XPost: talk.religion.buddhism, alt.zen, alt.philosophy.zen   
   XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy   
   From: epsteinrob@yahoo.com   
      
   Catawumpus wrote:   
      
   > halfawake :   
   >   
   >   
   >>It was a joke, Cat; and mainly directed towards the trappings of the Sutra.   
   >   
   >   
   >      The Lotus Sutra includes the item that you both denied and   
   > demanded, namely an arahant who decides _not_ to "stick   
   > around," contradicting your notion that all of them did so with   
   > only one exception due to severe illness.  What's more, the   
   > Buddhas answer, "That is the real worship of the Tathagata, the   
   > real worship of the law."   
   >   
   > -- Catawumpus   
      
   You're welcome to bring this up, but it's not what I was thinking or   
   talking about when I made my joking comment, so you're out of context   
   here.  The Lotus Sutra has more to it than your one little favorite point.   
      
   As for your point itself, that there is *one other* arahant mentioned in   
   one other sutra who was approved for killing himself, gives you yet   
   another exception to the almost universal norm of sticking around and   
   doing the usual bodhisattva work.  So what?  That's a total of two   
   arahants against the many myriads of zillions who have *not* committed   
   suicide over countless kalpas.  I consider that to be grasping at straws.   
      
   Robert   
      
   = = = = = = = =   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)