[Buddha-l] Nietzsche was a bachelor (was: Batchelor)

JKirkpatrick jkirk at spro.net
Thu May 20 14:38:12 MDT 2010


Thanks for bringing this up.
JK
=======
Interesting that in Zarathustra.Nietzche lifts a parable  from
Samyuttanikaya 268-169: 
 
"Bhikkhus, once there was an acrobat who set up his bamboo pole
and  called to his student, saying, "Come here and climb the pole
and stand on my shoulders," and the pupil did as he was told.
 
Then the bamboo acrobat said to his pupil, "Now, you take good
care of me and I'll take good care of you. By watching over and
protecting each other like this, we will show off our skills, get
a good fee, and safely descend from the bamboo pole."
 
At these words, the pupil said to his teacher, "Teacher, I don't
think I can do that. You look after yourself and I will look
after myself. If we both  watch and protect ourselves then we
will be able to show our art, get a good  fee, and safely descend
the bamboo pole."
 
The Blessed One said, "That was the correct thing to do in that
case:  Just as that pupil spoke to his master, when thinking, 'I
will protect  myself,' 
you must be mindful, and when thinking, 'I will protect others,'
you  must also be mindful.
 
Bhikkhus, protecting yourself, you protect others; protecting
others, you protect yourself.
 
And how is it that while protecting yourself you protect others?
By earnest practice, development, training, and making the most
of it. In this  way, when you protect yourself, you protect
others. And how do you protect others by protecting yourself? By
proper resolve {chanda), by non-violence,  by possessing a heart
of loving-kindness and compassion. In this way, protecting
others, you protect yourself.
 
Bhikkhus, when thinking, 'I will protect myself,' you must be
mindful.  
When thinking, 'I will protect others,' you must also be mindful.
In this way, protecting yourself can be called protecting others,
and protecting others can  be called protecting yourself."
 
Jack
 

>

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