Can a Buddhist Voter Be Undecided?

Buddhist heresy in Mappo?

The day after George Bush was appointed and many were in afterglow from his "victory," I simply told my right-wing friends that I was not comfortable with a president who seemed less intelligent than I.  The day after 9/11 and many of my friends, both left and right, were eager for vengeance, I told them that I felt the U.S. had to take responsibility for what had happened in New York and that I thought a "go to the moon type project" over the next 10 years in the quest for alternative energies would pay off a lot more than a war of retribution.  I was roundly scorned for my views (but then, what else is new?).

Of course, you are not a Buddhist heretic because you're not on the Obama bandwagon.  Obama himself has said this election is not about him, it is about us.  I have told most of my friends for the past two years that this election is not about who is running for President.  I believe it is about the collective (as opposed to individual) level of karmic fortune for our nation and I do not know what that is, particularly in light of our recent predilection to allow preemptive war and torture.  This is not about George Bush... it is about that in which we as Americans have become complicit.

In The Latter Day of the Law, supposedly the True Law is lost.  Well, we do have Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and we can chant it to a Gohonzon, but I believe the true meaning of Mappo is that this is a time where the erroneous notion that one man or group of men can lead us out of the wilderness and confusion is shown for the fallacy it is.  This time around, I do not believe there will be a messiah, SGI President, High Priest or even U.S. President to illuminate the path ahead.  We certainly have role models, from Jesus to Gandhi to MLK or from the Dalai Lama to Desmond Tutu, to point a direction, but the time has come where we as common mortals need to make a choice to function, behave and yes, even vote, from a fundamental life-set of love, hope and courage rather than fear.

In your previous post, you noted that, technically, there is no nation which adheres to the Lotus Sutra.  However, if you grasp the fact that the core teaching of the Lotus Sutra is 1) that each and every human being has the birthright and potential to actualize his or her own Buddhahood (thereby making none of us "special," except in our own unique function) and 2) we are morally bound, as Bodhisattiva Fukyo, to dignify the life or both our fellow beings, as well as ourselves, it is clear that some nations may be more  aligned on the side of the Lotus Sutra than others.

I am convinced that, were the Daishonin alive today in the Western world, he would be spending his time railing against the materialistic excesses of our age, of our corporate culture, than making esoteric arguments against provisional forms of Buddhism.  He would be pointing out that as long as a person's worth, either to himself or his society, is measured by "treasures of storehouse," we are on an erroneous path.

All this is meant to say that, in voting for the leader of our country, we have a choice between two men who are probably both quite "good" (as opposed to competent).  Barack is articulate, intelligent and, for many, charismatic.  John is brave and single-minded.  Barack also can appear quite aloof and even arrogant.  John, at least to my perception these days, seems a bit old and foolish.

Can either one of them fix things?  Can either one of them pull it off?  I have no idea.  What I do know is that this is about the fortune of the people of the United States of America and our ability to recognize that the next step of human evolution has to do with our ability to renounce both war and the single-minded quest for material acquision as a substitute for security. We have vertically evolved to the point where, if we so desired, we could house and feed every person on this planet.  The next step must be in the horizontal evolution of human consciousness -- lifting all "boats" and impacting the world around us. This is the only way to assure our survival and a peaceful, harmonious future for our species.  This, I believe, is the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

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by: crisro @ Thu Sep 25, 2008 at 10:15:35 AM CDT

Presidential pick

I sorta hate to follow Cris' great commentary with my pedestrian commentary, but here goes.

Auntie, I'm not undecided, but I'm unenthusiastic. I was for Hillary in the primaries. I think Obama and his supporters made a mistake by dissing the Clintons and belittling Bill's accomplishments as President. It made me think that half of the Democratic Party had lost its mind. So I'm not terribly impressed with Obama and his alleged ability to "bring people together."

But, um, the Republicans have, um, how shall I say? Ruined America. Torture, rendition, habeus corpus, no-warrant wire taps/domestic spying, Enron, lying about yellowcake/ lying about WMD, Scooter Libby, two mismanaged wars, ignoring science while elevating religious belief, unprecedented financial failure...and Osama bin Laden is sipping champagne cocktails somewhere.

In other words, WTF?! How can anyone in their right mind think it's OK to reward the past eight years of Republican rule with another four years?

Granted, instead of providing vigorous, principled opposition, the Democrats have rolled over and whined for the past eight years. So I have little confidence in their ability at this point to put our country back on track.

I cling to the Buddhisty idea of "from this moment forward." Meaning, our fate is not predetermined, and our past does not dictate our future. Rather, this present moment is all we have, and in this moment, we can make the "cause" to move in a whole new direction.

This probably works for countries, too, but it requires initiative and leadership. In America, at least for now, individuals still have the opportunity to take initiative and exercise leadership in their own right. You don't need the government's blessing, and you don't need to win an election to change your own life, to start your own business or foundation, to follow your own calling to somehow serve others.

I know that doesn't help you decide how to vote. The debate is going to happen tonight after all. So maybe that will help you decide.

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by: deardenver @ Fri Sep 26, 2008 at 15:22:48 PM CDT

Debate didn't help much

Cris and DD, thank you for your comments.

I keep hearing that this is a high-stakes election. Watching the debate last night, I didn't see that. I saw two men who could do the job of U.S. President equally well.

Both candidates equally disappointed me, however, in not cogently addressing the financial crisis. I understand that the language of the deal has not been written, therefore they could not comment on specifics. Even so, I felt something was missing on both sides.

In general, I am not in favor of increased taxes and more government spending. From the debate, I learned Obama will raise taxes on people making more than $250,000 per year, and will initiate billions in spending. On the other hand, McCain will cut taxes on businesses and will propose a spending freeze on everything but defense, veteran care and entitlements (I assume entitlements are medicare, social security, etc.) On the face of it, I like McCain's approach better, and it's an approach that sets him apart from George Bush and the runaway spending of the Bush administration.

However, what does this mean for health care? If McCain freezes spending, will he be able to reform the multi-billion dollar health care system? Obama seemed to suggest that McCain will have to put health care on the back burner. Certainly, I favor reduced spending. One of the reasons we are in a financial meltdown is because of irresponsibly spending on credit. At the same time, I feel that health care reform is urgently needed in this country. So McCain wins a point, and Obama wins a point.

I was against the Iraq war. I have been appalled and saddened by the entire affair, from the odious "shock and awe" killing, to the public-spectacle hanging of Saddam Hussein, to the insurgent beheadings of U.S. contractors, to torture at U.S. prisons and black sites.... Yes, DD, I am well aware of the horrors of the past several years, and I do not support or "reward" it.

McCain made a good point when he said that the next president does not have to deal with going into Iraq and pondering questions of whether it was right or wrong. Rather, the next president has to win in Iraq and then win in Afghanistan.

Regardless of what I think of the war, what good does it do to pull out and leave Iraq in chaos? Yes, we threw that country into chaos, but the troop surge that McCain supported is lessening the chaos. Unlike George Bush, McCain can tell us what victory in Iraq looks like, and what victory requires.

It was a crime for America to initiate the war with Iraq. But we are there now. We have no choice but to stabilize the country and leave under mutually agreed upon terms. Abandoning the mission -- which was botched by the Bush administration -- is mere failure, not a solution.

Obama seemed to say that he would pull out of Iraq before order is restored to instead focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. I agree that we must not abandon Afghanistan to Al Qaida and Taliban-style thugs. I was bothered, however, that Obama did not acknowledge the possibility of victory in Iraq. His position seems to be that Iraq was wrong from the outset (it was) and the war was bungled (it was) and the solution is to get out of there pronto.

Part of me wants to vote for Obama just as a stinging rebuke to all the Republicans and Democrats who supported the Iraq war from the start and who did little to hold the Bush administration accountable. Yet I do not agree that abandoning Iraq to focus on Afghanistan is the way to right the wrongs of Bush's war. I felt that McCain had a better grasp of what is actually happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and what is required militarily to root out terrorists in those lands.

So, in terms of dealing responsibly with current military matters, I feel McCain has a large advantage over Obama. However, I think war is tragic, barbaric and appalling -- and this part of me finds kinship with Obama.

I don't have to decide how I will cast my vote yet, thank goodness. I'm looking forward to the Biden vs. Palin debate on Tuesday. Maybe that will lead me to an "A-ha!" realization.

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by: auntie @ Sat Sep 27, 2008 at 16:21:02 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

"Buddhist" politics

One of the things that attracted me to Nichiren Buddhism in the first place years ago was the concepts of Mutible and immutable truth. And that the religion made a big deal out of the fact that they had no business saying

I am a Buddhist so I must vote for this person or that person, wear this kind of clothes, or that kind of clothes, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

Why? Because the moment that you extend Buddhist rules beyond what we specifically were given, vis a vis a methodology to apprehend / manifest the Buddha nature in your own life, (or worse yet make that judgment for others) then you throw the actual PRACTICE of Nichren Buddhism into the subjective / transient  which changes on a case by case, moment by moment, and most importantly? person by person basis. Then you fall into the same idiocy that the "God-centered" religions wallow in ... sic;

don't do this!!! It's against the religion to do (whatever) Oh wait a minute!!  things have changed! I take it back! Do do this!

Which turns them into transient philosophies that because they can consistently guess wrong about what is right action because they don't have / can't have  all the facts, then all they are empowered to do is lead people into suffering

You are chanting to bring out YOUR buddha nature what actions that leads to in YOUR OWN life is up to YOU and if you make the fatal mistake of making what amounts to a group judgement, sic

Buddhists must vote for _________ not _______
then you are not practicing Nichiren Buddhism and you might want to look at the other effects in your life that are being warped by applying some blend of Nichiren Buddhism and other religious concepts, sometimes described as mixing food with ______

you fill in the blank, ... for yourself ....  don't fill it in for Buddhists as a group.

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by: jccampb @ Mon Sep 29, 2008 at 07:35:39 AM CDT