Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!rex!ames!eos!data.nas.nasa.gov!news From: kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov ( Keith Evans) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: Re: Buddha Dharma and free thinking Message-ID: <1990Dec8.020416.27265@nas.nasa.gov> Date: 8 Dec 90 02:04:16 GMT References: <1990Dec7.011311.2389@nas.nasa.gov> Sender: news@nas.nasa.gov Organization: NAS Program, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA Lines: 99 Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov In <1990Dec7.011311.2389@nas.nasa.gov> chee1a1@jetson.uh.edu writes: >A person has the freedom to chose a way of practice according to her/his >personality etc. Depending on the personality a person may select his/her >own method of study. Some may study all the avaialable material, some >may just study one sutra, some may just learn only one verse, or some >may not study none but would meditate and live mindfully in order to >attain the goal. Why all this is possible? Because Dharma is something >in existence with relative to a person. It is the individual,you and me, >who undergoes unsatisfactoriness (or dukkha), it is the individual,you >and me, who has to follow the path, it is the individual who attains >enlightenment. That is why Dharma is timeless, that is one reason why >it survived among humans in the world for thousands of years without >any authority figure. It is not a law laid down by one person, Buddhas >discover it and taught it to the world, so will be the future Buddhas, >Bodhisatvas. The law is one, not many. So how can you propose that there are many ways to reach it? In the first 42 years of Shakyamuni's preaching life, he taught according to the minds of the people, with his bodhisattvas asking questions and even answering them, too. Ignorant people in this day and age read them and thinking that since it accords with their mind that is must be the Way. Also in these earlier sutras, he taught that women and men of learning could not attain Buddhahood. If he said such things then, how can these sutras have any value now? In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni taught according to the Buddha's mind. He just started preaching with no one asking him any questions. This is also the first time he says that women and men of learning can attain enlightenment. > Furthermore, it is to be investigated by the wise, not >something to be spoon fed by one to another, even the Buddhas only show >the way. It is up to the individual to follow the way. It is inward >leading, so to find whether another person slanders the Dharma has to >be found by within oneself through investigation and analysis. Yes, one needs a seeking spirit. > One fact I can admire about Buddha Dharma is the due attention and >regard paid by the Buddha to individual capabilities. Buddha gave the The individual is one with the universe. Since the Buddha-nature is inherent in life, each individual has the potential to manifest this nature. > In order to show the Buddha's attitude towards free thinking further >I would like to summarise the Kalama Sutra. (this is not an attempt to >characteristics can result in wholesome,happy, profitable outcomes. The >... deleted for brevity Yes, the key is to follow the Law and not the Person. >three emotions that would lead to the unwholesome,unprofitable etc. are >greed, hatred (or malice), and delusion (or ignorance). On the other hand, >the actions done which are not based on greed, hatred, delusion (based >on non-greed,non-hate,non-delusion) could lead to profitability >happiness etc. Then there are explanations given as to whether a person >beleives in a life after death or not how the actions done without greed, >hatred, and delusion can be profitable, beneficial etc. Greed, anger and stupidity are the causes of fetters in one's future lives. > Some other thoughts of religious tolerance from the Buddha. "Teaching >of this Dharma is not for converting people, but for realization, for >ending of unhappiness (unsatisfactoriness), for happiness and benefit." If a Buddhist sees one slandering the Law and fails to admonish him, then he also is a slanderer. That is the whole point of explaining the superiority of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin (we have hardly toughed on him, yet) and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren Daishonin was Bodhisattva Jogyo reborn (Shakyamuni entrusted Bodhisattva Jogyo with propagating the Law, which he expounded in the Lotus Sutra, in the future). After 20 years of studying all Shakyamuni's sutras, he proclaimed Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to be the true Law that of Shakyamuni teachings on April 28, 1253. He also fulfilled all the predictions that Shakyamuni made about this person (Bodhisatva Jogyo reborn). He also quoted many passages of the sutras that explain the causes of suffering - incorrect religious beliefs and false ideologies. Based on the sutras, when the true law is lost, the 3 disasters and 7 calamities occur. Looking at 13th century Japan, he saw that all but 2 of these disaters had occured already, invasion by a foreign power and internal revolt. So, based on the sutras, he predicted that these would occur. Even Japan has only been invaded once (by the US) and attacked twice (by the us and the Mongols 1274,1280). His predictions came true. So based on the sutras, one can say that the true Law had been lost. There were many sects of Buddhism extant in Japan at that time (and probably still is, although Nichiren Shoshu is the largest) therefore, the true Law does not come from the sutras but from Nichiren Daishonin. This is based on the sutras not someone's opinion. -- Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Respectfully, Keith Evans kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov