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- Path: sparky!uunet!dziuxsolim.rutgers.edu!ruhets.rutgers.edu!farris
- From: farris@ruhets.rutgers.edu (Lorenzo Farris)
- Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.meta
- Subject: Re: Buddhism & Science
- Message-ID: <Jan.2.09.05.31.1993.29075@ruhets.rutgers.edu>
- Date: 2 Jan 93 14:05:31 GMT
- References: <memo.834816@cix.compulink.co.uk> <AG.92Dec31142758@bast.sics.se>
- Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
- Lines: 55
-
- In article <AG.92Dec31142758@bast.sics.se>, ag@sics.se (Anders G|ransson) writes:
- [lots deleted, including a discussion of a perceived
- self-contradiction in the texts of Buddhism]
- >
- > In my view then the idea (if meaningful at all) that the world
- > can be understood through pure logic has nothing at all to do
- > with Buddhism.
- >
-
- In my understanding of Buddhism, logic is quite integral. When one
- begins to make a prelimary examination of the texts of Buddhism, one
- will certainly find such inconsistencies. The reason for this, IMO,
- goes as follows.
-
- Buddhism is not simply a branch of philosophy. It is not meant to be a
- coherent and logical system of thought. Upon detailed examination, it
- may turn out to be, but that is not its primary function.
-
- Buddhism is a complex of techniques and philosophy for the purpose, in
- the short term, of ending mental suffering, and in the long term, of
- direct perception of Reality. (Both of these ideas are indeed vague,
- but the content of these ideas is not central to my argument.;)
-
- The various scriptures of Buddhism are geared towards different levels
- and temperaments of students of Buddhism. A 'beginning Buddhist' may
- be recommended to read the sutras regularly, as a means of learning
- proper conduct and attitude.
-
- A 'pedantic Buddhist' would get railed against, as his attachment to
- words keeps him from true wisdom.
-
- In Buddhism, logic is used in the beginning to get people to live
- rationally and in harmony.
-
- Later, it is used to discrimate between what is real and what is
- transient. A Buddhist logician says "this is not real, and that is not
- real."
-
- In esoteric buddhist teaching, certain knowledge cannot be transmitted
- by words, it must be given by a teacher, who transmits that knowledge
- through non-verbal means.
-
- The above is not meant as a statement of the truth of Buddhism, or
- anything else of the sort. I simply hoped to put into perspective some
- of the perceived inconsistencies in Buddhist scripture. If one really
- wants to get into Buddhism as a rational endeavor, s/he should study
- up on Buddhist logic, which I may have seen, but not in any formal
- sense.
-
- -Lorenzo
- --
- Happiness is just a ******************************
- remembrance away. * Lorenzo Farris *
- * farris@ruhets.rutgers.edu *
- ******************************
-