[Buddha-l] Re: What are the "joys of living"?

[Mike Austin]

In message <261136201.20060625135358 at kungzhi.org>, Benito Carral 
<bcarral at kungzhi.org> writes
>On Sunday, June 25, 2006, Mike Austin wrote:
>
>> I think Jim was talking about some present day person
>> becoming the final arbiter.
>
>   I  think  that  you're probably right. That's why we
>should  use the Buddha's teachings and the tradition as
>the  final  arbiters.  So  if  someone,  even  a  whole
>society,  says  that Buddhism teaches something plainly
>contrary to the Dharma, it is easy to show the mistake.
>A  more  interesting  approach  should  be  criticising
>Buddhist teachings with solid arguments.

Actually, we are the final arbiters - for ourselves. For, after checking 
the teachings thoroughly, we decide on their validity. Where we may fall 
prone to criticism  is where we presume to have a correct interpretation 
that is universal - i.e. we assume the role of arbiter for others.

We may quote sutras in support of our reasoning, but our interpretations 
will also be based on our own experiences.  If others have not had those 
experiences, then their conclusions could be different. For example, our 
thread on lust had differing views. From my side, both the teachings and 
the experiences indicate that lust leads to dukkha.  If someone else has 
read differently and experienced differently,  all I can suggest is that 
he looks again. That would not be the position of an arbiter, but I hope 
it would be the position of a concerned companion.

-- 
Metta
Mike Austin