Buddhism and compassion

[Meadmaker]

I mentioned the cycle of birth and death and the end of suffering, and how it was the karma of all people to suffer unitl they break the cycle. However, don't take that explanation as a very good explanation. The whole idea of reincarnation in Buddhism is very different from our popular conception of reincarnation.

More importantly, it should also be noted that in Buddhist thought, it isn't tsunamis or communist invasions that cause suffering. Suffering arises from the mind itself. We are all going to die. What is it about dying suddenly in a tsunami that creates more suffering?

I am reminded of one of my favorite Buddhist stories, that I heard in a Unitarian sermon.

A monk was meditating sitting on a path in the jungle, when he saw a tiger coming down the path. He didn't know what was in the other direction, but he ran that way, away from the tiger. The path ended in a high cliff, and the tiger was catching him, so he jumped. Fortunately, just underneath the cliff, there was a branch growing out the side, which he caught and hung onto. Unfortunately, the tiger was still there at the top of the cliff, and the monk's weight was pulling the branch out of the cliff. If it fell, he would surely be dashed on the rocks hundreds of feet below. Just as the branch was about to pull out from the cliff, the monk noticed a strawberry growing out of a vine right next to the branch. He reached up, plucked it, ate it, and thought, "Ahh.. Delicious."

 

[Vitnir]

Do you have a citation of this quote. I am curious about his actual words, he was very misquoted after hurrican e Katrina.

The interview was obviously in english, it was then translated into swedish, then I translated it to english again so it may well be a bit mangled. After reading a bit of the theory of Karma in the link above I'm still a bit confused, the text is a bit illiterate and hard to understand. Almost as if it has been translated into english by someone not very good at english. Buddhism deny that your past actions can come back to haunt you in the form of disease, tsunamis, hurricanes etc but then still say its connected to Karma in a way I dont get. At least its not readily explained how disasters are connected with Karma since they happen to a lot of people at the same time.

 

[Vitnir]

...
More importantly, it should also be noted that in Buddhist thought, it isn't tsunamis or communist invasions that cause suffering. Suffering arises from the mind itself. We are all going to die. What is it about dying suddenly in a tsunami that creates more suffering?
...

In a strickt sense it is true that suffering is created by the mind but I still think the tsunami/invasion plays a vital role. I think I won't buy into Buddhism myself but its interesting to see how others think.

 

[Dancing David]

I remeber that when hurricane Katrina occured the DL made a comment about how karma impacted the situations that occur in natural disasters. In the strict buddhist sense I believe that karma is merely the consequences of thoughts and actions.

a. global warming: some believe that this is making huricanes worse.
b. the destruction of coastal wetlands through various means:some believe that this made the storm surge worse.
c. the construction of levees: then the lack of maintainence.
d. a socio-economic system that subsidises the rich and powerful and abandons the poor
e. an evacuation plan that did not provide for people that don't have cars
f. people blaming the porr and refusing them to walk across bridges to safety for a wide variety of ignorant reasons
g. building a large city in a coastal flood plain
h. abandoning the pumping stations
i. many governments being more concerned about looking good rather than being good

These are all human choices that may have impacted the hurricaner Katrina disaster. Much less the many thought which have added to the problems.

 

[Dancing David]

In a strickt sense it is true that suffering is created by the mind but I still think the tsunami/invasion plays a vital role. I think I won't buy into Buddhism myself but its interesting to see how others think.

It is important to understand that the stance of the buddha was explanatory and non-judgemental. The oral tradition states that the buddha often spoke in medical terms.

1. There are causes of suffering.
2. Through gentle understanding suffering can be reduced.

this is the a simplification of the formula, but basicaly the principles.

Attachment to non-imporatant things leads to suffering, fear of non-imporatant things leads to suffering. The human condition creates suffering which we can always make worse by our reactions to it. This does not mean that human attachment and fear are the only causes of suffering, just that we make choices that can increase or decrease suffering.