Letters of Support to Diamond-cutter.org
Below are excerpts from just some of the hundreds of letters of support that we have received for this web site. Over 90% of emails sent to us are supportive. Of the 10% of unsupportive emails, nearly all are from Geshe Michael Roach's students.
I feel that this site is necessary, warranted and important and my strong wish is that this controversy will come to have a happy conclusion and serve to be a benefit to all sentient beings.
Michael Roach’s disgraceful behaviour is poisoning the minds of many, many interested and sincere people against the Dharma, you are doing the Tibetan Buddhist community, and the wider world, a magnificent service of compassion in bringing the truth to light.
I was intrigued by the information on your wonderfully-named web site, and thank you so much for providing it... By reading through your site all morning now i am disappointed in what seems to be the case, i.e. Michael Roach's blatant abuse of the vows he has taken, and the disrespect to the Gelug tradition... And here it seems that Michael Roach has got caught in his own ego. Cause and effect at work. Work in the diamond business and expect to be cut by the Highest Diamond of all if the practice is dubious!!
I think you are providing a needed service in just the perfect way. I know it is not always easy to publicly challenge others especially a (purported) Buddhist teacher, especially one with such fervent and defensive followers.... Your site is excellent and covers most things that need covering regarding Michael Roach and Diamond Mountain.... The real point of this message, though, is to express my appreciation for your work on this site. May your every positive wish come true.
I have to say that your web-site certainly does a service. It makes me sad to find out these things regarding "Rev." Roach. I've seen this sort of thing happen before. It's sad. I have to agree with your points in finding so many of these behaviors and events to be "wrong". Also, I would like to compliment the fact that your references are very good and correct, and also, that you routinely give "Rev." Roach the "benefit of the doubt". Very fair play from your side, I'd say. What a sad turn of events... Well, please keep up the good work! And I hope that "Rev." Roach's good Teachers are able to wake him up.
...so to read the utterly laughable tripe in the 25 page magazine interview between Roach, McNally and the interviewer only reinforced my sentiment that these are people not to trust. The silent retreat was based on outright deception and lies from the start, and the relationship between Roach and McNally cannot be deemed to be right action by the so-called monk, nor the lay-person, when it was based on untruths from the start. If it had been right action on their parts then untruths would not have been necessary to cover their tracks... I choose not to be fooled by Roach, but to believe with utter conviction in His Holiness the Dalai Lama, when he says "Even though one's realisation may be higher than the high beings, one's behaviour should conform to the human way of life"
I'm a woman & frankly, he gave me the creeps. This surprised me as I had listened to some of the ACI tapes & thought they were well taught, I was expecting a modest & thoughtful monk not someone leering at my butt. It's sad when a valuable teacher takes such a slide. i agree with other writers in that he should do the right thing & disrobe. thank you for the web site
I hold no personal judgment but am very saddened by these events, especially the most recent Dharamsala translation/teaching event. I am grateful that HHDL has made his position clear and hope that Geshe Michael will finally hear the message.
As an active and engaged Western student of Buddhism for the past 5 years in the US, Nepal, and India, I believe you are doing the right thing and support your efforts to set the record straight. Hope you can weather the criticisms and threats (!) and continue to disseminate the facts.
"I would also like to thank you for starting this very controversial site and giving people another perspective on this very serious issue. My hope is that you can, by use of this site, alleviate some of the pain and suffering the potential future students may experience in the hands of Geshe Michael Roach and his consort, Christie McNally."
"Those two are definitely on the prowl, aggressively (while whispering kindly and compassionately) and there are far too many lambs curious about the dharma right now. No doubt some blood will be drunk before they are done."
"I am a monk in XXXX monastery and would like to applaud your efforts on this web site. The heart of the Buddha's teachings is to examine carefully. Without this, what Dharma is there? Without proper examination there is only superficial faith, which is a cause for greater suffering in the future. Thank you for helping dharma students to avoid falling into a mistaken path. How can I help?"
"As others in your forum I have noticed very bizarre and coldhearted behaviour from GMR students. they seem to get very fanatical and in our community have caused quite a lot of disharmony. I think the best way of telling whether someone is on the correct path is seeing how they affect others. After all the essence of Dharma is really the amount that we can consider others where possible to do no harm. I don't see compassion being developed other than the race to pick up karmic brownie points."
"I applaud your efforts. I am a sincere and serious student of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan language, though I do not consider myself to be a Buddhist nowadays. But I have deep, abiding and profound admiration for many things about this tradition, and some of the most beautiful compassionate and wise people I have ever met were Gelug Geshes, so I think your web site. is very important, and if I can do anything to help spread the word please let me know."
"I was involved in ACI before the "great retreat" and i can tell you that these behaviors were already there before the move to Arizona. Also Michael would frequently make very disparaging remarks regarding His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as well as other lamas. His behavior since then has only worsened as this site attests. It is high time he was publicly exposed for the harm he has caused and continues to cause Buddhism."
"I think it is a shame that there is no one within the Gelug hierarchy is brave enough to disrobe him publicly as he is making a mockery of the monk-hood. He now not only holds the distinction of being the first American geshe, he also holds the distinction of being the first American geshe to lose his mind. There are a lot of bright and sincere people involved in ACI and if anything the monastic teachings are there intact from before his break with reality. I would run from Diamond mountain as quick as possible and not look back!"
"Your site is very interesting. I was a student of Geshe Michael for many years and I would not have met my Lama Kensor Rinpoche if not for him but it is disconcerting that he is doing things in such a crazy wisdom way It would be nice and proper if he did disrobe ."
"Much thanks for all the time and energy you all have put into this site. I felt compelled to learn more about Buddhism and its practical application in my ordinary life. My investigation led me to Geshe Michael. After completing several ACI classes, I thought I'd go see Geshe Michael in NYC. While I learned a lot, I found his behavior odd and inappropriate in many ways. He plugged how much money he made and talked on and on about money and diamonds. I'm still looking for answers, and I'd like to thank you for having such a long list available as alternatives to ACI. This is extremely valuable for me, seeing I know of very few resources to investigate. Again, much thanks for all your hard work."
"Is there not a chain of command... spiritual advisors up to the Dalai Lama himself who could help Geshe Michael to re-examine the errors of his emotional thinking and confused behavior, and recover his sensibilities or disrobe? Is he not creating his own sect of pseudo Buddhism. This is dangerous behavior for all involved. As a service to the Buddhist community thank you for allowing a place to discussion. THANK YOU!"
"Many of us have been concerned for a long time about the GMR issue. Now it seems that it has just gone too far. When a major Lama asks Geshe Michael to do something and he replies by saying that "One emanation tells me one thing, and the other tells me something else, who would I listen too", people will see this as a major ticket to do whatever they feel because "God told me so". Just like the ancient Romans or the Taliban. We don't want a major outbreak of Dharma loonies, there are already too many. It is obvious that things are not correct and it seems that he is misleading people for his own benefit."
"So glad to see this site, you have no idea. I first met Michael Roach some years ago. Two people at that time tried to tell me about his phony dark side but I had to learn for myself through direct experience. Then when I tried to open up others eyes to his manipulations I was hit with the same blind stupidity as you are getting from the obviously brainwashed. "
"I was made aware of this web site today, and just wanted to say thank you. I was involved with ACI for several years and have seen the damage that has been done, both to individuals and to the pure lineage of teachings. If I can assist in anyway, please let me know. I completely understand the anonymity of the persons who set this up. Again, thanks."
"I have been a devoted Buddhist in the Kagyu lineage for many years and have retreat experience. I went to a teaching by Geshe a couple of years ago that has the theme of 'spiritual partners'. We were absolutely shocked when Geshe Michael and Christie started discussing openly the 6 yogas of Naropa and the 6 yogas of Niguma. They had translated sections of these texts and were discussing aspects of these practices to an open public audience that are normally only taught at the very end of a traditional 3 year retreat. I am very worried about the wrong views that could manifest when such private, contextual information is disseminated to the public so freely."
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.