This is an open thread for members of the DKos Sangha and interested visitors who happen by. Each of us has our own path;we come here by way of many different traditions, and of no particular tradition. While the language we use may differ depending on the traditions, teachers, practices, and teachings that have shaped our journeys, we find in common, generally, a search for who we truly are, our true nature, and to bring the peace and compassion born of that search into the greater world of which we area part. If you wish to share, or if you seek support, or if you simply want to say hello, please do, as this space is for you.
Is Buddhist meditational practice rational in the Marxist sense? It is rational if it remains logical and in accordance with the Buddha’s original teaching, but it is irrational if it is used to justify and sustain a religious belief system premised upon theistic entities and blind faith. In the West, for instance, Buddhist meditation has become ‘escapist’ in nature and tends to mimic the Christian monastic who empties his or herself so that they may be filled-up by the grace of god. This ‘filling-up’ with god’s grace replaces the Buddha’s highly rational and secular approach to the development of the mind. This type of Buddhism is simply just an extension of Christian theological thinking ‘disguised’ as Eastern religion. As this is the case, any type of Buddhism that pursues a theistic objective is subject to the criticism of religion developed by Marx and Engels in their theory of Scientific Socialism. This is a Buddhism based upon blind faith and a Buddha who has been hijacked by the religionists and transformed into an avatar. This type of Buddhism is part and parcel of the capitalist status quo, and fully invested in the persecution and oppression of the poor. As this is the case, a distorted Buddhism of this type is not Buddhism at all, but a charade generally practised by those members of the leisured bourgeoisie. As they have financial security, they misinterpret the relative stability and peace of mind their wealth gives them in society, for the achievement of a calm mind through Buddhist training. In reality, the distorted Buddhism they practice is simply a ‘Christianised’ distortion transformed to reflect their already privileged living conditions. The circumstantial peace and tranquillity of their stately homes – with their opulent gardens – are reflected inside the minds of the bourgeoisie quite naturally, and has nothing to do with Buddhist practice, or the transformation of the mind. The distorted Buddhism of the bourgeoisie reflects exactly the outer conditions of the bourgeoisie and has very little to do with genuine or ‘Eastern’ Buddhism. Bourgeois Buddhism is a theistic religion with no reality and fully deserves to be sternly critiqued by the Marxist method. Bourgeois Buddhism truly is an opiate that changes nothing, and is designed to maintain the unjust status quo within capitalist society. This extends to a deliberate misinterpretation of the Buddhist sutras, and is accompanied by a vicious racialisation of the Asian cultures from which Buddhism is communicated to the West. This is irrational Buddhism.
buddhistsocialism.weebly.com/...
Our meditative practices must seek a kind of Critical Realism, where our (ir/rational) subjectivity is dialectically mediated by an (ir/rational) objectivity.
Have a blessed week
namaste