Thoughts on Twenty-Four

Red Pine suggests that Mount Sumeru is partially a metaphor for the self. (Indeed, earlier Buddha asked, "If a person had an immense, perfect body, like Mount Sumeru, would that person's self-existence be great?") Just as Mount Sumeru is ancient Indian mythology represents the most massive structure in the world, so too our conception of self is the most important mental structure we erect.

A note on what B. has noted to be the evangelical quality of this sort of passage. I agree that in a certain sense this is evangelical, that spreading the word is supposed to be highly meritorious. But to me evangelism also has the connotation of coercion and judgment. `I will do everything in my power to force you to believe what I say, and if you don't, you are on the wrong track.' I don't believe that's what the Buddha is saying here. Making known your spiritual tools to others in a friendly non-coercive way, with the understanding that "what works for me may not work for you," is more along the lines of the way I understand this. Also, I think that setting a good example is the most powerful way of spreading the word. I can think of many, many Christians who do their faith a disservice when their actions differ so wildly from their stated beliefs. I can't say that my actions are always in perfect or even approximate consonance with my stated beliefs, but when they are it is much more likely to send the right spiritual message.