[Buddha-l] Question for acedemic teachers of Buddhism

[jkirk]

Dear Jack

Since you've been listening to a published series of lectures on
your car audio, you need to also cite author and title of the
lectures. Why be coy about it? 

If they are out in public as published material, they should be
cited. Please clue us as to whose lectures these are. We can then
find them and appraise for ourselves.

You wrote:
"He starts off by talking about nirvana as  cessation of life.
This nirvana, he says, is negative, dark and foreboding. " 

Well, this comment sure got my nickers in a twist. On the basis
of this comment, I wonder what he understands about the
Buddhamarga at all! Sheesh~~~~~~~~~~

Cheers, Joanna 
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-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of
Jackhat1 at aol.com
Sent: Sunday, June 22, 2008 5:08 PM
To: buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com
Subject: [Buddha-l] Question for acedemic teachers of Buddhism

Recently, I have been driving in my car a lot and passing the
time by listening to a popular and well publicized 24 lecture CD
series on  Buddhism by a professor from a respected university in
the US. It is probably  the first and only exposure to Buddhism
for many people. I have listened to 8  lectures so far. It is
quite well done in many respects. The professor is  personable,
knowledgeable and has a speaking style that wears well.
 
However, so far it presents a Buddhism that I never would have
been  at tracted to in the first place and certainly would not
have kept up for over  the 30 plus years that I have. He starts
off by talking about nirvana as  cessation of life. This nirvana,
he says, is negative, dark and foreboding.  (This is not negative
in the sense of cessation of suffering or, at least, this  joyful
sense is not there unless you listen very carefully and know
something about
Buddhism.) The emphasis is on setting up an afterlife followed
by, what many would read as, suicide and not trying to
alleviating suffering  in living this life.
 
Soon after, he presents Buddhists as being either monks/nuns or
laity. For the word "laity" he sometimes substitutes the word
"supporters". There  seems no room for someone like me who
studies the suttas, meditates regularly,  tries to lead an
ethical life and doesn't support any monks.
 
His last lecture is about Western Buddhism. I haven't heard this
lecture  but his course outline only mentions ethnic Buddhism in
the West and ignores the direction that non-ethnic western
Buddhism has been taking.
 
My problem is not that he is presenting this content. It does
reflect much of Buddhists and Buddhism. My problem is that he is
not also presenting those aspects that attract most westerners.
Is this the way Buddhism is being taught  by many in colleges and
universities?
 
Please don't take this as an attack. It is something that greatly
concerns me not for myself but for those newcomers who could
benefit from Buddhism but are driven away.
 
 
Jack
 
 



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