why am i not a buddhist?

[panta rhei]

here is an interesting article by gil kopatch, about the dalai lama discussing judaism, love and sex with a rabbi and an israeli comedian:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/583841.html

[judih]

yes! this is an interesting look at commonalities between faiths and methods of interpretation.

thanks for bringing this here, a!

j

[panta rhei]

j!

i just saw that you've been posting this article at another place also!

i found it yesterday night, but was too tired to read it right away, so i printed it out and read it this morning while i was having a peaceful cup of coffee in solitude.

then i posted it here - and then i found it there (and commented).

i love these moments of sync!

[panta rhei]

quote from the article:

"(...)

Gafni: "The most important idea I want to share with you is about why people who are deeply religious can behave in a terrible way. In what I call integral kabbala, and in modern integral thought, we say there are stages and states. States mean that which I achieve and lose - like an altered state or mystical state. A stage is a permanent achievement; I have developed to a particular stage of achievement and I do not lose it. In moral development, there are four major stages: egocentric, ethnocentric, worldcentric (feeling care and compassion for all people), and also the stage of being compassionate for all living beings and not only human beings.

"Now here is the deep idea. All states, mystical ones included, are interpreted through the prism of stages. If I am at one level - let's say, egocentric - and I have a mystical experience, I might think I am Jesus. If I am at the ethnocentric stage, then I might think that only my people is holy ... The secret is that all states are interpreted through the prism of stages, one's moral stage of development. Therefore, even people who reach genuine mystical states can behave in morally reprehensible ways.

(...)"[/quote]

[hester_prynne]

Thank you for posting this link! I enjoyed this article very much, and found the excerpts which you've posted here to be very interesting Panta, they ring of truth in my heart, very welcome information here!

Thank you again for this!

H

[whimsicaldeb]

I also enjoyed the 4 moral stages of development that was excerpted. Insightful and accurate (imo).

My favorite line from the article:

I ask why the Tibetans are always laughing. His eyes lighting up, he replies:
"The original face of people, beneath all the masks, is a smiling face."

~Yeah!~

And … My most astounded cultural perspective moment:

Many of the vehicles sport a sign saying "Honk, please." In driving there is nothing like the sense of hearing. In Israel every honk can send the honkee out of his car and spark a blood-drenched incident. Here it's a happy thing - people merrily honk at one another. You could mistakenly think that driving here is an ear-splitting experience until you realize that honking is like saying "hello."

~Oh my!~


I enjoyed reading/seeing the different perspectives. Great Article. Thanks Panta.
~d

[panta rhei]

hest - thanks for reading... glad you enjoyed the read and found some things ring true for you.

deb - yes, the smiling face reply is one of my favourites as well!