Hi Alex > > My dear friend, why do you want to be regurgitating > > what the Buddha > > and Nagarjuna have said. I would prefer that you > > show me something > > that's your own, from your very gut, then you'll be > > more convincing. > > Allow me to give you a hand. As you are reading my > > message, who is it > > that is at this very moment reading? Is it your > > mind, or is it your > > eyes, or is it both or is it neither? If you know > > the answer then you > > will be right at the middle of The Middle Way. > > Dear wai, > > Funny, you accuse me of regurgitating what the Buddha > and Nagarjuna said, admonishing me to offer you > something that is my own, and then only a couple of > paragraphs later, you accuse me of the exact opposite, > of not regurgitating what the sutras are saying.
Haha.. you see, I suffer from the same problem as you. I like to challenge people and get some response. Hope you don't mind. But I'm glad you point this out. I was worried that the other posters might get the impression that I dislike them posting wise quotes from the sutras or anywhere else, which is not the case. In fact I enjoy very much the recent excerpts from the Lankavatara Sutra, the Dharma Flower Sutra, Lotus Sutra, etc. So it's actually very good to quote or regurgitate the teachings. However, just reading or quoting the sutras is not sufficient, because we also need to digest them. Since I have high expectations of you (as you've said that you are enlightened), I do expect that you would have already digested the teachings. So I prefer you to show me your very own, to show me that you've digested the teachings. > You are apparently scandalized that I dare offer something > that's completely and irrevocably my own, never before > heard by anyone else (or, 'Bunardism', as you put it). I said so because I thought you mentioned that you do not follow any teacher or master, except a bit from Nagarjuna. But in recent posts you seem to be referring alot more to Nagarjuna and Madhyamika. So I'm sorry to have misrepresented you. > Has it ever occurred to you that maybe it is you who > are clinging on to what the sutras say, and who have > repeatedly been hiding behind the dogma? So when you say I'm clinging to what the sutras say, I suppose you mean I'm practising correctly, since clinging is a desirable trait, according to you. Or are you saying that it's wrong to be clinging to what the sutras say? So you see the confusion when we do not follow the proper use of language. But I definitely have many clingings. I will never deny that. How about you? > > > Buddhist practice is not psychology. It is not a > > > therapy. > > > > It's not psychology. But it's most definitely a > > therapy, a medicine. > > Many Buddhist sutras say that. > > Yeah, but what do YOU say? I agree with the sutras. How about YOU? > > > Attachment, grasping and clinging are perfectly > > fine. > > > They are only a problem if you somehow imagine > > them to > > > be a problem. The resolution of that impasse is to > > > experience satori, which, at that moment, will > > > undeniably demonstrate to you that there is > > absolutely > > > nothing wrong with the attachment, rejection, > > > grasping, clinging etc. > > In my almost ten years as a Buddhist, you are the > > very first person > > that I've encountered to see attachment, grasping > > and clinging as > > perfectly fine in the Buddhist context. Do you know > > that in many, if > > not all, of the sutras, the Buddha and the Patriachs > > say that > > attachment, etc. are diseases of the mind? > So we're back to regurgitating, are we? Why don't you > listen to your own advice and tell me what is your gut > telling you, instead of hiding behind the Buddhas and > the Patriarchs? You want to know what my gut is saying? I'll tell you, but first you answer my question or else there's no way for me to know whether your answer is really your own or are you just parroting me. So I ask you again, who is it that is at this very moment reading my message? This is a very simple yet very fundamental question, not just in Buddhism but perhaps also in all spiritual disciplines. Not sure about Bunardism though, just kidding! :->> > You obviously haven't studied Nagarjuna's teaching. > Furthermore, you haven't apparently even paid > attention to the most fundamental of all Buddhist > teachings, the Heart sutra. If you like to hide behind > the sutras, that would be the one to choose. In it, it > is explained how attachment, grasping, clinging, > rejection etc. are of no concern to Prajnaparamita. Did the Heart Sutra in whatsoever way say that "attachment, grasping and clinging are perfectly fine" - your exact words. I'm very interested to know. It would be quite a revelation. This is a very fundamental point in Buddhism. If you get this wrong, you get everything else wrong, including Madhyamika. ... of no concern to Prajnaparamita? Is this what you understand by The Middle Way? Isn't no concern just another extreme? > > If you seriously want to teach Buddhism, I very > > *sincerely* urge you > > to conform to the established terminology of the > > Buddhist community. > > Thanks for your sincerity, but I will never do such > thing. My job is to be subversive, not to toe the > party line. I'm sticking it to the man! But how do we communicate effectively if we do not speak the same language? To be subversive? Not to toe the party line? is this your understanding of The Middle Way? > > It will really help to avoid much unnecessary > > confusion for yourself > > as well as others. Unless, of course, what you are > > teching is Alexism > > (or Bunardism?). > > You are correct. Since I'm not into regurgitating, I > can only teach my own brand of spiritual practice (or > lack of it thereoff). I have no problem at all with you offering something your own. I'm open to it. But when you do so, better not to call it Buddhism because it seems rather blasphemous. Thank you for your reply coz I've certainly learnt much from you, and enjoying it too. Best wishes wai ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. 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