[Buddha-l] Western Buddhism

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Richard Hayes schreef:
> As is almost always the case when there is a disagreement between me and a 
> priest of any religion, I'm right.
>   
That's what any priest would also say, the difference is only in the 
eye, sorry 'I'. And as we Buddhists know, there ain't such a thing, so 
the disagreement seems to be an illusion.
Another thing about Western Buddhism: if there would be such a thing, it 
would be the first Buddhism that lives with science. In our world 
reading the Heart Sutra a hundred times doesn't cure a sick person but 
an operation does. Reading het Heart Sutra is pure romanticism. Even the 
Asian Buddhist teachers prefer the hospital to the Heart Sutra. This is 
new. Even the value and authenticity of Buddhist texts is decided upon 
by scientists and not by hierofants. Being enlightened doesn't give you 
more knowledge about the world, having a computer does. So I think that 
Western Buddhism has to be more pure, more concentrated on Buddhist 
values and virtues.
Modern thought turned devotion into romanticism, postmodern thought 
turns ritual into play and philosophy is not the highway to Truth, but 
just the best way to keep conversation going.


-- 


Erik

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