XPost: alt.buddha.short.fat.guy, alt.philosophy.zen, alt.philosophy.taoism   
   From: tanghuyen@gmail.com   
      
   On 9/7/2016 11:12 AM, Ned Ludd wrote:   
      
   >  I think this is definitely playing with mud, but there are,   
   > in Buddhist scripture, supposedly 14 unanswerable   
   > questions that the Buddha identified.  (Which, imo, are   
   > really only four questions.)  They are:   
   >   
   > ---   
   > Fourteen unanswerable questions  (10 in Pali)   
   >   
   > Is the world eternal?   
   > or not?   
   > or both?   
   > or neither?   
   > Pali texts omit "both" and "neither".   
   >   
   > Is the world finite?   
   > or not?   
   > or both?   
   > or neither?   
   > Pali texts omit "both" and "neither".   
   >   
   > Is the self identical with the body?   
   > or is it different from the body?   
   >   
   > Does the Tathagata exist after death?   
   > or not?   
   > or both?   
   > or neither?   
   > ---   
   >   
   >  Leaving aside the permutations of assertion and denial,   
   > I think this boils down to four questions:   
   >   
   > Is the world eternal?   
   > Is the world finite?   
   > Is the self the same as the body?   
   > Does a Buddha exist after death?   
   >   
   >  Not that it's important, but I'd go with no, yes, yes, no;   
   > but what the hell do I know?   
      
   "Thus seeing it as it is with correct wisdom, the   
   views about the prior limit do not become, the   
   views about the prior limit not being, the views   
   about the posterior limit do not become, the   
   views about the posterior limit not being,   
   obstinate misconstruing does not become,   
   obstinate misconstruing not being, his mind   
   turns away from form, feeling, notion, volitional   
   compositions, consciousness, and is liberated   
   from the cankers by not grasping." SN, III, 45-46   
   (22, 46).   
      
   "The saintly disciple who well cognises this   
   dependent arising and these dependently   
   arisen things as they are by correct wisdom,   
   does not pursue the prior limit saying, 'What   
   was I in the past? Or, did I not exist in the past?   
   Who was I in the past? How was I in the past?'   
   He does not pursue the posterior limit saying,   
   'What shall I be in the future? Or, shall I not   
   exist in the future? Who shall I be in the future?   
   How shall I be in the future?' He will not doubt   
   internally, 'What is this? How is this? Who are   
   we? Who shall we be? From where does this   
   being come? Where will it go after dying from   
   here?' Whatever common worldly views which   
   recluses and brahmans attach to, to wit, views   
   (drsti-gatani) tied to theory of self (atma-vada),   
   views tied to theory of being (sattva-vada),   
   views tied to theory of living being (jiva-vada),   
   views tied to theory of rites and rituals to bring   
   good luck (kotuhala-mangala-vada) — all these   
   views are at this time cut, understood, cut   
   down at the root, made like the stump of a   
   palm tree, made something which has ceased   
   to be, never to grow again in the future." SA,   
   296, 84b-c, Nidana-samyukta, 150-152, MN, I,   
   264-265 (38).   
      
   These views about the prior limit (the past),   
   the posterior limit (the future), and all other   
   existential questions are mere playing with   
   mud, are done away with at awakening, and   
   are no longer entertained. In Daoism the   
   issue is phrased differently, but it comes   
   down to the same abandon of all views and   
   opinions, leaving only peace and tranquillity,   
   grace.   
      
   Praise be!   
      
   Tang Huyen   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)