isbell@marvin.DEC (Chris Isbell ) (04/10/84)
[]
I have been wondering how to answer requests for information on
Buddhism. I do not wish to become a member of the group filling
net.religion with their own views and opinions, hitting at any point of
view which is slightly different to their own beliefs.
It seems a reasonable assumption that every one in this news group has
access to a Bible, but very few people have access to the Buddhist
Scriptures. There is a book of short verses called the Dhammapada. I
have selected a number of items from this for posting to net.religion.
Please send me mail if you wish to comment on my intention to post short
selections on an irregular basis.
May all beings be at peace.
Chris Isbell.
(...decvax!decwrl!rhea!marvin!isbell)
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Though much he recites the Sacred Texts but acts not
accordingly, that heedless man is like a cowherd who counts
others' kine: he has no share in the blessings of a recluse.
Though little he recites the Sacred Texts but acts in accordance
with the Teaching, and forsaking lust, hatred, and ignorance,
truly knowing, with mind totally freed, clinging to naught here
and hereafter, he shares the blessings of a recluse.
(Verses 19 and 20 of the Dhammapada, translated by Venerable Narada Maha
Thera.)walsh@ihuxi.UUCP (B. Walsh) (04/10/84)
Chris Isbell apparently has been receiving requests for Buddhist text references. I'd recommend "The Teachings of the Compassionate Buddha" which is available in paperback. This is better for those who've had no other introduction to Buddhism, because it contains explanations as well as the Dhammapada. Really, to understand Buddhism, one has to change their way of looking at things in general, which is very difficult. A good book to read to help here is "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert Pirsig. The eastern religions, Hinduism and its offshoot, Buddhism, start with a different assumption than what we in the west have been taught: wisdom or intellectual knowledge is foremost, while Judeo-Christian religions hold faith and emotion to be highest. This is not meant to be a judgement on my part, I am not criticizing either. I am just pointing out the basic underlying differences. Questions are welcome, B. Walsh
wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (04/10/84)
[] For Budhist information, proceed to your nearest airport and ...:-)..
rej@cornell.UUCP (Ralph Johnson) (04/11/84)
(paraphrase) In eastern religions, wisdom or intellectual knowledge is
foremost, while Judeo-Christian religions hold faith and emotion to be
highest.
The preceeding is a very poor characterization of Judeo-Christian religions,
and probably of Hinduism and Budhism, as well. Judaism has an extremely
high regard for intellectual understanding of Jewish scriptures, with an
emphasis on obeying God. While Christianity places a great deal of emphasis
on faith, emotion is rarely considered important. Perhaps you are mistaking
the reliance some groups place on religious experiences with emotion. Also,
many Christian groups place great emphasis on "love", and you may consider
love an emotion (they do not). Wisdom is generally characterised in western
religions as obedience to God.
Many eastern religions, on the other hand, seem a-rational. Certainly Zen
is. The purpose of koans is to free one's mind from the bounds of
rationality. Yoga is another discipline for the purpose of training body
and mind to transcend normal limitations. What is the rationality
inherent in Hare Krishna? It is true, westerners have a hard time
understanding eastern religions. This is because the central premise of
many of them is that life is bad, and must be escaped. Only by freeing one's
mind from the illusion of reality can one escape the bonds of the eternal
cycle of reincarnation. We tend to think that life is wonderful, and worth
living, so it is hard to really understand the eastern religions.
Ralph Johnson {decvax,ihnp4,harpo, ...}!cornell!rejwalsh@ihuxi.UUCP (B. Walsh) (04/11/84)
I will attempt to clarify my very brief statement of eastern vs. western values. The statement was very broad and general, because I cannot give a comprehensive explanation here, and I wanted to capture the essence of underlying principles in a nutshell. Ralph Johnson states: "Judaism has an extremely high regard for intellectual undertanding of Jewish scriptures, with an emphasis on obeying God" This is precisely why I said the main emphasis is on faith. The Jewish scriptures are filled with exhortations to be faithful. A high regard for understanding the scriptures is secondary to having the faith that they extoll. Obeying God of course requires faith in Him. R. J.: "Many eastern religions ... seem a-rational". That is the problem most westerners have; understanding eastern religions intellectually. Knowledge of reality is requisite for Hindus and Buddhists. Reality is different, however, in those religions. Westerners think flower arranging or other practices of Zen Buddhists are irrational: "What's the point?". To a Buddhist, western attachments are totally irrational. It all depends on your knowledge of reality. This is why knowledge is foremost in the eastern religions. There is also room for emotion; these are pragmatic religions and have something for every- one. Bhakti yoga is the yoga of devotion or love for the Hindu. Mahayana yaBuddhism is very emotional. It is also very interesting that these two are also the most popular of the respective religions. People are basically emotional beings and these religions recognize that, and so accomodate them with a vehicle that uses emotion. But still, under all that, the knowledge is necessary and that is why I said knowledge is foremost to them. By the way, the mind-control necessary for Hana yoga is highly regarded as it gets one beyond the apparent world of mind and body, which is temporary and therefore unimportant, and into the inner layers of the person and toward the Eternal. (A Hindu point of view). I do not intend to take any particular position; I'm merely pointing out different beliefs (they're not necessarily my own). So comments are welcome, I won't be offended! B. Walsh
walsh@ihuxi.UUCP (B. Walsh) (04/11/84)
In my previous reply to Ralph Johnson, I neglected some of his statements and will now address those: R. J.: "...westerners have a hard time understanding eastern religions. This is because the central premise of many of them is that life is bad, and must be escaped. ...we tend to think that life is wonderful and worth living..." I think here you're referring to Buddhism; the first of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism is that life is filled with suffering. But, the other three noble truths go on to say what causes that suffering, suffering can be overcome, and how to overcome it. This is clearly not the same as saying "Life is bad." Don't all religions say there exists a problem, here's the cause, and here's how to overcome that problem? I mean, if life was perfectly wonderful without religion, we wouldn't need it. In the Bible, life is not depicted as a bed of roses. There is sin and suffering, but they can be overcome. In Hinduism, the everyday life can be unfulfilling to those who've reached a certain level; this causes suffering but can be overcome. In Buddhism, not seeing reality causes suffering, but can be overcome. If life was not worth living, these religions would not go about giving people means to overcome their problems. They would just have everyone kill themselves. But according to most religions, life becomes more wonderful if you prescribe to the religion. B. Walsh