thanks for this post Bob

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Posted by giveawayboy on February 19, 2003 at 00:59:52:

In Reply to: Re: well, posted by Bob - the Alien on February 19, 2003 at 00:34:05:

Thanks for posting this Bob. I'll try to give short answers, but am open to further dialogue.

: Bill Said:
: "I don't believe everything that the Buddhists teach."

: Quesiton for Bill, then:
: "Which Buddhists??"

well I could list a few, but I'll just say Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (one of my favorite writers) and of course The Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh.

: Most buddhists acknowledge that there are two levels of teachings... the core beliefs of buddhism, and then all the rituals and other crap that each individual tradition layers on top of that. Anything that falls into that second layer can readily be rejected as crap, and no real buddhist will even blink twice at you for it.

Exactly. Agreed. I'm 100% with you here.

: Just FYI, there is as of yet no such thing as American Buddhism. Americans are still trying to sort through all the traditions to figure out what works for them. When that process is done... and it will probably be many many many many years, then there may be a tradition that truly works for people like you and I. Until then, you really have to pick and choose what works for you and mold it to yourself.

Exactly, I've been reading about this American development process. I know what you mean about us picking and choosing. It's almost like we have to construct a vehicle for Dharma practice here. Hey, I'm no expert since I'm not really one of the ones contributing to this movement. Still, it will be interesting to see how it blossoms.

: Note that this only applies to Buddhism.... not to other religions. Picking and choosing parts of other religions can be problematic. The difference lies in the fact that buddhism is Not a religion at heart... it is a code of ethics, on top of which religions have been built.

Exactly, this is why when I wrote to ~N~ I described Hinduism as a 'religion' and did not use the same language w reference to Buddhism. I appreciate the Dalai Lama for his proper understanding of this. He urges us to learn from each other's traditions, but not to blend them irresponsibly or unreasonably. He thinks it is good not to confuse differing belief systems. He also is a HUGE advocate of sharing between religious or cultural groups. He models this in his interactions with people of many faiths and cultures.

Thanks for your post. Bill

Follow Ups:

Re: thanks for this post Bob Bob - the Alie 01:22:10 02/19/03 (2)
- one more before bed giveawayboy 01:42:31 02/19/03 (1)
  - what I meant to say giveawayboy 07:40:18 02/19/03 (0)

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: Thanks for posting this Bob. I'll try to give short answers, but am open to further dialogue. : : Bill Said: : : "I don't believe everything that the Buddhists teach." : : Quesiton for Bill, then: : : "Which Buddhists??" : well I could list a few, but I'll just say Geshe Kelsang Gyatso (one of my favorite writers) and of course The Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh. : : Most buddhists acknowledge that there are two levels of teachings... the core beliefs of buddhism, and then all the rituals and other crap that each individual tradition layers on top of that. Anything that falls into that second layer can readily be rejected as crap, and no real buddhist will even blink twice at you for it. : Exactly. Agreed. I'm 100% with you here. : : Just FYI, there is as of yet no such thing as American Buddhism. Americans are still trying to sort through all the traditions to figure out what works for them. When that process is done... and it will probably be many many many many years, then there may be a tradition that truly works for people like you and I. Until then, you really have to pick and choose what works for you and mold it to yourself. : Exactly, I've been reading about this American development process. I know what you mean about us picking and choosing. It's almost like we have to construct a vehicle for Dharma practice here. Hey, I'm no expert since I'm not really one of the ones contributing to this movement. Still, it will be interesting to see how it blossoms. : : Note that this only applies to Buddhism.... not to other religions. Picking and choosing parts of other religions can be problematic. The difference lies in the fact that buddhism is Not a religion at heart... it is a code of ethics, on top of which religions have been built. : Exactly, this is why when I wrote to ~N~ I described Hinduism as a 'religion' and did not use the same language w reference to Buddhism. I appreciate the Dalai Lama for his proper understanding of this. He urges us to learn from each other's traditions, but not to blend them irresponsibly or unreasonably. He thinks it is good not to confuse differing belief systems. He also is a HUGE advocate of sharing between religious or cultural groups. He models this in his interactions with people of many faiths and cultures. : Thanks for your post. Bill

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