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Overcoming Ignorance Presently
lobster
Crusty Veteran
Zen teachings inspired the ruling samurai class of Japan to be single minded in their WWII efforts
Buddhist sponsored terrorism and war crimes occurred in Sri Lanka against the Tamil Community. The western Buddhists were mostly silent, perhaps claiming ignorance. Perhaps ignorance is a good excuse. Perhaps not. Perhaps some other religion or the atheist Tamil Tiger suicide bombers are freedom fighters against oppression. Perhaps not
http://world.time.com/2013/06/20/extremist-buddhist-monks-fight-oppression-with-violence/
Time to overcome ignorance. Perhaps it is always time. Which way to point the finger?
2
Comments
At yourself.
Just not at me. I didn't do it
_ /\ _
It's very humbling to read all this, from the Thai rules on nuns ordaining and the Burmese extremist monks...
All human conditioning... People completely unaware of what they are doing.
Blindly following the mind.
But fear not,
Or get caught up in the mind...
Thanks guys.
The 'Holier than Thou' dharma fanatics [no Mr Cushion you are not a fanatic, you are just a neutral non observor] are present in Buddhist circles. We have to keep an eye on them, otherwise they will be burning themselves, blowing up Parisians for snogging Buddha statues or similar insanity.
The important thing is how we interpret Dharma, how we use it skilfully, tolerantly, compassionately and perhaps with a little humour. The last thing we need is more mind oppressors.
We should condemn that too, absolutely. But when I travel on the London underground it's not Buddhist terrorists I worry about.
Indeed . . . no Buddhist London underground terrorists, Tokyo was not so lucky.
The mish mash of Buddhist, Christian and Manga comic philosophy (truly) led to this:
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_attack
Buddhist ideas are not exempt from appropriation by muddled thinking (putting it politely).
Really? Aum Shinrikyo looks like a Christian cult, going by what the Wiki article says.
Really.
The cult started as a yoga and meditation group. Just got so weird it defies reality. They made this top ten . . .
http://www.crimelibrary.com/photogallery/deadly-cults.html
Frankly I think religion is just an excuse for terrorism not the cause of it.
People can find numberless excuses for an organized, or a solitary, spree killing. Sometimes they don’t even bother to pick one.
If it isn’t for religious crap, it is for political crap, and why not call yourself a fundamentalist football-fan?
The real cause is probably something psychological; being deeply unsatisfied with life and craving for a dark type of personal glory.
If I’m right, the downside is that there is no solution. People do this kind of thing. It is a type of human behavior and it emerges under specific circumstances. If it is suppressed in one place it pops up at another place.
I agree with your initial statement @zenff but not that there is no solution. For centuries, no-one could find a solution for alcoholism. Then AA arose. It may not work for all but it has worked for many. Many other 12 Step fellowships have sprung from this and have led to manageable lives for many others, including me in the area of relationships.
I am powerless over my biology, how I was raised and my pre-disposition to depressive illness. But I am not powerless over how I react to it. Buddhism is but one way to cease craving. Human behaviour has changed enormously since the days of Og. Why should it not continue to do so?
While it is true every ideology can be used to cause more suffering, I think I have to read up on how people actually do that with buddhism! That must be quite difficult, mustn't it? I get how you do that with Islam, Christianity etc. "Man, I really feel like killing today!" "Oh yeah? Well, I was reading the Bible yesterday and turns out God is not so keen on those homosexuals." "Huh! That's an idea. And can we like... kill them?" "Yup. They shall surely be put to death it says right here." "Oh, perfect!"
But how do you do that with buddhism? I guess the problem with buddhism would be that we are seeking awakening, we are on the path and are free to explore ourselves and we are not bound by some revelaed supertruth?
I have found myself wondering, that if all is suffering, maybe I can't sometimes come up with a good solution to things, maybe I will inevitably hurt someone, however subtly. Maybe that is something someone else might think too? You know, something like: "We have to do this in order to survive. In order that our good religion survives! There's no escaping suffering in this world, we are not perfect. I should not harm them, but can not avoid it. I am not a buddha yet... Oh well, what can you do. Where's my whacking stick?"
Maybe that's how you misuse buddhism? so maybe trying not to take buddhism so seriously? After all, we will have to abandon it one day...
There are compassionate people in the world and there are also people that want to hurt others for whatever reason. Sometimes those lines are even blurry.
We've been forming and reforming all these little groups while shunning other groups and it's been happening for so long now we've all but forgotten that it's all really the same group but through different perspectives. Buddhist, Christian, Muslim... A person bent on harming others as an attempt to make themselves better somehow will fall under whatever label gives them status.
I won’t argue against optimism.
“Deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome someday”
(The link is to Bob Dylan’s version)