A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
However the seed is
planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing
good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the
purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too [social
action] is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
Reflection
The historical
Buddha did not talk much about social action, and the field of social
action is being artificially added here to the traditional list of the
three kinds of action: bodily, verbal, and mental. Social action is an
important concern in the modern world, and for decades engaged Buddhists
have been addressing issues of how the traditional teachings can inform
contemporary concerns for promoting greater social harmony.
Daily Practice
The quality of
intention you put into social action is going to have an effect on the
results, much like the planting of seeds affects the harvesting of
fruit. It is important to change the inequities and injustices that
abound in society but equally important to do so motivated by
generosity, kindness, and wisdom rather than by greed, hatred, and
delusion. Practice manifesting positive qualities in all the work you do
toward social change.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action
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It
is precisely our recognition of life’s inevitable hardships, along with
our uprooting of the attachments that exacerbate them, that allows us
to appreciate the mere fact of being.