Many Good Points - A Number of Bad!

Emails: Exposing the Catholic [Anti-Soviet] Ignorance of Abbot Andre Louf [1929-2010]! (19.5.2024)

This is despite the anti-Soviet nonsense he spouts on page 114 – a line of Vatican propaganda that sullies a man who tolerates a qualified “atheism” in his monastery! Of course, this type of anti-Stalin invention can be dismissed by studying the Collective Works of Stalin (Stalin trained in the Seminary before becoming a Revolutionary) and the historical (academic) work of EH Carr, Alexander Werth and Grover Furr, etc. EH Carr does mention that following the Bolshevik Revolution, monks and priest were not allowed to vote in elections until after 1922 (the founding of the USSR) – but prior to 1917 – no one (ecclesiastical or lay) was allowed to vote for any reason outside the closed circle surrounding the Czar – and the oppressive feudal system he administered. Just as Catholic monks live under the “Dictatorship” of God, the Pope and their Abbot – monks and priests in the USSR possessed absolutely no rights prior to 1917! Andre Louf, as a professed Catholic monk, was NOT permitted by the Catholic Church to vote in any election. When the reality of his position is fully understood – then the magnitude of his ignorance becomes fully revealed. Even monastic masters are inclined to “lie” – perhaps that is what their God requires.

Liberating Waverley Abbey! 2024

Meditating & Meandering Through the Beautiful Ruins of Waverley Abbey! (11.5.2024)

This was a place where a group of Cistercian monastics (following the Rule of St Benedict) – also known as “Trappist” monks – spent years in silent contemplation of the Bible and their inner minds. The lifestyle of such a monk is designed to “still” the mind and empty the interior of all desire. Only when the mind and body of the monk is “empty” might God grant “grace” and make himself known – but he might not. Either way, once the monk is empty of all desire – the love of Jesus Christ can shrine view. The monk possesses no opinion and so the cycle of each da peacefully unfolds.

Venerable Old Master Xu Yun [虚云]: No Difference Between a Monk and a Lay-Person! (14.10.2023)

For instance, by cross-referencing the below May 1955 Dharma-Talk with the text of ‘Empty Cloud’ for that year – a more all-round picture can be built of exactly what was happening and how Master Xu Yun was reacting to it. To be clear, Master Xu Yun was adamant that an ordained Buddhist monastic must follow ALL the rules of the Vinaya Discipline and that a lay-person must follow a least five, eight or ten of the basic vows contained in the Vinaya Discipline. This is a practical distinction Master Xu Yun upheld – as he rejected the Japanese Zen tradition of monks being allowed to eat meat, drink alcohol and get married. Such individuals are ‘lay-people’ and NOT monks. This being the case, what is Master Xu Yun referring to when he states that there is ‘no difference’ between the ordained Sangha and the laity?

ALEXANDER WERTH: The Defensive BATTLE OF STALINGRAD [PART III]! (4.10.2023)

The post discusses Alexander Werth’s book “The Year of Stalingrad” which contradicts Hitler’s presumption about non-existence of churches in Stalingrad. It also raises suspicions about the anti-Soviet propaganda spread by Joseph Goebbels, adopted by US ideologues post-1945, where Werth’s work shows the imperfections in such narratives. Werth’s book alternately portrays how the Russian Orthodox Church collaborated with the Soviet State on a non-political spiritual path.

China: Gansu Buddhist ‘Smile of the Orient’ Said to Equal That of the ‘Mona Lisa’! (5.9.2023)

The early Buddhist groups in China mirrored that of the extant Confucian scholiastic system – often forming around married laymen – with disciples taking the surname of the teacher as their ‘Dharma-Name’ and essentially becoming an extension of his family. Grottoes such as that featured below were places where Buddhists could meet, share and practice their understanding of Indian Buddhist philosophy. An understanding of Buddhist monasticism started to arrive and distinguish itself in China from the existing lay-practice around the 5th century CE – the date I believe this ‘smiling’ monk appears to date from. Whereas Buddhist lay-practitioners did not shave their heads (like Daoists and Confucians) – monastic Buddhists (male and female) were required to shave their heads – indicative of their ‘rejecting’ of the desire-laden conventions that define, guide and justify the external world.

West Germany: A Single Christian Monk in Lützerath – Takes on the Police in a Muddy Field! (20.7.2023)

I was told about this interesting individual via an ‘Anarchist Activist’ Telegram Channel! I have no idea if he is a monk – but I doubt it – as such ‘Catholic’ monastics have to follow struct Monastic Rules usually derived from a famous Saint. Furthermore, I am not a supporter of Anarchism – as I think this is merely the ideology of hyper-individualism, almost always right-wing – and an expression of the Bourgeois system. Nevertheless, the careful use of ‘force’ here is interesting – as there is NO come-back from the State!

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