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

[Vicente Gonzalez]

Benito wrote:

BC>    We  know  indeed.  Do  you  know  who were the great
BC> Chinese or Tibetan translators?

sorry, I'm not understand your question.
Do you mean translators were the authors of mahayana Sutras?

BC>    As I wrote (see my quoted paragraph), "there is some
BC> lay  evidence,"  but  it's  just  anecdotal in Buddhist
BC> history.  We  need  some  lay  people here and there in
BC> order  to preserve the myth, as we need some people who
BC> win the lottery in order to keep that myth alive.

then maybe you can define what is myth.
A myth is the Unicorn or the Hades Kingdom. If today you
find one unicorn in your sofa, is the end of that myth.

So when you see Marpa and Shin (among others), it is the end
of that myth.


BC>    Shin Buddhism is a latter development and, remember,
BC> they consider themselves stupid people who are not able
BC> of  better  practice  than  relying in Amida's salvific
BC> power.

it is a clever idea, by the way. We find the same notion in
Chan, Tibetan Buddhism and everywhere.

Even Buddha himself is not able to say that himself was
enlightened (Diamond Sutra).


BC>    First  of  all,  I  have not studied that particular
BC> sutra,  so I can't tell. Anyway, it was not necessarily
BC> written by a woman. How will a Osho-minded teacher gain
BC> women's  favor?  A  good  idea would be to write such a
BC> sutra  as  the  one  depicted by you. But it's the same
BC> with  the  _Vimalakirti  sutra._ They help to reinforce
BC> the myth. Maybe they were written by some nonconformist
BC> women  and  some  nonconformist  lay people, maybe they
BC> were  just  self-critics  made by monks. We don't know,
BC> but we know how they affected Buddhist traditions along
BC> history  (almost nothing). Theory is one thing and real
BC> life is another thing.

of course; as I have said in my first message, just I point the
possibility. 

Although your claim is contradictory. These ideas arisen in a time when
women were not able to be enlightened. Therefore, you are talking about
some people who says women cannot be enlightened and at same time they
are spreading the contrary thing.

But there is one point of coincidence; mahayana Sutras are not
uniform in this subject. From the arising of prajnaparamita, as
time advances we check more sexist claims.


BC>    The  problem  is  that, as it's well known, Mahayana
BC> was  a  monks's  endeavour,  even they lived along with
BC> "Hinayana" monks for some time.

well, all couples have problems and divorces.

First they are one.
Second, they become two.
And third, the fight to get the custody of children.


best regards,