[Buddha-l] RE: Article of possible interest--correction

[L.S. Cousins]

This seems to me to be rather extraordinary cultural arrogance. How 
can a view which is so widespread in the world be simply dismissed as 
'a very peculiar view of the world' ?

Erik writes:
>We have obviously a person here who has learned to read and to 
>listen, but never learned to think and has a very peculiar view of 
>the world. I wonder if Rche would be able to pass a highschoolexam. 
>Still he imposes his quotes of wholy book on the mass of believers. 
>Reminds me of some politicians and of course the Pope.

Then:
At 10.01 am +0200 22/5/07, Joy Vriens wrote:
>The "Even though I personally feel this is a funny question" makes 
>me sigh, because I feel the student, who apparently is a teacher 
>himself, is denying his own doubts and feels he has to add he thinks 
>it is a funny question, although he himself didn't seem to be able 
>to come up with a satisfying answer.

I interpret this entirely differently. At the end of the day 
knowledge of kamma, etc. is something you perceive the truth of 
through faith and  understand better only through a type of insight 
knowledge.

So I sympathize with the questioner because I often have the feeling 
that something dogmatic in western education makes it difficult to 
understand this kind of thing and so one often gives up on the task 
of explaining because it seems quite hopeless.

One thing can be said:

Theravada monks (and probably teachers in other traditions too) tend 
to talk about people as experiencing the results of their deeds when 
they feel that the listener needs more equanimity. If they feel that 
more loving-kindness or compassion is needed, they talk in other ways.

Either can deteriorate - whether into cold unfeelingness or into 
yucky sentimentality.

Lance Cousins