> Some schools of Buddhism probably believe that, but others would say that
> the austerity was a side effect, unnecessary to what followed. After all,
> sitting under a bo tree is hardly the most uncomfortable place you could
> sit
> -- and the meditation posture is not supposed to be painful, merely
> rigorous
> enough to help you focus your mind on what you are doing and gauge your
> success.
>
This is off topic really, but as I understand it the Buddha taught the "Middle Way" which means abandonment of extremes with the objective of achieving enlightenment as efficiently as possible. Exactly where the sweet spot for practice is probably differs from person to person, but it generally seems to fall somewhere closer to austerity than hedonism. What you want is a lack of distractions from either pleasure or pain so you can concentrate on the task at hand. It's fairly practical, really.
Now, back to Glorantha!
-Kevin McD
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