Source: Friends, Relatives, Allies | Great Middle Way
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Those who accomplish difficult tasks,
give up what is difficult to give up,
and tolerate what is difficult to bear;
who accept what is difficult to accept;
who turn you away from what is inappropriate,
and take care to turn you toward what is appropriate;
whose commitment supports your intentions;
who desire your happiness and regard you with affection
—these are friends, relatives, and allies.
Others who follow you only in their own interest
are nothing but very ordinary beings.
—Matriceta
Buddham Sharanam Gachami, Dhammam Sharanam Gachami, Sangham Sharanam Gachami”: This chant is an important aspect of the Buddhist path. Sadhguru says, “When Gautama spoke, he put all these three things together: Buddham Sharanam, Dhammam Sharanam, Sangham Sharanam – all three are equally important. The Buddha, the enlightened one; the Dhamma, the method he gave; and the Sangha, all the people who are seeking, all these are equally important because if you are not among seekers, you will become something else. If you are among smokers, you become a smoker. If you are among drinkers, you become a drinker. If you are among seekers, you become a seeker. It is equally important whether people are supporting each other’s lies or are helping each other shed the lies.”
Source: Pulp Dharma and Buffet Buddhism | Great Middle Way
Jan 9, 2016
Buddhism today faces two great challenges in the world, and especially in the West: on one hand, there is a misrepresentation of the teachings by those who pretend to know the Dharma better than the Buddha Shakyamuni, and on the other, there is a tendency to appropriate one or another Buddhist method as a self-help technique, outside of the context of the Noble Eightfold Path.
In the branch of “Pulp Dharma” we can identify two main models:
Both groups are media-savvy, and their marketing is uniformly excellent. They are veritable fonts of books, videos, talks, and retreats (all very profitable), promising us a modernized and putatively improved version of Buddhist teachings. It is not necessary to name names, because the characteristics of these individuals are easily recognizable.
The individuals in the first model do not have now, nor have they ever had, any connection to legitimate Buddhist lineages, and only see in the teachings (gathered from reading texts that they do not understand and are not authorized to share) a vehicle for self-promotion and enrichment. Those in the second model have the audacity to utilize their desertion from authentic lineages, and in many cases their violation of monastic vows, as some sort of ‘virtue’ that validates them as Buddhist authorities.
The branch of “Buffet Buddhism” is more extensive, and includes
This branch is often recognizable due to the fanaticism and escapism of its members, their vehemence in criticizing authentic Buddhist lineages and practices, and the lack of compassion for human and non-human sentient beings. Of course, many of these groups and individuals also have strong financial interests, although many disguise them in order to attract new adepts.
Buddhism does not consist of isolated techniques or the fraudulent teachings of self-proclaimed masters. There is no genuine Dharma without lineage. There is no Buddhism without Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. There is no Dharma without Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
Real Monastics | Great Middle Way.
Aug 15, 2015
Neither going about naked, nor with matted locks,
nor filthy, nor fasting, nor lying on the ground,
nor smearing oneself with ashes and dust,
nor sitting on the heels in penance,
can purify one who has not overcome doubt.
Even though one be well attired, yet if one is poised,
calm, controlled and established in the holy life,
having set aside violence towards all beings,
one truly is holy, a renunciate, a monastic.
―Buddha Shakyamuni
Zen Flash 
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