[Buddha-l] Good resource site shut down

[Joy Vriens]

I am afraid your bourgeois bohemianism is showing Richard. I wonder what 
the Buddha would have made of trade unions, strikes, all those workers 
rebelling against dharma and svadharma, ganging up in unions and 
forcefully claiming what wasn't given to them (adattādāna), claiming 
better wages, social reforms etc. that were high above the level of 
their karma, not rejoicing in the fortune and prosperity that the ruling 
classes rightfully inherited and earned, because of merit accumulated 
during previous existences and in their present life by supporting 
religious leaders preaching dharma, svadharma and adattādāna.

"Take the example of Prince Charles, who was born as Queen Eliza­beth's 
son. Why was he born as her son? It was only possible through his own 
good karma. There is no one who issued the decree, "He is allowed to be 
the Prince of England and you are not allowed to be- born in that 
position." No one makes this decision. It is the automatic result of 
peo­ple's individual karmic accumulation created from the past. He had 
somehow gathered the merit to become Prince of England while other 
people did not. In the same way, when we see children dying of 
starvation in Africa, it raises the question, "Why were they born in 
Africa? Why do they have to suffer this way?" It is because they were 
reborn as human be­ings at this particular time and place in Africa. Did 
anyone force them to be reborn there? Did someone say, "Now you must be 
reborn in a place in Africa where you will starve to death"? No, no one 
forces living beings to be reborn in this way. The fact that people are 
born into such circum­stances is because of lacking merit. From that 
standpoint, it is definitely very important to accumulate merit. Having 
merit, one can be born the Prince of England; lacking merit, one may be 
born as a starving child in Africa. Think about this and see that there 
is a definite need to create merit." (Thrangu Rinpoche in King of Samadhi)

"adattādāna—taking what is not given"