Origins of the "double truth"

[Bjarte Kaldhol]

There are, indeed, some superficial resemblances/parallels between Buddhism
and Stoicism, which may imply contact. Zenon was born in Cyprus, and he
lived almost half a millennium after the Orientalizing Revolution (Burkert)
that taught the Greeks so much - among other things, to read and write. But
to me, Buddhism is a very peculiar way of disciplining the mind, and I am
not a romantic. Emptiness has nothing to do with romantic ideas. On the
contrary:

"Discursive thoughts are like waves on the ocean.
Although they arise, their essence is empty."

And:

"This luminous perception of the present
Is the very face of relative truth.
If one knows the unfabricated, natural essence of this,
That itself is the absolute truth.
Those scholastic sophists with their two truths,
Though including a lot of quotations and logic,
do not understand the main point."

Amen, namo gurave, and no further comments.

Merry Christmas,
Bjarte Kaldhol

----------
> From: Steve Farmer <saf at SAFARMER.COM>
> To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
> Subject: Re: Origins of the "double truth"
> Date: 22. desember 2000 20:31
>
> Bjarte Kaldhol writes on the origins of the "double truth":
>
> > There is, of course, no need to point to a privileged tradition, but on
the
> > other hand, a Buddhist or Indian origin of the idea cannot be ruled out
by
> > pointing to superficially similar ideas elsewhere (at a later time).
>
> The resemblances are not superficial and are not all from later
> periods. See my last post for examples.
>
> > From a
> > Buddhist standpoint, it might not be a question of "two truths" in any
> > western meaning, but rather two ways of perceiving phenomena - either
> > accepting them as "real" and suffer, or meditate upon emptiness until
they
> > become "unreal".
>
> Your suggestion that there is some peculiarly "western" (as
> opposed to "Indian"?) meaning of "truth" is a remnant of old
> romantic ideas about the "wisdom of the East." I don't see a
> great divide here.
>
> > In Buddhism, the only "truth" that matters is the Path.
> > Shantideva says that those who wish to "pacify suffering", should
> > "generate" the wisdom of emptiness through meditation. It is this
> > insistence upon meditation that makes the idea specifically Indian, I
> > believe. This is very different from scholastic ways of harmonizing
> > manuscript traditions.
>
> Go back and read the Stoics or Epicureans or Daoists for many
> parallels.
>
> Followed by the kicker:
>
> > Buddhist thought is much deeper than anything I have
> > met elsewhere.
>
> No comment needed.
>
> My best,
> Steve Farmer