Theos-Talk Archives (January 1997 Message tl00283)

On Wed, 8 Jan 97, Thoa Tran <thoa@withoutwalls.com> wrote:

>I've always wondered about what the reality of anything is.  To say that it is >all maya in a dismissive tone, is to deny that all of our reality is an important >part of Reality.  

The difference between illusory and imaginary should be kept in mind.  That
only what does not change is fully real does not mean that constantly
changing forms are imaginary.


>For example, those who eat meat should see the cow being killed in
>front of them.  It's easy to eat something sanitized in your meat deli, but
>one should also realize where it's coming from.  Abstractly, one realize
>that it came from a cow.  However, one should see that it takes the death
>and the bleeding of a cow for that steak to sit in one's refrigerator.  

All life must support itself by killing.  I visited the camp at Orcas
Island once, and they had a sign outside that said "Ahimsa."  It seemed
strange that they also used disinfectant to kill bacteria.


>A woman I knew had to change the channel everytime an ad showing >emaciated children with bloated stomach appears on the T.V.  Another >woman thinks that all people who have ever smoked should be denied >insurance benefits.  And of course, we often hear from people like Jesse >Helms that people with AIDS should have low priority because it was the >result of their immoral acts.  The first woman should spend a week helping >feed emaciated bloated children. The second woman should spend a week >tending to the lung cancer patient, watching them in pain.  Jesse Helms >should do likewise.  

The responsibility for compassion is universal.  Those who smoke are
responsible to have compassion for those who breathe their smoke, and for
the people who have to foot the bill for their medical bills.  Those who
have AIDS due to their own irresponsible behavior are responsible to have
compassion on those to whom they gave their disease.