[Buddha-l] Re: To whom should teachings be given (reloaded)

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Vicente Gonzalez schreef:

>Erik wrote:
>
>EH> I've no idea what you mean by 'positive emptiness', at least
>EH> not in the context of Naagaarjuna. It might be appicable to the
>EH> Shingon or Tibetan vijñaptimaatra or some tantric views, but not
>EH> to Naagaarjuna. And why should this be feminine? Plato had a
>EH> positive view on emptiness and so did the whole negative theology.
>EH> Most of them were guys weren't they? Aristotle thought emptiness
>EH> was just nothing, was he the real man?
>
>yes, of course it not only related with woman.
>'Positive emptiness' refers to that formulation of emptiness explained
>in not negative views. An special emphasis in the non-nihilistic
>character of emptiness instead to insist in something empty of
>characteristics.
>Then it is a creative notion; there is an emptiness underlying the
>million things. All the things are an emptiness but this emptiness
>also is full of life.
>
>This creativity it's represented using woman figures. In example,
>prajnaparamita was referred as the "mother of all Buddhas".
>It is an archetypical female idea; there is a mother who engender
>all the things. The other one (the negative) it is a male conception.
>Trikaya explanation also it's related with this female notion, because
>this triple production has a source and it is the prajnaparamita, the
>"pure wisdom".
>
>It is not exclusive of Buddhism. In example in Christianism it is
>one of his misteries. God is father, son and the holy spirit,
>and also we have Virgin Mary as the God's mother.
>
>As I have said, both explanations are recovered 400 years after their
>religious founders. In Buddhism it coincides with the spread of
>mahayana. In Christianism there is not any new teaching associated
>with this (except if we believe in some secret transmission
>including Hermetics and the rest, already popularized in Da Vinci
>Code).
>
>We find this aspect of emptiness in Mahayana; strongly emphasized
>with the formulations of Buddha nature, true self, Tathagatagabha,
>true mind, etc... All them are rooted in prajnaparamita.
>
>Both views, negative and positive, are not opposite things. Both
>should be harmonized in the practitioner while he try to reach the
>goal.
>
>Nagarjuna's work is devoted to prajnaparamita but his concern only
>is to corner emptiness. Nagarjuna only drive us to emptiness.
>He was really aseptic or perhaps not so pretentious.
>
>
>best regards,
>
>  
>
Dear Vincente,
I'm sorry but this all sounds like New Age to me, empty of any 
philosophical relevance. If 'all this' is like a mirage, a fanthom, a 
dream, what is created, what is creativity?

-- 
Best Regards

Erik


www.xs4all.nl/~jehms
weblog http://www.volkskrantblog.nl/pub/blogs/blog.php?uid=2950