Envisioning The Future
With careful, constant discipline on the Eight-Fold Noble Path of the Dhamma, greed becomes Dana, exploitation becomes networking. The root-brain of the newborn becomes the compassionate, religious mind of the elder. Outwardly the elder does not differ from other members; her or his needs for food, clothing, shelter, medicine, sleep and affection are the same as for anyone else. But the smile is startlingly generous.
It is a smile that rises from the Buddha's own experience. Paticca-samuppada is not just a theory, but the profound realization that I arise with all beings, and all beings arise with me. I suffer with all beings; all beings suffer with me. The path to this fulfillment is long, sometimes hard and involves restraint and disengagement from ordinary concerns. It is a path that advances over plateaus on its way, and it is important not to camp too long on any one plateau. It is not yet your true home.
Dhammic society begins and prevails with individuals walking this path of compassionate understanding, discerning the noble option at each moment and allowing the other options to drop away. It is a society that looks familiar, with cash registers and merchandise, firefighters and police, theatres and festivals, but the inner flavor is completely different. Like a Chinese restaurant in Madras, the decor is familiar but the curry is surprising.
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In formally sustaining the Dhamma, we can also practice sustainable agriculture, sustainable tree farming, sustainable enterprise of all kinds. Our ancestors sustain us, we sustain our descendants. Our family members and fellow-workers nurture us, and we nurture them - even as Dana was circulated in ancient times.
- Robert Aitken Roshi, Original Dwelling Place. Full article text.
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