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by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 9:15 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

People ahould ask themselves whether the greatest scholar in 8th century India was more credible about the scriptures he had studied all his life and defended against Hindu debaters or if modern Hindu scholars are more credible.
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 8:36 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

If the whole point of the Buddha's refuting of self only applied to the aggregates for the purpose of clearing the ground to teach a supreme self that is separate from the aggregates, then why is it that in the hundreds of passages when he applies the teachings of non-self to the aggregates he neve...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 8:31 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

The Buddha in the Hinayana canon. Mahayana Buddha talked quite a bit on these questions.
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 6:36 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

The Hebrew Bible did exist in 300 BCE. It doesn't mean that Christian interpreters of it saying the trinity is present, justifying Jesus as the Messiah etc existed in 300BCE.
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 6:22 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

Advaita did not even exist in the time of the Buddha. They repurposed Buddhist dialectical techniques to re-interpret the Vedas. I know Hindus and Theosophists like to claim there is some actual lineage behind them but this is completely unproven. At any rate, Padmasambhava and other Buddhists who d...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 6:12 pm
Forum: Lounge
Topic: Religious background and eternalism
Replies: 24
Views: 6869

Re: Religious background and eternalism

OK, it seems my hypothesis is wrong, at least from the limited sample size on the poll.
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 5:50 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

No-one has addressed my points about Bhattacarya's whole argument being based on a false, logically unsound premise
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 4:52 pm
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Tantra vs. Sutra Buddha Nature
Replies: 84
Views: 16111

Re: Tantra vs. Sutra Buddha Nature

Maybe you "implying" too much on his behalf?

He also says that the end-goal of Mahayoga (under which he includes sarma tantras) is Dzogchen and Mahamudra is the state of Dzogchen. But he does think that sarma is more difficult.
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 4:35 pm
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

@Will Did you read my post? The issue is not about finding a refutation in the sutras. It is about locating ANY reference to paramatman in the sutras used in ANY way and demonstrating how exactly it is related to the Upanishadic idea. You are accepting Bhattacarya's assumption that the Buddha tacitl...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 2:41 pm
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Tantra vs. Sutra Buddha Nature
Replies: 84
Views: 16111

Re: Tantra vs. Sutra Buddha Nature

Three cheers Malcolm speaks the truth. Religions attract the pretentious and the yahoo like flies to sh#t. The sangha is not immune alas regardless of whether your garbha is vanilla or pistachio. I speak of myself of course. Drive all blames into one ... He also disparages Nyingma and makes it seem...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 3:17 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

Please read Verardi. It is also a fact that in late Indian Buddhist hagiographies/biographies Buddhists were engaged in conflict, sometimes violent, with Hindus. Islam was the final blow to Indian Buddhism, but Hindus had been attacking it for centuries. The idea of "Dharmic" religions all...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 2:23 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

I'm not arguing with you, I'm just pointing out the flaws I can see in his arguments. Like I said, it has little to do with language, but the way he uses sources. e.g. I might not be able to do experiments but with an understanding of statistical methodology I can see mistakes made in studies, same ...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 2:15 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

In the fourth chapter of this book, Bhattacharya brings in some criticisms of the ātman from Mahāyāna sources. Two of these sources, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra and the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, give some examples that are found in the Upaniṣads, including the idea found in the Kaṭha-upaniṣ...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 2:06 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

... can we be sure that the Upanishads are a completely coherent and consistent collection ... Of course that is a valid point, no doubt one Bhattacharya was completely familiar with, and one that applies at least as much to "Buddhadharma", don't you think? Familiar with maybe. But I have...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 1:57 am
Forum: Tibetan Buddhism
Topic: Is Tibetan Buddhism only concerned about the next life?
Replies: 11
Views: 2639

Re: Is Tibetan Buddhism only concerned about the next life?

When he reached the age of twelve, the great Sachen Kunga Nyingpo undertook a six-month practice of the bodhisattva Manjushri. One day he had a vision, in which he actually saw, amidst a brilliant blaze of light, the holy Lord Manjushri, orange in colour and seated on a jewelled throne, his feet pl...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 1:47 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

Sherlock: Why would it strengthen his thesis? It would weaken it IMO. At least in the summary, he did not show satisfactorily that any sutra or sutta referenced a paramatman as described in the Upanishads, he just assumed that. Furthermore, can we be sure that the Upanishads are a completely cohere...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 1:29 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

I am also assuming that Bhattacharya is dodging any Mahayana criticisms or refutations of paramatmam. However, if there should be zero such in sutras, that would be strange and strengthen his thesis. The only mention of paramatman I have seen (via english translations) is in the shastra - Mahayana-...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 1:04 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

I am not going to comment on the book since I have not read it yet. I will make a few points though: 1. Those papers should be viewed as supplementing the book, i.e. one should not judge his argument based solely on reading those papers. 2. Looking through those papers, it seems to me that only som...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 12:55 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

OK this is just based on the summary by Nancy Reigle since I don't have the book. Kamaleswar Bhattacharya’s thesis is that when the Buddha denied the åtman in the skandhas, he was indirectly affirming the existence of the authentic, Upanisadic åtman This is assuming the consquent . His argument is: ...
by Sherlock
Thu May 07, 2015 12:28 am
Forum: Book Reviews
Topic: Universal Atman in Buddhism
Replies: 759
Views: 199587

Re: Universal Atman in Buddhism

OK, then what is paramatman? Where is it defined exactly? Are there any sutras that reference the Upanishads and their ideas directly? I.e. is there even any mention of the idea of a "paramatman" in any sutras? If not, this argument is a bit like saying the Buddha never said Jesus was not ...

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