I am wondering, is activism very common among Buddhists? For example: civil rights activism, helping to relieve poverty (not having enough money to live, as opposed to living the simple life), slowing down corporations who seem to be becoming too powerful for the world's good, and working towards environmental protection.
Thank you,
Activism
Re: Activism
Hi Paxamo,
I think many Buddhists do whatever they can in relation to important issues such as the environment, helping the poor, working for equal rights etc etc - but I think "fighting" probably isn't a word I'd use personally. For me 'fighting' implies anger and conflict, and its good to try to avoid acting out of anger, if that's possible.
With metta,
Aloka
I think many Buddhists do whatever they can in relation to important issues such as the environment, helping the poor, working for equal rights etc etc - but I think "fighting" probably isn't a word I'd use personally. For me 'fighting' implies anger and conflict, and its good to try to avoid acting out of anger, if that's possible.
With metta,
Aloka
Re: Activism
Thank you Metta for the advice,
I will watch my word usage more carefully. I did not use the word "fighting" out of anger. I just use it in general to describe working towards something with a passion. I will change it.
-Paxamo
I will watch my word usage more carefully. I did not use the word "fighting" out of anger. I just use it in general to describe working towards something with a passion. I will change it.
-Paxamo
"To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice" - Confucius
- retrofuturist
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Re: Activism
Greetings Paxamo,
I suspect if you want a clear answer to this question, it may require a little refinement in the application of concepts.
Metta,
Retro.
In terms of renunciation, passion is no better than fighting.paxamo wrote:I will watch my word usage more carefully. I did not use the word "fighting" out of anger. I just use it in general to describe working towards something with a passion.
I suspect if you want a clear answer to this question, it may require a little refinement in the application of concepts.
Metta,
Retro.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: Activism
Perhaps he meant "compassion"...the passions in the service of the common good. Com.passionretrofuturist wrote:Greetings Paxamo,
In terms of renunciation, passion is no better than fighting.paxamo wrote:I will watch my word usage more carefully. I did not use the word "fighting" out of anger. I just use it in general to describe working towards something with a passion.
Vision is Mind
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss
- Dawa Gyaltsen
---
Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss
- Dawa Gyaltsen
---
Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
Re: Activism
Hi Paxamo
Have tried Googling 'engaged Buddhism'? That should link you up to a few resources.
Have tried Googling 'engaged Buddhism'? That should link you up to a few resources.
With metta,
zavk
zavk
Re: Activism
Hi Paxamo
Service or 'selfless service' is a component of my own practice. I think its absolutely essential to not only assist others with their practice but also extend a helping hand, when and where possible, to help alleviate the causes of gross suffering in the world.
In the past I have gotten involved in raising money and profile for medical research and medical charities. At the moment, I am raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and the Beyondblue Australian Depression Initiative via the 'Movember' campaign: http://www.au.movember.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or follow the link in my signature.
kind regards
Ben
Service or 'selfless service' is a component of my own practice. I think its absolutely essential to not only assist others with their practice but also extend a helping hand, when and where possible, to help alleviate the causes of gross suffering in the world.
In the past I have gotten involved in raising money and profile for medical research and medical charities. At the moment, I am raising money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and the Beyondblue Australian Depression Initiative via the 'Movember' campaign: http://www.au.movember.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or follow the link in my signature.
kind regards
Ben
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global Relief • UNHCR
e: [email protected]..
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725
Compassionate Hands Foundation (Buddhist aid in Myanmar) • Buddhist Global Relief • UNHCR
e: [email protected]..
- retrofuturist
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Re: Activism
Greetings,
Metta,
Retro.
The fact these two words (passion and compassion) possess the same derivation in English only goes to show how far off the mark they are as accurate renderings of their Pali equivalents.pink_trike wrote:Perhaps he meant "compassion"...the passions in the service of the common good. Com.passion
Metta,
Retro.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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Re: Activism
You may be right (though I'd like to hear more about why you think this), but I was suggesting that this might be what he meant.retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,
The fact these two words (passion and compassion) possess the same derivation in English only goes to show how far off the mark they are as accurate renderings of their Pali equivalents.pink_trike wrote:Perhaps he meant "compassion"...the passions in the service of the common good. Com.passion
Metta,
Retro.
Vision is Mind
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss
- Dawa Gyaltsen
---
Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss
- Dawa Gyaltsen
---
Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
Re: Activism
Hello,
I define passion as a strong feeling or emotion. Passionate is the trait of being intensely emotional. It does not have a positive or negative denotation, and in my experience not a positive or negative connotation either. It happens to be my case though, that I want to help people in this world, and protect our environment, and alleviate civil rights, with compassion and love. I will admit that I have just started studying Buddhism and my heart is filled with hatred once in a while, but these were certainly not the feelings that I had when talking about helping the world.
Anyway, I am glad to hear that Buddhists are quite active in alleviating suffering in the world!
-Paxamo
I define passion as a strong feeling or emotion. Passionate is the trait of being intensely emotional. It does not have a positive or negative denotation, and in my experience not a positive or negative connotation either. It happens to be my case though, that I want to help people in this world, and protect our environment, and alleviate civil rights, with compassion and love. I will admit that I have just started studying Buddhism and my heart is filled with hatred once in a while, but these were certainly not the feelings that I had when talking about helping the world.
Anyway, I am glad to hear that Buddhists are quite active in alleviating suffering in the world!
-Paxamo
"To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice" - Confucius
Re: Activism
Hi paxamo,
From a Buddhist perspective, it is important to be clear about what compassion is. The Buddha described four "Divine Abidings":
1. Metta (Loving-kindness)
2. Karuna (Compassion)
3. Mudita (Joy with others)
4. Upekkha (Equanimity)
It is helpful to understand what they are, and what they are not. There are some details in the following links, but the key point is that they are easily confused with their "near enemies", states that are somewhat similar, but not the real thing. Perhaps most obviously, Equanimity is not indifference.
http://www.brahmaviharas.org/article-Th ... iharas.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Metta
Mike
This is a worthy aspiration.paxamo wrote: I want to help people in this world, and protect our environment, and alleviate civil rights, with compassion and love ...
From a Buddhist perspective, it is important to be clear about what compassion is. The Buddha described four "Divine Abidings":
1. Metta (Loving-kindness)
2. Karuna (Compassion)
3. Mudita (Joy with others)
4. Upekkha (Equanimity)
It is helpful to understand what they are, and what they are not. There are some details in the following links, but the key point is that they are easily confused with their "near enemies", states that are somewhat similar, but not the real thing. Perhaps most obviously, Equanimity is not indifference.
http://www.brahmaviharas.org/article-Th ... iharas.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.arrowriver.ca/dhamma/divabid.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Pity is the near enemy to compassion for it has a hidden quality of aversion. The delusion of pity comes, in part, from the belief that if we hold ourselves as separate that we are protecting ourselves in some way. Karuna dissolves the boundaries divide our hearts in two. With growing compassion we are less apt to look away - to withdraw our attention - to abandon or be abandoned.
See also: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... el006.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;Compassion is a state that is very often misunderstood. There is nothing mawkish or sentimental about true compassion. It is the earnest wish that all beings be freed from their suffering. It can be thought of as an active love, whereas loving-kindness is a passive form. If it is tinged by sadness or pity then it isn't pure. The near enemy is grief and the far enemy is cruelty, or the wish to inflict harm.
Metta
Mike
Re: Activism
Mike, thanks for giving me a bit of a path to follow! It's tough to figure out what to study when you are just starting off! I will read through the articles when I have more time.
With much appreciation,
Paxamo
With much appreciation,
Paxamo
"To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice" - Confucius
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Re: Activism
Greetings Pink_trike,
Metta,
Retro.
As for the more about why I think this, the quotes/links above provided by Mike cover this well. Passion is the 'burning', and the Buddha never got burned by karuna.pink_trike wrote:You may be right (though I'd like to hear more about why you think this), but I was suggesting that this might be what he meant.
Metta,
Retro.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
- pink_trike
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Re: Activism
Ah, I see. The "passions" are considered a bit more useful in the other traditions, after they are transformed into their beneficial aspect or left to arise in their naturally occurring non-perverted pure state.retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Pink_trike,
As for the more about why I think this, the quotes/links above provided by Mike cover this well. Passion is the 'burning', and the Buddha never got burned by karuna.pink_trike wrote:You may be right (though I'd like to hear more about why you think this), but I was suggesting that this might be what he meant.
Metta,
Retro.
Vision is Mind
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss
- Dawa Gyaltsen
---
Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
Mind is Empty
Emptiness is Clear Light
Clear Light is Union
Union is Great Bliss
- Dawa Gyaltsen
---
Disclaimer: I'm a non-religious practitioner of Theravada, Mahayana/Vajrayana, and Tibetan Bon Dzogchen mind-training.
- retrofuturist
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- Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:52 pm
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Re: Activism
Greetings Pink,
Metta,
Retro.
If there is "transformation" in Theravada, it would the transformation of these passions to the brahma-vihara of upekkha (equanimity).pink_trike wrote:Ah, I see. The "passions" are considered a bit more useful in the other traditions, after they are transformed into their beneficial aspect or left to arise in their naturally occurring non-perverted pure state.
Metta,
Retro.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."