[Buddha-l] Akālika Forum

[Vera, Pedro L.]

Joanna:

To further the quote:

"The scholar's essentially horizontal view of
things, seeking connexions in space and time, and his historical approach to
the texts, disqualify him from any possibility of understanding a Dhamma
that the Buddha himself has called *akālika*, 'timeless'. Only in a vertical
view, straight down into the abyss of his own personal existence, is a man
capable of apprehending the perilous insecurity of his situation; and only a
man who does apprehend this is prepared to listen to the Buddha's Teaching..."

Sounds like obscurantist nonsense to me, not unlike appealing to "revelation" or unquestioned obedience to authority. Maybe I just have a low threshold these days but I seem to have very little patience for appeals to unverifiable religious experience (regardless of the flavor of the religion).

Best regards,

Pedro