Guidelines for Discussions (was Dating of the Ramayana (fwd))

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

 

I want to point out that this particular thread is getting very long. As

moderator of this forum, I do not wish to stop any discussion, especially

when there is scope for further points to be brought up. However, I would

like to ask participants in all discussions to follow some guidelines to

keep the debates streamlined:

 

1) As much as possible, make it a point to quote explicit shaastric

pramaanas for all arguments given. Avoid giving arguments without evidence.

Realizing that some of us may post messages "on the fly," and without

benefit of our books, we should nevertheless be very strict on this point

when involved in long and drawn-out discussions such as this one. Ideally,

one should provide the name of the scripture, verse number, Sanskrit verse,

and English translation of the evidence, rather than merely saying that a

particular acharya says such and such thing without even saying where he

wrote that or how to find that evidence.

 

2) Try to consolidate replies into single messages. If a message is getting

too long (say greater than 100-150 lines of printed text), then it is

adviseable to divide into more than one message of less than 100-150 lines

of text each.

 

3) When replying to a message, quote the original text very sparingly, if at

all. I don't want to make any strict rules on this. Try to just quote what

you need to make your point. The idea is that we shouldn't see replies with,

say, 75% quoted text and only 25% of original reply. Take what you need and

delete the rest.

 

4) Get into the habit of trying to address every point your opponent makes.

If you find that you are unable to convincingly reply to some or all of the

points being argued, it might be best to take a break and consider what was

written carefully, rather than writing a hasty, poorly thought-out or poorly

supported, response. (so far I don't think this has been a problem, though.

I'm happy with the civilized nature of the discussions so far)

 

5) If one wishes to discuss the views of another spiritual leader or

organization, please quote directly from web sites (with URL given), books

(with basic Bibliography info provided), or other material that can be

specifically cross-examined. If one wishes to discuss views that are alleged

to be those of another spiritual leader or organization (i.e. second hand

evidence) but cannot be readily verified, limit yourself to discussing the

philosophical point without naming the person or person(s) who are alleged

to hold that view. This is just to avoid getting into discussions that might

degenerate into politics.

 

Once again, I would ask list members (especially new ones) to offer a short

introduction of themselves. The Achintya list is growing rapidly, and I want

to make sure this forum stays friendly and not impersonal.

 

thanks,

 

your servant,

 

Krishna Susarla

Moderator, Achintya List