When George W. Bush was campaigning for president in 2000, he often used the phrase "compassionate conservative" to describe his politics. Not surprisingly, as he tends to mangle the English language, Bush clearly has no idea what the word "compassion" means.
Compassion is a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it, according to dictionary.com.
Someone born in the lap of luxury who hoards all of his wealth and gives tax cuts to the richest one percent of the population, who cuts important social programs in favor of dropping extremely expensive bombs on Iraq, and who got everything in life due to his family name certainly has no understanding of suffering.
Saddam Hussein, a power-hungry dictator, is certainly not a model of compassion either, and the atrocities he has committed are well documented.
Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen master and chairman of the Vietnamese Buddhist Peace Delegation during the Vietnam War, is a collection of speeches to American peace activists in the 1980s. Thich Nhat Hanh uses very simple language to convey his beautiful messages of peace and compassion, as the speeches are meant for a mass audience, including children. You will be able to read this 115 page book in one sitting.
Being Peace was published in 1987 by Parallax Press of Berkeley California. It features an introduction by editor Arnold Kotler and adorable illustrations by Mayumi Oda.
In the first chapter, "Suffering is not Enough," Thich Nhat Hanh emphasizes how important it is to appreciate what you have. "Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky?" he asks. Many people have noticed that when you first get over a cold, you appreciate being healthy, but on normal days, you take your health for granted. This chapter discusses the importance of being aware of the moment. Thich Nhat Hanh achieves this through meditation, but one can appreciate the beauty of the world just by noticing one's surroundings more.
Nowadays, people are even less aware of their environment than when Thich Nhat Hanh wrote this book. People are so wrapped up in their cell phone conversations as they walk down the street that they don't appreciate the weather or flowers or the simple fact that they are alive.
"The Three Gems," Chapter Two, goes over some of the basics of Buddhism and meditation, and gives a brief biography of the Buddha. The Three Gems are Buddha ("the awakened one"), Dharma ("the way of understanding and loving"), and Sangha ("the community that lives in harmony and awareness.")
When you understand, you love. And when you love, you naturally act in a way that can relieve the suffering of people.
Chapter Three, "Feelings and Perceptions," discusses the five aggregates of Buddhism: form (body), feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. Rather than condemning negative feelings, Thich Nhat Hanh says, "We have to convert anger into some kind of energy that is more constructive."
In Chapter Four, "The Heart of Practice," Thich Nhat Hanh presents one of the most crucial principles behind Buddhist compassion: "in Buddhism there is no such thing as an individual." With the concept of re-birth one should imagine that, in a past or future life, one could be Iraqi, George W. Bush, a British soldier, or anyone else in the world.
Another important concept in this chapter is that everything is interconnected. Thus, anything you do has a profound effect on the rest of the world.
"Working for Peace," the Fifth Chapter, discusses the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and Apartheid in South Africa. It's a bit outdated now, but the same principles still apply to today's world. For example, he writes in reference to South Africa:
Can you be more than Americans? Can you be people who understand deeply the suffering of both sides?
This chapter also describes the seven non-violent methods for settling disputes that have been used by Buddhist monks and nuns for thousands of years. Bush and his allies never attempted to speak diplomatically with Saddam Hussein about disarming. Threatening him and calling him "evil" is basically the same as bombing him with words, as it is hostile and insulting.
Chapter 6, "Interbeing," presents the fourteen philosophies of life and peaceful living that members of the "Order of Interbeing" pledge to live by. I believe that many of these ideas are crucial for everyone to strive for, and are especially apt during the current conflict.
The first two are that one should not be too tied to one doctrine, since one should be open to other viewpoints. In addition, says the third precept, one should never force one's views on others.
"Fourth: Do not avoid contact with suffering or close your eyes before suffering."
CNN's video game-like coverage of the war does not present an accurate view of the suffering that is occurring in the Iraqi desert.
"Fifth: Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry."
Thousands of years old, this precept seems to have been written with the Republican Party in mind.
"Ninth: Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people."
Again, this statement is very apt when we think of the rhetoric of political debate and the utter nonsense spewed out by Bush, via his team of speech writers.
"Eleventh: Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live."
The oil industry perhaps? Bush, Cheney and their corporate buddies destroy the environment to make their own wallets fatter.
"Twelfth: Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and to prevent war."
It has saddened me to hear pro-war Americans say that the anti-war protests are "unpatriotic" and don't support the troops. What would be best for the troops would be if they were home with their families! I don't want anyone to die-- American, British, Iraqi, or anyone else. And, as this war continues, it will increase anti-American sentiment around the world. If you love America and care about its image, you should oppose this war as it will only lead to more terrorism.
"Thirteenth: Possess nothing that should belong to others."
A thought-provoking sign I have seen at protests says, "How did our oil get under their sand?" Think about it.
Being Peace is a beautiful book that can change the way you look at the world and how you live your life. I only wish that more people would read it. Then there would be no need for weapons of mass destruction at all.
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This review is part of an anti-war write-off organized by Jay1051971. Contributors include:
lambchops
beckytcy (me!)
dedemw
ingysdayoff
jay1051971
jordan_tar
lemon_lime
matthewn
sfarmer76
briandalsmom
foxy_shy
voxpoptart
See Jay's profile page at http://www.epinions.com/user-jay1051971 for a complete list of participants and links to their reviews.
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