[Buddha-l] Re: Ethics and the four way test

[Benito Carral]

On Monday, March 14, 2005, Mike Austin wrote:

> In  theistic  religions,  such as Judaism, is there no onus on
> the follower to enquire and understand? I asked a Muslim about
> the practice of Islam and he told me [...]

   I can't tell you about "theistic religions, such as Judaism,"
I  can  tell  you  about  Judaism.  I  will quote for you from a
standard introduction to Jewish way of life:

     The  reasons  for  the mitzot (_taamei hamitzvot_) occupied
     the  attention  of  all  the  grat  scholars  and rabbis of
     Israel.  A  great  body  of  literature  was built up whose
     purpose  was to explain the reasons for all the laws of the
     Torah, as well as for the many regulations and customs that
     have  grown  up  in the course of Jewish history. The Torah
     itself  does  not  offer  specific  reasons for most of the
     commandments.  While reasons often suggested by the Earlier
     and  Later  Authorities,  their  views were not regarded as
     necessarily  correct  or  valid.  The greater the rabbi and
     scholar,  the  more  his explanations and reasoning carried
     weight,  but  in  no  instance did they assume the level of
     imposed  doctrine.  Sages  who  lived in different ages and
     under   different  conditions  would  often  see  different
     purposes,  different  reasons for the observance of this or
     that  particular  law.  Rather  than  detracting  from  the
     validity  of  tha  law,  such  variety  of explanation only
     provided  added  testimony  that the Torah was indeed a law
     for  all  time,  "throughout  your  generations,  a statute
     forever."  Despite  changing, conditions and circumstances,
     it  was  ever  meaningful  and relevant to those who delved
     into it and sought to understand it.

        The  only  reason  that  a  devout  Jew  needs  for  the
     observance  of any of the commandments--however they may be
     classified--is  that  they  reflect  the will of God. As an
     obedient  servant of the Lord, it is his duty to carry them
     out.  However,  this has never stopped the Jew from _trying
     to  understand  the  reasons_  for  the  various  laws  and
     commandments.  By  searhing for the reasons, he felt he was
     frawing  himself  closer to the Mind of the Divine, that he
     was   thereby   raising   himself  spiritually.  Only  when
     confronted  by  a  statute whose reason totally escaped him
     (such  statutes  are  called  _hukim_ in the Torah), did he
     resort  to  that ultimate reason: this is what God wants of
     us.  The inability to grasp a sensible purpose or to find a
     reason  was never used by a man of faith as the pretext for
     discarding  the  observance  or  even for asserting that no
     reason  and  no  purpose  existed.  One  either gave up and
     admitted  his  limitations, or continued trying even harder
     to discover the meaning and purpose.

                        Rabbi Hayim Halevi Donin, _To Be a Jew._

   Of  course, Judaism is not Buddhism, and we should understand
them in their own terms (to keep the post in-topic).

   Best wishes,

   Beni