Religion Forum 2 is a conversation about Buddhism, The Sacred Hoop, In Salmon’s Water, Rites of Regulation This Forum is a place for us to ask our questions, and share our thoughts and observations. Be sure to follow the directions for how to participate and be sure to demonstrate knowledge of the readings.
In Buddhism we encounter many challenging concepts like ahimsa, the Eightfold Path, mindfulness, enlightenment among others. There are many interesting things to discuss, as Buddhism places a strong focus on the problem of the ego-self and how to overcome enslavement or bondage to ego-desires, ego-fears, & ego-attachments. The goal is to reduce the hold the ego has on our lives so that we are in control of our ego rather than being slaves to our ego desires, fears, and attachments. By overcoming ego we liberate our true self which is the enlightened self. In the language of Deep Ecology, this would be similar to the ecological-self, that is a self that is not ego-centered around the constricted “I, Me, Mine” of our lives. Instead we attain to the expansive Enlightened Self that perceives it’s oneness with all of creation. Our self-interest then is no longer defined by the individual ego, but by a belief in our unity with all of creation. If I cause unnecessary harm to the world around me, the Enlightened Self recognizes that this is the same as causing direct harm to the self.
For example: Ego keeps us addicted to a society and life founded on the use of fossil fuels. Every moment of our lives is connected to the use of fossil fuels. We wake up in the morning, turn on the lights, plug in the coffee pot, and take a hot shower – all possible through fossil fuels. We leave the house and get in the car to get to work – using gasoline. And so on. Yet we know that not only are fossil fuels a finite resource that is running out. But we also know that fossil fuels create serious harm to the planet now, and for many generations into the future.
In contrast, the Enlightened Self recognizes that when I harm the world around me, I harm myself, because we are all connected. If we pollute the water, then we have polluted the water we drink, and bathe in. If we eradicate wolves because they don’t benefit us, we have created a degraded imbalanced ecosystem in which we live.
We could say that Ego-self is short-sighted and thinks in terms of immediate advantage to the self – instant gratification. Ego says, I want that new car so I don’t have to worry about servicing and maintaining the perfectly good car I now own. Or Ego says, I really love those boots and though I have 10 pairs of good shoes and boots, they really look great so I’m going to get them.
The Enlightened-Self thinks in terms of how our actions now will affect our descendents 7 generations from now. So the Enlightened-Self lives a simpler, more sustainable life and seeks satisfactions other than those fed by consumer goods; a life not based on Ego desires and fears, and not attached to trivial things like comfort and convenience. This doesn’t mean total self-denial, but it does mean being very mindful and responsible about how we do live and what we do consume.
In Salmon’s Water is a preliminary excerpt from the book Totem Salmon that explores the balance and harmony developed among Native cultures of the Pacific Northwest with salmon and with their ecosystem. Next week we will read the chapter titled Rites of Regulation from this book. I encourage you to read Rites of Regulation early because it can add significantly to this discussion. Rites of Regulation looks closely at how ceremony in Native culture helps establish balance between humans and salmon such that, if left undisturbed by European influence, those cultures would have continued to maintain themselves indefinitely in that ecosystem without destruction of the salmon. People from Native cultures claim that salmon taught them how to live in their world – through quiet and patient observation over generations, a profound knowledge of the lives of salmon and the intricacies of their ecosystem was gained, and their lives & culture took shape around that
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_vQWpDpYsI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnNn-6O82ec
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/customs/meditation_1.shtml
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/subdivisions/zen_1.shtml
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/ataglance/glance.shtml
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