Hello there, if you do not wish you read this enormous wall of text, it can easily be summarized as:
Please stop quoting Theravada Scriptures as Theravada Buddhism, AF and MCTB Buddhism have literally nothing in common and are going in opposite directions. You thus, cannot use Theravada Scriptures to enforce your point. Thank You.
Also, if you do wish to practice Theravada Buddhism (assuming you are not already), you must really up and change (assuming you are an MCTB or AF practitioner) and not just make a few adjustments, since they are really diametrically opposed practices.RANT TIME!
While I realize that the DhO is purely for practical purposes only, I cannot bare (well maybe I can) to see such factual contradictions take place all the time.
So please forgive any harsh words you may find in this rant.
Point #1: Richard's writings have such a weird vibe.
No one is going to deny this right? No one really seems to talk about this though. I mean his website just gives off SUCH a weird vibe. Plus he evidently displays Malice every now and again, but of course, overall he denies that he has any Malice in him.
He also denies that he gives off vibes of any sort, but I mean... it seems like we receive of a lot of said vibes from him.
Odd. Now of course that doesn't necessarily mean Richard is wrong, but it significantly diminishes his authority, the fact that he likes to insult, demean and use ad hominems all the time. This clearly does not contribute to his idea of him not possessing any Malice whatsoever.
Yay.
Point #2: Pali Canon contradictions, MAN THIS IS SO ANNOYING
Let's just get this straight, AF and Pali Canon Arahatship ARE NOT THE SAME.
Now, there are two destinations for a person with wrong view, I tell you: either hell or the animal womb."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-ajivo/
Yet Richard: (not exact quotes):
“There is no life after death.”
“The Universe is eternal.”
The Buddha: (not exact quotes):
“There is rebirth.”
“All is impermanent.”
Richard possesses any number of Buddhist Wrong Views, having denied Rebirth, having answered the “14 Unanswerable Questions” (universe infinite, eternal etc.), having believed that there is an Identity which Annihilated at Death (or also Annihilated at AF) (uccheda ditthi), etc.. etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purana_Kassapa
He bears striking resemblance to any of the other spiritual teachers at the time of the Buddha.
Furthermore Arahats cannot have sex, cannot experience gustatory delight, cannot experience sensual delight for that matter. They are capable of only certain types of consciousness (Abhidhamma).
Furthermore Stream-Enterers cannot take anybody other than the Buddha as their teacher (Acc. Pali Canon).
Stream-Enterers are incapable of Wrong View, ARAHATS ARE INCAPABLE OF VIEW IN ENTIRETY (Acc. Pali Canon).
The Buddhists believed in psychic powers (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.11.0.than.html)
The Buddhists believed in morality (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.11.0.than.html)
The Buddhists believed in whale-eaters, whale-eater-eaters, demons and nonhuman-entities (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.5.05.than.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn10/sn10.012.than.html)
The Buddhists believed that an arahat could levitate and terminate his existence by burning himself up (literally) (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.8.09.than.html)
The Buddhists believed that the Unconditioned “thing” was eternal, (I call it Nibbana but I think that's inaccurate since Nibbana means “blowing out”)
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.8.03.than.html)
but not the physical universe since mindfulness was applied to the body
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.119.than.html) (let it also be known that Acc. The Pali Canon correct mindfulness was watching the ARISING AND PASSING AWAY OF THINGS)
The Buddhists had a fantastic creation story
(http://tipitaka.wikia.com/wiki/Agganna_Sutta)
The Buddhists had a fantastic description of hell
(http://www.dhammaweb.net/Tipitaka/read.php?id=164)
The Buddhists believed a demon caused an eclipse
(http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.050.than.html)
Acc. Pali Canon, I believe Arahats possessed no Defilements, they also (I believe) totally eliminated the 10 Fetters.
Arahats are incapable of certain immoral actions, they cannot experience eating food with sensual pleasure, why? Because Acc. Pali Canon eating food (or doing anything) with sensual pleasure causes negative karma (again something Richard doesn't believe in, again, Wrong View).
In essence, we are talking about two totally different things.
Sure I could throw you a bone and say MCTB Arahat was Stream-Entry (I don't think it is) since many MCTB Arahats talk of purely eliminting the illusion of self (but then again, please actually study the etymology of sakkaya and decided whether or not the Buddha was talking of a self). Or I could say that Richard shifted his identity to the physicality, hence his calm, an idea brought up by the Buddha once (he said something (though I don't remember exactly) along the lines of the idea that it would be better for one to identify with one's body instead of one's mentality since the mentality changes so often).
I leave you with this:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn44/sn44.010.than.html
Could we even say that the Buddha was Agnostic when it came to a Self? Was he even talking about a Self? (correct translation of atta, sakkaya) etc.
Does Sotapanna really mean: having heard with wisdom (jk).
Anyways I suppose those people who vehemently deny a self (the text of the Milinda Panha, UG Krishnamurti etc.) were wrong, although Richard maintains this position:
http://actualfreedom.com.au/sundry/floggedmisconceptions/FFM17.htm
Also don't forget the position: There is neither a self or nor not-self does not work either.
Since that is accounted for in the Buddha's system of knowledge:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteen_unanswerable_questions
A, B, neither A nor B, both A and B etc.
I think. Though I may be wrong though.
ANYWAYS, the point is, we are talking about different things. There is not much I can tell you to do that would otherwise cause you to follow Traditional Buddhism.
In other words: It's not a few small changes that you make to adhere correctly to Buddhism, I firmly (sort of) believe that you are literally heading in opposite directions.
Good Luck.