Best Of

@Jeroen said:
Did you know that in Flanders installing a rainwater catching and reuse system is mandatory with all new houses? That is a tank with filters and a pump, and the water gets used for toilets, washing machines, outside water in the gardens and so on. They save nearly 40% on drinking water that way, which leads to lower water bills. Nearly 1 million homes now have the system installed.

This is a good practice of respect for the water we use
but
so long as humans continue to thoughtlessly increase our numbers beyond what a fixed eco system can sustain, this is only a cosmetic covering to a lemmings migration story.

@Jeroen said:
The Buddha may be an experimentalist, but what about his followers, do they not now have a path to follow?

Ahhh...Did not the Buddha admonish his followers to be "scientists" testing out the validity of his truths?
Are Buddhist followers on the Buddha's path not continually experimenting with each moment, where best to place their next step on that path?
Is the pilgrim, who no longer understands beginner's mind, working only from rote, attached to the results of some past step upon the path, really being the experimentalist that the Buddha called for?

The Buddha's path itself does not prevent us from being experimentalists.
Being an experimentalist is actually one of its requirements.

Did you know that in Flanders installing a rainwater catching and reuse system is mandatory with all new houses? That is a tank with filters and a pump, and the water gets used for toilets, washing machines, outside water in the gardens and so on. They save nearly 40% on drinking water that way, which leads to lower water bills. Nearly 1 million homes now have the system installed.

Thus had I heard and now also find true...

@Lostie said:

@person said:
Then again, maybe too much experimentation can go wrong and isn't always for the best and there is much merit in following an established path.

Well since The Buddha has no established path to follow so to speak, that would make him an experimentalist. I’m glad I am one too.

I think that statement was meant to be an addendum to my first post where I was pro experimentation. Sort of as a caution or a tempering of a level of experimentation where you lose track of the path and genuine spiritual development.

@person said:
Additionally everyone has different dispositions and are at different places on the path. Absent a truly wise, qualified teacher to direct us step by step experimentation is the way.

The best medicine is that which is customized to the individual. Trying to strictly follow the written teaching might not be that fruitful.

Probably where I come down is to take the established teachings, select which are appropriate for your spot on the path and modify them or experiment to better suit them to your disposition.