From: Ian Glendinning (ian@psybertron.org)
Date: Fri Nov 05 2004 - 23:36:11 GMT
From my own obviously enormous knowledge of religions :-)
I would say "Eastern mysticism" is an oxymoron.
Zen is Eastern, true enough, but seems neither mystical nor religious to me.
Mysticism ? No way. Anything you have not yet seen or understood is simply a
matter of not yet having looked or thought enough. I'm not aware of any
"mystical" explanations offerred to plug the gaps. Any gap in knowledge is
simply that, a gap, an unknown, currently a mystery, but nothing necessarily
mystical. Live with the gap until you find an answer, don't feel obliged to
plug it with either faith or rationale (unless working assumptions make you
feel comfortable, but then never forget it was just a working assumption.)
Religion ? Philosophy yes, model or view of the world yes, but religion no.
It does not require you to believe (have faith in) any axioms other than the
possibility that you might one day know something by a combination of
observation and introspection and a respect that those who have experienced
and thought more may actually be wiser than yourself.
Ian
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sam Norton" <elizaphanian@kohath.wanadoo.co.uk>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 9:05 PM
Subject: Re: MD terror & religion
> Hi David,
>
> Don't know about attacked, my feeling was exasperation more than anything
else. The particular quote
> that got my goat was:
>
> "While Eastern mysticism has its fair share of unjustified belief, it
undoubtedly represents
> humankind's best attempt at fashioning a spiritual science. The methods of
introspection one finds
> in Buddhism, for instance, have no genuine equivalents in the West. And
the suggestion that they do
> is born of a desperate attempt on the part of Westerners to make all
religious traditions seem
> equally wise. They simply aren't."
>
> I just don't think that's a defensible point of view - I can't see a
better way of describing it
> than as a prejudice, ie an opinion formed without a full acquaintance with
the facts of the matter.
> Not uncommon, but not worth celebrating either.
>
> As for a fallible seeking of the truth, I'm with you completely. Certainty
is the scary thing - but
> this guy was displaying more than enough certainty for the time being. I
think there's a very
> interesting and fruitful discussion to be had, linking the MoQ with what
is good in the western
> tradition, but that can only be had when these sorts of prejudices have
been removed. For as long as
> they remain there will be more heat than light - and that applies to the
bombs as well as the words.
>
> Regards
> Sam
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "David Morey" <us@divadeus.freeserve.co.uk>
> To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
> Sent: Friday, November 05, 2004 5:17 PM
> Subject: Re: MD terror & religion
>
>
> > Hi Sam
> >
> > Interesting, do you feel attacked in this interview?
> > Can you expand upon what is misconceived by the author?
> > Personally I put a fallible seeking of truth before religion,
> > and fear the potential violence of those who claim to 'know'
> > although at this time this seeking places me outside of the
> > secular camp and its built-in incapacity to face its own inadequacies.
> >
> > DM
>
>
>
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