Awaiting_the_fifth
Where is my mind?
Absolute Devotion to and reliance on the Guru.
There are many branches of Buddhism which hold this concept to be very important. I have been told before by teachers that it is impossible for me to achieve enlightenment without it. At first I believed it completely, but now I doubt it.
This concept seems designed to maintain control.
It is a concept of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet is a country where religion was the dominant political force for a long time, even the leader of the tibetan government in exile is a religious icon!
So it seems only natural that such a concept would be employed by these religious leaders to maintain their positions.
Most importantly, the idea of complete devotion to and reliance on the Guru is in direct conflict with the (very appealing) notion that you should only believe what is proved in your mind, rather than what you are told.
I do not think that modern Buddhist leaders are deliberately conspiring to maintain control, but I do believe that they are holding to an old tradition which was first designed to maintain control.
Opinions?
There are many branches of Buddhism which hold this concept to be very important. I have been told before by teachers that it is impossible for me to achieve enlightenment without it. At first I believed it completely, but now I doubt it.
This concept seems designed to maintain control.
It is a concept of Tibetan Buddhism. Tibet is a country where religion was the dominant political force for a long time, even the leader of the tibetan government in exile is a religious icon!
So it seems only natural that such a concept would be employed by these religious leaders to maintain their positions.
Most importantly, the idea of complete devotion to and reliance on the Guru is in direct conflict with the (very appealing) notion that you should only believe what is proved in your mind, rather than what you are told.
I do not think that modern Buddhist leaders are deliberately conspiring to maintain control, but I do believe that they are holding to an old tradition which was first designed to maintain control.
Opinions?