Joe, I hear what you are saying, but I think Buddhism as it is presented today is way too complicated and complex. But of course that's why I'm drawn to zen. Nothing complicated or complex there. Just THIS!
...Bill! --- In [email protected], "Joe" <desert_woodworker@...> wrote: > > Bill!, > > No, every generation makes some changes in how they teach, "live", and in the > records they write down, or that others write about them. > > I just found it odd that you should take the Buddha to task for beginning the > teaching in his day of an entirely new system with a simple outline, instead > of an immediately minutely detailed one which might take hours for him to > recite to Hearers. > > His first people were "Hearers", Stream-Enterers", and so they can be today. > Maybe you and I both were, back in the day. > > I suspect he knew something about pedagogy, and that what he "knew" was > entirely informed by the Wisdom dawned in him; and, he was teaching from the > Heart. He had to start somewhere and with something. His start was like the > Preamble of a founding document. He taught a "graspable" skeleton, perhaps > based on the model from Hinduism, but intended to distinguish itself from > Hinduism. His students and hearers were Hindu. > > (Why didn't the Pointillists use twice the number of pixelated "dots" in > their paintings, why just 11,391?) > > And from a Mind seeing no divisions between anything(s), but only the > interconnectedness, he was able to call out EIGHT. Quite an achievement! > And he gave them as useful tools to people, as a start to practice, or to > draw them to practice. > > Compassion made him do it. > > Has this become outdated? I think not by a long shot. > > Let's remember, too, that "words are goads": A hearing and appreciation of > the Eightfold Path -- or a more manifold Path -- is not yet Practice. > > The history of Buddhism is a history of Change. And a big teaching of the > tradition -- and it is yet a tradition -- has to do with "Change". All quite > remarkable, one of the more remarkable things on Earth, and directly > concerning Humans' lives. > > --Joe > > > "Bill!" <BillSmart@> wrote: > > > > Joe, > > > > So are you saying that we should not make any attempts to modernize and > > make more relevant the mode of explanations and teachings from that of 2500 > > years ago? > > > > If that were the case in your line of work (astronomy) wouldn't we still be > > locked into the earth as being flat and the center of the universe, and the > > stars other heavenly bodies were actual gods? > > > > ...Bill! > > > > --- In [email protected], "Joe" <desert_woodworker@> wrote: > > > > > > Bill!, > > > > > > You might not be among the fortunate who lived 2500 years ago, when > > > literacy was the exception. > > > > > > The skilful ways of the ancestors might be hard for an English-Major to > > > comprehend! > > > > > > Breadth-Requirements might have had a chance of filling you in on the > > > facts. No? All but forgotten? > > > > > > I see no reason to disparage the roots of the Zen (Buddhist) tradition. > > > > > > Remember, too, that the Indian way of teacher was / is extremely > > > detailed, precise, and dependent on memorization and personal > > > assimilation. That was the tradition, and so it continues (there)! > > > > > > Mr. Suresh may correct me if I'm a century awry. > > > > > > --Joe > > > > > > > "Bill!" <BillSmart@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Edgar, > > > > > > > > I agree 100% with that! Like the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Speech, > > > > Right Thought, Right Intentions, etc... Why do they name only 8 > > > > classes? Why do they name classes at all? Why not just: Live Right? > > > > And anyway the challenge isn't doing all the 'right' things. The > > > > challenge is determining what is right and what is not. > > > > > > > > I call this "The Twelve Days Of Christmas Syndrome": You know...four > > > > calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a > > > > pear treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. ;>) > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
