←back to thread

The Zen of Quakerism (2016)

(www.friendsjournal.org)
124 points surprisetalk | 4 comments | 29 Jun 25 13:40 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
sorokod ◴[02 Jul 25 17:51 UTC] No.44446740[source]▶
There is considerable cherry picking along with cultural appropriation going on here. Buddhism has flavors that are worlds apart from what is described in the post.

A spicy example is discussed in the book "Zen at War"[1]. Myanamar and Sri Lanka[2] have their own ultra nationalistic Buddhists movements.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_at_War

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinhalese_Buddhist_nationalism

replies(5): >>44446869 #>>44447223 #>>44447225 #>>44448337 #>>44449233 #
1. enugu ◴[02 Jul 25 18:32 UTC] No.44447225[source]▶
Quoting examples without an effort to show that it is representative of Buddhist teachings is basically a smear. Like starting a discussion on liberalism, not with principles of individual freedom, but instead saying that the attempt to bring democracy to Iraq is the representative example of liberalism.

(Some on the left who oppose liberalism actually do some versions of this, quoting Mills on colonialism - but that is a genetic fallacy.)

It makes much more sense to say that anytime some teaching/philosophy becomes popular at a continental scale, the people who are involved in conflicts will try to appropriate it to justify their position.

If you want to evaluate the role of the teaching itself, one would have to compare it to alternatives and whether they would be more easily appropriated.

replies(1): >>44449252 #
2. keybored ◴[02 Jul 25 21:54 UTC] No.44449252[source]▶
> Like starting a discussion on liberalism, not with principles of individual freedom, but instead saying that the attempt to bring democracy to Iraq is the representative example of liberalism.

Some prefer to discuss what a purported ideology or its adherents does out in the real world.

replies(1): >>44453102 #
3. enugu ◴[03 Jul 25 09:10 UTC] No.44453102[source]▶
Sure, as long as your real world examination is careful about getting the causation right as practically any idea can be appropriated. For instance, someone makes false charge to lock up someone innocent in the name of 'reducing crime', is the issue the goal of justice and low crime or is it the problem with the standards of evidence used to lock up the criminal?
replies(1): >>44457365 #
4. keybored ◴[03 Jul 25 17:33 UTC] No.44457365{3}[source]▶
> For instance, someone makes false charge to lock up someone innocent in the name of 'reducing crime', is the issue the goal of justice and low crime or is it the problem with the standards of evidence used to lock up the criminal?

The immediate problem is the troll that is lying and hiding behind a purported agenda. Exposing their real agenda is the immediate fix.

You don’t rhetorically concede to the troll that “reducing crime” is good because they’re a troll. Conceding anything to them is a strategic blunder. They are trolling. It’s irrelevant to the case.