XPost: talk.religion.buddhism, alt.zen, alt.philosophy.zen   
   XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy   
   From: kimmerian@fastmail.fm   
      
   oxtail :   
      
   >  Do you believe in gods the Buddha talked about?   
      
        I believe that you're wriggling again -- and look, you are.   
   We've been discussing what the Apannaka Sutta says, not   
   whether to believe what's said there.  In the sutta, the Buddha   
   clearly declares "there actually is the next world."  He   
   states that the assertion "there actually is the next world" is   
   "right speech," "true dhamma," etc.  He distinguishes "the   
   good destination" in the next world from the bad one.  So forth   
   and so on.   
      
        You don't gotta believe what the Buddha says there or even   
   that the historical Buddha said so.  But misrepresenting the   
   sutta to make it match your beliefs is dishonesty of an obvious   
   kind.   
      
   -- Catawumpus   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)