Saturday, November 24, 2018

Letter to Aung San Su Ki by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche








Heidi Nevin Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche shunned political involvement his whole life. As his disciples, may we do the same. May all beings be happy and free of suffering, and may the precious teachings of the Buddha touch every heart. 🙏🙏🙏
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Paul Norden Thank you. ‘In the Absence of the Sacred’, by Jerry Mander is the key influence that helped me realize and see the truth of what we are doing to the world and it’s people in the name of mere labels, where ‘democracy’ has become synonymous with right anSee More
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Happy Mammal But all alternatives to democracy are worse. Samsara lacks perfection
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Paul Norden who said anything about getting rid of democracy?
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Samita Sukhasiddhi Bodhimitra ཕྲག་དོག་གི་རྩ་བ་ཆགས་ཞེན་དང་ཡིད་འཕྲོག་པའི་ནང་དུ་ཚུགས་ཡོད།

ཕྲག་དོག་ནི་གང་ལ་གང་འཚམ་རྙོག་འཛིངས་ཆེ་བའི་ཉོན་མོངས་ཀྱི་སྡེ་ཚན་ཞིག་ཡིན། གང་ཡིན་ཞེ་ན། དེའི་རྩ་བ་ཆགས་ཞེན་དང་ཡིད་འཕྲོག་པའི་ནང་དུ་ཚུགས་ཤིང་། དེ་ལ་ད་དུང་ཁོང་ཁྲོ་དང་། སྡང་འཛིན། མི་དགའ་བའི་སེམས་བཅས་ཀྱི་ཤ
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Tashi Delek བླ་མ་མཁྱེན་ནོ།
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Lobsang Wondak Chhoyang So well said Rinpoche, dont mince words and bend mind to please all the creepy (spooky) self rghteous Dharma snowflakes that infect sangha and would try to correct your line of thinking to be in accord with mainstream media. How laughable is that?! Like thought police they pounce. Obamas drone bombs have kllled many untold souls in the mideast and so has our wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria , Yemen, Afghanistan killled millions in the last decade alone. Kiki soso Lha Gyalo! #GreatAwakening #FutureprovesPast
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Joanne Clark Is this a hate-filled diatribe? It sounds like one. I think it is best to not label atrocities as "East" or "West" or we run into big problems as history will tell us. I think Lord Buddha described afflictions best, I don't remember him labelling anything in terms of geography or culture.
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James Elliott You didn't read it. If you did, you didn’t understand.
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David Moe It's written in English. Please ... read. Not that difficult.
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Nieky Crins But why adopt "western" culture in the first place? Was the "east" a helpless victim of the "west" ..and where exactly does "eastern" stop and "western" begin? Are there categories of qualities and criteria?
Hypocrisy, pride, corruption, violence...aren't those human traits, and isn't everyone capable of them, given certain circumstances. Just as goodwill and compassion
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Robert Badia I think his position is just the rising of hatred and nationalism that we can see around the world.
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Pema C Wangdi Such wise and profound words ..... truly an eye opener.... Chapsuchoe la !!!.....May we always be guided by your benevolence!
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Robert Badia Pema C Wangdi Hitler, a Westerner that opened the eyes of lots of Europeans, killed millions of (European) people... Be careful who does open your eyes ! Supremacism, nationalism, islamophobia are poisons for humanity and they should especially be so for Buddhists.
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Marina Gasser This document/ letter it's the best lesson of human's history that should be introduce and read in all levels of schoolings, from primary to Academic, politics and management, for the next generation to know and, from now onwards, to do everything possSee More
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Marina Gasser Adele Zangmo , all the points JDKR is mentioning, ARE objective facts!!!! In what kind of world are you live in???? Or maybe you are right, all these are just facts.... About the objectivity of this topic, I have to say, that this stays with your own appreciation! Im not the the one who can talk about it, it's up to you!!!!! Cheers 🙏🏼
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Tsultrim Zangmo Objective facts can be sourced.
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Padma Tara I believe this: To believe that life's problems will somehow work themselves out, everything bad is fixable and something about samsara has to be worth fighting for makes it virtually impossible to nurture a genuine, all-consuming desire to practise thSee More
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Shaolin Fs Kyabje Khyentse Rinpoche, Your wisdom dispels my ignorance, i learn so much from You all these years! Please live long and always turn the wheel of the Dharma, please do not forsake us!
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Robert Badia Shaolin Fs You learn hatred and exclusion. That’s why it’s important to carefully choose one’s guru !
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Sherab Tenzin Robert Badia who hates who?
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Tamas Toth 🙏🙏🙏 Thank you Rinpoche, may the Eastern Sun rise again over the dying hypocritical western madness!
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Robert Badia Nationalism is rising everywhere in the world, as we can see. What a funny way of being Buddhists ! 🤣
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Belle Sanjiti Heywood PS. I actually thought Rinpoche's suggestion about who should take responsibility for helping the Rohingya was utterly brilliant. I didn't have the knowledge or brilliance to ever have had such an idea come into my own head before now reading this as written by Rinpoche. In fact, I found most of this letter extremely helpful and illuminating and I say this as someone born in Australia.
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Mary Fitzsimons I can't imagine the uk in its current disarray and poverty could take the rohyngia. Australia could however.
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Robert Hayes The Rohingya people have lived in Myanmar for over a thousand years. 

What is “brilliant” about suggesting they magically move to the UK?
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Arianne Carter Oh Rinpoche, is that your attempt at a love letter for Aung San Suu Kyi, like a knight in shining armour to her rescue against the big bad west. East / West is certainly not so black and white, She wouldn't be who she is without 'western' education. I didn't know a buddhist teacher would be so passionate about and espouse such a dualistic viewpoint.
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Tsultrim Zangmo On and on about colonialism while your own country cast out an entire ethnic group who are STILL rotting in refugee camps/or were forced to resettle. I have met a number of them in USA. No one has made you "feel guilty about the [H]olocaust" besides yoSee More
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Connie Moffit Dear Rinpoche, This may be the first time in our long association that a message from you has made me deeply uncomfortable. I do not understand the "skillful means" of this letter at all. As your student, I hesitate to debate, but I can only imagine yoSee More
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Happy Mammal Wherever there is "we" and "they" I am on my guard. Dear Connie, I feel very much the same. Boundless equanimity free from attachment and rejection?
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Heidi Nevin Same. Thank you, Connie. Could hardly sleep last night composing various responses like this one in my mind. If I didn't know who wrote this, I would feel like this letter was an angry rant. May all beings be happy and free of suffering.
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Connie Moffit My brain is still chewing on this. In terms of inscrutable skillful means of the Guru, another speculation has occurred to my struggling mind, beyond any of the concepts in Rinpoche's letter. Perhaps ASSK will feel comforted by the message and it wilSee More
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Heidi Nevin Truly. <3 But sharing it on FB with all of us is an entirely different matter, hahaha
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Connie Moffit Heidi, I don't know, certainly stimulating deep practice in me. And maybe Rinpoche feels he has too many students, LOL :)
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Heidi Nevin Well, he's stuck with me till enlightenment, hahaha
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Tsűndrū Yangzom With deep respect for Rinpoche and his Lineage, some of the language interpreted from my limited knowledge contained the Praise and Blame element. What is true perception? So many events behind the scenes now surfacing. My view is embracing our journey as human family toward the Oneness of All. Om Shanti💜
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Hozaifa AboulFotouh This is actually disappointing Rinpoche 😒. We don't have to stand with her to stand against western double standards, and we don't need to ignore the atrocities committed to defend and treasure our own culture and traditions. She must be held accountable instead of being a mirror image Rinpoche.
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Elisabeth Hazell My exact thoughts. What is more important? Calling out the myriad hypocrisies of Western Governments or failing to intervene in genocide? ⚖️
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Rati Monique My understanding is that the Burmese military has always and continues to act separate to her wishes - it is them that are committing the atrocities
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Hozaifa AboulFotouh Rati Monique Poor leadership is no excuse ...
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John Trigger Ah Lama-la!!! 

You hit the nail on the head yet again!!! That is one brilliantly argued letter! 
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Louise de La Tour Because you know beings
Have basic goodness
And therefore are willing 
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Ann Marie Huck This was difficult to read as yet again DJKR has smacked me in the head with my own western arrogance and prejudices.So subtle they are but so present in my being. ]
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Stephanie Wimmer-Davison East v West = Part truth, part sweeping statement. Part incisive, part divisive. And part missing the point. 

Today it is no longer purely a question of East v West. It is rather neoliberal values v a missing narrative. 


Neoliberalism began in America but is as deeply a part of asian culture these days.

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宗薩蔣揚欽哲粉絲 DzongsarJamyangKhyentseFanClubThank you Rinpoche for sharing your insight and foresight on Western Colonialism in its subtle and blatant form trying to masquerade as a helper of Asian nations, when in fact it has been victimizing and belittling them for not conforming to their unfair structure. Double standard appearing as a gold standard.
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Michaela Trnka Oh well, Rinpoche - this case is not so straightforward and you cannot defend Aung San Suu Kyi, even though your points are valid, without taking into consideration her position as head of state, and her responsibility for the safety of her people, no See More
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Mudra Chorésophe Michaela Trnka come
on ! we know this Lady deserves trust and we do NOT know what makes her not do what people from far expect her to do .. I agree fully with Rinpoche , it is very arrogant to give a reward and take it back specially in this case after all the challenges she has been though and her family . Nobody can juge her specially ignoring what is going on really there ..
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Michaela Trnka Mudra Chorésophe what I am saying is you cannot separate one from the other. She is head of state and despite her heroic attitude over her life, as head of state she is also responsible for the Rohynga persecution. I have not been in favor of taking away her prize etc, but I am also not in favor of lightly doing away with her responsibility for 100,000 people persecuted on the Burmese territory either.
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Mudra Chorésophe Michaela Trnka I am
aware that personally I have not the real
informations about her situation. And I agree with Rinpoche’s brave statement as a whole .. Thank you for addressing me , all

the best .
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Brigitte Schmidt As a German and prototype for the Western guilt after WW2 I was thinking now very deeply about this evil West vs innocent East topic. And I say no. It's true, that the Germans had the weapons. But the occult rituals came from Tibetans and Mongolians. I thought myself a long time this would be just conspiracy theories until my parents bought an old house on Bavarian country side with a lot of Nazi books still inside, inclusive some of the Thule society. It is not conspiracy at all.
There are also still today some occult orders who know very well about what had happened in Germany in the 20s and keep it as a secret. The group of Mongolian Lamas who came to Germany and hang around in some of these orders and showed them their rituals. I found also books from the German excursions to Tibet during the Nazi times. Even in youtube you can find historical film material about these excursions. The Nazi Germans behaved rude in Tibet but found masters corrupt enough to give them some practice. Some of the old occult orders like Fraternitas Saturni and OTO in Germany still keep some knowledge what had happened during this time.
I agree with many of your arguments but for me this view is a bit too easy.
It is from both side that master and disciple need to fit together. When a corrupt master and an insane disciple come together, it might end up in a worldwar. To complain then about East and West doesn't work for me.
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Belle Sanjiti Heywood Dear Rinpoche, 
I join in with and resound with what Shaolin Fs wrote. 🙏
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Zrinka Jancic I really do hope this letter will somehow benefit all beings. However, it sounds like you are using this woman to express your views, and dragging her into this. Now she will be forced to make a statement about this. Also there is an unfortunate lack of attitude of equanimity and compassion for both "east and west" side, which should have also been expressed from a dharma practitioner's point of view.
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Belle Sanjiti Heywood Zrinka Jancic , she is in no way forced to make a statement ! 😁😀😃
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Belle Sanjiti Heywood Adele, it's just a fact. Receiving a letter doesn't force the recipient to respond or make a statement. I did find it funny. Adele, not everyone has to agree with you. 
I do find this letter extremely confronting and illuminating. That is my experience. If I didn't I wouldn't say anything. It is your assumption that it is some kind of guru-pandering praise, of which Rinpoche needs none.
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Belle Sanjiti Heywood Adele, I'm not offering more than what I commented as I'm not here to argue. 

I'm not your debate partner.
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Phunso Ten This letter is confronting and illuminating to me and countless others as well. Don’t know whose reasoning is faulty and weak here 🙏
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Phunso Ten Adele, I understand your position and this letter might not be meant for you and alike who do not exhibit such western hypocrisy. But the fact remains what Khyentse Rinpoche has mentioned in his letter. Words like ‘eastern, western, developed, undeveloped, first world country, third world country, etc’ are all coined and mostly used, spread and propagated by western academics and institutions. So, if you are saying that the use of such are flawed and faulty, then you better blame the one who created it in the first place. And I also read that you admire Khyentse Rinpoche and his activities but it seems that the moment Rinpoche states something true but of a sensitive nature to many, you lose the admiration and you start objecting Rinpoche. Of course, you have the rights to state your opinion but here I am finding you more of a defendant to the western hypocrisy that Rinpoche has clearly elucidated and which exist so pertinently and I am saying this as someone who lives in a so called ‘first world country’ as my lecturer says lol. Nonetheless, I think, as Khyentse Rinpcohe always says that our language is too vague and limited, I think it is because of that you are not able to tune and comprehend with what Khyentse Rinpoche is trying to convince here, but as a samsaric being, we have no other options to communicate other than using language 🙏
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Mudra Chorésophe Adele Zangmo why should you juge somebody’s letter ? Very strange réactions I read here ? just write your own letter.. seems funny to read your moral recommandations nobody really needs ..
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Mudra Chorésophe Adele Zangmo oulala , such mean way of speaking ..
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Mudra Chorésophe Adele Zangmo Dear Lady , not .. just studying this hammer of compassion I read in the commentaries .. I now leave you because I préfère not to engage more . Have a nice day anyway with good practice .
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Marko Gospodjinački Adele Zangmo It looks as you’re trying to balance the view.
Sometimes the cause to move in a different direction is pointing out the imbalance itself.
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Mudra Chorésophe Adele Zangmo or maybe .. let me tell you my opinion by other language and see there is nothing against anybody .. I hope all beings and specially if they feel
Bouddhiste to be kind to each other . https://www.facebook.com/1303057894/posts/10217994431234696/
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Mudra Chorésophe is at Planeta Terra.
FR / EN / ES / IT
GYPSY DUENDE Gypsy Duende est l'art de célébrer la vie et de transformer la souffrance , je suis arrivée chez une amie et , seule, j'ai mis la...
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Marko Gospodjinački Thanks Mudra Chorésophe for pointing out our obsessive need to comment and judge! 😃 (and here I go as well 😂)
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Marko Gospodjinački Adele Zangmo Are you then bothered with the use of the relative therms? It’s what we have and for the sake of simplicity we need to use them. But, exactly because they’re often inaccurate, we need to have a broad mind and patience.
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Marko Gospodjinački Adele Zangmo It depends who one is talking to.
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Phunso Ten Adele Zangmo its either you haven't read my comment completely or you are resisting to understand. Let me go straight to the point here, nowhere in the letter has Khyentse Rinpoche stated that the West as a whole subscribes to such views of hypocrisy. We all know that there are good and the bad in all sides, be it east or the west and I am glad that you are also against such views. But on this particular occasion, it is true what Rinpoche is trying to articulate.
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Phunso Ten Adele Zangmo It is not that Khyentse Rinpoche has spoken only about western flaws, if you have followed him for a while, you should have known by now that he has indeed exposed numerous hidden faults of Tibetan, Bhutanese and other eastern views as well and we are immensely grateful to him for pointing out our mistakes, otherwise we would never be able to align ourself with the truth. And here, Khyentse Rinpoche is just doing that but you have failed to be receptive to his words.
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Marko Gospodjinački Adele Zangmo My comment that it depends who one is talking to was answering your comment with ‘good guy’ etc., not the second one. After all, talking to each according to their capacities was Lord Buddha’s skillful approach. So, your strong negation missed the target.
But as I see you are learned and like to impose as the others aren’t I’m leaving this seemingly useless discussion. All the best to you 🙂
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Lobsang Metok Thank you very much for sharing your wisdom view on this matter, RinpocheLa. It’s an antidote for our narrow mindedness.
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Boon Ngoei Yes! Yes! Yes ! It is about time we acknowledge the western arrogance and hypocrisy culture. That the ancient cultures of the East have gifts and values to complement western scientific knowledge.
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Michaela Motzko Very sharp and on point. I certainly will read it more than once to get all of it. It is astonishing, as allways, how fast people shoot out opinion and react offended and lacking respect for this well thought text.
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Nima Tsering Rinpoche , I have tried my best to make out the contents , but I could not due lack of wisdom . But little bit I could understood have brought tears to my eyes out of respect and astonishment. Rinpoche , you are treasure of wisdom and I am confident that you can prophesy. I visually prostrate to your feet for blessing. Typically , I always prostrate to you every morning. But this letter made me happier than never before and wish you were president of America or China so that situation of this world would be different .Rinpoche you are really incredible. My apology to you for if I have exceed anything out of emotion. with very great obesiance and aspiration for your longevity. Nima Tsering
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Lynna Lestari If I were Aung San Suu Kyi, I would very thank you for your wisdom words. In difficult time when mind becomes too crowded, it’s important to hear from the wise one. Like a cold water, your words give strength and clarity of the mind. I wish Buddhist teachers will also stand up to direct speak when necessary, to clear our wrong view and confused mind. Thank you Rinpoche. You realize profound perfection of wisdom, the mind without obscuration and fear.🙏🙏🙏
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Gomchen Tashi I agree with Rinpoche's every word. It is in fact the relative truth of the world that we are living in today.
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Frank Sijbenga A sense of identity is toxic, always. Especially if that sense of identity feeds into the arrogance of thinking that you, uniquely, are objective and unbiased. That you uniquely see things as they really are. Western modernism (if I my slightly amend your un-adjectivised use of "Western", Rinpoche) has this tendency to a suffocating degree. Maybe, in a similar way that the disasters with the Titanic and the Hindenburg showed the inherent flaws in our faith in technological progress, aspects of the current situation in much of the Western world will show the flaws of modernism: the underlying cynicism, arrogance and pettiness. Who knows? Let's enjoy each other's qualities and support each other in dealing with our failings, in stead of constantly obsessing over whether anybody is "in" or "out" with regards to some arbitrary line which we feel oh so very strongly must be objective, if only because we came up with it. Onwards, as humans, as sentient beings. We can't pretend anyone is in charge or that we're not in the same boat together, with all out stupefying and wondrous diversity.
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Indila Dora Thank you so much Rinpoche for sharing this. The way you express makes me feel so close to you. I have nothing to say about the letter, just want to acknowledge the connection I feel with you and to offer my sincere apologies for any unclear message I might have sent to you in thought or writing here in your virtual space. Please live long. We need you.
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Minya La If you really want be Dharma lineage holder practitioner, don’t touch politics and economics, it will be spontaneously and automatically come after you, real or fake if you chase to (E-P ) them, you will be lose everything.
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Serene Tan Excellent writing DJKR lak, marvellous support 7 pages letter for Aung San Suu Kyi, the true heroine in this century for sure👍👍👍🏆🏆🏆
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Minya La In West, rich governments and universities wants Middle East and Saudi’ oil and students money, that’s why they removed Aung San Suu Kyi from those regions. Few years before i studied English language at Edinburgh University, Saudi Students very bossy and proud, they less respect teachers than other students, but for them arranged special mosques and rest places by University. It seems they are going to provide confucius practice place, for Chinese student and after few detaches can be for Indians also. This is only power of money. No other reason. I thought westerners learned, more wide wisdom and honest than others, everyone same haha. At moment No justice in this world.
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Andy Máwun Thank You for a statement against Colonialism.
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