Here is a contemplation on how some Buddhist teachings support a regenerative culture.
Cult Buddhist paradigm m ox 230504
What does Buddhism teach us – Buddha says all beings want happiness – what is happiness – in our present dominator paradigm we could give very different answers to what happiness is, to what Buddha intended – what really makes us all happy –
The first precept is, practise not to take life – if you put that in the positive – foster life – help all living creatures to live – first principle of happiness – be alive – not worrying about war coming along or climate change wrecking the forests, the animals –
Happiness is a state of love – speaking broadly of what love is – loving being alive is happiness – loving your life – Buddhism has practices for developing love – and beaming it out to everybody –
It has practices for just being present in your living presence – present in being alive – like breathing – that gets you in a peaceful state – we’re starting to build up a few basic premises that Buddhist practice leads us to – being alive and aware in a peaceful state of love – how different is that from the kind of happiness people might want in our dominator society –
Buddhism teaches to live with reality – dharma is the laws of nature – building rockets to go to mars is not in the laws of nature – it’s something else – it’s a different idea of what is a good thing to do – take dharma reality laws of nature or truth – this isn’t just an intellectual matter – meditate on these things – feel them in your whole body mind and spirit – what is the reality of my life –
The reality is, I’m not a separate person – I’m part of nature – that’s one of the laws of nature – she has ecosystems – I’m part of it all – I rely on all other creatures – for my water, my food, air, for everything – and they rely on me – this is a law of nature – feel that as a good thing that supports my life – I can be grateful to be part of everything –
I’m not permanent – things change – that means I change – what I want from one day to the next changes – one day I think I’m going to live somewhere else – or I like this person things change – that’s a law of nature – I grow old –
Buddhism teaches that when we resist that reality – when we say, I’m a separate person – I don’t have to cooperate with anybody else – I can amass money and who cares if I take it off other people – as happens in our world quite a lot – and I’m a special me – I don’t change – I’m who I am – if you don’t like it, blow you –
that is what Buddha says is suffering – not the suffering of, if there’s no food around you might be hungry or we’re all going to die – those natural law things – he’s talking about suffering we inflict on ourselves by resisting the natural law – can you feel that – I don’t want to have to put up with illness and death – can you feel that difference between living in reality and resisting reality – and wanting something else – like why can’t I be beautiful – put on more lipstick – that’s what Buddhism says is suffering –
in our dominator world we take that as reality – greed – wanting more stuff or more friends or more holidays – all the things we lust after – we can’t be happy without – more power to go to war on someone else – this is what happens when we’re confused, says Buddha – and that causes hailstorms in our mind – why can’t I have this – he’s got it, she’s got it, why can’t I – they don’t like me, they do like me – they think I’m good, they think I’m bad – all that stuff about who I am, when actually there isn’t anyone there who’s just the same all the time –
Buddha says what we’re aiming at, with all this meditation, and all this letting go of thoughts because they’re suffering and not reality – we’re looking for the natural state – our natural mind – relax into your natural state now – just be – breathing, aware, alive, in a state of peace – happy to be alive – rest in that peaceful happiness –
get a feel for how different our world could be – our whole world’s culture, our society – if we based our society on helping ourselves and each other reach this kind of happiness – being in tune with nature and our own nature – it wouldn’t mean we’d never get upset by our neighbours – if we did, we’d have a different basis for approaching it – instead of going to war – we might try to create more love and happiness for everybody – get a feel of what it would be like – when everybody was living from those principles – that nature is good and beautiful – and we are her children so we are also good and beautiful – how does it feel – it’s a different paradigm from what we have now – different basic assumptions and values –