[Buddha-l] Meditating Buddha

[Richard Nance]

On 1/20/06, Stefan Detrez <stefan.detrez at gmail.com> wrote:

> If we would find him not meditating, and we would
> understand this to be as prescriptive, we would get two prescriptions that
> are contradictory.

No more contradictory than "right view" vs. "right concentration." The
point is not that those on the Buddhist path should practice only one
action -- rather, it's that certain actions conduce to awakening. By
articulating these actions as expressions of awakened activity, the
tradition insures a tight association between path and goal.

> Maybe some criterion is necessary to
> know what is meant as prescriptive and what as descriptive.

If you could determine this criterion, you'd have solved a great many
problems that bedevil the study of Buddhist history.

Best wishes,

R. Nance