To: K-list
Recieved: 1999/11/09 12:28
Subject: [K-list] Tibetan memories
From: A. Erhart
On 1999/11/09 12:28, A. Erhart posted thus to the K-list:
Thanks Maureen !
Can always count on you coming up with some good stuff
regarding the different traditions that are out there.
:))
Read on, I have a few thoughts I would like to
bounce around with you (but not bicker over):
On Tue, 09 Nov 1999 14:53:17 Maureen Heffernan wrote:
>> Coming on the heels of his surprise bestseller, "The Art of
>> Happiness," the 14th Dalai Lama has struck another chord in
>> Western readers with "Ethics for the New Millennium."
I will take a look at this book next time I'm in the
book store. :))
Again, thanks a lot for the great tip.
>> believes that feeling good requires being good--
LOL ! But it has to come from within, otherwise
you won't feel good for long. :))
>> Ethics in a Modern World:
>> An Interview with the Dalai Lama
Thank you thank you thank you for sending this interview ! :))
Actually, my Chinese housemate said quite hotly the
other day as we watched the Dalai Lama on tv:
"Do you like this guy ???"
(He was as angry as a Chinese will get in the company
of half strangers)
I said yes.
Then my friend asked "Why ?!"
-"Because he advocates non-violence" was about the
only reply that wouldn't have annoyed or hurt
a Chinese I could come up with.
Praying for ahimsa I hoped my Chinese friend would be
satisfied with this answer.
My friend blinked twice and didn't say anything more.
:)
But a few days later he told me:
"We don't get to know much about the Tibetans and
what happens there".
I laughed and was happy I hadn't started on a long
wonded argument about politics and human rights
which I might have started one year ago. :)
I think the Dalai Lama is a good inspiration. LOLOL !
(I am not comparing myself in any way to his Holiness.
I'm just saying he is an ideal for many ppl including
myself)
>> Amazon.com: What is there in your thoughts on ethics that is
>> absent from current notions of ethics in the West?
>>
>> Dalai Lama: Not having detailed knowledge of Western
>> theories of ethics, it is hard to answer this question
>> directly. But I believe that any approach to ethics that
>> does not take into account others' feelings and others'
>> equal right to happiness is bound to prove inadequate.
:)) This is not so frequent in Western ethics.
Western ethics and moral philosophy has historically
been and is still very much
caught up in strong divisions and long debates
about "good" and "bad" and "right" and "wrong"
"like" and "dislike".
In addition, the finding of guilt and punishment
has been and is still a strong element of Western
not only moral philosophy but also philosophy in
general.
The idea of non-dualism
and unquestionable compassion such as that of
Tara and Avalokiteshvara is essentially lacking
in the Western philosophical traditions.
Instead, a middle way and a deeply reaching humanism
has evolved in the West.
Maybe not so strange on the basis of Western history
or... ?
>> To be a good person, do we need to
>> subscribe to Tibetan Buddhism?
:))
>> Dalai Lama: According to my own experience, there is no
>> doubt that Buddhist practice is an effective means of
>> achieving the happiness that is characterized by inner
>> peace. Here, though, the emphasis must be on the word
>> "practice." It is not enough merely to revere deities and
>> read sutras. Likewise, there is no doubting that each of the
>> world's major religious traditions provides an effective
>> means of achieving happiness through helping individuals to
>> restrain their narrow selfish impulses on the one hand and
>> to develop love and compassion on the other. But here too,
>> the emphasis must again be on the practice of compassion in
>> the context of inner discipline rather than on the
>> externalities of religious practice.
:)))
>> At the same time, it is also true that these ethics--of
>> restraint and of virtue, which are the source of inner
>> peace, of happiness, and of a meaningful life--can be
>> developed without the individual having recourse to
>> religious faith. What I call genuine spiritual practice,
>> which entails disciplining our negative thoughts and
>> emotions and developing a good heart, is, I believe,
>> possible irrespective of a person's belief or lack of
>> belief.
Nice. :)
>> Dalai Lama: We all have the same potential to develop love
>> and compassion. But this does not mean that everyone
>> progresses at the same speed. And clearly we do need laws
>> and regulations to facilitate good order in society. Ethical
>> discipline is not just about rule following, however. The
>> best, indeed the ultimate, way to guarantee a civilized
>> society is through inner discipline rather than merely
>> relying on external means to achieve law and order.
Yes, discipline...
Once a zen master met a samurai.
The samurai became insulted because of something
the zen master said and drew his sword.
The zen master did not react, but only looked at the
samurai.
"Are you not afraid ?" asked the samurai.
"Here is a man that could
run you through with his sword without
blinking."
"Are you not afraid ?" asked the zen master.
"Here is man that could be run through by a sword
without blinking."
;))
>> Amazon.com: You talk about the inner life, about positive
>> and negative thoughts. Why are these important when we
>> consider a person's morals based on that person's actions
>> rather than on his or her thoughts?
Yes, in Western moral philosophy, focus has been on
results to a larger degree than intentions.
>> Similarly, if, for example, we give with the
>> intention of inflating the image others have of us, we are
>> not really being generous at all.
:)) Immanuel Kant put it quite categorically:
Every "moral action" performed with desire
instead of a feeling of duty is not a morally
"good" act. :)
Quite categorically, but he had a point.
Of course, Kant was a true blue Prussian. ;))
>> Amazon.com: You say that genuine happiness for a person
>> depends on ethical conduct. Can't happiness be found simply
>> in the pleasures of life? Are ethical considerations ever at
>> odds with certain pleasures, and would that make them a
>> hindrance to happiness?
>>
>> Dalai Lama: The problem with such an approach to happiness
>> is that those things, such as sensual pleasure, which we
>> suppose to be a source of happiness, are found in the end to
>> be further sources of suffering. Of course, temporary
>> happiness, or temporary satisfaction, can be found in this
>> way. But if we aspire to peace of mind, to that inner sense
>> of tranquility that is unaffected by adverse circumstances,
>> we find that often we need to sacrifice immediate pleasure
>> for the joy of lasting happiness.
>>
>> ******
Thank you very much for sending, Maureen.
I'll take a trip over to the interview right away.
:)
Best regards,
Amanda.
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