[Buddha-l] A question for Jewish Buddhists

[Joel Tatelman]

> Richard,
>
>> When Jewish people take up Buddhism, do they experience a conflict
>> over this teaching about the relative seriousness of an indiscretion
>> depending on the overall character of the person being indiscreet?


Of the two traditional positions, Buddhist and Jewish, the latter  
makes a lot more sense to me. My very simplistic take on it is that  
the more "authoritative" or high-status or influential a person, the  
more impact his or her actions have and therefore the more serious  
are his or her misdeeds.  And while I appreciate the Buddhist  
valuation of the quality of the intention that induces one to act,  
causing other beings suffering is what it is.

If I am (supposedly--how does one assess this?) a spiritually  
advanced being or, say, hold influential public office, such  
unskilful deeds of body, speech and mind as I commit--no matter what  
the intention that engendered them--are likely to cause more  
suffering or inspire/be used to justify more unskilfulness with more  
serious consequences than if I am not. And such a position, it seems  
to me, accords quite well with "general" Buddhist teaching, if not  
with certain scholastic analyses or interpretations of it.

Anyway, skilful or not, it's back to the new Lucinda Williams CD...

Cheers,

Joel Tatelman
>