[Buddha-l] Volume 54 Issue 52

[S. A. Feite]

On Aug 21, 2009, at 5:49 AM, Erik Hoogcarspel wrote:

> S.A. Feite schreef:
>> On Aug 20, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Jackhat1 at aol.com wrote:
>>
>>
>>> The book Destructive Emotions by Daniel Goleman  is compilation of a
>>> series
>>> of talks and interactions of a group of  neuroscientists and The  
>>> Dalai
>>> Lama. If I remember correctly Davidson was a  member of the group.
>>>
>>
>>
>> That's right. A good read, Goleman weaves the story so you experience
>> it as a sense of discovery with the group at one of the 'invitation
>> only' Mind and Life conferences held at the Dalai Lamas residence in
>> Dharamsala.
>>
> I can see why D. fix-your-emotions Goleman plays the
> I-wash-your-back-and-you-wash-mine game with HHDL. The Tibetan  
> doctrine
> of  compulsory compassion in order to get enlightened and become happy
> yourself has the same hypocrisy and logical flaw as his theory of
> destructive emotions. Not by accident, because both are besed on
> abhidharma metaphysics.


Well that may apply to the accumulation of merit (punya) but I think  
the ultimate point is not an "I-wash-your-back-and-you-wash-mine  
game" but instead that the nature of compassion, from the Point of  
View (the experiential POV) of Fruition is one of nondual compassion,  
not relative "let me be nice to everyone and grease the gears"  
compassion. If you mimic rigpa/vidya, eventually that realization  
will dawn. HHDL, being a secret yogi, and being in his environment is  
an excellent opportunity to come into the View of nondual compassion,  
simply by being there.

I believe it would be fair to say that the practices (not theory) of  
destructive emotions do work and we can use neuroscience to show that  
they do work.