> http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/20/close_encounters_of_the_buddhist_kind >
Amazing photos really. If their goal was to create practicing meditators it seems they did pretty well. In forty years, how many million meditators? In a country Of 67-68 million people. 2 in 'bout 70 people? TM taught about a million (900K) during a time a few years ago in America. Back when the population was under 300 million. 1 in 300. -B --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@...> wrote: > > This Slate.com article is for Nabby. I figure he'll really > like the familiarity of a cult that stages elaborately > choreographed rallies, has an evangelist vision that seeks > to promote a "world morality restoration project" and a > program that encourages hundreds of thousands of children > to improve "positive moral behavior," and raises billions > of dollars to spread its message. So far, it sounds a lot > like the David Lynch Foundation, doesn't it? Besides, this > cult has a headquarters that looks like a giant UFO. Nabby > will like that. > > But wait. The cult is Buddhist. Nabby *won't* like that. :-) > > Hint, Nabs...neither do I. Talk about missing the whole > point of Buddhist teaching. Icky as hell. Makes my skin > crawl. But neat photos, so check out the slideshow-style > article for them if nothing else: > > http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/20/close_encounters_of_the_buddhist_kind > > For the record, Southeast Asian Buddhism (this cult is > Thai) has always been to Buddhism like Southern Baptists > are to Christianity. Rules, rules, rules...everything > revolves around the Vinaya, a Big Book 'O Rules that > almost certainly was created centuries after Buddha's > death, and has little to do with his teachings. And > they've definitely turned what Buddha himself said was > *not* a religion into one. As I said, I find it icky. > But YMMV. >
