Seeking the Light-The Blog of a Confessing Liberal Seminarian: August 2006

Religious Socialism

Once again an ancient vision is stirring among the people of the earth: the vision that is in the name of all we call divine, from all the divine can teach us, we can learn how to live with each other in peace, share with each other in justice and grow with each other in wholeness.

The vision stems from our different religious traditions, but together we can give it a modern name: Religious Democratic Socialism. We know that all three of those words have been misused by some who would freeze them into death, turning them into idols.

In the name of religion dissenters have been burned at the stake, in the name of democracy peasants have been napalmed, in the name of socialism workers have been shot. Yet the vision embodied in those words is no pale and deadening idol, but a vision taught by the source of all life, and we believe that all three words point toward the same vision.

That vision is not often shared by those who possess state and corporate power whatever the labels they attach to themselves. The power to shape the future of the human race, or to bring it to an end, is now in the hands of a few people.

The few who have the power to decide how many children are born with genetic defects from environmental poisons, how many dissenters are killed or sent to prison, how many people live out their lives in poverty and despair. And at every moment it is they who decide whether or not to flood the earth with nuclear fire.

Institutions of power have great strength. Too often the systems humanity lives and works under are systems not of life, but of death. It is through the just distribution of power that democratic socialism claims to choose life. And only together in the spirit, in communities and movements-religious, social, political and economic-can we as religious democratic socialists, hope to choose life in its fullness.

The vision we share teaches us:

That power should be used not to maintain power and privilege, but to promote individual and communal growth and development, to teach and to heal, and not to do harm.
That individually and collectively we must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, heal the sick, teach the young and care for the helpless.
That spiritual renewal must come to whole societies as well as to individuals and families, that only in community can we find wholeness.
That all our actions must be rooted in respect for truth and justice.
That the three curses-the subjugation of men to exhausting toil, the subjugation of women to men, and the subjugation of the earth to human arrogance-are not our inevitable lot, but aspects of brokenness for which we seek wholeness, and can win it.
That nations must beat their swords into plowshares and study war no more.

Our communities and movements must feel and think and act in order to understand and change the world. We must respond with love and empathy to other's feelings of despair. We must analyze the institutions of death and the path toward life. And we must act to make change happen.

We begin in our own churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, circles to apply the lessons of our traditions to build a religious democratic socialism that can become real. As we learn from these efforts we must move in larger ways, through organized political, social and trade union action, toward creating a world where all of us share in making the great decisions: how to invest the wealth of the world, how to protect the earth and air and water, how to make peace among the peoples, how to guarantee decent jobs at decent pay, how to enable workers to won and control their own places of work, how to create a context in which human beings can feel the wholeness of their own selves and the wholeness of this world which we perceive as holy.

We welcome all who are committed to life, to the life that is destroyed by pollution, starvation, racism, war, nuclear holocaust, to join with us in implementing the essence of all our visions: choose life.

Dhammic Socialism

For anything to succeed in this natural world it must harmonize with, be in line with Dhamma, follow from and serve, the Law of Nature. Anything that fits with, conforms to, follows from, and serves the Law of Nature is "Dhammic." To be Dhammic is to be non-violent, unselfish, compassionate, mindful, and cool. Ajarn Buddhadasa summarized it in two words "peaceful" and "useful."
Being "peaceful" means doing nothing to hurt, harm, exploit, abuse, or oppress anyone, whether others of oneself. Such peacefulness requires a heart-mind free of selfishness and egoism. Being "useful" means helping in the struggle for genuine liberation from suffering, no mater on what level or in what area of life. True Dhamma does not concoct dualities likes "personal-social" or "worldly-spiritual."

Socialism is the perspective and orientation that takes the good of society as a whole as central, rather than one's personal, individualistic good as all important. Thus, socialism is the opposite of the individualism with which we are brainwashed today. For engaged buddhists, socialism must be rooted in and guided by Dhamma. Thus, we speak of "Dhammic Socialism." We are not talking abut the materialist monstrosities of centralized, dictatorial Stalinism. Dhammic Socialism is not slavish conformism, for it respects and nurtures individuals. However, the individual's purpose in life is not merely its own pleasure or success. In Dhammic Socialism, the individual's purpose and meaning is found beyond its little "self" in society, nature, and Dhamma.

Ajarn Buddhadasa called his vision of the nibbanic society, "Dhammic Socialism." For him, Dhammic Socialism expressed two basic facts. One is that we are inevitably and inescapably social beings who must live together in a form of society that gives priority to the ways we inter-relate, work together, and help each other solve the problems and dukkha of life. Thus, the principle of right relationship or right inter-relatedness is the heart of such a society. Tan Ajarn understood such forms of society to be the meaning of Socialism, which may differ from the understanding of political scientists and Marxists.

Tan Ajarn was fond of defining words in his own way and we misunderstand him if we do not realize this. Sangkom-niyom, the Thai word for Socialism, literally means "preference for society," or "favoring society" rather than favoring the individual (that is, individualism), as has often been the case in the West or in current capitalist and consumer societies. His Socialism is rooted in the fact that we must live together to survive and therefore must give importance to the structures and mechanisms of society that will enable us to do so in the most skillful and fruitful way. We all are responsible for nurturing, taking care of, and being responsible for them. That is how we understand Socialism.

The second fact is that Socialism can go wrong. There have been various approaches to Socialism and some have been incorrect, that is, authoritarian, violent, and corrupt. Ajarn Buddhadasa insists that Socialism must be modified by Dhamma to keep it honest, moral, and nonviolent. Thus, we speak of Dhammic Socialism. We do not want a Socialism that is primarily materialistic or economic. He did not espouse a Socialism based on class conflict or class revenge. Rather, we seek a Socialism that is in harmony with Dhamma. To be in harmony with Dhamma means that it is based in the realization of human interdependence.

In other words, our Socialism must be moral, rooted in siladhamma (morality, normalcy). Siladhammakilesa, that is, selfishness. Eliminating such selfishness is the task of siladhamma, religion, and Dhammic Socialism. Whether our Socialism can go further than the moral level and achieve a society in which all are free of not only selfish behavior but selfish thinking need not be discussed here. I think it is enough for now to set our sights on a society in which selfish behavior is minimized. Nonetheless, as we will discuss later, importance must be given to a deeper morality that short circuits selfishness and a spirituality that eliminates selfishness, if people are to control and transform their behavior for the sake of the Dhammic Society. People require a vision that shows how true happiness lies in Dhammic Socialism and a nibbanic society rather than in selfishness, consumerism, materialism, and the like. consists of relationships and activities that do not oppress or take advantage of anyone, even oneself, and that are for the mutual benefit of ourselves, others, and the collective. As we saw earlier, social oppression is rooted in personal and structural

The Tao

Tao represents the basic concept of Taoism. Though it is used on a grand scale by Taoists this term belongs to the spiritual atmosphere of the ancient China and can be translated by "way", "mean", "art", "skill".

The graphs of tao: to the left - the old form,
to the right - the new form

The word for word meaning of tao is represented also by the ancient symbol of this term. It is made out of two distinct graphic elements: the first - placed to the right of the sign - suggests the image of a hairy, human head; the latter - placed to the left - suggests moving by presenting a foot walking.

Tao with Confucians and Taoists

However, the term "tao" is differently translated depending on the context of the doctrine in which it is understood. Thus, for Confucius and for his philosophical school, "tao" refers to the art of ruling the state of the ancient emperors like King Wen and Duke of Chou, famous characters in the history of China.

For the Taoists, the same term alludes, in the late speculations, to the beginning, the origin of all the things or other similar concepts. In this context, the polysemy of this term resembles the polysemy of the concept prima materia of the Greek-Egyptian classic alchemy or of the medieval European alchemy.

In the Book of Changes tao is said to represent a yin and a yang. It is, more precisely, a moving phenomena including alternation of contraries, like day and night.

Tao and the Heavenly Constitution

Tao is linked to the Heavenly Constitution too. The meaning of this syntagm is clearly revealed by a passage of the Book of Chuang-tzu,

"What do you mean," pursued the earl, "by the Heavenly, and by the Human?" Zo replied, "Oxen and horses have four feet; - that is what I call their Heavenly (constitution). When horses' heads are haltered, and the noses of oxen are pierced, that is what I call (the doing of) Man. Hence it is said, <>". (Book XVII, Chap 7, Legge).

What we can understand from this short dialogue is that Taoists consider tao a natural and usual concept of harmony and equilibrium of the essence of things in the Universe.

What represents the natural part of a creature or of a phenomenon - not necessarily animated - is its very essence, and is alluded by the term tao.

The human being brings about, by his activity, essential changes to the Heavenly Constitution . These changes - human ones - represent real deviations from the Tao, and can become the opposite of the natural way of things.

Tao at Robber Kih

Tao means the idea of skill, talent for a certain thing, of ability, not only related to the ancient sovereigns. Even ordinary people could demonstrate something out of common, as is shown by a fragment from book of Chuang-tzu.

The followers of the robber Kih asked him, saying, 'Has the robber also any method or principle [i.e. tao] (in his proceedings)?' He replied, 'What profession is there which has not its principles? That the robber in his recklessness comes to the conclusion that there are valuable deposits in an apartment shows his sageness; that he is the first to enter it shows his bravery; that he is the last to quit it shows his righteousness; that he knows whether (the robbery) may be attempted or not shows his wisdom; and that he makes an equal division of the plunder shows his benevolence. Without all these five qualities no one in the world has ever attained to become a great robber.' Looking at the subject in this way, we see that good men do not arise without having the principles of the sages, and that Kih could not have pursued his course without the same principles. (Chuang-tzu, Chap. 10, "Cutting open Satchels")

Chinese people admired gifted archers, calligraphers, philosophers having the gift of speech and, generally speaking, all the people who distinguished themselves by a certain skill. They were invited at sovereign's court, put to the test and rewarded properly when they proved their skill.

The Bible also hints at these aptitudes, but these are called "gifts". Apostle Paul adds to the act of possessing such "gifts" also love - without which they have no importance - that means, passion.

Nowadays you could also find this special vocation: there are very skilled people for business, art, music, successful sportsmen acclaimed by the people, talented politicians, etc. All of them have their own tao, and this means a distinct aptitude.