THREAD: Some thoughts on Buddhism--"Views": People who introduce Buddhism in the academic setting each have their own approaches based on their own background and interests. When it comes to introducing Buddhism, my approach is informed by my study of Zen and Consciousness-only.

I.e., the core philosophical thrust of the Buddha's message is to reveal the degree to which the views we rely on from morning to evening are fabricated, distorted approximations of the world. "View" is an important concept in Buddhism: there are "right views," and "wrong views"

Here, "views" includes the meaning of "beliefs," "opinions," "mindsets," and so forth. We apprehend the world through our "views system" (constructed by our education, culture, family influences, etc.). Some views are better than others. How are views evaluated?

The initial assumption usually made regarding views is that they are based in facts. This is often true, but facts are often not ascertainable, and are often complex or shifting. Even if I take Vitamin C because it is known to fend off colds, it might not work in many situations.

Also, even if a view is based in facts, if I hold onto it rigidly, it might create conflicts with other aspects of my body or mind, or might create conflicts with other people. Strict veganism is a great thing, but if I try to force it on others, problems will probably ensue.

Therefore, researchers of views—including Western-trained constructivist epistemologists and Eastern-trained Buddhists agree that the evaluation of views is based not on their veridicality (validation according to known facts), but the results that ensue from following a view.

This means that views are inextricably tied to behavior. If behavior according to a view brings wholesome (Sanskrit: kuśala) effects, then it is a view worth keeping. So, if taking supplements brings good results, I'm going to keep taking them even if the doctors don't approve.

Wrong views (Skt. mithyā-dṛṣṭi), may, at a basic level, be at odd with the facts. Such as believing that drinking Lysol will get rid of COVID-19. But more importantly, drinking Lysol will bring about demonstrably unwholesome (akuśala) effects. Most importantly, though...

...is that even a good view, which has been working well, can go stale, become rigid, and begin to cause problems. If we hold rigidly to the views that worked well in our youth and never change them, we will begin to run into problems.

Thus, constructivist epistemologists and Buddhists agree: the real problem with views is not their veridicality, or even their "working-well" or not. It is their rigidity. And therefore, Buddhists (and especially Zen Buddhists) have focused on trying to show people

...the depth to which ingrained views keep them from functioning freely and fearlessly in life. And Buddhism is distinct among religions for the degree to which it is willing to even criticize the tenets of its own system, in the case when practitioners cling to them too rigidly.

I will end this thread here. If it seems worth it to continue this sort of tweet, I'll pick up the topic and begin to talk about self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi). If you'd like to read a full-length article on this topic, see http://www.acmuller.net/articles/2018-03-20-inquiry-into-views.pdf