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Article 4388 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: jeff@aiai.ed.ac.uk (Jeff Dalton)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: mean,meaner,MEANING-est/ intention-and-self the buddhist way
Message-ID: <6373@skye.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 10 Mar 92 19:28:18 GMT
References: <kr5b29INN4hu@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> <1992Mar06.011801.8699@norton.com> <1992Mar10.042136.28961@massey.ac.nz>
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In article <1992Mar10.042136.28961@massey.ac.nz> A.Raman@massey.ac.nz (Anand) writes:
>There  is nothing mystic  about Buddhism.   In fact,  Buddhism is the only
>philosophy that does not lend   itself to Mysticism and explicitly  denies
>affiliation with it.  See for example, `What the Buddha taught' by Walpola
>Rahula,  (Grove press Inc.  NY) Christianity,  Hinduism, Islam and Judaism
>all have  Mystic doctrines in them.  In  Buddhism,  if something cannot be
>rationally justified then  it is discarded.  That  might also explain  why
>there is  no such thing  as a Personal  God or  an immortal inner  Self in
>Buddhism.

There's Buddhism and Buddhism, of course, and some varieties are
more austere than others; but I think it's somewhat misleading to
say there's nothing mystical about Buddhism.  There's reincarnation,
for one thing, and in some varieties Bodhisattvas, who are, in
effect, magical celestial beings who can help you.  Consider, for
example, "Pure Land" Buddhism, in which you can arrange to be
reincarnated in the pure land, from where it is easy to reach 
Nirvana, by invoking a certain Bodhisattva.

I also think you may be underestimating the extent to which Christian
beliefs are subject to rational justification.  (And I suspect the
same is true of Islam and Judiasm.)

-- jd


