tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432531249746000648.post1987938970240656090..comments2023-10-22T03:25:32.826-07:00Comments on <center> Epicurus in Exile</center>: [pc monk] A barrier to BuddhaWalaka of Earth 2http://www.blogger.com/profile/15937932225623126280noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432531249746000648.post-15981772433921961302008-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:002008-09-07T17:47:00.000-07:00Here is the comment left by Jon when this post fir...<I>Here is the comment left by Jon when this post first appeared on another blog:</I><BR/><BR/>While I agree that you cannot cherry pick if you want to embrace something, several things come to mind. Firstly, there are many traditions and ‘versions’ of whatever it is that Buddhism is. Rather like Christianity, which is named after its supposed founder in a way that might have surprised and disappointed him, I am not sure the Buddha would have necessarily recognized some of the things that are done in his name. What the Buddha left was a brief but complete system for overcoming the suffering that we all feel. Yet like some of the zen koans that were created centuries later, their power lies in the need to interpret what they mean. One problem with all that we say that the Buddha said though, is that initially it was transmitted orally and not recorded until much later, adding to the potential for (mis)interpretation. I think one ‘message’ that does come through is that we should not seek to copy him but to find our own path to accepting and avoiding suffering.<BR/><BR/>I also think the concept of the Universal Soul or Atman is more a Hindu tradition that the Buddha rejected.<BR/><BR/>I have chosen to investigate the path of zen and I have to say that I have not found anything that asks me to believe in anything about a god-thing that created the universe. When asked himself about questions like where does the universe come from, how was it created and what was there before, the Buddha told the story of the man wounded by the poisoned arrow asking whether he would first question his doctor as to who shot the arrow, where and how the poison was made or would he ask the doctor to pull out the arrow. Life does not depend on the knowing how we got here or what will happen after we are gone. Whether we hold these views about these things or not, there is still suffering, sorrow, old age, sickness, and death.<BR/><BR/>A book that you might like to read if you haven’t already is:<BR/><BR/>What the Buddha Taught by Walpola RahulaWalaka of Earth 2https://www.blogger.com/profile/15937932225623126280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432531249746000648.post-9552088814743203792008-09-02T16:31:00.000-07:002008-09-02T16:31:00.000-07:00I can cut and paste your comment over and will do,...I can cut and paste your comment over and will do, since you asked.<BR/><BR/>Anther piece is on its way.Walaka of Earth 2https://www.blogger.com/profile/15937932225623126280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432531249746000648.post-10252554413773946672008-09-02T16:11:00.000-07:002008-09-02T16:11:00.000-07:00Is there an easy way for you to republish the comm...Is there an easy way for you to republish the comments made on the Wordpress blog about this posting because I think they were worth reading (and pardon my lack of modesty as I wrote one of them). <BR/><BR/>It would also be interesting to hear your response - or (by posting this piece again), do you still feel the same way as you did?Jon Myershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14818994066905620457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7432531249746000648.post-85512039210908317972008-09-02T15:56:00.000-07:002008-09-02T15:56:00.000-07:00"What happens to the integrity when we cherry pick..."What happens to the integrity when we cherry pick parts of a religion instead of accepting the whole package?"<BR/><BR/>In my experience, the integrity increases. "Cherry picking" is our modern way of embracing what makes sense and reforming what we find archaic or objectionable. This is how we progress as a people.<BR/><BR/>The only danger I can see is rejecting things too quickly rather than exploring them thoroughly before dismissing them. When it comes to the mythology of any religion (be it Jesus' resurrection or the universe sprouting out of a belly button) I take it as metaphor... designed to give us a working picture of how things work. It can be useful for those literally minded folks who like to have a picture in their minds of how things work.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14226555790210323906noreply@blogger.com