Panel: All Life is Suffering - Cultic Tendencies and Student Abuse in Buddhism (Christopher Hamacher [moderator]; Stuart Lachs; Tenzin Peljor)

Presentation at the International Cultic Studies Association annual conference in Bordeaux, FR in 2017. This panel will attempt to cast a more realistic light on some of the less positive elements within the religion of Buddhism, which as a whole still tends to enjoy an unblemished, "warm and fuzzy" standing in the public imagination.

1. Ready to Mine: Zen’s Legitimating Mythology and Cultish Behavior. Long-time practitioner and outspoken critic of Zen Buddhism Stuart Lachs will show how Zen's legitimating story and mythic history lays the groundwork for authoritarian-inclined charismatic leaders ‒ called "Zen masters" or roshi ‒ to draw their followers into a world based on unquestioning obedience to the master, reliance on his approval, and an ethical framework dependent on his self-serving understanding. Though Zen presents its idealized masters as being fully in the world, spontaneous, and ‒ most importantly ‒ "unattached", a state in which they are internally firm and free while remaining perceptually competent, this has hardly been the case in reality. Stuart will accordingly provide a number of examples of Asian and Western Zen masters who, along with their followers, have displayed cult-like behavior. Link to blog: https://buddhism-controversy-blog.com...

2. Tibetan Buddhist monk Tenzin Peljor will explain how doctrinal issues and cross-cultural misunderstandings, for example about the concepts of faith and the guru in Tibetan Buddhism, can contribute to abusive spiritual systems. His review will begin with the highly controversial "New Kadampa Tradition" and his own experiences with that movement, and then expand to other groups. Having run an online information portal about controversial Buddhist groups for many years, Tenzin can draw on numerous examples of suspect behavior from across the broad Buddhist spectrum. Link to PowerPoint: https://tenzinpeljor.de/PDF/ICSA2017.pdf

3. How Zen Groups Respond to Allegations of Abuse. Zen teacher Christopher Hamacher will compare various Zen Buddhist groups from the perspective of how they have responded to abuse by their teachers. Based on a number of recent scandals, he will demonstrate how various Buddhist doctrines are invoked by the leaders and students, firstly to deny the abuse and/or refuse to intervene, and afterwards to deal "compassionately" ‒ i.e ineffectively ‒ with the abuser. Christopher will then propose that, ultimately, the way a group reacts to allegations of misconduct may be a better indicator of its underlying dysfunction than the content of the allegations themselves.