I remember a song from the 1970s, composed in response to the unrest in Ireland which dominated much of the news at that time. The words of the song went something like this: "You'd never think they'd go together, but they certainly do/the combination of English muffins and Irish stew". Writing about Trump and Buddha, an even more unlikely combination, I came up with new words to the song, during an aural daydream, as follows: "You'd never think they'd go together, and they certainly don't/egotism's dirty puddles and wisdom's font."
Poison
In a recent article, I described what I call "The Pathological Pyramid". We have an incompetent president at the top; for several layers below we find legislators who are afraid to contravene or even criticize him, lest they be voted out of office, The bulk of the pyramid is the many hard rocks that form its base, Trump's base, the many who still support him. How can so many Americans continue to support a man, who, upon minimal rational reflection, is so glaringly unable to be president of our nation? Why this is so and how Buddhist thought can provide a contrast and point in the direction of a solution to our current political malaise is the subject of this essay.
A relative of mine asked me some years ago why so many Romans accepted Christianity before Emperor Constantine forced them to in the fourth century. Several centuries before, many Romans were attracted to Judaism. The Roman gods no longer seemed pertinent. One such seeker approached Hillel at around the time of Jesus's birth and asked him to relate the essence of Judaism while standing on one leg. (The Roman apparently wasn't interested in such things as dietary laws, nor, presumably, did he look forward to being circumsised; he wanted only the yolk, as it were, not the rest of the egg). Hillel famously replied, "That which is hateful to you do not do to another. This is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; go and learn".
Approximately a century later, the essence of Christianity was summarized in the Saint John Gospel: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him will not perish, but receive eternal life."
That's why so many Romans converted. They wanted certainty and they (seemingly) got it. Hillel's path required that those who walk upon it have to be more or less self-directed. The Romans who converted wanted the certainty of knowing Jesus was walking beside them and would not only guide them on their way, but forgive them when they went astray. The wanted a god who, figuratively and literally, delivered.
Thus, Christianity appealed to many who wanted an absolute answer without having to rigorously examine whether that answer is, in fact, absolute. As Tertullian. a third century Christian theologian wrote, "Credo quia absurdum est," "I believe because it is absurd".
Trump's supporters are similar. (A striking difference is, of course, that Jesus was a very wise man). They have accepted Trump as their savior, as it were, and ignore all evidence that indicates that they have made a poor choice. Trump is a good businessman, and we need a good businessman in the White House. We need to shake things up, and Trump is the man to do it. Trump is for the little man; Trump will drain the swamp. etc. None of these statements bears scrutiny. Trump is the choice of those who will not think.
The Buddhist Antidote
One of the earliest symbols of Buddhism is a footprint. This sums up the essence of this Eastern way of removing suffering: Buddhism is a path. There is no catechism to guide you, much less a good shepherd guiding his sheep form afar; there are only guidelines on experientially proven methods for spiritual progress. Buddha's last words of advice were "to work out your salvation with diligence." If one goes astray, there is no possibility of divine intervention to transport you back to the path.
The goal is to eliminate greed, hate, and delusion. Walking down a path, one has to make choices on how to continue. Perhaps the road les traveled is the one to take. What if there were several such roads before one? There is no sign that says "Follow Me". If one has made a choice that proves to be wrong, one has to think of the reasons why this is so. The path in question, which appears to lead nowhere, might be the right one, after all. Should one continue for some time more and risk the possibility of having gone further astray? Should one turn back? One has to use Buddhist guidelines to come to a decision, a decision that might be wrong, but not irretrievably wrong.
This type of analytical thinking is too difficult for Trump supporters. They do not analyze, they simply convince themselves that they are in the right. They are on a stony path heading for an abyss, yet they assure themselves, perhaps to a bitter end, that they are on a red carpet heading for the New Jerusalem.
Their faith in Trump is alsolute and, like theistic faiths, absolutely unverifiable as well.
Life is ambiguous and nobody has all the answers. Just like Trump's ego, their faith is shaky; deep down they know they might not be right, and yet they cannot entertain the possibility that they might be wrong.. They therefore demonize those ho do not share there unnuanced views. If you believe Trump is absolutely right, his opponents must be absolutely wrong. Absolutely wrong, is, of course, another word for evil. This is the source of the extreme partisanship of Trump's supporters. The Emperor is wearing the finest silks--how dare you say he's a fat, old, naked charlatan?
For those who vehemently oppose Trump, one must not follow suit and demonize his supporters. They are all human beings, let us not forget that. It is best not to get into heated arguments with Trump supporters; one should gently point out why you disagree, and if you're not getting anywhere, talk about something else. On the other hand, one should not avoid political discussion either, since our democracy is being threatened now perhaps as never before. Respectfully asserting that tax cuts for the wealthy will likely mean that we will not be able to fund infrastructure repairs, and will likely result in cuts to Social Security and to Medicare as well, two programs that are very popular among working-class voters. It is much more important to fight for our democracy by full involvement in the political process, and, in the long term, advocate for better education and less superficial entertainment. Everyone has a Christ within, everyone is a potential Buddha. No doubts about that! Translating that into action for society and for ourselves is undoubtedly extremely difficult, given the degree that greed, hate, and delusion are present in the world. But one has to begin or continue the good path beginning right where one is; there is no other choice.
First Addendum: What the Buddha Said
The following is taken from the Sutta-Nipata. These excerpts provide a vivid analysis of why that toxic partisanship is not the way to make progress!
Enquirer: Fixed in their pet beliefs,
these diverse wranglers bawl--
"Hold this, and truth is yours,
Reject it and you're lost".
Thus they contend and dub
opponents "dolts" and "fools".
Which in the lot is right,
When all as experts pose?
Buddha: Well, if dissent denotes
a "fool" and stupid "dolt"
then all are fools and dolts
--for each has his own view.
I count not that as true
which those affirm who call
each other "fools"--They call
each other so, because
each deems his own view "Truth".,,
Delight in their own views
Make sectaries assert
that all who disagree
miss Purity and err.
These divers sectaries...
claim Purity as theirs
alone, not found elsewhere.
Whom should the sturdiest
dare to call a "fool,"
when this invites the like
retort upon himself
Second Addendum
Trump supporter:
"If Jesus Christ gets down off the cross and told me that Trump is with Russia, I would tell him, hold on a second, I have to check with the president if it is true. That is how confident I feel in the president".
Trump:
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and still not lose voters".
Democracy:
Yikes!
Poison
In a recent article, I described what I call "The Pathological Pyramid". We have an incompetent president at the top; for several layers below we find legislators who are afraid to contravene or even criticize him, lest they be voted out of office, The bulk of the pyramid is the many hard rocks that form its base, Trump's base, the many who still support him. How can so many Americans continue to support a man, who, upon minimal rational reflection, is so glaringly unable to be president of our nation? Why this is so and how Buddhist thought can provide a contrast and point in the direction of a solution to our current political malaise is the subject of this essay.
A relative of mine asked me some years ago why so many Romans accepted Christianity before Emperor Constantine forced them to in the fourth century. Several centuries before, many Romans were attracted to Judaism. The Roman gods no longer seemed pertinent. One such seeker approached Hillel at around the time of Jesus's birth and asked him to relate the essence of Judaism while standing on one leg. (The Roman apparently wasn't interested in such things as dietary laws, nor, presumably, did he look forward to being circumsised; he wanted only the yolk, as it were, not the rest of the egg). Hillel famously replied, "That which is hateful to you do not do to another. This is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary; go and learn".
Approximately a century later, the essence of Christianity was summarized in the Saint John Gospel: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him will not perish, but receive eternal life."
That's why so many Romans converted. They wanted certainty and they (seemingly) got it. Hillel's path required that those who walk upon it have to be more or less self-directed. The Romans who converted wanted the certainty of knowing Jesus was walking beside them and would not only guide them on their way, but forgive them when they went astray. The wanted a god who, figuratively and literally, delivered.
Thus, Christianity appealed to many who wanted an absolute answer without having to rigorously examine whether that answer is, in fact, absolute. As Tertullian. a third century Christian theologian wrote, "Credo quia absurdum est," "I believe because it is absurd".
Trump's supporters are similar. (A striking difference is, of course, that Jesus was a very wise man). They have accepted Trump as their savior, as it were, and ignore all evidence that indicates that they have made a poor choice. Trump is a good businessman, and we need a good businessman in the White House. We need to shake things up, and Trump is the man to do it. Trump is for the little man; Trump will drain the swamp. etc. None of these statements bears scrutiny. Trump is the choice of those who will not think.
The Buddhist Antidote
One of the earliest symbols of Buddhism is a footprint. This sums up the essence of this Eastern way of removing suffering: Buddhism is a path. There is no catechism to guide you, much less a good shepherd guiding his sheep form afar; there are only guidelines on experientially proven methods for spiritual progress. Buddha's last words of advice were "to work out your salvation with diligence." If one goes astray, there is no possibility of divine intervention to transport you back to the path.
The goal is to eliminate greed, hate, and delusion. Walking down a path, one has to make choices on how to continue. Perhaps the road les traveled is the one to take. What if there were several such roads before one? There is no sign that says "Follow Me". If one has made a choice that proves to be wrong, one has to think of the reasons why this is so. The path in question, which appears to lead nowhere, might be the right one, after all. Should one continue for some time more and risk the possibility of having gone further astray? Should one turn back? One has to use Buddhist guidelines to come to a decision, a decision that might be wrong, but not irretrievably wrong.
This type of analytical thinking is too difficult for Trump supporters. They do not analyze, they simply convince themselves that they are in the right. They are on a stony path heading for an abyss, yet they assure themselves, perhaps to a bitter end, that they are on a red carpet heading for the New Jerusalem.
Their faith in Trump is alsolute and, like theistic faiths, absolutely unverifiable as well.
Life is ambiguous and nobody has all the answers. Just like Trump's ego, their faith is shaky; deep down they know they might not be right, and yet they cannot entertain the possibility that they might be wrong.. They therefore demonize those ho do not share there unnuanced views. If you believe Trump is absolutely right, his opponents must be absolutely wrong. Absolutely wrong, is, of course, another word for evil. This is the source of the extreme partisanship of Trump's supporters. The Emperor is wearing the finest silks--how dare you say he's a fat, old, naked charlatan?
For those who vehemently oppose Trump, one must not follow suit and demonize his supporters. They are all human beings, let us not forget that. It is best not to get into heated arguments with Trump supporters; one should gently point out why you disagree, and if you're not getting anywhere, talk about something else. On the other hand, one should not avoid political discussion either, since our democracy is being threatened now perhaps as never before. Respectfully asserting that tax cuts for the wealthy will likely mean that we will not be able to fund infrastructure repairs, and will likely result in cuts to Social Security and to Medicare as well, two programs that are very popular among working-class voters. It is much more important to fight for our democracy by full involvement in the political process, and, in the long term, advocate for better education and less superficial entertainment. Everyone has a Christ within, everyone is a potential Buddha. No doubts about that! Translating that into action for society and for ourselves is undoubtedly extremely difficult, given the degree that greed, hate, and delusion are present in the world. But one has to begin or continue the good path beginning right where one is; there is no other choice.
First Addendum: What the Buddha Said
The following is taken from the Sutta-Nipata. These excerpts provide a vivid analysis of why that toxic partisanship is not the way to make progress!
Enquirer: Fixed in their pet beliefs,
these diverse wranglers bawl--
"Hold this, and truth is yours,
Reject it and you're lost".
Thus they contend and dub
opponents "dolts" and "fools".
Which in the lot is right,
When all as experts pose?
Buddha: Well, if dissent denotes
a "fool" and stupid "dolt"
then all are fools and dolts
--for each has his own view.
I count not that as true
which those affirm who call
each other "fools"--They call
each other so, because
each deems his own view "Truth".,,
Delight in their own views
Make sectaries assert
that all who disagree
miss Purity and err.
These divers sectaries...
claim Purity as theirs
alone, not found elsewhere.
Whom should the sturdiest
dare to call a "fool,"
when this invites the like
retort upon himself
Second Addendum
Trump supporter:
"If Jesus Christ gets down off the cross and told me that Trump is with Russia, I would tell him, hold on a second, I have to check with the president if it is true. That is how confident I feel in the president".
Trump:
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and still not lose voters".
Democracy:
Yikes!
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