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BSPG News and Meeting (No. 167)
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Edited by Stony Brook Buddhism Study and Practice GroupNews
1. The meeting place has been changed to room 305 of the Student Activities Center (SAC).
2. From time to time, we will add a book review in the newsletter. In this issue, we review "The Monk and the Philosopher."Meeting
305 Student Activities Center
Thursday, 2/7/02, 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Please be on time!Words from the Suttas/Sutras
"Standing to one side, a devata addressed the Blessed One with a verse: 'Living in the wilderness,
staying peaceful, remaining chaste, eating just one meal a day: why are their faces so bright & serene?' [The Buddha:] 'They don't sorrow over the past, don't long for the future. They survive on the present. That's why their faces are bright & serene. From longing for the future, from sorrowing over the past, fools wither away like a green reed cut down.'"--Aranna Sutta, Samyutta Nikaya I.9Quote of the Week
".... Buddhism aims at the discovery and the study of mankind’s inner world; ethical, spiritual, psychological and intellectual. Buddhism is a spiritual and psychological discipline that deals with humanity in total. It is a way of life. It is a path to follow and practice. It teaches man how to develop his moral and ethical character, which in Sanskrit is sila, and to cultivate his mind, samadhi, and to realize the ultimate truth, prajna, wisdom, nirvana." --Ven. Walpola RahulaBook Review: The Monk and the Philosopher
The Monk and the Philosopher is a collection of father-son dialogues between Jean-Francois Revel, a famous French philosopher, and Matthieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk in the Tibetan tradition.In 1972, Matthieu Ricard received his dotorate in molecular biology. As a brilliant student of Francois Jacob, winner of a Nobel Prize for biology, he was set to begin a promising career in science. To the consternation of his advisor and his father, he suddenly announced that he had decided to abandon scientific research, go to Asia, and practice Buddhism with Tibetan Lamas. He was ordained as a monk in 1979 and has spent many years practicing under the guidance of great Tibetan Buddhist Masters such as Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
In 1996, father and son met for a series of intimate dialogues. Most of these dialogues took place in a small inn overlooking Katmandu. In these conversations, the philosopher plays the role of the main questioner who probes and analyzes the monk's explanations of Buddhist believes and practices. They discuss important questions such as: Does life have meaning? What is consciousness? Is man free? What is the value of scientific and material progress? What is Buddhism? Why does it have such appeal to many in the West? Why do Buddhists believe in rebirth? Unlike most of the books about Buddhism, the critical discussions and exchanges give the readers a sense of active participation in these important topics. Not only does the book serve as a treasure house of knowledge in Buddhism, it also serves as a platform for all of us to examine our believes.
To sum up the dialogues, the philosopher has this to say, "For me the situation can be summed up as follows. The West has triumphed in science, but no longer has plausible systems either of wisdom or ethics. The East can bring us its ethics and teach us how to live better, but these are devoid of theoretical foundations... Wisdom is not based on scientific certitude, and scientific certitude does not lead to wisdom. Both, nevertheless, exist -- forever indispensable, forever separate, forever complementary." On the other hand, the monk has this to say, "But no dialogue, however enlightening it might be, could ever be a substitute for the silence of personal experience, so indispensable for an understanding of how things really are. Experience, indeed, is the path. And, as the Buddha often said, 'it is up to you to follow it,' so that one day the messenger might become the message."
It is up to you to read and come to your own conclusions about the dialogues.
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