"The result is a pile of ossified, cold and (ironically) meaningless abstractions." The results can be worse than that in that one can assume that the "pile of ossified, cold and (ironically) meaningless abstractions" is insight --"Oh, I have insight, I must be ariya."aflatun wrote: ↑Fri Oct 13, 2017 2:04 pmMe too.
In principle I think this "ultra vigilance" is a good thing. We all want to be inline with what the Buddha taught.Any expansion that is not in the suttas is thus seen as a corruption. There is an ultra vigilance to expunge anything that is not directly spelled out in the suttas and to put it down as non-Buddhist.
The problem as I see it is when this ultra vigilance is employed by 1) someone who "sees their perspective as the only one, the only proper way and everyone else is wrong" 2) someone who uses a style of delivery that shuts down dialogue, lacks any warmth or sense of conversation between people 3) someone who has an excessive preoccupation with the supposed meanings of words-generally conceived of in the most narrow, gross and literal way; a meaning which can only be divined through tortuous grammatical analysis and text critical methods (I do not deny that such things have their place)-an excessive preoccupation that seems to be blind to the greater context of those words and most importantly, what those words might actually mean in terms of personal experience here and now. The result is a pile of ossified, cold and (ironically) meaningless abstractions.
The number of people on forums who supposedly have figured out what the suttas "really mean," and claim this as their near unique privilege, go about opposing "true buddhism" to what other posters are thinking or grappling with, implicitly or explicitly claiming stream entry left and right, and speak down to others from their supposed high horse... well, its mind boggling.
Yup. Or anything pragmatic for that matter.This is also a very tiring thing for others, because if one wants to discuss certain meditation techniques, but then one is unable to do so because of the constant claims of "not-buddhist", "not sutta" one is liable to just shut up or go elsewhere.
PS Have you been wearing an n95? The air has been grotesque down in the bay!
Unquestionably the Sunlun method can be seen as extreme, and obviously it is not for everyone. And there are those for whom any kind of meditation is problematic, except maybe some sort of conceptual contemplation. The Sunlun method can be, however, an efficacious practice for those who are willing to put in the effort. 50 years of study and practice -- of engagement with the Dhamma -- have shown me that the Buddha's teachings are remarkably broad, infinitely deep, and flexible. And I am thankful to Jack Kornfield for making the Sunlun method readily known.