[Buddha-l] Batchelor

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Op 22-05-10 17:15, lemmett at talk21.com schreef:
> Hello.
> Is there a middle ground between rebirth and thinking that karma is purely psychological? I can't think of one. Sorry if I've misrepresented Batchelor here. 
> Slight tangent but would you say that Epicurus' advice (that death is not to be feared because we're not there) is according to Buddhism also a source of stress and so even on its own terms is impractical. In what other ways might Epicurus be wrong? E.g., I'd imagine that for him looking forward to death is equally illogical but looking forward to nirvana is not, right? Why and can you help me make sense of that?
> I don't want to gloss 'nirvana' and 'death', which brings me back to Batchelor: is karma at best a cure for nihilism?
> Thanks for any help.
>
>
>    
Hi,
Epicure had discovered the happiness of sheer existence, the kind of 
happiness that comes from being carefree and totally relaxed. You get 
this by forgetting unnecessary needs and free yourself from unnecessary 
fears, cultivating a reflective life and spend as much time as you can 
with friends. Death is nothing to worry about, nor to welcome. It's just 
irrelevant as anything that fate brings you. Lots of people found 
happiness through practice of his lifestyle. Is it better than Buddhism? 
Who knows? It's difficult to compare both.

erik