The ethical lifestyle
May 30, 2024 9:53:33 GMT
Post by Stella on May 30, 2024 9:53:33 GMT
One of the things I struggled with early in life was the notion that any spiritual journey started with the self, despite my mentor and guide Babu advising me to go my own way and create my own interpretation of Buddhism through going through the experiences. I felt that Buddhism was somewhat dis-empowering and oppressive. First you had to seek this thing called enlightenment or nirvana. Then there was the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and various other lists, The only practice was meditation. Then there were the different levels, buddha, boddhisatva, arahat, and so on.
It seemed to me that if you wait until you're an arahat or boddhisatva you miss out on life and probably miss out on social and ecological action, which was part of how Theravada was presented or taught to me. Hence I got involved with the Socialist Workers Party, sold copies of the newspaper outside London tube stations, went to demos, marches, and other events. Spent a lot of time yelling "Smash capitalism! Smash Thatcherism! Troops out of Northern Ireland!" to anyone within earshot. I felt that it was the moral obligation of the young to participate in any instance of civil disobedience or unrest, even riots, irrespective of the cause. God I was such a revolutionary.
However it's now a long time since I was 21. While I had a lot of fun, met loads of interesting people, a few of them policemen, and visited interesting places (and one or two police cells) I now understand, and have for some time, that the basis of any spiritual journey or social action is having your ducks in a row or your shit together first. This doesn't mean that you have to be able to walk on water or be 'successful' in social terms. But you have to be a Somebody first before you can begin the spiritual process of being a nobody. What I'm referring to is that you have to have at least considered your own values and identified the hills you're prepared to die on.
What is the ethical lifestyle?
The ethical lifestyle is something which is simple enough to understand, but it's demanding as a lifestyle and difficult to achieve. I'm not advocating here a moral lifestyle, affirmations, or eating tons of wheatgrass. I'm referring to the ethical life of clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, comfort the bereaved and grieving, speak up for the voiceless and marginalised, bury the dead, stand up for the weak and the vulnerable, and some more......continue reading
It seemed to me that if you wait until you're an arahat or boddhisatva you miss out on life and probably miss out on social and ecological action, which was part of how Theravada was presented or taught to me. Hence I got involved with the Socialist Workers Party, sold copies of the newspaper outside London tube stations, went to demos, marches, and other events. Spent a lot of time yelling "Smash capitalism! Smash Thatcherism! Troops out of Northern Ireland!" to anyone within earshot. I felt that it was the moral obligation of the young to participate in any instance of civil disobedience or unrest, even riots, irrespective of the cause. God I was such a revolutionary.
However it's now a long time since I was 21. While I had a lot of fun, met loads of interesting people, a few of them policemen, and visited interesting places (and one or two police cells) I now understand, and have for some time, that the basis of any spiritual journey or social action is having your ducks in a row or your shit together first. This doesn't mean that you have to be able to walk on water or be 'successful' in social terms. But you have to be a Somebody first before you can begin the spiritual process of being a nobody. What I'm referring to is that you have to have at least considered your own values and identified the hills you're prepared to die on.
What is the ethical lifestyle?
The ethical lifestyle is something which is simple enough to understand, but it's demanding as a lifestyle and difficult to achieve. I'm not advocating here a moral lifestyle, affirmations, or eating tons of wheatgrass. I'm referring to the ethical life of clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, comfort the bereaved and grieving, speak up for the voiceless and marginalised, bury the dead, stand up for the weak and the vulnerable, and some more......continue reading