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

[Jim Peavler]

Jim Peavler wrote:

VPL> It is plumb difficult to prove the non-existence of anything at all.

really. But I don't say that life is non-existent. In any way.
We experience both the life and dreams. My question is about knowing
the nature of this life.

How do you know that your life is not a dream?


VPL> I have spent half my life trying to prove that there are no
VPL> leprechauns, dragons, selfs, true Christians (versus nominal ones),  
VPL> real Buddhists, etc. and have failed every time.

yes, the human being has the trend to search things that he cannot
see. However, it is a different matter. We know that life and dreams
exists. Then it is not about searching non-existent things.

I'm not so pessimistic. I have found a few true Christians and
Buddhists (even Buddhologists).


VPL> Thus ariseth the truth: It is the responsibility of the person making  
VPL> the claim that something extraordinary DOES exist to establish the  
VPL> proof of the claim. In the absence of any evidence, the person who  
VPL> does not make the claim is under no burden of responsibility whatsoever.

well, I think that searching scientific proofs to get certainties
about death it's only a lost of time. But when Pedro need some proof
of the non-self, then also I need some proof of the self.
We don't have any proof that this life is not a dream.

I'm scientific in this matter. I don't need a social convention
instead answers. We need proofs.

How one knows that his life is not a dream?


VPL> So, prove that we are dreaming our lives and I will buy you a  
VPL> vegetarian pizza.

not my point. I only say that anyone can check by himself that he is
unable to know if he is dreaming his own life or not. 

In fact I am the skeptic here. Mostly, one can see many believers of
things that they cannot proof. And they think themselves are skeptics!

So you can send me half pizza (with olives, please).
We can leave the other half in the oven.

best regards,



"Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream."
-- Diamond Sutra

"..there your vision has been distorted,
meaningless your human perception.
Like an evaporated mirage,
like a tree of gold in a dream,
like a magic show in the midst of a crowd — 
you run blind after what is unreal."
-- Subha Jivakambavanika