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Is (Buddhist) Meditation Just A Form Of Brainwashing ?
@SpinyNorman said:
I suppose we could all make up our own meanings for words, and forever talk at cross-purposes and be in a muddle and not communicate effectively.
I wouldn't recommend it though.
In John Wilson's book called "Language And The Pursuit Of Truth" ( he is an English philosopher- I think he wrote it back in the 1950s)
He writes about the 'unmentionables' such as blasphemy and obscene words...
"Perhaps the most interesting example of this comes from the last century(he's referring to the 18th century)when what we now call _'trousers' were not supposed to be mentioned.Unfortunately the practical usefulness of referring to the garments was too great to be overcome. Yet the taboo against the word 'trousers' still held. What happened was that the word was replaced by the word 'unmentionables' which as precisely the same meaning. This sort of taboo still exists in a rather lessened form today. It is still injudicious and impolite, when in certain circles, to refer directly to articles of 'ladies' underclothing by their standard name "_
"He goes on to say that we regard those words as magical which refer to things that have a great emotional appeal to us, or that are regarded as private and sacred in some special way...Hence most 'unmentionable' words are either religious or sexual "
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Toraldris -`-,-{@ Zen Nud... Buddhist @}-,-`- East Coast, USAVeteran
Wait trousers means underwear? I've always taken that to mean pants...
Quote from Mark Twain comes to mind...
"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, it's that they know so much that just ain't so." Meditation can help cleanse the brain.
@lamaramadingdong said:
Quote from Mark Twain comes to mind...
"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, it's that they know so much that just ain't so." Meditation can help cleanse the brain.
I like the Mark Twain quote
"Faith is believing in that which I know ain't so."
Comments
Never said I didn't.
@vinlyn, @Chaz could be trying to brainwash you into thinking that you did
@SpinyNorman,
In John Wilson's book called "Language And The Pursuit Of Truth" ( he is an English philosopher- I think he wrote it back in the 1950s)
He writes about the 'unmentionables' such as blasphemy and obscene words...
"Perhaps the most interesting example of this comes from the last century(he's referring to the 18th century)when what we now call _'trousers' were not supposed to be mentioned.Unfortunately the practical usefulness of referring to the garments was too great to be overcome. Yet the taboo against the word 'trousers' still held. What happened was that the word was replaced by the word 'unmentionables' which as precisely the same meaning. This sort of taboo still exists in a rather lessened form today. It is still injudicious and impolite, when in certain circles, to refer directly to articles of 'ladies' underclothing by their standard name "_
"He goes on to say that we regard those words as magical which refer to things that have a great emotional appeal to us, or that are regarded as private and sacred in some special way...Hence most 'unmentionable' words are either religious or sexual "
Wait trousers means underwear? I've always taken that to mean pants...
Me, too.
Probably an American vs. British thing, as most of these are!
In British slang "pants" also has the meaning of not very good.
Being 'wrong' is a skill.
it is a skill only if one knows 'what is wrong' and makes an effort not to make 'the same wrong' again
if i say 'I am gay' what is the meaning you get?
Quote from Mark Twain comes to mind...
"The trouble with the world isn't that people know too little, it's that they know so much that just ain't so." Meditation can help cleanse the brain.
I like the Mark Twain quote
"Faith is believing in that which I know ain't so."