Path: typhoon.sonic.net!feed.news.sonic.net!lax2-feed1.news.digex.net!dca6-feed2.news.digex.net!intermedia!feed2.news.rcn.net!rcn!newsfeed1.earthlink.net!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!news.mindspring.net!not-for-mail From: "Ned Ludd" Newsgroups: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.zen,alt.philosophy.zen,talk.religion.buddhism Subject: the good law (was: Natural Time, Ages, Maya, Buddhist (was 500-Year Buddha Cycles?)) Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2001 10:48:25 -0500 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Lines: 85 Message-ID: <9ljecf$bpj$1@slb2.atl.mindspring.net> References: <9lfs02$h2f@bolt.sonic.net> <9lgqkq$8op$1@slb7.atl.mindspring.net> <01HW.B7A1F976000BFA2107BE7630@news.earthlink.net> <9li58f$3p4$1@slb6.atl.mindspring.net> <9lieu9$epp@bolt.sonic.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: 9e.fc.68.26 X-Server-Date: 17 Aug 2001 15:48:31 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2615.200 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200 Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.magick.tyagi:28777 alt.zen:246099 alt.philosophy.zen:76037 talk.religion.buddhism:169135 ! wrote in message news:9lieu9$epp@bolt.sonic.net... Ned: | According to the footnote on pg. 116 of "Buddhist Mahayana Texts": | "It is stated in the fifty-first section of the Mahasannipata-sutra, | that Buddha said: "After my Nirvana, in the first 500 years, all the | Bhikshus and others will be strong in deliberation in my correct Law. | (Those who first obtain the 'holy fruit' i.e. the Srota-apannas, are | called those who have obtained deliberation.) In the next or second | 500 years, they will be strong in meditation. In the next or third | 500 years, they will be strong in 'much learning,' i.e. bahusruta, | religious knowledge. In the next or fourth 500 years, they will be | strong in founding monasteries, etc. In the last or fifth 500 years, | they will be strong in fighting and reproving. The pure (lit. white) | Law will then become invisible." | If we take Buddha's death year as 483 B.C. then: | 483 BC + 2500 = 2017 AD !: > of what character is pure/white Law? > Oh, lots can be said about it: - within the good law, there are no thoughts of self, no thoughts of being, no thoughts of soul, no thoughts of person; nor thoughts things as having qualities or not having qualities. - the good law is like a raft - as you must give up qualities, so you must also give up no qualities. - within this good law, there is no greatest wisdom, nor any fixed law, because the truth is not containable, and not expressible. - within this law, there is no gain of merit (because gaining merit is no gain of merit, thus there is merit). - within this law, there is no thought of purity, because if one were to dwell in purity then it could no longer be said that one dwells nowhere. - nothing is attained with the attainment of this good law. - within this law, your mind dwells nowhere, a mind unsupported by sensations, and unsupported by things. - the good law is neither true nor false. Without it, you are groping in the dark; but with it, everything becomes clear. - The good law is unknowable. It is known by all, yet no one knows it. - Knowing this law you are humbled, and being humbled you know this law. - The good law is unknowable; likewise, its effects are unknowable. - within the good law, there is no law to teach, because this would be trying to grasp what is not there. - within this law, there is nothing to learn. The good law means not learning the least part of a thing. - within this good law, everything is equal, nothing is different. All are equally without self. Everything is included. - within this good law, there is no one to save, because if there were anyone to save, there would be a self. - Do not think that Buddha knows the good law. Buddha knows no good law. - Do not say the good law means there are no laws, or nothing exists. This law does not affirm, and does not deny. - within this law, there is no gain of merit (because no merit is desired, thus no merit is gained). - within the good law, things should be viewed without any idea of what they are. Ned