A new Twitter scam targeted against Buddhists has come to light that we wish to warn everyone about.
@Ryderjaphy (Bill Schwartz), a self-appointed “expert” on Buddhism, has indicated he will no longer be
able to Tweet due to serious heart problems he is experiencing. In an unbelievable move, however, he
stated that he was turning over his role as “watchdog for Buddhist ethics” on Twitter to none other than
@Jyakunen, a sock puppet alias of one Bill Cassidy, a vicious con man who also goes by the name Tulku
Tenpa and too many other aliases to list. This is the equivalent of turning over the campaign for moral
decency to the Marquis de Sade!
Mr. Schwartz is a contributor to the Elephant Journal blog, a blog run by one Waylon H. Lewis that
reports on everything cool and hip that anyone who wants to be cool and hip should be doing, or at
least be aware of so that they can sound cool and hip. He is a second-generation Shambhala Buddhist
from Boulder, Colorado, who has knocked around the Shambhala world all of his life. Here is how a
fellow blogger describes him and the pulp version of the blog:
You have to hand it to Boulder proto-hipster Waylon H. Lewis. In his five years in the niche publishing
racket, the 33-year-old has managed to take a rather lackluster magazine concept – Yoga in the Rockies
– and revamp it under the canopy of Elephant, a kind of post-new age salutation to the Boulder
temperament and all things Waylon. Or, as the website explains: “Your guide to ‘the mindful life’ = yoga +
organics + sustainability + buddahkarma + conscious consumerism + the arts + ecofashion.”
This isn’t quite as annoying as it sounds. The hip design (though still cluttered) and playful, sometimes
self-depricating personality allow the quarterly to levitate above the dour righteousness that kills other
enviro-spirituality rags. The magazine is now ubiquitous at yoga studios and health food stores around
Colorado, and is distributed in 25 other states.
But self-love is not just an excellent business market, it also makes for a great journalistic philosophy. How
else can one explain why photos of Waylon as the publisher and editor-in-chief appears not just once in
the latest Autumn issue, but seven times. Not even Hugh Hefner at the height of bunny mating season is
allowed that many cameos in Playboy.
Pics include Waylon interviewing Alice Walker. Waylon lurking in the background of a ecofashion shoot.
Waylon sitting in a field with Paul Hawken. And on the last page, a full page photo of Waylon in a yoga
pose. The text offers more Waylon-centric tidbits. Did you know Waylon grew up in Boulder around
the Naropa Institute and Allen Ginsberg? And what kind of chocolates does Waylon like? (Hint: it’s the
Buddhist ones).
Certainly Waylon wouldn’t be the first small publisher to be accused of allowing vanity to guide editorial
decisions – cough, cough, Boulder Weekly – especially in the People’s Republic where undercover
narcissism is given a free pass beneath the banner of self-discovery and individualism. So it may be
that readers, while flipping through the glossy pages featuring tips on earth-friendly politics, nutrition
and consumables, are willing to extend the same benefit to Mr. Zen’s regular appearances, which are
entertaining in a smug coffeehouse philosopher sort of way.
And maybe we can even anticipate Elephant: The All Waylon Issue. How many Waylons can you spot? It’s
both enlightening and fun! – Jared Jacang Maher
This will give you a good idea of the kind of blog the Elephant Journal is. Not exactly a good source for
Dharma teachings! In fact, Mr. Schwartz, a regular contributor, is in some hot water over a gossip-
laden post he recently wrote in the Journal in which he claimed that Karma Triyana Dharmachakra
(KTD), the Karmapa’s seat in the United States located in Woodstock, New York, had banned Bardor
Tulku Rinpoche, one of the founders of KTD. How much truth is involved in this claim is disputable,
but the way Mr. Schwartz presents it is inflammatory, claiming that somehow the whole thing is proof
of Tibetan racism against Westerners! It is rather interesting that KDT still includes Bardor Tulku’s
biography on its website. You can read Mr. Schwartz’s article for yourself here, but do be warned that
you will have to pay for the privilege as the Elephant doesn’t do anything for free.
Writing for this, um, blog and being a practicing Buddhist in the Karma Kagyu tradition for a long
while (his claim) are apparently Mr. Schwartz’s only qualifications for asserting himself as the sole
guardian of “Buddhist ethics” in the Twitterverse. Now he has anointed a criminal and a con man
as his “successor” to this impressive title. Very impressive. Let us do a quick review of Mr. Cassidy’s
qualifications for this esteemed position.
Mr. Cassidy is a convicted felon who did serious jail time for beating up and raping his ex-wife
and torching her business in Las Vegas. If you find that hard to believe, here’s his rap sheet:
Mr. Cassidy is also a lifetime career con man who has made many attempts to infiltrate US Buddhist
organizations (his victim du jour). His favorite target of late has been the Palyul lineage of the Nyingma
school of Tibetan Buddhism, but he also likes the taste of Karma Kagyu, including the Shambhala
organization (you must understand, Mr. Cassidy is also very fond of the Chinese and their treatment of
Tibetan Buddhists, which no doubt he wishes to emulate). This latest adventure would help him target
the latter as his benefactor, Mr. Schwartz, is allied with that school and no doubt has followers amongst
the various branches of the Kagyu here in the West. He may feel they are easier pickin’s now that the
Nyingmapa are on to him and the Zen thing just isn’t working out – serious Zen students peg him for a
phony in an instant. In short, he is a predator on the hunt for more victims.
It is with utmost urgency that we must urge anyone reading this to use extreme caution in dealing with
this Jyakunin/Cassidy on Twitter. In fact, it is best not to deal with him or confront him at all. DO NOT
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES REVEAL YOUR CREDIT CARD OR OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION TO
THIS PERSON. This is how he makes his living. He will steal your money and anything else he can get his
hands on, and he is very devious in his ways of doing so. Those who have had encounters with him will
tell you that nothing he tells you is to be believed, and one should never trust him even the slightest bit.
Never give him access to Dharma items as he steals these to bolster his “real Lama” look, even though
he has no idea how to use them. He is a habitual thief and congenital liar. He will set up schemes and
phony deals to bilk you, and he flies into a rage at anyone who crosses him or attempts to thwart him.
He has a long history of hatred and violence against women. We suggest you read The Gift of Fear and
Other Survival Signals that Protect Us from Violence by Gavin de Becker before making any connection
with him – and heed the book’s advice.
And one last thing, just who exactly is this Bill Schwartz to give his “disciples” over to anyone?! What
chutzpah!
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"Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and over to annihilation can that which is indestructible in us be found." Pema Chodron
