[Buddha-l] Re: Rational or mythological Buddhism and WesternBuddhist lay practice

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 19:19 +0200, Mikael Aktor wrote:

> Villagers talk if religious beggars have wife and children, presumably 
> because men with wife and children are expected to live the life of a 
> householder (like the villagers), not that of a renouncer.

Yes, that's exactly waht I have been saying.

> The only legitimate reason to take up the life of a religious
> mendicant is renunciation, which implies the endeavor to conquer
> sensual desire. 

As long as you make it clear that you are speaking about the perceptions
of mainstream Magadhan society in the sixth century b.c.e., what you say
is true. If, however, you go on to say that the perceptions of those
people at that time are universally true, then what you say is false. As
I have tried to show in a variety of ways, the Buddha did not agree with
the views of mainstream Magadhan society on this issue, and his monastic
regulations reflect his disagreement with mainstream society.

> Why make it anymore complicated?

I have not in any way made it complicated. I have merely shown that the
situation in fact IS rather more complex that you have indicated. I
think your views on the matter are simplistic in that they fail to take
into account relevant factors.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico