BuddhaJones - Recent Comments

Breaking Away

joeisuzu — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:13:36 GMT

"Like" SGI? No kidding. What SGI needs are those Love Boat-Captain Stubing hats, like Scientology. "Hey, looks good on you". Actually, SGI is getting even more like Scientology with a mandatory declaration of faith signed by every leader who wishes to remain so or face what is spasmodically termed "disqualification". If you're joining as a new member of the SGI, do you know that the people who are supposedly guiding you in learning how to be a capable person in life through Buddhism, have signed a form in which they have agreed to think like they are told to think and feel how they are told to feel about actions they are yet to take in the future? No, they do not.

By they way, Mr. Davis, you can't expel an apostate. If you call them an apostate, then they have already abandoned whatever belief it was that held them there.

Credentials

joeisuzu — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:13:26 GMT

I apologize for being unclear and apparently sending a mixed message. Suffice it to say it is ludicrous having credentials for qualities that does not have falsifiability.

Thus we are all equally credentialed experts.

clown hidden — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:50:26 GMT

I don't agree that we are equal to credentialed experts. I think they can all be considered frauds while the uncredentialed may be honestly sharing insights they have found true for themselves.

PS BUDDHA III

joeisuzu — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:29:27 GMT

And how come it's always gender specific? Time for some more imagination in our charlatans.

BUDDHA III

joeisuzu — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:21:12 GMT

Cracks me up, Buddha III
Who's grandpa Buddha? Wouldn't he be a reincarnation of Shakyamuni also, creating a family lineage. I could just as easily say that I'm the karmic reincarnation of someone and experts in BS could put me through unprovable tests based on opinion. You can't argue faith. You can only discredit the person.

There have been allegations of fraud regarding Dorje Chang's activities in China before his 1999 arrival in the United States, and some scholars question the guru's credentials. But nothing has been proven definitely.

Just as a theologian, an expert in theology and the properties of external deities with no ability to be falsified because they are based on unprovable faith, it has always struck me as ludicrous to be a "credentialed" expert in metaphysics. Everyone here who reads, writes and thinks has the same qualifications as any supposed authority because all proof is subjective. Thus we are all equally credentialed experts.

The sky is falling

Mick — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:58:57 GMT

If I recall correctly the connection between global warming and earthquakes involves ice not water. The ice pack on land surfaces can actually be quite thick and heavy, I believe you can be talking about a mile or more. If the ice pack melts away the removal of that weight can have a significant effect on the land, if the land in question happens to be on a fault line.

This theory arose when scientists noticed a strong correlation between the frequency of earthquakes in the Aleutian Islands off Alaska and the thickness of the icepack. Specifically there were a lot of earthquakes there at the end of ice age periods, and none at other times.

This was one explanation they came up with. I believe they did some calculations of the weight of the ice pack, but they really don't know how much change of weight it would take to trigger earthquakes so it is just a theory.

Mick

JUST LIKE THE MAFIA

clown hidden — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:36:17 GMT

HORSEFEATHERS!

Yakuza

joeisuzu — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:03:41 GMT

incredibly creepy

Big Love

Social Vegetarian

brooke — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:15:21 GMT

I consider myself a social vegetarian. I don't buy meat or order it in restaurants. But if I am invited to someone's home for dinner, I will eat whatever I am served. I will partake of holiday turkey. I will eat meat in social settings where it would cause comment, concern, trouble, work or embarrassment for others if I were to insist on being a strict vegetarian.

Yakuza

brooke — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 01:06:13 GMT

As far as I can tell, that passage you indicated in bold pertains to Adelstein's book Tokyo Vice, which is a novel if I am not mistaken. (??) It's fictional.

I have heard conspiracy theories linking SGI and yakuza -- just google it -- but as we know, that doesn't make it factual.

Speaking of conspiracy theories, there were some in SGI who claimed that Nichiren Shoshu functionaries had hired yakuza to kill Ikeda for millions of yen. I found a reference to this accusation here, but the link is very slow:
www.sokaspirit.com/content/darkness-before-dawn/part_02.html

The SGI-yakuza thing is one of those conspiracy theories that I'm inclined to believe based absolutely no proof. Why? Because I do honestly think that SGI is ruthless in pursuing "enemies" -- witness their endless war on Nichiren Shoshu.

Every now and then I get a "friendly" phone call or e-mail from someone I used to practice with in SGI. I have made it known to all that I am no longer interested in any kind of involvement with SGI, but members still call me "just to check in." No, this is not violent or anything close to it, but it is incredibly creepy to me. It's like they never stop keeping tabs on members and ex-members. It's like they're saying, "We know where you live."

Shudder.