Lee James

for ex-BKs to discuss matters related to experiences in BKWSU & after leaving.
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Terry

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

Well, those are all very interesting reactions!
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ex-l

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

rayoflight wrote:what has been stated here is a gross generalization.

Of course, but it does make one wonder when someone like the Buddha makes such a clear statement. I mean, one cannot speak so wonderfully about how wonderful the Buddha or Buddhism is ... and then not listen to what he says and ask, "why?"

The next question then is ... why then does the Dalai Lama hang out with Richard Gere and Sharon Stone (who is still after all most famous for showing her vagina on the cinema screen)?

I mean, can you really be a multi-millionaire movie star, enlightened AND have a girlfriends like Cindy Crawford and Kim Basinger? It seems a bit unfair on the rest of us. Oh, let's do the BK and just put him down as a "new soul having his Golden Age at the fag end of Kali Yuga".
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paulkershaw

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

... why then does the Dalai Lama hang out with Richard Gere and Sharon Stone

... because they may just offer credibility (and a voice) to the watching Western world, who is eager for enlightenment ... not much difference to what the BKs are trying to do I s'pose. But there again, they don't have Chinese assassins working for them ... or do they?

Terry

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

paulkershaw wrote:... why then does the Dalai Lama hang out with Richard Gere and Sharon Stone

Could it be that Tibet is now Chinese, and that the only hope they have for some autonomy if the USA can pressure China? Nah, it must be that they are closer to enlightenment.
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rayoflight

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

Facinating! I love it! Thanks ex-l for bringing this point up:
Oh, let's do the BK and just put him down as a "new soul having his Golden Age at the fag end of Kali Yuga".

I remember the first time I heard this and how my stomach groaned at the simple suggestion that it might be true. I did end up "churning" it and realized that it was such a good way to justify so many unanswerable questions about the injustice of the rich and famous "new souls" versus the poor and miserable "old souls." God help us! Such a crock of kaka (is that okay? Or still too profane?). I just wish I had listened to my groaning stomach instead of whatever else caught my attention.

Now speaking of fake actors, Sharon Stone is number one in my book. I won't get into this but we do share the same ex-boyfriend (from many years ago) and I never understood how he could date her and I in the same lifetime (because I am better you see ;). That was a self-deprecating comment in case it wasn't clear. But then again, rockers date anything that walks. And, yes, this is a gross generalization too.)

These high profile actors being seen with high profile spiritual leaders like the Dalai Lama is an exchange of sorts. By association, the Dalai Lama gives the actors some sort of depth whilst the actors give the spiritual leaders extra PR. Is this good for the masses? Is this helping the world become more spiritual? Maybe. Is Sharon Stone's exhibitionism good for Hollywood? Yes. So put the two together and with the spiritual trend going on right now (the "confluence" age), Dalai helps Hollywood, Hollywood helps Dalai.

I once saw the Dalai Lama at the Hollywood Bowl and I waited to be enlightened with great anticipation. His wise words to us were, "be happy! hahahahaha!". Then the journalists came to ask my ex and I what we thought and I was speechless. I thought it was the biggest joke. Don't get me wrong, I love Buddhist teachings and I think compassion does help the world and I think the concept of "mindlessness" and "no suffering" is awesome.

As far as I know, I may just be one of those people who benefitted from the PR machines. And now they're just stories to be told.
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tom

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

ex-l wrote:The next question then is ... why then does the Dalai Lama hang out with Richard Gere and Sharon Stone

Sorry to spoil your fun, but their situation can not be compared to the comfortable expansion of the filthy BKWSU's in India, supported by local governments, the Presidents and the VIPs. Dalai Lama in India in exile represents his handful priests who have been gone through massacre and are banished from their birth place. The previous plateau of the monasteries has been contaminated all over with nuclear waste from China in order to prevent the local Buddhists to come back.

It is O.K. with me, that he uses every PR opportunity to get the attention of the world to their tragedy. But he is a simple and joyful man and makes his people and the foreigners, whoever listens to him laugh at his simple jokes and funny remarks. His lectures are very entertaining.

The greatest actress in the BK world is beyond any discussion, of course, Dadi Janki, with her funny mimics, with her eyebrows up and down, with her bright and ugly smile like the cat in the "Alice in the Wonderland", with the funny movements of her fingers. She makes the BKs laugh. Human beings love others who make them laugh. Sister Jayanti follows her with her artistic skills of her serene and sweet angelic voice and angelic gestures hiding all upheavals going inside her. People love also others like Sister Jayanti who make them feel everything is O.K.

I am remembering Lee James, thankfully, for a small performance he played years ago in our center to a small group of BK teachers including myself in which he made us aware of the dramatic position and silent pain of Jashoda watching her husband's spiritual wife, the beautiful young Mama, Om Radhe. I had to contemplate on this performance afterwards with some guilt feelings, as I never thought about Jashoda's situation before.
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ex-l

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

There is discussion of Jashoda's situation going on elsewhere on the forum. Interesting to read he had some thought on the matter.

I do not know the truth of the circumstance, what he suggested or what his sources were. It may just be projection. In a sense, for all the art, you very may well be evidencing the "dangers" of the art of dramatic representation, e.g. evoking sentiments and emotions, and creating opinion, on the basis of false or unreal circumstances which, to the Buddha, would have been headed in the opposite direction from "enlightenment" ... Maya.

I do not know specific to this situation but I think that is the general 'orthodox Buddhist' drift ... along with the general tendancy of performing artists to ammorality, immorality. In the old days of many cultures, performing artists were synonymous with prostitutes, homosexuality has always be disproportionately rife and they belonged to untouchable or outcaste classes. Some still do in India.

Although many of the Yellow Hats sect most certainly did go through a real hell on an individual level that the BKs could not even dream of - and Tibet is being environmentally despoiled - personally, I am no great fan of them (read their history) and do not bow to popular pressure on their specific issue. That is all 'off forum' talk though. I did discover that although Sister Jayanti, of her PR team, has claimed she "worked" with the Dalai Lama ... the Dalai Lama's secretary reported that he had no recollection of her. Every one is "working" someone else.

As to whether chanting mantras, hanging out with film stars or flashing your ya-ya (literally or metaphorically) will make any difference to the Chinese ... sadly, a) I doubt it and b) in this day and age, the ya-ya probably has the most power.
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rayoflight

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Re: Lee James

Post25 Mar 2009

What I am gathering from the last couple of posts is that actors are masters of illusion. Dadi Janki and Jayanti were good actors for the reasons that tom mentioned. I also enjoyed Dadi Janki's comedy and Jayanti's velvet performances. However, as I read about it now, I cannot help but feel queasiness in my stomach.

I don't care how entertaining or good a person is at their craft, if I find out that there was a hidden agenda involved, the performance is tainted from there on end. I will never see that performer in the same light again. I can forgive, but I will not forget. Get burned once, it's not your fault. Get burned twice, it's a mistake. Get burned three times, you're an idiot. So going down memory lane is dangerous, simply because enjoying the performances, even in hindsight, is a pull back into the past and as we know, the past is past.

But, perhaps tom and others who have been ex-BKs long enough, have enough distance to look back and laugh about it, maybe even reminisce with fuzzy feelings. I guess someday I'll get there too.
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