From: Wim Nusselder (wim.nusselder@antenna.nl)
Date: Sat Dec 13 2003 - 13:14:34 GMT
Dear Khoo Hock Aun,
Your posting of 11 Dec 2003 23:07:20 +0800 convinced me that Buddhism is not
a dogmatic religion in your interpretation, which is (for me) a good thing
as Quakerism (my religious affiliation) isn't either.
I guess you will recognize your views in the quote from a famous Quaker
(William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania) which I quoted before on this
list:
'The humble, meek, merciful, just, pious, and devout souls are everywhere of
one religion; and when death has taken off the mask, they will know one
another, though the divers liveries they wear here makes them strangers.'
(1693)
You quote Siddharta Gautama as having said:
"The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will
become of you, depend on no one.
Only the moment you reject all help are you freed"
The first part reminds me of what I know as a poster-text made by British
Quakers: "Our greed and our fear are destroying our future." (When I quoted
that on this list before, someone replied that he knew it as a Buddhist
saying. Quakers may have taken it from a Buddhist source.) That always
struck me as very 'true' or rather 'Meaningful', but I prefer the opposite
which I coined as: "Our trust and our selfless commitment are building our
future".
I don't understand the second part of your quote ("depend on no one ...").
Depending on others doesn't seem a problem to me if it is part of (more or
less equal) mutual dependence. It is unequal dependence that limits freedom.
Freedom is meaningless and worthless without (equal) mutual dependencies
(static patterns of value) to work with and build upon. If you would reject
all dependence and participate in no static patterns of value any more
(which is impossible), you would be 'free from' everything, but not 'free
to' attain anything worthwhile either. Is hope that's not the
'enlightenment' Buddhists strive for?!
At the end you write:
'If anything, the buddhism is merely a "Manual for One's Personal
Salvation - Use What Works For You"'.
Can Buddhism also provide a manual for collective salvation, "how to help
the static patterns of value that connect us migrate towards Dynamic
Quality" instead of "how to dissolve them"?
With friendly greetings,
Wim
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