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Revision as of 02:29, 20 January 2015

Roots of Hinduism

Hi Victoria. Thank you very much for this User talk:Joshua Jonathan#2 Edit Requests on HINDUISM page this source! I'm really delighted to see support for historical facts, instead of the ongoing debates based on modern mythology. Best regards, Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 14:23, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

Changes.

You can add whatever you see in the reference or even summarize. But remember that the page is really very long right now, compare it with Christianity or Islam, you will know. Thank you for your edits. Bladesmulti (talk) 05:21, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Hinduism is the most complicated religion in the world. More than Christianity or Islam. VictoriaGrayson (talk) 05:24, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

Appreciate

I really appreciate your use of sources and quotes; they invite further inquiry, instead of useless "discussions" between fixed points of view. Thanks! Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 08:09, 23 January 2014 (UTC)

anti-Bush addition to 2012 Benghazi article

Hi there, your recent anti-Bush edit to the 2012 Benghazi article lede was undone by another editor here with an explanation: "(I don't see Bush referenced in the source provided for this. Also, it's not clear why this belongs in the lede.)" I agree. I kindly request that you limit yourself to constructive and legitimate edits, particularly to the lede. We're working to keep the article complete and balanced and up to date. Thanks much! -- Cirrus Editor (talk) 02:00, 20 June 2014 (UTC)

Mindstream

"Continuity of the personality" or "continuity of mind or awareness"?!? Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 04:17, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

continuity of delusion.VictoriaGrayson (talk) 15:06, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

Interesting. Sounds correct, though. Suggestion for sources? Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 15:52, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

You need to pull up scholarly books on Abhidhamma, Abhidharma, Yogacara, Madhyamaka and tantra which should explain all the varying aspects on this topic.VictoriaGrayson (talk) 18:08, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

sorry

Thank you for your note on my talk page. I think I checked to late. I am very infrequently here … Kt66 (talk) 00:41, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra

Greetings! I hope you don't mind that I reverted your removal of sources at Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, I was actually thinking if we could discuss about that first at the Talk Page? =P I agree that Tony Page isn't a Buddhist scholar, he is merely made some English translations of the scriptures. When it comes to translations even, I don't think one should be a Buddhist scholar to qualify. Similarly we are using Philip Kapleau's Three pillars of Zen as a source for Zen Buddhism even he was a mere practicant without any academic qualifications in the subject. Cheers! :) Jayaguru-Shishya (talk) 18:41, 22 July 2014 (UTC) Copied to Talk:Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra#Tony Page's translation

Good morning!

Good morning, Vic. Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 05:16, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

What an odd message JJ.VictoriaGrayson (talk) 05:17, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

DS Controversy edits

Hi. I've started to try and consolidate the References a little. I think wherever possible best to just use the {{sfn}} template for references and point to the "Main sources". Best to avoid named references on such a changing article as if the first named reference in a series gets deleted then the rest in the series get broken. Thanks. Chris Fynn (talk) 14:35, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Merge discussion for Dorje Shugden controversy

An article that you have been involved in editing, Dorje Shugden controversy, has been proposed for a merge with another article. If you are interested in the merge discussion, please participate by going here, and adding your comments on the discussion page. Thank you. Chris Fynn (talk) 19:20, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

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Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen

Can you review my recent edits to Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen. Thanks. Chris Fynn (talk) 22:37, 9 August 2014 (UTC)

Bernis

You're right. The late Dr. Usula Bernis is not an independent source. She was a long time student and a biographer of the previous Tomo Geshe who propagated the practice of Shugden and was a Shugden practitioner herself. I understand she was also an associate of Thomas Canada, who appears to be the most virulent of contributors to pro-Shugden / anti-Dalai Lama sites and Facebook pages. Some of his comments simply seethe with pure hatred. If he is an example of what may happen to a person who has worshipped Shugden for years, it is pretty nasty. Chris Fynn (talk) 21:25, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

@CFynn: I agree. Also that Bernis "source" is never cited by scholars till this day, since it was rejected from publication.VictoriaGrayson (talk) 22:20, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

37 seems to be a popular number

Have you noticed that 37 seems to be quite a popular number? Prasangika37, Essence37, Audrey37 ... Chris Fynn (talk) 06:39, 16 August 2014 (UTC)

Grinning, ducking and running

And further, you may want to consider the possibility of a magic unicorn? (grin) Montanabw 07:15, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

Watching

You're close at my tail! Thanks! Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 16:05, 27 October 2014 (UTC)

Nyingma

This is what I was afraid with Bhutanic's edits. (S)he seldom added any sources, but I wanted to assume good faith since (s)he obviously made a lot of effort with respect to that article. I totally agree with your revert though. And of course, Bhutanic has the chance to restore any paragraph as long as (s)he can provide a decent source supporting the edit! Cheers! Jayaguru-Shishya (talk) 22:47, 4 November 2014 (UTC)

Nomination of New Kadampa Tradition Survivors for deletion

A discussion is taking place as to whether the article New Kadampa Tradition Survivors is suitable for inclusion in Misplaced Pages according to Misplaced Pages's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Misplaced Pages:Articles for deletion/New Kadampa Tradition Survivors until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. DGG ( talk ) 19:25, 7 November 2014 (UTC)

• Victoria, per talk at that article, I suggest that you preserve it by userfying it in a sandbox in your own user space just in case. As it sits right now, it's under construction and is in pretty rough shape. I'd do some significant improvement and expansion on it if I were you. Where the whole article is basically one long quotation, even if cited, it is not the best way to create an article. Just an FYI (I've created over 200 WP articles and sent about 40 to DYK, so I know whereof I speak on article creation here...) Montanabw 23:18, 7 November 2014 (UTC)

Shambhala Training

If you have any time left over from the never ending battle with NKT pods and their NPOV edits, would you kindly look at Shambhala Training. IMO that article relies far too heavily on primary sources. The only secondary or tertiary sources cited are where the article explains some Tibetan terms and concepts. There are no objective secondary sources used in relation to Shambhala Training itself. Consequently the article reads like a subjective promotional piece - not an encyclopaedic article. I've left a note about this on the talk page of the article as well. Chris Fynn (talk) 16:48, 11 November 2014 (UTC)

Shugden related articles

@VictoriaGrayson:I know it is a pretty thankless task trying to counteract the POV editing of NKT / "Shugden Buddhist" zealots - but I appreciate it even if I haven't always agreed. Even when one of them withdraws others will enter the fray so it goes on and on. I have had "debates" with them since 1997 on Usenet (you can still find those discussions by searching Google groups under Talk Religion Buddhism) - Geshe Kelsang himself even sent me some replies, so it was quite interesting, and generally much more civil back then. But after 17 years of it on and off now feeling to old to continue, so turning what energy I have to editing less controversial Tibetan Buddhism, and Tibetan language and script related articles (most TB articles are a mess) where edits have at least a chance of standing. Also writing some new articles - and contributing photos and graphics to Commons where nobody has ever objected to anything I have contributed (under the name Cfynn not CFynn there). Good luck with holding the fort against the NKT siege. You never know I may be back one day, but for now trying to avoid it and let others like yourself try to clean up their propagandising. Good luck and take care. Chris Fynn (talk) 19:43, 11 November 2014 (UTC)

FWIW, all, note that I've filed on P37 at Misplaced Pages:Conflict_of_interest/Noticeboard#Dorje_Shugden_controversy. @CFynn: also. Montanabw 23:25, 11 November 2014 (UTC)

@VictoriaGrayson: Here is an interview with Robert Barnett. I linked it as an external link on the Western Shugden Society. I lack time to use it to improve the article. But maybe better we leave it with this external link reference? It could be also used for the Dorje Shugden Controversy, I added it there as an external link under the rubric Protests.

• Protests against the Dalai Lama over Dorje Shugden – An interview with Robert Barnett, Dec 12, 2014

Kt66 (talk) 09:29, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

Merge Proposal

As requested, I have closed the merge discussion with consensus to merge. An administrator is needed to merge the histories. I have not attempted to actually merge the articles, since this is not an area with which I am familiar except by reviewing the articles in preparation for closing. Robert McClenon (talk) 02:53, 25 November 2014 (UTC)

The Kadampa Tradition of Tsongkhapa

According to Dr. Alexander Berzin, Tsongkhapa received his main Kadampa teachings from a Nyingma lama:

"There was a very famous Nyingma lama at the time called Lhodrag Namka-gyeltsen, and this Nyingma lama had, continually, visions of Vajrapani. And he invited Tsongkhapa, and they became mutual teacher and disciple. It’s from this Nyingma lama that Tsongkhapa got his main lam-rim transmissions from the Kadam tradition – two of the main Kadam lineages. There are three Kadampa lineages that had split. He got two of them from this Nyingma lama and one from a Kagyu lama. The Kadampa was divided into three: One was the lam-rim teachings, one was the textual teachings, and one was the oral guideline teachings. So he got the lam-rim and the oral guideline lineages from this Nyingma lama, and the textual tradition from a Kagyu lama. This I find very interesting. One always thinks that he got them from Kadampa lamas; he didn’t. And that Gelugpa was so separate from all these other traditions; it wasn’t. "

Source: http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/teachers/lineage_masters/life_of_tsongkhapa/life_of_tsongkhapa.html

So Tsongkhapa's lineage of Kadampa teachings, which Geshe Kelsang the NKT and other "Shugden Buddhists" claim to be heir to, came via a lineage which passed through Nyingma lamas. Today "Shugden Buddhists" criticise HHDL for taking teachngs from Nyingma lamas and mixing them with the "pure" tradition of Tsongkhapa. If Je Tsongkhapa had had that kind of narrow sectarian view there would have been no tradition of Kadampa teachings including Lam Rim passed down in Tsongkhapa's Gelugpa tradition.

Chris Fynn (talk) 11:12, 3 December 2014 (UTC)

Ha! Nice info. Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 11:27, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

You all (Victoria too) need to help me clarify something. (Cause I'm not a Buddhist and after a while certain texts and technical discussions begin to make my head want to explode) Isn't the Dalai Lama the head of the Gelug school? (So says the Gelug article) And isn't the problem that the Shugden/NKT folks want to claim they are the "pure" (i.e. fundamentalist, "our way is the only way," other branches within the mahayana tradition are inferior in their thinking) "Gelug" school and that the Dalai Lama is not? I am concerned, as some of the phrasing I'm running across suggests that the Shugden/NKT followers ARE the Gelugs, but that seems that they are trying to appropriate that label away from the followers of the version supported by the Dalai Lama. Clarify. Montanabw 03:53, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

@Montanabw:The NKT is just a group of mostly European people that are fake monks, per the rules of Buddhist Vinaya. Their study is strictly Kelsang Gyatso's books, particularly Heart Jewel. So no, they are not Gelugs by any stretch of the imagination. Per Columbia professor Barnett, the reason why they demonstrate is for publicity. So ultimately the "problem" is merely the fact that the NKT wants to advertise itself.VictoriaGrayson 04:43, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

I did see that BBC documentary that focused on the cult-like aspects, and I have enough familiarity with cults in general that I picked up on that pretty fast. But I notice you seeem to occasionally interchange Shugden stuff and the term(s) "Gelug" or gelugpa" - and the editors on the opposite side do even more so. Thus my quesiton to clarify that yes, the Dalai Lama IS the leader of the Gelug school and, hence, "Gelug" is within the mainstream. Montanabw 05:40, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

@Montanabw: Shugden was practiced by the Gelugpas historically speaking, and is thus associated with them. But as of 2014 that is a matter of the past. Yes the Dalai Lama is the head of the Gelug school.VictoriaGrayson 05:50, 13 December 2014 (UTC)

My question is why you said (on a different person's talk page), "The Gelug school has highly unusual perspectives.. I would never read or cite Gelug Geshes." Yet the Dalai Lama is originally from the Gelug tradition and works with the Geshes ordained within his tradition, thus they are, presumably, Gelug Geshes. ( I am thinking, for example, of people such as Thubten Yeshe and those associated with the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, which I have always understood to be closely associated with the Dalai Lama and "mainstream" if there is such a thing as "mainstream" Tibetan Buddhism or "mainstream" Buddhism in general. Can you elighten me as you your position on this? Montanabw 18:15, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

Buddhist Discussion

Could you please explain to me on my talk page what the issue is anyway? I can see that there is an issue about whether particular Buddhist sources are primary or secondary. Other than that, I can see that I was asked, essentially out of nowhere, to look at an issue in which I had no previous involvement, and very little knowledge. I also see that another editor says that there is a conduct issue, but I have no idea what the conduct issue is. Robert McClenon (talk) 17:49, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

Do you mean that he is going and looking for people who will agree with him, and canvassing people who will agree with him? In my case, he has no way of knowing whether I will agree or disagree, since I have no edit history in Buddhism and very little knowledge of Buddhism. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

I replied on your talk page.VictoriaGrayson 18:04, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

I am not canvassing anyone. Maybe I am being canvassed, but if so, I don't have a clue. Thank you. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:39, 9 December 2014 (UTC)

I expect and assume that I am out of the loop now. As I tried to explain to Robert Walker, I have no interest in being involved in an argument about which is the better version of an article on Buddhism. I'm not a Buddhist; I'm Catholic. My knowledge of Buddhism is essentially that it is one of the world's major religions, and that it has good ethical teachings that are very similar to those of Christianity. I didn't want to be dragged in, and maybe I won't be again. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:59, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

Refrain

Good morning Vic. I'm trying to refrain as much as possible from responding in this hopeless discussion, since every response provokes another round of miscomprehension; it's leading nowhere. People who don't understand the difference between faith and scholarship, and don't understand proper arguments, can't be convinced. "You can lead the donkey to the well, but you can't force it to drink." Best regards, Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 08:00, 15 December 2014 (UTC)keep

When you are dealing with religion, it's tough to keep away the Mastodons. I think it's OK to focus on actual edits, Jonathan and indeed, the tl;dr is just not worth the time. Montanabw 18:43, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Tibetan Buddhism talk

I'm sorry for losing it on the talk page and getting myself blocked. The final trigger on my side was when you pinged fellow editors. This whole dispute has felt so acrimonious from the start that the ping looked sinister.

The block has had a silver lining. I must admit, I needed some time out. It's been a circuit breaker.

I still have the same problems with content but I hope there is some way we can eventually make headway with collaborating. Moonsell talk 01:56, 22 December 2014

Moonsell, you really don't get it, do you? People can ping any one for anything so long as it is within the policies and guidelines of Misplaced Pages. You refuse to understand that material on WP needs to be sourced to third party, reliable sources that are not us! Even if you are "right" (and "verifiability" is not necessarily "truth", especially for religion articles) you STILL need a reliable third-party source to verify it. Nothing more, nothing less. I hope you use your block to read the policies and guidelines of Wikipdia and come back with a better attitude. Montanabw 18:43, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Happy Xmas

As far as I know you, you don't encourage this ;) Anyway, best wishes! Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 13:49, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

I could use your help

Feel like helping with the COI at Aro gTér? That page needs a hard woman like you, got a problem COI editor who is obviously a shill but honestly you are better at calling out problematic pages than I am. Ogress _smash! 07:01, 29 December 2014 (UTC)

@VictoriaGrayson and Ogress: The Aro gTér people seem to be a fairly harmless bunch of hippies playing at being Tibetan tantrikas in fancy dress. Amazingly they actually do take it all very seriously and get upset if anyone questions what they are doing, their fantasy lineage and their fantasy gTér-ma (don't forget the accent). Of course they are much, much nicer than the Shugdenites, but may get almost as exasperating. I'm certain they won't be able to come up with a single with a single reliable source to substantiate any of their claims. Maybe best just rewrite the article to say the Aro gTér claim ABC; Aro gTér claim DEF; ... Aro gTér claim XYZ; Happy new year. Chris Fynn (talk) 19:44, 29 December 2014 (UTC)

BTW The Khandro Yeshé Réma article should probably be merged with the Aro gTér article - this figure has no notability outside of Aro gTér. BTW Centuries ago there was a historic Dzogchen teacher called Aro Yeshe Jungne, but Aro gTér has no connection with him or his teachings ~ of which only one or two small texts survive. Chris Fynn (talk) 20:08, 29 December 2014 (UTC)

• the facial hair alone is enough to make me want to prod-tag the article! :-O Montanabw 22:15, 30 December 2014 (UTC)

@VictoriaGrayson:, things are getting out of hand on the talk page again and I'm outnumbered by apparent meatpuppets. Unrelatedly, I noticed Prasangika37 show up there, is he edit-stalking you? Ogress _smash! 17:33, 17 January 2015 (UTC)

@Ogress:Maybe Prasangika37 is edit stalking me.VictoriaGrayson 00:47, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

A barnstar for you!

	The Original Barnstar
	You deserve a barnstar Tito☸Dutta 21:39, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

Proposal for talkpage-restrictions for Robert Walker

I've made a concrete proposal for talkpage-restrictions for Robert Walker: Misplaced Pages:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents#Proposal: max 1,500 bytes a day for Robert Walker. Joshua Jonathan -Let's talk! 14:42, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Nomination of Aro gTér for deletion

A discussion is taking place as to whether the article Aro gTér is suitable for inclusion in Misplaced Pages according to Misplaced Pages's policies and guidelines or whether it should be deleted.

The article will be discussed at Misplaced Pages:Articles for deletion/Aro gTér until a consensus is reached, and anyone is welcome to contribute to the discussion. The nomination will explain the policies and guidelines which are of concern. The discussion focuses on high-quality evidence and our policies and guidelines.

Users may edit the article during the discussion, including to improve the article to address concerns raised in the discussion. However, do not remove the article-for-deletion notice from the top of the article. Montanabw 03:50, 18 January 2015 (UTC)

ANI

There is currently a discussion at Misplaced Pages:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Thank you.

Lily W (talk) 02:29, 20 January 2015 (UTC)