Volume 57. November 10, 2024
Trump supporters are in hog heaven.
Kinder and gentler is out. Ruder and cruder is in. Women are out. Men are in. Like James Brown, the godfather of soul, once sang, “This is a man’s world.”
Ever since the dawn of the Iron Age, ever since about 3500 BCE, ever since the Mother Goddess was demoted and the Father God was elevated, it’s been a man’s world.
In a victory for the history books, Donald Trump staged a comeback not seen in American history since Grover Cleveland won a second non-consecutive term in 1892.
Apparently, Donald Trump is a superhero. He’s indestructible. America likes heroes. Problem is, Trump is an anti-hero.
He stands up for what most people detest: misogyny, lying, selfishness, bullying, white supremacy. Repellent to the core, Trump is a far cry from the Buddhist ideal of compassion.
In Mahayana Buddhism, the quality of compassion is localized not in the Buddha, but in the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
She goes by various names. In China, she is Guan Yin. In Japan, she is Kannon. In Vietnam, she is Quan Âm.
Although she started out in India as a man (Padma-pani) and is formally known as Avalokiteshvara (“the lord who looks down”), the bodhisattva is usually depicted in feminine form because compassion is understood to be a psychologically feminine trait.
One story emphasizes her feminine dimension.
Once upon a time, the celestial Buddha Amitabaha vowed to save humanity. Since he was restricted to his heavenly abode of bliss, he sent his emissary of mercy to survey the world.
As his bodhisattva flew across the land, she heard the mournful moans of suffering souls and the pitiful groans of hungry people. As she looked down upon the world with the eyes of compassion, she felt a tear well up in her eye.
The tear splashed to earth, mixed with the soil and became Tara, an emanation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion.
Tara vowed always to be re-incarnated as a woman to heal the suffering of our land.
Perhaps, Tara has re-incarnated in you.
How does a wise person approach Trump’s recent victory?
Three ways: Morality, meditation and wisdom.
Treat others with kindness. Meditate. And have a little wisdom.
Realize that all things are impermanent, even Donald Trump.
Kamala Harris supporters may be fearing the Fourth Reich, while Donald Trump supporters are celebrating in hog heaven,
But recall what James Brown told us about our world:
“This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world. But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing, without a woman or a girl.”
Amen
The Buddha Times 