Dear Icaro, :-)

Thank you! Good points (I think) I'm about to go off to work, so
shall decipher and digest your remarks today.:-)

metta and peace,
Christine
---The trouble is that you think you have time---

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "icarofranca" <icarofranca@...> wrote:
> Dear Chris:
>
> It's only a matter of what is worthy to be registred on official
> documents. Ancient japanese shinto texts are a gore sequence of
> battles win and lost, castles and citadels conquered and recupered
on
> and on. Boring. But all shinto sacred scholars have got these texts
> in great esteem!
> It`s Because they preserve the elder written registries on
> japanese Culture!
> Think about a Philosophy, a deep metaphysics, a sound religious
> doctrine,etc, that have in their vaults as a high valued issue an
> ancient narrative of The attack of the Hostile Pheasants against
> Christine Forsyth, esq. What posterity would think about such
> culture!!!
> I think that singalese buddhistic culture has the Mahavamsa in
so
> great esteem due his pali remarks and Historical registries...
> anyway, an arahant that is a active subject of the History is a
rare
> event!!!!
>
> Mettaya, Ícaro
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "christine_forsyth" <cforsyth@...>
> wrote:
> > Dear Robert, John, all,
> >
> > Rob, I don't understand your question to John. On the surface,
at
> > least, the quote below from the Mahavamsa seems at odds with the
> > teachings of the Fortunate One, don't you think? There were
> > reportedly 60,000 human beings killed by this King and his army.
> > (And, in the quote, the King and his soldiers seem to have been
> > absolved from the vipaka of the deaths of 59,998.5 people which
are
> > discounted and trivialised.) This war, if it occurred, was just a
> > little footnote in history - not remembered today except in a
> > relatively obscure text. If it occurred, then this killing was in
> > brutal hand to hand combat. It takes a lot of intention, effort,
> > fear and hatred to kill another human with a sword, knife, spear
or
> > hammer - there are litres of blood, and noise - a lot of running,
> > tackling, struggling, pleading, cursing - multiplied 60,000
times.
> > (WMD are so easy by comparison.)
> >
> > Perhaps you are considering that the Arahant's explanation is in
> > terms of anatta, that there really are no humans killing or being
> > killed? But, the consolation was being given to a worldling, and
> has
> > no doubt been reflected on through the centuries by other
> worldlings
> > like me, who may not yet have penetrated the meaning of the 4NT.
> > Additionally, there seems to be a dismissive devaluing of the
> taking
> > of the lives of Unbelievers ... my understanding is that the
Buddha
> > taught us to respect, have tolerance for, and care about those
who
> > were followers of other teachers.
> >
> > John, I think it concerns me the most that the speech is said to
> have
> > been made by an Arahant. Often if I am uncomfortable or puzzled
> > about anything in the Tipitaka, I put the concern aside hoping it
> > will be clearer in the future, consoling myself that the Tipitaka
> > bears the hallmark of approval of the Arahants. Perhaps this is
> > naivety ... I have a memory (can't turn up the post) of someone
> > stating that the Mahavamsa was examined and included in the
> Tipitaka
> > at the Sixth Buddhist Council in Burma in the fifties?
> > ===============
> > Quote, with speech attributed to an Arahant:
> > "Only one and a half human beings have been slain here by thee, O
> > lord of men. The one had come unto the (three) refuges, the other
> had
> > taken unto himself the five precepts. Unbelievers and men of evil
> > life were the rest, not more to be esteemed than beasts. But as
for
> > thee, thou wilt bring glory to the doctrine of the Buddha in
> manifold
> > ways; therefore cast away care from the heart, O ruler of men
> > (xxv.108-112)."
> > ================
> >
> > metta and peace,
> > Christine
> > ---The trouble is that you think you have time ---
> >
> > --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "rjkjp1" <rjkjp1@...> wrote:
> > > Dear John and all,
> > > What is incompatible in the mahavamsa with the Tipitaka?
> > > RobertK
> > > ---
> > >
> > > In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "John Kelly" <palistudent@...> wrote:
> > > > Dear Christine,
> > > >
> > > > Calling the Mahaava.msa "Buddhist scriptures" is a bit of a
> > > > stretch. I could be wrong, but I understood that this was a
> > later
> > > > chronicle developed in Sri Lanka, and not part of the canon
at
> > all.
> > > > Certainly the sentiments expressed are not at all compatible
> with
> > > > anything else I've read in the canon.
> > > >
> > > > Metta,
> > > > John