> Awaken21 wrote:

>> Actually Buddhist morality is a personal affair directed inward, to
>> project it on to another person or group of people would be judgment,
>> which is also best avoided.

>
> Actually, if I get it aright, all Buddhist
> teachings are merely a personal affair
> directed inward, to be applied to oneself
> alone, for one's internal awakening, and not
> to be applied to the outside world as such.
>
> Granted, we are humans, and share some
> commonalities with other humans, with
> animals, and with nature out there. But
> Buddhist teachings deal only with our
> internal states, and aim only at purely
> subjective, strictly sentimental states that
> only we experience, even if others can ...

> Before get into the goal of buddhism, a more general question is
> religion. What is the commonality among all relgions? What is
> underlying all suffering?
>
> In the wewt, power is the root of all...

> It is often said that traditional society consists of "we"
> whereas modern, especially modern Western society,
> consists of individuals. In the USA individualism runs
> rampant, so much so that people...

> Yes, I've heard it said that buddhist teachings on interdependence
> tend to be met with puzzlement by folks in the east, who perhaps have
> no need for it. The early teachings seem to view dependence on others
> as somewhat of a necessary burden. These days interdepence is taught
> more as an ideal to aspire too, or something that needs to be seen as
> it is - since it is an unavoidable fact. But it's viewed in a
> positive light rather than as a burden.
>
> Oddly Thich Nhat Hahn is the biggest non-western proponent of
> interdepdence. He was exiled from vietnam. (They recently let him
> back in) Maybe his perspective arose as he attempted to deal with his
> own isolation? I don't mean this as a psychological analysis, but it
> would seem to explain his popularity in the U.S.

>
> Having said all that, the one thing that *really* yanks my
> underoos is people who simply MUST idolize somebody
> (with or without Their Words Of Wisdom ) instead of taking on
> the daunting task of becoming their OWN authority unto themselves.
> Is that, like, too much fuckin' responsibility or something?
> Or is that just what I mistakenly think of as "buddhism"?

> Déjà Flu wrote:

>> Having said all that, the one thing that *really* yanks my
>> underoos is people who simply MUST idolize somebody
>> (with or without Their Words Of Wisdom ) instead of taking on
>> the daunting task of becoming their OWN authority unto themselves.
>> Is that, like, too much fuckin' responsibility or something?
>> Or is that just what I mistakenly think of as "buddhism"?

>
>
> Good point.
> But after thinking about it for a second
> and realizing what might happen to such pompous asses,
> I respectfully have to ask:
>
> Is that what happened to you?

> "ltl...@hotmail.com" wrote:

>> Before get into the goal of buddhism, a more general question is
>> religion. What is the commonality among all relgions? What is
>> underlying all suffering?

>

>> In the wewt, power is the root of all evil. Money is economic power.
>> The common phrase in the west is Lord Aton's "Power tends to corrupt;
>> absolute power corrupt absolutely."  And of course, the westtern
>> conception is wrong. The Chinese or eastern approach is
>> "relationship." Combing east and west, the underlying cause of all
>> surffering is "power relationship."

>

>> First, "power relationship" is ubiquitous. It is everywhere. Every
>> relationship we have is a power relationship in which we coerce or we
>> are coerced. Interpersonally, intrapersonally and with nature.

>

>> Sceond, "power relationship" is what we learnt from the beginning. It
>> does not take long for a baby to discover that everytime she cries, ...

> On May 1, 10:18 am, Tang Huyen gmail.com[remove]>
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>

>> "ltl...@hotmail.com" wrote:

>>> Before get into the goal of buddhism, a more general question is
>>> religion. What is the commonality among all relgions? What is
>>> underlying all suffering?

>

>>> In the wewt, power is the root of all evil. Money is economic power.
>>> The common phrase in the west is Lord Aton's "Power tends to corrupt;
>>> absolute power corrupt absolutely."  And of course, the westtern
>>> conception is wrong. The Chinese or eastern approach is
>>> "relationship." Combing east and west, the underlying cause of all
>>> surffering is "power relationship."

> ...

> On May 1, 8:43 pm, "ltl...@hotmail.com" hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>

>> On May 1, 10:18 am, Tang Huyen gmail.com[remove]>
>> wrote:

>

>>> "ltl...@hotmail.com" wrote:

>>>> Before get into the goal of buddhism, a more general question is
>>>> religion. What is the commonality among all relgions? What is
>>>> underlying all suffering?

>

>>>> In the wewt, power is the root of all evil. Money is economic power.
>>>> The common phrase in the west is Lord Aton's "Power tends to corrupt;
>>>> absolute power corrupt absolutely."  And of course, the westtern
>>>> conception is wrong. The Chinese or eastern approach is
>>>> "relationship." Combing east and west, the underlying cause of all ...

>The self is like an arrow in flight. If we look at it at any time, it
>is an illusion and can be dropped. But this is also an illusion.