'A Critical Enquiry of 'Padma Gonpo Rinpoche'

Important Note

Buadhach — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:49:02 +0000

This blog questions claims made by the person calling himself Padma Gonpo and a practice he calls ‘Dagpa Bon’ (it is not concerned with the person per se). Kindly note that the author of this blog is not to be confused with that person. Nor is this blog, URL, and title associated with any company bearing any similar sounding name. Its contents are the written work of the author, unless citing other sources or quotations. This blog seeks, though critical examination and speculative enquiry, to reveal the facts, and questions if this individual is responsible for exploiting a genuine Tibetan tradition, for the puposes of profit and self-promotion? Blog hosting service please note: Padma Gonpo is a personal name, derived from Tibetan, there are untold numbers of individuals across Tibet, Bhutan, and the Himalayan regions bearing that name. It is therefore not, legitimately, the intellectual, or copyrighted property, of any one individual or organization, and cannot reasonably form any basis for challenge. Any more than a website for John Brown’s grocery store in Neenah Wisconsin, USA, can claim rights over the name, against John Brown from Scotland’s, fishing blog.

ISP/Blog-Hosts please note that according to EFF such useage is permitted “….as long as you’re not making commercial use in the same category of goods or services for which the trademark applies. Anyone can sell diesel fuel even though one company has trademarked DIESEL for jeans. Only holders of “famous” trademarks, like CocaCola, can stop use in all categories, but even they can’t block non-commercial uses of their marks.”.

According to the EFF Website “courts have found that non-misleading use of trademarks in URLs and domain names of critical websites is fair. (Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp. v. Faber, URL http://www.compupix.com/ballysucks; Bosley Medical Institute v. Kremer, domain name www.bosleymedical.com)…..”.

Motivation

Buadhach — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 10:46:49 +0000

In an effort to avoid any serious examination of the fact-free claims, made by self-titled ‘Padma Gonpo’, a number of his supporters incredibly claimed; albeit briefly as their offensive posting was removed, that I was formerly actively interested in ’space-ships from other worlds’. As they have singularly failed to offer a shred of verifyable evidence to corroborate the account of so-called ‘Padma Gonpo’, I can only presume this crude evasion was an attempt to discredit my name.

They based this untruth upon a libellous post made by a supporter of another individual, who falsely claimed to have received Tibetan Bon teachings and set himself up as a ‘Physician’ of Tibetan Bon medicine. That person’s claims were completely exposed as bogus.Since he too could not present any factual or independent material, which would verify his bizarre claims, his supporters, like those of self-styled ‘Padma Gonpo’, resorted to a transparent calumny.

According to this fiction (written anonymously on a public forum) I was, prior to my involvement with Tibet, writing and researching on the issue of ‘UFO’s’. I have invited the original author of this blatant falsehood to present any essay, article or other written information bearing my signature, name and date which involves this subject. Curiously, rather like the supporters of so-called ‘Padma Gonpo’ he/she has been singularly unable to offer any evidence whatsoever to support their fabrication.

For those who are curious as to why I have invested time and effort into examining and exposing the claims made by ‘Padma Gonpo’. Simple, I care about Tibet and its people. Moreover, I happen to believe that Bon, the native religion of Tibet, is worthy of my concern, and that it’s fundamentally wrong for anyone to abuse, exploit, distort, or misrepresent what is a highly profound and ancient tradition. I like to consider that my motivation for such action, is based upon principles of respect and understanding, values which have informed my wider work, in support of Tibet, since 1988. Since then I have actively campaigned against human rights abuses, and written widely on the issue of Tibet, challenging a range of injustices, which are forced upon the Tibetan people.

The Earth Is Flat, Apparently!

Buadhach — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:36:55 +0000

Still unable, and seemingly unwilling, to address the troubling questions placed before him, self-titled ‘Padma Gonpo’ remains deafeningly silent in the face of the exposé that revealed his supposed training as a ‘Lama’ in the South of France was a cynical fantasy, as was his baseless claim that he received ‘Bon’ teachings in Japan, and that he travelled to Tibet and performed rituals and taught at Bon Monasteries and villages. This exotic account has, thankfully, convinced only a handful of people, who appear so possessed by this ‘pseudo-lama’ that they have gone into denial and refused to accept the facts. Meanwhile as they are not able to provide independent corroboration of the claims made by ‘Padma Gonpo’ and refuse to question any aspects whatsover of his account, they can only indulge in a crude effort to avoid the central issues.

It matters not to them that he is not fluent in modern Tibetan. let alone archaic Tibetan, nor indeed the historic Bon language of Zhang-Zhung, they do not ask how then he managed to receive any ‘training’ in his supposedly ancient ‘tradition’, without such specialized linguistic expertize. Perhaps they would uncritically accept that he received such knowlege through some form of ectoplasmic exchange, or telepathically? Nor do they seem bothered by the fact that the very Tibetan center, which he claimed to have ‘trained’ to be a Lama, has stated they have no record of any individual named either Paul McDowell or ‘Padma Gonpo’ and no such training exists to ‘become’ a Lama. Moreover the current Tibetan Lama who heads that center has expressed his own doubts about these claims.

Such an extreme process of denial is really a type of fundamentalism, and one wonders, in light of the false nature of the ‘teachings’ and ‘teacher’ what is operating that generates such a psychotic resistance to embrace the truth about self-titled ‘Padma Gonpo’.

Public Health Warning!

Buadhach — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:13:54 +0000

As Tibetans face bullets, prison, and torture for challenging the brutal occupation of their country by Communist China, presumably untroubled by any sense of conscience, self-styled ‘Padma Gonpo’ (Paul McDowell) re-launches his callous exploitation and misrepresentation of Tibetan culture, by peddling his so- called ‘Ngag-Bon-teachings’, and the fraudulent claim that he is a trained and recognized ‘Lama’. Be warned this individual is not a genuine teacher of any Tibetan Bon tradition!

The Deception Returns

Buadhach — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 16:06:15 +0000

Seems the websites of self-titled ‘Lama’ Mr. ‘Padma Gonpo’ (aka-Paul Mc.Dowell) have re-appeared. Rest assured that the bogus claims made by this individual and his callous misrepresentation of Tibetan culture will continue to be exposed and challenged.

Anytime!

Buadhach — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:39:17 +0000

So the websites of self-proclaimed ‘lama-padma gonpo’ have, it is claimed, been hit by hackers, whatever happened to the ’super-deity protectors’, presumably the were sleeping on the job, or maybe they recognise a charlatan when they see one?. Well, if we are to see a return of ‘padma gonpo’, his cynical fabricated claims and fantasy ’ngapa bon’ invention, he should be under no doubt that efforts to expose his claims shall continue.

Facing The Facts?

Buadhach — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:19:30 +0000

The retreat into inactive silence seems to be continuing for self-claimed ‘Lama’, ‘Padma Gonpo’. Following the closure of his websites, I have been informed a number of his students appear to be winding down their ‘Ngagpa Con’ activities. Even that most fundamentalist believer, Corin White (self-styled Sherab {sic} Norbu) has withdrawn his poisononous postings from his MySpace pages, guess the uncomfortable truth is finally beginning to dawn upon the most fanatic of minds.

The Rattled ‘Lama’

Buadhach — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:09:00 +0000

Do self-described Lama’s, of supposedly ancient religious teachings, that crow about the wonderous nature of their ‘teaching’ and ‘inner-transformations’, ever behave in a petulant, waspish and spiteful manner? One would not have imagined that anyone, seemingly dedicated to developing their ’spiritual’ nature, and committed to compassion, tolerance and understanding, would wish to indulge in such petty poision. Of course if their motivation is not based upon sincere principles, but founded upon ego or commercial gain, then such actions would naturally be possible. Well, to those who know who they are, please do not consider that your efforts, will in anyway, halt the initiative to expose further the bogus claims made by ‘Padma Gonpo’.

Another One Bites the Dust?

Buadhach — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 22:47:45 +0000

….This just in, reports that self-titled ‘Padma Gonpo’s’ other website is curiously down at the moment, more reconstruction perhaps? Or, like his other portal, are we observing a withdrawal back into the shadows? Whatever developments emerge, one thing is for sure the effort to expose the claims made by this person shall continue…keep it here for more more news….

‘Lama’ On The Run?

Buadhach — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 11:08:57 +0000

Breaking news……It appears that ‘Padma Gonpo’s’ chief website has taken some ‘time-out’, the HTML code seems to have been deleted, leaving a blank page, what an interesting development. A rebranding perhaps? Site maintenance? Or are we witnessing a bogus Lama on the run? Stay tuned for developments ’same blog channel-same blog time’