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

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Curt,

>If I understand what you are saying, "dharma" would have to refer to  
>something very far down in that muck of "other subconscious material" -  
>assuming that if you go down far enough you can find something that is  
>completely free from the taint of personal opinion. Something like this  
>appears, at least to me, to be axiomatic for any philosophy that insists  
>that "the truth lies within" or words to that effect (words such as  
>"gnothi seauton" or "chi-hsin chi-fo"). This is in opposition to the  
>X-Files approach: "the truth is out there". 

Well, what is subconscious is by definition subconscious. I am not sure dharma goes there. Dharma can deal with it as soon as it pops up.
I was more thinking along the lines of Emptiness is form and vice versa and that understanding being dharma. Then there is no point in finding something free from the taint of personal opinion, or truth for that matter.  

>>> Delacroix's explanation of mystical experiences, in my opinion, is quite   
>>> useful as long as one avoids using the words "just" and "only". Jung was   
>>> insistent that psychological explanations of spiritual phenomena were   
>>> grossly misrepresented whenever the words "just" or "only" were placed   
>>> in front of the word "psychological".  

>> Your apprehension may be due to my way of summarizing and reformulating his view. I tend to caricature and stiffen up things a bit. :-) Although I didn't say "just" and "only". Delacroix is more prudent in expressing his views. 

>I didn't mean to attribute the "just" or "only" to you - in fact I  
>thought your summary of Delacroix was very objective - to the point of  
>selflessness. I only feared that what you had presented could then be  
>seized upon by others who might say: "Aha! You see, it's just psychology  
>- it's all in your head. Mystics are just self-deluded navel-gazers." 

As long as they keep themselves to themselves, I have a lot of sympathy for mystics, especially when they are creative. As for self-deluded, who isn't? At least mystics trie to coincide self and delusion to end up with pure delusion.

Joy