[Buddha-l] beliefs & Sanskrit textbooks

[curt]

This is a very good example to the "power of belief". Another
good example is political causes: the more people believe in
a cause - the better its chances for success.

I think that the discussion on "beliefs" has so far been limited
to beliefs with respect to things that are objectively true or
false completely independent of the "believer(s)"- but we all
know that there's more to it than that. Of course, simply closing
your eyes and wishing really hard doesn't substitute for actually
studying Sanskrit - but believing in the power of, say, the Goddess
Saraswati, to help you might actually be beneficialy to one's study.

- Curt

Richard P. Hayes wrote:

>Katherine Young taught the beginning course, and I was the lucky guy who inherited
>the students she had taught. Judging from the quality of the students I
>got from her, she must be an extraordinary teacher. She told me that 95%
>of teaching Sanskrit is psychology--knowing every trick in the book to
>keep students from getting so discouraged that they quit (or commit
>suicide). Anyone who has to learn Sanskrit without the nurture of a
>teacher whose patience and kindness reach bodhisattvic proportions is in
>for some for hard work. If you're the sort of person who enjoys riding
>bicycles up steep icy hills heading into hurricane-force winds, you'll
>love Sanskrit. If you're more of a beach bunny, you might settle for
>Spanish.
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