[Buddha-l] DHARMA AND POLITICS

[[DPD Web] Shen Shi'an]

Not sure if you have seen this...
 
DHARMA AND POLITICS
by Jack Kornfield 


Many Buddhist practitioners have questioned what to do in these 
turbulent times. More than anything, I believe the world is in need 
of a spiritual perspective. The Dharma, the teachings of generosity, 
virtue, loving-kindness and wisdom are non-partisan. The benefits of 
dharma teachings can be used by Republicans and Democrats, by Green 
party and Libertarians, by Iraqis and Israelis. The Dharma welcomes 
everyone and encourages all to awaken together. 


But how, as dharma practitioners, do we find our own place in a 
complex political world, and find a way towards peace? Our first 
task is to make our own heart a zone of peace. Instead of becoming 
entangled in an embattled bitterness, or cynicism that exists 
externally, we need to begin to heal those qualities within 
ourselves. We have to face our own suffering, our own fear, and 
transform them into compassion. Only then can we become ready to 
offer genuine help to the outside world. Albert Camus writes, "We 
all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes, our ravages.  
Our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to transform 
them in ourselves." 


A dharma practitioner who wants to act in the sphere of politics 
must quiet their mind and open their heart.  Meditate, turn off the 
news, turn on Mozart, walk through the trees or the mountains and 
begin to make yourself peaceful.  Make yourself a zone of peace, and 
allow the sensitivity and compassion that grows from our 
interconnection to extend to all beings. If we're not peaceful how 
can we create harmony in the world? If our own minds are not 
peaceful, how can we expect peace to come through the actions that 
we take? 

We can either react to terrorism and insecurity with fear, and 
create a frightened, barricaded society -- a fortress America - or 
we can use the teachings of Dharma to respond calmly, with both 
prudent action and a fearless steady heart. Thich Nhat Hanh tells 
us, "When the crowded refugee boats met with storms or pirates, if 
every one panicked, all would be lost. But if even one person stayed 
calm, it was enough.  It showed the way for everyone to survive." 

Through practice, we can learn to make our own hearts a place of 
peace and integrity. With a quiet mind and an open heart we can 
sense the reality of interdependence.  Inner and outer are not 
separate. We are all in the same boat.  Buddhist teachings have 
always taught that life cannot be divided into compartments. Our 
relationships with others, right speech, right action, right 
livelihood are part of the eight-fold path. They are factors of 
enlightenment. Our relations, and society as a whole, are an 
expression of the enlightened heart. Thus we can understand Gandhi's 
challenge, "Those who say spirituality has nothing to do with 
politics, they do not know what spirituality really means." 


When we understand this, our next task is to see for ourselves what 
is needed to bring to benefit to the world. How does peace come 
about?  What are the conditions for peace?  The Buddha taught that 
peace is possible both individually and collectively but that it 
depends on skillful causes and conditions. Inner peace grows from 
mindfulness, compassion, and respect. Outwardly, it requires the 
same conditions. When asked about the creation of a wise society, 
the Buddha counseled visiting ministers that when a society comes 
together to make decisions in harmony,  when it honors its elders 
and the wise ways they have established, when it cares for its most 
vulnerable members -- women and children, when it respects the 
environment and listens to its citizens and its neighbors, it can be 
expected to prosper and not decline.  For the Buddha, a wise society 
it not based on greed, on hatred or delusion, but on generosity, 
respect, mindfulness and compassion. 


In this political climate we are bombarded with propaganda from 
every political point of view that dulls the senses and overpowers 
our inner value system. Whatever our political perspective, we will 
encounter troubling images and feel anger, frustration, even outrage 
and impatience. If we stop and breath and meditate we will feel 
underneath these reactions our fear, and under this our 
connectedness and caring. If our actions come from this deep sense 
of caring they will bring greater benefit and greater peace. From a 
quiet heart, we have the ability to look and see how our society 
treats its most vulnerable members. How does it treat the poor, the 
elderly, and children? Is it acting in ways that foster greed, hate, 
fear and ignorance? What can we do nationally and internationally to 
support generosity and respect, to minimize violence and to end 
racism and exploitation? What rings true for each of us as followers 
the Dharma? We need to take an honest look and see what we are doing 
as a society. 

America has sometimes confused power with greatness.  But genuine 
greatness is not a matter of mere power; it is a matter of 
integrity. When we envision a society of compassion and justice, and 
as a nation we are called upon to do this, our actions can stem from 
respect for all beings, and peace is the result. 

Once we have looked clearly, we can set a long-term intention, and 
dedicate ourselves to a vision of a wise and compassionate society. 
This is a Bodhisattva's act. Like setting the compass of the heart, 
this intention expresses our deepest values.  If we set a long-term 
intention, it remains empowering no matter who wins a particular 
election, or what governments rise and fall.  It becomes our way of 
practice.  Thomas Merton taught, "Do not worry about immediate 
results.  More and more you must concentrate on the value, the 
rightness, the truth of the work itself." With a dedicated intention 
we are willing to face the sufferings of the world and not shy away, 
to follow what we know is true, however long it takes. This is a 
powerful act of the heart, to stay true to our values, and live by 
them. 

A beautiful example of a long-term intention was presented by A.T. 
Ariyaratane, a Buddhist elder, who is considered to be the Gandhi of 
Sri Lanka. Over the last 17 years, there has been a terrible 
civil war in Sri Lanka. The Norwegians brokered peace last year, and 
once the peace treaty was in effect, Ariyaratane called the 
followers of his Sarvodaya movement together. Sarvodaya, combines 
Buddhist principles of right livelihood, right action, right 
understanding, and compassion and has organized citizens in one-
third of the nation's villages to dig wells, build schools, to 
meditate, and collaborate as a form of spiritual practice. Over 
650,000 people came to the gathering to hear how he envisioned the 
future of Sri Lanka. At this gathering he proposed a 500-year peace 
plan, saying, "The Buddha teaches we must understand causes and 
conditions. It's taken us 500 years to create the suffering that we 
are in now." Ari described the effects of 400 years of colonialism, 
of 500 years of struggle between Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, and 
of several centuries of economic disparity. He went on, "it will 
take us 500 years to change these conditions." Ariyatane then 
offered solutions, proposing a plan to heal the country. 

The plan begins with initial years of cease-fire and first years of 
rebuilding roads and schools. Then it goes on for ten, twenty-five, 
fifty years with specific programs to learn each other's 
languages and cultures, to right economic injustice, and to bring 
the islanders back together as a whole.  And every hundred years 
there will be a council of elders to take stock on how the plan is 
going.  This is a sacred intention, the long-term vision of an 
elder. 

In the same way, if we envision the fulfillment of wisdom and 
compassion in the United States, it becomes clear that the richest 
nation on the earth must provide healthcare for its children; that 
the most productive nation on earth must find ways to combine trade 
with justice; that a creative society must find ways to grow and to 
protect the environment and sustainable development for generations 
ahead. A nation founded on democracy must fulfill it at home and 
then offer the same spirit of international cooperation and respect 
globally. We are all in this together. 

Seeing clearly, we need to act. To empower our vision, we need to 
start now, and be willing to plant seeds, for however long it takes, 
to benefit our society and ourselves.  At Spirit Rock Meditation 
Center, Sylvia Boorstein has taught a class called Informed 
Citizenship as Spiritual Practice, which encourages people to ask 
themselves:  What can I do as a wisdom holder, as a Bodhisattva, a 
member of this society to best contribute to the world in these 
times? It might be registering people to vote, or working 
politically, or making our vision heard in organizations of power or 
in the government, speaking up or writing. It might include working 
with children, or helping to create a business climate of 
responsibility and integrity, or working internationally, or 
tending to poverty, racism and injustice locally. Each person has to 
find specific steps to offer their vision and energy to society, and 
to empower those around them. If we don't do this, change won't 
happen.  The vision will not be fulfilled. 

The Buddha's teachings of compassion and wisdom are empowering; they 
encourage us to act. Do not doubt that your good actions will bear 
fruit, and that change for the better can be born from your life. 
Gandhi reminds us: "I claim to be no more than an average person 
with less than average ability. I have not the shadow of a doubt 
that any man or woman can achieve what I have if he or she would 
simply make the same effort and cultivate the same hope and faith."