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Macho Buddhism: Gender and Sexualities in the Diamond Way
Religion and Gender, vol. 1, no. 1 (2011), 85-103 www.religionandgender.org URN: NBN:NL:UI:10-1-101579 ISSN: 1878-5417 Publisher: Igitur Publishing (Utrecht) Copyright: this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (3.0) Macho Buddhism: Gender and Sexualities in the Diamond Way BURKHARD SCHERER Abstract Western Tibetan Buddhist movements have been described as bourgeois and puritanical in previous scholarship. In contrast, Ole Nydahl’s convert lay Karma Kagyu Buddhist movement, the Diamond Way, has drawn attention for its apparently hedonistic style. This article addresses the wider issues of continuity and change during the transition of Tibetan Buddhism from Asia to the West. It analyses views on and performances of gender, sexual ethics and sexualities both diachronically through textual-historical source and discourse analysis and synchronically through qualitative ethnography. In this way the article demonstrates how the approaches of contemporary gender and sexualities studies can serve as a way to question the Diamond Way Buddhism’s location in the ‘tradition vs modernity’ debate. Nydahl’s pre-modern gender stereotyping, the hetero-machismo of the Diamond Way and the mildly homophobic tone and content of Nydahl’s teaching are interpreted in light of Indian and Tibetan Buddhist sexual ethics and traditional Tibetan cultural attitudes on sexualities. By excavating the emic genealogy of Nydahl’s teachings, the article suggests that Nydahl’s and the Diamond Way’s view on and performance of gender and sexualities are consistent with his propagation of convert Buddhist neo- orthodoxy. Scherer: Macho Buddhism Keywords Tibetan Buddhism, Buddhism in the West, Ole Nydahl, Diamond Way, Buddhism and homosexuality, Buddhism and sexuality, Buddhism and gender Author affiliation Burkhard Scherer is Reader in Religious Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. -
The Karmapa Controversy
The Karmapa controversy A compilation of information 1 Foreword This work fills a requirement: to provide all meaningful information for a good understanding about the Karmapa controversy which, since 1992, shakes up the Karma Kagyu lineage. While web surfing, one can notice the huge information unbalance between the two differing sides: on Situ Rinpoche's side, there is plenty of documentation, while that on Shamar Rinpoche's side is sparse. On Situ Rinpoche's side, many websites give out information, with some, dedicated to this task, having almost daily updates. By comparison, Shamar Rinpoche side does not even provide the minimum information sufficient to understand its point of view. Now, complete information easily found is essential for everyone to make up one's opinion. To limit oneself to only one version of the facts does not allow for a full understanding and leads to all extremes, which we have sorely witnessed since 1992. Studying this controversy, one is surprised by the distressing level of disinformation and ignorance surrounding it. Few people know truly the circumstances and the unfolding of all these events which profoundly shook our lineage. Most contented themselves with adopting the view point of their entourage, siding either way, bringing up real quarrels and polemics between disciples of the same masters. It even came up to murders and monasteries attacks ! And yet, without going for any debate or confrontation, simply acquainting oneself with information provided by each side, allows us to stand back, to grasp the ins and outs in a more objective way and finally to reach a valid opinion in this matter. -
17958 Scherer 2018 Info Buddhism
Canterbury Christ Church University’s repository of research outputs http://create.canterbury.ac.uk Please cite this publication as follows: Scherer, B. (2018) Neo-orthodox tradition and transition: Lama Ole Nydahl and the diamond way. Info-buddhism. Link to official URL (if available): https://info-buddhism.com/ This version is made available in accordance with publishers’ policies. All material made available by CReaTE is protected by intellectual property law, including copyright law. Any use made of the contents should comply with the relevant law. Contact: [email protected] Neo-orthodox Tradition and Transition: Lama Ole Nydahl and the Diamond Way Bee Scherer Professor of Religious Studies (Buddhism) and Gender Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University (U.K.) Contents • Author’s Introduction 2018 • Introduction • Sources and Methodologies • Research on the Diamond Way until 2010 • Diamond Way Beginnings • The Global Schism and Diamond Way Expansion (1992– 2007) • A Late-charismatic Movement in Transition • Footnotes • References Author’s Introduction 2018 Between 2009-2017, I published a series of chapters and articles on the Diamond Way (Scherer 2009; 2011; 2012; 2013; 2014a; 2014b; 2017) as outputs of a research project (2007–2015) on this contemporary and controversial Tibetan Buddhist movement; later publications, including the chapter reproduced here in considerably extended form, reflect the status quo as per 2015. Since then, rapid and substantial developments have occurred in the Diamond Way, including the exchange of key players in the organisation. Still, from what I have glimpsed, my observations of the movement’s late- charismatic phase presented below still hold. Previously (Scherer 2014b: 107–108), I have transparently reflected on my own positionality as a scholar-cum-practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism and my own previous connection with Ole Nydahl and his organisation. -
Doing Religion in Phowa Courses: Studies on Praxeology and the Logic of Reflection in Courses on "Conscious Dying" in Diamond Way Buddhism
Volume 16, No. 3, Art. 17 September 2015 Doing Religion in Phowa Courses: Studies on Praxeology and the Logic of Reflection in Courses on "Conscious Dying" in Diamond Way Buddhism Werner Vogd, Jonathan Harth & Ulrike Ofner Key words: Abstract: From the pragmatist viewpoint, as first formulated by John DEWEY following William Buddhism; theory JAMES, religiousness must be understood less as a specific kind of experience than as an of practice; "adjustment" towards an epistemic perspective that throws a different light on all experiences. pragmatism; doing Religiousness thus has to do with a particular relationship between the self and the world which is religion; qualitative seen from a holistic perspective. But how can religious attitudes and meaning systems be research; established and sustained that are foreign and which from the modern standpoint seem doubtful? meditation; documentary Taking the Phowa meditation practised in Tibetan Buddhism as an example, this study shows how method; narrative spiritual teachings that initially appear to Western adepts to be strange and esoteric can gain in interview; credibility and meaningfulness through an interweaving of group processes, visualisations, body- contextural oriented exercises and mental experiences in an overarching arrangement. The analysis is based analysis on empirical data obtained in narrative interviews conducted with teachers and learners of Diamond Way Buddhism who have been socialised in the west. The interviews were analysed using a method based on the documentary method, expanded by contextural analysis in order to do justice to the interviewees' reflections on their religious relationships to their selves and the world. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Towards a View of Religious Practices as Many-Valued Constellations of Logics 2.1 Pragmatism: Preverbal experience and adjustment 2.2 Expanding theory using GÜNTHER's logic of reflection 2.3 Self-relating and the problem of death 2.4 The lived body, community and society 3. -
Research Article
Research Article Journal of Global Buddhism 10 (2009): 17 - 48 Interpreting the Diamond Way: Contemporary Convert Buddhism in Transition Burkhard Scherer Canterbury Christ Church University Department of Theology and Religious Studies Canterbury, Kent CT1 1QU, U.K. [email protected] Copyright Notes: Digitial copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no chargeis made and no alteration ismade to the content. Reproduction in any other format with the exception of a single copy for private study requires the written permission of the author. All enquries to: http://www.globalbuddhism.org Journal of Global Buddhism / 18 ISSN 1527-6457 Research Article Interpreting the Diamond Way: Contemporary Convert Buddhism in Transition Burkhard Scherer Canterbury Christ Church University Department of Theology and Religious Studies Canterbury, Kent CT1 1QU, U.K. [email protected]* Abstract: This paper addresses the broader issues of continuity and change during the transition of Tibetan Buddhism from Asia to the West. It looks at the Diamond Way, a contemporary Karma bKa' brgyud lay movement founded by the Danish lay teacher Ole Nydahl. The paper aims to open this area of study by employing a balanced approach between a hermeneutics of suspicion and a hermeneutics of trust, and by adding the historical-critical approach of Tibetan Buddhist Studies to the perspectives of sociology and cultural anthropology. Acknowledging Nydahl as both a charismatic and controversial figure within contemporary Buddhism, the discussion focuses on notions of lay and yogi Buddhism in the Diamond Way and on the question of westernization in Diamond Way practices. The paper concludes by raising questions about the future, continuity and change of Nydahl's heritage after his death. -
Bücher Und Videos
Empfehlungliste für Zentren-Büchereien (Bücher und Videos) aktualisierte Fassung, Stand 10/2003 die Bestellnummern beziehen sich auf den LOGOS Buchvertrieb (www.logosbooks.de) Neuaufnahmen finden sich jeweils am Ende der einzelnen Kategorien EINFÜHRUNG Nydahl, Lama Ole Wie die Dinge sind Vielfach verlangt, hat dieses Buch nichts von seiner Wirkung verloren: es hat Tausenden den Einstieg in den Buddhismus gegeben. Es stellt genau das dar, was heute als breite Einführung in den Buddhismus geeignet ist: eine Zusammenfassung der Lehre Buddhas mit Erläuterung zur Einteilung dieser Lehre und der verschiedenen Pfade. 82 S. Nr. 73; 9,00 EUR Bemerkung: Grundlegende Einführung, grundsätzlich neuen Leuten empfehlen Die englische Version ist „The Way Things Are“ Nydahl, Lama Ole The Way Things Are A Living Approach to Buddhism for Todays World What is Buddhism today? How do Buddhas teachings utilize the potential of our full being? Through which practices may we experience mind as limitless space and bliss? How can we use the daily joys and difficulties in ones job, family, or partnership for spiritual growth? This is more that an Buddhist textbook. It is a living transmission of Buddhas deep wisdom, given by a Western Buddhist Master. Through the meditations included, the reader is invited to experience the liberating and powerful methods of Tibetan Buddhism. Nr. 484; 12,25 EUR Commentary: Main Introduction for new people English Version of „Wie die Dinge sind“ Nydahl, Lama Ole Wie die Dinge sind (CD) Als Buch hat dieser Titel Tausenden den Einstieg in den Buddhismus gegeben. Nun auch als „Audio-Book“ auf CD erhältlich - eine gute Einführung in den Buddhismus und speziell in den Diamantweg. -
Lama Ole Nydahl
The somewhat controversial Lama Ole Nydahl by Lama Tendar Olaf Hoeyer, on the 23rd of June 2021 – first edition of this paper was on September 2020. Ole Nydahl was born in 1941. He grew up in Virum north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Here he also met his later wife Hannah already as a teenager. After College they moved to the inner city of Copenhagen. Ole Nydahl ravaged the local pubs of the inner city and became infamous as a bad bully, that everybody was afraid of. In the old days he always ended up fist fighting with people, that he did not like. Why he was so aggressive is not known. The writer Jan Poulsen quotes Ole Nydahl (in his book [in Danish] ’Eik Skaløe’ ISBN 978-87-02-16771-9; page 221): ”I was a warrior and liked to fight – [I] liked to empty pubs.” There were allegedly several pubs that got ravaged repeatedly by Ole Nydahl and his little brother Bjørn. The picture shows Ole Nydahl; photo by Jonathan Wong. But it is indeed remarkable, that he completely changed this pattern of behaviour after he met with the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Ripae Dorje by the end of the sixties in Nepal. After this meeting, Ole Nydahl has never assaulted anyone, except verbally naturally. It was a radically changed young man that came back to Denmark with a mission to spread knowledge about Buddhadharma in the West, encouraged and directed by Karmapa to do so. You may still feel his aggressiveness, when he talk about Islam today, but it is verbally and with a mentally complete rejection – more about this later. -
The Diamond Way in the Age of Globalization: a Study of Transnational Buddhist Community Formation
XXII/2014/2/Téma The Diamond Way in the Age of Globalization: A Study of Transnational Buddhist Community Formation ZUZANA BÁRTOVÁ It is 11 p.m. Several thousand people are sitting relaxed on the floor of a big tent at ‘the Europe Center’ near Immenstadt and listening to Ole Nydahl. This Danish citizen (with his wife Hannah Nydahl) is the founder and the principal teacher of the Diamond Way, which could be considered1 as a religious organization2 of lay western3 converts4 whose teachings and practices are based on the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. It is present today over a large part of the world. I argue that its ambition is to be a transnational community. It has accelerated this tendency since the foundation of the Europe Center in Germany. In this article I take a close look precisely at this community and the role of the shared location mate- rialized by the Europe Center. With respect to the transnational commu- nity making5 of the Diamond Way, I associate, by means of a dynamic approach, the choice to adopt particular Buddhist teachings and values that 1 The Diamond Way has been the subject of an extremely limited number of scholarly studies so far (see Burkhard Scherer, “Interpreting the Diamond Way: Contemporary Convert Buddhism in Transition”, Journal of Global Buddhism 10, 2009, 17- 48: 28). 2 In accord with Lionel Obadia, we understand the Diamond Way as a particular organi- zation whose founder is Ole Nydahl (and Hannah Nydahl), see Lionel Obadia, “Diamond Way Buddhism”, in: J. Gordon Melton – Martin Baumann (eds.), Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopaedia of Beliefs and Practices, Santa Barbara – Denver – Oxford: ABC-Clio 2002, 398-399. -
{PDF EPUB} the Way Things Are a Living Approach to Buddhism for Today's World by Ole Nydahl Recordings
Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} The Way Things Are A Living Approach to Buddhism for Today's World by Ole Nydahl Recordings. Recordings of Diamond Way Buddhist meditations on CD are available in our Buddhist centers. Podcasts. Lama Ole Nydahl has recorded some Buddhist teachings as podcasts, available for free. Topics include: The Three Levels of Buddha’s Teachings The Nature of Mind Meditation Differentiating Mind from Brain Karma – Cause and Effect What does a Buddha Teach? What is a Buddha? Introduction to Buddhism. Audiobooks. The Way Things Are – Audiobook A Living Approach to Buddhism for Today’s World 2009 Text read by Lindsay Brusova and Norris Bennett MP3 AUDIOBOOK CD. The Way Things Are: A Living Approach to Buddhism for Today's World by Ole Nydahl. The Way Things Are is more than a Buddhist textbook. It is a living transmission of Buddha's deep wisdom, given by a Western Buddhist Master. Trough the four meditations included, the reader is invited to experience the liberating and powerful methods of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Ole Nydahl - Buddha and Love: Timeless Wisdom for Modern Relationships. Buddha & Love explores all aspects of love and partnership from a Buddhist perspective. Covering a broad spectrum of topics such as sexuality, infidelity, parenting, and divorce. Lama Ole Nydahl, a Buddhist Lama in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, explains how a Buddhist approach to relationships can help us to relax our minds, break bad habits, and use relationships to grow ourselves and benefit everyone around us. Unafraid of taboo topics, and free from sappy cliches and political correctness, Nydahl provides modern people with practical advice on how to love better. -
Western Buddhism in the Local Context of the Russian Federation: the Case of the Russian Association of Diamond Way Buddhists of the Karma Kagyu Tradition
Journal of Buddhist Ethics ISSN 1076-9005 http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/ Volume 26, 2019 Western Buddhism in the Local Context of the Russian Federation: The Case of the Russian Association of Diamond Way Buddhists of the Karma Kagyu Tradition Valentina Isaeva Saint-Petersburg State University Copyright Notice: Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no change is made and no alteration is made to the content. Reproduction in any other format, with the exception of a single copy for private study, requires the written permission of the author. All en- quiries to: [email protected]. Western Buddhism in the Local Context of the Russian Federation: The Case of the Russian Association of Diamond Way Buddhists of the Karma Kagyu Tradition Valentina Isaeva 1 Abstract How Buddhist organizations adapt to new environments appears to be the key question defining their activities and the possibility that they will attract new followers. This article considers the case of the Russian Association of Diamond Way Buddhists of the Karma Kagyu tradition in the context of the social and cultural milieu of the Rus- sian Federation. In particular, it looks at significant fea- tures of historical development and legislative regulation of the religious sphere in Russia and how Diamond Way as 1 Saint-Petersburg State University, the Sociological Institute of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. This research is supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (Project no. 15-18-00119). Email: [email protected]. 202 Isaeva, Western Buddhism in the Local Context of the Russian Federation a Western Buddhist organization has implemented culture politics to correlate its ethics with the local environment and to create cultural coherence with the broader Russian society. -
Buddhism in Denmark by Jørn Borup Department of the Study of Religion
Critical Note Journal of Global Buddhism 9 (2008): 27 - 37 Buddhism in Denmark By Jørn Borup Department of the Study of Religion, Faculty of Theology, Taasingegade 3, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark [email protected] Copyright Notes: Digitial copies of this work may be madeand distributed provided no chargeis made and no alteration ismade to the content. Reproduction in any other format with the exception of a single copy for private study requires the written permission of the author. All enquries to: http://www.globalbuddhism.org Journal of Global Buddhism / 28 ISSN 1527-6457 Critical Note Buddhism in Denmark By Jørn Borup Department of the Study of Religion, Faculty of Theology, Taasingegade 3, University of Aarhus, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark There are about 20,000 Buddhists in Denmark. This number has been steadily increasing; just 30 years ago, this exotic religion from the East had only a few handfuls of practitioners. Asian immigrants and their descendants make up 80 per cent of Buddhists, while the remaining groups, primarily affiliated to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, are almost entirely of ethnic Danish origin. Though Buddhists comprise less than 0.5 per cent of the population, Buddhism’s growing popularity may be seen in the way it is an inspiration for “sympathizers” and postmodern individualistic spirituality, a trendy brand for commercials, the object of good storytelling in the media, and well represented in the body and mind sections in the bookstores. Indeed, a bishop argued in a newspaper that Buddhism, not Islam, is the real threat to Christianity. -
( Issn: 0967-8948
The Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions (www.basr.ac.uk) ISSN: 0967-8948 Diskus 17.3 (2015), 18-39 The Innovative Stūpa Project in Andalusia, Spain: A Discussion on Visual Representations of Tibetan Buddhist Art in Europe Eva Seegers Numata Center of Buddhist Studies, University of Hamburg, Germany [email protected] ABSTRACT Stūpas are among the most characteristic and widespread visual representations of Buddhism symbolising the mind of the Buddha (dharmakāya). They have been built in Asia for more than 2500 years and over the past decades also in many other countries around the world. One of the largest stūpas in the Western world is situated in Spain, at the Costa del Sol in Andalusia highlighting the integration of Buddhism in Europe. The 108 ft. (33m) accessible monument provides space for public lectures on Buddhism. It hosts exhibitions, gives visitors the possibility to meditate regularly, and has thus become part of the local tourist trail. This paper identifies some key-issues which arise when such exotic monuments are transplanted to a new cultural context. When a stūpa is transferred to Europe is it likely that its architecture, its traditional meaning and religious significance remains the same? What about local new interpretations and sustainable construction innovations? This paper argues that a stūpa is a visual representation of timeless Buddhist values which may support specific needs in contemporary society. Furthermore, it aims to provide a fresh perspective into how cultural and religious transmissions take place. Key-words: Translocation, religious art and architecture, globalisation, sustainability, contemporary Buddhist art in Europe, innovation, local new-interpretation Conventions used in this Essay Following the guidelines of Diskus, which is intended for a wide scholarly audience, the Tibetan terms are given in phonetic transcription based on the THL Simplified Phonetic Transcription of Standard Tibetan by Germano and Tournadre (2003).