[km2000]

Looking arround for some quotes from Niels Bohr I found one of Doris Lessing. Needless to say I have never read any of Lessing's books so I really can't tell about her, but the quote caught my attention:

"You are in the process of being indoctrinated. We have not yet evolved a system of education that is not a system of indoctrination. We are sorry, but it is the best we can do. What you are being taught here is an amalgam of current prejudice and the choices of this particular culture. The slightest look at history will show how impermanent these must be. You are being taught by people who have been able to accomodate themselves to a regime of thought laid down by their predecessors. It is a self-perpetuating system. Those of you who are more robust and individual than others, will be encouraged to leave and find ways of educating yourself-educating your own judgement. Those that stay must remember, always and all the time, that they are being moulded and patterned to fit into the narrow and particular needs of this society."

Doris Lessing
Do you think that the quote can be related with the aim of learning from the teaching as it was given, at least in the Pali, leaving us at the mercy of our own process of understanding, freeing ourselves from the different Buddh-isms?

[Pharmadryg]

Do you think that the quote can be related with the aim of learning from the teaching as it was given, at least in the Pali, leaving us at the mercy of our own process of understanding, freeing ourselves from the different Buddh-isms?

Hi Kaarine, sorry but I'm not really clear about your meaning.

Your topic title is "Doris Lessing and the Buddha." Was the quote refering to the Buddha's teachings?

[prearpaccew]

Was the quote refering to Buddhism ?

No, but it remember me the aim given by the Buddha about looking and testing the teachings by ourselves.

I'm sorry, yes... the title do not fit with the content of the post. Can it be changed?

In some way, when reading the quote it came to my mind the idea of a practice out of a tradition and the only way to that, IMHO, is through the teachings given in the Pali; at least those teachings do not point toward any kind of tradition or are not intended to become one; also do not pretend to mould and pattern us into anything but just understanding and ceasing Dukkha. Around that was the idea of posting the quote here and in this way.

[Ad0i89Od]

when you apply the buddha's testing to a believer they accept 95% and test 5% which is fine, when you propose this testing to a non believer they accept 5% and test 95% which can lead to anarchy with regards the buddha's message, in other words i think the buddha's admonition to test can be taken out of context, especially by newbies

[cakaeroryrere]

Certainly anarchy leads to chaos but the teachings of the Buddha can lead us into autarchy where is needed self discipline and deep knowledge or our "selves". At the end, this knowledge leads us to an absolute freedom; even when an autarchist is well adapted with her/his particular social order, she or he do not need to obey because she or he is guided by understanding, not by obedience, submission or delusion.