Dear Mr. Stanton:
I certainly agree with you.
I also agree with Sakya Pandita, as I am sure you do, in his "The Fourteen Root and Eight Branch Downfalls of Vajrayana Concerning the Downfalls (or Defeats) According to the New Tantra," translated by Janis Willis, when he explains that "the third downfall is to be angry with one's Vajra Brothers. If one gets angry with them, it becomes a root downfall. If one has in addition a common Vajra Guru, that is a more serious offense. The most serious root downfall is to be angry with those who have taken initiation with the same Guru, using the same mandala. That is a certain downfall. Again, anger does not only mean fighting. Even if the idea of one's Vajra brother being the enemy arises in one's mind, that is a root downfall."
Enjoy the tenth day of Guru Nyima Ozer, the anniversary of Guru Rinpoche's transformation of heretics' poison into amrita, thus causing faith to arise in all.
I thank you for your comment. I agree entirely with regard to the subject of anger. Although subject to anger, I am not proud of the fact. I do what I can to deal with such feelings in myself. This question is particular pertinent to the Damtsig website to and my contributions in particular. I have no defense to make with regard to my rampant emotions. All I will say, is that it is a difficult and painful situation when one has to balance the directives of the 14 Root Vows with regard to lineage Lamas being slandered and the role of the vajra master attacked. It should be understood concerning "The Beginning and End of Discussion," that my comments with regard to my anger were based more on the nature of honesty than on any attempted validation of anger. My intention was to abdicate from participation in what I perceived to be ongoing passive-aggressive table tennis. As a practitioner, I am by no means comfortable with my angry feelings, but like most people - or maybe even more than most people - I have them. I try to remember the injunctions of the 14 Root Vows in my daily life, and when I forget, I attempt to correct the situation. In terms of the 14 Root Vows, the third vow of "Never harboring animosity toward tantrikas," and the tenth vow of "Never fail to act in a potentially disastrous situation," can sometimes run across each other. The kind of situation in which a vajra brother or vajra sister becomes a recalcitrant vow breaker is one in which one might feel constrained to give precedence to the tenth vow. I recognize that this is a personal matter, and one which must be addressed by each individual Vajrayana practitioner - preferably on the advice of their Lama.
Another question arises for me with regard to what is actually meant by a tantrika - a vajra brother or a vajra sister. In this time, it would seem that many people take empowerments, sometimes not even understanding the context or intending to enter into vajra commitment. Some people make what appear at the time to be life-long commitments, only to change their minds at later points. There are an unfortunate number of people who are no longer Buddhists who at one time took the 14 Root Vows; and on the basis of this, it has become difficult for me to maintain a pure view of everyone who takes empowerments. I am certainly loath to speak out against those who have taken empowerments from the same Lamas, but when it becomes apparent that such people are endangering the transmission of Vajrayana in the West, then I am forced to conclude that the tenth Root Vow must be considered. This is not a step which is lightly taken. In fact, it grieves me more than I can say to speak in this manner. It does not make me feel righteous, and I do not consider myself to be pure - or beyond even the most basic reproach. I am a poor example of a practitioner. I fail to keep the 14 Root Vows purely - but I try to keep them to the best of my ability. So for me to keep these vows means accepting that the third and tenth vows need to be balanced with great care. I have taken advice on this, and so I am satisfied that unskillful though my words may be - I am attempting to act in accordance with the 14 Root Vows.