Hey Jundo,I respect what you’ve said here. I also understand why you saw red. It’s only human to feel this way sometimes. I’m glad to see you’ve found some piece with this issue.Thank you for pledging to speak up for the precepts, I don’t think that we can emphasize their importance enough.

peace . . . that is.

I read your email, posts on Brad’s blog and listened to the video. I respect what you have said. I understand why you were upset by what Brad wrote. If there was a point to it, it was badly made and not clear. However, please do not let the style cloud your eyes. He is a good teacher whether he wants to be a teacher or not. His language helps him to communicate better to some of us. We interpret his style as sincerity and true speaking. The more traditional Buddhists manner sometimes seems forced and fake to us. Still, I do think your site is interesting and do sit along with you. I like the contrast. The precepts are important. Kind speach should not prohibit speaking out when you feel that something is wrong. I think the SG posts are drifting into some sort of ‘shock Zen’. It is hard to see where he is going with that. Is there is a plan or this is just the fall out of personal issues?

I think the SG posts are drifting into some sort of ‘shock Zen’. It is hard to see where he is going with that.Here’s some shock horror news: most people Brad Warner’s age and younger talk and write the way he does; they go to strip clubs; they drink and take a lot of drugs, and they’re generally into a lot of stuff that shocks people whom they see as retirement-age hippie Buddhists who haven’t had an original, critical thought since the Nixon administration. Without those people, American Buddhism will be dead in ten years. Warner’s the best hope Western Buddhism’s got to survive the end of the baby boomers.

@DJ Voton: Give it another 20 years, and people will be saying “look at all those old gen-X Buddhists with their edgy matching piercings and saggy tattoos, they think they’re so badass but they haven’t had an original idea since the Regan administration”.Even if American Buddhism dies with the baby boomers (which I highly doubt – just because BW grabs headlines doesn’t mean he’s the only “young” Western Zen teacher) – who cares? Does that mean Ven. Warner is above criticism because he’s the “best hope for survival”? Please.