The Scene: Helicopter flying low over the parking lot, live turkeys plummeting to the ground.
Les Nessman: "Oh the humanity!!"
Mr. Carlson: "As god as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" (WKRP classic episode available at HULU.com)
So Thanksgiving has just passed and even though it's not a high holiday for this vegetarian I suppose it would be appropriate to talk a little about for what I'm thankful. Of course I am thankful for all the typical sentimental things like family, friends and fine health, but I'd like to also express an often left out and more antithetical perspective. I'm also thankful for all the adversity in life.
Not that I am currently experiencing a lot of adversity at the moment. In fact, I could stand a little more, but all in good time. Adversity isn't on a wish list either, but I can appreciate it because without it life would be stagnant. The difficult situations we face are what help us to grow and without them we wouldn't amount to much.
According to Buddhist theology there are Heavenly realms, Hellish Realms and the Human realm (none of which are eternal). The Buddha explained that the Human realm is the optimum because the conditions are greatest for developing insight into the true nature of all things. In the Hellish realms one is in too much distress to see beyond ones own pain. In the Heavenly realms one is too happy in pleasure to question life. So the Human existence is uniquely special, it's one where real spiritual work can be done, one where true wisdom can be attained.
There is a Buddhist story which points out the precious nature and rarity of human existence with its great balance of pleasure and pain. He said that all beings have had innumerable lives. So many, that the drops in the oceans are less than the number of tears one being has shed over the loss of loved ones throughout its incarnations. Throughout these incarnations the occurrence of a human birth is akin to the likelihood of a blind man in a rowboat with a rope noose actually catching an sea turtle which comes to the surface only once every hundred years!
So the moral of the story is simply to be thankful to be alive with all the ups and downs. And try and learn a thing or two along the way.
Now on to Xmas.
I have all I want or need materially. I have no interest in Black Friday or Cyber Monday, whatever that is. All I really want materially is continued food, water and shelter and at the moment I'm good on those accounts. I am trying to learn a thing or two so I do have a few books on my wish list, but other than that, money would be better spent on someone else. Unless Santa has in his bag a gift certificate for a scenic "Instant Karma Juice" crop dusting flight over D.C. and Wall Street! Oh please, please, I've been good, really I have, please Santa! Actually, Santa you can skip the gift certificate for the flight in the crop duster. Simply lighten your load of the "Instant Karma Juice" on your fly by over those areas. Pull that off and I'll never doubt your existence again. Thanks in advance, you're the best!
This year what I really want for Xmas is to be "Good". If I can accomplish that and maintain it I figure everything else will fall into place. This idea came up the other day and it kind of fits in with things here. We all tell children that they have to be good or Santa won't bring them presents. That's bribery at best and blackmail if we are honest with ourselves, pure and simple. This would not be necessary if we taught children to think critically about being good. I'm not saying we are all negligent in this, but it could always bear a little more scrutiny.
Ask a child what he wants to be when he grows up and 50 million to 1 you'll never hear, "I want to be good." Now you might say that an answer like that is too philosophically sophisticated for children, but I'd would vehemently disagree. In fact, I'd call bullshit!
We constantly tell children to be good, we want them to be good, they are fully capable of understanding what "good" is if we take the time to explain it thoroughly and yet we often sell them short. Instead, we are so proud when they respond to the question with, "I want to be a fireman, or police officer, or doctor". None of which they have any actual comprehension of nor will they in any likelihood actually become any of those idyllic proletariat models.
Imagine fully explaining that a fireman can be burned to death or killed by smoke. That a police officer is in mortal danger daily (and will be forced to circumvent inalienable rights for government profit, but I digress). That doctors are surrounded by communicable diseases, death and nasty internal yucky parts which often don't stay completely internal. Now imagine really explaining the merits of "goodness" so that they truly understand intellectually to a degree which allows them to go out and experiment with "good" experientially. Now imagine asking the question again about what they want to be and I bet the 50 million to 1 odds drop dramatically. In addition, they don't have to wait until they grow up! If they can accomplish that and maintain it, I figure everything else will fall into place...
Of course, if one is to be a skilled teacher one has to know his subject thoroughly. So the question arises, "What is good?" Good question ;)
Before I get down off this soapbox I'd like to offer the following teaching from the Buddha to his son Rahula when he was seven years old. (I have condensed it for brevity's sake)
"What do you think, Rahula: What is a mirror for?"
"For reflection, sir."
"In the same way, Rahula, bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions are to be done with repeated reflection.
"Whenever you want to do a bodily action, verbal action or mental action you should reflect on it: 'This action I want to do — would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Would it be an unskillful action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be an unskillful action with painful consequences, painful results, then any action of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do. But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction... it would be a skillful action with pleasant consequences, pleasant results, then any action of that sort is fit for you to do.
"While you are doing a bodily action, verbal action or mental action you should reflect on it: 'This action I am doing — is it leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it is leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both... you should give it up. But if on reflection you know that it is not... you may continue with it.
"Having done a bodily action, verbal action or mental action you should reflect on it: 'This action I have done — did it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Was it an unskillful action, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it was an unskillful action with painful consequences, painful results, then you should confess it, reveal it, lay it open to the Teacher or to a knowledgeable companion in the holy life. Having confessed it... you should exercise restraint in the future. But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful action with pleasant consequences, pleasant results, then you should stay mentally refreshed & joyful, training day & night in skillful mental qualities.
"Rahula, all those brahmans & contemplatives in the course of the past, present and future who purified their bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions, did it through repeated reflection on their bodily actions, verbal actions, & mental actions in just this way.
Excerpt from: Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta
May all transcend suffering and have happy holidays!
