OK here it is - I will air my complaint which I haven't done so far - which is my problem with E-sangha was the way some moderators used their position/"powers" - and then a systematic banning of members in a closed-circuit manner, and then the general lack of open-mindedness which I put down to lack of maturity in their practice (and thus not an issue with the team there but is a general human populace point - hence the last point I would expect to find anywhere).
Some of the moderators who I found operated their positions in a way I found distasteful, for example basically deleting and stamping out any opposition to their interpretations and then penalising for attempts at explanation - are here on this Board as they are there so what can I say. Still, there have been changes, and change is the name of the game I guess..And I can see that retro and Ben run a different ship here which is nice.
But yes, if I think about E-sangha and the way some moderators behave/d I was angry and can still feel resentment if I think about it.
But - it is to - OK I'm bitter, now what? Despite my resentment when I remember the situation - now what? Well, maybe some acknowledgement, maybe some clearing (thankyou shoey), maybe some acceptance at last after this, and then maybe just a plain reality check.
It's a forum. It brought us together, it does a service to information, and community, and sharing no matter how imperfect it is (or perfect depending on one's angle of vision)
And as genkaku says, the teacher (or whatever) may be a liar, but zazen is no liar. Don't forgo the practice, which is genuine.
So to balance a more complaining note of my own, with some wisdom of genuine Dhamma masters, there is - I truly believe - a genuine refuge in the true Dhamma. And there are many people who have shown us what is possible.
One time Ajahn Chah pointed this out to me, when I was going through one of those phases of will power. There was one monk in the monastery who really irritated me. I couldn't bear him. Just at the sound of his voice, I would feel aversion arising in my mind. I asked Ajahn Chah what to do, and he said, "Ah, that monk is very good for you. He's your real friend. All those nice friends, those other bhikkhus that you get on so well with, they aren't very good for you. It's that one who's really going to help you." Because Ajahn Chah was a wise man, I considered seriously what he said. And I began to see that somehow I had to just totally accept that monk - accept the irritation - and let him be as he was.
As kowtaaia points out, paying close attention is important for practice. Many different words - same pointers.
Employ the tools and do our best.
Forums and their past surely have to be the least of our worries and energies, we live, we learn. And undeniably - there is a whole world out there full of real people harming and hurting, starving, being killed and oppressed because of our shared selfishness. What is our role in this world? What will we be, in this ever ceasing chain?