Discussion Leader - Abdul ALKhateeb

Reading and Discussion Questions: "The Jewel Net of Indra" and "The Hermeneutics of Buddhist Ecology in Contemporary Thailand: Buddhadasa and Dhammapitaka."

"The Jewel net of Indra" pp. 1-19

1-What is the main philosophy of the Hua-yen school of Buddhism, as the author introduces it-? How does he compare this philosophy to The Judeo-Christian tradition of viewing the universe?

2- "There is no center, or, perhaps if there is one, it is everywhere. Man certainly is not the center, nor is some god" (Page 4, First Paragraph). How would you interpret that in relation to Ecology? Without the existence of a centre or a God, how is it possible to comprehend The Environment?

3-How do the Issues of Identity and Interdependence-as identified thoroughly by the author- be understood in the Grand Scheme of preserving the Environment?

4-What do you think of the author’s attempts of creating a "long series of analogies"? Is he successful in his attempts to make the subject easier to understand? In addition, what do you think of his obsession with the human nose?  What do the following illustrate?

a. Indra’s net (p.2)

b. Ten Coins (pp. 2-3, 9)

c. Western portrait vs. Asian landscape paintings (pp. 5-8)

d. Nose and body (pp. 9-10, 11)

e. yogi and tiger (pp. 9 - 11)

f. lice and horse’s piss (pp. 11, 16)

g. Warty Bliggens, the toad (p. 7)

h. tripod (p. 13-14)

i. Great Barn (p. 14)

j. American square dance (pp. 14-15)

k. chop stick in a drain (pp. 18-19)

5- Can the term sarvam sunyam have an ecological significance in the western world? What meanings does Totalism have according to the author? Can you think of other ways of defining Totalism in accord with environmental aspects?

6- "So much that is in the air in Western thought coincides in general outline with Hua-yen cosmology." What do you think he means by "Western thought"? In your opinion, does the Western thought carry similarities with the Hua-yen philosophy?

7-How does the Hua-yen Philosophy view individuality? Does an individual have an independent significance outside his/hers own environment? Could the proposal of mutual containment that the Hua-yen philosophy advocates be of any usage in these environmentally complicated times? Besides the preservation of the environment, in what fields could the concept of mutual containment be of any assistance?

8-It seems to me that the Hua-yen philosophy is more interested in the nature of reality than with reality itself. What do you think?

Excerpts from "The Hermeneutics of Buddhist Ecology in Contemporary Thailand: Buddhadasa and Dhammapitaka." pp. 21-43.

1-How is nature regarded as a liberating entity in the thought of Buddhadasa? How does his view of nature correspond with mainstream Buddhism and the idea of Dhamma?

2-Is it possible to find a synonym for the term "Anurak Thamachat" in Latin based languages? If not, Why not?

3- Why does Phra Prayudh blame the Western worldview for the destruction of nature? Do you think he is right in making that claim?

4- If the Buddha were resurrected, what would his actions/reactions be towards the issue of environmental destruction-in accordance with the article- in a world that he has no control on?

5-What are the main points that you found influential in Harris’s criticism of ecoBuddhism? Do you think that Harris’s argument against ecoBuddhism corresponds with Aldo Leopold’s views on the preservation of nature?

-Insight:

Samudaya: There is a cause of suffering, which is attachment or desire rooted in ignorance.

Nirodha: There is an end of suffering, which is Nirvana.

Maggo: There is a path that leads out of suffering, known as the Noble Eightfold Path.1

Does the concept of Suffering in Buddhism offer a means to a person’s salvation? Since Buddhism regards the relation between the universe and humankind to be reciprocal, can one say that by ending the suffering of humanity nature will be saved?

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1  http://www.Dharmaweb.org