The Heart of the Revolution
A Tricycle Book Club Discussion with Noah Levine
The Buddha was a revolutionary, a radical advocate for personal and social transformation. He rejected the religious forms of his time and renounced all forms of greed, hatred, and delusion. He dedicated his life to going "against the stream," to the subversive path of an outlaw transient. He wasn't afraid to speak out against the ignorance in this world's political, social, and religious structures, but he did so from a place of love and kindness, from an enlightened compassion that extended to all living beings. The Buddha's teachings are not a philosophy or a religion; they are a call to action, an invitation to revolution.
-Noah Levine, The Heart of the Revolution
As with many self-destructive kids, Noah Levine's search for meaning led him first to punk rock, drugs, drinking, and dissatisfaction. But the search didn't end there. Having clearly seen the uselessness of drugs and violence, Noah looked for positive ways to channel his rebellion against what he saw as the lies of society.
Fueled by his anger at the immense injustice and suffering of the world, Levine now uses that energy and the practice of Buddhism to awaken his natural wisdom and compassion.
Noah Levine is a Buddhist teacher, author, counselor, and is the founder of the Against the Stream Buddhist Meditation Society. He was trained to teach by Jack Kornfield of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA. He teaches meditation classes, workshops, and retreats nationally as well as leading groups in juvenile halls and prisons. He holds a masters degree in counseling psychology from CIIS and has studied with many prominent teachers in both the Theravadan and Mahayana Buddhist traditions.
In The Heart of the Revolution, Levine invites us to explore the Buddha's radical teachings on forgiveness, compassion, and kindness. Sharing his own struggle over whether he could let go of anger and develop a loving heart, Noah reveals the tools that helped him embrace his true Buddhanature.
Order The Heart of the Revolution here.
Also leading this discussion is Joseph Rogers, a facilitator with Against the Stream in Los Angeles who has been sitting and studying meditation with Noah since 2005. Especially interested in meditation as an outgrowth of recovery work, Joseph has been teaching mindfulness and meditation practices to teens with substance abuse issues for several years and is the Director of Education for Visions Adolescent Treatment Center. Joseph has also participated in facilitating anger management groups at Camp David Gonzalez with Noah and JoAnna Harper. He has completed the year-long facilitator training with Against the Stream and plans on kicking Samsara's ass.
Further reading: Captain Karma vs. The One-Percenters: An Interview with Noah Levine
Yesterday I was a "bad" Buddhist. I yelled "shit" when a cyclist came around from behind my car and turned directly in front of me on the right as I was negotiating driving across a busy street. Not only that, but after another cyclist (who heard me) yelled "Shut up!" I responded with another obscenity...not "right speech" or loving kindness on my part. However, it was another opportunity to acknowledge my angry ego who can get riled up too easily. It serves as a marker for me as to where I am on the path to awakening. As I've said in my blog about "kicking samsara's ass" (as J. Rogers puts it so beautifully) at walkswithyogi.wordpress: If enlightenment is Paris, I'm still in the Greyhound station in Peoria... waiting to buy a ticket.
However, this is all part of it. Pema Chodron says "Unconditional good heart toward others is not even possible unless we attend to our own demons." It's not a pretty sight, not the peaceful Buddha sitting--its the fierce part of the practice that challenges me to see myself clearly. Only then can I apply real loving kindness to the worst of me---and the worst in others.
Love that Noah Levine writes about the Revolutionary Buddha. More wonderful stuff to look forward to reading and learning from!
How amusing :-) I too have found myself being swept up in very similar situations while navigating highway chaos and I too use such events as 'markers' to inform me of how far I have yet to go in my journey. It keeps me humble and helps me regain my focus... until the next unexpected event shatters my equanimity all over again. It all illustrates the importance of expecting the unexpected I suppose but perhaps more importantly such events reveal not how perfect or imperfect we are, but how 'aware' we are of the role our ego plays in our daily lives in 'keeping' us imperfect. Try as we might, it seems as though we are relegated to remaining under the control of the ego to some degree as long as we remain in human form (or attain 'enlightenment').
Such is the nature of the journey.
Someone cuts you off, you say "shit." That's not "right speech"? A bicycle cutting you off is pretty dangerous. Perhaps your obscenity will keep the cyclist safe in the future.
"Right speech" isn't "being nice," "saying nice things" or "being peaceful." It's about saying what needs to be said when it needs to be said and then moving on. SHIT gets the point across very quickly.
Thank you for saying this. It was my first reaction, too. I ride my bike to and from work frequently and can sometimes get arrogant or distracted at my authority to have the "right of way." On a rare occasion, the driver of a vehicle is in the same state of mind and may inadvertently miss seeing me. A well-placed "shit" can really bring someone back to their bicycle riding practice. I think it is ok.
Thank you for this perspective! Very helpful. The darma often surprises in how it needs to operate in the world.
The wrathful deities are the most compassionate, and it might just save his lifer in the future so it could definitely be useful. Abiding in ones nature completely is the dzogchen buddhist path, so as the iching says, no error in activity. if one is concerned that it is not right speach then that becomes the karma of it, but if one is not concerned then there is no karma just ceaseless buddha activity.
birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering and traffic is definitely suffering.
Ha! Thanks Joseph!
not if you ride a motorbike, then no traffic, or parking suffering ever.
Joseph,
I would love to hear more about your work with teens, or at risk youth. Fellow Dharma practitioner here currently working at a youth home for troubled teens.
I would not only be interested in how Dharma can help our troubled teens, but how to practice while working with them in a highly emotionally charged and dramatic atmosphere. Any thoughts? You could probably write an article or book about it... maybe you already have.
Best Wishes
I yelled at a motorist yesterday, who didn't understand that pedestrians had the right of way on marked crosswalks.
Actually my response was in reply to his: "do you want to get killed?"
My reply didn't answer his question.
So you had a bad day...But the important thing is what you learned from it, and it seems as if you got quite an insight from it. That is the whole point, right? To observe what we do , how do we act ( and "react") and learn from it. That is progress right there. One tiny step at a time...
Thanks for posting this "Yesterday I was a ..." lately "the road" has been in my face and with the double sword I am angry and then angry at myself for being angry so yesterday I remembered the story of Milarepa in the cave and the last demon won't leave so they have tea -- I got it again this thing where compassion has to be in my heart for those aspects of me that I find unacceptable which I am continually working out in the world around me as I project my anger and judgment outward sometimes it seems like this should all be better by now, how many thousands of mantra will it take? how many asanas, amends, seva, maybe not this lifetime? with practice I now have a tad of discernment, space between thought and action so I do not (everytime) call out the fellow traveler on their road behavior. Be good to yourselves.
I want to welcome everyone to the discussion. I am very glad to see people being honest, open and supportive of each other. To me, the dharma is about all of the real life shit we face everyday. It is about failing and forgiving ourselves for our imperfections, while still striving to be Buddha like and and to Serve the Truth, Defy the Lies and do our best to be Kind, Caring and Generous. But, i know that i fail constantly, and at times I even celebrate my own shortcoming, with a smile and internal bow. The bUddha encourages Humility as part of the practice of Metta (Loving Kindness). so when we are angry, or saying "shit" or in the midst of a fight with our partners, we say "of course" this is part of the practice.
These are some of my initial thoughts and again welcome to the discussion.
Noah Levine
Even the anger is a pure state as one of the five lights it is just the attachment to it and the following after it that causes us to suffer. The same karma is accrued kicking a door a dog or a person, it is the action of holding on and not the action itself that causes us to suffer. If all is self compassion is automatic, I have always felt it and cultivating it has always struck me as a bit weird. it is like hunger you either feel it or you don't, although if you do not feel it I certainly see value in cultivating it.
Adamas
Today's (06-01-11) Tricycle Dharma Message (the above intro quote) happens to address an important area of concern for me - 'the dangers of monotheism'. For me, the seriousness of the issue began on 09-11-01 when America was attacked by religious fundamentalists "in the name of God". Prior to that I was more or less content to leave monotheistic religion alone or follow the Dalai Lama's suggestion that we should focus on the good things that all religions share instead of those issues that seek to divide us. However, considering the large number of similar horrific incidents in humanity's past attributed to monotheism and projecting such attitudes into the future, I have come to see a destructive, "them VS us" pattern within monotheism that is preventing many from experiencing non-dual compassion for all beings. This awareness has compelled me to embark upon a mission to confront what I see as a 'dangerous mythology' with more negative than positive potential for society. I have for some time viewed my activism as being similar to the role The Buddha played in confronting similar destructive attitudes of his own time. Am I wrong?
I would be interested in hearing what Noah and others here have to say about this issue.
I don't think monotheism is the only religious path that can lead to an us vs them mentality. I mean, any strongly held belief can lead to that kind of thinking. For example, I have many friends who are atheists and they are just as guilty of us/them thinking, often referring to Christian fundamentalists and other hard core believes as "those people". I'll admit that it's often hard for me not to make us/them distinctions between Dharma practitioners and others. And that goes equally for any of the things I feel strongly about (gay rights or providing welfare assistance for example) not just religious belief. I think breaking the world down into us and them is part of the survival instinct Noah talks about so much in his book; it's another place where the practice is about going against the stream.
It might be best to approach this differently. Monotheism is not the only belief that has been used to justify terrible actions. Shin Buddhism was used to persuade naive young men to die for Japanese Imperialism. Zen was used as the ideology of violent warfare. In other places, Buddhism has been distorted into a justification for caste systems or feudal oppression. These mistakes must be avoided in every belief system.
This does not mean, though, that we should have no strongly held views, accepting the attitude that every belief is equally true. If you think this, there is no reason to be a Buddhist. To be a Buddhist requires that you accept Buddhism as true, and the monotheistic religions as deluded. Rather than attack other religions for the mistakes they have made, it is better to show them that they are deluded, and that their delusions will lead to suffering in the world, not necessarily in the form of bombs and warfare alone, but in the more subtle kind of dukkha. There is no need to criticize other religions; we must begin by eliminating the idea of perenialism from popular Buddhism. One cannot encourage people in delusions that add to their suffering (such as belief in a creator god), and still claim to be teaching true Buddhism. Buddhism requires that we always try to remove delusions.
Dear gutoku:
it is pleasant to hear from you again.
I personally believe it is beyond human capability to determine whether one religious belief or system has fundamentally more truth than another.
This is because each of us has a slightly different take on our own religion, i.e., each person's understanding of common religion concepts is somewhat unique. Human beings lack the vision to understand how religion is experienced by anyone and everyone else. We can only guess at it. Indeed, we imperfectly and impermanently understand our own beliefs much less other people's beliefs.
Take for instance, "belief in a creator god." I know a large number of people who say that they believe in god, and that concept--in conjunction with a lot of other ideas they hold--brings them tremendous relief of suffering. They are able to use the concept of god to take excessive, unbearable guilt off of themselves.
Then there are other people who are atheists who believe that it is the god concept itself--rather than what each individual does with that concept--that causes suffering. If only they didn't believe in god they would behave and feel in a way that would reduce their suffering.
What they are really saying, perhaps, is that the word "god" triggers so much emotional trauma in them that the trauma must be inherent in the word itself rather than in the body that feels the trauma.
I know both christian and atheist people who are bitter because, whatever set of constructs unique to them they believe in, they feel bad about it.
Just about any word or idea can be used in 84,000 different ways to achieve the reduction of suffering or indeed to increase suffering. This is because words and concepts are combined in myriad ways in people's minds. Even if we employ a computer to correlate "84,000" facts and assumptions that make up a belief system we fear is dangerous, the human mind will immediately stretch beyond that definition as soon as it conceives it.
Each word and idea is a SYMBOL with as many meanings as there are people and separate moments in which to think about them--in other words, infinite meanings. And each religion is a complex set of ideas that work together to create a sense of being able to enjoy life in an uncertain world.
To me, it's the suffering and cessation of suffering that is the central fact of my own and other people's lives. The value I place on a "conclusion" or "delusion" has to do with the result as measured in human suffering and its cessation.
For me, it increases my suffering to imagine that someone else might needlessly suffer due to an expression of my own delusion that I know their religion is inferior to mine... Is that hard enough to figure out?
It feels much better to say, for now and in this moment, that that which reduces suffering is a sufficient thing. And less suffering for more people is a desirable goal.
it is okay that for me the Buddhist complex of beliefs works the best; and it is okay if someone else has an entirely different set of beliefs that nevertheless fulfill the same function.
To me, it is too great a reification of an abstract concept to judge any religion wholesale.
Peace to all participants, Linda
Deep Deep bows to You Linda for the clarity and wisdom you have shared with us here. I especially resonate with your words:
"...for now and in this moment, that which reduces suffering
is a sufficient thing."
Buddha dedicated his thousands of lifetimes of returning to this plane of existence...towards this same purpose...the end of suffering of all beings. May we each, in our own way, and through our own understanding in this moment...awaken to the suffering around us and within us...and in seeing it's presence...engage with it in ways that replace fear and anger with compassionate 'inter-being". For when fear is vanquished by loving presence...suffering has nothing to hold on to.
Deep Bows to Us All, Sophia
If you believe that you cannot determine for yourself, in your own experience, that Buddhism is more "fundamentally" true than other belief systems, then you need to find a better teacher, or to practice more diligently. Buddha's teaching is that it is within our capability to see this for ourselves.
I am sure you do not believe that "each word is a symbol with as many meanings as their are people." This is just silly, and if you believed it you would not hope to communicate with anyone in writing, so just posting here shows you do not believe it. Consider this again. Are such claims about absolute relativism just a fashionable way to avoid the work of seeing the truth of the dharma?
Dear gutoki:
You sound very sure that you know what I am thinking. A time may come when you learn you are making overlarge assumptions about other people's experience that are not warranted by the little bit of information you have received.
I do not share your faith in the precision of human language. I am content to approximate with words.
In case you did not intend it, I want to let you know. I find your manner of expressing yourself in this post discourteous. Perhaps you will learn in time also the value of communicating with respect.
Nevertheless, I continue to learn through conversing with you.
With respect, Linda
I think 'deluded' is a bit strong. I'm near sighted. Every year I go to my eye doctor and he writes a prescription for my glasses. When I wear a prescription that's right for me, I can see. My husband is far-sighted. When I put on his glasses, I can't see anything because those lens aren't right for me.
The teachings of the Buddha are another lens that works for me -- not so much for my husband. His understanding of the Dharma (and I use this in the sense of The Truth -- ideal type, no brand affiliation requred or implied) comes through Chrisianity. The monothestic God of Abraham lens doesn't help me see but it helps my husband. I don't think he's deluded. I think he sees things differently.
Buddhism is not a "lense" through which to look at the world. It is a claim about he world itself. If you see that Buddha was right about reality, then you owe it to your husband to try to show him that he is deluded.
No. It is not my function to show anyone that he/she is deluded. After all, although I may believe that the Buddha is/was right about reality, I also need to acknowledge that I maybe wrong. I've been wrong before and I'll be wrong again before I die. No big deal if this turns out to be one of the many things I am wrong about.
And it is a perspective, a viewpoint, an approach, an understanding that is as culture bound as every other 'lens' out there.
Give help when its needed and mind your own business "William Burroughs"
"If a thousand people ask and want to know to tell them is not enough, but if one person doesn't want to know and you tell them then it is too much" Garab Dorje Founder of dzoghcen
A certain amount of wisdom is valuable when teaching the Law to others. Even Shariputra, Shakyamuni Buddha's sharpest disciple, blew it. One day he attempted to explain Buddhism to a blacksmith and a laundryman. Shaiputra taught the practice of meditating upon the vileness of the body to the blacksmith and breath-counting meditation to the laundryman. But the result was that neither person was able to grasp Buddhism.
Reporting this to Shakyamuni, Shariputra was told that a blacksmith's job entails continually striking hot iron with a hammer while fanning the fire with a bellows. A smith, therefore, constantly works to control the rhythm of his breathing. Had Shariputra taught breath-counting meditation to the blacksmith, he would have immediately understood the Law.
On the other hand, since the work of a laundryman involves cleaning dirty clothes, if Shariputra had taught him meditation on the vileness of the body, the laundryman would have intuitively comprehended Buddhism. For all of his efforts, Shariputra succeeded only in causing confusion. Teaching Buddhism in a manner appropriate to the individual is critical.
Michael Jaquish,
I would love to hear more about your confrontation of a dangerous mythology and destructive attitudes that you're seeing in the world today. How are you doing this? For I, too, am aware of much disconnection between who we really are and who we think we are. What are your methods? Who are your teachers? What motivates you the most? Where is this leading you?
Thank you kindly for your time and reply, my friend. :)
I think that as social creatures who have endured thousands of years of group living, an us / them mentality developed because it was adaptive to the survival of the group in competition with other groups, i.e., simple tribalism.
I have recently come to realize that for many, having the "truth" naturally leads them to both a subtle arrogance as well as a sense of not having to "do" anything for spiritual and human development, i.e., Jesus has accepted you ... you are go to go as you are, anything else is "works" which is understood as not only "bad" but undermining "grace."
Religion in all its forms can be reduced to something that is functional for a group (internal cohesion). Social science has shown that simple division can easily lead to not only ingroup cohesion, but also outgroup hostility.
I am new here (posted recently on what drew me to this site), and still working my thoughts out, but I have come to see that theism unchecked or unbalanced can be very dangerous. So right now I am thinking about Deism, Zen, and or Zen Deism.
I have presented a paper at a conference on religious violence and can say I am impressed that for the most part, within Buddhism the link is not that strong as compared to the monotheistic revealed religions. This fact under scores how monotheistic religions (apart from their truth claims) have played an adaptive role in fostering group identity and internal cohesion. Of course, these things are very powerful and do draw upon people with much strength. Regards Aleric
Perhaps this is a religion-politics issue, at least in part. Seems to me, when religious ideologies become methods for control over citzenry, it's all downhill from there.
Hello all,
As an atheist who's gone back and forth into and out of Buddhism over the years, I was really struck by Noah's suggestion that we find a path between clinging to material/sensual pleasures and clinging to religion. I've been reading Stephen Batchelor recently (big surprise, right?) and that was a perfect lead-in to this book. I'm looking forward to talking about the book with all of you.
All the best,
Jason Crane
http://jasoncrane.org
http://thejazzsession.com
Dear Michael:
You address a very sensitive question and I thank you for it. My religious practice of choice is Vajrayana. However, my father was a Christian minister whom I loved and admired a great deal. Jesus was my first role model and I suspect I will continue throughout my life to make religious choices based upon my earliest ideas and emotions about this nonviolent, loving spiritual teacher.
In my thirties I discovered neo-paganism and began a long process of questioning the claims of some historians (my college major at one time) that monotheism represents religious progress. To date I am entirely comfortable with the idea that monotheism is not superior. Nor do I feel that it is in any way an inferior approach.
I live in a small Southern town where the vast majority of people around me are Christians. I see in each of them the same potentials for wakefulness and ignorance that I perceive in my fellow Buddhists.
As I endeavor to live a dharma-inspired life, I see every day that differences in religious affinity do not determine either individual happiness or how well an individual gets along with other people around him or her.
I find it more effective to understand the roots of each person's suffering independently of any assumptions about the wholesale worth of their religious affiliation, whether Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, Neo-Pagan, Hindu, Buddhist, or atheist, etc.
In myself, I have seen the destructiveness in my urge to generalize any religion or person into some kind of false construct, a demonic conceptual form that exists solely in my own mind.
I perceive beauty as well as danger in all mythologies. My responsibility is to seek daily to delve deeper
into the meaning any mythology has for a specific individual. The same religious concept often has wildly different significance to different people.
Yes, there is much to fear in human nature, and it expresses itself in a multitude of religious forms.
I greatly appreciate the discussion, and look forward to further discussion and spiritual growth.
Maitri, Linda
I am 36 years old and lived my share of a gnarled, self-destructive lifestyle- and still do to some extent. My question is- I have four kids ages 16 down to age 7 and I know they could likely engage in the same or worse BS that I did. That is their choice, but how can I best introduce the intention of the Buddha to them? How can I direct their natural sense of this world being "fucked up" to fuel a Buddha-inspired revolutionary approach instead of the chaotic unguided approach I took as an angry youth?? I have ideas, but appreciate more perspective.
My friend, and Against the Stream teacher, Matthew Brensilver, talks about that although Buddhists don't actively evangelize, that we do through our example (he says we are just classier Evangelists). I know that my son's behavior reflects so much of my own, which is another reason to practice!
I would also like to welcome everyone to the discussion. I’m excited that there has already been such vigorous conversation, ranging from the place of the dharma in the mundane to the philosophical discussion of a Buddhist relationship to monotheism.
In the book, Noah discusses how rare it is for people of all faiths, and non-faiths, “or whatever to be open-hearted, to be free from ill will, resentment, and ignorance.” (Heart of the Revolution,pg 3) In my own life, I have seen the revolutionary effects of moving from a viewpoint of anger to one of compassion. In my work toward social justice, I have experienced burn-out, resistance from others, and a sense of hopelessness when coming from an inner view of “me vs. the world.” When meeting the world with an open heart, I have found a deeper reserve of energy, and a more effective manner of relating to difficult situations and people (including traffic).
I would love to hear from the community how the dharma has been revolutionary in transforming their internal relationship with the world, especially how the heart practices have facilitated this process.
I look forward to the continuing conversation.
Joseph
The thing that I have found both the most amazing and the most transformative about the different heart practices is that the closer I get to the suffering in my own experience and open my heart to it, the better I am at relating to myself and the rest of the world from a place of patience and calm rather than anger and reactivity.
I didn't used to have a relationship with myself. I never acknowledged the pain I was carrying around inside, let alone open my heart to it and actually feel it. I spent decades trying to escape my mind through drugs, alcohol, and sex. I was bitter and angry all the time. Having started down the path of opening my heart and letting that pain in I have found that I am living my life with greater ease. I no longer deny my pain and try to escape it, instead I welcome it into my heart and embrace it.
And this turning towards myself has had a profound impact on my relationship to the rest of the world. I am more open to other people, better able to hear their viewpoint and respond to their suffering in a skillful way. Take my marriage for example, before I used to take things personally when my wife was upset (whether it was directed at me or not). This would often result in my becoming defensive and closed off from her. Now I am able to meet her suffering with compassion and equanimity and respond in a way that brings us closer together instead of pushing us farther apart.
While I certainly have a long way to go, starting to walk down this path has literally saved my life.
Joseph,
I would love to give an example of how Buddhism has transformed my relationship with the world in a very concrete way. Coming from a working class background in which higher education was not encouraged, I struggled to get through school at community college and state universities before getting into graduate school, and was unprepared for the level of class discrimination I found in higher education. This only fueled my already strong class resentment, and my life got a bit out of control for a while.
Eventually, I finished a Ph.D., and I teach English at the college level; for many years I was depressed and angry about how unprepared my students were, how much they hated reading and resisted learning. I was also resentful of the kinds of jobs I had, unable to get even an interview at the kinds of schools where the students were prepared for college and might be interested in reading a novel. I’ve almost always taught at community colleges and four-year state schools. Economically, I was doing okay, but I wasn’t getting any more satisfaction out of work than I had during my days hanging drywall before I went to college.
Buddhism changed my perspective on the world dramatically. I began to consider my students with compassion, and to understand that they are just as resentful of the screwed up world as I was. Why should they be interested in reading books they can’t make sense of, and working for four years, when they know full well that there are no jobs for them, and they might as well go to work at Walmart right now? Of course they’re angry and resistant! I had unconsciously assumed the only alternatives were the patronizing attitude of most of my former professors and many of my colleagues (don’ ask them to read that, they’re just not smart enough), or the angry insistence that if I could do it they could. I had to become compassionate before I could really understand what I already knew intellectually: the causes and conditions that prevented them from eagerly showing up with a well-thumbed Riverside Shakespeare. Now I’m less interested in Hamlet than in teaching them about the cultural uses to which such Literature is put, and the better uses it could be put to.
So, instead of railing at them for not reading Shakespeare, I began to teach them why Shakespeare is taught--to consider the possibility that Shakespeare is required just to convince them that they aren’t smart enough to succeed, that they always need the “experts” to tell them what to do. Then, I try to take it down a peg, and show them that often the reason it seems so impossible is just that they are told it must be about some profound, timeless truth, when sometimes it is just a crude, raunchy joke. And I try teach them to read Literature they do like, novels and poetry about the unfairness they’ve experienced, and they can begin to channel their own resentment into active thought instead of sullen resistance.
I am middle-aged now, and still passionate about the social and economic mess our world is in. Instead of giving rise to anger and depression and drinking, that passion now gives me tremendous energy to keep trying to change things, even when nobody wants to listen. I wouldn’t want to teach at any other kind of school now; although my students may still think I demand too much of them, I am confident that I am giving them a chance at awakening. The possibilities for a working class kid to get through college and into grad school are not what they were when I was young, and may never be that way again. I can at least give them a glimmer of thought, so they can see that there are other ways to resist social injustice without wasting their lives.
Intelligent understanding of the world is essential, but without practicing metta there is not motivation or strength to work for change.
Gassho,
Tom
Dear wtompepper:
I love that you are talking about your real life now. You are wonderful!
maitri, Linda
Tom.
Having read your posts on a couple of topics, I can tell you that I would sign up for one of your classes if I could! Perhaps a web-based program is in order? I am serious, in that you have a talent for stimulating thought.
The arc of your life is very different from mine, but somehow I feel we have ended up in the same place; hence a particular question. What do you say to a period of withdrawal, in middle age, from the passionate engagement of the social and other messes of the world? I don't mean a formal retreat, which for most of us is not practical. I mean more like a year or two or three of deliberate and determined quietude and non-reaction to the world with minimizing of chatter and clutter in order to allow the self to subside a bit, and enough to let the Mindful Observer within to come to the forefront and hopefully stay there. I am just embarking on such a 'plan for peace', experimenting with silence, much to the amusement of my family and consternation of my friends, and it is opening new vistas. Also gives me a lot more time to read! But I have a niggling sense of guilt, of abandoning the field at a time when every shoulder is needed to keep the creaky wheel turning when things look very much like they will soon fall entirely apart.
Your thoughts on all this will be appreciated.
Why the guilt? I'm curious what other Buddhists would say about this. Didn't Buddha spend three months a year in retreat? Don't we need to "retreat," in every sense, once in a while? I can only speak for myself, but I have found it important to take the time to discover what I, with my particular karmic conditions, am best able to do in the world. My conventionally real "self" can do some things and not others, and at every age I need to reassess what those things are. Right now, I think it is trying to teach working class kids to open their minds to real thought. In a few years, once the powers that be have finished eliminating all humanities requirements from the state universities, it will have to be something else, and I hope at that point I have a chance to spend some time in contemplation of what to do next.
Thanks for your word of encouragement. I do tend to stir up controversy, and I do think it is a way to bring awakening. Not everyone agrees, but I doubt I'll stop--it is just my karma.
Gassho,
Tom
For sure don't stop! Go with your karma. Articulating contrarian and subversive viewpoints is not a common skill, and inevitably forces me to think a bit harder.
Maybe 'guilt' is not the right word. Perhaps I am looking for what is the most skilful way to be, at this point in time in my location with my skills and my limitations. With the state of the world being what it is, one part of me feels a kind of desperation to do my active bit, responding to the calls for Engaged Buddhism. Another part is utterly exhausted and just needs repose. I don't know too many middle-aged people who are not confronted with some version of this dilemma, and of course everyone says one can do both, take the middle way, balance your life, etc.
Yup, am trying. But man do I feel the tug to just say goodbye to the world of people. On the days when I interact only with dirt, wind, trees, ocean, and dog, I feel utterly refreshed and in sync with the universe. So naturally I 'crave' more of the same. Silence and solitude are not easy to integrate with the demands of the relative self in a world where so many are suffering so much.
Tom-
Thank you for sharing this with us. I agree, without the practice of kindness and generosity, there is no sustainable strength to work for change.
"But if the heart leaps to affirm something beyond your knowledge, don't forsake it."
B. Alan Wallace
I just read that and at the right time. Let's all quit analyzing our egos, our karma, and everything else. Lets leap with our hearts.
P.S. Noah, sorry about the criticism several years ago with Ann Tzao :)
I just got my copy and am looking forward to reading!
I bought my copy the day it came out! I just love all your books. I am looking forward to this discussion and insights it brings. Thank you for taking time to help us all.
I finished Noah's book tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Then I read the latest issue of The Onion, and this caught my eye:
Study: All American Problems Could Be Solved By Just Stopping And Thinking For Two Seconds
MAY 27, 2011 | ISSUE 47•21
CHAPEL HILL, NC—A study published Thursday by psychologists at the University of North Carolina concluded that all American problems—from stuck jacket zippers to the national debt—could be solved if citizens just stopped, took a deep breath, and thought for two seconds before they acted. "We found that in 93 percent of cases, a positive outcome could have been achieved if Americans simply splashed a little water on their faces prior to dealing with an unfair boss, being out of clean spoons, signing on to direct a second Wall Street film, or answering a call from a parent," Janet Mallory, the study's lead author, told reporters. "Our data indicate that when U.S. citizens don't take a second to compose themselves, they typically charge in like maniacs and hurt either themselves or several million Iraqi civilians." Mallory said a good rule of thumb for Americans is to think of a plan, stop, and then do the complete opposite.
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Yes, it's got The Onion's skewed lens, but in its own way it reflects the mindfulness practice Noah talks about.
I enjoyed this Onion headline. I think their style of satire can be a really useful way of bringing things to the fore.
Seriously, getting pissed off in traffic? Why does everyone think that has something to do with Buddhism? If you practice Buddhism to avoid getting mad at bad drivers, just take a valium, it’s easier.
Mindfulness and compassion require a lot more effort than just not losing your temper. And mindfulness isn’t just stopping to think before you act, either.
Mindfulness would require you to think about the cause of that flash of anger. If traffic sucks for everyone, and everyone gets angry about it all the time, maybe that’s an indication of something that needs to be changed.
Think of this: in America alone, about 600 people die each week in car accidents, on average. An actuary could probably tell you within a very small range exactly how many people will be killed this weekend. If that many people died of a disease, there would be a walkathon to cure it and a foundation to raise awareness about it. But these deaths are just a necessary evil, and we can’t do away with them without cutting into corporate profits, so we accept them. Even try to blame the victims.
But every time you get in your car, you are producing bad karma. You are contributing to the most destructive form of pollution on the planet, and participating in a deadly and irrational form of transportation. So, instead of trying to mindfully avoid swearing at the next bad driver, maybe it would be better to be truly mindful and compassionate: direct that anger towards working for a world in which you do not have to drive a car every day of your life to survive! Don’t just feel guilty—that’s not mindful either. Don’t just stop driving so much—that won’t help. But really get invested in supporting reorganizing our world so that cars aren’t a necessary part of it. Think of the lives you could save, this weekend and in the planet’s future! That's compassion.
When those psychologists mentioned in The Onion think about these things, you can bet that two seconds of thought is all they want you to give to something. Any more, and you might start wanting to change the social system—not a goal psychology has ever encouraged.
Right ON! Mindfulness is radical because it really does lead to that kind of transformation. _/\_
Hello davidsmichael.
I am enjoying reading all the insightful Buddhist perspectives here that address my question asking how one should deal with the dangers of Monotheism (and religion in general and yes, even radical atheism). There is much to ponder here and I appreciate how seriously everyone seems to be taking this issue because like it or not, I believe we will all be compelled to confront this important issue more and more as time passes.
In response to your (davidsmichael’s) request to hear more about my personal confrontation of “a dangerous mythology and destructive attitudes that I see in the world today”, I would say that I am attacking the problem from a number of directions including, but not limited to, the below:
One is to simply be a positive role model by employing the fundamentals of Buddhism in my own life and projecting that to all I encounter.
Another is to reach out to the many groups and individuals involved or concerned with the threat of global terrorism and engage all who are willing in conversations centering on the predictable outcomes of the “them VS us” attitudes and then going on to tactfully point out how Monotheism tends to encourage such attitudes by classifying human beings into two groups: the “saved” who love God and are going to heaven and the “unsaved”, who are condemned to eternal suffering.
I then offer alternative perspectives that center on developing the principles of compassion and empathy through the practice of meditation and mindfulness and non-dual perspectives instead of dual perspectives. I may or may not label such techniques ‘Buddhism”, depending on how open the individual or group happens to be. I frequently point out that monotheists can in fact employ such concepts in their own religion if they choose because Jesus often made statements that encouraged followers to utilize similar techniques. For some, building such a bridge between Christianity and Buddhist philosophy seems to help create a common frame of reference.
To this end I have authored several books that lead readers to ponder such issues. (A Monk Without A Monastery- An Examination of Self-Discovery, Namaste- Greeting The Light Within & Where Did We Come From and Where Are We Going)
What motivates me the most? As a life-long student of Buddhism and a follower of the Tibetan Mahayana tradition committed to the path of the Bodhisattva, I am motivated to assist all beings who desire to end their suffering by encouraging them to step into the stream that flows in the direction of enlightenment. This is a long journey and I am making that journey one moment at a time by reaching out to all I encounter with empathy, loving kindness and compassion and offering them words that contain the seeds of change.
The journey of life in the material world involves many challenges that must be confronted and overcome if we desire to 'collectively' evolve to a state of greater peace, understanding and compatibility with our planet and the universe and all beings who reside within it. The complex challenges presented by monotheism are only one of those challenges. We can choose to ignore such challenges and focus only on our own spiritual growth... or we can choose to recognize the connection we have with all beings by taking steps to assist and encourage all beings to engage in spiritual growth. I happen to believe that the latter option is the most important option we can take.
I am pleased to be surrounded on this web page by so many who are on that same journey.
Many blessings to you all and Namaste.
-Michael