[MD] Buddhism

[MarshaV]

At 10:22 AM 9/22/2008, you wrote:
>Krimel asked Marsha:
>My secondary point with regards to Buddhism is really; are you running
>"toward" the "betterness" of Buddhism or "away" from the "worseness" of
>western thinking.
>
>dmb says:
>Since these are two ways of characterizing the same movement, what possible
>difference does it make? To say that warm is better than cool is the same as
>saying cool is worse than warm. I can see how it might be more fitting to
>describe movement in terms of getting away from what's worse, like when ANY
>alternative seems preferable even when it can't be known in advance.
>(Getting off the stove, out of the burning house, away from the murderer,
>etc..) And there might be times when the allure of betterness is relatively
>pure, when there is nothing in particular from which we wish to escape. But,
>it seems to me, that 99.99% of the time "better" and "worse" define each
>other and don't mean very much in isolation from each other. My point? I
>think your question is almost entirely meaningless.
>
>[Krimel]
>I definitely agree that this highlights the Taoism that undergirds the MoQ.
>It is the metaphysical foundation on which the MoQ rests. We understand the
>world in virtue of opposites.
>
>However, as a practical matter how we elected to describe events can tend to
>emphasize the differences between polarities. In the hot stove example I
>would say we are escaping worseness. If the worseness is worse enough any
>change looks better. We are not attracted to some new cooler state so much
>as running from the nasty heat. Selecting for betterness generally involves
>a more leisurely and thoughtful process. It is an effort to make
>improvements as opposed to escaping from discomfort. But my question was
>directed at Marsha and what attracts her to the values of nonwestern
>religions. She talks a lot about Buddhism and Wicca while rejecting
>Christianity. She sounds like she is trying to escape from the hot stove of
>Christianity but she says she is only seeking to make improvements. In
>either case I don't think the question is meaningless. We are after all
>capable of adopting different points of view. Betterness and worseness
>compliment each other but seeing the whole they form does not mean we must
>ignore the differences.


Krimel,

Marsha does not participate in Buddhism, Wicca or 
Christianity.  Geez, talk about overlaying patterns...

m


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Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.........
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