Biography of Milarepa
Biography of Naropa
Biography of Marpa
Biography of Tilopa
According to Rick Ross Buddhism is a cult. I say it is authentic spiritual practice. What are we to do about this quandry in our modern world?
We have a great sense of romance about ancient Buddhist masters and it is often our admiration of their stories that drew us towards Buddhism. One movie that depicts this well is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spring,_Summer,_Fall,_Winter..._and_Spring
There are excerpts on youtube but in Korean but the story is clear
The beginning of the story is where he is told if one creature has died he will carry the stone in his heart forever.
Later he runs away with a girl and is told by his master that lust leads to the wish to possess and from that deeds such as murder. He returns distraught having killed his wife out of jealousy
His master finds him trying to suffocate for suicide and and subjects him to gruelling purification and he carves the Prajnaparamita Sutra to purify.
We have to decide if we admire these stories or not. We admire a path of hardship and then cannot endure the slightest difficulty. Was the young boy abused? Making him walk with a rock, reducing him to tears, then as a man having him walk with a rock as well as beating him with a stick?
Did not many of the great masters of Buddhism including Buddha himself have people or groups of people campaigning against them?
Devadattas campaign against Buddha
People are said to have made trouble for Marpas students here
Atisha had the works of King Langdarma to contend with and many false teachers challenging him to debate
Troubles of the Panchen Lama
Sakya Pandita and the Mongols
Just because there are difficulties and gossip does not mean that a teacher is inauthentic
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