XPost: talk.religion.buddhism, alt.zen, alt.philosophy.zen   
   XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy   
   From: epsteinrob@yahoo.com   
      
   Julian wrote:   
      
   > On 14/08/2010 08:44, halfawake wrote:   
   >   
   >> Julian wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> On 13/08/2010 09:18, Allen Barker wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 08/12/2010 08:26 PM, Jigme Dorje wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> On Aug 12, 1:18 pm, Julian wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> On 12/08/2010 17:42, DT wrote:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Well, here's a question for you, or Jigme, or whoever.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> If somebody were to ask me for a brief synopsis of the New   
   >>>>>>> Testament, or   
   >>>>>>> of Jesus' teachings, I'd tell 'em to read Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on   
   >>>>>>> the   
   >>>>>>> Mount.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Is there a comparable portion of the Lotus Sutra that might hit   
   >>>>>>> all the   
   >>>>>>> high points,   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> No (imo)   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> or do I need to just start at the beginning and go through   
   >>>>>>> all 28 chapters?   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> You might as well, but you can skip nearly half of each chapter   
   >>>>>> since often the prose is repeated as verse.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> ps.   
   >>>>>> Nichiren followed the T'ien-t'ai line in emphasising   
   >>>>>> ch. 2 Expedient Means   
   >>>>>> and, particularly, the "jewel"   
   >>>>>> ch.16 The Life Span of the Tathāgata   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Expedient means? That's ALL it's about.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I'll save you the trouble of reading it. Here's the Cliff Notes   
   >>>>> version, which I call "Lotus in a Nutshell":   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> The Buddha admits that everything he's told us up to now has been just   
   >>>>> a pack of lies. Now he's decided to come clean.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> But first, he makes a bunch of excuses for all those lies. It seems he   
   >>>>> did it for our own good because we were too childish to understand for   
   >>>>> real, and he just wanted to save our sorry asses.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> So the real truth is: I wasn't really a man who became enlightened.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I was an immortal god all along, deserving of your worship. I'm only   
   >>>>> telling you this now because you're so much better than all those   
   >>>>> other uncomprehending dolts.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> A beautiful story with a special appeal to triumphalist egotists.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Wow, I wasn't expecting that "analysis" from Jigme...   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> There must be an awful lot of "triumphalist egotists" in Asia.   
   >>   
   >>   
   >> Just as there are a fair number evident in the Western world.   
   >   
   >   
   > There are more devotees of the Lotus in Asia, that JD dismissed,   
   > than in the rest of the world combined.... a different point   
   > from the one you are trying to make.   
      
   I'll stand corrected on that one then.   
      
   Robert   
      
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