by tenpelNovember 30, 201710:16 pm

The New Kadampa Tradition is back on Reddit under “Modern Buddhism” – but, not everybody is welcomed…

In 2016 the New Kadampa Tradition (NKT) was banned on Reddit’s popular Buddhism subreddit, which has currently 122.935 subscribers. The reasons been given for the ban and also if a ban is reasonable after all is a subject for debate. (I criticised the arguments – especially those initially been given – to ban the NKT. See here).

However, of course, for the NKT – been driven by a powerful missionary attitude – this is not really satisfying. Hence, two days ago, NKT teachers founded an own subreddit, Modern Buddhism – with currently 110 members.

Luna Kadampa, most believe behind this pseudonym is Lucy James, sees already “thousands” of new potential followers joining the NKT. She wrote on Facebook:

The description of the NKT group “Modern Buddhism” on Reddit reads:

A friendly place to learn about and apply Buddhism and meditation in our daily modern lives, sharing experience, wherever you are in the world.

Everyone welcome.

I had a quick look into some threads and was amazed by 1) the nativity of what has been written so far, and 2) by the deceptiveness of the group, hiding carefully who is behind it. Quickly I wrote five comments to counter that. Guess what happened? The NKT moderators on the subreddit “Modern Buddhism” banned me from it and deleted all my comments.

I asked the moderators why they have banned me. Their answer was: “For breaking the rules https://www.reddit.com/r/ModernBuddhism/about/rules/”

What do the NKT rules on Reddit state?

Oh, my comments are “politics” and “slander”? Please, see for yourself if what I posted is correct information or “politics” and “slander”.

My comments were posted under Tenpel and must be seen in context of what was discussed in these threads:

IMO, “politics” and “slander” are just categories the NKT applies to ban unwelcomed information about themselves. Information they don’t want people to read or get aware of. Banning me and deleting my comments is nothing else than censorship & politics – much in the tradition of dictatorships.

Last edited Nov 30, 2017 at 4:55 am

16Comments

Add yours

1

Alex Conacher on November 30, 2017 at 10:53 pm
Reply

They always find ways of shutting down any truth or discussion with regards to their motives. With all the fronts they create (KMC,NKT, IKBU ect.) they can mislead people very easily. I was speaking with a friend earlier who was banned from several groups she was indeed assisting. The reason; her account was copied along with her messages, the words were manipulated and so the group banned her along with the forgeries. The Kadampa public relations mechanism separates people this way, on Twitter it is prevalent. If all of the students, teachers and residents were previously aware of these actions within the cult they would not be so willing to become invested. It’s a pity the ‘Guru’ fear and blind devotion takes it’s hold before the valuable questions come to their minds.

Two friends I had are in fact resident teachers and they keep up the clean side of the public relations (Facebook, pamphlets and their local centre website) Its not my place to judge but these people should not be teaching Dharma given their current lives and issues. They should definitely not be teaching this twisted version which is created to cause detrimental effects to Tibetans and Buddhism. Both were given responsibilities which makes them feel powerful during a time they crave it more than anything, a dangerous mix. Teaching Dharma for them is like putting me in charge of a cruise ship after I’ve consumed a bottle of Jack Daniels. I’ve witnessed the other side too, people in their residence conspiring to and actively creating problems for His Holiness the Dalai Lama through social media not to mention the Tibetans also. They antagonise other and play the victim when the calculated responses are given. Some of the people in this group are very controlling, a few ‘gurus’ of the NKT are not people who should be in charge of a whistle let alone a group of people who fail to question them. In fact the people who fail to question anything are most at risk. They hide behind their robes and prey on the good nature of others. I certainly hope there’s enough information made available to prevent further harm, they’ve been stopped from some avenues of propaganda before. The problem always seems to stem from their ability to work within the confines of law but their methods and ethics are questionable to say the least.

P.s. I really appreciate this blog it helped me understand what was going on with this sect. Your efforts give others the advantage of honest advice.
- 2
  
  tenpel on December 1, 2017 at 1:22 am
  Reply
  
  Thank you Alex for sharing your experience and knowledge. I fully agree.
  Thank you also for your feedback about the blog.
- 3
  
  Karma Mike on December 21, 2017 at 4:59 pm
  Reply
  
  Everyone here evidently is so attached to aversion of the NKT they have strong feelings, to the point of obsession. You all likely had personal difficulties in your lives prior to finding any Dharma. Monks are not immune from personal problems. Most beings are suffering on all levels. Temple, you and your collective have experienced what you interpret as harm from the NKT. I think if you deeply search your mind you will see that your issues were there long before your met the NKT. You never completed what you started on your path prior to NKT and the Dharma they teach activated a lot of your own deep rooted psychological issues. Likely many of the “Survivors” have never had healthy boundaries with others or very healthy relationships to begin with prior to being a part of the NKT. There own family and relational issues come up within the intimacy of any group. You are no different from anyone else. I hope you find your path in this quick life as it passes. As. Buddhist of many lineages and varying teachers over the decades and a s a psychotherapist and counselor, the issues you present are issues that all religions have within their Church or Sangha. While humans are not infallible in any religion, and all people regardless abuse power due to their own issues, you do still need to complete you work in psychotherapy or counseling to help resolve your personal relational issues and boundaries with self and other prior to being part of any larger extended family or Sangha or it is likely you will never find liberation anywhere in this life. I have been a therapist and healer for 309 years as well as a Buddhist practitioner. I encourage you to work with a professional that can help to metabolize and integrate what the NKT brought up for; issues that were already there unresolved prior. Blessings on your journey ahead in the long long short road of a human life.
  - 4
    
    tenpel on December 21, 2017 at 9:29 pm
    Reply
    
    Armer Mike, you are evidently so attached to the NKT to the point of blindness and a lack of compassion and understanding. You have strong feelings, to the point of obsession. You likely had personal difficulties in your lives prior to finding the NKT. Monks are not immune from personal problems. Most beings are suffering on all levels. You and your NKT collective have experienced what you interpret as benefits from the NKT. I think if you deeply search your mind you will see that your issues, like sectarianism, arrogance, lack of openness, lack of compassion, your bias, thinking in a box, attachment to the NKT and their views and concepts etc, weren’t there before you met the NKT. You never completed what you started on your path prior to NKT and the Dharma they teach added either newly or activated a lot of your own deep rooted psychological issues. Likely many of the NKT enthusiastics as you have never had healthy boundaries with others or very healthy relationships to begin with prior to being a part of the NKT. Your own family and relational issues come up within the intimacy of any group. You are no different from anyone else. I hope you find your path in this quick life as it passes. As. Buddhist of many lineages and varying teachers over the decades and a s a psychotherapist and counselor, the issues you present are issues that some humans have within their family, Church or Sangha or cult. While humans are not infallible in any religion, and all people regardless abuse power due to their own issues, you do still need to complete you work in psychotherapy or counseling to help resolve your personal relational issues and boundaries with self and other prior to being part of any larger extended family or Sangha or it is likely you will never find liberation anywhere in this life – not even in the NKT. You have been a therapist and healer for 309 years as well as a Buddhist practitioner. You know that you are right and others you don’t know are wrong. Therefore, with the qualifications of ignorance and a lack of compassion, a lack of understanding and a lack of empathy, you encourage those whom you have never met or understood in the first place to work with a professional that can help to metabolize and integrate what we allowed – based on our blind faith and manipulations – the NKT to inflict upon our minds and lives, issues that were not there prior. Blessings on your journey ahead in the long long short road of a human life.
  - 5
    
    chrillerxxlounge on December 22, 2017 at 4:01 pm
    Reply
    
    well I am not attached to any tradition at all, neither NKT nor anything else, but I can clearly see when people are taken advantage of, berated, humiliated and lied to. never underestimate common sense, even if i have not been a “healer for 300+ years”.
6

Brian on December 1, 2017 at 2:00 pm
Reply

Not only is it Modern Buddhism, it has no resemblance or connection to any bona fide lineage. I guess that is why the word ‘Tradition’ has been jettisoned from NKT’s corporate branding. There is not much to be said in reply to the Reddit post by “wisdombuddha” quoting Guru Larpa Lotsawa (sic).
I feel like this calls for a cartoon response.
7

tenpel on December 3, 2017 at 2:30 am
Reply

The NKT editors even deleted a questions which asked if Modern Buddhism was New Kadampa Buddhism:

What the person describes here is, that the NKT editors on the Modern Buddhism subreddit deleted his question. He can see it when he is logged in but nobody else can see it and he can’t see it when he is logged out.

Well, you cannot even ask if Modern Buddhism was New Kadampa Buddhism? Such censorship is heavier handed than what the Communist Chinese censors impose on the Chinese.
8

WisdomMoon on December 6, 2017 at 9:17 pm
Reply

Tenpel, you can’t troll the group and then play the innocent victim. Seriously, you don’t understand why you were banned? I would have banned you too. You clearly broke the rules, posting slander against a Buddhist group.
- 9
  
  tenpel on December 6, 2017 at 9:45 pm
  Reply
  
  Well for you (or most NKT followers) truth (Modern Buddhism = Kadampa Buddhism = controversial NKT) is slander and slander (Dalai Lama=evil and cruel dictator) is truth.
- 10
  
  Brian on December 7, 2017 at 2:02 pm
  Reply
  
  Oh you mean broke the rules like Steve Booth, Lineageholder?
- 11
  
  Matibhadra on January 3, 2018 at 4:21 pm
  Reply
  
  New for 2018: the Noble Sixfold Path of revisionist modern ‘Kadampa’ buddhism!
  Now 25% easier than before! Can we expect to see the Three Noble Truths or the Seven-and-a-Half Commandments?
12

Jairo Jairosophy Moreno on February 18, 2018 at 12:43 am
Reply

Hello Diffi Cult readers and the German monk who runs this place and has made a sort of a side career of bringing dirty laundry in Tibetan Buddhism as it mixes with the complicated minds of Western people:
I’ve been out of the loop for a year or so, since the time when he whoever is behind the show announced it would shut down certain sites geared towards protesting the Dalai Lama. Things seemed to be quiet and probably boring for folks who roam this site, except when the dakinis told on Sogyal, and he got removed from Rigpa. That was pretty juicy.
I missed this deal about Modern Buddhism on Reddit.

By the way, since the NKT has been using the word Modern Buddhism, it has hoped that this would make it clear that it has divorced itself from the Trademark that is called by the Dalai Lama Tibetan Buddhism. Since this site deals with Tibetan Buddhism then you might as well deprecate all discussion about the NKT aa being of no value because they don’t fall under that “sect” of Buddhism. Yes, we can say that Tibetan Buddhism is a sect of Buddhism with subsects being the four or so main schools: The Gelugpa, the Kagyu, the Nyingma, and the Sakya, all under the Dalai Lama, well not really, but that’s what some people want to believe, or give the impression. My point is that since the title of this site is all about the diffi cult and embarrassing issues in Tibetan Buddhism, then you may want to exclude and excuse further discussion about the NKT, the folks who helped start your journalistic career reporting juicy stories as found here. No. Just kidding. We readers here love to read about your take on the NKT, it simply brings it more attention. Any attention is good. Look at how it got Trump elected.
Love,
Jairo Jamyang Pawo
13

Jannik Moller on February 23, 2018 at 3:33 pm
Reply

I just want to say two things. One, His Holiness The Dalai Lama is a Master on all 3 vehicles
of Buddhism, Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana. He has a genuine understanding and to
criticise him is just foolish and lacks basic knowledge of what the Buddha taught. Just
remember that all the Buddhas of past, present and future will teach Just That as means
for awakening. So to speak about old or “modern” Buddhism makes no sense at all.
Two, It is said by Buddha Sakyamuni that the Dharma will vanish. We are slowly approaching
this point. And how will it vanish? By being corrupted from inside, and that is exactly what
NKT is the perfect example of. So be aware, Sisters and Brothers!
14

Matibhadra on March 1, 2018 at 2:11 am
Reply

Corruption, indeed! Corruption of vows is one way of breaking samaya, thus an appropriate person to be teaching the NKT resident teachers is not the one in power because his vows were broken and he was simply reassigned with no price to pay.
15

justavo on July 30, 2022 at 7:49 am
Reply

It isn’t a NKT subchannel anymore.
- 16
  
  tenpel on July 30, 2022 at 7:53 am
  Reply
  
  Thank you. Is it worth to visit it?

	tenpel on Who is demonstrating against t…
	Tenpel on Heartwood Hosts Its First Gath…
	Exposing the New Kad… on Who is demonstrating against t…
	tenpel on Who is demonstrating against t…
	Peartree Layne on Who is demonstrating against t…
	astrologerdevanand on Hurts within the Karma Kagyu s…
	mikepazda on Western Shugden Society / New…
	tenpel on Who is demonstrating against t…

Rate this:

Share this:

Related