From: hampday@earthlink.net
Date: Sat Oct 01 2005 - 02:58:34 BST
David, Mark --
David quoted Mark's mention of Buddhistic ontology, suggesting that he'd
like to discuss it:
Mark:
> Buddhist process ontology, which is anti-essentialist,
> is based upon a metaphysics of Universal flux. I'm
> aquainted with this and Western substance
> ontology/metaphysics, as well as phenomenological
> percpectives.
> I doubt if you have any knowledge of any but one of
> these Ham?
The question mark after my name is, I suppose, seeking my affirmation of
Mark's doubt.
I have only slight acquaintance with Buddhism, having read A. J. Bahm's
"Life of the Buddha" and some of the Upanishads, but am not qualified to
contribute much to a general discussion. Mark has intimated that there is a
Buddhist "process ontology" which I've not heard of. He also claims it is
"anti-essentialist", although I can't imagine on what basis he's made that
assumption.
Naagaarjuna was apparently a theorist behind "momentary awareness", one of
the Buddha's favorites concepts. These paragraphs by Kenneth Inada, editor
of "Philosophy East and West", perhaps sum up the ontology Mark is referring
to. As with most of Eastern mysticism, the thesis leaves too much
unexplained (IMO) to be considered a definitive ontology by Western
standards.
"It seems quite obvious that life is a process, a
series of moments that continue on and on until
death overtakes. Even the Buddha denied life
after death, the immortality of the soul, on the
grounds that it would transgress and disregard the
normal flow of existence. Thus, if immortality or
permanence (eternality) is not to be experienced,
then the concentration would have to be on the
moment-to-moment existence. In this way, the great
insight was not about permanent or eternal life, but
on the microscopic behavior within momentary
existence. That is, it denied the attachment to
permanent entities within the cycle of life
(sa.msaara), that each cycle, though unique and
independently related, is but a segment of the
continuum of life. As such, nothing permanent
resides in the continuum, nor is anything made
permanent by the cycle or moment in question.
"Clearly, the right view (sammaa-di.t.thi)
expounded by the Buddha is not a mere intellectual
alignment, but a truly existential transformation of
the primary order, if I may so phrase it. ...
"The Buddha ends the passage with a series of
most profound statements: 'All exists, '
Kaccaana, -- that is one extreme. 'Nought exists,'
Kaccaana, -- that is the other extreme. Not
approaching either extreme, Kaccana, the Tathaagata
(Buddha) teaches you a doctrine by the middle way:
'Conditioned by ignorance comes the activities:
conditioned by the activities comes consciousness,
and so forth.' Thus is the arising of this whole
mass of ill (suffering). By the utter fading away
and ceasing of ignorance comes the ceasing of the
activities, and so forth. Thus is the ceasing of
this entire mass of ill."
Regards,
Ham
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