Edgar,
I think when Buddha first taught, people thought he might just be an eccentric.
And look at the traipsings of the traditionally playful Hotei. So I agree
there may be a fine line, here.
In the main, I still defer to practitioners, and not to outside judges, ...who
practice something else.
No, my statement is not "nonsense".
Of course, people on the outside judge for themselves about whether a practice
may be suited for them to take up personally.
Outsiders are not qualified to judge how the genuineness of the Wisdom attained
by those practicing may be affected by changes, say, in knowledge in fields not
applicable to the unfolding of Human Wisdom, or which do not impinge on that
process (although one never knows what influence in particular may be one to
light one's Dharma candle).
And I doubt that new knowledge of any sort has any such effect on the opening
of the Human Heart, and the realization of our full Human inheritance. In the
Zen sect, it's established that Zazen is essential to eventual
sudden-awakening, and not knowledge; and there are at least a dozen or two
other practices that cooperate.
--Joe
> Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote:
>
> Joe,
>
> Your saying that "No one but a practitioner in a tradition can say that the
> tradition no longer has "the best truth". "
> is nonsense. All kinds of nutcase cult followers would claim their tradition
> is the best and only truth and that all the other ones didn't. There are
> objective standards of truth...
>
> Edgar
>
>
> On Jul 1, 2013, at 12:00 PM, Joe wrote:
>
> > Edgar,
> >
> > Wisdom is carried, through the work of the traditions.
> >
> > They are vessels, vehicles, and delivery-systems of methods, techniques.
> >
> > It's the teaching ways of the traditions that changes, nimbly, to suit the
> > time and place. I think little basis changes.
> >
> > That is my view!
> >
> > No one but a practitioner in a tradition can say that the tradition no
> > longer has "the best truth". That's apples and oranges. Just because video
> > games have been invented and have become popular with a certain set, that
> > does not mean that Baseball is to be criticized, deprecated, or rejected.
> > Both are systems of having fun, probably. One is also good physical
> > exercise, social, and sportsman-ly.
> >
> > When I speak about "practice" in the Wisdom traditions, I mean specifically
> > in the mystical wings or branches of the traditions. It's these I give my
> > attention to, and my view is that it is through the mystical wings or
> > branches of practice that Wisdom is contained, carried, and stimulated to
> > be discovered, in PRACTITIONERS.
> >
> > I view Zen Buddhism as a particularly purified (in the sense of distilled
> > and concentrated to a nearly neutral elixir, almost generically applicable
> > by Humans of any culture) system of practice. Sufism is close to this, I
> > feel. And certain streams of Christian Contemplative practice. I know too
> > little about Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Hinduism, and have not myself
> > practiced in their mystical wings.
> >
> > By the way, Elders and Teachers in the Wisdom traditions receive "new
> > knowledge", just as you and I do. And those folks roll with the times, too,
> > and can incorporate the new knowledge into skilful means with which to
> > continue to help students. My old Tai Chi teacher Da Liu was still doing
> > this late into his 90's: he'd recite some articles in "The Science Times"
> > section of THE NEW YORK TIMES to us during rest breaks between repetitions
> > of the Tai Chi form, and always tied-in Taoist views with the new
> > revelations of Medical science, etc., in the newspaper I'd say that the
> > "New" invigorated the "Old", and cast it in a "local" and "contemporary"
> > light; and, I'd say the Old is never old when it's alive in a sincere
> > practitioner. Wisdom does not go out of date, if it is Wisdom.
> >
> > Thanks!, for a good question.
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