The Precepts of the Buddhas are not commandments, but koans. The question is how to get over yourself. But we have to deal with the people who are not only breaking the Jewish and Christian commandments, but are intent on magnifying themselves and their privileges, and putting the rest of us down, even to the point of risking our lives.
The Jewish, and hence Christian, commandment is
Do not bear false witness.
against anybody, but to make the point, the text gives a long list of people who qualify to have the truth told about them.
The first Buddhist koan is expressed in the Four Noble Truths, explaining that training aims at giving up attachments, but not explaining directly the state of mind that results from doing so, except that it is free from mind-made suffering.
Lying is of course an essential form of attachment. Especially lying to yourself.
The Buddhist rule in Theravada teaching is
I undertake the rule of training, to teach myself not to say what is untrue.
Here is a Zen version, from Rev. Jiyu Kennett's commentary on the Ceremony of Giving and Receiving the Precepts.
Do not say that which is not true.
The Wheel of the Dharma rolls constantly and lacks for nothing yet needs something.
The Dharma is Truth itself but it needs expression. He who lies does not allow the Dharma to show itself, he does not allow the Dharma to be expressed, he does not allow the world to see the Dharma Wheel in action. And still the sweet dew covers the whole world, including those who lie, and within that dew lies the Truth.
But don't try to explain this to the hypocrites.
United States House Energy Subcommittee on Health
Majority |
Minority |
- Anna Eshoo, California, Chair
- Eliot Engel, New York
- G.K. Butterfield, North Carolina
- Doris Matsui, California
- Kathy Castor, Florida
- John Sarbanes, Maryland
- Ben Ray Luján, New Mexico
- Kurt Schrader, Oregon
- Joe Kennedy III, Massachusetts
- Tony Cárdenas, California
- Peter Welch, Vermont
- Raul Ruiz, California
- Debbie Dingell, Michigan
- Ann McLane Kuster, New Hampshire
- Robin Kelly, Illinois
- Nanette Barragán, California
- Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware
- Bobby Rush, Illinois
|
- Michael C. Burgess, Texas, Ranking Member
- Fred Upton, Michigan
- John Shimkus, Illinois
- Brett Guthrie, Kentucky
- Morgan Griffith, Virginia
- Gus Bilirakis, Florida
- Billy Long, Missouri
- Larry Bucshon, Indiana
- Susan Brooks, Indiana
- Markwayne Mullin, Oklahoma
- Richard Hudson, North Carolina
- Buddy Carter, Georgia
- Greg Gianforte, Montana
|
Dr. Bright wanted to talk about getting shoved out of his life's work on developing vaccines, for political reasons, plus the illnesses and deaths that will result. Democrats wanted to talk about that, and equipment and supplies, and testing and tracing, plus actual preparation for protecting the entire population from covid-19 and flu and whatever else when those vaccines are developed, and all of the other political hits on actual health care and human life.
Rs wanted to score bogus parliamentary points, and talk about chloroquine and why didn't Dr. Bright do this, that, and the other about masks and ventilators, and of course falsely blame Obama. Many of those issues were nothing to do with BARDA, and most were blocked by Trump and his minions.
Some of these liars and cheats are actually sickening to listen to. I am particularly displeased with the horrible Wrong-Wing women from Indiana, where I live, but the competition is fierce.
Joe Kennedy and Bobby Rush did well, but I was particularly pleased with the Democratic women on the panel.
I can't pick out all of the inspiring quotations, or the positively evil statements and questions from the Dark Side.
Dr. Bright answered a lot of questions as briefly as possible, but he came alive when answering the question about what testing is needed. There are several different kinds of test, with different costs and availability and reliability and so forth, providing different kinds of information. He emphasized that we need real planning, determining what we can do with the various kinds of information available, and therefore which tests to create in what quantities, and whom to test.
We can put his testimony into one word:
Strategy.
A health strategy, not bogus political strategery.
Sunzi's Art of War applies against diseases and delusions and karma generally, just as well as against generals and armies.
Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all!