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

[L.S. Cousins]

Mike Austin writes:

>Maybe I am wrong, but the following quote is one of many on the 
>subject. I make the assumption that the essence of this applies to 
>lay people:
>
>From AN X69 Kathavatthu Sutta (Topics of Conversation)
>
>"It isn't right, monks, that sons of good families, on having gone 
>forth out of faith from home to the homeless life, should get 
>engaged in such topics of conversation, i.e., conversation about 
>kings, robbers, & ministers of state... talk of whether things exist 
>or not.

This is an interesting point. But I doubt whether many Buddhists 
before modern times would have thought that this does apply to lay 
people in general. I suppose we might say that such discussions do 
not actually promote a wholesome state of mind. I am not quite 
convinced that they need be unwholesome.

>"There are these ten topics of [proper] conversation. Which ten? 
>Talk on modesty, on contentment, on seclusion, on non-entanglement, 
>on arousing persistence, on virtue, on concentration, on 
>discernment, on release, and on the knowledge & vision of release. 
>These are the ten topics of conversation. If you were to engage 
>repeatedly in these ten topics of conversation, you would outshine 
>even the sun & moon, so mighty, so powerful -- to say nothing of the 
>wanderers of other sects."

I quite agree that these are good topics for discussion for both 
monks and lay people and would personally find Buddha-L more 
interesting if it were discussing them more.

Lance Cousins