[MD] william James.

[Andre Broersen]

  Marsha to dmb:
Maybe you should write to the various Buddhist communities to convince 
them to refrain from stating that 'relative truth' is the conventional 
way we perceive reality. Until then I'm not much interested in what you 
think on cognitive relativism.

Andre:
You are passing the buck Marsha...as usual.
'Given that all things emerge from a kind of cosmic continuity, Buddhism 
is well known for its emphasis on non-dualism.  Instead of viewing the 
world in terms of "good" versus "evil," "liberal" versus "conservative," 
"us" versus "them," Buddhism recognizes that the orientations and views 
humans take stem from particular perspectives that each yield their own 
conclusions (/perspective relativism/).  Though this is a kind of 
relativism, Buddhist morality avoids moral relativism by acknowledging 
the Universal reality of interconnection and interdependence.  A 
Buddhist cannot act in any way he or she pleases, in a selfish manner, 
because hurting others does not acknowledge this basic reality of 
interconnection and interdependence.  The acknowledgment of /perspective 
relativism/ is useful for its practical applications in everyday life, 
and to avoid the pitfalls of extremism that arise when one forgets he or 
she can only view the world from his or her unique but limited 
perspective.  The Buddhist Path, a "Middle Path," rejects extremism.
When considering how to obtain reliable information from the world of 
which we are part and parcel, Buddhism embraces three primary 
epistemological (/how one comes to know/) methods:
1) testimony of an authority;
2) account of an authoritative text; and
3) personal experience (/experiential verification/)

All of these components must be considered, and no single source of 
knowledge is sufficient to generate an informed understanding of the 
world.  However, method (3), experiential verification, plays a 
particularly prominent role in Buddhism.  This is often demonstrated in 
the Buddha's famous admonition, "Be a light unto your selves." (Jim 
Eubanks, Buddhist Principles)

Your stance on relative truth, relative cognitive truth or relativism in 
general is very disingenuous Marsha. It shows that you do not even know 
the basics of the Buddha's teachings nor of (your favorite) Nagarjuna.

How can the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path be regarded as 
positing a relativist perspective in both thought and action? I would 
suggest rather that they posit its opposite.

Maybe YOU should write to the Buddhist communities!