[MD] The Quality of Free Will

[MarshaV]

On Jul 21, 2011, at 11:53 PM, MarshaV wrote:

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> On Jul 21, 2011, at 11:07 PM, David Thomas wrote:
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>> On 7/21/11 9:29 PM, "MarshaV" <valkyr at att.net> wrote:
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>>> So please do not make any apology for Buddhism, Exploring the MoQ together
>>> with Buddhism is very valid.
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>> Dave
>> I'm not making any apologies for Buddhism. And I'm surely not challenging
>> the validity of exploring them together. How could I? The MoQ is Zen in a
>> Pendleton blanket.  Most, not all, but most of the confusion in the MoQ is
>> the confusion with and within Buddhism. The MoQ it is an attempt by a
>> Westerner with a tiny amount of Eastern experience and smidgen of Zen
>> experience to rewrite Zen in a way that is palatable to the Western mind. It
>> seem to be working for you, but as you are aware you are in a minority here.
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>> As for me I'm not looking for a new religion. The old ones have such a
>> dismal track record I just can't see making the same mistakes all over
>> again.
>> 
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> Marsha:
> Today there are, intelligent Buddhist scholars that present Buddhist philosophical 
> ideas clearly and succinctly for Westerners.  I think it is more in keeping with the 
> MoQ to learn something new than rehash the already known.  And meditation, 
> concentration and mindfulness techniques offer first-hand empirical experiences 
> for validation, rather than just words.   It is a shame that I am a minority.  It has been 
> said that the shift from a subject-object reality to a Quality reality takes more than 
> intellectually understanding the words on a page. While there is a religious aspect  
> to Buddhism, to become a Buddhist is not to accept a bundle of doctrines and 
> dogma on the basis of faith.  You are NOT suppose to accept claims based on 
> what the Buddha said, but are to examine the arguments and determine for 
> yourself if the arguments are true.  There is no place for psychological bullies 
> within Buddhism.   
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> Buddhism does have cultural trappings to watch out for, but they are more 
> likely to be questioned by a Westerner.  And lets face it, the West comes with  
> its own set of cultural glasses which often blindsight us to a new more dynamic 
> perspective.  Science, for instance, may be more accepted dogma than fresh 
> investigation.  I am trying say that Buddhism is much, much more than a 
> religion.  


Marsha:
One thing I learned from meditation is that these quality patterns don't come to 
our minds whole.  The move through in bits and pieces, and they are slightly 
different with each event.  That's first-hand experience; more than just words on 
a page.  They are ever-changing, interdependent and impermanent.  


 
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