Even a cursory glance of the media today, will expose the latest fad for ‘mindfulness’ - invariably followed by numerous lists of ‘top ten facts about Buddhism you didn’t know’ - which are mostly wrong, misinformed or otherwise blatantly ‘racist’! If the bourgeoise really practiced Buddhist mindfulness – then the predatory capitalism they so admire would be permanently ‘uprooted’ from their minds and they would fall-in behind the working-class adding their voices to the mass call for a Socialist Revolution! As the ‘mindfulness’ the bourgeois practice actually ‘strengthens’ their commitment to predatory capitalism it can be logically assumed that ‘Buddhism’ has nothing to do with this narcissistic process. The Buddha’s teaching is inherently ‘anti-capitalist’ and it is interesting to observe how modern Thailand – under its decadent monarch – possesses a society that has been swamped by US capitalism, politics and militarism, and which sees the bodies of Thai women and girls used for the sexual gratification of ‘foreign’ men, etc. The Western capitalism that the ruling elite allow into that country misuses the Buddhist culture and keeps the populace in a state of perpetual poverty and exploitation. Even within the previously hallowed arenas where Muay Thai matches take-place between warrior-monks practicing an ancient martial art – fearuring ‘Coca Cola’ signs hanging proudly at the back of the seated arena so the film footage always features two-fighters, a ring and a virulent symbol of American capitalism infiltrating and colonising an Asian country! Just as US predatory capitalism is slowly destroying the ancient Thai culture in Asia, US anti-intellectualism is performing the same effect for all practical purposes in the West with regards to the understanding and practice of genuine Buddhism. The Buddha identified that the untrained mind of ordinary humans is riddled by greed, hatred and delusion, and that it is these three traits that cause perpetual suffering for humanity (and all forms of life)! Buddhist ‘mindfulness’ is NOT a vehicle that facilitates a Westerner feeling of ‘niceness’ for a moment or two (like puffing on a joint) - far from it – Buddhist ‘mindfulness’, when performed properly, is the beginning of a path toward self-purification that seldom runs smoothly and invariably involves an increase in the experience of human suffering! It is not a path of ‘joviality’ and ‘mirth’ as suggested by the misled followers of the corrupt 14th Dalai Lama! NO! Uprooting greed, hatred and delusion is a very serious business that has nothing to do with modern, bourgeois concepts of ‘feeling temporarily good’ - usually for a ‘price’, of course. Even modern Thailand – a place thoroughly over-run by US predatory capitalism, corruption and human degradation – the average Thai would never dare to ‘charge’ money for Dharma instruction! This is through the fear of receiving a hellish karmic recompense in return for associating such blatant ‘greed’ with the ‘non-greed’ implicit within the Buddha’s teachings! The Western mind seeks to retain its ignorance and ‘feel good’ about doing it. This is NOT Buddhism and certainly NOT Buddhist ‘mindfulness’. If a Westerner practiced genuine ‘mindfulness’, then the first casualty in this spiritual war would be his or her support for predatory capitalism – and as we never ‘read’ this as ever happening in the Western press we can safely assume that a) genuine Buddhism is not being practiced and b) Buddhist ‘mindfulness’ is NOT present and has NEVER been present! This bourgeois misuse of ‘mindfulness’ matches that decadent class’s equally odious misuse of Buddhism – which sees the already wealthy pay hundreds of pounds to spend a weekend on a country estate breathing the fresh-air and being momentarily ‘removed’ from the stresses of modern life!
0 Comments
The ‘national flag’ of Laos was originally the flag of the Laos Patriotic Front (LPF) which was a ‘united front’ opposing Western imperialism in Laos pre-1975 – and which resisted the many (illegal) military incursions into Laos by the US Military! The ‘red’ rectangles represent the victory of the ‘Socialist’ Revolution paid for with the blood of the Laotian people! The ‘blue’ rectangles represent the beautiful land of Laos – and the peaceful and laid-back attitude of the people! The ‘white’ circle symbolises the ‘unity’ of the Laotian people under the leadership of the Laotian Communist Party – and the ‘bright’ future the country has under ‘Socialism’! The ‘white circle’ also symbolises the ‘bright moon’ shining over the Mekong River. Due to the devastation caused to the country by the (illegal) US blanket-bombing campaigns and other military operations into the area during the 1960s and 1970s – the actual number of Laotian casualties remains unknown. Speculations suggests the low thousands to the high hundreds of thousands (and even millions)! These US War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity have never been ‘acknowledged’ or properly ‘investigated’ by the United Nations (UN). Although the Laotian Communist Party successfully militarily defeated the colonial French, the imperialist US (and their allies) - bringing a permanent ‘end’ to these mass-killings of Laotian people – it is now the US that falsely accuses the Laotian Government of committing ‘atrocities’ against its own people (whilst providing no evidence) as a means to ‘camouflage’ its own historical criminality in the area! In August 1991, the Supreme People's Assembly enacted the First Constitution of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The Constitution clearly stipulates that the Lao People’s Democratic Republic is a (Socialist) People’s Democratic Country. As the Soviet Union was being dismantled and reverted to the predatory capitalist system (causing all kinds of suffering to the Russian people) the Laotian Marxist-Leninists were determined that their young Socialist State (founded on December 2nd, 1975) would stay vibrant through ‘reform’. This is why it was confirmed that ‘All Power Belongs to the People’ - and that this will not change! People of all ethnic groups were guaranteed to continue exerciing their rights as equal citizens under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP). Furthermore, although the ‘national emblem’ of Laos was altered in 1991 – removing the red star, axe and sickle and replacing these icons with examples of Luang-type architecture – this symbol (and many others) remains distinctly ‘Marxist-Leninist’ meaning. The two ears of rice denote an affluence of the national crop under Socialism: the large tower represents historical Laotian architectural and a future achievement of construction under Socialism, there are also symbols Laotian engineering in the modern sense; there is a gear, a dam, forests, fields and other industrial icons as well as clean water and abundant forestry; The ear of rice symbolizes success in agriculture. The ribbons on both sides read "Peace, Independence, Democracy, Unity, Prosperity", and the ribbon at the bottom reads "Lao People's Democratic Republic". The Laotian people favour Theravada Buddhism which has retained much of the flavour of ‘Early Buddhism’. As Buddhist teaching is known to be friendly toward ‘Socialist’ ideology – the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) has recognised the importance of Buddhism acting as a cohesive cultural force amongst ALL the Laotian people – and a unifying factor that spreads evenly through the rich and poor areas created by historical exploitation associated with outmoded feudalism and Western imperialism. The economic damage inflicted on Laos by the Europeans and Americans will probably take decades to eradicate – but the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) has been instigating widespread educational, welfare, medical, housing and employment reform (in-part) through the already existing infrastructure of widespread Buddhist temples, monasteries and shrines. Traditional Buddhist education, of course, emphasises the similarities and compatibilities between Early Buddhist philosophy and the ideology of Classical Marxism and Marxist-Leninism! This is how Buddhist monks living in the most remote areas of the Laotian countryside directly assist the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) by bringing much need Socialist education and reform to these areas! In this regard, Buddhism is a major component of Laotian Marxist-Leninism and Communist ideology! Many people from China travel to Laos for relaxing holidays to another ‘Socialist’ country where they will be ‘safe’ and very ‘welcomed’. The travel blogs penned by these tourists offer a rare insight into the everyday life of Laotian people which the Americans and Europeans (aided and abetted by the English-language Wikipedia) would like you not to know about – simply because it tends to demonstrate the success of a ‘Socialist’ country and contradicts all the usual ‘racist’ lies propagated by the anti-Asian and anti-Socialist Western media. In this case, a husband-and-wife couple set-off from Shenzhen in China and flew to Vientiane – the capital city of Laos – spending six days exploring the country during April, 2018! The Chinese blogger stated that although the Laotian ‘Socialist State’ has only existed since 1975 (a mere 43-years of reconstruction) - much had already been achieved! The country of Laos is peaceful, clean and populated by a happy and content people! Wealth and infrastructural development have been developing within city areas and spreading outward into the countryside. This socio-economic development is slow but continuous for a country with just a seven-million population. However, the remote Buddhist temples (and other centres) have served as ‘re-distribution’ points for resources and services into villages areas that do not yet have a developed infrastructure. This has allowed for some villages and towns to develop ‘oases’ of Socialist reform even amongst areas (and peoples) who have suffered abject poverty in the past. The Buddhist monks then assist such developed village and town to ‘link together’ to combine the benefits of their ‘Socialist’ development! Of course, this dramatic success of integrating Buddhism and Socialism is ignored in the West – and flatly ‘denied’ by the forces of bourgeois Buddhism which is in the service of the capitalist exploiters! Chinese Language Sources:
https://you.ctrip.com/travels/laos100105/3659273.html https://baike.baidu.com/item/老挝 |
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles PhD - Political Commissar and BMA (UK) Historian & Researcher. Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|