I have recently read a post on a Buddhist web chat about fear and the upcoming election. Here are my thoughts.
I understand the angst about the upcoming election, of course. We would like to live in a world of love, compassion, and wisdom. But the world has always had its problems. That is not to minimize them, just to put them into perspective. It’s the First Noble Truth. 100 years ago we were only six years removed from the First World War. What a hot mess that was.
My family is mostly German. I grew up in the 1950’s with the stigma of the Holocaust. This was despite the fact that my family members were pacifists who emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1754. My grandparents still spoke German. But I grew up hiding my ancestry. I was once told that Germans are inherently violent, and that is why the Nazis came to power. It was as if to be German meant you had a special violence gene. I had one modest benefit, and that is my last name is Dutch. It spared me some of the abuse.
Now, apparently, it may be America’s turn.
But let’s look at it from the Buddha’s perspective 2600 years ago. They had their problems, too. There was plenty of war and hatred and violence. There were three assassination attempts on the Buddha. Two of the most powerful kings of that time were friends and supporters of the Buddha. They were both killed by their sons. One of the murdered kings was King Bimbisara. He was a good, kind, and gentle man. He was starved to death in prison. The reign of Bimbisara’s son Ajatashatru started many generations of kings who propagated fear and violence throughout India. It wasn’t pretty.
But nowhere did the Buddha say that fear is beneficial except in one case. And that is the fear of wrongdoing:
“And what, bhikkhus, are the things that make one a recluse, that make one a brahmin? Bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘We will be possessed of shame and fear of wrongdoing.’” – [MN 39.3]
Fearlessness is to be cultivated in the practice, and fear is a quality to be overcome. This is from the Dhammapada:
For one who is awake,
Whose mind isn’t overflowing,
Whose heart isn’t afflicted
And who has abandoned both merit and demerit,
Fear does not exist. – [Dhp 38]
On the night of his enlightenment, the Buddha had to first overcome fear:
“I thought: ‘What now if this is the fear and dread coming?’ I thought: ‘Why do I dwell always expecting fear and dread? What if I subdue that fear and dread while keeping the same posture that I am in when it comes upon me?’” – [MN 4.20]
It was only after he had overcome fear that the Buddha could awaken.
The challenge of the Dharma isn’t that you be kind and patient when things are easy. The challenge is that you be kind and patient to someone who is yelling at you about politics.
The Buddha said this to his son Rahula about meditation:
“Rāhula, meditate like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind. Suppose they were to toss both clean and unclean things on the earth, like feces, urine, spit, pus, and blood. The earth isn’t horrified, repelled, and disgusted because of this. In the same way, meditate like the earth. For when you meditate like the earth, pleasant and unpleasant contacts will not occupy your mind.” — [MN 62.13]
It is easy at a time like this to get caught up in the moment. But in the Dharma, our marching orders are always the same. Be a good person. Follow the Precepts. Be kind to yourself and others. Be generous and grateful. Cultivate a peaceful mind. Be a lamp in the darkness. And no matter what happens, this, too, shall pass.