Thom—Nice summary of some of the nuggets of your past writings. It also brings back wonderful memories of trips to Stadtsteinach.
The first mistake that you described might be a bit more nuanced in different traditions. You are right on with the Abrahamic religions but the Eastern traditions approach the uniqueness of humans differently. …
Thom—Nice summary of some of the nuggets of your past writings. It also brings back wonderful memories of trips to Stadtsteinach.
The first mistake that you described might be a bit more nuanced in different traditions. You are right on with the Abrahamic religions but the Eastern traditions approach the uniqueness of humans differently. For example, the blended tradition of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan means that more of the physical environment is seen as sacred and worthy of restraint of human behavior. Buddhism also has a different orientation towards the idea of life as a part of a pattern of the universe. These differences may well play into the difference seen in Japan being willing to allow its population to shrink. How this plays out in China may well be different with the mix of Buddhism (Chan), Confucianism, and the state philosophy of Communism.
Hey Dr. Gilbert, I appreciate your comment. I happen to have a big Buddhist streak running through my psyche and it drives me nuts when people refer to Buddhism as a religion. Yeah, it can be a religion for those who deify Buddha, but there are a lot of us more secular Buddhists that think of it more as a mix of psychology and philosophy. I feel the same about Christianity and I'll say that Thomas Jefferson seemed to have a very similar attitude. Some of us don't need metaphysics to practice spirituality.
Thom—Nice summary of some of the nuggets of your past writings. It also brings back wonderful memories of trips to Stadtsteinach.
The first mistake that you described might be a bit more nuanced in different traditions. You are right on with the Abrahamic religions but the Eastern traditions approach the uniqueness of humans differently. For example, the blended tradition of Shinto and Buddhism in Japan means that more of the physical environment is seen as sacred and worthy of restraint of human behavior. Buddhism also has a different orientation towards the idea of life as a part of a pattern of the universe. These differences may well play into the difference seen in Japan being willing to allow its population to shrink. How this plays out in China may well be different with the mix of Buddhism (Chan), Confucianism, and the state philosophy of Communism.
Hey Dr. Gilbert, I appreciate your comment. I happen to have a big Buddhist streak running through my psyche and it drives me nuts when people refer to Buddhism as a religion. Yeah, it can be a religion for those who deify Buddha, but there are a lot of us more secular Buddhists that think of it more as a mix of psychology and philosophy. I feel the same about Christianity and I'll say that Thomas Jefferson seemed to have a very similar attitude. Some of us don't need metaphysics to practice spirituality.