GAS and Buddhism

bmattock said:
Now, knowing that the esteemed Roger Hicks used to take tea with Galileo in the hills overlooking Rome while astride bejeweled arabian horses, he will of course claim that Galileo was actually quite firmly of the belief that the sun revolved around the earth.
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Dear Bill,

You really should make more effort to control your weakness for hyperbole and oblique personal insult. And yes, that is a prescriptive statement; one with which, I think, many on the forum would agree.

I'd also draw your attention to the omitted middle, relating to another part of the same post. Merely because those who are right are not always supported by others, it does not follow that those who are unsupported by others are always right.

Sometimes, in fact, they may be wrong; and even if they are not totally and indisputably wrong, they may risk making fools of themselves by pursuing frankly desperate lines of argument, such as denying the negative connotations of 'dictator'.

In any case, to describe the Dalai Lama as a dictator in his role as Head of State is legally nonsense. He has done his best (and has continued to do his best) to ensure that his word is not regarded as law (the primary definition of a dictator) by promulgating the Tibetan Constitution. I am sure that there are quite a lot of things he could not do, and retain his position as lawful King of Tibet.

More importantly, as a guest of India he can hardly be an absolute ruler: he is subject to the laws of India. You could at best call him an ex-dictator, and that would still betray certain lacunae in your knowledge of Tibetan politics.

Cheers,

R.
 
bmattock said:
Thank you.

Would it help if I told you (and I swear it is true on a stack of Bibles) that I harbor no ill will towards the Dalai Lama, that I'd love to meet him sometime, and that I think he is one of the most highly regarded practitioners of peace of our times?

I am not a Buddhist - this must be obvious. But I respect Buddhism as a religion and a philosophy, though I do not agree with it.

Likewise, I feel for the plight of the Tibetans, and if they wish to be free, then I hope that they find a way to become free - in the other thread, my only argument was that it is not the business of the USA to tell China what to do with regard to Tibet.

I do not long for a simpler, less materialistic way of life - I like my life as it is. I do not denigrate anyone who chooses a simpler life - but I do object to being told that it 'would make me happier' when no one but me knows what makes me happy.

And that's really it. No anger, no hatred, no evil thoughts towards anyone, Dalai Lama included.
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Considering the affairs of other governments that the US does stick its nose into, intervening for Tibetten human rights is not such a bad reason .... but, there's just no oil there, right?

Never wrestle with a muddy pig. You can't win, you only get dirty, and the animal enjoys itself.

This is just a saying. I would not call anyone a pig.
 
bmattock said:
I have never heard of a King or Queen elevated to their status due to reincarnation, your pronouncement to that effect is news to me.

If there is another example of an absolute ruler referred to as a monarch because they are thought to be the reincarnation of the previous monarch, I will be willing to accept your definition of the Dalai Lama as a monarch.
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Dear Bill,

Why do you need another example?

The only reason I can think of is your self-professed ignorance: you've never heard of one example before, and you don't like it because it doesn't suit your argument.

You can't have been listening very hard for the last few decades, though: I'd have thought the term 'God-King' (more accurate in the latter than in the former) was quite widely known. .

Even so, look up Bogdo Gegen and you'll find another example (in Mongolia). And of course there are some interesting means of transferring kingship in Chapter 24 of The Golden Bough.

Cheers,

Roger
 
I didn't see anyone in this thread arguing that Iraq was the correct thing to do. I feel that we should provide political pressure where possible, and denounce human rights issues in China. But I can't see going to war for it now. We should have acted 50 years ago, when they invaded.
 
bmattock said:
But every time we cross swords, Roger, you immediately presume yourself to be better-versed, better-educated, and better-equipped to argue a point than myself.
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Dear Bill,

This is perhaps because I have seen so little evidence to the contrary.

Yes, I have been wrong on many occasions, and freely admit it when I am. As, to your credit, you did earlier on the subject of taxation and child credits.

As for 'name dropping', I'd have thought that an acquaintance with His Holiness -- indeed, having written an authorized biography of him, and worked for the Government in Exile -- might be seen as evidence that I have some knowledge of both the Dalai Lama and Tibet.

If you will forgive me, I find this tiresome. I do not think there is much doubt who has made the better case, and I do not believe that either of us can say a great deal more that is useful. If you wish to have the last word (as I am sure you will), then do; perhaps I shall put you on ignore for a while.

Cheers,

Roger
 
Roger Hicks said:
A body of people in work, who have not retired yet, is required to grow food, make shoes, cut and weave cotton. The old must necessarily either rely on the young (whom they must support until they reach their productive years, as well as breeding them in the first place) or work until they drop.
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Wait, basically, anybody who is not growing or making something themselves is a Parasitical Citizen (tm)?

I knew them feudal lords was'em up to no good...
 
Gabriel M.A. said:
Wait, basically, anybody who is not growing or making something themselves is a Parasitical Citizen (tm)?

I knew them feudal lords was'em up to no good...
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This has exercised me for many years. A book or a magazine is a made thing, and as a writer, photographer and journalist I am an essential part in the production of that made thing. But somehow it's not like growing food, smelting metal or making a knife.

By the time we get to speculative currency trading and designer labels, I have no difficulty in dismissing even some of the people who 'work' as parasites: selling a $20 pair of jeans for $120 certainly involves some parasitism somewhere in the chain.

The real crunch is retirement, though. Forty years of unproductive life -- quite possible, retiring (or being thrown on the scrap-heap) at 50 and living to 90 -- is, in the long term, an intolerable burden on any consumer economy. It's all very well to say that a rich man, with enough savings, can afford to do it; but someone still has to grow his food, make his clothes, and grind his camera lenses as well as performing those same services for those who are working.

This is what I see as the real crisis of global capitalism. When you can no longer export low-cost jobs from America to China or Vietnam, because the Chinese and Vietnamese want a bigger share of the money, and you can no longer import cheap labour from Poland to Britain, because the Poles can live better for less in Poland; that is when the midden hits the windmill.

To be sure, the history of capitalism is the history of the substitution of labour for capital, but all this means in many cases is the production of more cheap consumer goods, not of necessities. A friend summed it up beautifully a few months ago: 'How often do you buy a refrigerator? And how often do you buy a loaf of bread?'

A few weeks ago I was in northern Spain (Aragon and Navarre) and there is a LOT of land there that until recently was cultivated but is no more. This is because it's tiny terraced fields that are very labour intensive; it's cheaper to import your rice from India or the United States, your meat from Argentina, and so forth.

The era of cheap food is over, though, and I can't see how people are going to adjust to paying a fortune for food, and next to nothing for a microwave to cook it.

There are no conclusions or even suggestions in the above: it's just something I've been thinking about.

Cheers,

R.
 
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Tell you what.

I've been out for the evening, enjoying a splendid dinner and the theatre in the company of a beautiful woman. Tomorrow I shall relish the spring sunshine and finish a roll of film. In the great scheme of things I am marginally less religious than the average cuff-link but right now my karma is nicely topped up.

Can I suggest that all those who have spent their evenings bouncing backwards and forwards on this thread step away from the keyboard tomorrow and do something to put a smile on your face?

Just a thought.

Regards,

Bill

p.s. Goodnight, and may your God go with you.
 
BillP said:
Can I suggest that all those who have spent their evenings bouncing backwards and forwards on this thread step away from the keyboard tomorrow and do something to put a smile on your face?
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A *schedule* for putting a smile on my face?! Sheez, how urbanite is that?!

I do that in the morning, in the afternoon, and the evening.

But just to contradict myself: Tomorrow I'm having a Karmic afternoon with a few friends, then off to a Nirvaniish evening listening to one of Mozart's Oboe Quintets (the one that was transcribed from his String Quintet that was transcribed from a Serenade for Winds -- if that's not life-hopping for aetherial constructions of a human intellect, I don't know what is).

I manage to "bounce backwards and forwards" in here to get a break from reality :D

BillP said:
p.s. Goodnight, and may your God go with you.
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aka Zeus, Amon, Ra, Jupiter, etc. etc. etc. Peace.
 
BillP said:
Tell you what.

I've been out for the evening, enjoying a splendid dinner and the theatre in the company of a beautiful woman. Tomorrow I shall relish the spring sunshine and finish a roll of film. In the great scheme of things I am marginally less religious than the average cuff-link but right now my karma is nicely topped up.

Can I suggest that all those who have spent their evenings bouncing backwards and forwards on this thread step away from the keyboard tomorrow and do something to put a smile on your face?

Just a thought.

Regards,

Bill

p.s. Goodnight, and may your God go with you.
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maybe those involved in this thread derive pleasure and a smile from it... don't ask me how, i'm just saying... ;P
 
bmattock said:
It is an interesting supposition, but imagine if the reason we seek possessions is precisely for the reason we first imagine - that they do, in fact, give us pleasure?
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Kind of a dull life, (I'm sure it isn't) but OK.

Why are you the arbiter of my happiness?

I am just curious.
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Odd that you would think I was trying to be the arbiter of your happiness. I'll try to word things more carefully.

You accept that we must each find our own path individually, but you do not accept that what makes me happy might not be what makes you happy? Does that seem logical to you?
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Here we are again. I am using the "we" in my previous post, a universal sense, it is clearly not necessarily referring to you. I've been around too long and seen too much to assume anything about your or anyones happiness.

I do observe however that you protest too much.
 
This was one weird thread. As for the original post (does anyone remember that), I found a lot of wise things there. So, a "Thank you" is in order.

Also, I finally found out what that ignore button was all about.
 
bmattock said:
A trait I am noted for the world over. In fact, I am able to carp, <snip> whine, and beef in several languages, with perfect inflection and respect to the current contretemps
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I love a good Saint-Emilion Grand Cru with my fillet mignon and a fumé blanc with either carp or escamoles.

When I can't pronounce a thing I just order water ;)
 
Pitxu said:
No Gabriel,

We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune, and we take it in turns to be executive officer of the week. But any decisions made by that officer have to be ratified at a bi-weekly meeting in the case of purely internal affairs.........etc etc.
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Is this where I say "oh there you go, bringing class into it again"? :eek:
 
Tuolumne said:
Can you be a Buddhist and a member of RFF at the same time?[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]
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Sir,
Being a member of RFF doesn't involve GAS. Being a buddhist involves the respect of values and the slow murder of Ego.
It seems compatible.
 
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