[Buddha-l] Dangerous religious literature?

[Joy Vriens]

Another way of approaching  the "problem" of approved religious litterature per specific religion is to focus on what those religions have in common. Why not teach Buddhism through texts belonging to the list of 150 Christian books (Is Thomas a Kempis's book on it?). I am sure one could get quite far with that. And if the prisoners actually practised and lived up to what they learned that way, they would probably be even more successful (if you don't mind me using this gradualist term) than many free Buddhists practising with proper Buddhist litterature. Sorry for stating the obvious, being so disloyal and for repeating myself once more, but there definitely is a difference between religion and spirituality. The former focuses on idenity, the latter tries to go beyond it.
A friend of mine, a teacher of philosophy, teaches philosophy in prison. It wasn't easy when he began, but the prisoners are very fond of it now. Perhaps because when he teaches philosophy, he actually teaches the philosophy that can help one to live one's life better, especially in adverse situations. He may be teaching Plato, Stoicism, Neoplatonicism, Kant, or even Husserl...  nah, I am joking not Husserl, without specifically telling them to whom belongs what idea and most of them don't really care to whom those ideas belong.
Moreover, I would consider it a mistake to require a Buddhist list of approved books. It would be to give credit to such a petty policy and to the idea that Buddhism is a religion of the book. The West has better things to offer to Buddhism than to make into yet another religion of the Book prescribing lists of approved books etc.
Joy