[Buddha-l] Bourgeois Buddhism

[David Living]

< Franz wrote: 
< Although issues of ?real? Buddhism and ?counterfeit? Buddhism may be reasonable and important 
< for Buddhists themselves, it is not our job as scholars to make such determinations. 
< Our role is to describe and understand Buddhists?of whatever persuasion. 
< To do otherwise is to attempt to silence the native, the old colonialist strategy of 
< controlling the native through controlling her history, ensuring that only elite, 
< academic experts have the knowledge necessary to ?speak? for Buddhism (Quli 2009, 15).

Constructive Criticism is always a good thing. There are so many unresolved issues as to how
much of later/modern Buddhist developments are in the spirit of the original teachings and what those
teachings actually are. Understanding issues like Karma, Rebirth, Impermanence, Non Self, 
Speculative Ideas (but not on the Stock Market!) etc etc can become clearer when contradictions are 
highlighted and contemplated. It gets a bit boring though when the same old issues get 
chewed over day in day out with no really constructive resolution. Not that this is what is going
on here!

Aryacitta/Dave Living