Here’s a “theory of mind” from the Calvinists that rather appeals to me…
A 5-point summary of Calvinism includes the doctrines of Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace. These two doctrines pretty much sum up the plot of Part III of the musical “Contact,” in which a producer of TV commercials represents Total Depravity and The Girl in the Yellow Dress represents Irresitible Grace… and is, in fact, introduced with the song, “Simply Irresistible” by the noted theologian Robert Palmer.
I find that parts of the Christian faith — for instance, the above doctrines, and Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” — provide a more realistic portrayal of what Twain called “the damned human race” than does Buddhism. Nevertheless, Christianity, like the other two Semitic religions, Judaism and Islam, is itself totally depraved in that it seeks to put its followers into what Bernard McGrane, in “The Zen TV Experiment,” very aptly calls a “narrative trance.” In this respect, clergymen are no less contemptible than TV producers.
While Buddhism lacks a sufficiently dark view of human nature, it does — at least in the Zen variation — provide possible escapes from narrative trance. And you have performed a righteous deed in pointing out, in McGrane’s essay, one such avenue of escape. Thank you.
Buddhism is plenty dark. It’s darker than existentialism. And Tibetan buddhism has all those menacing wrathful aspects with fangs and horns and dressed in the skins of their victims, though, fortunately, they’re outnumbered by the peaceful ones.
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Why do humans watch television?
Re your earlier Nov. 5 entry…
Here’s a “theory of mind” from the Calvinists that rather appeals to me…
A 5-point summary of Calvinism includes the doctrines of Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace. These two doctrines pretty much sum up the plot of Part III of the musical “Contact,” in which a producer of TV commercials represents Total Depravity and The Girl in the Yellow Dress represents Irresitible Grace… and is, in fact, introduced with the song, “Simply Irresistible” by the noted theologian Robert Palmer.
I find that parts of the Christian faith — for instance, the above doctrines, and Jonathan Edwards’ “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” — provide a more realistic portrayal of what Twain called “the damned human race” than does Buddhism. Nevertheless, Christianity, like the other two Semitic religions, Judaism and Islam, is itself totally depraved in that it seeks to put its followers into what Bernard McGrane, in “The Zen TV Experiment,” very aptly calls a “narrative trance.” In this respect, clergymen are no less contemptible than TV producers.
While Buddhism lacks a sufficiently dark view of human nature, it does — at least in the Zen variation — provide possible escapes from narrative trance. And you have performed a righteous deed in pointing out, in McGrane’s essay, one such avenue of escape. Thank you.
Buddhism is plenty dark. It’s darker than existentialism. And Tibetan buddhism has all those menacing wrathful aspects with fangs and horns and dressed in the skins of their victims, though, fortunately, they’re outnumbered by the peaceful ones.
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