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Title: Envisioning a Buddhist Anarchism Author: Ian Mayes Date: November 2011 Language: en Topics: buddhism Source: Retrieved on 2020-10-11 from https://parenthesiseye.blogspot.com/2011/11/envisioning-buddhist-anarchism.html
I see Buddhist anarchism as being important for two reasons. I see
Buddhism as essentially being about the individualâs personal liberation
from unnecessary suffering. Anarchism I see as essentially being about
freeing the world, through a profound social and political
transformation, from unnecessary pain. We create all of this unnecessary
pain and suffering ourselves.
The distinction between the two is that pain is usually a physical or an
âexternalâ thing, such as what you would normally think of with pain.
There is also emotional pain, such as what comes with the loss of a
loved one. Suffering is the particular kind of agony that comes about by
holding onto an idea that something âshould notâ be happening that is
happening, or âshouldâ be happening that is not happening. This turns
whatever pre-existing pain into something else, something worse. Thatâs
suffering. Suffering is created by our own habits of mind, where we
choose to put our attention and what we choose to hold onto. Pain on the
other hand is inevitable in life, however the social systems and
institutions that humanity has chosen to organize the world with creates
more pain for people than is necessary. A Buddhist anarchism would
simultaneously be eliminating unnecessary suffering in the psyche and
unnecessary pain in the world, and towards more joy and appreciation of
life.
The other reason why I see a Buddhist anarchism as being important is
that I see the two philosophies as complimenting and completing
each-other. It is a union of the personal and the political, the
psychological and the social, so to speak. This is ultimately about
liberation in its fullest sense â both on the individual personal level
and within the larger social body.
The philosophy of anarchism implies that a fundamental shift in the
consciousness of people is necessary. In order to have a new world
without domination, property or authority, people would need to be
accustomed towards living with more benevolence, attentiveness, caring
and flexibility with each-other. However, this shift in consciousness is
rarely explicitly stated or elaborated upon in anarchist discourse, and
the skills necessary for how people can achieve this shift in
consciousness are almost never taught within anarchist circles.
The other angle to this is related to the arguments for what is called
âEngaged Buddhism,â and that is that far too often Buddhism in practice
becomes a means for people to escape from the world, to ignore the
sufferings of others, and to blindly contribute to the injustices of the
world. If one really does wish for the liberation of all beings, then
one would inevitably be drawn to more thorough social engagement for
working towards this.
A number of months have elapsed since I wrote my previous essay about
this subject. Iâve received a number of different responses to it, all
across the board. Iâve had some time to reflect further on the matter.
One thing that has struck me is that there really is no pre-existing
philosophy that is formulated which goes into depth about âBuddhist
anarchism.â Various people have used this label to describe themselves,
different articles, blog posts, audio or video recordings have been
made, yet there has been no real lineage or tradition established for
âBuddhist anarchismâ as such.
This term was first publicly noted as being used 50 years ago, in 1961,
by Gary Snyder with his essay entitled âBuddhist anarchism.â Given that
Snyder is still alive, that means that we are still in the period of the
first generation of living âBuddhist anarchists.â The whole thing is
still very much in its initial formative stage, which means that we all
can still define and lay out what we would like for a Buddhist anarchist
philosophy to be. I would like to contribute a few more pieces here
about what I would like for such a philosophy to include, this time
drawing more from the core tenets of Buddhist philosophy than my
previous essay did.
One thing that I would like to say right away is that I do not see
Buddhist anarchism as being in any way connected with the various
tyrannical governments, religious superstition and patriarchal
traditions around the world that are associated with Buddhism. The
âBuddhismâ that a âBuddhist anarchismâ is connected to would be the core
philosophical tenets of Buddhism. The various outgrowths of Buddhism
which are fundamentally at odds with the philosophy of anarchism are not
a part of Buddhist anarchism as I see it.
I do admit that there are many different kinds of Buddhist philosophies
out there. There are many different kinds of anarchist philosophies out
there as well. Put together, this means that there exist innumerable
different ways in which âBuddhist anarchismâ can take form and be
expressed by different people. My own background that is influencing my
perspective on Buddhist anarchism is coming from my experience with
Vipassana Meditation, which derives from a Theravada Buddhist tradition,
and anarcho-communism which is associated with the writings of the
Russian anarchist philosopher Peter Kropotkin.
Despite all of the diversity within Buddhism, there do exist some things
that are core to Buddhism and that all of the different traditions have
in common. Looking at these core elements, I see a number of parallels
and cross-overs with the philosophy of anarchism. Letâs start with the
Four Noble Truths.
The First Noble Truth of Buddhism is that suffering exists everywhere.
Wherever you look you will see people miserable or in some way
experiencing some degree of suffering in their lives. This would then
correlate with anarchist philosophy which says that the world that we
live in is organized in a way that is fundamentally corrupt and harmful
to life. Anarchists everywhere share the commonality of looking around
at the world and seeing a society that is deeply and pervasively against
life. The world as we know it is really messed up.
The Second Noble Truth of Buddhism says that suffering has a cause, and
that is craving, aversion and ignorance. In other words, âhaving to
haveâ something, having to avoid something, or simply refusing to look
at life as it is are the causes of suffering. These three causes of
suffering correlate with the anarchist philosophyâs pointing to the
institutions of capitalism and the state, and underlying that domination
per se, as being the cause for all of the corruption and oppression of
the world. Domination at its root is based on craving and aversion for
it comes about when those at the top of the hierarchy âhave toâ have
things their way, even at the expense of others, and no other
possibilities are tolerated or permitted.
Anarchists frequently decry the ignorance that is prevalent in society
as well, seeing that as being a fundamental part of the problem.
Anarchists see the social tendency for people in our society to ignore
or disregard the various injustices and horrors that exist in our world
and instead focus attention on trivialities, superficialities and
entertainment. This social dynamic of continuing distractions ensures
that all of the injustices and horrors will continue.
The Third Noble Truth of Buddhism is that it is possible to overcome
suffering. There exists a psycho-spiritual condition called ânirvanaâ or
âenlightenmentâ and individuals through their own effort can attain it.
The correlation of this with anarchism is that of the vision of a new
utopian society which exists without the state or capitalism, without
domination or hierarchy, and that instead is based on free people
organizing together directly as equals and sharing all of the worldâs
resources in common. Similar to the Buddhist assertion that it is
possible for people to reach this radically different condition through
their own efforts, anarchists assert that societies of people can create
this radically different world through their own efforts as well.
The Fourth Noble Truth of Buddhism is that there is an explicitly
delineated path for people to follow to reach nirvana. This is called
the Noble Eightfold Path. I wonât go into each of the points for the
Noble Eightfold Path here, perhaps that can be a topic for another
article. Instead I will look at the three categories that the Noble
Eightfold Path is broken down into: morality (sila), mastery over oneâs
mind (Samadhi) and experiential wisdom (panna). For the philosophy of
anarchism there is also an explicitly stated means for achieving a
social revolution that has three different components. This involves
practices that are characterized by the principles of prefigurative
politics, self-organization and direct action.
The Buddhist concept of morality (sila) is basically that one should not
do or say things that will harm others, and that one should work towards
doing and saying things that helps others instead. The idea is that if
one does or says things that hurt others, one is also at the same time
hurting oneâs own self psychologically and spiritually as well. I see
Buddhist morality (sila) as corresponding with the anarchist notion of
âprefigurative politics,â which is the principle that oneâs actions and
the projects that one engages in now should reflect the kind of world
that one wants to see in the future within it. âBe the change you wish
to see in the world.â At the heart of an anarchist morality, expressed
through a prefigurative practice, would be relationships where the
autonomy of each individual is respected, without coercion, and where
everyoneâs needs are valued equally. Altogether this would mean that
oneâs actions and projects would be done for the benefit of others as
well as for oneâs self, and that they are done for the sake of a better
future as well as for the present.
Mastering oneâs own mind (Samadhi) is about developing the ability to
control what thoughts one has on oneâs mind at any given time, being
able to choose where one places oneâs attention, and being able to
clearly make decisions and follow through with them. Meditation is a
kind of practice that is used to develop mastery over oneâs own mind.
The anarchist correlation that I see with this is the principle of
self-organization, which is where a group of people organize their own
affairs together directly and democratically without utilizing social
hierarchies or groups outside of them to make decisions for them. I see
this as relating in that in order for a group to survive and thrive in a
self-organized way, they need to develop means to facilitate what is
being talked about, where the groupâs attention is placed in a given
situation, and to make collective decisions and carry them out
effectively. In a way Samadhi and self-organization are both forms of
âself-organization,â just one is on the individual level and the other
is on a larger social level. Self-organization within a group would
require the same kind of cohesion, clarity and self-discipline that are
characteristics of Samadhi.
Experiential wisdom (panna) is about experiencing a deeper understanding
of the nature of existence personally and directly. This kind of
understanding goes beyond what can be read about in books or writings.
In fact it goes beyond what can adequately be expressed in words at all.
It has to be lived to be understood. I see this as correlating with the
anarchist principle of direct action, which is that of meeting needs and
making necessary changes without being told to or asking for permission
from some form of authority. I see these as relating in that what is
learned in the process of carrying out direct action and the kinds of
changes that this brings about within people by going through this
process is beyond anything that can be learned or gained by writing or
talking alone. Direct action brings about a deep fundamental shift in
people, very similar to the kinds of shifts that come from panna. These
are both shifts on the direct experiential level. Direct action dispels
the illusions of authority, panna shatters illusions altogether. When
you are able to see first-hand things getting done without authority,
you get a sense of what a straw-man authority is. When you experience
the truth that is beyond all words, you can see how paltry words are.
Buddhism also has a particular understanding of the nature of our world.
This is summarized by what are called the âthree marks of existence.â
Looking at each of these I realized that each can form the basis for an
argument for an anarchist world. The three marks of existence are
impermanence (anicca), suffering (dukkha) and no-self (anatta).
The idea behind impermanence (anicca) is that everything is always
changing, everything comes and goes, and that nothing stays the same
forever. âThis too shall pass.â I see this as being an argument for
anarchism in that I see the complexities and constantly changing nature
of things and situations as being beyond the scope of authority figures
or institutional bureaucracies to be able to understand or handle.
Things just change too much and too often to keep up. In my view the
people who are living and experiencing the changes themselves are those
who are in the best position to understand the situation that is going
on, and hence are in the best position to be able to deal with it
appropriately. For those who are cut off from the situation itself or
detached from others who are also experiencing it, the understanding can
only be partial.
Suffering (dukkha) was already discussed above as the First Noble Truth
of Buddhism. It is that suffering exists and is a fundamental part of
the human experience. This in turn relates to an argument for anarchism
in that the world that we live in now is filled with immense pain and
injustice, and subsequently that this is unnecessary and that we can do
something about it.
The third mark of existence is no-self (anatta), which is that there is
no essential permanent âselfâ for an individual. In other words,
everything that comprises âyouâ is so contingent on innumerable
different factors and variables, be they biological, social, cultural,
material, etc. that there is no basic core âselfâ which exists
independent of all of that. That is, if all of the different
contributing influences and components from different sources are taken
away, nothing is left.
I see the anarchist correlation to no-self (anatta) as being that all of
the notions of property, social status and political power exist as mere
social constructs that are comprised by innumerable different factors
all coinciding together. The efforts of countless people combined to
make a material object that someone considers to be âtheirs.â
Generations of acquiescence, obedience and the social construction of
meaning combined to create what is called a âkingâ or a âpolitician.â
All kinds of factors reinforced by scores of people created what we have
now. No Divine Intervention came and created relationships of
domination, nor did capitalism and the state naturally exist since the
beginning of time â we created it all ourselves together and it would
not exist without us.
It has been said that the entirety of Buddhism can be summarized with
this phrase: âAbandon unwholesome qualities, cultivate wholesome
qualities, and purify your mind.â Similarly, a take on anarchism can be:
âAbandon capitalist and state-based ways of doing things, create and
participate in free and cooperative-based ways of doing things, and
clean your mind of the mainstream domination-based programming that
fills it.â But what does all of this look like in practice? And what
would a specifically Buddhist anarchist approach look like?
Towards this end I have identified eight different pre-existing
independent practices, projects or sub-cultures which I believe that
woven together could form the fabric for what a specifically Buddhist
anarchist practice can be. None of these are explicitly âBuddhist
anarchistâ per se, but they form the beginning foundations for the
practical expression of it.
where Buddhists do activism (or activists practice Buddhism). Under this
name, various groups like the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the Zen
Peacemakers and Thich Naht Hanhâs people do the political and social
activist work that they do. It could be said that a Buddhist anarchism
by definition is a kind of âengaged Buddhism.â The only difference is
that the political orientation here is a radical anarchist one.
anarchists and Buddhists are often among them, who say that animals have
rights, that animals should be free, and that they should be treated
with care and respect. In practice this view-point can be expressed by
refusing to eat animal flesh, by abstaining from animal products
altogether, or by engaging in more militant actions to free animals from
captivity. From an anarchist stand-point this can be justified by the
desire to do away with all forms of domination and oppression, and the
captivity and killing of animals can be seen as one form of that. From a
Buddhist stand-point this can be justified by a desire for compassion
for all living beings, by the wish of âmay all beings be liberated.â
often have the desire to reclaim public space, to open up space for
everyone outside of the control of the state or private property.
Buddhists often want more people to know about and to practice
meditation. Put these two together, and you have the Public Meditation
Project. This is an endeavor to have people practice meditation out in
the open in public spaces. This can also be done as âmeditation flash
mobs,â where people semi-spontaneously arrange to all meet up together
at the same time and place to meditate in public. Reclaiming public
space does not have to be aggressive, in fact no talking even needs to
happen at all. It can be done sitting down in complete silence and
stillness.
anarchism and punk rock music have been strongly associated with each
other. The anarchist sub-culture often blends into the punk rock
sub-culture, and vice versa. Because of the efforts of authors such as
Noah Levine and Brad Warner, and others, a new sub-culture has come
about of Buddhist punks, or âDharma Punx.â While not explicitly
âanarchist,â Noah Levineâs writings at least often make casual reference
to how what he is advocating is ârevolutionaryâ and âradical.â
Often-times the Buddha himself within this sub-culture is referred to as
being âthe rebel saint. This particular sub-culture has probably done
the most to help develop a Buddhist anarchist culture.
Community: Coming from the self-help scene is a practice called
âNonviolent Communication,â or âNVCâ for short. This is a series of
conceptual and interpersonal tools that can be applied to help with
resolving conflicts between people, developing personal clarity or
sensitively listening to others. From a Buddhist perspective I see this
as in many ways being a kind of âapplied Right Speech.â From an
anarchist perspective the principles and theory underlying NVC
explicitly rejects relationships of domination, and NVC is viewed as
being a way to help overcome it. Most recently something has emerged
from NVC that is called the âConsciousness Transformation Community.â
The CTC is based around a set of 17 âcore commitmentsâ which basically
summarize the kind of consciousness that NVC aims for. In the realm of
interpersonal relationships, NVC and the CTC can be viewed as tools and
a framework for practicing Buddhist anarchism.
there exists a tendency called âradical political straightedge.â This is
a kind of social intersection where people are into punk rock music,
hold radical political views, and abstain from all forms of alcohol
consumption, recreational drug use and intoxication in general. Within
the Buddhist morality (sila), there is a precept where one who wishes to
develop along the Buddhist path vows to abstain from all forms of
intoxication. Radical political straightedge can be seen as one step on
the Buddhist anarchist path within a (sub-)cultural context.
Stephen Batchelor who is a former Buddhist monk in both the Tibetan and
the Zen traditions who has renounced his monk-hood. He has recently been
writing about what he calls âBuddhist atheism.â This approach is
basically where all of the metaphysical ideas within Buddhism such as
the notions of rebirth and reincarnation, as well as beliefs in deities
and âhigherâ and âlowerâ cosmologies, are stripped away from Buddhism.
Similar work has been taking place in Japan with something that is
called âCritical Buddhism.â This has been the work of some Japanese
Buddhist scholars to modernize Buddhist beliefs to make it all more
relevant and applicable to a contemporary audience. Given that most
anarchists are atheists (ie, âno gods, no mastersâ), or at least come
from a Western secular outlook on life, such forms of Buddhism would be
the most appropriate for a Buddhist anarchism.
and services are offered freely as a gift. With this nothing is offered
with a price-tag or as a part of a trade or exchange. Everything is
given without any strings attached. People may give things to the
original giver, but that is done so as a gift in itself, not as
âpaymentâ or âreimbursement.â A number of different anarchist events and
projects operate as a gift economy, as do a number of Buddhist events
and projects as well. Within the Buddhist context the practice of
operating with a gift economy is connected with the virtue (PÄramitÄ) of
âDÄna,â or âgenerosity.â Within the anarchist context, the gift economy
would form the basis for an anarchist-communist society. There is much
potential within the gift economy to be explored.
Perhaps the most succinct to-the-point summary of Buddhism is this one
quote that has been attributed to Gotama the Buddha: âNothing whatsoever
should be clung to.â Clinging to ideas of the way things should be, what
should be happening, what people should be doing, etc. is one of the
sure ways to ensure that one will experience suffering. Likewise, for
anarchists, clinging to ideas of how the world should look, how projects
should be carried out, ideas of identity or ideological purity have also
caused a lot of suffering. I believe that one of the biggest
contributions that Buddhism can make for anarchism is precisely this
peace of mind which comes from not clinging. Without clinging,
desperation, anxiety and putting demands on oneâs friends and comrades
goes away. Instead, projects can be carried out with calm, clarity and a
sense of inner spaciousness. This in turn can set the tone for the kind
of world that we would like to live in.
Having said all of this, I want to emphasize â anarchism and Buddhism
are not the same thing. They are two separate traditions. They are two
traditions that complement each-other like two sides of the same coin of
true and total liberation. Buddhist anarchism is something new, even
though it has very long and ancient roots. My hope with writing all of
this is to help to make space for this something new to emerge further.
Both traditions emphasize responsibility, individuals taking
responsibility for themselves in the fullest way possible. The same goes
with the future of the philosophy and practice of Buddhist anarchism. If
we want for it to grow, develop or evolve, the responsibility is up to
us. As with everything, when it comes down to it, it is always up to us.