[Buddha-l] Anomalous doctrines [Lusthaus III]

[Stephen Hodge]

Dear Dan,

A supplementary comment to your:

> In short (in case the point is being missed), one can connect all sorts
> of dots from later developments through circuitous routes back to
> something in the origin.

If we take the doctrines of the MPNS for example, while it would be 
satisfying to be able to join up the dots from A to Z, I would still be 
happy to find that A is compatible with Z and leave the question of the 
connection open.  I think that Z in the MPNS is at least compatible with B 
if not A, if you get what I mean, whereas you might not.  Personal 
predilections seem to play a role in all this -- Conze thought that the 
alaya-vijnana was "a conceptual monstrosity" but I suppose you do not, 
whereas you seem to think on similar lines about tathagata-garbha whereas I 
do not.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge