[Buddha-l] Driving to religion

[Richard Hayes]

On Wed, 2007-12-26 at 09:08 -0800, Katherine Masis wrote:
> Richard Hayes wrote:
>    
>   "Better not to bother one's pretty head about all these things.
> Thinking about them only drives one to religion."
>    
>   Not in everyone's case.  Thinking about these things drives some to
> philosophy, and to meditation practice.

Being driven to philosophy is at least as bad as being driven to
religion. I don't think one can be driven to meditation. One has to walk
to get there. 

>   And if it drives some folks to religion, as it did in Paul Williams'
> case, so what?  

My sentiments exactly. Never has more of a pseudo-issue arisen on
buddha-l than the topic of Dr Williams's religious (or philosophical or
contemplative) preferences. The man is clearly driven by a set of
questions that (as he rightly observes) few Buddhists find worth
thinking about. So the right thing for him to do was to seek the company
of others who found those questions interesting enough to essay answers
to them.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico