Learning Beyond the Paradigm LO4188

Tobin Quereau (quereau@austin.cc.tx.us)
Mon, 11 Dec 1995 08:52:14 -0600 (CST)

Replying to LO4171 --

This is in response to Rick's addition to Jim's post, so don't be
surprised if you get confused. I'll try to capture the relevent passage...

On Sat, 9 Dec 1995, Jim Michmerhuizen wrote:

> Replying to LO4037 --

[snip]
> > guess I'll go back to lurking,
>
> Nah, don't do that. I like your ramblings better. Besides, people can't
> respond to your lurking.
>
> ...well, lemme think about that a while...
>
>[Jim speaking]
> ...maybe the lurkers are the wiser ones after all. Consider the ineffable
> enlightenment, the uninterrupted tranquillity, that must be theirs.
> Lurkers are the Bodhisattvas of the list.
>
> [Host's Note: Hmmm... Now where did I mis-place my vocab?
>
> bo-dhi-satt-va n. Buddhism. An enlightened being who, out of
> compassion, forgoes nirvana in order to save others.
> -- American Heritage Dictionary, 3rd Edition ]

At this point I would like to suggest that the American Heritage
Dictionary definition could be somewhat misleading. In my admittedly
limited exposure to the eastern traditions, I have not found that the
bodhisattva's vow is "to save others". On the contrary, the vow is much
more powerful in that the bodhisattva is essentially choosing to forgo
enlightenment (which is at hand) until all other beings _find their own
way_ to enlightenment. The relevence of this concept to our organizational
learning list is that perhaps the whole notion of _saving someone else_ is
problematic. Those who are present and participate with compassion rather
than judgement would be my choice for traveling companions...

Does this address something of your original idea, Jim?

[Host's Note: Thanks, Tobin.]

--
Tobin
quereau@austin.cc.tx.us