In this thread, questions have been raised about whether Kathy Sain (a.k.a. Armchair) took her own life or whether her death was accidental.
Here are the facts: We do not know the facts yet. The Whitman County Coroner does not know the facts yet.
I just spoke to the county health department. Kathy's death certificate is still pending. The coroner is waiting for toxicology reports to come back before he can make a statement regarding cause of death. This can take a month or longer.
OK, so NO ONE KNOWS definitively what happened. Not yet. So. Everyone. (mroaks, I'm looking at you) Please let's not get all accusatory about who's slandering whom.
I first used the phrase "ugly SGI rumor" or something to that effect. I want to clarify that.
In the past (and probably this is still true) when people left SGI or seriously questioned or challenged SGI, SGI members would spread rumors about that person. You know, rumors to the effect that he or she went crazy, became horribly ill, lost wealth, died a horrible death, or -- worst of all -- took his or her own life.
The thinking went: Leaving SGI is such a grievously self-destructive act -- tantamount to spiritual suicide! -- that actual suicide was soon to follow. This was/is an element of "fear indoctrination" in SGI; leaving the group is the same as a death sentence.
I seem to recall that when Byrd died last year, someone -- Alan S., I believe -- started posting statements online on the SGI board that Byrd had killed herself. Obviously, SGI fear indoctrination was hard at work. On the heels of being "disinvited" from SGI group activities by her SGI leaders, Byrd died. Claims that she committed suicide (and kept her altar in messy disarray, tipped over on the ground, or somesuch BS) struck me as Ugly SGI Rumors.
In my lexicon, Ugly SGI Rumors are meant to insult or hurt former members and act as a cautionary/fear/shunning mechanism for current members.
Back to Kathy. I just saw this post where one SGI member objected to another SGI member's claim that Kathy was "losing her grip on reality." I agree that's a nasty thing to say about Kathy. I would call that an ugly SGI rumor. I don't see anyone saying similar things on this board, however.
Let's keep it that way. And let's wait for the toxicology results before we claim to know the facts about how Kathy died.
2 comments
I don't know how the subject of "ugly SGI rumors" came up, but perpetuating the false rumor that someone committed suicide is pretty ugly, period, regardless of affiliation. Further, I am reading elsewhere (not here) just the opposite sort of thing ... statements that Kathy died because she was practicing Buddhism incorrectly with the SGI and did not understand true Buddhism because of the SGI, so that was her punishment. It was inevitable. When anyone else dies, it's because people die ... when an SGI member dies, it's because he or she was an SGI member. Please.Anyway, thanks for this post, deardenver. Regardless of how Kathy died, I do think it's a shame to have a debate like this sully her memory, but I did not feel it appropriate to let that (what I understand as false) allegation about her death go unchallenged. No matter what happened, whether it was suicide or an accident, I still deeply respect her and know she was just like the rest of us. We all suffer, we all die, and we all do our best in our practice given our individual circumstances. haiko
OK, I realize this isn't about me. still, I feel like I need to say something about my intent here.When I read that Kathy was thought to have taken her own life, I found that supposition to be perfectly plausible and not at odds with what I knew from Armchair's posts. I did not know her personally, and maybe it's horribly insulting for me to think, yes, she was capable of suicide. But that's what I thought. Many others who read this board and other online communities thought the same thing. So it's not as if I was making wild assumptions.I did not mean my eulogy as a slander of Armchair's life. I don't see suicide as some horrible sin or a sign of degenerate Buddhist faith. I see it as a very human act, an unfortunate act, one that I would never want anyone to do. But I can't hold it against anyone. (I do believe that terminally ill people should be allowed the freedom to choose assisted suicide, for instance.)I did not intend my eulogy to imply anything about the state of Armchair's faith and practice. Her passing doesn't "prove" anything about SGI, or any other group. I was not using her death as fodder for the petty, rotten disputes that rage on other message boards.For those who are offended that I made reference to suicide, I do understand why you were offended. I jumped to conclusions before all the facts were available. I regret that.Regardless of how Kathy died, I regret that she is gone. She contributed to our community, and some of us may have taken her participation for granted, or minimized her participation in some way. I regret all of that, too.