Dear All,
I very highly recommend to all a documentary entitled 'BUY NOW!,' a very well-made presentation depicting the ugly cycles of sell, buy, throw away and repeat, stoked by run-away companies inducing run-away consumerism through the creation of fake trends and ever expanding "needs," producing more stuff then we can ever eat, use or wear, much of which eventually gets dumped onto third world garbage mountains, then into the ocean, and into our bodies as micro-plastics and other poisons. You can catch it on Netflix (an organization with its own problems). Brilliantly done.
.
I do not say this easily, but it is a failure both of aspects of modern capitalism and of Buddhism. It is also a failure of our modern "green" eco-policies.
It is a failure of modern Buddhism, unless you are one of the folks who believe that the message of Buddhism is that this world, samsara, was always hopeless, and the point of Buddhism is just to ride the life-raft of Nirvana away from the whole mess. If you are one of those folks, feel free to stop reading here.
I also do not mean to say that Zen and Buddhism have failed for you and me and everyone. Not at all. Of course, it has NOT been a failure for the thousands and thousands, even millions, of Buddhist practitioners who have found freedom through our Zen and Buddhist practices and teachings even while in this world (I am one of those folks, and I think that you may be one too.) But Buddhism has failed miserably if our goal is to save THE REST, the billions and BILLIONS of sentient beings suffering, during this life, from the poisons of excess desire, clutching, addictions and the other accompanying social ills depicted in the film.
Some may say that Buddhists should not talk about such things. We should stay away from politics and social policy.
However, I believe that concern is not a matter of "politics," "left or right" or who one votes for, and is not even simply a matter of "social criticism," but instead goes right to the heart of the diseases that Zen Buddhist practice and the Precepts take as the root of suffering: Unhealthy and excess desires, attachments, becoming lost in material pleasures and "things" as the false sources of happiness and contentment, as well as selfishness and disregard of the environment, social violence, people dying and being injured in wars over resources, people suffering from hunger, homelessness and impacts on mental and physical health that are also the prices we pay. This is at the heart of Zen practice, our way of balance and moderation, as much or more than traditional discussions of the best way to hold a tea bowl gracefully, compose a poem or cook and clean the temple. We can clean the world as practice too.
I thought about putting this post in our Treeleaf [EcoDharma] section (LINK), because I thoroughly support the goals and ideals there, and believe that we must keep on pushing for change in those ways too. However, I also believe that modern "green" thinking and efforts are generally weak, sometimes intentional misdirections (the films shows what a corporate created fraud upon consumers is the entire current emphasis on "recycling") and bound to be ineffective to counter this tsunami.
The problem cannot be effectively addressed by first changing the "the economic system" which, once we change it, will then result in taming the greed of human nature, thus solve the problem. That is backwards thinking. We also cannot meditate our way out of those, or march or sign enough petitions, let alone drive our hybrid cars to the recycle bin as the solution. We have this ass backwards, and we primarily need to go in the opposite direction: The effective method will not be found by first changing society in order to change human hearts and desires, but rather, in changing human hearts and desires to change society. The only long term solution is to change human nature directly, right from the heart and mind, which will change the economic system and tame its excesses. We can find in the human body the generosity, satisfaction, moderation, peace and non-violence heralded by Buddhists and others since the beginning of our traditions. I write about this in my book, Building the Future Buddha (LINK)
New methods and medicine, technology and other tools will allow us to reach both the goals of Buddhist practice, and redemption of social problems, in ways that the Buddha and all the ancestors, preachers and prophets and social reformers, were helpless to realize in the past simply because they lacked the means to do so on a wide scale. Now, we will soon have those good means in hand.
If you ask me, it is our only truly hope.
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
-- In a bit of irony and hypocrisy, here is my Amazon listing for my book ... I doubt that you will ever find the documentary "BUY NOW!" available at Amazon.
BUY THIS NOW!! ... then responsibly recycle it ...
tsuku.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/BUILDING-FUTURE-BUDDHA-Saving-Travel-ebook/dp/B0CQVM3WY8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=building+the+future+buddha&qid =1703640143&sr=8-1
I very highly recommend to all a documentary entitled 'BUY NOW!,' a very well-made presentation depicting the ugly cycles of sell, buy, throw away and repeat, stoked by run-away companies inducing run-away consumerism through the creation of fake trends and ever expanding "needs," producing more stuff then we can ever eat, use or wear, much of which eventually gets dumped onto third world garbage mountains, then into the ocean, and into our bodies as micro-plastics and other poisons. You can catch it on Netflix (an organization with its own problems). Brilliantly done.
.
I do not say this easily, but it is a failure both of aspects of modern capitalism and of Buddhism. It is also a failure of our modern "green" eco-policies.
It is a failure of modern Buddhism, unless you are one of the folks who believe that the message of Buddhism is that this world, samsara, was always hopeless, and the point of Buddhism is just to ride the life-raft of Nirvana away from the whole mess. If you are one of those folks, feel free to stop reading here.
I also do not mean to say that Zen and Buddhism have failed for you and me and everyone. Not at all. Of course, it has NOT been a failure for the thousands and thousands, even millions, of Buddhist practitioners who have found freedom through our Zen and Buddhist practices and teachings even while in this world (I am one of those folks, and I think that you may be one too.) But Buddhism has failed miserably if our goal is to save THE REST, the billions and BILLIONS of sentient beings suffering, during this life, from the poisons of excess desire, clutching, addictions and the other accompanying social ills depicted in the film.
Some may say that Buddhists should not talk about such things. We should stay away from politics and social policy.
However, I believe that concern is not a matter of "politics," "left or right" or who one votes for, and is not even simply a matter of "social criticism," but instead goes right to the heart of the diseases that Zen Buddhist practice and the Precepts take as the root of suffering: Unhealthy and excess desires, attachments, becoming lost in material pleasures and "things" as the false sources of happiness and contentment, as well as selfishness and disregard of the environment, social violence, people dying and being injured in wars over resources, people suffering from hunger, homelessness and impacts on mental and physical health that are also the prices we pay. This is at the heart of Zen practice, our way of balance and moderation, as much or more than traditional discussions of the best way to hold a tea bowl gracefully, compose a poem or cook and clean the temple. We can clean the world as practice too.
I thought about putting this post in our Treeleaf [EcoDharma] section (LINK), because I thoroughly support the goals and ideals there, and believe that we must keep on pushing for change in those ways too. However, I also believe that modern "green" thinking and efforts are generally weak, sometimes intentional misdirections (the films shows what a corporate created fraud upon consumers is the entire current emphasis on "recycling") and bound to be ineffective to counter this tsunami.
The problem cannot be effectively addressed by first changing the "the economic system" which, once we change it, will then result in taming the greed of human nature, thus solve the problem. That is backwards thinking. We also cannot meditate our way out of those, or march or sign enough petitions, let alone drive our hybrid cars to the recycle bin as the solution. We have this ass backwards, and we primarily need to go in the opposite direction: The effective method will not be found by first changing society in order to change human hearts and desires, but rather, in changing human hearts and desires to change society. The only long term solution is to change human nature directly, right from the heart and mind, which will change the economic system and tame its excesses. We can find in the human body the generosity, satisfaction, moderation, peace and non-violence heralded by Buddhists and others since the beginning of our traditions. I write about this in my book, Building the Future Buddha (LINK)
An ability to hunger to healthy degrees, but have our hungers satisfied earlier and more easily, would halt excess consumption and all the personal and societal ills that result from excess desires in turn. Could the centers of our brain that trigger feelings of satisfaction be activated earlier, so that we feel “full” with stomachs less than stuffed, experience less compulsion to buy things just to calm ourselves, and are less susceptible to advertising and other visual temptations, which trigger cravings in us? ... Some people are moderate and sensible in their lifestyles and attitudes, while others are not, and there are certainly physiological and psychological keys to unlock as to why these differences exist.
... The Buddha and old masters taught their lay followers moderation, to have desires but not in excess, to choose the good and healthful and not the unwarranted, harmful or destructive in their pursuits, and to find peace in heart even amid the struggles that society and the world frequently present in life. ...
Because people will actually become, from within, better contributors to society, the objections of critical theorists like Slavoj Zizek will be rendered moot: Coming from a neo-Marxist perspective, Zizek argues that modern Western Buddhism, and the meditation it employs, have become tools to render people complacent, ambivalent and numb in our self-absorbed, soul crushing, consumption-driven lives. ... According to such criticism, modern suburban Buddhism and trendy mindfulness practices fool us into thinking that we are radically changing our minds, when all we are doing is perpetuating the conditions of suffering in capitalist society, making us better worker drones and soldiers. ...
In answer to Zizek, I note that the technologies of the [near] future will allow a peaceful revolution within peoples’ minds and hearts leading to a peaceful revolution in society. For the first time in history ... we might have practical, effective tools to bring the needed changes, not from the top or from the grassroots, but coming from within the human heart and mind. If we alter human character, we will alter society ....
... The Buddha and old masters taught their lay followers moderation, to have desires but not in excess, to choose the good and healthful and not the unwarranted, harmful or destructive in their pursuits, and to find peace in heart even amid the struggles that society and the world frequently present in life. ...
Because people will actually become, from within, better contributors to society, the objections of critical theorists like Slavoj Zizek will be rendered moot: Coming from a neo-Marxist perspective, Zizek argues that modern Western Buddhism, and the meditation it employs, have become tools to render people complacent, ambivalent and numb in our self-absorbed, soul crushing, consumption-driven lives. ... According to such criticism, modern suburban Buddhism and trendy mindfulness practices fool us into thinking that we are radically changing our minds, when all we are doing is perpetuating the conditions of suffering in capitalist society, making us better worker drones and soldiers. ...
In answer to Zizek, I note that the technologies of the [near] future will allow a peaceful revolution within peoples’ minds and hearts leading to a peaceful revolution in society. For the first time in history ... we might have practical, effective tools to bring the needed changes, not from the top or from the grassroots, but coming from within the human heart and mind. If we alter human character, we will alter society ....
If you ask me, it is our only truly hope.
Gassho, Jundo
stlah
-- In a bit of irony and hypocrisy, here is my Amazon listing for my book ... I doubt that you will ever find the documentary "BUY NOW!" available at Amazon.
BUY THIS NOW!! ... then responsibly recycle it ...
tsuku.jpg
https://www.amazon.com/BUILDING-FUTURE-BUDDHA-Saving-Travel-ebook/dp/B0CQVM3WY8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=building+the+future+buddha&qid =1703640143&sr=8-1
But the Japanese are too polite to say anything about socks (except my wife and kids), so it is no bother.
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