Recent content by radagast

I agree, but conspiracy theorists have to be able to prove "to themselves" that the conspiracy didn't happen. The idea that everyone on the planet with the right radio, at the time, was in on the conspiracy isn't too absurd for some. One simple thing I saw, that would have been very hard to...

Actually, I wouldn't call McDonalds food unhealthy. Only the patterns in which we, in the west, tend to consume it as unhealthy. While I wouldn't go out of my way to put alcohol into the hands of a alcoholic, but at the same time, I wouldn't put myself into the position of making personal...

Dooga, Many of the people around here, who call themselves atheists, would fall into your definition of agnostic. Many definitions of atheism simply involve a lack of belief (i.e. disbelief) in a god or gods - nothing more. It is common usage that contains the idea that atheists all "believe"...

Without some idea of their history, conditions, environmental motivations, etc. I doubt there is any way to make even the slightest guess. One good hypothetical example of alien evolution (vs alien philosophies and goals) was presented in Dragon's Egg and Starquake (By Robert Forward) where the...

I feel competent to comment on the published article. I am a registered Medical Technologist that's worked in the Blood Banking department at a few hospitals. While some of what is said was accurate, for the period of 1988, they seriously skew things. Doctors go well out of the way to avoid...

Regarding the suitcase bomb, based on a simple U235 "gun" design: While the U235 has a fairly long HL, these bombs required a trigger - a source of neutrons to trigger the chain reaction cascade. This is usually provided by a small about of Tritium *. Tritium's HL is fairly short, and...

Then you have misunderstood or I misspoke. There is a quieting of the mind that's important in meditation, but this isn't the end all and be all of meditation. First, you are avoiding the point being made. That I accept Gautama as an authority on enlightenment, but not Cosmology. The...

Canute, I too am confused. Often what you say is as perceptive and descriptive as to what I've experienced. Then there are statements that seem to contradict everything I've ever read or experienced (such as the statement that non-dualism didn't have anything to do with Buddhism). Or...

Faith and belief - in the sense of acceptance without evidence, no. I've seen many who I respect attain some level of enlightenment, therefore it's not faith. Though enlightenment is a good goal, it really is an abstract concept (to me), so isn't a great motivator. I started meditation to live...

If anything I've said seems to disagree with the above, then I apologize. This does agree with my experiences. This is not universally accepted in Buddhism. Specifically, in Zen, this is often viewed as a way the mind can relate to the outside world, but not, of necessity, reality. To claim it...

Canute, You can accept what you wish. You have stated that you don't adhere to a specific sect or school, nor, if memory serves have attended intensive retreats. I've been Buddhist for 30 years, the last 10 practicing fairly seriously with a specific school, within a specific...

Do you consider Buddhism to accept that Dualism is reality? What exactly are you saying, that non-dualism isn't something discovered from within Buddhist practice - because that was what I was saying. Please clarify.

In the debate/dialogue we've engaged in, I cannot see any coherent rhyme or reason your posts. You've presented many things about Buddhism that don't seem to be reflective of what I've seen as common to most Buddhism. Where do you get your information? You seem to have something...

You are attempting to use a straw man argument, misrepresenting what I've said, to riducule my arguments - without directly addressing them, then using the horrid events in history to sway the audience (via pity), even though this had nothing to do with the argument. Had it been a simple...

An atheist, as defined as one who has no belief in a god, isn't inconsistent with most Buddhist schools and is almost required (by some peoples views) within the Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism. I do not know if my teacher is atheist or not - it's not come up. My intellectual understandings...