[Buddha-l] Re: Ethics and the four way test

[Benito Carral]

On Monday, March 14, 2005, Evelyn Ruut wrote:

> All  these  things  like  the  golden  rule, the ten
> commandments  and the four way test are just to help
> us  sort  out how to cause the least possible misery
> to others as we go about in the world.

   This  is  only  partially true. For example, if you
ask  an  orthodox  Jew,  he will tell you that the ten
commandments  come  from  G-d and that he follows them
just  because that reason. There are also laws that he
doesn't  understand at all and he follows them because
they  come  from  G-d. For a Jew, the ten commandments
are  an  essential part of his metanarrative. So maybe
they  are  just  to  help us sort out how to cause the
least  possible missey to others for you, but yours is
not an universal reading.

   Best wishes,

   Beni