--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Stephen Hodge" <s.hodge@...> wrote:

> Dear Robert,
>
> You wrote:
> Thus it seems reasonably important if one wants to follow the

Buddha

> that the texts one relies on are right. If one values a fake text
> and follows that you could still feel you were getting much out of
> it, while all the time heading along the wrong path.
> ****

Stephen;

> with my limited understanding no difference between the fruits

attained by

> followers of Theravada, Mahayana, Vajrayana or whatever.

++++++++++++++++
Dear Stephen,
Funnily enough I have been told this same thing by Christians and
atheists and all manner of cult followers. These people are
genuinely sympathetic to Buddhist ideas but still feel their path is
just a little better (although of course they are too 'balanced' to
say so).
It seems to be a popular view that all paths lead to the same place,
whatever teaching or teacher one follows, one is going the right
way. Or that the really best way is to take pieces from Mahayana ,
chunks from Theravada , a salting of Jesus, and end up with a medley
most in tune with ones own special views.
I think this is not the way of the arahants of the past. They took
pains to preserve the Dhamma, best to investigate the words of the
ancients.
Robertk