Events for Thursday, July 17, 2008
9:30 a.m. Meeting of the Board of Directors of the New York State Urban Development Corporation; ESDC, 633 Third Ave., 37th Floor.
9:45 a.m. Media tour of M.T.A.'s East Side Access project featuring recently excavated tunnel underneath Manhattan; meet at the construction lot at the southeast corner of East 63rd Street and Second Avenue.
11 a.m. Groundbreaking ceremony for City Ice Pavilion rooftop ice skating rink; 47-32 32nd Place, Long Island City.
12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Buddhists demonstrate against the Dalai Lama; outside Radio City Music Hall.
1 p.m. Rally and press conference for affordable housing and community services in Fort Greene; Myrtle Avenue and Prince Street.
1 p.m. Unveiling of a public art project at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
4 p.m. Union officials and supporters protest tax incentives for the corporate buyout industry; outside Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. headquarters, 9 West 57th St.
6:30 p.m. Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe; former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern; Holly Hotchner, Director of the Museum of Art and Design; Alexander Garvin, city planner and President & CEO, Alex Garvin & Associates; and Albert K. Butzel, attorney and former president of Friends of Hudson River Park. speaks at a panel discussion on the battles over development in New York City; Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave.
6:30 p.m. Panel discussion on women's development projects in the Peace Corps; New York University's Wasserman Center for Career Development, 133 East 13th St., 2nd floor
6:30 p.m. Re-election campaign kickoff for Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat; Presbyterian Church, 1525 St. Nicholas Ave.
- Poll
- Obama (D)
- McCain(R)
- Spread
- RCP Average
- 47.7
- 43.8
- Obama +3.9
- Candidate
- Favorable
- Unfavorable
- Spread
- Obama
- 54.3
- 34.4
- +19.9
- McCain
- 51.7
- 36.3
- +15.4
I don't know if someone here saw the demonstrations against the Dalai Lama at Lehigh or other places. Three hundred monks and nuns. These people are saying that the Dalai Lama is not doing what he preaches.
Unfortunately what they are saying is true. The success of the Dalai Lama, beyond his charisma, comes from the teachings about universal love and compassion that he learned from his Gurus. But not only is he doing the opposite of what these sublime teachings teach, he’s also been persecuting the people faithful to those same Gurus -the practitioners of the Protector Dorjeshugden, a mainstream group in Tibetan Buddhism until he turned them into outcasts.
His persecution is painful for Western practitioners. Ask yourself the question: would I like to have my family, my colleagues, receive emails where I am accused of being a malignant spirit worshipper? The Western followers of the Dalai Lama are propagating this type of calumny induced by his long, insistent campaign against Dorjeshugden.
But Westerners live in countries where there is a limit to the abuse you can inflict to people. The world should know that the Dalai Lama is persecuting helpless monks and lay people in India, where they have been thrown out of their monasteries, out of their jobs, out of their schools being children of practitioners, where the rest of Tibetans had to swear in front of deities that they are never going to have human contact with them any more. This segregation was ordered by the Dalai Lama himself, in January of this year, because, he said repeatedly, he had the right to finish what he had started -meaning the ban on Dorje Shugden in 1996.
The suffering of these Tibetans is being ignored due to a reason most bizarre: because it seems outlandish, incredible, that the one who preaches religious tolerance to others is doing the opposite of what he preaches. A cruel vicious circle.
The Dalai Lama is transgressing the laws of all civilized countries and he is getting away with it, because he has on his side charisma, the precious teachings he proclaims without following, his celebrity status, his Nobel Peace Prize.
The world should open its eyes and stop his wrong actions. The Dalai Lama is not stopping them because the world has decided to close its eyes in his case.
Those who adhere to values of human rights should not allow this to happen any more.
Please investigate, go to YouTube, to websites like the Shugdensociety.info/home, like Wisdombuddhadorjeshugden.org, and others, to find the truth.
Friendoftruth
I understand today's demonstration against the Dalai Lama at Radio City Music Hall will be the biggest yet. Buddhists have been forced to take part in peaceful protests against the political leader because of the harm he is inflicting in the hope that the world will listen. I am a Buddhist practitioner that was deeply shocked and saddened to learn of what has occurred in the Tibetan exiled community in India and how the Dalai Lama's harmful actions have effected Buddhist practitioners throughout the world. Many Buddhists and non Buddhists are confused. The Dalai Lama poses as an ambassador of peace yet is causing widespread harm with his sectarian views and harmful actions. There are so many things wrong with this picture, firstly a celebrity monk, secondly tickets for teachings costing up to $1000, thirdly a political leader posing as a religious leader and finally a Buddhist denying his teacher's instructions. The Dalai Lama has banned an ancient practise. Why? He says it is destructive. Has the man lost his marbles? Time will reveal the Dalai Lama's motivation. But for now the Dalai Lama's actions have to be investigated. His position on this matter is inconsistent and weak. A political leader needs to be held accountable and it is time the Dalai Lama gave some straight answers.
The profits from today's teachings, about $158,500, will go to benefit the broader NYC Himalayan community. 40% will go to fund a Sherpa Cultural Center. 30% will go to fund a Tibetan Cultural and Language School. The remaining 30% will go to the Himalayan Buddhist Community Buddha Jayanti Celebration Fund.
So keep in mind that this was a fund raiser for the Himalayan Buddhist Community's benefit. They put it all together and invited the Dalai Lama (who taught for free, of course) and took the risk. The teachings in October at this same venue, in keeping with the Buddhist tradition, and not a fund raising endeavor, were operated at a small loss. This time, as with in October, there were contributors who made significant contributions to make the teachings successful, whether for fund raising or for "break even". I was happy that my $100 ticket went to benefit the Himilayan community here in my home town of New York.
I was at today's teachings and the Dalai Lama was quite clear: That there is freedom of religion to practice "spirit worship, if that is what one chooses to do, but that he does not encourage it. It is up to you.
He admitted that he practiced this kind of "spirit worship" from 1951 to the early 70s. But then he had some concerns and he educated himself further through studies of the 5th Dalai Lama's biography, the 13th Dalai Lama's teachings, and many Buddhist masters - all of whom elucidated that this "spirit worship" was not in the best interest of his own practice or in the best interest of those many Buddhists who look to him for wisdom.
It is in the traditional teachings, going back to the Pali records of the Buddha's own teachings, that we can see that spirit worship was not included. Real spiritual progress in the Buddhist tradition is through one's own effort, not through blessings or miracles, or benevolent or malevolent spirits' influence. That is unrealistic and not in keeping with the Buddha's teachings, and not in keeping with Nagarjuna, Shantideva, etc. Progress is made through realistic study, analytical meditation, and development of clear enlightened mind.
The Dalai Lama said it is his moral responsibility to make it clear that he does not support "spirit worship". His teacher taught him to "be cautious" about this kind of worship. He now follows non-harmful, nonsectarian, non-spirit-worship teachings which are in accord with his predecessors in the 5th and 13th Dalai Lamas, as well as the foremost teachers in many historical lineages going back to India, the home of the Buddha and the origin of the Buddhist tradition.