Rethinking Dharma For A Secular Age
A well-known story recounts that Gotama-the Buddha-was once staying in Jeta's Grove, his main enter near the city of Savatthi, capital the kingdom of Kosala. Many priests, anderers, and ascetics were living ear by. They are described as people "of arious beliefs andopinions, who sup- orted themselves by promoting their ifferent views."The text enumerates ne kinds of opinions they taught: The world is eternal. The world is not eternal. The world is finite. The world is not finite. Body and soulare identical. Body and soulare different. The tathagata exists after death. The tathagata does not exist after earth. The tathagata both exists and does Otexist after death. The tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death. They took these opinions seriously. "Only this is true," they would insist. "Every other view is false!" As aresult, theyfell into endless arguments, "wounding each other with verbal darts, saying, "The dharma is like this!" 'The dharma is not like that!"" The Buddha commented that such people were blind. "They do not know what is of benefit and what is of harm," he explained. "They do not understand what is and what is not the dharma." He had no interest at all in their propositions. Unconcerned whether such views were true or false, he sought neither to affirm nor to reject them. "A proponent of the dharma," he once observed, does not dispute with anyone in the world." Whenever a metaphysical claim of this kind was made, Gotama did not react by getting drawn in and taking sides. Heremained keenly alert to the complexity of the whole picture without optingfor one position over another. Dharma cannot be reduced to a set of truth-claims, which will inevitably conflict with other truth-claims. Only by letting go of such views will one be able to understand how dharma practice is not about being "right" or "wrong." It is notable that the last six of the ten listed views have to do with the possibility (or not) of lifeafter death, which suggests that the topic was much debated. Although the Buddha may have presented his ideas in the context of multiple lifetimes, this oft-repeated passage implies that he did so for cultural and pragmatic reasons alone. "Of that which the wise (pandita) in the world agree upon as not existing," he said, "I too say that it does not exist. And ofthat which the wise in the world agree upon as existing, I too say that it exists."On sumatters, Gotama is content to acceptlearned consensus. To have affirmedview that the mind is different from thbody and will be reborn after death inanother body would have made himndifferent from those wanderers and ascetics he declared to be blind. In contrast to those who base theibehavior on metaphysical truth-claithe practitioner of the dharma as Gotama envisioned it takes into accothetotality of eachsituation and responds in accordance with the principles, perspective, and values othedharma. Since each situation in is unique, it is impossible to predictadvance exactly how such a person wrespond. Instead of asking, "What is ‘right' or 'wrong' thing to do?"the practitioner asks, "What is the wisesand most compassionate thing to do?(Extract from 'After Buddhism'. Harper Element.)
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Stephen Batchelor views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Stephen Batchelor and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Rethinking Dharma For A Secular Age
A well-known story recounts that Gotama-the Buddha-was once staying in Jeta's Grove, his main enter near the city of Savatthi, capital the kingdom of Kosala. Many priests, anderers, and ascetics were living ear by. They are described as people "of arious beliefs andopinions, who sup- orted themselves by promoting their ifferent views."The text enumerates ne kinds of opinions they taught: The world is eternal. The world is not eternal. The world is finite. The world is not finite. Body and soulare identical. Body and soulare different. The tathagata exists after death. The tathagata does not exist after earth. The tathagata both exists and does Otexist after death. The tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death. They took these opinions seriously. "Only this is true," they would insist. "Every other view is false!" As aresult, theyfell into endless arguments, "wounding each other with verbal darts, saying, "The dharma is like this!" 'The dharma is not like that!"" The Buddha commented that such people were blind. "They do not know what is of benefit and what is of harm," he explained. "They do not understand what is and what is not the dharma." He had no interest at all in their propositions. Unconcerned whether such views were true or false, he sought neither to affirm nor to reject them. "A proponent of the dharma," he once observed, does not dispute with anyone in the world." Whenever a metaphysical claim of this kind was made, Gotama did not react by getting drawn in and taking sides. Heremained keenly alert to the complexity of the whole picture without optingfor one position over another. Dharma cannot be reduced to a set of truth-claims, which will inevitably conflict with other truth-claims. Only by letting go of such views will one be able to understand how dharma practice is not about being "right" or "wrong." It is notable that the last six of the ten listed views have to do with the possibility (or not) of lifeafter death, which suggests that the topic was much debated. Although the Buddha may have presented his ideas in the context of multiple lifetimes, this oft-repeated passage implies that he did so for cultural and pragmatic reasons alone. "Of that which the wise (pandita) in the world agree upon as not existing," he said, "I too say that it does not exist. And ofthat which the wise in the world agree upon as existing, I too say that it exists."On sumatters, Gotama is content to acceptlearned consensus. To have affirmedview that the mind is different from thbody and will be reborn after death inanother body would have made himndifferent from those wanderers and ascetics he declared to be blind. In contrast to those who base theibehavior on metaphysical truth-claithe practitioner of the dharma as Gotama envisioned it takes into accothetotality of eachsituation and responds in accordance with the principles, perspective, and values othedharma. Since each situation in is unique, it is impossible to predictadvance exactly how such a person wrespond. Instead of asking, "What is ‘right' or 'wrong' thing to do?"the practitioner asks, "What is the wisesand most compassionate thing to do?(Extract from 'After Buddhism'. Harper Element.)
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Stephen Batchelor views and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Stephen Batchelor and Speaking Tree,Times of India