On Thu, Nov 28, 2002 at 01:17:28AM -0800, Steven Brust <skzb at dreamcafe.com> wrote: > At 09:01 PM 11/27/2002 -0600, Matthew Hunter wrote: > >On Wed, Nov 27, 2002 at 04:20:30PM -0800, Steven Brust > ><skzb at dreamcafe.com> wrote: > >> Rubbish. Anyone who has even studied Japanese karate knows that there is > >> belief in, and certainly reverence for, superhuman powers in > >> Buddhism. Indeed, Buddhism, more than any other region that comes to > >mind, > >> is all *about* supernatural powers, revering them, and how to get them > >for > >> yourself. > >I suspect you are conflating certain polluting factors in > >Japanese religion generally with Buddhism specifically. Buddhism > >in its original form is relatively free of supernatural powers; > >it deals with "enlightenment" which does not necessarily grant > >any special powers, but rather is a product of your own > >understanding. > Okay, then. Please explain how reincarnation works without defying natural > law. I did not claim there were no supernatural elements; I don't class reincarnation as a supernatural "power" is the difference. Perhaps that term was confusing the meaning you were trying to get across? It's possible to have supernatural effects without having any supernatural entities or powers. -- Matthew Hunter (matthew at infodancer.org) Public Key: http://matthew.infodancer.org/public_key.txt Homepage: http://matthew.infodancer.org/index.jsp Politics: http://www.triggerfinger.org/index.jsp