Re: The Demise of a Meme

From: Robin Faichney (robin@reborntechnology.co.uk)
Date: Fri Mar 23 2001 - 09:58:41 GMT

  • Next message: Robin Faichney: "Re: The Demise of a Meme"

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    Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 09:58:41 +0000
    To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
    Subject: Re: The Demise of a Meme
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    In-Reply-To: <3AB9EAD3.17192.349C81@localhost>; from joedees@bellsouth.net on Thu, Mar 22, 2001 at 12:06:43PM -0600
    From: Robin Faichney <robin@reborntechnology.co.uk>
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    On Thu, Mar 22, 2001 at 12:06:43PM -0600, joedees@bellsouth.net wrote:
    > >
    > > The willingness of certain people around here to advertise their
    > > ignorance continues to amaze me. Which Buddhism are you talking
    > > about, Wade? Therevada or Mahayana? Indian, Thai, Tibetan, Chinese,
    > > modern Western? How about Zen? How about *my* Buddhism as described
    > > in the message Vincent was replying to? How many Buddhist physical
    > > accoutrements do you think I own, Wade? Wouldn't it be a good idea to
    > > engage your brain before posting to this list?
    > >
    > And, of course, only Robin's variant is the One True Way and all
    > the others are error-ridden hypostasy, just like in Christianity,
    > Judaism and Islam.

    It's interesting to compare that sentence with the one that follows:

    > I do have a favorable impression of Stephen
    > Batchelor's BUDDHISM WITHOUT BELIEFS

    Surely you don't mean Batchelor's variety of Buddhism is preferable?!
    Gosh, Joe, I'm confused -- surely that first sentence wasn't *purely*
    for effect!?!

    > and it's attempt to
    > strip cultural excrescences from the core of the theory (strip that
    > lotus, baby; bare that yummy jewel!); I just wish he'd be honest
    > with himself and the rest of the world and admit flat-out that what
    > he's left with is existentialism.

    I'm not sure this is the place, but I'm quite sure you can't support
    that assertion.

    > > > If an indicator of a faith is its use of iconography, buddhism wins.
    > >
    > > If there was a prize for self-satisfied pig-ignorance it would be
    > > yours, Wade, no contest.
    > >
    > Every religion uses props, physical or chemical, to aid in the
    > focusing of one's will upon one's purpose(s); for those who become
    > adept at such focusing, these props become superfluous, and tend
    > to fall away. Once one can fly, one may discard one's ladder.

    So what about those varieties of religion that are for fliers only?
    Will you allow them to be prop-free, or are you just a little too
    fond of the sweeping generalisation?

    (I have to say, I'm gratified you're starting to get some idea of
    what religions are about, however distorted your current picture.
    Distortion we can work with, stone-wall prejudice we cannot.)

    -- 
    Robin Faichney
    Get your Meta-Information from http://www.ii01.org
    (CAUTION: contains philosophy, may cause heads to spin)
    

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