Is the secular reflection of Buddhism libertarian social democracy?

[sweetheart]

What does the Buddha say?

What if the Buddha says nothing and goes about their business meditating,
concerned only when people meddle with that meditation; yet seeing all
humankind as part of their extended family and aspiring to treat each
with profound respect and reverence. Then would you have your mother
in suffering? Would you let her go without health-care? In a world
where all persons suffer, compassion provides health-care.

But how can you meddle with meditation. You can take away the time for
meditation by working people double shifts. Then a Buddhist would make
sure all persons have a living wage, that persons have the private time
in the day for their prayers.

You take away that meditation with war, with divisive hatred that spreads
armaments and dictatorship around the world with paranoia and low intent.
The corporate state has no rights to spread war as its side effect,
as is not fascism the vocation of enslavement, and the spirit of
Buddha (enlightened one), is that of freedom and liberty.

You take away that meditation by taking away responsibility. When your
full soul is not responsible for its own karmic actions, the society
is out of phase with the laws of karma. The person taking
the drugs is the one responsible for drugs usage. The person wearing
the suicide bomb is the one responsible for terrorism. Economic
culture elevates artificial responsibilities such as not wearing
a seatbelt, or carrying a pocket knife on a plane. It is individual
choice to wear a seatbelt, one with karmic results for that individual.
Every time they exercise the muscle of individual choice, the muscle
gets stronger. When the laws remove the moral need to act in self
preservation, the flaccid result is a weaker and more degenerate
society, one where people suffer from chronic self destructive
addictions, because the moral muscle of self preservation is weaker
per the inorganic law stripping it from the lives of living individuals.

Even if that right is to disagree, or dance naked on the town square,
or to smoke the name of your god, it is your free choice. That is
the very center of concern for the long term development of civilization
that the wisdom of choice, and learning from choices-made, be retained,
not in computer records, but in living intelligence.

Democracy surely is the ultimate social reflection of individual
choice, and it seems then, that a neo-Buddhist would design a secular
democratic state with a strong supportive social safety net, one
without unnecessary criminalization, war or state violence; one where
all persons are universally enfranchised no matter their sex, race,
creed, immigration status, religion or nationality.

Yet, the Buddha has not said anything, and may never. :-)

[Hekate]

1. I would reflect on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and Pema Chodron

.... as fine exemplars of Buddhism, and let that guide my actions -- alas I do not discipline myself sufficiently, but those I know who do have become much calmer, much more centered, and thus more effective. I turn to their writings as a way of regaining balance and overcoming despair.

Joanna Macy gives a fine teaching on the Shambhala Warriors, whose weapons are insight and compassion. Insight alone is too cold and cerebral, compassion alone burns itself out, but together they enable the "warriors" to move among the powers of the world and oppose them, and create change for the better. She has a website where you can probably find a transcript of this teaching.

She and her husband Fran worked as analysts for the CIA when young; now they are Buddhists and work to bring healing to the Earth (deep ecology, Dharma Gaia) and an end to nuclear proliferation. Three years ago I attended a workshop/retreat they gave called "Practicing Civil Liberties in Time of War," which should tell you something about their political orientation.

As regards our current situation, both Thich Nhat Hanh and the Macys have a lifetime's practice as "engaged Buddhists" acting in the world to change the world. I imagine they would not give a political name to the kind of society they hope to see built, but it would be framed around probably a critical mass of people attaining and acting on insight, compassion, mindfulness.

Hekate

[sweetheart]

2. practicing civil liberties in time of war

Liberty and choice, long-growing, organic institutions.

If a critical mass attains enlightenment, what will change? Will
enlightenment be any closer or farther away? Like buddhism mixed with
bon in tibet, it seems its mixed with prodestantism in the US, where
buddhists do good works to save the world, emphasis on "good works" a
very lutheran throwback.

Yet perhaps ecumenical evangelism is buddhism at its core, no dogma,
and without dogma, no political ideology. A great raft of cosmic
awakeness, posing as individual people.

What you say is good news, such positive vibes in a time when the
mainstream is just short of asylum paranoia.

[Hekate]

4. Buddhism both gives and receives in each culture

All religions do that to one degree or another or they don't survive more than a generation outside their homeland; Shinto is like that -- it's too tied to the spirits of the Japanese landscape and ancestors to move to another country.

Buddhism grew in America outside the immigrant community when the Beats discovered Zen; different forms grew more widely with the separate arrivals of Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama into the West.

One of the things that makes Buddhism in America unique today is the prominence of women roshis and abbots like Pema Chodron -- this didn't happen with Beat Zen, it came after second-wave feminism when female students challenged their teachers instead of sitting at their feet. Some of these women-scholars went on to retrieve the voices of Buddhist women lost in the histories of patriarchal cultures. So Buddhism in America reflects feminism, too.

I think you're absolutely right about the influence of Protestantism in America. These days the wingnuts try to drown out other voices, which makes it difficult for the rest of us to acknowledge the degree to which we Americans are all culturally influenced -- very early on, it was the Protestants who established that each person was capable of interpreting the Bible without priestly intermediary; churches readily split apart into various sects without wars starting over perceived heresy; and so on.

For much of US history, Protestantism was a progressive force: for the abolition of slavery, for child labor laws, for women's suffrage. (Too bad the wingnuts are trying to undo that progress -- but they can't undo the fact that so much of our world-view springs from that historical freedom of conscience and action.) It's inevitable it would be part of Buddhism in America -- the deep inner feeling that true compassion needs to be acted upon in some way, to help others, to save the planet, to DO as well as BE.

Very hard for Americans to stop DO-ing long enough to learn BE-ing!

Very nice to meet you along the Way, sweetheart.

Hekate

[sweetheart]

5. That second wave

Yes, as much as tibetan buddhism was not a pillar of feminism back tibet
times, american feminism has permanently changed the landscape of
equality in buddhism, that enlightenment is blind to what sex.

Maybe if that feminist enlightenment of america bursts out some day to
take back the lost ground of wise previous generations of good hearted
prodestants.

It is very good to meet you along the way as well, Hekate.

namaste,

-sweetheart

[sweetheart]

3. kick om

afternoon

[randr]

6. There is a great disturbance in the force

Time for our collective consciousness to reflect of just how small we are and how great our love.

[Gabi Hayes]

7. thank you SO much for this thread

I lost the way many years ago

Perhaps the time is right

http://www.wenaus.com/poetry/gs-sanchi.html

[sweetheart]

9. the way

is you before and after you
"lost the way". To lose what
is the very essential core
of every single moment in life
is impossible.

The time is clearly right.

:-)

[Gabi Hayes]

10. again....thanks

I knew that....just forgot, after all these years, all that clutter

btw, what's your country's flag look like?

[sweetheart]

11. flags

My countries flag:



However, methinks you're meaning:

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/standrew.html

[AX10]

8. 100% True