∑ XahLee
the dalai lama, is a conman. He is good at saying sappy emotionally pleasing things, equivalent to kitten puppy pictures, but solves nothing. The tibet buddism practices torture, slavery, cruelty, worse than christianity in the past, before the communist china abolished it.
context
https://twitter.com/xah_lee/status/964616191024115712
∑ XahLee
for video lecture by historian Li Ao on Tibet, photos of its practice of torture, skinning in obedient etc, see
http://xahlee.org/Periodic_dosage_dir/tibet.html
∑ XahLee
i'd say, to know buddhism in depth, you have to be in Asia, speak Chinese or other asian lang. Buddhism is asian thing, with lots deep history and culture, and lots branches too. Similar to the history of Abrahamic religions.
Westerners, speaks of meditation, yaga, zen, etc things, as cool, fashionable things. In some way, it makes sense, in many, not. In Taiwan for example, every 50 meters, u'll see a temple or burning incense or buddha etc stuff, and a buddha platform in almost every home.
∑ XahLee
though, most of us, do not do meditation or thought about that. What westerners know about buddhism, is kinda Americanized. It's attractive partly because, it's exotic, seems peaceful, and a relief outlet for professional yuppies jaded of comfy life.
Tibet, and that Lama, rose to fame, for political reasons. First, by Chiang Kai-shek, to incite rebels as a way to thwart communist China, then by USA, for the same reason.
∑ XahLee
there are many branches of buddhism. It has origin in India, and India today has lots branches (am not too familiar. But eg idolizing a elephant headed god, you might have seen). Then, China, Japan, and South Asia (e.g. Thailand), has their own variations.
Tibet buddhism, is its own. Tibet is in a high plateau (0.5 km elevation) isolated from the rest of the world. Not until 2006, china built https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qinghai–Tibet_railway that opened the region.
∑ XahLee
i didn't know what Thai Forrest was. Looked up wikip. Am not sure about Dhamma. Note that, it is not scientific thing. Along with reincarnation, it's superstition, as astrology and god and jesus. But, it is a belief system. So, to me, it's up to what you believe.
∑ XahLee
the current #emacs maintainer John Wiegley, is heavily into Baha'i. you can see him posting on reddit about it. And the shen lisp http://www.shenlanguage.org creator Mark Tarver, is also a devout buddhist (am not sure what branch). I think he's actually a certified monk.
∑ XahLee
i myself believe none of it. I think it's superstition nonsense. But, am with Camille Paglia, that i respect religion and think we should study it, because, it held humanity, for whatever reasons. And, to me, today's sjw situation in white nations, is a total collapse of that structure.
Jezza™
@xahlee Many of his family (Norbu) live in my hometown. It's where CIA settled him in the 1950s. They are fairly corrupt business people, one of them is an outright scam-artist who charged outrageous fees for spiritual seekers to park in a field for a Kalachakra initiation ceremony. Brings to mind a quip by Utah Phillips, "... whole place lightning-struck by the peripatetic ruminations of the Tibetan ruling class in exile, ahh, lot of 'Buddhists' around there."
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