Comments | triskell: Rant 174: LUNACY

triskell

Rant 174: LUNACY

Aug 11, 2006 15:17

Rant 174
Lunacy

"puthujjanahi ummattaka"
[ordinary persons are lunatics]
-Pali Buddhist saying

"The belief in magic is the denial that delusion is possible."

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."
-Edgar Allen Poe

"To experience emptiness is not a descent into an abyss of nothingness nor an ( Read more... )

Comments 4

ngakmafaery August 11 2006, 20:55:59 UTC

"The belief in magic is the denial that delusion is possible."

...hmm, I think that if you have a good view, and understand that in the relative, of course magic is possible (and also empty, and also simply the result of causes and conditions like everything else, and impermanent), then it is not a denial that delusion is possible, but simply acknowledging that, on the relative level, everything is the result of causes and conditioons, and there can be causes and conditions which have magic as a result...I might say 'the belief that magic will save your a** is the denial that delusion is possible, plus it's eternalistic', maybe...

triskell August 11 2006, 21:05:20 UTC

Yeah. I think I missed something in the quote. I'll recheck the original. It doesn't sound right the way it is now.

Anyway, I think magic is possible. Belief in it wouldn't be necessary from that view.

ngakmafaery August 11 2006, 21:50:23 UTC

...yeah, I'd like to see the original...'magic', or special powers, simply happens as a side-effect of meditation, so I can see that if you somehow rely on it and think it's 'real', as opposed to impermanent like everyuthing else, you could get messed up, and that also ties in with the last couple of things over at the buddhist pagan list, yours and the one on magic and whatever else, which i forget right now...

triskell August 14 2006, 19:26:37 UTC

I can't find it. I guess I'll leave the mistaken quote up then. I agree with you here. Powers or such can be side effects, or even skills consciously learned, but the intention behind using them is what matters. I see too many people making all sorts of claims or learning all sorts of "magical" things to smply boost their ego-projects.