Marsha to dmb:
Maybe you should write to the various Buddhist communities to convince
them to refrain from stating that 'relative truth' is the conventional
way we perceive reality. Until then I'm not much interested in what you
think on cognitive relativism.
Andre:
You are passing the buck Marsha...as usual.
'Given that all things emerge from a kind of cosmic continuity, Buddhism
is well known for its emphasis on non-dualism. Instead of viewing the
world in terms of "good" versus "evil," "liberal" versus "conservative,"
"us" versus "them," Buddhism recognizes that the orientations and views
humans take stem from particular perspectives that each yield their own
conclusions (/perspective relativism/). Though this is a kind of
relativism, Buddhist morality avoids moral relativism by acknowledging
the Universal reality of interconnection and interdependence. A
Buddhist cannot act in any way he or she pleases, in a selfish manner,
because hurting others does not acknowledge this basic reality of
interconnection and interdependence. The acknowledgment of /perspective
relativism/ is useful for its practical applications in everyday life,
and to avoid the pitfalls of extremism that arise when one forgets he or
she can only view the world from his or her unique but limited
perspective. The Buddhist Path, a "Middle Path," rejects extremism.
When considering how to obtain reliable information from the world of
which we are part and parcel, Buddhism embraces three primary
epistemological (/how one comes to know/) methods:
1) testimony of an authority;
2) account of an authoritative text; and
3) personal experience (/experiential verification/)
All of these components must be considered, and no single source of
knowledge is sufficient to generate an informed understanding of the
world. However, method (3), experiential verification, plays a
particularly prominent role in Buddhism. This is often demonstrated in
the Buddha's famous admonition, "Be a light unto your selves." (Jim
Eubanks, Buddhist Principles)
Your stance on relative truth, relative cognitive truth or relativism in
general is very disingenuous Marsha. It shows that you do not even know
the basics of the Buddha's teachings nor of (your favorite) Nagarjuna.
How can the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path be regarded as
positing a relativist perspective in both thought and action? I would
suggest rather that they posit its opposite.
Maybe YOU should write to the Buddhist communities!
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