If being direct and truthful (even if the truth is uncomfortable) is inappropriate, so be it.

regarding the title of a recent article of mine:

Ajahn Brahmali interpretation of disembodied jhāna: Bald faced lie, willful ignorance due to confirmation bias, or gross incompetence?

someone said:

You are correct that Frank's behavior is not appropriate

https://www.reddit.com/r/theravada/comments/15h2lla/comment/jur915h/?context=3

Frankk response

If being direct and truthful (even if the truth is uncomfortable) is inappropriate, so be it.

You want to go back to old times where "appropriate" speech means you keep quiet about crimes even though millions of people are harmed by not knowing the truth?

Or you use such polite, respectful euphemistic speech that people don't even realize what you're describing is a serious crime (against Dhamma)?

Why do you think bottles of poison have a picture of a skull and cross bones? And not a euphemistic "the contents of this bottle may have side effects".

How do you think pedophile catholic priests were just shuffled around the world to different parishs to molest new sets of children?

Because of respectful "appropriate" speech, euphemisms, and keeping silent in the face of crime.

Sujato wrong view of Vitakka: Prime example where direct truth works better than deferential politeness  

Take a look at the date of Remy's blog post criticising Sujato's wrong interpretation of vitakka from 2016.

Why vitakka might mean ‘thinking’ in jhana

Publié le 22 décembre 2016 par Rémy

http://blog.buddha-vacana.org/why-vitakka-might-mean-thinking-in-jhana/

Here's your prime example of polite speech, deferential speech to a "respected monk". He posted this in 2016 in suttacentral.

Sujato never responded: either pretended to or didn't even read an article so thoughtfully and politely expressed.

From that, and other examples like that, I learned my lesson that politeness has its limits.

I've been on a mission since to raise public awareness on egregious crimes against the Dhamma.

When I first posted my criticisms on Sujato's V&V, with my direct truthful style which you call "intentional provocation", I got lots of pushback, censoring, etc.

But year by year, with my persistence and patience, the pushback got less and less, and people stopped posting Sujato's ridiculous article which redefined V&V with sophistry that Remy's blog post was criticizing.

Gradually, you heard less people using fallacious reasoning of Sujato, and less people criticizing me and my correct interpretation of V&V.

So from my experience, especially if the subject requires some technical expertise to understand in the first place, if you try to tone down the truth in deference to some aribtrary standard of what is "approrpriate" in addressing an ordained monastic's wrong views, it just get completely ignored or quickly forgotten like with Remy's nice post.

It's the people who are persistent and patient enough to keep repeating the message with plain, direct language that doesn't downplay the severity of the crime, that finally get through to people.

Back in 2016 when Remy posted his polite critique, if you googled "vitakka and vicara in first jhana",

Sujato's article of wrong views on V&V and first jhāna came up

as the first option or one of the top options:

https://sujato.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/why-vitakka-doesnt-mean-thinking-in-jhana/

Now in 2023 you google again for "first jhana vitakka and vicara" the very first result is a suttacentral thread where I explain how Vism. and Sujato redefine it into a bowl full of wrong.

An article by Thanissaro (with correct V&V) is near the top, and Sujato's article you have to scroll down for a while before you get it.


What feels like intentional provocation and tabloid journalism to you (from my tone of criticizing recalcitrant monastics) , is only so because the normal "appropriate" style of critique towards monastics is so meek, deferential, and completely avoids anything that slightly sounds like a criticism even if its well deserved.


Prove me wrong. Show me examples where people being super meek and polite get things done and brings justice to criminals, and I'll happly dial my tone down some more.