[Buddha-l] Re: flat earth?

[Richard Hayes]

On Wednesday 16 May 2007 15:00, Vicente Gonzalez wrote:

> as you sure knows there are many authors who are part of an stream to
> redefine a type of Buddhism "without Buddhism".

Many? I can't think of even one, with the possible exception of Toni Packer. 

When thinking about "reform" and "redefinition" I always find it useful to 
remember the Kathavatthu, which says, in effect, that unless someone says 
there are only three noble truths or that there are five, and unless someone 
says that murder, theft, promiscuity, deception and intoxication are healthy 
and conducive to well-being, then one is not reform Buddhism at all. What 
seems to follow from this is that as long as a person keeps a focus on 
cultivating good character and on helping eliminate sources of pain, then one 
can hardly be said to being doing "without Buddhism."

> Most times both are united in thinking the rest of humans are stupid.

Who was it who said that the vast majority of human beings are so mired in 
greed, hatred and delusion that there was almost no point in trying to teach 
them? I forget his name, but I have yet to see much evidence that he was 
wrong about this.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico