Protestantism

» paper_turtle - Scripture & Doctrine-2

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Below is another quote from:
"The Place of Scripture in Buddhism and Its Relation to Doing Good," by Venerable Madawela Punnaji, A Presentation at the National Conference of Christians and Jews in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania April 29, 1990
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http://www.abva.org/Scripture%20in%20Bud...
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The Four Satisfactions
"Kalamans, the Extraordinary Hearer, who abides . . . with a heart free from enmity, with a heart free of hatred, with a heart free of defilements, with a pure heart, by him is obtained here and now four satisfactions."
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[ 1. ]"Thinking, 'If there is a life after death, and if there are pleasant and unpleasant consequences of deeds, I should after death be heaven-bound, he obtains the first satisfaction.
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[ 2. ]"Thinking, 'If, on the other hand, there is no life after death, and there are no pleasant and unpleasant consequences of deeds, in that case, I maintain myself happily here and now, free from enmity, free from hatred, and free from trouble,' he obtains the second satisfaction."
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[ 3. ]"Thinking, 'If evil is done by the free choice of the doer, I do not think evil towards anyone. If I do not do any evil, how can I suffer in consequence,' he obtains the third satisfaction."
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[ 4. ]"Thinking, 'If evil is not done by the free choice of the doer, then I am pure in two ways (by not being responsible for my actions and by not doing any evil),' he obtains the fourth satisfaction."
- Kalama Sutta-Ang. II -
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[end of quote]
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The Buddhist reader, then is not told what he must believe about the here-after. Instead, he is given four alternatives, and each one implies certain behavioral responses, and certain consequences:
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If there is a life after death, and if my deeds have consequences, I can be happy now if I know I have lived in a way which will bring good consequences in the hereafter.
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If there is no life after death and there are no consequences I can be happy now if I live in a way which brings good consequences in this life.
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If evil is the result of free choice, and I choose not to do evil, I can be happy, in this life, in this moment.
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If "the devil makes me do it," then I am absolved from responsibility if I do evil, and doubly happy if I choose not to anyway.
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Punnaji extracts several lessons from the passage from scripture given above:
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1. Do not take anything as true under any condition.
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2. Understand what is good, rather than what is true.
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3. Use your own judgment. Scripture is only an aid to thinking.
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4. Focus on the inner experiences and their *consequences* to oneself and others, rather than concepts of truth and falsehood.
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5. It is possible to be good without the belief in dogmas or dependence on supernatural powers.
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6. Good acts result from a good state of mind, which means that meditation is the way to the good life.
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7. One who practices meditation does not have to worry about the next world nor depend on external powers.
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[end of quote]
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peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle