politics, precepts and the next president

Being a socially active Buddhist can be difficult when it comes to making decisions that reflect Buddhist beliefs and practices in the real world. In politics, for example, there is no perfect candidate or representative that embodies the Dhamma one hundred percent. In turn, there is no strict framework of dos and don’ts when it comes to choosing elected officials. It is up to each individual to utilize their own discernment and make their own choices.

In this election year, the candidate who I felt was the closest in regard to representing my own views and vision for the future was Dennis Kucinich, e.g., he is against the death penalty; he has been an outspoken proponent of impeachment; he is open to diplomacy with countries that are considered to be hostile to the Untied States; he introduced a bill to create a Cabinet-level Department of Peace, et cetera. Nevertheless, he was marginalized by the media and his own party, and due to difficulties in getting contributions (partially because he refused to accept corporate donations), he was forced to withdraw his nomination.

This leaves me with a difficult choice in November. Essentially, an elected official is someone who you are giving the authority to speak for you and make decisions on your behalf. As such, that person should reflect your views as closely as possible. But what happens when nobody comes all that close? What is the most important criteria when it comes to making this decision, and in effect, giving the commander-in-chief of the worlds most powerful military the authority to speak for you and make decisions that will reverberate throughout the rest of the world? It is up to each individual to answer that question for themselves, but for me, the answer boils down to truthfulness.

The Buddha once said, “For the person who transgresses in one thing, I tell you, there is no evil deed that is not to be done. Which one thing? This: telling a deliberate lie” (Iti 25). Additionally, in the Jakata stories, which are basically morality tales that detail the past lives of the Buddha-to-be, in one life or another the Bodhisatta breaks every one of the five precepts except the one against false speech. One of the reasons for this, I believe, is that in order to learn and grow from his mistakes, the Buddha had to remain open and honest about three things: (1) his intentions, (2) his actions and (3) the results of his actions. This, in essence, relates to the doctrine of kamma.

Therefore, to me, truthfulness does not simply mean saying things that are true, but as Thanissaro Bhikkhu likes to say, "being a true person" as well. Furthermore, as Andrew Huxley notes in The Kurudhamma: From Ethics to Statecraft, "The negative precept against lying is also apositive precept that agreements should be honoured" (197). Therefore, when looking at all of the potential candidates, I believe that it is important to not only look at what they are saying they have done in the past or will do in the future, but to take a close look at what they have actually done. Our votes are given in trust, trust that should be earned.

In conclusion, when it comes to voting for the next President of the United States, we should ask questions such as, Does this person speak truthfully?, Does this person do what they say they are going to do?, Is this person consistent in their voting records, speeches, et cetera? When people say to vote your conscience, it might sound trite, but it is sound advice considering that our votes are an elected official's permission slip to act on our behalf.

"......."

Alone?

Are we ever truly not alone?
If a self is assumed, then how can we ever be as one?
A self is separate from other.

As one?

Are we ever truly not as one?
If a self is not assumed, then who is there to be alone?
But self, by its very nature, is.

Is what?

Ephemeral? A useful fiction?
Perhaps self itself is a sleight of hand too quick to catch.
A phantom bent upon a goal.

Perhaps.

I ask myself, Why am I here?
I answer back, Who is this “I” I am seeking to define?
What is there worth clinging to?

Nothing.

Life is only a series of events.
Happiness and sadness forever arising and passing away.
If “I” and “mine” do not apply:

"......."

vorbei!

"Vorbei! ein dummes Wort.

Warum vorbei?

Vorbei und reines Nicht, vollkommnes Einerlei!

Was soll uns denn das ew'ge Schaffen!

Geschaffenes zu nichts hinwegzuraffen!

"Da ist's vorbei!" Was ist daran zu lesen?

Es ist so gut, als wär' es nicht gewesen,

Und treibt sich doch im Kreis, als wenn es wäre.

Ich liebte mir dafür das Ewig-Leere."

- Mephistopheles from Faust

an interesting observation

"Like the drop of ink in the glass of water and the drop of water in the glass of ink. An evil doer does not purify his reputation with one good act, but the virtuous man ruins his reputation by one bad action. So evil would seem more effective than good. Odd that the world is not worse than it is." (Apr. 51)

- Bhikkhu Nanamoli from A Thinker's Note Book

morte...

"Death, death, death comes sweeping down, filthy death the leering clown, death on wings, death by surprise, failing evil from worldly eyes, death that spawns as life succumbs, while death and love, two kindred drums, beat the time till judgement day, an actor in a passion play, without beginning, without end, evermore, Amen."

- Francesco Dellamorte from Dellamorte Dellamore

the suffering of change

Much like the Greek philospher Heraclitus, who we are told in Plato's dialogue Cratylus believed that all things flow and nothing stands (401d), the Buddha observed the characteristic of impermanence that is inherent to all conditional things as well. In Buddhist philosophy, all things that are conditional, or in other words all things that arise from causes and conditions, are seen with wisdom to be impermanent, subject to cessation, to dissolution. In the discourses of the Buddha that are preserved in the Pali Canon, this idea is presented in numerous ways, with the basic formula being, "Whatever is subject to arising is all subject to cessation" (SN 56.11). Everything in this world is in a state of flux, nothing in this world remains unchanged, and it is precisely because of this characteristic of existence that attachment gives rise to suffering.

To begin with, what is attachment? Attachment involves clinging to some object of sensory contact (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, or ideas) due to of some degree of gratification and pleasure derived from that object. When pleasant feelings arise, our initial reaction is to grasp at that pleasure and cling to whatever it is that happens to give rise to such pleasant feelings. Therefore, with the presence of attachment, the object of contact along with the corresponding feeling associated with that contact becomes essential to our experience of happiness.

How, then, does attachment give rise to suffering? The Pali word dukkha, often translated as "suffering," is philosophically complex. The Buddha detailed three types of suffering, one of which is called viparinama-dukkha—the suffering that results from change. Suffering of this kind arises when either the object of contact or the pleasant feelings that arise changes in some way, whereby the gratification and happiness that is dependent upon those conditions ceases, thus giving rise to unhappiness. Hence, separation from that which makes us happy is suffering.

This particular form of suffering is not as obvious as the suffering experienced in the form of pyhsical pain, but it is a sense of sorrow that one experiences when the moments of happiness, moments of sensual gratification and pleasure, fail to last. Therefore, unlike the unhappiness that arises when we experience something unpleasant, the suffering that results from change arises because a particular form of gratification and pleasure that we have become attached to, or in other words accustomed to producing an emotional state of happiness, fades away. I think that the human organism is a complex assortment of mental and physical processes, and since one of the underlying motivations behind our actions is the desire to be happy, it is no wonder that the ever-changing circumstances in life are sometimes so hard for us to bear.