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Frequently Asked Questions

Can Geshe Michael Roach teach at FPMT centers?

No!  Prior to his 3 year retreat, Geshe Michael Roach regularly taught at centers belonging to the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), or which there are over 140 worldwide. After retreat, when the controversy started, he was barred from teaching in FPMT centers and projects.

The FPMT has, as part of it's teaching policy, an "Approved Teacher" list. Teachers on this list need not be in the same tradition as followed by the FPMT (Gelugpa) nor are they required to be a lama or student of the spiritual director of the FPMT, Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. There are many teachers from other traditions approved to teach in FPMT Centers.

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Why can't I find Geshe Michael Roach on LamRim.com?

LamRim.com has removed reference to all Geshe Michael Roach teachings from its web site. An explanation by the site owner can be found by clicking the link below.

www.lamrim.com/dmtn/openletter.html

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Is a monk allowed a partner of the opposite sex?

No! Under no circumstances! In fact, it is against a monks vows to be in the same room as a woman with the door closed. Buddhist monks and nuns are celibate.

The monks vows hold that a "root vow" is one which, when broken, automatically disqualifies one as a monk. One of the root vows is to never engage in any form of physical union or sexual activity with another person.

Minor vows prohibit most contact with persons of the opposite gender in order that one should not be tempted to break their major vow. These vows also serve to maintain the good name of the community of monks and nuns, so that it will not be sullied by rumors of sexual activity.

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Why can't someone disrobe Geshe Michael Roach?

There is no provision within Buddhism for a monk or nun to be "disrobed" by someone else.

Ordained persons may be asked to disrobe by their teachers, however there is no actual mechanism for the robes to be taken back as is the case in Catholicism and other religions.

If a monk or nun breaks one of their four root vows, then their ordination is broken and they are no longer a monk or nun, no matter what they wear or say. The difficulty here is that nobody but the monk or nun themselves may know that they have broken a root vow, so they may continue to live with the outward appearance of an ordained person without actually being so.

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Is this web site affiliated to or owned by a Buddhist organization?

No! This web site is not affiliated with any Buddhist organization, lama or group. It is owned, funded and maintained by a group of individuals on a purely voluntary basis. Web site design and technical implementation are performed by an unrelated private company hired specifically for this purpose.

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Why are you doing this?

Simply because we are genuinely concerned about the situation with Geshe Michael Roach and the potential for harm it creates.

Contrary to what you may think, we do not consider ourselves as "Dharma Police" and have nothing personal against Geshe Michael Roach. Nobody involved has ever been his student, however we have all attended his teachings on numerous occasions.

We wish we didn't have to do this. We would rather be spending our time in other matters.

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How dare you criticize someone else's lama?

We feel that nobody, whether labeled "Lama" or not, is above investigation.

"When teachers break the precepts, behaving in ways that are clearly damaging to themselves and others, students must face the situation, even though this can be challenging, criticize openly, that's the only way."
— His Holiness the Dalai Lama

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Why the need for anonymity?

A question that is often raised is raised is "why don't you tell us your names?".

There are several reasons why we choose to remain anonymous

  1. Very few people who visit this site would know who we are even if we did mention our names. Thus, knowing who we are would not add credibility to what we have to say. It is up to you as the reader to check the material published on this site for validity, and make your own decisions as to whether these are matters for concern or not.
  2. We have had threats sent to us by Geshe Michael Roach's students, to take this site down on pain of retribution. Whilst it was hard to take these seriously, there is always the possibility for some unstable person to take offence at this site and cause problems.
  3. Most of us are affiliated with various Buddhist groups in some way. Our relationship with this site is strictly as private individuals. We do not wish groups to which we belong to be linked to this site by association.
  4. We do not want this site to take over our lives. We don't want to go to teachings and be deluged with people wanting to discuss Geshe Michael Roach with us. We all have lives apart from this site and would like to spend them doing other things, such as golf, sailing, solo retreats in Himalayan ice caves and the like.

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"When teachers break the precepts, behaving in ways that are clearly damaging to themselves and others, students must face the situation, even though this can be challenging, criticize openly, that's the only way." — His Holiness the Dalai Lama

May all beings instantly achieve every happiness, be free from any suffering, never be separated from a perfectly qualified Mahayana teacher and quickly achieve perfect, pure enlightenment in order to benefit others.

May all beings be happy!