Many impoverished Asian countries possess ancient cultures and profound Buddhist traditions. The “impoverished” attribute stems from the modern Western system which has spread across the world from Great Britain. This system reduces every citizen to a competing individual whose self-worth is measured solely by the size of a bank account. Similarly, countries that follow this system act like inidividuals in the international arena – making strategic alliances with other State actors designed to protect this status. Just as an individual “purchases” every service and attribute required for a comfortable life – a modern Nation State develops and purchases weaponry, dominates locations and projects its will around the globe. The accumulation of money is the prime-mover of this system which causes various degrees of misery for everyone living within its confines – whilst a few live very well and possess the greatest measure of choice due to the monetary wealth they control. The acquisition and control of money is the entire purpose of predatory capitalism. As this is the only recognisable method for living – every citizen is broughtup to habitally cultivate “greed” as the highest virtue for modern living. Of course, as the Buddha states that greed, hatred, and delusion are the basis of all human suffering – the answer to this human suffering is to uproot these taints through the practice of meditation and physical discipline. Therefore, Buddhists diverge from the demands of predatory capitalism through the requirement to cultivate non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion. The practice of genuine Buddhism, therefore, is a contradiction to the reality of predatory capitalism. This explains why places such as Thailand – which is currently dominated by US Neo-Imperialism – possesses both a vibrant Theravada Buddhist tradition as well as large areas of abject (material) poverty. As Thailand is NOT a Socialist country (and is still a victim of Western colonial and imperial conquest) – its society offers an interesting dichotomy between two systems of self-worth, one ancient and Buddhist, whilst the other modern and entirely foreign. An individual might not possess any monetary wealth – but could be well-educated in Buddhist Studies. This aligns with the Buddha’s statement that the gift of Dharma excels all other gifts! A Buddhist monastic (or a devout lay-Buddhist) might well live a life of non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion – and therefore possess NO position within the predatory capitalist system. This is true regardless of whether an individual lives within an impoverished Asian country or an affluent Western country. Conversely, an Asian country that has successfully taken the path of monetary wealth accumulation must accommodate citizens who which to practice the Dharma to a greater degree within their everyday lives. Although it is doubtful that a capitalist country would ever allow any type of non-profit based existence – the superior morality of Socialism must ensure that individuals who which to practice the Dharma must be given the right to do this with the State facilitating this lifestyle as a matter of right.
0 Comments
(KPL) Many thousands of Buddhist followers gathered at the annual almsgiving ceremony of the That Luang Festival, the biggest religious ceremony of the country on 27 November morning. (KPL) Many thousands of Buddhist followers gathered at the annual almsgiving ceremony of the That Luang Festival, the biggest religious ceremony of the country on 27 November morning. The alms giving ceremony was attended by President Thongloun Sisoulith, President of the Lao National Assembly Xaysomphone Phomvihane, along with their spouses. The religious ceremony aims to pay homage to That Luang stupa. The final day of the celebration of the That Luang Festival also witnesses an alms giving ceremony in the morning. Several hundreds of monks are invited to the ceremony.
They represent all temples in the Capital. The traditional game Tee Khee is played in the afternoon and the candlelit procession takes place in the evening to pay homage to the grand stupa. The 14th Dalai Lama was brought up in a Potala Palace (in Lhasa) that deliberately harboured Nazi German War Criminals. He was at the top of a ruthless 'Lamaist' hierarchy that raped, tortured and murdered the oppressed Serf population! These Nazi War Criminals had escaped from British POW Camps in India and had taken refuge in a Tibet that had been 'friendly' to these racists from Hitler's Germany! In return for their compliance in 'lying' about a forceful takeover of Tibet by the fabled 'Chinese' (the remit was that the 'Chinese' behaved like 'Nazi Germans') these Nazi German 'War Criminals' would be granted 'Immunity' from Prosecution! Indeed, they would write books (in English) and would receive immediate US Citizenship for their assistance in this grand scheme of deception! Part of this façade has involved the 14th Dalai Lama being presented to the West as a ‘Christ-like’ figure worthy of respect and worship! India has been part and parcel of this process of ‘lying’ and ‘misrepresenting’ China, its culture and its religious traditions! The US anti-intellectualism employed by the CIA was that 'China' had 'invaded' an integral part of its 'own' territory! By the time of the 1949 Socialist Revolution in China – and the 1959 'Liberation' of the Tibetan region - Tibet had been a part of geographical China for over a thousand years - with millions of Tibetans living throughout Southwest China after expanding into China proper! When the capitalist-friendly 'Nationalist' government ruled China between 1912-1949 - the US was absolutely fine with Tibet being an integral part of China! It was only when the anti-capitalist 'Socialist' government was brought to power in 1949 that a right-wing US (Truman) government had a problem with the new arrangement. This was when the myth-making machine chugged into action! When the ethnic Han (Chinese) Buddhist Master - Xu Yun (1840-1959) - visited the Tibetan region during the late 1880s - he was shocked and appalled by the 'decadence' he encountered! Many 'apologists' for Western imperialism tried to suggest that this movement away from the Vinaya Discipline (as laid down by the Buddha) was a necessary part of the Buddhist adaptation to the Tibetan environment, but the problem with this thinking is the 'Lamaism' is NOT Buddhism per se, but rather a ruthless manifestation of a system of Buddhist totalitarianism! These so-called 'High Lamas' were nothing but militarised Landlords who possessed numerous wives and concubines and passed on their vast estates to their children! Anyone who dared to question or challenge their authority often ended up having their eyeballs publicly 'gouged out' with a spoon! This was the corrupt system that Adolf Hitler was very interested in - as he was obsessed with the bizarre idea that the racially pure 'Aryans' had originated within Tibet - and that the naturally 'racist' high Lamas were somehow 'descendants' of these racially pure ancestors who had spread to Germany! This explains why numerous Nazi German archaeological expeditions were sent to the region - and why the young 14th Dalai Lama was ingratiated with Hitler's emissaries! These 'Aryan' representatives would soon be replaced by their CIA equivalents - as the Americans spirited the Dalai Lama away to India and a fabricated story of a 'Chinese invasion' was concocted! This falsehood is now masquerading as the 'norm' in the West - with only people across China (including the Tibetan region) - truly understanding the reality of the situation! The corruption of the 14th Dalai Lama is well-known – but the US follows a policy of never presenting his image in a negative light! He has been friends with mass murderers, has been involved with the hacking of US defence computers and has been caught demanding that everyone follows a vegetarian diet – whilst being caught ordering plates of ham sandwiches at the various five-star hotels he and his entourage frequents! Although he is supposed to be an impoverished Buddhist monk – it has been revealed that he receives a yearly allowance of $200,000 from the US govement! This maverick behaviour all fits in with the ‘Bourgeois’ (‘Christianised’) Buddhism he peddles in the West! Anyone can access the Buddhist Vinaya Discipline – even the far more liberal ‘Tibetan’ version – and see that the 14th Dalai Lama does NOT adhere to this very strict psychological and physical discipline that involves the upholding of hundreds of rules! Yet again his hypocrisy and corruption has been displayed in his ‘amorous’ behaviour (forbidden by the Vinaya Discipline) which involves him insisting upon ‘kissing’ those he meets – but only involving the touching of tongues!
I fully recognise that the human species is communal and has evolved from an extended family base that became tribal. Indeed, human collectivity has been the strength underlying human (biological) evolution in general, and cultural development specifically. What, then, is the purpose, value and meaning for humanity (as a whole), for an individual pursuing a solitary path? What does it mean to be 'solitary'? Can a human being be truly isolatory? Is it possible to leave human society completely or even partially? What is it that is being left? From what is the individual removing him or herself from? To where are they relocating? What changes when an individual supposedly 'leaves' society? From a philosophical position it would seem that 'leaving society' might be a 'tautology' - more of a convention than a practical reality, and yet something tangible does appear to 'change'. Firstly, there is an inner change in orientation usually coupled with a concerted change in behavioural patterns. Indeed, 'leaving society' seems to be primarily a decision about abandoning one set of behaviours whilst embracing another. What is abandoned is the ordinary or expected patterns usually associated with the conventions of everyday life. Although there are grades of disengagement from everyday life - the more stringent examples include the rejecting of commercial labour (that is labour for profit), but not usually labour in principle. Personal (amorous) relations are purged from the expectations of the mind and body - as are any associations and interactions with family members and family structures. These are remarkable realignment of outward behaviour, but their purpose is to create an external (sensory) environment that generates the conditions for a profound change to occur in the functionality of the inner psychological and biological processes of the body. An outer physical transformation is required because without this impetus it is doubtful that will power alone could furnish the requisite strength of purpose required to permanently 'change' the frequency through which the mind and body operates. This being the case, is living in isolation in reality simply another definition of collective existence, albeit existing 'outside' of the convention that usually defines what many believe communal living actually is? If course, as the individual living in isolation still inhabits exactly the same physical world after supposedly 'leaving' it - and given that no one disappears or that anything changes to any great extent - it must be the case that 'leaving society' is really a redefinition of the physical phenomena of the world and of the manner in which these processes interact. Nothing changes except how the physical world is interpreted. However, although this may appear to be a superficial definition, throughout human history, it is clear that great historical and dialectical forces have been unleashed and harnessed that have brought down (and established) dynasties, empires, religious movements and social orders, all premises on markers of outer differences and distinctive modes of inner thought. Gods have come and gone, spirits have emerged and been exorcised and many different types of nature worship have come and gone. Yet the ability for a man and woman to live peacefully in the metaphorical (and actual) hills has often provided the inner (and outer) stimulus for great spiritual, artistic and engineering achievements to be conceived in the mind, built through the control of the body and put to use for the benefit of humanity. In this model, the direction of travel is easy to discern - from isolatory inspiration to purposeful application to collective human society in general. How did this happen? What is the pattern that grants this kind of inspiration? It seems that by consciously ‘withdrawing’ an individual is entering a ‘different’ type of collectivity – one that is not necessarily common or obvious to the rest of humanity. There appears to be a ‘gathering’ of inner and outer energy – a combination of psychological creativity and physical strength and healthy robustness! This intensification of the over-all energy available to the participating individual is ‘focused’, ‘directed’ and ‘intensified’ through the act (and experience) of ‘isolation’. It is as the ‘herd’ is seen better from a distance and understood to a greater degree. As an individual is part of the herd – it is the same as stating that the ‘herd is looking at itself in a particular manner’ - and none of this at this juncture has to have anything to do with ‘religion’ as such or even specifically. Taking a step back allows for the human mind to adopt a wider scale of observation and thereby ‘select’ a more effective mode of interactive behaviour that is designed to alleviate the greatest amount of collective suffering with the least (or most ‘efficient’) amount of individual effort. Although perhaps associated with the monkish disciplines – even those undergoing specialist education in the secular world still have to ‘withdraw’ from regular society to attend a school and become a ‘student’. A certain ‘isolation’ from mainstream reality is acquired to define what is a ‘different’ approach to understanding and interpreting reality! It could be that by adopting the meditative style of the monastic – a style of being considered the most ‘efficient’ for self-isolating – the secular student could achieve a much more profound appreciation of their subject matter! The forces of historical materialism, for instance, together with the waves of dialectical transformation could be easily perceived as unfolding through the inner and outer world! Surely, this is the Revolutionary power of isolating for self-education.
|
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles PhD - Political Commissar and BMA (UK) Historian & Researcher. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|