[net.religion] Buddhist Philosophy

daveh@tekcrl.UUCP (Dave Hatcher) (09/06/86)

> brsutherland@watmum.UUCP (Bruce Sutherland)


>Not exactly Buddhist.  Although Buddhists believe in a more personal 
>relationship with their diety(ies), as I understand it, I have a fundamental
>difficulty with their philosophy.  The goal of a Buddhist in life to 
>to reach oneness with everything.  Unfortunately it is also built in to
>the religion that this state of perfection can never be reached.  It seems
>this is another quixotic case of trying to live on an ideal plane while being
>confined in an un-ideal body in a very un-ideal world.   

>----------------------------------------------
>Bruce Sutherland (somewhere at U. of Waterloo)

>	-  "I don't want a pickle, I just wanna ride my motorsickle"


  You are a little off the mark here. A Buddhist would say that living with
the un-ideal body or ego as the center of ones reality is what makes for an
un-ideal world. So a Buddhist learns to live with his essence as a starting
point to view the world. 

  That essence is called the uncarved stone. It is pure and untouched by all
of the garbage that the ego would like to define things to be. Its like the 
essence of a flower. The stuff that makes a flower a flower. Its pure and very
untouched by outer definition. 

   So a Buddhist then might say that if you  make the un-ideal body the 
beginning point of observation, you will see and relate to most everything 
in a less then an ideal perspective. Thus... The very un-ideal world.

   If you see love in others, you will treat them with love!

   Dave Hatcher