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Old 07-25-2009, 09:42 AM   #22
Allen Beebe
Location: Portland, OR
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 532
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Re: Transmission, Inheritance, Emulation 14

Quote:
Peter A Goldsbury wrote: View Post
Hello Allen,

Thank you for the mail. The quote from McNally was a typo and should have been kokoro. I am pretty certain he gives a selection of kanji because Mabuchi uses them.
You mean your use of "kotoro" was un-intended?

Quote:
Peter A Goldsbury wrote: View Post
I think that the term intention, so beloved of aikido students, opens a large can of big and juicy worms and I avoid using the term with respect to training. I hinted at some reasons when discussing H P Grice in an earlier column.
I think I missed the hint. I'll go back and look.

Quote:
Peter A Goldsbury wrote: View Post
One if the interesting things about Kukai is his theory of language & rhetoric, part of a long tradition going back to the ancient Near East and India, as well as China and Greece. In their Shingon borrowings, however, Shido Yamaguchi and Onisaburo Deguchi appear to have omitted this and so resort to what some Japanese call the 'homophone method'. Since I have taught philosophy and/of language here for the past 25 years (in English and Japanese) and have also suffered the atrocious punning of my Japanese colleagues, especially those who are thought to be 'experts' in the Japanese language, I have developed a healthy skepticism for this kind of word play.
No argument here. The historical Buddha is said to have warned against believing in "superstition," although superstition and other interdependently arisen "truths" can be used as hoben (skillful means) to lead the "astray" to the realization that all "truths" are dependently arisen. In this way all independently arisen things, beings and ideas "preach" the "truth" of Dharmakaya, that all conceived things, beings and ideas are interdependently arisen. It seems to me that many have skipped the whole "hoben (skillful means) to lead the "astray" to the realization that all "truths" are dependently arisen." part and simply stuck with the superstition. (Oh, and since most folks WANT to stick with superstition, superstition SELLS better. Consequently, there is a motivation at work for those attracted to the acquisition of monetary wealth or social popularity to give the people what they (immediately at least) desire. In this way those pandering to the masses grow large profitable and popular organizations. IMO & FWIW)

Best wishes,
Allen

~ Allen Beebe
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