<\/p>\n
As I meditated this morning I found myself wondering how to <\/p>\n It is relatively easy to do this when you are part of a long There is a certain truth to that at an individual level, but The relatively great degree of religious freedom in the West We Pagans do not regard embodied existence as a problem Alas, I think the Buddhist caution is not without But let it be clear that we battle here to try and keep In the heat of struggle it is very easy to dehumanize Power is never stronger than when its devotees hate and kill In meditation I wondered where the spark of goodness could The insight that came to me was that even these people take Where hope lies is in their realizing, bit by bit, the And for those of us who by choice or circumstance have come We will sometimes fail in our efforts to keep our hearts At the same time, we need to keep in mind what I regard as <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As I meditated this morning I found myself wondering how to keep an open hearted attitude towards the depraved individuals who spend such efforts attacking our religion and making life miserable for other people in general. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pagan-spirituality","category-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nkeep an open hearted attitude towards the depraved individuals who spend such
\nefforts attacking our religion and making life miserable for other people in
\ngeneral. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/p>\n
\ntradition that has as a matter of intent sought to minimize its involvement
\nwith the world, like many Buddhist traditions. <\/span>The Dalai Lama seems to be a good example of this capacity
\nat its best. <\/span>I have had Buddhist
\nteachers explain that until you are enlightened your actions, no matter how
\nwell intended, will simply prolong the state of suffering. <\/span>So meditate rather than agitate.<\/p>\n
\nwhen the Chinese invaded Tibet its over 1000 years of Buddhist practice did not
\npreserve it. <\/span>Years later, during
\nthe Cultural Revolution, thousands more Buddhists followed the original fleeing
\nLamas into exile in the West.<\/p>\n
\nmade the revival of Buddhism possible on new continents. <\/span>But had good men and women not fought,
\nand sometimes given their lives, for liberty the West would have been another
\nclosed theocratic society, and Vajrayana Buddhism would likely have died out.<\/p>\n
\nultimately to be overcome, and have little difficulty pushing back against
\nreligious bigots and moral monsters when given a chance. <\/span>Landing solid blows in whatever form the
\ncontest takes can be supremely satisfying. <\/span>Seeing spiritual cowards (like “MM” in a previous set of
\ncomments) retreat in disgrace feels good.
\n<\/span>And there<\/i> is the danger. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\nweight. <\/span>The excitement of battle,
\nwith lines clearly drawn, the support of allies and the adrenal rush of anger
\nand righteousness are addictive.
\n<\/span>They are also dangerous.
\n<\/span>All this speaks the language of Power, and when isolated, Power depends
\non differentiation between the one who has it and the one who doesn’t. <\/span>Battle isolates Power from other
\ncontexts, for one either prevails or one does not. <\/span>Other issues are set aside until later. <\/span>In battle Power is all that counts, and
\nso those addicted to Power thrive in battle. <\/span>This is as true in battles on a blog as in physical battle
\nin Iraq or Afghanistan, although the immediate stakes in the latter are far
\nhigher for all concerned. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nthose highest of stakes from also applying in America. <\/span>Christian terrorists have already
\nkilled many people, particularly as targets and “collateral damage” over
\nabortion. <\/span>And for every one who
\nmurders many more cheer them on.
\n<\/span>The battle is not of our choosing, and I believe never has been.<\/p>\n
\nenemies who have done such a good job dehumanizing themselves, their lives and
\nwords having become a towering example of religious and moral hypocrisy on a
\nvast scale. <\/span>But if we do we come
\nmore and more to resemble them and come to worship the same Moloch of Power
\nthey do, only under a different name. <\/span><\/p>\n
\none another as perpetual offerings to it.
\n<\/span>The more hate the stronger it grows because it gets ever more difficult
\nto see the wider context beyond the struggle. <\/span>We should work hard not to fall into this trap, and I speak
\nhere for myself as much as anyone else. <\/span><\/p>\n
\npossibly reside in the hearts of those who attack others for the crime of being
\ndifferent from themselves, and who, in their pride and arrogance, believe they
\nset an example everyone else should follow. <\/span><\/p>\n
\npleasure in those like themselves.
\n<\/span>Here is where a spark of compassion and decency resides even among these
\nmost spiritually fallen folks.
\n<\/span>Their compassion for those who are different is not extinguished, but
\nthe differences must be very small.
\n<\/span>No one is simply a carbon copy of another, and so any care for another
\ninvolves caring for someone who is different as well as similar. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nability to expand that small circle of care and compassion into larger more
\ninclusive dimensions. <\/span>And in that
\ntask, they face the same spiritual challenge I do, and I suspect the rest of us
\ndo as well. <\/span>How far can we expand
\nthat circle?<\/p>\n
\nto be spiritual warriors, can we keep that circle large and inclusive even in
\nthe midst of struggle with those who would oppress and even kill? <\/span>For there are oceans of Pagan and other
\nblood on the hands of the ancestors of those who call themselves the
\n“Christian” right, and more than a little on their own. <\/span>And yet, if we do not, we will
\neventually be like them and rather than our Gods, we too will worship the
\nMoloch of Power.<\/p>\n
\nopen, even if we otherwise prevail. Certainly I sometimes do. <\/span>Even those who win wars are wounded by
\nthem. This is true for societies and equally for the individuals in those
\nsocieties. <\/span>So we should be gentle
\nwith ourselves when we fall short of our goals. <\/span>We need to remember that those who made it possible for
\nBuddhists to have another chance with their path were not perfect, but they created
\na big improvement over what would have been the case if they had not tried to
\nstrive for a better world.<\/p>\n
\none of the most important Pagan insights: that at the deepest level there is an
\nunderlying harmony, and that we manage best when we can act in keeping with it.
\nCan we remain aware of this larger context in which Power exists? <\/span>The more that we can the more our struggles
\nagainst those who would destroy us will pave the way for a better world for
\nourselves and those who come after.
\n<\/span>The more we can, the more power will be a blessing than a curse.<\/p>\n