This week Andy will facilitate.
One of the few upsides of the last year is that there is no doubt that we are living “in history”. As the famous quote by Lenin states: “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.” However, one of the fiercest critics of the man behind this particular quote was George Orwell. If we have not all read Animal Farm and 1984 then we are all at least aware of their themes. I would be surprised if there is any author living or alive who has been more often quoted over the last year than Orwell. In the last couple of weeks those on the left, right and middle could all be seen/heard throwing out their various Orwell quotes in support of their own beliefs and actions of others.
So what you might think has this got to do with our practice and what if anything might Orwell be able to offer our Sangha. Reflecting on this there are some pretty rich pickings not only from the aforementioned books but also from his numerous short articles. Picking on just one of his many recurring themes is his skepticism of anyone or anything which promises happiness. Orwell, observed that at best such moments of happiness would be fleeting and astutely he observed first hand the powerful allure of promises made by leaders of returning people either to a happier past or promise of a happier nirvana like a future. He equally observed at close quarters suffering (or as we term it Dukkah) and its root causes and communicated this in words which engage readers to this day.
Orwell’s own words on the subject could equally well have been penned by TNH or many of the other great writers in the Buddhist canon. “Nearly all creators of Utopia have resembled the man who has toothache, and therefore thinks happiness consists in not having toothache. They wanted to produce a perfect society by an endless continuation of something that had only been valuable because it was temporary.”
One of the things I find most interesting in his writing was Orwell's own findings on such conditions. Cutting to the chase, what Orwell appears to have concluded was that in fact it was the creation of a true sense of human brotherhood (and sisterhood) which is the ultimate goal for society rather than one of striving for a future filled with happiness. Through the creation of such conditions he understood that we are far less likely to harm each other, a creature or the planet. His own conclusions in this respect sound a lot like those of Thich Nhat Hahn and his own development of ideas around the concept of interbeing. This is summarized beautifully in the poem below.
Interrelationship
You are me, and I am you.
Isn’t it obvious that we “inter-are”?
You cultivate the flower in yourself,
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself,
so that you will not have to suffer.
I support you;
you support me.
I am in this world to offer you peace;
you are in this world to bring me joy.
-- Thich Nhat Hahn (Call me by My True Names, The Collected Poems of Thich Nhat Hanh)
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This week during our sharing I thought we might reflect on how lucky we are as a community (Sangha) that we get to practice the creation of brotherhood & sisterhood. And how might we expand who we consider our brothers and sisters and engage in a broader practice to help our society and its members avoid unnecessary suffering?
Andy