[Buddha-l] Re: Filtered Buddhism

[Vicente Gonzalez]

Richard wrote:

RH> In abhidharma literature, maana is described as the tendency to
RH> think in one of three ways: 1) thinking  of oneself as better than
RH> others; 2) thinking of oneself as inferior to  others; and 3)
RH> thinking of oneself as equal to others. [...]
RH> Abhidharma is right, I think,  in pointing out that all of us who
RH> are not arhants (and I'm guessing that  would be several of us
RH> even here on buddha-l) are busy measuring ourselves  against the
RH> standards set by others. 

that's very interesting because we have not other way to improve
ourselves than measuring us in reference other people or same Buddha.
If this is as you explain, really the word pride sounds not very
exact. Is there some notion of healthy-unhealthy inside that?.

RH> Academics are trained to see faults, and  sometimes this training
RH> is so thorough that a well-trained academic manages  to see only
RH> garbage-filled gutters and fails to notice that the gutters run
RH> alongside streets that are paved with gold. (For an example, just
RH> look at  what Curt thinks of Stephen Batchelor.)

I share some of the Curt critiques to that author's thoughts. I don't
think it is motivated by pride. He present some views on Dharma then
critiques are logical and needed. There is nothing bad in that. In
this way things can improve.


RH> one of the  diseases that has reached epidemic proportions in
RH> Europe and America is a  morbid fear of ethnocentricity. Like all
RH> morbid fears, that one spoils many  an otherwise good day. It
RH> results in a kind of moral paralysis. 

that's the real point of discussion despite the previous juggling.
I think there is a difference between knowing what is good in the own
culture and some ethnocentric behavior.


best regards,