[Buddha-l] Doxastic minimalism (was: flat earth?)

[jkirk]

…….We regard the rebirth story 

as one that cannot ever be tested and therefore a story the truth of which 

can never be known. Those of us who have been contaminated by the thinking
of 

such Pragmatists as Quine, Rorty and Putnam might even say "there is no
truth 

to the matter." That is, the story is a story and has whatever function it 

has quite independently of any considerations of its being true or false.

 

While rebirth (and perhaps other metaphysical narratives) may be dispensable


to many of us, my guess is that none of the four noble truths is
dispensable. 

We all, I am assuming, believe that distress exists, that it has causes,
that 

its causes can be eliminated (or at least palpably reduced) with the result 

of a palpable reduction of distress, and that there are reliable ways of 

reducing the causes of distress. And I also assume that all of us who call 

ourselves Buddhists see observance of the precepts as a core component of
the 

way of reducing the causes of distress. What more than what I have said here


is indispensable to the successful practice of Buddhism? To "many" (that is,


about four--Erik, Stephen, Joanna and me, and I'll bet even Doc Peavler as a


fifth) of us, nothing more is needed. Everything else is bells and whistles,


or (to use the more traditional Buddhist and Daoist phrase) feet added to
the 

snake.

 

-- 

Richard Hayes

Department of Philosophy

University of New Mexico

 

Very well put – but there is a way in which the concept of rebirth is, to my
mind anyway,  most valuable in assessing one’s tracking on the path, or not.
That’s what Buddhadasa wrote about it: rebirth happening repeatedly each
time we give way to one or all of the three poisons, not to leave out
kilesas of other kinds. To me this concept of rebirth does a good job of
rubbing in the profundity of the samsaara concept, and how very much it’s
with us, late or soon. When we are managing all right in maintaining
equanimity and the other brahma viharas, we are close to our aim of release
from dukkha and the sense of freedom (relief?) that goes with such a
release.  Such moments are sublime and don’t happen very often, because most
of us are too caught up in samsaara, one way or the other. Some of us do try
to maintain a practice of meditation and mindfulness in every- day life, an
activity that benefits our aim.

 

Buddhadasa’s rendering of the rebirth concept strikes me as bestowing
optimism and courage, much more so than the usual version that envisions a
new identity in some kind of existence after we die—a pie (or cow-pie) in
the sky notion that operates as a sword of Damocles hanging over thy or my
head while in this life, functioning as a carrot or a stick for the donkey. 

Buddhadasa’s idea strikes me as pragmatically verifiable, one can experience
it -- either while it is happening or after, and learn from it. The same
cannot be said for the unverifiable idea of rebirth in some new identity,
shape, or form, after death.  

 

Cheers, Joanna

 

 

 

 

 


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