[Buddha-l] Ethics and the ten commandments

[Evelyn Ruut]

On Monday, March 14, 2005, Evelyn Ruut wrote:

> All  these  things  like  the  golden  rule, the ten
> commandments  and the four way test are just to help
> us  sort  out how to cause the least possible misery
> to others as we go about in the world.

   This  is  only  partially true. For example, if you
ask  an  orthodox  Jew,  he will tell you that the ten
commandments  come  from  G-d and that he follows them
just  because that reason. There are also laws that he
doesn't  understand at all and he follows them because
they  come  from  G-d. For a Jew, the ten commandments
are  an  essential part of his metanarrative. So maybe
they  are  just  to  help us sort out how to cause the
least  possible missey to others for you, but yours is
not an universal reading.
Best wishes,
Beni

Of course you are right, Beni, my comments are purely my own opinion.   Perhaps I should have prefaced my comments with a disclaimer of some kind.   So in that vein, let me clarify;  I am not a Jew nor am I a Muslim, nor am I any longer a Christian, and since I only speak for myself, just about anything I say is purely my own "take" on things.    I was incorrect in assuming that since this was a buddhist discussion list, that it might have been a given that I am a buddhist of sorts.   I hope I haven't offended anyone around here:-)


Best Regards,

Evelyn
 
"Since everything is but an apparition, perfect in being what it is, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst into laughter."    –Longchenpa
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