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Buddhism in Sweden

Couple of weeks ago I found a page in Facebook called or group of people called Buddhism in Sweden . I wrote couple of words myself an english on their page and immediately reacted on my words site Admin Peter Olin and told that everybody here on this page have to use only Swedish because it's a swedish buddhist site. He sound quite convincible.

I explained to Olin that I have been doing the Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia for 18 hours every day for 8 years After which he started to explain to me that many links in Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia what are linked to Wikipedia are suspicious and may change over time, and what,ll happened with these articles in my encyclopedia when there,ll be changes in Wikipedia , He seemed quite excited and determined in their own deliberations and positions.

Then I posted couple of thangkas made by me and lot of critics or by other words a large avalanche of criticism arrived at my address. compared to my attitude towards the Encyclopedia and other activities in Asia, Sweden had an extremely negative and rusty cold attitude.

With this, I felt like the admin's ironic logic killed me wanting to participate in this site on Facebook and of course since the admin of the page was quite specific in his attitude, I asked him what have you done for Buddhism yourself? He didn't answer. At the end I just left the swedish group of buddhists..

I spend there on site just 2 days. And then left because people started to scream about my work with Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia. My secretary who has been a member of this group started to defend me and almost all people on the page started to talk that I serve the interests of the Chinese government and they pay me for that.

I started the encyclopedia in Australia and interestingly there were no negative attitude towards my work . Australia gave me a Distinguished Talented Visa for my activities and work in Buddhism .

I am struck by how two countries may have so different views on Buddhism. I arrived back to Sweden a year ago and turned to Swedish government and asked if they would like to help me with the encyclopedia. I also wrote to the Swedish Academy of Sciences and asked them for a positive attitude towards my work. I wrote to 60 politicians in the government but did not receive any response to my letters at all.

The Academy of Sciences was silent in Swedish way. I thought when I arrived first time to Sweden most of the world's press was present and even Swedish journalists but now it seemed embarrassing for Sweden that they gave me swedish citizenship, Which shows that my political activities suited them but not Buddhist .

I have organized a major international Buddhist conferences and (Buddhism and Nordland) and (Buddhism and Australia) what lasted 9 years. I myself have attended other conferences at the University of Berkeley, but I have never seen such a derogatory and monotonous attitude as in Europe, and especially in Scandinavia haven't seen such negative attitude anywhere in world. We can say openly Sweden denies Buddhism.

This summer, I approached the University of Kalmar with a proposal to hold an international conference on Buddhism. In a month's time, my secretary, Marju Broder, sent them letters with a proposal to meet to discuss cooperation and activities in connection with the conference. the university replied to me w month later with such this letter;

Dear Marju Broder,

I’m professor in the study of religions and like all my colleagues in the study of religions we are regularly contacted by, besides of course scholars of religions, RELIGIONISTS OF DIFFERENT SORTS, NOT RARELY WITH DEEP THEOLOGICAL ERUDITION.

Stefan Arvidsson Professor in the History of Religions, Linnæus University

At least someone dared to answer and say what is thought about of Buddhist activities in Sweden . It is interesting that Sweden is talking about religious freedom. How to understand it ?

This freedom seems to exist only for Christians but not for Buddhists . In addition, we wrote to many other Swedish organizations, but the answer was silence

My secretary Marju Broder also wrote to others in Scandinavia, but the answer from them was either silence or a negative attitude. The same attitude was observed by those Swedes on Facebook who call themselves a Buddhists.

That's what they wrote in Swedish newspaper;

Buddhism is a relatively small religion in Sweden, but has seen an increase in recent years. The number of Buddhists in April 2011 is estimated at around 45,000 people or close to 0.5% of Sweden's population, making it Sweden's third largest religion after Christianity and Islam. Most practitioners have an Asian background and come mostly from Thailand, China or Vietnam.

In addition, the Swedish government requested that donations to Buddhists be taxed on the basis of income.

http://religionsvetenskapligakommentarer.blogspot.com/2012/09/strukturell-diskriminering-nar.html

http://religionsvetenskapligakommentarer.blogspot.com/2019/08/buddhistiska-tempel-beskattas-for.html

It,s a shame to take a money from buddhist monks. Interesting how much Swedish government pays for Christian church to keep it alive.

it shows specifically how the Swedish government and people view Buddhism. You could say frankly that they hate Buddhism

It shows how wrong country I chose when I was expelled from the Soviet Union by Gorbachev when I made, first time in Soviet history, an opposition party against Communist Party, My idea that erupted the Soviet Union and perestroika.

Having lived in Sweden for years, I did not come to the idea or understanding that Sweden does not like a Buddhism because I was not involved in promoting Buddhism in Sweden.

I have been actively involved in Buddhism for 45 years, I established the Nyingma Buddhist tradition in Estonia, built 5 stupas there, My friends also actively contributed to the translation of a large amount of Buddhist literature. Soviet times nobody paid attention to my work in field of Buddhism.

Now when I went back to Estonia and started to build a new stupa the new Estonian government arrested me and my friends and accused me that I am hiding weapons in my country house what I haven't visited already 15 years .

They hold me in jail two days until swedish ambassador Dag Hartelius called to the police. Why it's happened? Because in Estonia old communists are still in power. And they hate me because I destroyed the Soviet Union.

I built a stupa and large prayer wheel then left Estonia., 1982 I build 4 stupas with my friends in Estonia, first Buddhist thangkas were made by Arno Arrak it was the start for Buddhism in Estonia.

At the same time, the University of Tartu in Estonia was extremely contemptuous of my activities, led by Linnart Mäll,who was a chronic alcoholic plus his students Märt Läänemets and Maret Kark supported him.

It is striking that instead of cooperation, there is an immediate denigration against Buddhist activities from scientific side . Now that everyone is talking about a multicultural era, both freedom of speech and freedom of religion, the Swedish government is asking to tax donations to Buddhists .

An example my secretary asked Oxford University to participate on coming conference Buddhism and Nordland and she got such answer :

I am sorry to say that I cannot give you any encouragement. The OCBS is a small institute with very limited resources. We are not even able to pay any academic salaries. We also have nobody here who knows anything about Buddhism and Nordland, so we cannot offer any expertise

Yours sincerely, Richard Gombrich

And it is a solid old university with English traditions.

The same time we have big site in Internet dedicated to this conference.

The question arises as how Buddhists do not notice what other Buddhists are talking about Buddhism in their work on conference Buddhism and Nordland.

It shows the stupidity and short-sightedness of the Europeans and its universities, And we talk about religious freedom here . Compared to the University of Berkeley, who immediately agreed to collaborate with leading professor Lewis Lancaster .The only company that is actively involved in translating texts and spreading knowledge about Buddhism,in our days which is Lotsawa house and its a very big contribution to European Buddhism,

https://www.lotsawahouse.org/

It,s interesting most of those people doesn't belong to Europe who translate in Lotsawa House. I know Erik Pema Kunsang because when I started with Chinese Encyclopedia he connected me and his relationship to my project was very positive and favorable. He is from Denmark . And well known translator from Tibetan.

https://lotsawahouse.blog/interviews/erik-pema-kunsang/

Another person who has helped me a lot is from Holland. I asked money to buy a new computer and new glasses for myself because the old computer is too old and slow he reacted immediately . The rest of the europe was quiet.

I understand because it,s a war in our days accely between christianity and Buddhism what has found new territories here in Europe,.

When I was 11 years old I read the book about Buddhism and it was written that Buddha was talking about huge amount of other worlds and universes the same time I head in school that Galileo, on the other hand, was tried by the Inquisition after his book was published.

He said that the Earth revolved around the sun, a theory now known to be true, I understood immediately value of the christianity who was telling such rubbish about cosmology . Buddhism for me as always been a science and I don't understand why others haven't found such values in Buddhist teachings.

And Europe still holds the same principles as you can see here in Sweden. For them Sweden is a center of the universe with his 10.23 million (2019) population. So narrow minded people here.When you use your brain at least little bit you can understand who,ll be the winner in this war.

Buddhist psychology has existed two thousand years , Europe discovered it just couple of hundred years back. It seems now that European way of thinking is really slow and and related to Christian thought.

One thing is a religion another is scientific approach. Buddhism is science because it helps you to understand yourself Christianity reveals that Jesus is your liberator. In Buddhism you have to liberate yourself. It means different way of thinking and understanding about the world and about your own mind.

Now you can see in web often word tantra what Christianity uses for own purposes it means borrowing from Buddhism, but I havent noticed that Buddhism is using christian terminology. It means Europe and European knowledge has nothing to offer anymore new ideas in field of spirituality and for a person’s personal spiritual development,Christianity has only one most important book the Bible Buddhism has them thousands.

People always like to have a rich friends then what about religion? Books consist ideas , teachings view of the world and I understand why people in our days who choose a buddhism. Because it has more real intellectual values then christianity. I understand how most of the people in Europe and specially in Sweden react on my words but someone have to be the first who says that king is naked.

I was first who told the truth in Soviet Union publicly and I was expelled does it mean that Europe or Sweden will expel me too ? You can see everywhere the new political approach to be friendly, peaceful, not to protest or fight with the government.

Why? Because the masses are being asked to be pushed into certain frames so that someone can calmly empty the people's pockets of money. Banks rule everywhere, but if you ask them for money for their own activities, you can die before they help you.

If you look at governments, they are filled with politicians, people who do not even have a specific education to work in a given place or area, and they all always vote diligently in an area that is distant and incomprehensible to them. Recalling Alfred Nobel's message about democracy, he can be said that he was a wise and the only Swede who understood the basic principles of democracy and expressed them exactly.

Sweden uses his money to share prizes in science, but does not notice when someone is trying to spread knowledge about Buddhism. I was told in Öland by local politicians who need this encyclopedia of no use or need for the people. Then I immediately understood what the term politician means today, Sven Hedin, who was an eastern investigator, has been overlooked by the Swedish government because he had correspondence with Hitler.

Although he is highly valued and talked about by other countries. Not that he was in correspondence with Hitler, but his scientific work is appreciated. I have realized over the years that I have lived in Sweden and understood , Swedes are no longer Vikings but a mass with whom the elective class does what they want.

if you do not belong to the official nomenclature does not support your work and activities it doesn't have any value for them, the same principle was chosen in the Soviet Union, no authority in Sweden responds positively to what I do. The University of Berkeley immediately supported my activities in Sweden they does not understand what it means.

They have their own Swedish opinion. expressed himself in very Swedish wayas said Stefan Arvidsson Professor in the History of Religions, Linnæus University ;RELIGIONISTS OF DIFFERENT SORTS, NOT RARELY WITH DEEP THEOLOGICAL ERUDITION. He even didn't want to meet us a or ask what kind of education I have. No authority in Sweden responds positively to what I do. The same way reacted Swedish buddhists on facebook.

The University of Berkeley immediately supported my activities in Sweden does not understand what it means. Why and what i do it for. which raises the question may be should the government choose people based on IQ .

I have huge pile of different support letters from different universities and scientist who support my work and project. But Sweden does not think so , Why? Because they have their own Swedish opinion. It can be understood he has having more knowledge about Buddhism and about Eastern culture as well than Berkeley and other universities in world , which I deeply doubt.

I call such phenomenon connected to stupidity Another words it's a swedish knowledge about Eastern culture and knowledge about Buddhism . Most stupid last political maneuver what Sweden made with China - Stockholm was grappling with China over a book publisher's imprisonment , unthinking what is useful or harmful for swedish business .

Like many countries, Sweden shares significant trade and business dealings with China -- including Chinese ownership of one of its most iconic brands, Volvo Cars. Gui Congyou, China's ambassador in Stockholm, warned of "bad consequences" if it went ahead, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven could be barred from visiting China. "We treat our friends with fine wine," Gui said on a Swedish radio show. "But for our enemies we've got shotguns.

Now I understand why Sweden does not like my work with Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia.

China and Russia are friends now again what means its quite powerful friendship. China has plans to double his population on next 20 years. It means there,ll be 4 billion chinese. China is building a aircraft mother ships. It seems they are planning to move to other continents soon.

If they build ships for tourism then its a peaceful action it means they have an interest or need to explore other countries and continents but aircraft mother ships serve another purpose,

It's like Sweden doesn't notice it. Maybe swedish politicians doesn't understand what's going on in world because lack of education and IQ. And chinese have a lot of money, And soon lot of people too. China has already worlds biggest army . It means something especially in politics soon.

Now about my own work . I understand that my Chinese Buddhist Encylopedia has not the same quality to compare with Wikipedia where thousand people are working because I am alone and have to do everything myself. But I have totally different approach to compare with wikipedia. I want o educate people about buddhism.

Like one swedish politician said to me, that I am using material what others are have produced it,s not your work.He is totally right . Seems that He didn't know that Encyclopedias mostly are based on other peoples work.

Only difference is that an encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either from all branches or from a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries.

Historically, both encyclopedias and dictionaries have been researched and written by well-educated, well-informed content experts. Encyclopedia article is typically not limited to simple definitions, and is not limited to defining an individual word, but provides a more extensive meaning for a subject or discipline.

It seems that this politician doesn't use wikipedia what quite exactly explains lot of things and meanings in our days in our world. And he is a politician.I was away from sweden years and so much has changed here during this time. Swedish politics has changed, everything cost more , prizes has been doubled , life costs more but people earn the same amount money as before .

Totally different country is Sweden now to compare when I arrived here. The general opinion today is that one should not be critical about anything or negative then you are enemy of the state.

There is a mass of people in our days who has the same opinion about everything as the state dictates and at the same time we speculate on freedom of speech. I wonder what it is about. We saw what happened when people in Germany started to protest against Coronavirus. Police used water cannons against demonstrators.

It's called freedom and free speech but for whom? Only government has right to express free speech and those who are against it are enemies. of the state , In Soviet Union was very popular to use psychiatric hospitals for those. It's time to use the same tactics in our days. Nothing new in here. Totalitarian way of thinking is flourishing everywhere .

Bunch of people without special knowledge deciding what is useful and what is not. It's called sick society and sickness comes not from people but from the government side .Why because bunch of elected politicians vote and decide what to do and how.

How they know what's best for me when they even don't know how I think and digest intellectually. When we go to the restaurant we choose what to order. Soon it,ll change we all have to eat the same food and drink the same drink not drinks. The difference enriches the culture, society and people's minds . Everything is dictated by government. We call it democracy. But is it?

Small businesses have disappeared thanks for coronavirus. It means society or people get poorer and some of them get richer. It's called democracy. I wrote to 60 politicians and got no reaction it's called democracy. I don't blame society . I talk about government who likes to feed people with slogans what are fake.

I talk about buddhism what is not welcome to Sweden. It's strange we talk about free speech but it seems that we have forgotten about what is free thinking. And education looks different. Stefan Arvidsson is a product of education system who has taught him that religion is opium for people.

In Marxism it's very popular view. So I got answer from communist who declares that he knows Buddhism better than me. It's the same view had so called university workers in Estonia in Taru university. But then it was Estonia part of the Soviet Union. Coming back to Sweden after 10 years I feel as I returned back to Soviet Union.

I understand what reaction, ll be on my article from so called politicians side. So what I give a F,, as I did in Soviet Union. Brain of the human is magnificent and able to do things which seem impossible at first glance. As one professor at the University of Berkeley said to me; how you were the only one who came up with such idea to dismantle the Soviet Union and no one else wanted to do it.

My answer to him was; My idea was that religion was banned in the Soviet Union and the only way for Buddhism to re-emerge as a source of knowledge for many Buddhists was to change this social order. Interesting when such an idea will come in connection to Sweden ? As a monk I have no right to think about this because we live in sansara and big changes in society will bring a lot of problems in my next life. So I am already doomed.

I hope Chinese Buddhist Encyclopedia will be as the lifebuoy for me but Swedish society and government doesn't want to help me with mu problems because they are doomed too I think. Sooner or later there must be certain reforms otherwise there ,ll appear someone who wants to change something in social order. I understand that my talk and thoughts seem absurd and out of mind for Sweden but it,s a life what dictates our actions and survival.