[Buddha-l] Re: on eating meat

[Andrew Skilton]

Thu, 20 Oct 2005 Joy Vriens wrote:

>>Andrew Skilton wrote:
>>... I have also found it interesting to dwell
>> on the conflict of interests or 'wills' that can occur with my cohabitants. 
Its
>> so easy to assume that theirs are to be subsumed to mine, insofar as their's
>> need be acknowledged at all. Its quite interesting to try to view my pressing
>> 'needs' or wants from their perspective - as it were.

>I think that is an excellent spiritual exercise. I try to do the same 
>with my children (though not with my wife, I tend to lose those 
>conflicts of interests), not forgetting that I also have a role in 
>setting limits and teaching them to behave in responsible ways. BTW I 
>find the whole issue of "will" interesting and IMO more to the point 
>than the self/no-self approach.

Yes, now you have put in in writing, I suspect that this last point applies to
me as well. The cutting edge of self/other interaction is the clash or
confluence of 'will'. 

>But whereas I may be complemented as a very understanding and modern 
>father when sorting out a conflict of interests with my children in a 
>non-autoritarian way in a shopping mall, you may be simpy considered mad 
>when you have an open discussion with your dogs to sort out a conflict 
>of interests. ;-)

Lucky kids!  Don't you think there was a time not so long ago, when you too
would have been considered mad! Talking to your children!!

It it a further measure of my 'madness' that I think I read recently that tests
have shown some dogs able to recognise a vocabulary of several hundred words?  

Andrew



***********************************
Andrew Skilton 

***********************************