[Buddha-l] The Toulmiin link [Prebyters}

jkirk jkirk at spro.net
Mon Aug 10 15:46:50 MDT 2009


Funnnneeeeee.
Continuing, this typo "So other adhidharma experts.."
serendipitously suggests that adhidharma is the mode on Buddha-L.
JK 

=========

On Aug 10, 2009, at 1:20 PM, Jim Peavler wrote:

> I meant to mention that perhaps Buddha wouldn't approve of
shooting 
> scotsmen on sight.

The Buddha was not generally in favor of taking the life of
sentient beings. Whether that covers Scots or not has never been
decided.

You may be one of the few people alive who would be interested to
know that one of the questions that caused enormous conflict in
the Indian abhidharma tradition was whether a kilt has one color
or many. Some argued that a kilt has many colors. And since a
single color is a single dharma, it follows that a piece of plaid
cloth has many dharmas. What a stir THAT caused, since it would
mean that a Scot's kilt has more dharmas than a monk's robe. That
would obviously never do. So other adhidharma experts came to the
rescue and argued that a kilt is made up of a single color,
called "variegated (citra)". That great punster Dharmakīrti said
that this doctrine was indeed very "citra" (a word that means not
only variegated but astonishing).  
Imagine what a headache it is to translate a Sanskrit punster
into English. Makes me think maybe punsters should be kilt. But I
digress.  
The main point is that the Scots with their kilts almost caused a
schism in Buddhism. You can be sure that if Schopen knew anything
about abhidharma, he would write a book about the Scottish
Buddhist schism. It would have a title like the Ochre Orthodox
Meets the Gaelic Gotamids.

Richard






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