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In this following context, how should I take this bold and italic sentence?

The verbs 'incur' and 'enter' make me confused.

What does the word 'question' mean here?

Context:

In Buddhism there is no one to reward or punish. Pain or happiness are the inevitable results of one’s actions. The question of incurring the pleasure or displeasure of a God does not enter the mind of a Buddhist. Neither hope of reward nor fear of punishment acts as an incentive to him to do good or to refrain from evil.

Source: Buddhism in a Nutshell

P. 24 By Nadara thera

2 Answers 2

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"Incur" in this context means to provoke, or to bring upon oneself.

"Enter the mind" means to come up in one's thoughts. If something never enters your mind, you never have any thoughts about it--not even the first thought about it.

The word "question" in this context refers to the matter or the issue that is being considered.

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  • Thanks you very much, Biblasia.
    – Sakya Kim
    Aug 23 at 9:30
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Simpler near-translations for these words:

  • incur: receive
  • does not enter the mind of X: is not something that X thinks about
  • question: idea

So:

The idea of receiving the pleasure or displeasure of a god is not something a Buddhist thinks about.

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  • 1
    Thanks you very much, Steve Bennett.
    – Sakya Kim
    Aug 23 at 9:29

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