Re: On Karma



George Cherry wrote:

"Tang Huyen"

George Cherry:

When a situation arises, I endeavor to find and
execute an action in the situation which will
produce a satisfactory consequence (for me and
others). (Action-and-its-consequence equals
cause-and-effect equals my notion of karma.)
Whilst I take it to be my duty--and it is my goal--
to find a satisfactory-consequence-producing
action, I believe that it is equally important to
the production of my happiness not to expect
or be attached to the intended consequence. The
world is too complex and full of conditions beyond
my knowledge and/or beyond my control, for my
actions reliably to produce their intended conse-
quences. This seems to fit the Buddhist notion
of karma: if a person skillfully chooses a pure
and virtuous action which has an unintended bad
consequence, his/her karma (action and conse-
quence) is not bad or evil. So, I do what I can, I
give out I have; and attachment to what follows is
madness.

I don't see the above as excusing Bush for his
invasion of Iraq, because I believe that he and
his chosen advisors did not "skillfully choose a
pure and virtuous action". What do you think? I
think that humility and prudence with respect
to unintended consequences should lead one
to reticence, patience, and re-examination.
Faith-based action (a synonym for ignorant
action) is just poor and poisonous statecraft.

George

Don't bother. Drop good and evil, merit and demerit,
calm your mind of all political-moral scrupules, and
attain to peace of mind.

As a citizen and member of the electorate,
vote for the wise and just man (if there is such
a candidate), but don't be attached to the
outcome of the election. Above all, don't cling
to partisan disappointment.

Dhammapada, XXVI, 412*, tr. Thanissaro:

"He has gone
beyond attachment here
for both merit & evil --
sorrowless, dustless, & pure:
he's what I call
a brahman."

Endeavor to choose and do good, but don't
be attached to the state of the world, about
which you are fairly powerless to change much.

The same, tr. Buddharakkhita:

412. "He who in this world has transcended
the ties of both merit and demerit, who is
sorrowless, stainless and pure -- him do I
call a holy man."

Vote for the man of merit for he will cause
less sorrow and more happiness. Don't vote
for the man of demerit for he will cause less
happiness and more sorrow. But don't cling
to the outcome of the election, for you are
able to cast only one vote among millions.

If you want to discuss politics, go to political NGs.
They exist for that purpose.

You old grouch! : o )

George

You could have written something like this:

"Folks, I went to a political rally, but I shan't bother
to tell you about its nature, because it was not related
to Buddhism. What I do want to tell you about is
this. There were lots of people, lots of banners, lots
of commotion, lots of noise. But I kept my mind
concentrated, and I kept my mind in mindfulness.
I kept meditating on impermanence, suffering,
absence of self. I kept meditating on detachment
and equanimity. In fact I was *in* detachment and
equanimity much of the time, right amidst all that
commotion and noise. It sometimes took some
work to gather myself back from distraction,
because I had to deal with people, but I enjoyed the
calm and peace right smack in all that commotion
and noise. So I went to a political rally, but spent
much of that time in meditation, as if nothing had
happened. It was peace and quiet almost straight
through. It was not that different from spending
that time in a meditation hall. In fact in was *better*
than spending that time in a meditation hall,
because the commotion and noise tested my
concentration and mindfulness."

That would have been perfectly on topic, and
would have spared the readers the nature of your
political conviction.

Tang Huyen

.

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