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| Poster: A Buddhist Reply Post Message Date: Wed Apr 3 11:11:10 2002 |
| Subject: Buddhist Canon |
| Post No: 748 Reply to: 746 |
Minh Pha'p, you hold a prejudiced view against Theravada Buddhism. It is not your fault, but you were indoctrinated by some Mahayanists who haven't mastered Buddha's teaching. Shakyamuni never taught people from lower level to higher level. He only taught people based on what they asked him at the time. he taught different subjects to different people, not lower-level subjects when he was young and higher-levl when he approached Parinirvana. Here is what Shakyamuni said in a conversation with a vilage headman: A village headman spoke thus to the Lord: "Is a Tathagata compassionate towards all living, breathing creatures?" "Yes, headman," answered the Lord. "But does the Lord teach Dhamma in full to some, but not likewise to others?" "Now, what do yo think, headman? Suppose a farmer had three fields, one excellent, one mediocre, and one poor with bad soil. When he wanted to so the seed, which field would he sow first?" "He would sow the excellent one, then the mediocre one. When he had done that, he might or might not sow the poor one with the bad soil. And why? Because it might do if only for cattle-fodder." "In the same way, headman, my monks and nuns are like the excellent field. It isto these that I teah Dhamma that is lovely at the begiining, lovely in the middle and lovely at the ending,..." Please read the above sutra for yourself. That's exactly what the Buddha said. Do not listen to people who distorted th truth. Anyway, I am a MAHAYANIST. |