Seminary Studies etc and ALP NatCon

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The past few days I've spent a fair amount of time completing essays for my studies at The New Seminary. A complete update of my work to date, which includes Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism, plus reviews of the four common dialogues of the last days of Socrates, plus reviews of the first three chapters of Felder's procedural reconstruction of the Ten Commandments, are all available on my website. Yes, that is quite a word count. Edit Neglected to mention that I've been upgraded to the accelerated program, and will complete within a year.

On related matters, caught up with a fellow seminary student who occasionally lives in Melbourne. A former liberal Baptist she is now part of a Uniting Church eco-feminist congregation that meets at CERES. It made good sense to have dinner that night at the home of the organiser of a local witches coven

I have arrived in Sydney to attend the ALP's National Conference and Fringe Conference. Staying in a rather neat and surprisingly charming backpackers dorm in Bondi. Chatted to a reporter on the 'plane over, who reckons the numbers are about 170 to the left and about 220 to the right, with a handful of independents, and with wavering factions in the larger groupings (e.g., the Ferguson Left, the NUW). Briefly attended the National Left meeting. Major issues that will come up will be marriage equality, onshoring processing of asylum seekers, uranium sales to India, and Party reform. Will be making ample use of Twitter during the conference (lev_lafayette).

Comments

[fluffyblanket.livejournal.com]

Fascinating ! Your website is mind-blowing !
You have seen the future and it works ...
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Jsteffens.htm

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

Yes, quite a collection you've got there on your website! *thumbs up*

[pmax3.livejournal.com]

I could only just get around to visiting your website! I read the section on Hinduism with a lot of interest, and found it to be very absorbing and well written :) I found especially striking your comparison of Kama , Artha and Dharma to the satisfaction of the id, ego and superego respectively. I have come across parallels drawn by various writers between Hindu philosophical/psychological concepts and Western ones, but this one is new for me and I must say it's very impressive. Did you think of it yourself or were introduced to it from someone else? While I do find the parallel you have drawn quite appealing, I have slightly differing thoughts about it too which I'd like to share. For instance, while we can say that Artha is the pursuit of material prosperity presumably by a faculty that corresponds to the rational ego, the more direct analogue of that faculty in Hindu thought, in my understanding, would be Buddhi, which would be a general intellectual capacity to investigate matters both material (inclined towards Pravritti) and spiritual (inclined towards Nivritti or Moksha). Similarly, it seems to me that Dharma is the satisfaction of the superego only its primitive aspect of externally acquired ideas about how to behave. Dharma has other aspects too such as the manifestation of Rta, one's chosen best way of conduct given their situation (Swadharma) etc; and it can be driven primarily by the rational faculty and eventually something beyond that faculty too. Would like to know what you think. Kama I think can be readily likened to the satisfaction of the Id, and just as the latter is said to be the store of psychic energy within oneself, Kama has also been called by some to be closer to Moksha than generally considered in the discussion of the four goals.

You note the absence of knowledge from the four goals. While I agree that the concept of Purushartha has limitations that appear if it's applied dogmatically, I do not really think that not including knowledge is an omission. One reason is that knowledge in its fullness is inseparable from attainment of Moksha. God or Brahman is defined in abstract form as existence-knowledge-bliss, so knowledge is the very nature of the ultimate goal. In the more familiar form as intellectual inquiry, it is one of the paths to liberation (Jnana) rather than the end; and insofar as it is not a path to final understanding but a worldly end, it is only for the purpose of recognition and validation (Artha). What do you think? I would also be interested in knowing what you mean by saying this absence reduces the possibility of interconnectedness between the goals.

I also admit I could not understand what the reasoning might be behind your conclusion: "The union of .... modern liberal approaches." Would be great if you can explain.

One or two other things too which I'd like to exchange thoughts about if you are interested :)