[Buddha-l] Where does authority for "true" Buddhism come from?

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Fri, 2006-02-03 at 09:32 -0700, Jim Peavler wrote:

> It is plumb difficult to prove the non-existence of anything at all.  
> I have spent half my life trying to prove that there are no  
> leprechauns, dragons, selfs, true Christians (versus nominal ones),  
> real Buddhists, etc. and have failed every time.

As that wise Scottish sage Robert G. Morrison said, back when he was
Thomas Reid (1710-1796):
\begin{quote}
If a skeptic should build his skepticism upon this foundation, that all
our rasoning, and judging powers are fallacious in their nature, or
should resolve at least to withhold assent until it be proved that they
are not; it would be impossible by argument to beat him out of his
strong hold, and he must be left to enjoy his skepticism.
\end{quote}

I suggest that we leave Vicente to eat his dream pizza and that you and
I go eat a real one.

I won't say more. I'm having a really bad day. The goshdarn president of
the United States is in my town, and the dangbing Air Force has been
flying enormously loud fighter jets over my office all morning, no doubt
to impress the president with how ready we are to fight off terrorists
if they should ever decide to build a subway in Albuquerque and then
blow it up. I tried to throw a spitball at one of the jets to knock it
out of the sky, but I missed. I'm sure this was all real, and not a
dream. I just WISH it were a dream.

-- 
Richard