This is being written as a private citizen, who just so happens to be Buddhist. As we approach the presidential election, and edge ever closer to the financial ruination of our great country, myriad thoughts come to mind. My first observation is that no matter who we elect as president, the problems we face are systematic and cannot be solved by one person, no matter how well connected or how charismatic.
As a nation, we are suffering from individual and institutional greed. Selfishness and living beyond our means is at the root of our current problems. On a consumer level, we have instant credit, people eating out on credit cards numerous times a week, and spending far more than they take in. As a society, as a convenience to the coddled masses of potential consumers, we have created a society of wholly unrealistic expectation. Add into that the mentality of needing a fancy new car, a house far bigger than one needs, and buying all kinds of unnecessary things to fill the emotional void, and you have the consumer ideal that advertisers desire and worked hard to create. I remember not so very long ago my grandparents, who came out of the Great Depression telling me that you don’t buy anything you can’t pay for on the spot. My parents lived by that creed. Most people don’t think like that anymore. Now we're seeing the result.
Our government is at fault, and contrary to what some blustering pundits want you to believe, greed and responsibility is a bipartisan affair. We spend foolishly on wars, earmarks, and absurd pork barrel projects for local constituents. Our government is so deeply in debt that this alone will probably doom our country, turing us into a slave nation just in time for our grandchildren's entry into the workforce. You should not spend more than you take in. Why is that so hard to understand? Greed, anger, stupidity.
It doesn’t take an economist to see that the mess we’re in is also the result of individual and corporate greed. Speculators are little more than glorified gamblers. Now that Wall Street needs a huge fix of taxpayer money to bail them out, we have been warned that if unquestioning, immediate action is not taken, banks will rapidly fail, corporations will fall like dominos, retirement funds will be lost, savings will disappear, and America will be plunged into a financial ruin so profound it will equal or exceed the devastation wrought by the Great Depression.
Those are some serious consequences. What should we do? Should we hand over that blank check and allow Wall Street to bail their sorry asses out and then, once agin, conduct business as usual? My answer is yes, and NO!
In the quickest possible way, Wall Street must be bailed out and sanctioned. The return on investment by the American taxpayer to bail out Wall Street should be as severe and relentless as IRS penalties and interest, and this repayment must be put on an expedited schedule. No mercy. The individuals responsible for the near collapse of our markets must be severely punished and be sentenced to jail, but not Club Fed. Oversight should make it impossible for executives to receive any bonuses or golden parachutes. Ill gotten gains should be seized and returned to the public coffers. In short, the guilty must pay dearly, and there must be serious individual and corporate reflection on how we do business and conduct our daily lives. It's not about more tazes, but making do with what we have.
On a personal level, I know how to live on next to nothing. I know what it is to be hungry and have no line of credit. I know how to grow my own victory garden, hunt, can foods, make candles, and cure with folk medicine. In other words, if our entire system and way of life crashed, my family and I would do fine. This is not the case with the overwhelming majority of Americans. There would be rage and anarchy, like disciplining a spoiled brat whose brandhisng a loaded weapon. So many of our citizens have been raised in an illusion bubble of good economic times in the wealthiest nation in the world. Think about having your life savings gone, your company bankrupt, little or no work anywhere, no student loans, local governments overwhelmed, food rationing, long lines for everything, no medical insurance, a collasped health care system, and so forth, and so on, etc., et al. This list goes on and on and on. In other words, you're screwed
This is why Wall Street must be bailed out and forced to make things right. Next, the government needs to be transformed and its self-serving officials locked up and/or booted out. As citizens it’s a time to reflect on how we - ourselves - have bought into the insantiy of consumerism and live in a society of totally unreasonable expectation, far beyond our means (or true needs). If the whole societial shit-house blows, my family will be fine, but what about yours? Furthermore, we, as a family, can greet death calmly. It’s time to demand change, not only of the systems, but in ourselves. We must see the greed and petty, unecessary need in our own hearts and minds, then desire little and be conent with less. Buddhism was designed to solve all these problems. Begin with yourself, then demand your government and corporate America do the same. You owe that to your decendents.
This blog is a response to an exchange between Reverend Ryuei and myself. It should serve as an example of how two people who disagree and maybe even exchange words can come to a civil understanding, perhaps enriching their lives.
Hi Charles,
I am sorry that my previous comments on your blog were so sharp and harsh. I have been feeling rather edgy the last few days and so have begun chanting about that.
I do not wish to be at odds with you either. And I did take your earlier comments amiss and it was kind of eating at me and I needed to process that - but probably venting on your blog was not the best way to do it. So I am sorry for that.
Robin pointed out that you had indeed already apologized and retracted any excesses in your prior blog entries. I should have just let that stand. So I accept that.
On the whole I do like and appreciate your writings. Yes, I am a bit critical about some things - but then people don't need to always agree with each other to be friends or at least friendly. I certainly don't expect you to sign off on anything I write. In fact, my closest most trusted friends have frequently disagreed with me about things and have called me on my shit when necessary.
So I hope that we can move on as friends and colleagues here at FWP in spite of our divergent views and approaches. I hope that in the future we can be critical when need be without taking things personally.
I also should say this too: I do acknowledge that you have indeed sought out and found good mentors in your life (including Israel Regardie) and that you certainly have had very deep experiences in Dharma practice and faced trials that few of us have (and which in some cultures would automatically qualify you to be a mentor/shaman figure - and I mean that in all respect and sincerity). I have to be honest that I am critical towards you in regard to Buddha Dharma, but that does not mean that I don't respect you. You certainly do have important things to teach people and have certainly had a very positive and healing effect on many people - including someone very very important to me for which I feel a great sense of gratitude towards you.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,
Ryuei
Ryuei:
Thank you.
It's only natural that we don't agree on everything. Why should we? I'm not a member of Nichiren Shu. With that said, we do have a tremendous amount of common ground and that is our love and commitment to the Lotus Sutra and our allegiance to the life and works of Nichiren.
This exchange between us should be an example to others how two people under the so-called Nichiren umbrella can disagree, perhaps argue, but still maintain a mutual respect. I am deeply saddened by the animosity that has gripped our respective movements for centuries. As far as I can see, there is no one pure school. This fracturing of the Nichiren schools may be natural in the evolution of religion, but it is still disheartening.
In regard to my founding of Modern Buddhism, no other sects, including the SGI need to be concerned. There has been no flood of people, nor do I expect any surge. I have made it a point not to encourage anyone to leave their sanghas to join me in my quest.
It's important for everyone to know that I never set out to form a new sect and was tortured by the prospects of doing so for reasons that I have described elsewhere. I don't have the traditional qualifications or pedigree to found or lead a new sangha. I am wholly reluctant to lead, but know that I can. I am loathe to leave my family to do the legwork that is required, and I am not a confrontational sort of person. Sometimes I come across like an SGI super- hancho, and need to watch my tone. The truth is that there are many people out there who would be more qualified to do this, but, in some strange twist of fate, I believe the original Buddha tapped me the shoulder, although I was never a high leader or big shot in the SGI. If someone appears who is better able to lead Modern Buddhism and has a pure heart, I will move aside and grow the movement in ways more suited to my skills and abilities.
I have been asked directly what my qualifications are to found this movement. I am an experienced yogis, which really has nothing to do with Nichiren Buddhism. I was mentored by the late occult master Israel Regardie and achieved a high grade in practical magick - strike two. I was a second wave psychedelic pioneer that went as far into the unconscious as a man can or should go, although I reject this as a path for anyone else, as it is illegal, unstable, and extremely dangerous - strike three. But the catcher dropped the ball and I get to first base safely. In addition to the aforementioned, I spent 34 years immersed in the SGI. As far as the Society for Modern Buddhist Healing, I had a near death experience, had two major samadhi awakenings, and overcame stage four lymphoma, writing two somewhat popular books on the subject of healing and Mantra-powered Visualization. This is not much, but aside from the declraction in the Lotus Sutra by the original Buddha, that he trained us from the remote past, and we're fully endowed with aeons of samadhis and merits, it's all I've got.
There have been a few people that have questioned SGI training and study as any real Buddhist qualification at all, because their doctrine is based on erroneous assumptions. Fair enough.
What the SGI did for me from the time of my youth (22) was to expose me to the Lotus Sutra, the Gosho, and the Mahayana tradition. I also learned the finer points of discipline. What one does with these raw ingredients is up to them. Some people bask in the group mentality and limit themselves the sect’s doctrines. Others use those leads and branch out in their studies and interests. The past few years has been about re-education.
It was reinforced to me many times the SGI doesn't need you, you need the SGI. I believe the first point that the SGI doesn't need me. No matter what happened between the SGI and me, I am thankful, if not wary of what they are and have become. I also know I am regarded as a traitor to the movement and president Ikeda - two falsities that are not technically true. I left the organization because it changed to something I could not, in good conscious belong to, and I appreciate the influence PI has had on my life and development as a Buddhist. I had to come to the realization that Nichiren Buddhism, even in the SGI is not about the exaltation of mentor, it's about the Lotus Sutra and the dharma. Nichiren was very clear about his allegiance and the focus his disciples should have, and that is basing one's life on the Lotus Sutra, especially the Life Span of the Thus Come One.
Now that Modern Buddhism is a reality, my hope is that people will recognize that it is a worthy cause. If I had but one prayer about Modern Buddhism that would become reality, it would be this: that everyone associated with it (including myself) would gain the rewards promised in the Lotus Sutra of health, awakening, and virtue.
To benefit your life and mind, one good discipline to consider is the daily list. There is the to do list, the wish list, appointments, and so forth. Some folk write their determinations out and place them on their altar as main themes in their efforts to overcome obstacles or attain goals.
Each day, I write the traits and qualities needed at that moment to succeed in my mind, life, and works. It is a simple daily effort that yields a bounty of benefit. By referring to the day’s previous list and remembering what was good, right, wrong, unsatisfactory, or unsettled, a new list is formed to inspire improvement. This method sets one’s feet directly on the eight-fold path.
My list before work yesterday, 9-1-08 was:
Happy – Expert – Unflappable – Resourceful – Joyful – Compassionate – Wise – Dynamic – Humorous – Fortunate – Perfect Health
My list reflected two tragic situations that came to my attention. The husband of my old e-friend in Switzerland died suddenly, and I learned of a small child with an inoperable tumor whose loved ones needed my advice. Through the cumulative polishing of my daily list, wisdom dawned within me to comfort and aid these people.
My list from 8-31 read as follows:
Happy – Energetic – Pain Free – Tolerant – Accurate – Patient – Fortunate - Stamina
This list reflected the cumulative, current, and impending challenges presented by my work, my professional writing career, and the spread of Modern Buddhist, et al. As a Capricorn, my actions and reactions are never impulsive; they are well considered and decisive. Each day and each moment are new.
Today’s list for 9-2 is:
Peaceful – Resolute – Merciful – Creative – Loving – Synchronous – Decisive – Wise – Fearless – Strong – Broad Minded - Compassionate – Disciplined – Altruistic - Swift - Forgiving
Today’s list will guide me and your list can guide you, no matter how difficult or dire your situation. Write your list, design your life, reform your being.