Metta to all,
As I grow older in my follies and view of the world's repeated sufferings, the personal tragedies of so many around me in this America, one of the world's richest countries, I see that even here suffering never stops. I am privileged beyond so many others yet so limited as well. Transfer of merit is something one can do and so is prayer, I don't know if any of that works or not. Uposatha observance and of course taking refuge and keeping sila and practicing meditation and studying the suttasare all things I have been taught to do. And I try to practice all of that while developing a mind of loving kindness. I do these things because they are NOT my inclination. That inclination is to be concerned only with my self and my desires even to the point of destroying any one else who is in the way or whoever I simply wish to.

Lord Buddha taught many things, I believe all of them, yet know that saddha is not liberating in itself. I am admonished to love others so I will begin metta bhavana. If transfer of merit helps others I will do it, if meditation and study does that so be it. I do know that this is a dark and bloody world that is so lost and dangerous that when we see it as it is we can fall into madness and despair quite easily.

That way is no answer, only another round of samsara. You Piya inspire me.

I am glad to be on this site if only to have read your e mail, so compassionate and so wise and honest.

Thank you so much
Pete Tomlinson

Piya Tan <dharmafarer@...> wrote: Even some views of the sekhas, saints on the path, short of arhathood, may
be flawed.
Only the asekha, the arhat, has full right view. At least in theory.

We can always keep trying and working towards right view, without paining
one another too much. It's called compassion.

Very often we forget that our ability to discuss some finer points of
Buddhism, be it philosophy, Pali and meditation, is because we are blessed
with good health (mental and physical), and some surplus income, and perhaps
some academic qualification.

So Buddhism becomes another "professional" topic like any other.

Today, one of my ex-students emailed saying that his brother has been
admitted into a local mental health institution because of psychosis. He is
told by Mahayana teachers that "merits" should be transferred to him.

In times like this, I leave the finer points of Buddhism aside, and simply
say. may these suffering persons grow of their pains, as I am pained too to
know of such sufferings so close to me.

Be well and happy, so that compassion and wisdom can arise when we most need
them.

Piya Tan

Piya Tan

On 09 Mar 2007 07:51:09 -0800, Gunnar Gällmo <gunnargallmo@...> wrote:
>
> --- rjkjp1 <rjkjp1@... <rjkjp1%40yahoo.com>> skrev:
>
> > Dera Gunnar ,
> > and this view of yours (above)is it fallible?
> >
> > Is sammaditthi , right view, true and factual, or
> > fallible?
> >
> > The view that the texts are wrong (fallible). Is
> > that view true?
> > Robert
>
> Every view held by a puthujjana is fallible.
>
> Gunnar
>
>
>
>
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