For me there are a few issues here. The first is that people have been hurt. That’s bad.Johnny Dangerous wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:30 pm You really gonna jump into a thread about the serious sexual abuse of women and conflate it as some kind of pie in the sky Polyanna-ism? What a crap thing to do. Focus on the fact that women are actually being abused, and not whatever bone you are picking at.
The second is that the aforementioned hurt came from a betrayal of a trust. And not just any trust. The betrayal came from a source that we, as practitioners, should train to trust unconditionally. That betrayal then closes the door to Dharma, which makes it even worse. (NB my signature.) The Hollywood casting couch has been taking advantage of people’s ambition towards the 8 worldly dharmas. Although it may look similar, that is trivial compared to taking advantage of someone’s Dharma aspirations.
Next is the idea that at some point in one’s practice of Dharma a person has to address the problem and limitation of their own defective vision. The First Noble Truth teaches us that life cannot be made “right” by our standards. That is what my post specifically addressed.
It doesn’t stop there. The emptiness teachings tell us that we do not understand how things really are, and that we are not to be attached to our views.
The tantric teachings tell us that the samsara we see is at the same time a Buddha Field. If we don’t see it, it is because of the darkness in our own eyes.
Dzogchen says that everything is nothing other than the appearance of Primordial Purity, and that everything is “perfect just as it is.” Why do we not see that?
And all this first gets enacted in the Guru Yoga, by putting aside our own criticisms and objections. It is still a necessary foundation for HYT. These events do not negate that.
Recently HHK (OT) said, “The problem isn’t ‘ignorance’. The problem is the mind you have right now.” (2/4/18 NYC)
So yes, I acknowledge that people have been hurt. But I also believe that self-righteous indignation precludes Dharma from manifesting in life. That is investing yourself into cyclic existence.
YMMV.