See, there is no fence here, as far as I am concerned. There is no Great Divide at DW that drives its history. The fact that I disagree with someone, that I argue with them, and that I point out that they occasionally cross the line in no way means that I "am playing both sides of the fence" because this is not a war, nor a spy thriller, nor a test in how utterly loyal a party member I am. I can love someone dearly and do the same, and indeed the closer I am to someone -- the more I trust them -- the more I will do so.Sherab Rigdrol wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 11:03 pmYou have a history of playing both sides of the fence.treehuggingoctopus wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 9:48 pm If by aggression one means behaviour that means harm, there was absolutely no aggression, not on my part in any case.
No, I do not talk like that to other teachers of mine. Malcolm is the only one who debates things online, and the only one who engages in, and often opens up, such debates as this one. And the terms of the debate here are not established by me -- I enter the fray which is already going on, and the way it is is to a great extent because of how Malcolm tends to engage in such debates. The terms are set by those who dominate the debate. i certainly do not. Let's face it: the DW is Malcolm's place. He is the king here.
But this is the DW and not Zangthal. When I suggested two years ago that a poster receive teachings from Malcolm, I was sent a PM in which I was told that Malcolm does not post here as a teacher -- that according to how he would like it to be, Zangthal is where he is the teacher, here he is just a senior experienced practitioner, a lotsawa and a loppon, but does not engage with us as a teacher. I have never entered, and would not enter, such a fray at Zangthal.
Anyway, I have defended Malcolm here dozens of times over the years, explicitly taking his side in some of the dirtiest knifefights, when he was being attacked. I have also repeatedly said that I deeply respect him as a teacher, loppon and translator, and consider him a friend. I have benefited greatly from his advice and knowledge over the years, and I have consistently spoken of it here and elsewhere. How could anyone accuse me of disrespect or actual aggression here is beyond me -- unless one conflates disagreement with disrespect, something which Malcolm himself would never do.
This is my last post in the thread. in the future I am not going to enter any debates with Malcolm -- not because I feel it is, or I have done here something that would be, improper, but because of how people react to it. I have no desire to sow discord in the sangha.
If this is how what is going on here is generally construed, then frankly I do not want to be a part of it. That is all I am going to say in this thread.