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Poison is Medicine: Clarifying the Vajrayana
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s new book, Poison is Medicine, was written in response to the misunderstandings and misapprehensions about the Vajrayana that were exposed by the Vajrayana guru-related scandals of the 2010s.
“One of my reasons for writing this book is that I would like us all to think about and examine the various issues the recent Vajrayana guru scandals have brought to light, from as many different angles as possible.
“My wish is to offer aspiring Vajrayana students a few tips from the tantric texts about how to choose their guru. This book will, I hope, point you in the right direction by supplying you with the tools you need to examine a guru thoroughly before committing yourself.”
“One of my reasons for writing this book is that I would like us all to think about and examine the various issues the recent Vajrayana guru scandals have brought to light, from as many different angles as possible.
“My wish is to offer aspiring Vajrayana students a few tips from the tantric texts about how to choose their guru. This book will, I hope, point you in the right direction by supplying you with the tools you need to examine a guru thoroughly before committing yourself.”
- GenresBuddhism
264 pages, ebook
Published January 1, 2021
13 people are currently reading
120 people want to read
About the author
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse
29 books324 followersDzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche was born in Bhutan in 1961 and was recognised as the incarnation of Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro (1894-1959). From early childhood, he has studied with some of the greatest contemporary masters, particularly his father, H.H. Thinley Norbu Rinpoche and H.H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
From a young age he has been active in preserving the Buddhist teachings, establishing centres of learning and practice, supporting practitioners, publishing books, and teaching all over the world. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche supervises his traditional seat of Dzongsar Monastery and its retreat centres in Eastern Tibet, as well as his new colleges in India and Bhutan. He has also has established centres in Australia, North America, and the Far East. These are gathered under Siddhartha's Intent.
In addition to Siddhartha's Intent, in 2001, the Khyentse Foundation was founded by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. It is a non-profit organization with the stated goal "to act as a system of patronage for institutions and individuals engaged in the practice and study of Buddha's wisdom and compassion."
His two major films are The Cup (1999) and Travellers and Magicians (2003).
From a young age he has been active in preserving the Buddhist teachings, establishing centres of learning and practice, supporting practitioners, publishing books, and teaching all over the world. Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche supervises his traditional seat of Dzongsar Monastery and its retreat centres in Eastern Tibet, as well as his new colleges in India and Bhutan. He has also has established centres in Australia, North America, and the Far East. These are gathered under Siddhartha's Intent.
In addition to Siddhartha's Intent, in 2001, the Khyentse Foundation was founded by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. It is a non-profit organization with the stated goal "to act as a system of patronage for institutions and individuals engaged in the practice and study of Buddha's wisdom and compassion."
His two major films are The Cup (1999) and Travellers and Magicians (2003).
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 15, 2021
The book arose in response to serious allegations of misconduct of several tibetan lamas (teachers). Rather than defending said teachers, the author (a tibetan lama himself) is actually rather critical of them and several others aspect of contemporary Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana) in the West.
He makes many very helpful clarifications, for example of the difference between Buddhism and tibetan culture. He is very critical of misogynistic tendencies but explains them as aspects of tibetan culture, rather than the teaching of the Buddha. You could say he defends the Vajrayana tradition rather than a few of its teachers. He gives us a simple but very necessary reminder: the teachings and practices of the Vajrayana are very profound, noble and compassionate, but its teachers and practitioners are just human beings, with all that entails.
At the same time, he reminds us of that only a Buddha can truly see the mind and character of another person, so it‘s better for deluded beings like us, not to judge but instead try to work on our own faults.
Differentiating tibetan culture from tibetan buddhism is no easy feat, since there‘s always the danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. It seems the author is uniquely qualified since has a profound understanding of the teachings of the Buddha and knows tibetan/bhutanese culture from the inside as well as from the outside: by having traveled a lot and making a real effort to understand people from all kinds of cultures and walks of life. He recommends tibetan lamas should read Harry Potter if they aspire to teach westerners!
That said, I would have appreciated advice for buddhist communities how to deal with their teachers if they misbehave. Should they warn new students the teacher has a habit of seducing his students? What if the person feels hurt and taken advantage of after the love affair? Students tend to idealize their teachers and are afraid to hear anything negative about them. Therefore there is a risk that the student who was abused is then avoided or gas-lighted by other students.
The author also doesn't really address the more serious allegations (mostly abuse of power, sexual relations with (vulnerable) students) so if you're really hurt or concerned about those, I'm afraid the book might not be very satisfying.
But it's a free download so rather than reading my silly thoughts, just read the book for yourself!
https://siddharthasintent.org/resourc...
He makes many very helpful clarifications, for example of the difference between Buddhism and tibetan culture. He is very critical of misogynistic tendencies but explains them as aspects of tibetan culture, rather than the teaching of the Buddha. You could say he defends the Vajrayana tradition rather than a few of its teachers. He gives us a simple but very necessary reminder: the teachings and practices of the Vajrayana are very profound, noble and compassionate, but its teachers and practitioners are just human beings, with all that entails.
At the same time, he reminds us of that only a Buddha can truly see the mind and character of another person, so it‘s better for deluded beings like us, not to judge but instead try to work on our own faults.
Differentiating tibetan culture from tibetan buddhism is no easy feat, since there‘s always the danger of throwing out the baby with the bathwater. It seems the author is uniquely qualified since has a profound understanding of the teachings of the Buddha and knows tibetan/bhutanese culture from the inside as well as from the outside: by having traveled a lot and making a real effort to understand people from all kinds of cultures and walks of life. He recommends tibetan lamas should read Harry Potter if they aspire to teach westerners!
That said, I would have appreciated advice for buddhist communities how to deal with their teachers if they misbehave. Should they warn new students the teacher has a habit of seducing his students? What if the person feels hurt and taken advantage of after the love affair? Students tend to idealize their teachers and are afraid to hear anything negative about them. Therefore there is a risk that the student who was abused is then avoided or gas-lighted by other students.
The author also doesn't really address the more serious allegations (mostly abuse of power, sexual relations with (vulnerable) students) so if you're really hurt or concerned about those, I'm afraid the book might not be very satisfying.
But it's a free download so rather than reading my silly thoughts, just read the book for yourself!
https://siddharthasintent.org/resourc...
July 17, 2021
Великолепный разбор полетов после скандалов последних лет в сангхе - ну и по ходу да, внятное изложение основных принципов ваджраяны. Для полноты стерео-эффекта "Яд" лучше читать на фоне доступной, но еще на оконченной автобиографии Дзонгсара и после его книжки про гуру и бурбон.
Здесь краткий и полемический очерк истории буддизма великолепен, а критика устройства Тибета и монашеской культуры обоснована и остра, хотя и производится с позиций двойственности. С позиций недвойственности, заметим, она была бы невозможна, конечно, но никто и не обещал, что ринпоче не станет говорить на нашем языке - языке масс, далеких от пробуждения. Она к любому феодальному патриархату, кстати, применима - к России в том числе, потому что эта страна явно движется в ту же сторону, только с тоталитарным уклоном. Правда, никаким духовным средоточием ничего ей с такими замашками не стать - у РПЦ дым сильно пожиже, а у попов все ж нет такого авторитета.
Вот только феминитивы, вписанные в угоду текущим нравам, как и везде, раздражают, но это, будем считать, - мое упражнение в принятии.
Здесь краткий и полемический очерк истории буддизма великолепен, а критика устройства Тибета и монашеской культуры обоснована и остра, хотя и производится с позиций двойственности. С позиций недвойственности, заметим, она была бы невозможна, конечно, но никто и не обещал, что ринпоче не станет говорить на нашем языке - языке масс, далеких от пробуждения. Она к любому феодальному патриархату, кстати, применима - к России в том числе, потому что эта страна явно движется в ту же сторону, только с тоталитарным уклоном. Правда, никаким духовным средоточием ничего ей с такими замашками не стать - у РПЦ дым сильно пожиже, а у попов все ж нет такого авторитета.
Вот только феминитивы, вписанные в угоду текущим нравам, как и везде, раздражают, но это, будем считать, - мое упражнение в принятии.
December 13, 2024
In what has become his characteristic style, Khyentse Rinpoche makes good and direct points which make Poison is Medicine: Clarifying the Vajrayana an insightful read despite its short length. On the other hand, the chapters are not very well organized and the same arguments repeat and loop into each other across different chapters.
I am grateful for Khyentse Rinpoche's insight in clarifying the distinctive characteristics of the Vajrayana, and in doing so necessarily contrasts the Vajrayana with that of the Sravakayana and Mahayana such that the reader gets a broad overview of each path.
I also found Khyentse Rinpoche's honest description of the state of Tibetan Buddhism and how it is perceived by people outside Tibet to be down-to-earth and insightful. This was particularly effective in dispelling romanticized ideals of Tibetan Buddhism, in which greed and human proclivities have taken root over time - a natural outcome of the coupling of spiritual and political systems, of which the historical development of the Catholic Church is a prime example. While one may harbor the hope that lamas, as a result of their familiarity with the Dharma may be immune to such proclivities, this turns out to be not necessarily the case all the time.
Despite this, Khyentse Rinpoche manages to put forward the case that the Vajrayana is a direct path towards enlightenment precisely because of its unique characteristics. As effective as it is as a medicine for the mind, it can also be a lethal poison if used incorrectly by those who are unprepared or unqualified. Even though it takes some effort to decipher, the book's core message eventually shines through: That poison is medicine, and if a medicine leads to poisonous outcomes, the fault lies not with the medicine but with the physician who unskillfully prescribed it in the wrong context and dosage to unsuitable patients. Accordingly, the appropriate response should be to improve the training of the physicians, rather than to change the medicine.
I am grateful for Khyentse Rinpoche's insight in clarifying the distinctive characteristics of the Vajrayana, and in doing so necessarily contrasts the Vajrayana with that of the Sravakayana and Mahayana such that the reader gets a broad overview of each path.
I also found Khyentse Rinpoche's honest description of the state of Tibetan Buddhism and how it is perceived by people outside Tibet to be down-to-earth and insightful. This was particularly effective in dispelling romanticized ideals of Tibetan Buddhism, in which greed and human proclivities have taken root over time - a natural outcome of the coupling of spiritual and political systems, of which the historical development of the Catholic Church is a prime example. While one may harbor the hope that lamas, as a result of their familiarity with the Dharma may be immune to such proclivities, this turns out to be not necessarily the case all the time.
Despite this, Khyentse Rinpoche manages to put forward the case that the Vajrayana is a direct path towards enlightenment precisely because of its unique characteristics. As effective as it is as a medicine for the mind, it can also be a lethal poison if used incorrectly by those who are unprepared or unqualified. Even though it takes some effort to decipher, the book's core message eventually shines through: That poison is medicine, and if a medicine leads to poisonous outcomes, the fault lies not with the medicine but with the physician who unskillfully prescribed it in the wrong context and dosage to unsuitable patients. Accordingly, the appropriate response should be to improve the training of the physicians, rather than to change the medicine.
July 6, 2021
How should students approach Buddhist teachings and teachers based on their temperment, background and interests? How should teachers support their students? The author explores these themes along with recent headlines and some basic information that will be helpful to any student receiving traditional Buddhist teachings.
September 12, 2021
Great clarification on Vajrayana path.
November 19, 2021
As always with Rinpoche's texts, this one is honest, direct, passionate and to the point.
May 25, 2024
Very helpful for anyone considering undertaking the Vajrayana path.
June 1, 2025
met this book at exactly the right time. all about merits.
October 10, 2021
Poison is Medicine, Khyentse Rinpoche in his unique style of imparting Buddhist teachings to the modern audience makes clear many of the key points, often misunderstood in the Vajrayana path. As it is in all other forms of religious systems created and run by human beings, Rinpoche says that money and power are considered important in spreading the Dharma but sex never is.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews