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From: rpw3@fortune.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: re:Stranger in a Strange Land - (nf)
Message-ID: <2025@fortune.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 16-Dec-83 11:05:10 EST
Article-I.D.: fortune.2025
Posted: Fri Dec 16 11:05:10 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 19-Dec-83 00:18:12 EST
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#R:ihldt:-212700:fortune:21900002:000:1305
fortune!rpw3    Dec 16 02:12:00 1983

Just some misc. notes:

- Buddhism and Hinduism are different. The first is non-theistic,
  while the second is very definitely theistic. (Zen is buddhist, TM is Hindu)

- For the non-theist, the goal is not merging with the All, or whatever,
  but simply to wake up from self-delusion and confusion. That this is
  difficult is obvious. That it is possible at all is perhaps the main
  tenet of buddhist faith, which asserts that everyone has that possibility.

- The Four Noble Truths of buddhism are, loosely speaking:

  1. Truth of Suffering - life is a hassle: it hurts like hell,
 					    it won't stand still,
			  		and it never seems quite real
  2. Truth of the Cause - suffering comes from continually trying to avoid it
			  with all kinds of strategies (that don't work)
  3. Truth of the Goal - it is possible to quit struggling, relax, and wake up
  4. Truth of the Path - there is actually a practical way to do it

For a concise, simple outline of the buddhist path (as taught by the Kagyu
Lineage of Tibet), see Osel Tendzin's "Buddha in the Palm of Your Hand"
(Shambala, 1982, ISBN 0-87773-223-X or 0-394-70889-X)

Rob Warnock

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