Hi Gunnar,
kung fu, or gong fu actually has a pretty general
meaning in chinese, and is not restricted to
philosophy or martial arts. kung fu = skill level.
For example one can have excellent kung fu in cooking,
or no kung fu in the art of right speech.
from [majjhima 139], one of the aspects of right
speech is that we should not insist on using local
language, and that principle extends to not insisting
on using theravada buddhist terms. In fact, the Buddha
took common words like dukkha, arahant, brahmin, etc,
and gave those words a new spin. The purpose of
language is to convey meaning. By using the term kung
fu, I was reasonably certain the context would make
the meaning clear, which again is the point of
language. And even if one were to speak in pedandic,
genuine 100% theravada terminology, there would still
be instances where qualification and clarification is
necessary. Thus I see no harm in using a little flavor
occasionally.

--- Gunnar G�llmo <gunnargallmo@...> wrote:

> --- Frank Kuan <fcckuan@...>
>
> wrote quite a lot, especially considering that he is
> one who is sceptical about writings.

Don't worry Gunnar. You might not see another post
from me on this list for the next 3 years. I wasn't
saying that writing has no value. Writing obviously
can have immense value. My use of hyperbole was to
emphasize a proper balance of learning theory (via
reading/oral tradition/etc) and application of that
theory through practice. Studying sutras all day can
only get you so far. Application of that study to
moment to moment practice of 8fold noble path is the
only way to move beyond the realm of discursive
thinking, attitudes, views, and bring genuine dukkha
transcending realizations.

"anyone can write a great book...": If you look at the
context of how I use that phrase, you'd see that the
point I'm trying to make is that someone can sound
like a enlightened being based on the eloquence and
sophistication of their writing, yet have no more
dhamma realizations than the average buddhist. No need
to get so worked up and defensive about the profession
of writing. Like any other discipline, excellent kung
fu in writing would require dedication and work, and
on a worldly level certainly merits respect and
admiration.

-fk


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