Hi Fitter,
I like your post and the Thanissaro article you linked, the focus on dependent origination.
To focus a little on speech, I also appreciated your words:
Especially when people are disagreeing about the dhamma or about our virtual sangha, it’s probably better to give the other person the benefit of the doubt and treat their concern as though it were legitimate rather than an indication of how unenlightened they are or how much of a problem with clinging or grasping they have.
There are three components of conceit: taking oneself to be 1) superior (
ketukamyata, desire to advertise oneself) and 2) inferior to others, and then 3) comparing oneself to others. When being introduced to a little of the
Abhidhamma Sangaha this weekend I laughed to read,
" should be regarded as madness." (pg.84, BPS Paryatti Edition, 2000)
The above goes nicely with right speech parameters, which a friend sent me this summer (because I mentioned my rapproaches can be a leeeettle bit strong on occasion): http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/index.html
From Anguttara Nikaya 5.198:
"It is spoken at the right time.
It is spoken in truth.
It is spoken affectionately .
It is spoken beneficially.
It is spoken with a mind of good-will."
and Majjhima Nikaya 58:
[6] "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be
factual,
true,
beneficial, and
endearing & agreeable to others,
he has a sense of the proper time for saying them.
Why is that? Because the Tathagata has sympathy for living beings."
Obviously, I post this as much for me as anyone else. I know all traditions and secularism have such standards for speech conduct. And I hope it's part of the individuals engaged in Syrian intervention talks, now and for one other example, just as we work on it here.
There's a tremendous amount of pressure in the world, so it's understandable, too, why we would vent excessively/aggressively/conceitedly sometimes, then learn from this (even after repetitions...)
Anyway, above right speech is a tall order, but a useful destination.
Okay, thanks FS.