Dharma Wars
Don’t Tread on My Dharma Turf
I’m finally getting around to giving my two cents on the Tricycle article titled ‘Dharma Wars’.

Reading the article I came away with the impression that Buddhist bloggers have run amuck; full of ego, creating negative impact to those newly interested in Buddhism. The second page of the article starts with the statement ‘There’s a lot more narcissism in the community than we would expect or hope’, and follows up with support of that statement by pointing to an article on The Buddhist Blog; authored by James Ure, where a misguided ‘Twistedbranch’ posted an inflammatory and ignorant remark about The Buddhist Blog itself.

I found it very peculiar that they chose James’s blog as an example, since in all the time that I have been reading the blog, I have seen very few ‘Dharma Wars’. In fact the article and comment that they referred to on the blog was from last January; almost a year ago.

If you have never read The Buddhist Blog, I hope you will check it out for your self. I find the blog to be inspiring and I think that you will find that James has plenty to say with lots of humility, while he says it.

The ‘Dharma Wars’ article continues on, basically stating that there are many frauds on the internet who profess to be Buddhist teachers and that there is a danger that newcomers to Buddhism may be mislead because many blog authors have not received ‘Transmission’ and therefore are unqualified to write on the topic of Buddhism.

The more I think about the article, the more I have to wonder; whose war they are talking about. Is it really blogger ‘Dharma Wars’, or could it be another example of ‘Don’t Tread on My Dharma Turf’? This seems to be a recurring theme, almost like some traditional Buddhist teachers, organizations, publications are threatened by the new avenues available to explore and experience Buddhism. Is it fair to wonder if the threat these organizations are feeling goes deeper than a concern for the ‘proper’ continuation of Dharma teaching. Is it possible that the major concern is more about the money that may be lost as a result of students turning to new methods for information and community?

Many argue that getting information about Buddhism on the internet is risky, that reading books to learn Buddhism is risky. Certainly Buddhist teachers have enormous value, who could argue that, but if we look at the internet and other methods of Buddhist education can we really conclude that there is no value, that somehow a Buddhist can’t be a ‘Buddhist’ without a traditional teacher and Sangha? Anyone seeking information can be mislead if they forget to use discernment and common sense.
What’s wrong with expanding our view beyond traditional methods and becoming part of an online Sangha; why not express our ego centric view on a topic, if we are part of a community that will help us learn that we are being self centered? It’s interesting that as soon as a person makes the mistaken representation of themselves as ‘Buddhist’ they are expected to be flawless, serene and instantly enlightened. One of the greatest benefits of any society;online or otherwise, is that we can learn and grow together. There will always be some disagreement but If there is no conflict, it’s also likely that new understanding will be limited as well.

It’s easy to assume that many bloggers are driven by ego; and I’m sure that is at least partially true. After all, what would possess a person Like James Ure or me to spend countless hours writing a blog which has no tangible rewards, if not Ego?
I can’t speak for James, but after reading his blog, I would guess that his intention is similar to my own; he wants to help create community and understanding of the Buddhist path. Sure, neither one of us are enlightened, and I’m sure we have our moments of ego-posting etc., but I’m also fairly sure that our Intention is rooted in love.

Ambud

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