[Buddha-l] Batchelor

JKirkpatrick jkirk at spro.net
Wed May 19 16:56:00 MDT 2010


Hi Joy
I ignore anything anyone says about existentialism. period.

Joanna 

-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of Joy
Vriens
Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2010 2:43 AM
To: Buddhist discussion forum
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] Batchelor

Hi Joanna,



>
> There is something in SB' discourse and reasoning that
displeases me 
> and
that I can't put my finger on. I don't know what he exactly means
by Buddhist existentialism, but I don't like the existential
approach of being caught and stuck in an existence from which no
escape is possible except through death. First, I don't believe
that is true.

Second, there are different degrees of adhering to what "really"
happens ("reality", what really happens as it happens in regard
to what when there is no unconditioned reference point?). Even if
existence is all there is, why would one be obliged to adhere and
would the refusal to adhere or simply not adhering be considered
as a flight? How much adherence is needed in order to not be
considered as some sort of a deserter and what is one exactly
supposed to be deserting from? Are we supposed to think every
second of our existence that we are stuck and conditioned and to
keep our noses right on the grindstone and would not doing this
constitute a case of "fleeing the difficult reality"? Ridiculous.
And what "reality" is one supposed to be fleeing from exactly?
How do "difficult reality" and distraction from "it" relate to
each other in contingency?
It seems to me that although there is no Unconditioned for SB,
there is something very real and fix about this "reality", that
people want to flee and keep fleeing from. "Reality of
experience". Experience is experience.
What does reality have to with it? What does reality have to with
anything at all in a contingent world? What is the link between
reality and the hypothetical adherence to it?

Joy
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