[Buddha-l] Re: Buddhist family life

[Richard Hayes]

On Mon, 2006-12-11 at 16:09 +0100, Benito Carral wrote:

> these  days  I'm  exploring  such  a  link  in order to
> explain   why  marxist-oriented  Westerners,  wich  are
> majority,      feel     attracted     by     postmodern
> reinterpretations  of  traditional  Buddhism (it indeed
> seems quite easy to explain).

Probably the easiest explanation is that postmodernism has quite a lot
in common with classical Buddhism; very little reinterpretation is
needed. 

Although there are almost as many definitions of postmodernism as there
are people who use the word, a pretty common view of postmodernism is
that it is a rejection of epistemological foundationalism, metaphysical
essentialism, philosophical realism and moral absolutism. Aside from a
few Indian Buddhists in the fifth and sixth centuries, just about all
Buddhist philosophy is anti-foundationalist; this is especially the case
with Madhyamaka, but hardly less so of other schools. Most forms of
classical Buddhism were also anti-realist, in that they went in for
various kinds of reductionism. I can think of no Buddhists who were not
anti-absolutist. So one could say that Buddhism was postmodern avant le
mot, at least in general spirit.

Mind you, I am inclined to agree with Richard Rorty that "postmodernism"
is a word in search of a definition these days. It has been so
over-used, both by people who are sympathetic with what they imagine it
to mean and by people who employ the term to name their own personal
bête noire, that the word has nearly lost its meaning. One who wishes to
communicate clearly might be well advised to use a more precise term
these days.

It has been quite a long time since I last encountered a Western
Marxist. Among Buddhists I know of very few who read Habermass or other
neo-Marxists. (I once read about two pages of Habermass and gave up in
disgusted perplexity.) So in getting on your white horse and gallantly
saving Buddhism from Marxists, you may be indulging in the spiritual
exercise known as imitatio quixoti.

Sally ho to La Mancha, ye noble Buddhist crusaders. There are foes to be
fought and gallant arhants to save!

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico