Dalai Lama
Motivation is very important, and thus my simple religion is love, respect for others, honesty: teachings that cover not only religion but also the fields of politics, economics, business, science, law, medicine-everywhere. With proper motivation these can help humanity…
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
the path to enlightment is not about removing pleasure from one's life. it *is* about the removal of suffering from one's life -- and the life of other's -- through practices such as meditation, compassion, and mindfulness. cutting out addictions, habits, etc. that rule our lives by giving us immediate pleasure and long term suffering (addictions) or keeping us less conscious and living less vibrantly without enjoying the moment (habits). Removing these things does not mean removing pleasure from your life. it is closer to what you believe, i think.
one removes that which keeps one from truly living and experiencing. to stop letting other things ruin your life and start allowing yourself to truly experience for the first time. to experience pleasure through the practice of moderation (not by moderating pleasure). this is really pleasure. this is why nirvana is pure bliss. (for example, a buddhist monk can marry)
and yes, there's an emphasis on the body/soul. i think a not unreasonable emphasis, considering the amount of control one may have with one's mind and soul over their body and surroundings. but this is not in conflict with environmentalism because buddhists hold that all of life is sacred. all of it has spiritual worth and requires dignity and compassion -- practice which is more spiritual/mindful but has obvious physical ramifications.
the difference i see between christian and buddhist dualisms is that in christianity, humans are distinct from the rest of the world because they have spiritual worth, while the rest of life has less because although it is created by God, it doesn't have any eternal or spiritual qualities. this sort of dualism allows for hierarchies that are not conducive to environmentalism...
also, let's not fool ourselves -- buddhism may emphasize the mind and spirit but they recognize the reciprocity between body and mind better than modern American Christians. When was the last time your minister advised you to exercise everyday, do yoga, and follow certain dietary restrictions? when have you been advised by a youth pastor or a professor that what you put into your mouth has spiritual significance and ramifications? and in terms of the environment -- when, in church, have you been taught things like how our dependence on each other and our environment is spiritually significant?
now, clearly you've been taught some of that or you wouldn't be asking these questions. but the song the circle of life from the lion king is enough to put the movie on people's "top ten buddhist movies" lists... do you see anything comparable on the Christian lists?
but there's nothing saying that Christians aren't environmentalists, or that you can't work to have more Christian environmentalists.
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment