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

[Benito Carral]

On Sunday, June 25, 2006, Mike Austin wrote:

> Actually, we are the final arbiters - for ourselves.

   You're   right   here,   but  we  are  arbiters  for
ourselves, but not for tradition, i.e., Buddhism.

   As  you  surely  know, Ananda was not allowed in the
first   council   because   he   didn't   fulfill   the
requisites--he  was only accepted after theras approved
it.

   What I mean is that tradition is kept by the theras.
If  someone says some stupid thing (like that indulging
in   attachments   from  time  to  time  is  right  way
nowadays),  theras  will  say  that  he  is  stupid and
non-representative--as Thanissaro or Bodhi Bhikkhu do.

   Western  stupidity will disappear but Dharma will go
on, as it always have done. The only question is if one
is   serious  about  Dharma  or  conform  himself  with
pretending to be a Buddhist.

   Best wishes,

--
Benito Carral
  Asturias, Sepharad (Spain)