Not to be a jerk, but can someone give us an example of non-materialism? Even human thoughts is neurons and chemicals sizzling away in the skull. Is not Ontology a discussion on what exists? (Epistemology is what is knowledge or what do we know? If I remember right). Can it then be said, via math that non-material objects exists? If no intelligence is alive to perform the neuron actions sufficient to comprehend or even search for the non-material, then perhaps it cannot exist?
Mitch -----Original Message----- From: Pierz <pier...@gmail.com> To: everything-list <everything-list@googlegroups.com> Sent: Wed, Jul 3, 2013 2:22 pm Subject: Materialism and Buddhism I studied Mahajana Tibetan Buddhism in Dharamsala (home of the Dalai Lama in exile) back in the day and I agree with Bruno and others that Buddhism is closer to idealism than materialism. However Buddhism ultimately rejects 'mind' too, since what we think of as mind is closely related to the personal self. The ultimate reality in Buddhism is nirvana or the void and all phenomena including mental phenomena are empty of inherent existence. It is 'a-theistic' in the sense that this ultimate reality is not a being like a god with an identity and thoughts. However Tibetan Buddhism, like other forms, does believe in the idea of god-like (and demon-like) beings in the phenomenal realms. To equate Buddhism with materialism on the basis of a few selected quotes would constitute a highly tendentious reading of the dharma and in my view is quite wrong. There is no possibility of liberation in materialism and the phenomenal world is seen as the 'real world', the very antithesis of the Buddhist view. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
