Theos-Talk Archives (May 1996 Message tl00072)

Liesel:

You cite a nice example of a discussion between people
of different views where there's a positive interchange,
rather than hostility and bitterness.

[quoting the Dalai Lama]

>"The Buddha cited the famous example of the man struck by
>a poisoned arrow: he doesn't want to let himself be treated
>until he learns the name of the man who shot him, until he
>knows what caste he belongs to, to what family, if he is
>tall or short, in what forest the arrow was cut. And so he
>dies before he can be cared for."

I'd like to comment on this example.

Like any analogy, it is helpful to describe a situation
*when it applies*, and misleading when it does not apply.
It basically decries useless intellectual inquiry when
a matter of life-or-death urgency is facing one. But
every situation in life is not this way.

Sometimes there are situations, equally life-or-death,
where proper knowledge is essential or fatal consequences
ensue. If someone were really sick, for instance, and had
a number of bottles of medicine, they would have to know
or find someone to tell them which medicine might save
them and which could be toxic. Even though their situation
is urgent, if they know that they lack the proper knowledge,
it would be equally urgent to seek out expert advice and
training. The medicine remains useless without the proper
knowledge.

I'm not mentioning this to take anything away from the
colorful story that the Dalai Lama told.  I'm just trying
to make the important point that analogies are a useful
*descriptive* tool, but do not prove that something is the
way the analogy suggests.

Why is this important? Because the language of analogy
and metaphor is perhaps more basic and primal than the
traditional spoken language, and provides us with the tools
to grasp things that our minds aren't ready yet to directly
know. When properly understood and treated with respect,
analogies can take us far into the mysteries of life.
But if not recognized for their limitations and their
equal power to confuse and mislead, they can instead
take us into a fantasy world, and bring darkness rather
than light to the mind!

-- Eldon