Swing Set

Safety dance: Regarding Nadia Pflaum's article " Calling All Barbies" (April 22), I can already predict a future article titled "Dead Dungeon Barbies." As a traditional-values, happily married, nonswinging woman, you would think my biggest issue with this article would be the immorality of the entire concept, but rather, it raised a huge concern for me about the safety of these women. It is not my place to judge participation in these activities; however, I hope that women who opt to swing in Carlburg's club are being cautious concerning their safety.

I don't know if any of the women involved in this type of activity will see this letter, but I am hoping that if they do, they will take heed and consider how dangerous a situation this could be. I would definitely recommend sticking to the parties hosted at the hotel, where there will at least be nonparticipants around.

Tami Cooke
Overland Park, Kansas

Bust a Rime
Up Chuck: In response to Allie Johnson's blatantly misinformed piece on the Rime Center (" Trouble in Shangri-La," April 22), I can barely manage to express how appalled I am that the Pitch would print something so one-sided. It was nothing if not an ignorant attempt to portray Buddhism as some frivolous Eastern cult that one man, Lama Chuck Stanford, adopted for his own benefit. Not only did it begin with a racially insensitive quip; it misquoted several Rime members in an attempt to make it seem as if Buddhism was about Mr. Stanford and Mr. Stanford alone.

Had Ms. Johnson even been paying attention (which she obviously wasn't, since she was so focused on derailing one man and missing the most obvious thing in the room -- the altar -- and inaccurately describing objects that don't even exist!), she would have understood that Buddhism is not about the "leader" of any group but about individual growth as a compassionate human being who gives back to the community. She was so confused by gift-shop trinkets that help pay the bills that she missed the fact that half of that room is an extensive and growing library, where anyone can freely check out a book on Buddhism in all its flavors, or Islam or Christianity. She neglected to mention all of the things that the center tries to do for the community as a whole, including prison-outreach programs, Tibetan refugee sponsorships and interfaith soup kitchens, and instead centered on one man and his alleged flaws.

Name Withheld Upon Request

Como te lama?: Allie Johnson's article about Lama Chuck and the Rime Center was timely and insightful.

A longtime student of Tibetan Buddhism, I was the personal attendant for Orgyen Kusum Lingpa when he first came to Kansas City. Kusum Lingpa's intention in naming Chuck a "lama" was that he be the administrative head of a local, home-based center. It was done very humorously, as way of encouraging Chuck to be a more committed practitioner. It did not imply that Chuck had any particular standing as a spiritual authority. In fact, Kusum Lingpa knew that Chuck was a beginning practitioner and personally asked me at the time to watch over and mentor him for that reason.

Kusum Lingpa had named a number of "lamas" this way -- and at one point, he even told a group, "You are all lamas." There never was a problem with anyone attempting to cash in on such a credential, which is so obviously antithetical to the spirit of Buddhism.

Your article is accurate with respect to Chuck's training as a Buddhist spiritual teacher. He has none. Over the years, we tried to get him interested in meditation, but he doesn't have the patience for it. He is simply a gifted and enthusiastic entrepreneur who wants to be a minister. He is also quite independent and not easily mentored. After a couple of difficult years trying to counsel him, I had to inform Kusum Lingpa that I couldn't do much. Kusum Lingpa is very wise and compassionate -- one of the few great traditional Tibetan Masters still teaching -- but he has come to realize he can't do much either and feels very sad about what has happened. He hasn't visited the Rime Center in three years and has since established a new center in the area.

It is unfortunate that Chuck did not take the opportunity to become a real practitioner. Although it is meritorious to sponsor visits of Buddhist teachers, it is important to realize that Buddhist teachers are deserving of respect because of the many years they have spent doing intensive meditation practice and study. If one is to be a genuine student and truly benefit others, that is the path to follow.

Bruce Nelson
Kansas City Tibetan Buddhist Council
Linwood, Kansas

White noise: I was so happy that Allie Johnson pointed out to me that Lama Chuck Stanford is a "white guy." I can't begin to tell you how much time she is saving me in endless meditation.

Now, knowing that since I'm Caucasian, I can't achieve enlightenment means that ... wait. Doesn't that sound a bit bigoted?

Scott Taylor
Cleveland, Missouri