Surak and Buddha: A Comparison

[panyasan]

It does sound kind of Vulcan, and it does sound joyless, although I think Vulcans would have some reason for heading in this direction given their extreme tendencies. It reminds me of this passage from the Bible:

“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut if off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.”
- Matthew 18:8-9

Personally I’m wondering if this is Q material or not (biblical Q, not Star Trek Q -- i.e. original gospel not added later by the early church’s thought police … erm, leadership) because it doesn’t sound all that Jesus-like to me. He was NOT all about purity even if Christian churches tend to go in that direction. So much religion seems to be about exhorting the faithful to maintain purity and exclusiveness at all costs (though what these religious leaders actually do themselves is often quite another matter).

Like all things in the bible, context is important. From the top of my head, this part is from a piece about doing away things that are really bad for you. Most people in the bible are pretty down to earth. The bible is not against sex, other wise i do not think Song of Songs would be in the bible and Paul would not write some thing like loving each other is important in a marriage. Sexuality is enjoyed in the safe place of marriage, also for a protected position of women.
I am not really a fan of the Q-therory, but I understand that in ancient time, like in all times, people used their own perceptions while reading the the bible or preaching, i mean you do not hear many people in church history about the women-leaders in the early church.

Buddha and Surak? Buddha was all about detaching him self and entering the Nirvana. In Buddist countries they developed some thing like minigods to help you to get in Nirvana. But being in Japan and Thailand, buddhisme comes in many shapes and forms and most people are just busy living their lives, instead of detaching them self. And i have not noticed any prudishness about physicial, it is more that you do not show emotions in public. But in my own European country public display of emotions is well... not done.

[Alelou]

Which European country is that?

[panyasan]

NL. It is just my own experience and i am okay with it. In spite of all our talk about openess, we are reserved in showing our emotions, esp. in this part of the country.

[Alelou]

NL meaning Netherlands?

My father is from Scotland, even if he did marry a Southern Baptist Florida cracker girl. So in our family we can't say I love you to each other except in writing, preferably when continents apart after not having seen each other in months.

Meanwhile the Puerto Rican family I married into can't get through a conversation without hugging and saying, "Who loves you?"

But that's the kind of thing you can get used to, really.

[Asso]

My mother was raised Southern Baptist and once told me, and I quote, "Your ideas about religion change when you discover sex."

I've often wondered exactly what how that process went for her, but I'm afraid to ask...

Wise woman, your mom!

[Escriba]

My first official post, yay!

NL. It is just my own experience and i am okay with it. In spite of all our talk about openess, we are reserved in showing our emotions, esp. in this part of the country.
NL. It is just my own experience and i am okay with it. In spite of all our talk about openess, we are reserved in showing our emotions, esp. in this part of the country.

Really? When I traveled there with my High School classmates I got the impression that Dutch people were very nice, but then again we went to Amsterdam and a little town near it, so maybe it was something more ordinary in the capital. And we had past through France before, so anything in comparison looked nice

[Distracted]

Aw, now c'mon. People in the small towns in France can be very nice, especially if you speak the language. I went on a French summer exchange program as a teenager and my family (corn farmers from southern France, in Landes)practically adopted me. I went back to visit with my husband in 1995 and it was like the prodigal daughter coming home. It's just that the French have a lot of national pride, and most tourists are arrogant buttheads. And we tend to go to the big city of Paris, where most people have no patience for such things. Of course, have you been to New York City lately? Try finding a friendly face there.

[Alelou]

Hey! New Yawkers are secretly sweethearts. They are just try to look tough. When we had two friends visiting from Vermont I told them, "Don't let anybody know you're from out of town." They proceeded to tell everybody they were lost and from out of town. And everybody in New York would take them aside and say, "Look, don't tell anybody else you're from out of town. Now let me walk you over to where you need to go."

And after 911 they got really sweet. They'd hold open doors for you, they'd smile hello. It was kinda freaky. Actually, the whole metropolitan area became one big post-traumatic love fest.

Mind you, if you're from the South they'd probably still strike you as rude and obnoxious. Manners are just very different across the country.

You have a point about obnoxious American tourists in Europe, though. I found it amazing how loud and obnoxious they could be. When I'd be stuck standing in line with Fred and Mavis who were loudly proclaiming that the place wasn't nearly as special as they'd expected it to be even if it was really old and wasn't it kind of smelly and dirty and oh my god the rooms are so tiny I used to deeply wish that my sneakers wouldn't always betray my nationality.

Alelou, who lived in the NYC burbs for quite a few years

[justTripn]

I worked in Thailand with many Dutch people for two years. One time when we were sharing one of the Dutch confessed that they had a harder time dealing with the Americans than with the Hmong (an Asian subculture, which one would think would be more alien.) Americans, they said, are "outspoken and always wanting to change things." The Dutch were very nice, but would not open up to strangers, whereas Americans tend to blurt out their life story as soon as they meet someone if that person seems friendly. The Dutch seemed to frown on that.

As for New Yorkers, I was there over twenty years ago, and I came home to Pittsburgh mean. Arguing and sticking up for myself. I got off the train in Pittsburgh, and this girl came over to me and asked the way to the train station. A woman started shouting at her to leave me alone. I shouted right back at her, to "keep out of it; this has nothing to do with you, Lady" at which point the girl and the woman stared at me dumbfounded. I was shouting at the girl's mother. Whoops! A few days later a woman on the street commented on what a beautiful day it was and I looked all around to try to figure out who she could be talking to! LOL!

I'm glad to hear it's gotten friendlier in NYC.

[Escriba]

People in the small towns in France can be very nice, especially if you speak the language.

I don't doubt that, but we didn't go to a nice town in the country or in the coast, we went to Paris. I had never seen a city that was so big (really!)

Mind you, if you're from the South they'd probably still strike you as rude and obnoxious

Does that happen in North America too? In Spain we Northerners are the boring, uptight and repressed ones.

By the way, wasn't this post about Surak and Buddha?

[Alelou]

Eh, it's all really about Surak and Buddha at heart. How you treat the stranger on the road says a lot about the state of your soul. It may also say a lot about where you're from, though.

The Brits I knew were always appalled at how much Americans liked to blab about their deep dark secrets too.

Very funny story, JustTrip'n!

[Lys]

And we had past through France before, so anything in comparison looked nice

[Lys]

People in the small towns in France can be very nice, especially if you speak the language.

I don't doubt that, but we didn't go to a nice town in the country or in the coast, we went to Paris. I had never seen a city that was so big (really!)

Okay! That explains it all. Paris is anything but France. They're Parisians, always rushing, yelling and thinking they're the best in the world because they live (or work - most of them are from the subburbs but they won't tell you) in Paris.

Escriba, I think you should give another try to the other side of the Pyrénées. I also went to Spain last summer and had quite an experience in a restaurant where the waiter was anything but friendly and looked at us down because we dared take photos of us in his restaurant. Yes, we were the perfect tourists enjoying the view in Aranjuez. On the other side, our other experience in an Aragonese restaurant in Zaragoza was perfect and we quite enjoyed it.

[Escriba]

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. It was a very bad joke

I've been more times in France, in fact I live a stone's throw away from France (in fact, if I throw a stone, I hit a French ) I've been in the South of France, just passing the Pyrénées.

I also went to Spain last summer and had quite an experience in a restaurant where the waiter was anything but friendly and looked at us down because we dared take photos of us in his restaurant.

Oh, typical Spanish behaviour, above all with tourists I'm glad the time in Zaragoza was nicer.

[Lys]

Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. It was a very bad joke

You didn't. I couldn't resist put on my best "typical French pride attitude" as Distracted would certainly call it.

I've been more times in France, in fact I live a stone's throw away from France (in fact, if I throw a stone, I hit a French ) I've been in the South of France, just passing the Pyrénées.

Lol! Are you keeping up with the tradition started at Roncevaux? (I believe it's Roncevalles for you. Sorry, I don't speak a word of Spanish)

I also went to Spain last summer and had quite an experience in a restaurant where the waiter was anything but friendly and looked at us down because we dared take photos of us in his restaurant.

Oh, typical Spanish behaviour, above all with tourists I'm glad the time in Zaragoza was nicer.

Don't worry about it, we didn't mind and enjoyed the view alltogether. Aranjuez was a very nice place to stop on the road back to France.