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Buddhism in Sweden
Couple of weeks ago I found a page in Facebook 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 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
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 on 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, which is a very big contribution to European Buddhism, is Lotsawa house,
Translators into English at Lotsawa House
Aaron Coote
Abraham Ta-Quan
Adam Pearcey
Adriano Clemente
Ane Tsöndrü
Bhakha Tulku
Christina Monson
Constance Wilkinson
Cortland Dahl
Daniela Hartmann
David Teasdale
Drupchen Dorje
Gyurme Avertin
Han Kop
Heidi Nevin
Jeff Watt
Joseph Faria
Josh Capitanio
Kaleb Yaniger
Karen Liljenberg
Laura Dainty
Lhasey Lotsawa Translations
Lopon Damchoe Wangmo
Lowell Cook
Maitri Yarnell
Michael R. Sheehy
Nick Schmidt
Oriane Sherap Lhamo
Patrick Gaffney
Peter Woods
Philip Richman
Roger Espel Llima
Ryan Conlon
Ryan Jacobson
Sean Price
Sophie Pickens
Stefan Mang
Tenzin Choephel
Timothy Hinkle
Tom Greensmith
Tulku Thondup
Prof. Jacob Dalton (University of California at Berkeley)
Dr. Alexander Gardner (Treasury of Lives)
Prof. David Germano (University of Virginia)
Dolma Gunther (Khyentse Vision Project)
Prof. Anne Klein (Rice University)
Prof. Andrew Quintman (Wesleyan University)
Dr. Michael Sheehy (University of Virginia)
Jeff Watt (Himalayan Art Resources)
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 now ? 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 than Berkeley and other universities, 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, unthinking what is useful or harmful for swedish business which shows how strongly Swedish policy depends on the political opinions of other countries.
And they still call Sweden a neutral country, Sweden has become so neutral that it can no longer think what is good or bad for Sweden. China and Russia are friends now again what means its quite powerful friendship. China has plans to double his population next 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 boats or ships for tourism I realize that they have an interest and need to explore other countries but aircraft mother ships serve another purpose,
It,s like Sweden doesn't notice it. Maybe i,s swedish politicians who doesn't understand what going on in world because lack of education and IQ. And chinese have lot of money, And soon lot of people.
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 everything myself. But I have totally different approach to compare with wikipedia. I want o educate people about buddhism.
Like one swedish person or politician said , that I am using material what others are put together.Seems that He didn't know that Encyclopedias always 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.
