Chew the Fat

I have been studying the Dhammapada, the single most important Buddhist text. It is where many of the Buddha’s key ideas are presented in a cogent verse form. I have also been reading other key Buddhist concepts which are illustrated by various original texts.

I have read no commentary on these texts -which is probably a good thing- so some of my thoughts and questions may be misguided due to a lack of understanding of historical context and knowledge of traditions.

From what I understand, the Buddhist life is a process of releasing ones-self from the desires, passions and things of this world.

We aim for a higher plain where we are free from everything in this world.

When we reach nirvana, we are no longer under the burden of the cycle of life and death.

Much of the teaching is based on how to think and act in order to release ones self from the constraints of this world.

We are to become so selfless that ‘I’ no longer exists.

Attaching ourselves to people and things simply creates unhappiness later on because these things will leave us in pain.

Much of the text teaches that being attached to anything will only create pain when it is gone, therefore don’t get attached and you will never feel pain.

But then, I don’t think we will feel pleasure either.

It seems to be a miserable way to look at life and people. Sure we get attached to things too much -like my I-pod- but to say the same of relationships, art, literature and culture is a shame.

Of course, a lot of emphasis is placed on Karma. Do well to others and things and it will come back to bless you. This concept is not new, it also exists within Christianity –what you reap you sow.

What I find interesting about this theory is it is portrayed as a selfless model. But It isn’t, it is selfish –only do good stuff so you can get good stuff later on, don’t do bad stuff and you won’t get bad stuff happen to you later on. Weather this is external actions or internal thought, the premises remains the same; what can I get out of it? If it were truly selfless it would be, do and think good stuff regardless of anything.

To me this concept of Karma within Buddhism appears little contradictory because If there is no 'I' it should not matter what I get in return and therefore Karma is no incentive for a good life.

Some may argue that my perspective is to individualistic. The idea of Karma is about the whole world being one and therefore it is about good things coming back to the whole of creation not me the individual –because me the individual doesn’t exist. My problem with this is that the verses in the Dhammapada are very individualistic and practical. They are about how one person should conduct their individual lives by actions towards all living things and thoughts about the world. To me the teaching still appears very individualistic and therefore I can only conclude that Karma is an individual concept.

There is one story in the Dhammapada, which has me confused, is about a student who approaches the Buddha asking if the universe is eternal or not. In reply the Buddha tells the story of a man what had been stabbed. A doctor comes to help him. The stabbed man tells the doctor to not touch him until he finds out the name and address of the man who stabbed him, the type of blade that he was stabbed with and where the blade was made. The man dies before all the questions could be answered.

The lesson is that we should not be asking peripheral questions but focussing on life now. This teaching reminds me of my Bible College days when I was told by the leaders that I think to much and I should simply pray and obey without asking questions.

That’s about it for now.

Someone posted this on the forum I wrote about in the previous post:

“I am a proud Kiwi and I thought I should set you strait on a couple of your comments on New Zealand.
New Zealanders aren’t that academic and that because we don’t like to screw around with flash words. We just like to tell it how it is.

New Zealand isn’t racist we got heaps of Indians in the diaries and Asians in the fish and chip shops and people treat them well

We kiwis aren’t bad drivers it’s all the Asians on the road that makes it dangerous.”

My partner is an Asian kiwi. Often when we are in shops the attendants will ignore her and talk directly to me. When they do talk to her, they talk slowly. She will reply back in a normal New Zealand accent. They continue to talk slowly or tell her that her English is quite good.

Back at university, one of my partners 'friends’ told her that she was doing really well considering her degree was in English. Joyce said, "But im a Kiwi English is my language."
She said, “Yea but you are Asian, so it is more difficult.”

We were in the car waiting at a red light and a window washer came up and started washing the window. I don’t mind this; they usually do a crap job on the window, but are fun for a chat. He looked at Joyce and said “Whoa man she’s nice where did you get that one?”

I was working with my partners parents in their restaurant the other day, a lady who knew them came into the kitchen for a chat. She began speaking in a racist mock Chinese accent, “Hewo how ah wo?”
She continued to speak like that the whole time. I am sure she thought she was just playing around, but this attitude towards different ethnicities is unrelenting.

My partner’s parents are having their bathroom remodeled. It is supposed to take a week but it has now been over a month. They have had to go to a friends place each night for their shower. They have been polite and the builder has been rude and useless. I talked to him yesterday and he miraculously changed his attitude and promised to have it done by Saturday. He gave me far more respect than I deserved, considering I wasn’t the one paying him.

This kind of thing happens nearly on a weekly basis. Ethnic people are treated like second class citizens, their opinions and concerns are token and not taken seriously. In my experience I have noticed that they are often the hardest working and most family orientated people in the community.

Sometimes people treat me differently when they find that my partner is Asian. Then they meet her and realize she is a kiwi and they change again.

I know of another guy, who has an Asian girlfriend, who has had people yelling things at him on the street like “Which magazine did you buy her from?”
Luckily that has never happened to me, I would probably be in jail now.

New Zealand is racist. People have an apartheid view of racism here. People believe racism is about government policy. It is not, it is about the social atmosphere of a nation.

Nevertheless, many of the remarks of our political leaders and social commentators have been completely racist. If someone complains, they are labeled a PC monger.-a dreaded thing in this country these days.

Many people don’t even know they are racist. My partner just came back from a meeting and told me one of the guys she was meeting with told her that his friend is from a typical Asian family with a fish-and-chip shop. My partner explained that typical Asian families do not own fish-and-chip shops and this kind of thinking was stereo typical and racist. He had no idea. It is an ingrained way of thinking.

Some claim that we are much better than other countries. That means nothing to me. Racism is racism, it is not about comparing with other countries.

We just want to walk down the street and wonder into a shop without the attitude and racist atmosphere.