Temat: Budyzm

Karma and abuse
Saturday August 11, 2007
Hello,

What are your thoughts on Buddhism and karma? I experienced extreme physical and mental/emotional abuse by a step father which my mother condoned through silence. Also some minor sexual abuse by a relative. For some reason I'm only just admitting this to myself within the last year, although I have awful scars covering my legs from being beaten with extension cords and belts, somehow I managed to repress these memories until recently after I suffered a breakdown of sorts. As a woman, I don't have much confidence, although I'm learning to fake it until I gain it.
It's actually quite freeing to no longer feel crazy or act out neurotically, I realize I was under going much self deception in order to survive.
Now, at 29, I find myself going down this path of Buddhism and karma as a way to make sense of the abuse. Basicaly believing that my spirit chose this hardship as a way of compensating for past(lives) errors. My mind has to find a logical reason for the pain other than just blaming the abuser. He has little concern for me and calls his abuse of me "discipline." I make an effort to not think of him or my mother. While Buddhism is comforting to a degree, its austerity is harsh as you are told that you should be thankful for any insult or abuse because abusers are teachers and we deserve whatever we get--to put it bluntly.
As far as finding spiritual validation for the abuse , would you say that it is another form of denial? T.

AM: Yes, of course I would say that. It is not only denial, it is brain washing in the most dangerous way.

Barbara: The concept of karma is used by Buddhism to cover up responsibility for abuse, exploitation and mistreatment because a privileged life is presented as a "reward" for good deeds in "previous lives," and poverty, illness and misery are presented as the result of bad, even evil actions in "past lives." Colin Goldner and Michael Parenti describe in their essays "The Myth of Tibet" and "Friendly Fuedalism - The Tibet Myth" (both can be found on the Internet) how the ruling class of monks used the karma belief to keep the Tibetans subserviently in their place.



http://www.alice-miller.com/readersmail_en.php?lang=en...

Temat: Budyzm

religions
Monday December 01, 2008

Hi Alice

I have just finished reading "The Truth Will Set You Free" and have peviously read "Drama of The Gifted Child" and The Body Never Lies". I have found your insights very helpful in adressing issues from my chilhood and also my wife's.
I have also read a couple of Dorothy Rowe's books which were also very helpful.

I was particularly interested in Dorothy declaring that she was a late comer to religious belief which surprised me given her work. You mention God and Jesus in "The Truth Will Set You free" and it seems that you have no doubt about the fact that Jesus actually lived. Can I assume from that that you also believe in God. I have been reading books by Richard Dawkins and Chistopher Hitchens and they make convincing arguments for the non-exitence of God.

I would be grateful for your further comment about religion and your beliefs. Can you recommend any books that can provide information about the life of Christ, but not based on Bible stories but rather proven facts

Thanks

AM: I am far away from being religious as in all religions I know of I see the lack of psychological knowledge, much hypocrisy and a lot of contradictions. To show one of them I wrote: If I DID believe that Jesus was the son of God I would assume that he was not beaten in his childhood and I would learn from this example. I could then no longer promote the violent education as most christians still do. Perhaps you would like to read the very interesting book "Jesus, A Psychological Biography", by Donald Capp, 2000 .Until now, nobody could give proven facts that Jesus existed. Nor that he didn't exist. Thus we have only rely on the bible with everything we think and say.

http://www.alice-miller.com/readersmail_en.php?lang=en...

Temat: Budyzm

on daring to doubt
Friday December 05, 2008

Dear Alice Miller

I read with great interest your answer to one of the readers this month about religion.
After having gone further into your work and ideas the last months and focusing more on my childhood reality I suprisingly find myself with a totally lack of respect(I haven't done anything at all deliberate thinking!) whenever I see priests, bishops and religious programs on TV. I just feel astonished by these people's "forced goodness", hypochrisy and I even feel disgusted sometimes(and I remember myself as a child I never trusted religious people who always had to make a point out of it. I didn't like them). Yesterday I found myself laughing when I saw a bunch of dressed-up priests on TV...it has all suddenly become TOTALLY absurd to me and all the ceremonies and bullshit theatrical talk are just funny! But I haven't done anything else than look into my childhood. It's not like going to the university and read academic critical articles and then feel like you've balanced something. It's rather something deep inside that has changed place and now everything that craves respect seems absurd and comical to me. The other day I was watching my favorite movie; Bergman's Fanny&Alexander, and I have seen it tens of times before. But this time when Alexander speaks about the personality of the God of the bishop I smiled and laughed heartily: Alexander says something like this:" If God is getting upset for what a little person as Alexander is saying or doing in his little life then he's just that piss and shit God that I've always suspected him to be".

Well. Alexander knew this point that it's ridiculous and absurd for a father to be obsessed with punishing a child for his utterances and honest opinions. He doesn't give in to Our Lord or anyone when the bishop punishes him, he just knows that the bishop is dangerous. The really interesting thing is that Alexander has to be this good father to himself because of the mother's betrayal, telling himself that he's just a child and can't possibly know all the things that God knows, so why should God be upset with Alexander?

I thank you from my heart for having opened my eyes to my childhood fears so I can now question everything I want to. THANK YOU!!!

AM: It was great fun to read your letter because it happens rather rarely that my trust in my feelings and in my healthy reasoning succeed in contaminating so quickly another person. First they react with fear and resistance, especially if religion is at stake, but sometimes, after a while, they say AHA!. I can imagine that these thoughts were liberating for you because you dared to have your doubts already as a child. But without any support we are afraid to take our feelings seriously if all people around believe the same lies.

http://www.alice-miller.com/readersmail_en.php?lang=en...

Temat: Budyzm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnW4WK_bseM