Another Scary Sand Mandala? Wait, Wait, They Were Invited!

What's the world coming to?

Here come more of those funny Buddhists with their horrible Satanic sand mandalas.

You know what comes next!  Earthquakes, fires, and floods!  Wow-wee.

Why aren't these Christians -- who invited the Tibetan monks to create their sand mandala -- and then ritually de-create it --all freaked out about sand mandalas like these Christians are?

  Um, mayhap because they're real Christians, and not the crappy kind?

Comments

[Yoda]

That's right! I saw first making of mandala in my life like two monts ago and it was most auspicious thing in my life. I had pretty lucid dream that same night...
Happy New Year Buddhist Jihad!

[Buddhist Jihad]

It's a very interesting symbolic event, re impermanence and non-attachment -- so much effort and precision and care put into making it, yet no suffering from attachment as it all gets swept away.

May the force be with you, Yoda!

[Hm... Okay]

Just remember, though, that just because Buddhists have killed a lot less people than those of other religions, does not grant them exceptionalism:

http://www.michaelparenti.org/Tibet.html

[Buddhist Jihad]

It doesn't? Sez who?

You got numbers, or just propaganda hypotheticals?

Sorry, Charlie, in the reality-based universe, Buddhism's waaay low on the massacre-meter.

Jains might be lower. Can't think of anyone else.

Smearspin won't work. Try reality.

[Yoda]

Yeah Hm...Okay thats some lame half literate crapp you linked here! Don't know who this guy is but it's sad and disturbing if he's making money by writing stuff like that. Like "Chinese army instaled first Dalai Lama" (!) Who is this guy did he go to school?
First Dalai lama who recived this titule was Sonam Gyatso in 1578. by MONGOLIAN nobleman and Khan of Tushet tribe named ALTAN. Guy was fascinated with buddhism for long time and he invited Sonam Gyatso to visit him. When he arrived Altan Khan gave him titule Dalai Lama meaning something like "ocean of wisdom". Before Sonam Gyatso there was two other guys in the same position like incarnations of Je Tsongkhapa's (founder of Gelugpa school of tibethan buddhism) favorite disciple and these guys namely Gendun Gyatso and Gendun Drubpa were given titule Dalai lama posthumously thus making Sonam Gyatso actually 3rd in a row of Dalai Lamas. This things are must know for any buddhist wannabe as well as for lame halfass critics wannabe.
That aristocracy sucks as well as corupted clergy that we are very much aware of thank you very much.

[Buddhist Jihad]

It's fun when people who are disturbed by Islamic jihadists quote history as written by the Communist Chinese jihadists.

Did they not know that the Communist Chinese regarded the Tibtans as dhimmis?

[nambu]

Hello
I was fortunate enough to see Dali Lama when he visited my town. He gave a lecture about overcoming difficulty with patience. The talk centered on his own life struggle to preserve Tibetan culture and people. I am therefore acutely aware of the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the need to support Tibetan people in their efforts to preserve their identity and culture. His Holiness did not refer to lands but I certainly will. Tibet is Tibetan and not Chinese. I was most impressed with His Holiness and the approach he took. I still think he is wrong about the Islamic Jihad.

[Yoda]

Could be as you say, Buddhist Jihad, that Jainis have lower score on massacre-meter but they are relativly much smaller comunity and less widespreaded thus less influental. Don't forget that there are some storys that Jainis hired assasins who beaten to death Mahamaudgalyayana, one of Buddha's main disciples, somewhere near Nalanda, India.

[Buddhist Jihad]

Aha.

However, really, once one starts massacreing people, one really is no longer Buddhist.

Some goes for Jains, as well, I would guess.

[Buddhist Jihad]

Nambu, in what way did you think he was wrong about the Islamic Jihadists?

PS -- The Han Chinese did (and do) regard the Tibetans as monkey equivalents. That's why they don't mind committing genocide there. Because Tibetan culture is useless and not worth saving.

[nambu]

He basically said that islam is a religion of peace, that there was nothing about islam which results in the violence we see. In effect he said that that the violent adherents are not understanding their religion correctly. I know why people say such things but they are false.

[Buddhist Jihad]

Seems like there are violent sub-sets of Islam and non-violent ones, such as Sufis. I don't recall precisely when Christianity turned violent -- the name of the Pope escapes me -- but it led to the Crusades. Which Muslims are still pissed off about. Case of what goes around comes around?

[nambu]

Realize that the Crusades were not unprovoked. I remind you that the cult was originally confined to a small settlement in the arabian peninsula. Jihad conquest had been going on for several centuries before the Crusades. What goes around indeed!

Sufi = Relatively peaceful sort of I guess. I wonder if the sufis accept the quran (of course they do). Hmm... This doctrine is not acceptable as it is incompatible with universal human rights and it must be corrected at this time, no excuses. Or else.

[Buddhist Jihad]

The Sufis are wiped out on a relatively regular basis, I think. Most recently in Iran, not sure about Iraq.

On the other hand, one might prefer to have Cat Stevens (now Yussuf Islam) living next door rather than Pat Robertson, might one not?

Turkey, until recently, was a Muslim country with well-developed democratic institutions. Founded that way by Attaturk. (Attaboy, Attaturk?)

[Yoda]

Guess that's why they had to hire assasins rather then do the killing themselves.
Just kidding Jainis are ok.

You guys mentioned Sufis as positive part of Islam also dont forget Bahai's. Because their belife that one should respect life and dignity of every creature they are under great repressions from ayatollah's clique rulling in todays Iran.

[Buddhist Jihad]

Are Bahai's an off-shoot of Islam?

[nambu]

Bahai is not islam. Pat Robertson would be an interesting neighbor. Don't you think? Cat pisses me off so I don't want him for a neighbor.

[Yoda]

Technically no Bahai is not islam. Nambu is right. But off-shoot yes - founded by inlightend fellow Mirza Husayn Ali of Nur born in Persia and later known as Baha’u’llah (Arabic, “the Glory of God”). He first converted to babism, religion that developed out of the Shia branch of Islam. It began in Shīrāz, Persia (now Iran), on May 23, 1844, when Mirza Ali Muhammad proclaimed some of its principles. Mirza Ali Muhammad became known as the Bab (Arabic, “the Gate”). Bab belived that that in 19 years a divine figure would appear, “him whom God should manifest.” In 1863, in Baghdād, Baha’u’llah proclaimed himself to be that manifestation. His followers, called Baha’is, believe that he was the latest in a series of divine manifestations that includes Zoroaster, the Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Muhammad and that he brought a new revelation to the world.
After islamic revolution in 1979. in Iran hundreds if not thousands were executed and government made it illegal for Bahais to work or attend school. Today largest comunity is in India.

[Buddhist Jihad]

There are always such good reasons for wiping other people off the face of the earth, are there not?

[Yoda]

In my earlyer comment on this subject I stated that Altan Khan of Tüsheet Mongol tribe instaled the titule of Dalai Lama. Little mistake slipped by- Altan was in fact Khan of Tümed tribe and Tüsheet tribe is tribe of Avtai Khan, also charming fellow who later introduced buddhism in northern regions of Mongolia or socalled Outer Mongolia and he himsel several times met with 3rd Dalai Lama. Just to be on a safe side…

[Buddhist Jihad]

Your attention to reality-based detail is appreciated.