[Buddha-l] Meatphysical warfare

[jkirk]

Erik,
I'm perplexed by your use of the term "metaphysical movements" here.
In what way is Buddhism metaphysical?  Maybe Mahayana Buddhism, the
prevalent type in China? 
But chan isn't metaphysical, is it? 
Certainly Falun Gong is--I'd call it magical rather than metaphysical,
though.
Joanna
============= 



The Chinese governement fights H.L. the Dalai Lama on all fronts, see
http://www.dorjeshugden.com/panchenshugden.htm
It occurred to me that there might be a philosophical background to the
hatred Hu Jintao c.s. has against the D.L. During the Ming-dynasty
(1368-1644)and later in the Qin (1644-1912) Chinese philosophy became more
and more utilistic and antimetaphysical, metaphysics was considered as
Buddhist or Daoist pollution of pure Chinese thought. This culminated in the
communist revolution, which combined antimetaphysicalism with
anti-intellectualism (logophobia). The Chinese philosopher Fong Yulan for
instance, rejected almost all of his former philosophical work after he got
the attention of Mao, I presume for patriotistic reasons. Now the two most
feared ennemies of the present regime in China are buddhism and Falun Gong,
both strongly metaphysical movements. This does not suggest that utilism is
repressive and metaphysics is a way to freedom, but it may point to a
problem of justification of power of the present regime. 

Erik

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