Re: Within and Without Posted by Elaine on November 15, 2002 at 02:24:14:
In Reply to: Within and Without posted by Peter Cameron Rowland on January 15, 1998 at 02:08:42:
I found Hermann Hesse's short story has many similarities with Buddhism. Nothing is within, and nothing is without. That's right: in Buddhism, actually all are the same. There is no distinction between everything, and all the distinctions are created due to our own discrimination. How do I say so? When you think this person is good looking, then she is in your mind. However, if I think she is ugly, she is not pretty to me. Then, there are two extreme opinions about this girl, but neither of them affects the way she appears. She is still the same, but what changes is our mind. With this simple example, I hope it will be easier for people to understand the idea.