[Buddha-l] Re: Diversions, distractions and off-topic discussions

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Sat, 2005-10-08 at 19:10 +0100, Mike Austin wrote:

> If I am to be of benefit to others, it becomes my main responsibility to 
> address those obstacles that I can change.  If I can effectively address 
> the obstacles in others also, I will do so.  But discussing the failings 
> f third parties here is not the way to do it, I feel. 

I don't see much evidence of that sort of thing on buddha-l. What I do
see here is quite a lot of discussion about the kinds of thinking behind
the sorts of actions that leads to dukkha. Thinking about the quality of
thinking is no doubt one of the most serious of all Buddhist practices.

>  "Think globally. Act locally." as they say.

Yes, some people do say that. Many of us here also think and act in the
way recommended. How that slogan is relevant to anything you or anyone
else has said eludes me. But maybe it was just something that randomly
popped into your head. Such things happen to all of us from time to
time.

> I engage in the democratic protest, I join in antiwar marches 
> and I occasionally discuss politics. 

I participated in an anti-war march once. It was in 1968. I was so
terrified by the hysteria of the crowd that I have never participated in
another. Instead, whenever I hear of a demonstration, I stay home and
chant Kierkegaard's famous mantra "The crowd is untruth."

> On a Buddhist forum, I cannot point out dubious decisions to the
> leadership that make them. 

Can you point out the folly of the decisions of the leadership to the
people who will eventually have a hand in deciding who the next leaders
will be?

> What I can do is to point out discussions that may promote dukkha
> here, by those who post here.

Nothing posted here causes dukkha to anyone who is reasonable.

>  And I would welcome others to do the same for me.

We trust you to know when you are causing dukkha to others. And if you
really don't know by yourself that you are causing others dukkha, then
it is unlikely you would be receptive to hearing the news from others. 

> Maybe I am wrong, but the following quote is one of many on the subject. 
>  From AN X69 Kathavatthu Sutta (Topics of Conversation)

Yes, that is an excellent quote. So far as I can see, pretty well
everyone who posts on buddha-l adheres to it quite well. But thank you
for bringing it to our attention.

-- 
Richard Hayes
***
"When the power of love is greater than the love of power,
we will have peace."    ---Jimi Hendrix