[Buddha-l] Re: Diversions, distractions and off-topic discussions

[Benito Carral]

On Saturday, October 8, 2005, Mike Austin wrote:

> So I have a question of those who post their opinions
> on  such matters as presidents, governments, nations,
> wars,  other  religions,  musicians  etc.: where does
> this  fit  into  your  practice of the Buddhist path,
> liberation, awakening, enlightenment etc?

   It's  time to go further and adopt a broader view of
what  Buddhism is, and a fist step would be recognizing
the collective side of dukkha.

  For  example,  why does half of world population live
on  less  than two dollars a day? If we don't know why,
we   won't   know   what  to  do  about  it.  And  here
corporations,  US  Government,  US  Treasury, IMF, WTO,
globalized  media,  and  other forces come to play. For
example,  where  do  the resources we spend go? What is
being done with such resources?

   In  our  world,  Buddhism  discourse  *and practice*
should  not (and can not) be limited to the traditional
Buddhist  topics. We like it or not, we are living in a
globalized  world  with  international  structures that
shape our reality. Nowadays boddhisattvas must talk and
act  about  free  market  forces, globalized media, and
multiculturalism--otherwise they would be practitioners
isolated in their caves.

   So,  in  a  Mahayana spirit, your question should be
reformulated  as follows, "Is a discourse not including
corporations,  national  governments,  other religions,
etc.,    relevant    to   our   contemporary   Buddhist
necessities?"  Maybe  such  discourse  would be the one
held by current pratyekabuddhas and their acolytes.

   Best wishes,

   Beni