[Buddha-l] Batchelor

[Joy Vriens]

Hi Allan

On Fri, May 21, 2010 at 10:58 AM, <ahbadiner at igc.apc.org> wrote:

> Here is "Flight" by Stephen Batchelor:
>
> <http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh316.pdf>
>

Thank you, this is great. I perused it quickly and found two objections, a
small one and a major one.

"Throughout the centuries, in many different countries and cultures,
Buddhism has adopted numerous forms. Yet underlying them all is this one
truth of enlightenment that the Buddha grasped over two thousand years ago."

I don't believe in this version of a very authentic Buddhism, starting off
as "this one truth of enlightenment" to which more and more bagage was
gradually added throughout the centuries, in many different countries and
cultures. This doesn't take away anything from the justified desire or need
to establish a core Buddhism or to adapt it to modern times.

I don't question the validity of the ideas of existential anxiety and
flight, but I do object to the anachronistic translation of "bhaya" (T.
'jigs pa) as existential anxiety.

SB gives the following definitions:

"As has been pointed out by several existentialist philosophers, fear and
anxiety are quite distinct phenomena. Fear always has a particular entity in
the world as its object." "Anxiety, on the other hand, never has a
particular entity in the world as its object. In this sense it is said to be
‘objectless.’ " Anxiety is also defined as follows (Wiki) : "Anxiety is a
psychological and physiological  state characterized by cognitive, somatic,
emotional, and behavioral  components. These components combine to create an
unpleasant  feeling  that is typically associated with uneasiness,
apprehension, fear, or worry." We come close to an exalted or even possibly
unjustified fear.

SB: "Only when these questions are answered will a clear picture of taking
refuge in the Triple Gem emerge. In the writings of the thirteenth century
Tibetan Master Tsong Khapa one of the causes for taking refuge is recognised
as ‘jigs.pa., in Sanskrit bhaya, a term which is usually translated as
‘fear.’ However, in traditional Buddhist terminology no explicit distinction
is made between fear and anxiety. Hence we should reconsider in this case
whether ‘jigs.pa., denotes a normal state of fear or whether it refers to
the more existential condition of anxiety. Tsong Khapa maintains that the
object of `jigs.pa. is not some particular entity within the world but the
cycle of birth and death itself. This being so, we can safely conclude that
here ‘jigs.pa should be rendered as ‘anxiety’ rather than ‘fear.’ For the
cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra) does not imply a particular entity in the
world, but a certain pattern or mode of existence. Thus the anxiety that
motivates us to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha is none other
than the anxiety to which we habitually respond by fleeing into a world of
particulars."

"Bhaya" and "'jigs pa" also mean danger and I have encountered occurrences
where it can't be translated as fear and needs to be translated as danger.
Danger and fear are linked of course. One can fear water, but one does so
rightly because water is dangerous. E.g. the goddess Tara protects against
eight dangers : lions, elephants, fire, snakes, thieves, fetters (legal
problems), water and demons. She became the goddess of navigators. For
Tsongkhapa the cycle of birth and death is a danger which one rightly fears
and should seek protection against by various means. For Tsongkhapa praying
Tara would be one possibility

Therefore I find the move from danger to fear and from there to anxiety and
existential anxiety a bit bold regarding the evidence. For the rest, I agree
with his diagnosis and the solutions. "Existential flight precipitates us
into absorption with the particular entities of the world."

Joy