Think The GOP Heard The Dalai Lama?
Media have reported that while in Madison these last couple of days
the Dalai Lama urged state government leaders to be guided in their
actions by compassion and sensitivity.
Not sure if Walker and legislators in the ruling GOP/majority party -
- busy these last two years restricting ballot box access, tax breaks
for the poor, food stamps, unemployment compensation, health insurance
coverages, transit funding and other programs and services needed by all
Wisconsinites, particularly the elderly, jobless and low-income - -
understand that the message from the visiting world dignitary and
spiritual leader applies to them.
First posted at Purple Wisconsin.
3 comments:
The Dalai Lama's next visit should be to Washington D.C. where he should speak of first hand experience about the power of government when free speech is prohibited or restricted and what a blessing it is to have free speech protected in America. Or not.
It applies to them whether they hear him or not. Buddhists don't try to "recruit" people, or promote their doctrine. Nor would he be lecturing or making people "feel guilty" or "like sinners" in the Christian tradition.
His act of compassion would be not like "be nicer to the teacher's union" or anything like that, but more like people who behave crappy are suffering within themselves and will continue on that path in the future. Perhaps a word truly heard might help a person get off a path of proven future suffering. Also, he would expect the so-called "good guys" to have (hopefully) awareness or insight into ways (many) that they are exactly like their enemies/opponents. There is a great poem by Thich Nhat Hahn expressing this idea - "Call me By My True Names". it especially addresses the pitfalls and delusions of false perceptions of duality. No more apparent than in today's strongly bifurcated political system. with it's false myths of extreme difference. Not terribly unlike the way the "other guy" is routinely demonized in the lead-up to war. He wasn't there to pimp for the Democrats. He would never go with the idea that he was sticking it to Republicans. The real "enemy" is false perceptions of duality, not each other. Just because he'd be seen as a leader of an "alternate" religion, that would be a really wrong assumption, to assume that Democrats "own" alternative stuff. Or that Buddhists are a bunch of hippies.
A better question would be did anyone hear him, not just the GOP. I think they did. I think it would be impossible to be so addressed and have everyone feel nothing. I also selfishly feel a bit of irony that there were certainly those that laughed inwardly or amongst themselves at the goofy guy up there. I have seen him called a "wanker" in the past by "liberal" bloggers. So you can't assume anything really, certainly not that DEmocrats get what's going on there. But I am sad that people who have no appreciation what-so-ever for the man were able to see him in a hand-delivered kind of way, when I, who would have found it very meaningful, more than I can say, feel pretty sure I will never see him. At best maybe at the back of some enormous crowd.
But anyways, even in years ahead, his words and demeanor may have some inner impact on someone who was there. Things like this can't be measured or evaluated. It wasn't a waste. It's not like a Christian response where you throw yourself on the floor and declare "I have sinned" and all that stuff.
Regardless, that was a room full of lucky people. Every one of them could certainly ask themselves if they are following a path of Right Livelihood. Oddly enough, some few actually are.
I think the Dalai Lama's words and message will have the same effect that Jesus overturning the money-changing tables in the temple had on the money-changers and customers: why is this guy messing up our change box?
When so-called Christians can not only tolerate but justify all the evil that Walker and Co have foisted on the people of Wisconsin in the last two years, they're going to be pretty impervious to any gentle messages of peace, love and understanding coming from a guy not of their religious tradition. The DL is relevant only to those who already care about such things.
The selfish, greedy, racist, intolerant bullies in charge of Wisconsin today will completely ignore him as they have done to the people of Wis, including the selfish, greedy, racist, intolerant bully-in-chief: Scott Walker.
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