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I deeply mourn any hurt caused by my posting the information on this site. I do not question your individual sincerity, and certainly not your faith. In fact, I envy your living of a tradition you believe you are following. I myself have studied Buddhism and made it part of my life -- even as a Christian -- since I was about 13 years old. I am currently a non-professional, non-denominational minister, and my calling is for peace between those of different creeds, finding kinship in the nameless ultimate truth underlying all paths. Posting this does not imply that those who follow Tony and David (or any con or cult) are more gullible or unintelligent than the next man. It is your open-mindedness and desire to learn that was used against you, as it was for me. And if you are reading this, I sincerely appreciate your patience with accusations that I would guess do not fit into the framework of understanding you have been indoctrinated into over whatever period of time you've been involved. Having only one controlled source of "inside" information is the key to psychological control that you (by its purposeful nature) would not even be aware of. Defending against and being resistant to any contradictions of that framework is not only natural, but encouraged by those who have mastered that art of influence. Doubt or critical consideration of other possibilities is the greatest danger to such control. But you owe it to yourself, because one cannot know truth from lies without weighing both. So what is my motivation? What am I fighting against, if not any of you personally? My issue is with illegitimate, dishonest sources of knowledge, even though the knowledge may have value. I especially cannot sit by as others use meaningful spiritual teachings as a cover for their own hidden purposes. That is what some people do -- they borrow the good and true, maybe add a little to it, buying credibility by claiming it as their own, and if people's lives are better then the ends justify the means -- and whatever karmic price that eventually must be paid, knowingly or not. It may give you tremendous meaning in your life, but it is still a slap in the face to the very thing it pretends to honor. I do not hide that setting this particular thing straight is personal -- I solely started the school that became what you now call "Song Mountain" on behalf of your "venerable teacher" while he was in the Navy, back in 1993 and was the reason David, Sean, and Pete came to Buffalo those following years. David and I were like brothers in College before that time (at least to me), long before the stories of any secret linage started. I more than anyone know the truth, even though I wouldn't see it until it was too late. The David that I and his friends and family know is not the same "Davyd" mythos you have taken for granted without question. You can choose to gain whatever benefits you may find from staying with "Song Mountain" but must accept the consequences. You are promoting a list of fake lineages that if perpetuated long enough will become an inaccurate part of history. You are selling "blessed" objects under the pretense of credentials that are simply not true. And you will encounter many people over the years who will look at the total lack of verifiability in your status as traditional, ordained disciples, that you will embarrass yourselves to those in the know and only hurt the image of others who preach the Dharma to those who do not. I do not know to what benefit David has done all this. It could be power, or financial gain, or simply a game. Perhaps he actually believes all of it and his real family and friends need to collect him so he may get help, if that were possible. I wish I knew. This sounds like insult perhaps, but it is merely a frustrating, lifelong, dull sorrow to me, and the only thing left is put my own feelings aside and warn others at this point. My hope is for you to not only consider "my story" but to reach out to real Tibetan Buddhists and other martial artists. This will give you a reality check in two ways. First, it will de-isolate your sources of knowledge so you can determine the validity of what you know as well as the truth (or lack) of your school's background. Secondly, it will keep you aware that whatever you seek can be found, not in any particular school, but within yourselves through the help of many sources outside what you may end up needing to leave behind. The path is hard and painful, and requires either great courage or great disillusionment to take that step. For me it was the latter, and I hope for you it will be the former. Either way, I have taken that step and I offer to be there for you if you decide to move on. But if you succeed, keep what is useful and meaningful and make it truly your own. As for Tony, I am not convinced he believes all he has been told about his teacher's past, but not convinced he does not believe he is telling the truth when he himself passes down the story of your school. Maybe the lie is worth more than the truth from his perspective. But the ones who knowingly have passed on the lie to make David Moerler credible include his wife Jessica, Sean Garbach, and Peter Powell (if he is still around). They were around before and during the time in 1995 when everything got bizarre, and I highly doubt they do not know for a fact that the whole background of the school, i.e. David's past, is anything more than illusion -- a secret they keep for whatever their own reasons. The newer followers likely do not know the truth at all and meant not to deceive you. Be sure not to lay blame carelessly, and if it is within your power, extend compassion -- even if only within your hearts -- to those who actually have betrayed you. On last note: this site was put up long before there was any talk about Tibetan Buddhism being part of the myth. Before 1996 at the earliest, there was not even a hint of any religious tradition in Song Mountain, as it was "mystical" in flavor only -- it was a kung fu school run by a supposed 36th generation Shaolin grandmaster (David) that was "opening to the public", and ironically I was the only one really interested in the spirituality of the art. The very idea of the school eventually turning into a religious community was as much of a shock to me as it might be to you that it could be otherwise. Be careful what you believe, as all belief has consequence. Truth is more than intention and action, and with even the slightest knowledge of what could be true comes responsibility. My peace to you, no matter what your decision,
"When you meet the friendliest people you
have ever known, who introduce you to the most loving group of people you've
ever encountered, and you find the leader to be the most inspired, caring,
compassionate and understanding person you've ever met, and then you learn the
cause of the group is something you never dared hope could be accomplished, and
all of this sounds too good to be true-it probably is too good to be true! Don't
give up your education, your hopes and ambitions to follow a rainbow." |
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©2000-2001 Ken Stuczynski / All content here is believed to be true and accurate to the best of my knowledge. Permission to copy is granted for any lawful purpose. |
