Concerning the relevant Controversies.... |
| Concerning the relevant controversies (A
/ B), I simply will not put up with condemnation
of an individual or individuals who are developing, treading, and teaching
the path of compassion and insight, and who respect the words and intent
of their teachers simply because of doctrinal controversy alone. Controversies,
as any Buddhist would know, generally develop because of 'mis-identifications'
or discrepant identifications of what the object of the argument actually
is! Arguments seek to persuade participants to 're-identify' their individual
focus to that of their opponent. To get beyond arguments, we need to look
at the motivation of the identification, not at the object.
If I am going to criticize someone, it will be over what they have done, or the fruits of what they have done, not because of the nature of their meditations, nor because their gods, goddess, spirits, nor messengers. In this context, I don’t care about controversies in the 17th century or whenever. We must teach tolerance and toleration, and move on to more important things. There is a great deal to learn, to protect, and to accomplish. Before us are important goals, discovering how to: become happy as individuals; friends in groups; and enlightened and fair as a society. |