A reader pointed to the corruption in Thai Buddhism. He wasthoughtful, insightful, and entirely correct. Every organization brings evil as well as good. Big, old organizations bring more. Buddhism is supple and pliant and marries itself to the local culture for good and for ill. At its best, dharma is a jewel that teaches compassion and attention. But in Thailand, that means having ancient animism and a near-divine monarch for bedfellows, and some preference for passivity, among other things. Everywhere, it means having a hierarchy. Hierarchs need some power to organize and regulate, but they regularly abuse that power by twisting karma or original sin or distorting the original message until it seems to support hegemonistic violence. (Only Buddhism has partially escaped support of overt violence).
So we know all that.
I am aware I idealize: cultures, religions, leaders, even friends. I'm old enough to have seen so much evil. I marvel at the good, the inspiring, the lovely, in its midst. When I photograph a lily and make a good image, I know that flower grew among weeds and manure, and that in a few days it will begin to stink. All the more glorious that moment of revelation and transcendence when the bloom is perfect.
In this blog I welcome truth. We need to be reminded of the evil that is everywhere, including in organized Buddhism. But I am going to use my words and photography here to point to the amazing and wondrous.
David
Thai Spirit provides a template for life lived small. The Great Recession has made a simpler life both inevitable and welcome. My teachers are Thai friends whose Buddhism is full of color and mystery, but utterly practical too. This blog is a tribute to the best of Thai Spirit and a place of dialogue about how to grow small. You can contact me at familyhelpaz@gmail.com.