Huseng wrote:Astus wrote:
But the Taego Order ordains only with the bodhisattva precepts and not the pratimoksa, so it's much like Japanese schools, except that they call them "married monks" to show the difference between "celibate monks" of the Jogye Order who take the full monastic precepts.
"Married monk" is an oxymoron in my opinion.
If you want to be a lay teacher, that's to be encouraged and praised, but calling yourself a monk while being married is misleading. I used to be fine with the idea, but experiencing Japanese Buddhism to the extent I have now, I've seen the flaws up close.
Speaking from a perspective in Japan, having "married monks" has done far more damage to Buddhism in Japan than Shinto nationalism ever did. Temples have become hereditary businesses that are passed from father to son. Priestcraft is just a business. Funerals and empty rituals is what you do to make money. In rural areas the community make demands that the resident monk get married and have a son to pass the temple to. There are so few people who take it upon themselves to ordain and become disciples (most Japanese priests come from temple families), and the system of hereditary temples has become entrenched in the culture, so if there are no "temple kids" those graves will be overgrown with weeds in no time.
Basically, when you have monks getting married the whole religious institution becomes a big business. To raise a family you need to earn an income, so your priestly duties are done to earn cash rather than for spiritual reasons.
And as time goes on people just see you and your "Buddhism" as a funeral business not worth investing much energy in. They'll call you when Grandma dies, but that's about it.
I actually agree with you on this. In my opinion alone and throughout some of the experience I have with some of so called Zen Priest, I find their teaching and their "zen" to be very corrupted. The reason to this is that they are not ordained but they self-claimed themselves to be Dharma Master. The problem with this is that it is almost impossible in my opinion to be a teacher to guide others to enlightenment and letting go of attachment when they still infact attached to many worldly things therefore they didn't get a full ordination. Because without strict cultivation and study under a great certified master, there is no way in guaranteeing one is on the right path not mentioning calling oneself ordained when they are still living with family is committing false speech because ordained Bhikksu have Vinaya that needed to be followed which they dont. They also didn't get the training necessary.
Some of them are very sexual and inappropriate in speech. There are those that denied rebirth or samsara all together, which then make their practice pointless because then they aren't striving for enlightenment either so then what are they practicing for?
Some of them have poor respect for the Triple Jewels and don't even understand what the quote "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him" means.
I also find it dangerous that they called themselves Dharma Master when many of them lack the knowledge of the Dharma and are guiding practitioners onto wrong path. Most of them use the idea of No Duality to back this up, but of course it is just a poor excuse for the lack of their knowledge. Dharma and Sutra study is require for correct views which help with correct cultivation, it is necessary but not to be attached to, Some twisted this around into saying "Don't study sutra because it is an attachment".
And you are definitely correct on the issue that they are turning this into a business. With the obvious fact that some places charge students a crazy amount of fee, but it is also true that it is being passed down from father to son. Which is just sad because there is no guaranteeing that the son is qualify at all to be teaching the Dharma not mentioning if the father having incorrect views would just be much more hazardous .
This is not an attack on Japanese Zen Buddhism at all so please do not misunderstand, and it is also not an attack on western Zen But this is the experience I have with some of the Zen Priest. It is not true on all Zen Master at all.
It is completely fine if you do not agree with me on this, it is my opinion on the subject. It is just that there are so much flaws in this practice that will lead to so much corruption and then ultimately bringing harms to others including themselves by guiding people onto the wrong path by teaching false things. They cause practitioner to be confused.
"After I enter Nirvana, when the Dharma is about to perish, during the Evil Age of the Five Turbidities, the way of demons will flourish. Demonic beings will become Shramanas; they will pervert and destroy my teachings.
Peace in Chan