[Buddha-l] Prapanca

[Richard Hayes]

On Wednesday 13 February 2008 06:35, Bhavana House wrote:

> If texts on papanca, including what the Buddha taught (Madhupindika Sutta),
> do not help you understand what papanca is, what do you expect to get on
> Buddha-l? 

As you know well, there are three types of wisdom. The lowest is that which 
comes from hearing (or reading). But that should be seasoned by reflection, 
which is what I take the function of buddha-l to be. It has been my 
experience that a great deal can be gained through dialog, through the 
process of people dispassionately sharing their understanding and trusting 
that others will help them come to a better discernment of what is 
understanding and what is misunderstanding. Such discernment eventually 
ripens into the second level of wisdom. 

Putting that reflective wisdom into practice and cultivating it is the third 
form of wisdom. That cannot manifest itself on buddha-l, but I assume that 
the noble denizens of this forum manifest their wisdom in a variety of ways 
in their everyday life in ways that make the world a less sorrowful abode. 
Perhaps that is a gratutious assumption, but I'd rather assume that than the 
opposite, which would be that we are all, when not on buddha-l, ill-mannered 
boors who spread our misery wherever we go.

-- 
Richard P. Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico
http://www.unm.edu/~rhayes