Discussion

The Finger and the Moon

throwway120385: > This is because the so-called self is a construct of words and memories, of fantasies which have no existence in immediate reality.I think this is Maya.> If, however, you can really do the thing itself -- that is, if you can learn to wake up and concentrate at the drop of a hat -- you can take or leave the trimmings as you will.The paradox of psychotherapy for me was that it was about doing this, and very little else. All of the discussions about this or that during sessions always led back to presence in the moment, or concentration.

cratermoon: The author doesn’t have a good grasp of Latin. The word medicina isn’t only about treatment of disease. It can also refer to things done to maintain health. It can also refer to the health care profession generally.To the extent the author’s point relies on the incorrect definition, it cannot be consistent or correct.

JadeNB: > To the extent the author’s point relies on the incorrect definition, it cannot be consistent or correct.I don't think that a point based on an incorrect definition is automatically inconsistent or itself incorrect. It might be, of course, or it might just be insufficiently justified. And, to the extent that it is a philosophical point rather than a historical one, the truth or falsity of a philosophical claim doesn't depend on whether someone actually said it, or it is a mistranslation of something someone actually said.