Sam Vara wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 11:03 am
thepea wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 9:38 am
Sam Vara wrote: ↑Fri Dec 02, 2022 9:24 am
The Buddha gave Dhamma for free, but we have all paid money already to access it. Tomes by Bikkhu Bodhi, computers so we can access on-line suttas and video Dhamma-talks, and travel to centres. If I was a devotee of sitting in a big hall with others, listening to tapes by Goenkaji, all absolutely free, I would think that a smear of mucus was a pretty good bargain.
If they are asking for that, it's probably e. coli they are testing for.
Dhamma must be offered for free so it is accessible by ALL, this is the teachings.
Zero pricetag can be placed on the dhamma. I have never and will never expect anyone to pay any fee to receive the dhamma, not a snot, a penny, or ecoli. You give Dana for dhamma and this Dana must not be coerced in any way, otherwise it’s not Dana it’s extortion.
Sure. I told Jeff Bezos this, and he sent me a computer for free, along with a set of books by Bhikkhu Bodhi. And travel to retreat centres is free, you just show your Buddhist identity card.
So Sam..... do you support extortion through segregation?
Absolutely not. Extortion is a bad thing. But so far, I've seen no evidence of extortion.
Do you mean: "Do you support the right of a private organisation to impose conditions of entry upon would-be participants?"?
Why, yes, I do.
Travel to a centre is not dhamma, neither is ordering something from Amazon. And if bhikku bhodi’s book is not free it is NOT dhamma. Dhamma MUST be offered for free to ALL ready to receive. If this condition is not met then it is not dhamma. This is the pristine purity of Dhamma that I was taught.
I use to go Sunday mornings to the vihara near my house where I used to reside, and they had an open door policy for meditation.
Anyone who wished to meditate would quietly walk in and sit, the monastic would enter silently a few minutes before 9am and precisely at 9am he would begin the directions.
If anyone arrived after this or during they would simply enter and sit and join in. Then he would ring the gong to signal the walking meditation then he would silently dissspear and we were free to stay and sit or walk for as long as we desired.
This is a private organization but it’s open to public at certain times. During these times there is no segregation. At other times the gates were closed. Never when the gates were open was there segregation.
This was the case at dhamma centres. During courses or after hours the gates were closed but otherwise it was open with zero segregation. It was open to all ready or looking to receive dhamma. This was purity of dhamma. Now you may only receive dhamma if you are vaccinated, masked and submit your property to testing.
This is extorting the dhamma.
I have already received the dhamma in its purity.
The dhamma or any group calling itself a dhamma centre is not a private organization. Dhamma is not to be held hostage.