sexual behavior and sexual teaching techniques of the Head Abbot;"
"my disapproval of the lack of action by the Head Abbot, board of directors or ordained persons of Rinzai-ji to help those who have suffered on account of this behavior;"
"the lack of regulations in the organization with respect to inappropriate sexual behavior between teachers and students;"
"the unwillingness of most of the ordained persons of Rinzai-ji to communicate with me and discuss this or any other issue;"
"the lack of independent thinking which prohibits open discussion; and"
"the atmosphere of secrecy which contributes to the stultification of free expression."
Comments
Putting robes on does not make you a saint. Anymore than wearing a police uniform makes you law abiding.
We have to go beyond superficialities and labels. Once we 'know ourselves', we also know others, behind their masks.
'Know Thyself'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_thyself
http://www.yogichen.org/cw/cw31/bk072.html
excerpt:
B. Three inportant conditions:
One's practice must of course be based upon a secure realization of Sunyata and without this there may be serious consequences. On this point there is a good story.
Once there was a lama of the Yellow Party who had taken for his yidam Jig-je (Vajrabhairava), a very wrathful form with an awe-inspiring face and three eyes angrily glaring. From the mouth come flames and any one caught in these would be completely burned up. Upon his yidam, this lama maintained a great concentration until particularly the eyes of Jig-je and his own became identified. After this he found that everyone he met died from his wrathful glance and anger seemed constantly burning within him. He became very distressed over this and did not dare go out or meet anyone. Finally, he told his guru what had happened: I am very sorry about this, said the Lama, for I want to save others, not to kill them. His guru told him to stop meditating on Jig-je's eyes and also that his ability to kill indicated that the Bodhicitta was not developed sufficiently.
But I think it was not the lack of Bodhicitta for in every Yana some degree of Bodhicitta is found. It was the fault of the guru who should not have given him initiation unless the Bodhicitta was already strong. But this lama had already come to the practice of a tantric yidam and therefore the time for the meditation on the Bodhicitta had passed. The guru was also at fault in that he should not only instruct in the form of the yidam but also in the philosophy underlying the practice. The yidam is the reflection of Sunyata and neither the void nor its reflections can work any harm when they are well identified. The wrathful eyes of Jig-je do not show human wrath, but the latter if not sublimated in the Mahayana can do much evil if associated with such deities in the Vajrayana. Thus, the lama's eyes killed from the power of the untransmuted human anger in himself and not by the Great Wrath of Jig-je.
This story shows the importance of going step by step and is surely a good warning for those who might think of rushing headlong into the Vajrayana. Especially it shows how important are the Sunyata meditations and their thorough realization.
- Of course death is not immediate, but comes late as if after experiencing great shock to the mind...
Excerpt;
III. Third Initiation Meditations
There are two kinds to be considered here, Mr. Chen began. One is for monks and the other for laymen.
In the case of the bhikshu he is obviously not able by the nature of his precepts (the Vinaya) to use a physical Dakini. For his practice, there are visualizations to be performed in which he embraces a mind-made Dakini and this brings about the great pleasure which has to be identified with the great void. The purport of the meditation is in any case the same for the bhikshu or the layman and only the conditions are different. The layman can of course use a physical yogic partner if he wishes.
It must be as Milarepa said: "On the pleasure meditate with Sunyata; on the Sunyata meditate with pleasure." Sometimes when the yoga is practiced, these two factors are not identified. Sometimes there is more pleasure and at other times, more concentration upon Sunyata. But a good yogi will try to get these perfectly identified with one another.
* Yogi = Lay practitioner
http://www.yogichen.org/gurulin/gc/sa0012e.htm
Excerpt;
Before I finished this section of my life, I should like to make clear that it was necessary for me to go to Xi Kang to obtain the secret doctrines of the third initiation (dbang) which is not completely available in China. By this, one is empowered to practice the tantras requiring the participation of a female consort. These yogas have certainly been practiced by me both with my own wife and with other consorts. But I have not gone into detail of them out of respect for the position of the two Bhikshus present. Bhikshus being celibate members of the sangha only practice the third initiation of the Tantras if at all as interior practice, never of course using an external consort.
Tibetan Yogis typically have hundreds of precepts and not the few that we as laity do. So, we are not Yogis!!! Especially those so called experts in TB after joining a centre for a few years.....
http://sasakiarchive.com/
"After lengthy consideration, I hereby declare independence for myself as a Zen osho from Rinzai-ji."
"Among the reasons for this decision:"
"my objection to the sexual behavior and sexual teaching techniques of the Head Abbot;"
"my disapproval of the lack of action by the Head Abbot, board of directors or ordained persons of Rinzai-ji to help those who have suffered on account of this behavior;"
"the lack of regulations in the organization with respect to inappropriate sexual behavior between teachers and students;"
"the unwillingness of most of the ordained persons of Rinzai-ji to communicate with me and discuss this or any other issue;"
"the lack of independent thinking which prohibits open discussion; and"
"the atmosphere of secrecy which contributes to the stultification of free expression."