[Buddha-l] Re: G-d damn it

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Mon, 2005-03-14 at 17:50 +0100, Benito Carral wrote:

>    It  is  quite  easy  to understand. If one wants to feel as a
> Jew,  one  has to act as a Jew, and in some Jewish circles, Jews
> write  G-d. 

Well, some do, and some don't. I know quite a few Jews, including a good
many rabbis, who feel that writing "G-d" is a practice based on a
misunderstanding of both Torah and Talmud. Admittedly, these rabbis
place a lot of emphasis on the importance of study and understanding
rather than on blindly following popular custom. So I suppose that in
this matter, as in all other things religious, there exists a
multiplicity of interpretations, a fact that precludes the advisability
of being dogmatic.

> Moreover, it is a sign of respect.

For some Jews it is, for others it is quite the opposite.

> I would recommend your former colleague to take some meditation
> classes and relax a bit.

That is not her tradition. She somehow managed to be one of the most
cheerful, relaxed and delightfully funny people I have known, all
without the benefits of meditation. (Few Western Buddhists, of course,
can accept the possibility that anyone could have any positive
characteristics at all without getting a sore glutimus maximus by
dwelling overlong on a meditation cushion. But in this, as in many other
things, they are simply mistaken.)

>  In addition, _G-d_ would only be a blasphemy if by such a
> signifier one meant something different than 'G-d.'

The important point, according to my informants, is not what the term
signifies. Rather, it is the term itself. To put any other term on a par
with the term YHWH is the blasphemy. Thus have I heard. But I'm sure if
you keep your ears open long enough, you can hear anything you want to
hear. And the usual pattern is that when we hear what we want to hear,
we regard the speaker as very wise and authoritative.

Well, this whole issue is of no consequence to me, and this is, after
all, a list on Buddhism and not on Judaism, so perhaps enough has been
on this pointless distraction. I apologize for bringing it up.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico