wex@ittvax.UUCP (06/16/83)
Alan Watt's last comments sparked an interest in me. I have done a little research into some Eastern philosophies (note: NOT religions. In the east, reverence is NOT worship in the western sense). While I am not familiar with Shintioism, I do know that Buddhism was majorly resposible for the practice of hara-kiri that Alan Watt referred to. Buddhism holds that from good can come only good, and from evil can come only evil. By this theory, if you took an important action, and it had evil consequences, then you were inherently an evil being, and therefore you were obligated to end your existence. This ending had two important features. First, there were the cermonies performed which were a form of apology to your revered ancestors for your failure. Additionally, if you owed allegiance of some form to anyone, then you must include an apology to them as well. (Mind you, I am aware that I am vastly oversimplifying an extremely complex topic.) Second, the ending of this life did not in any way mean a termination of the existence of your ki or spirit (Unfortunately, spirit is a totally inadequate word to capture what ki is. Please bear in mind that the soul as a distinct entity was a western invention, as were 'heaven' and 'hell.' Ki is more part of a natural, universal, not necessarily individual, force. Remember that in order to attainthe state of being known as Nirvana, it is necessary to surrender your individuality.) Well, this has been a rather long ramble, but I hope it has been informational. I would be interested to see comments on the thought of mandatory suicide as a means of starting over. Alan Wexelblat -------------- ittvax!wex or decvax!ucbvax!ittvax!wex@BERKELY
z@cca.UUCP (06/16/83)
As a practicing Buddhist for the last eight years, I would like to take great exception to Alan Wexelblat's article referring to hara-kiri. Nowhere in any Buddhist sect is it recommended that one commit suicide under any circumstances. Instead, Buddhists view suicide as being equivalent to murder. All Buddhists believe in reincarnation, and the effect of committing suicide is just to create far worse conditions for one's next life. Instead, it is recommended that an evil person do what he can in this life to atone for his evil karma and therefore avoid a miserable rebirth. This is not to say that hara-kiri was not practiced in Japan for the reasons described; it is merely to say that those reasons came from indigenous Japanese culture, not Buddhism. Steve Zimmerman
wex@ittvax.UUCP (06/17/83)
Ooops! Sorry, Mr. Zimmerman; I hope I have not offended you (or anyone else with my misinformation). I did preface the article with the caveat of "a \little/ research." However, it seems that even that little was incorrect. Again, I apologize. I would be interested to see you post your beleifs on the subject, though. Since all the previous opinions (that I have read) seem to come from a Western cultural base, it might be interesting to hear what someone with a different perspective has to say. --Alan ittvax!wex
rh@mit-eddi.UUCP (Randy Haskins) (06/24/83)
Mandatory suicide as a way of starting over. Sounds funky. I suppose that while I consider myself to have a great deal of Zen nature, I am not a Buddhist. (Bodhidharma went to China, ee-ie ee-ie oh). But seriously, one possible model is that life is a burden you must endure, and death is a rest you must earn. You haven't the right to end your life until your dharma is fulfilled, whatever it may be. I suppose my belief system has evolved as a blending of NT Christianity, a little of the Old-Testament-Butt-Kicking God of Wrath, and Zen. That accounts for any anomalies. don't-blame-me-if-you-don't-grok-my-religion Randy