[Buddha-l] Re: Emptiness

[Joy Vriens]

Curt,

>"Mainstream Western philosophy since Plato and Aristotle has treated  
>ontology and metaphysics as the ultimate philosophic pursuit, with  
>epistemology's role being little more than to provide access and  
>justification for one's ontological pursuits and commitments.....  
>[Whereas] [i]n Indian philosophy one finds the reverse of this.  
>Epistemology (pram¨¡¡¡av¨¡da) is primary, both in the sense that it must be  
>engaged in prior to attempting any other philosophical endeavor, and  
>that the limits of one's metaphysical claims are always inviolably set  
>by the parameters established by one's epistemology. Before one can make  
>claims, one must establish the basis on which such claims can be proven  
>and justified." 
> 
>Personally I think that the "ontological" emphasis only comes in with  
>modern western philosophy, or, possibly with what passed for  
>"philosophy" during the Middle Ages. Socrates certainly was more  
>interested in epistemology than ontology ("know thyself") - and this  
>continued to be fundamental to Greek philosophy (see for example the  
>opening paragraphs of Epictetus' Discourses). 
> 
>In fact, however, both Greek and Indian philosophy take as their stating  
>points "self-knowledge" and ethics - which are seen as inseparable - and  
>everything else flows from asking basic questions such as "who am I?"  
>and "how should I live?" 

I am not sure the difference is that great. Metaphysics is an unknown in both cases. It is a source for questioning and therefore a magnet for attention and energy. And all the attention and energy it draws is lost. It is like having a hole in your roof through which the heat of your house escapes. One can decide to close that hole with an answer or something that functions exactly like an answer and then use one's attention and energy to focus on how to function better. Whether one fills that hole with Self, No self or Know Thyself doesn't really matter. After "filling" the "hole" the majority go on with their business as usual. Besides, I don't know remember what answer Socrates came up with, did he answer the question or really look for an answer to that question? I remember him going on with his life just like the Indians did. It's only philosophy, chatter in a bar.

Joy