[Buddha-l] RE: Article of possible interest--correction

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Lance

>Then: 
>At 10.01 am +0200 22/5/07, Joy Vriens wrote: 
>>The "Even though I personally feel this is a funny question" makes  
>>me sigh, because I feel the student, who apparently is a teacher  
>>himself, is denying his own doubts and feels he has to add he thinks  
>>it is a funny question, although he himself didn't seem to be able  
>>to come up with a satisfying answer. 
 
>I interpret this entirely differently. At the end of the day  
>knowledge of kamma, etc. is something you perceive the truth of  
>through faith and  understand better only through a type of insight  
>knowledge. 

Yes through personal faith, personal knowledge, in brief through personal practice applied to one's personal situation. My pain, the largest part of it, is due to myself, to an unskilfull view of the situation, leading to unskilfull actions. The theory of kamma is one of many methods to achieve that sort of insight in order to better cope (or more if one is so inclined). But if the theory of kamma is applied to the situation of *others* and one tries to draw deductions from it, then it becomes a monstrosity and loses all its virtues and efficiency. 
 
>So I sympathize with the questioner because I often have the feeling  
>that something dogmatic in western education makes it difficult to  
>understand this kind of thing and so one often gives up on the task  
>of explaining because it seems quite hopeless. 

Every individual has their challenges. A good teacher doesn't reason from a sort of ideal situation and does not make judgements of their students based on that. He deals with the situation and the student as they are. He is able to adapt his teaching. In that way dogma will never get in the way. If he can't adapt his teaching then it may be because it is too dogmatic itself.   
 
>One thing can be said: 
> 
>Theravada monks (and probably teachers in other traditions too) tend  
>to talk about people as experiencing the results of their deeds when  
>they feel that the listener needs more equanimity. If they feel that  
>more loving-kindness or compassion is needed, they talk in other ways. 

I believe that a Christian and perhaps an Advaita vedanta approach have an advantage on Buddhism here. Part of the fact that people have difficulties accepting "difficult situations" or "injustice" is because they compare their situation (and mostly only details of that situation) with that of others. Comparing and judging destroy equanimity. By accepting one's situation as it is, one can develop equanimity more easily. Buddhism with its theory of good deeds good results, bad deeds bad results and advising one to practise good deeds in order to achieve good results doesn't move away from the comparing and judging, and therefore from the rejection of one's current situation. I see that as a worse start for achieving equanimity.