Recently I began reading Paul Williams' 'Mahayana Buddhism - The Doctrinal Foundations'.
I was curious to find out a bit more about the author as so many books on Buddhism are by American authors and this
was someone from the UK who is regarded as an authority.
I was surprised to read of Williams' conversion to Catholicism from Buddhism. I followed a link to an interview on You Tube - it is fairly long
but I found it fascinating and confusing. The description Williams gives of Buddhism (albeit mainly Tibetan) seems so off the mark and not in keeping
with the sense of teachings we share here.
He throws in a kind of koan that he feels Buddhists don't bother asking and that can't be answered by Buddhism even if asked.
'Why is there something rather than nothing?' or put another way - 'Why is there anything at all?'
I'm pretty sure we do ask those kind of questions from time to time
Whilst respecting the path Williams is on (he still teaches Buddhism in a secular setting) and he obviously 'knows' his subject at an academic level
I do find his representation of meditation off key.
Anyway - here is the link
Gassho,
Willow
(who sat today - and wasn't just interested in her 'own mind - didn't have nice floaty feelings
and felt care and concern, because as Buddhism teaches we are all interconnected !)
I was curious to find out a bit more about the author as so many books on Buddhism are by American authors and this
was someone from the UK who is regarded as an authority.
I was surprised to read of Williams' conversion to Catholicism from Buddhism. I followed a link to an interview on You Tube - it is fairly long
but I found it fascinating and confusing. The description Williams gives of Buddhism (albeit mainly Tibetan) seems so off the mark and not in keeping
with the sense of teachings we share here.
He throws in a kind of koan that he feels Buddhists don't bother asking and that can't be answered by Buddhism even if asked.
'Why is there something rather than nothing?' or put another way - 'Why is there anything at all?'
I'm pretty sure we do ask those kind of questions from time to time
Whilst respecting the path Williams is on (he still teaches Buddhism in a secular setting) and he obviously 'knows' his subject at an academic level
I do find his representation of meditation off key.
Anyway - here is the link
Gassho,
Willow
(who sat today - and wasn't just interested in her 'own mind - didn't have nice floaty feelings
and felt care and concern, because as Buddhism teaches we are all interconnected !)
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