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**MatueHarton** · 12-15-2011, 05:24 AM

so...how does such a theory accord or not accord to our experience reality?

You said

The division between an ultimate truth and a conventional truth exists in the suttas

The Buddha taught the doctrine of momentariness

but these two statements are false, by all accounts. Rather than running around wildly, let's focus on this preliminary point: these two ideas are not present in the Suttas. Given that the two truths doctrine exists in the Mahayana literature, perhaps that would be a better topic for Beyond Belief; so, let us focus on momentariness.

This idea is not found in the Suttas, but it becomes a very significant part of Theravada Buddhism with Buddhaghosa, the author of the Visuddhimagga. Since this manual is often considered the meditation guide par excellence (within Theravada, anyway), that it contains mistaken views is troubling, to say the least...

But I get ahead of myself. You claim that momentariness was taught by the Buddha. Please show us this teaching.

12-15-2011, 05:24 AM	#15
MatueHarton Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 546 Senior Member	so...how does such a theory accord or not accord to our experience reality? You said The division between an ultimate truth and a conventional truth exists in the suttas The Buddha taught the doctrine of momentariness but these two statements are false, by all accounts. Rather than running around wildly, let's focus on this preliminary point: these two ideas are not present in the Suttas. Given that the two truths doctrine exists in the Mahayana literature, perhaps that would be a better topic for Beyond Belief; so, let us focus on momentariness. This idea is not found in the Suttas, but it becomes a very significant part of Theravada Buddhism with Buddhaghosa, the author of the Visuddhimagga. Since this manual is often considered the meditation guide par excellence (within Theravada, anyway), that it contains mistaken views is troubling, to say the least... But I get ahead of myself. You claim that momentariness was taught by the Buddha. Please show us this teaching.
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