Greetings Mike,
mikenz66 wrote:Can you specifically point out and explain where the Buddha says that it's a hindrance to be open-minded about whether or not the external world exists, and that some of what we perceive may be due to an external world and some not?
It's a problem only to the extent that it is perceived as such...
MN 1 wrote:The Blessed One said: "There is the case, monks, where an uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — who has no regard for noble ones, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma; who has no regard for men of integrity, is not well-versed or disciplined in their Dhamma — perceives earth as earth. Perceiving earth as earth, he conceives [things] about earth, he conceives [things] in earth, he conceives [things] coming out of earth, he conceives earth as 'mine,' he delights in earth. Why is that? Because he has not comprehended it, I tell you.
SN 12.15 wrote:Dwelling at Savatthi... Then Ven. Kaccayana Gotta approached the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "Lord, 'Right view, right view,' it is said. To what extent is there right view?"
"By & large, Kaccayana, this world is supported by (takes as its object) a polarity, that of existence & non-existence. But when one sees the origination of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'non-existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one. When one sees the cessation of the world as it actually is with right discernment, 'existence' with reference to the world does not occur to one.
"By & large, Kaccayana, this world is in bondage to attachments, clingings (sustenances), & biases. But one such as this does not get involved with or cling to these attachments, clingings, fixations of awareness, biases, or obsessions; nor is he resolved on 'my self.' He has no uncertainty or doubt that just stress, when arising, is arising; stress, when passing away, is passing away. In this, his knowledge is independent of others. It's to this extent, Kaccayana, that there is right view.
"'Everything exists': That is one extreme. 'Everything doesn't exist': That is a second extreme. Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle....
Ven. Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli wrote:Either way, the puthujjana oscillates between the two
mikenz66 wrote:Are you suggesting that we should, instead, veer in the direction of idealism?
Erm, no...
Ven. Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli wrote:For example, in present times, a spiritual/mystical view of the hidden 'Reality' (one's 'true Self', or 'universal consciousness') would be a form of idealism, while the very common and prevalent scientific objectification of the experience would most certainly come under materialism. These two can serve as the two prominent poles of the Wrong View spectrum.
Ven. Ninoslav Ñāṇamoli wrote:Either way, the puthujjana oscillates between the two
SN 12.15 wrote:Avoiding these two extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma via the middle
mikenz66 wrote:But perhaps I'm misunderstanding this rather convoluted sentence (and the rest of the article)...
Quite probably, if you think it is promoting idealism rather than the Dhamma that the Tathagata taught via the middle...
mikenz66 wrote:For me, the problem with such arguments is that they assume that the task being pursued (in science, Dhamma, or whatever) is "providing explanations", or "discovering truth" and proceed to criticise such straw man that was never the point of the exercise in the first place.
Right. The "point of the exercise" is the pursuit of the Noble Eightfold Path, of which Right View is the forerunner... it's not to dismiss your beloved physical sciences.
Metta,
Retro.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."