Mark, I understand. Buddhism offers rationality AND meditation to understand and experience for yourself. I believe what you are pointing to is that Buddhism is empty, Emptiness is empty. Buddhism, in its rationality (wisdom), does not escape the reification process. Buddhism, too, is a pointing to the Moon.
Marsha On Nov 30, 2010, at 8:46 PM, 118 wrote: > Hi Marsha, > > I wouldn't say that Buddhism and Science have different goals. Both attempt > at providing a meaningful understanding. Science is easier to share than > Buddhism, but it is more objective. > > What is interesting with both disciplines is the use of words for ownership. > A while ago I pointed out that back nearer the beginning of written words > the Egyptians considered that to name something is to own it. This is no > different from Science today. If we create a bunch of words to explain > something, we seem to own it, and can easily dismiss any mysterious > ownership. Yes, the sun is a ball of flaming gas, etc., etc. We have done > nothing more than add a bunch of words, but by doing so, we essentially own > the sun, and have to go forth to find more things to own. If a mystery is > explained, it loses its flavor, but such a thing is just the illusion of > ownership. This is why there is such antagonism of defining things such as > God and Quality. We should not own these things. > > Buddhism is no different in this sense. It creates concepts and words to > describe our existence. By doing so, it claims full release from an endless > cycle. But it would seem to me that it is simply putting existence into a > cage. Of course, once you are there, you can dismiss the words as no longer > essential. Science also has this capability. When was the last time you > described your computer? > > Mark > > On Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 1:55 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> "Over the last twenty years, a dialogue has been conducted between >> Buddhism and science, largely because of an interest in science shown by >> certain Buddhist thinkers, notably the Dalai Lama... >> >> "The Main difference between the pursuit of knowledge in science versus >> the same pursuit in Buddhism is their ultimate goals. In Buddhism, >> knowledge is acquired essentially for _therapeutic_ purposes. The objective >> is to free ourselves from the suffering that is caused by our undue >> attachment to the apparent reality of the external world and by our >> servitude to our individual egos, which we imagine reside at the center of >> our being. >> >> "Buddhism stresses the importance of elucidating the nature of the >> mind through direct contemplative experience. Over the centuries it has >> devised a profound and rigorous approach to understanding mental states and >> the ultimate nature of mind. THe mind is behind every experience in life. >> It is also what determines the way we see the world. It takes only the >> slightest change in our minds, in how we deal with mental states and >> perceive people and things, for "our" world to be turned completely >> upside-down. >> >> "Profound as the findings of Buddhism are, it is important to keep in >> mind as you read this book that the Buddha's teachings are not dogmatic. >> THe teachings should be considered as the insights of a guidebook... >> Buddhism stands ready to revise its beliefs at any moment if they are >> proved to be wrong..." >> >> >> ('Mathieu Ricard & Trinh Xuan Thuan, 'The Quantum and the Lotus: A >> Journey to the Frontiers Where Science and Buddhism Meet',pp.2-3) >> >> ___ >> >> >> Moq_Discuss mailing list >> Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. >> http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org >> Archives: >> http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ >> http://moq.org/md/archives.html >> > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html ___ Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
