Raising awareness in a powerful way

Epicurus

I wanted to start a brainstorming session. If the Buddha were alive in the 21st century and knowledgeable as to today's technology and social landscape;if he were good at anything (science, humanities, changing tires, spreadsheets.....) what would he do aside from being a religious leader?

How would he raise people's awareness on a large scale in the short-term? Buddhism like any good religion, is insidious and bears fruit in time. The wheel started turning 2500 years ago and here we are today on this very forum. But what, if any, shorter route...with more immediate effects do you think he could take?

A smash TV show? Guerilla diplomacy uniting religious leaders? Funding psychology research to brainwashing people into ego-death (lol)?

Tell me your ideas. This is not meant to just be about being imaginative but about EXTERNAL devices to trigger INTERNAL transformation on a large scale.

YoungBuddhist

I would imagine he would leave things how they are now- Have temples and places for people to go if they want to learn about Buddhism, but not force the issue onto everyone.

NomaDBuddha

@ Epicurus

The answer is Hyde park's Speaker's Corner. When you have the right ideas even the average Joe will surely spare a minute of his life to listen to the man.

genkaku

I think it was former Yankees manager Casey Stengel who once said, "If the fans won't come out to the ball park, you can't stop them."

Rushing around 'raising awareness' or otherwise making a good thing even 'better' ... all such things fall pretty much into the category of "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." People raise their own awareness at their own pace.

Just keep up your own good practice. That is enough.

IronRabbit

No can do - in a Dharma ending age attempting to control widespread adherence with powerful means is counter intuitive. Hundreds of thousands of lifetimes have arisen and fallen to bring this present great awareness of Dharma in the East where it originated to the West where we intellectualize the bejeesus out of it. Forcing the Dharma down the throats of the unaware can be called compassionate but also dukkha.

Jeffrey

How do you know there aren't buddhas in the world today?

Epicurus

Wait I think I'm being misunderstood. It's not about forcing awareness. One can't do that obviously.

The Buddha didn't just sit on his ass. I'm not a buddha and I've raised awareness of friends and family on a number of key issues since I was a kid.

I'm not talking about the Dharmma since I see it as just one raft. A guy who takes on the mission of teaching mindfulness meditation and promoting it throughout the western world is not forcing awareness upon people is he? You know Jon Kabat-Zinn, right? That's just an example.

I'm talking about being more than just being a Buddha practitioner. I'm talking about ways to go out in the world and inspire people and show people the benefits of compassion etc...

aMatt

I think that Buddha would just be silent inside, and let the resulting compassion be a light for others. When people asked questions, he'd give honest and heartfelt answers. Maybe he'd blog or something, using the internet's ability to interconnect and reach people. I doubt he'd be a gorilla diplomat.

possibilities

I'm talking about ways to go out in the world and inspire people and show people the benefits of compassion etc...

Many other folks connected to their various religions/or even non-religious people are compassionate.

If you want to make a case specific to Buddhism, you'd have to reveal that connection, and most likely would be taken for a preacher, whose primary motive is seen as advertising a belief and not doing something compassionate.

The beauty of Buddhism in the western world is that you have to find it - have to *want* to find it.

Hubris

His time on earth is winding down, and possibly the tradition of the status that he holds, however for now we still have His Holiness The Dalai Lama. He may not have been able to sway the Chinese, however he and his fellow monks are making an impact, it's working! He's as close to a modern-day Buddha as we may get I think.

I was SO blessed to see a group of 10 monks from Dharamsala perform in my town last night, perform seems to be an odd word in speaking of monks, however this is what it was slated as. They showed ritual dances, played horns, did multi-tonal (throat) singing, chanting, and so on.

The audience was large, we got there early to get good seats, and it seemed there was a sense of reverence in that tent despite that it was a "performance", and not a service.

These monks are ambassadors for the Tibetan and Buddhist community, they share their message of love,compassion, and peace, and the audience was enthralled. Myself included, as I shed tears through some of it.

So much was running through my head, their dwindling community in Tibet, the oppression and persecution by the Chinese, and all the good things they are doing to ensure some of their culture is not lost.

So, on a super large global scale we may not necessarily be seeing a lot of noticeable change, however it is happening. Just like the Occupy movement. People are tired of war, poverty, and hate.

Epicurus

I'm talking about ways to go out in the world and inspire people and show people the benefits of compassion etc...

Many other folks connected to their various religions/or even non-religious people are compassionate.

If you want to make a case specific to Buddhism, you'd have to reveal that connection, and most likely would be taken for a preacher, whose primary motive is seen as advertising a belief and not doing something compassionate.

The beauty of Buddhism in the western world is that you have to find it - have to *want* to find it.

I'm not talking about buddhism. Awareness is a not property of buddhism or of enlightened beings.

I can't hide I feel a bit pissed off at the responses on this thread. I guess I'm not making myself clear, but I don't know if I know how to anyway. :P

taiyaki

Eat when hungry, sleep when tired. Work if money is needed.