Sarah Palin a Buddhist Lecture
By Anthony "Amp" Elmore Sr.
O n Wednesday September 3, 2008 after watching the Republican National Convention and after carefully listening to and watching the speech of female Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah “The Barracuda Palin” the Alaska Governor flawlessly nail a speech that could possibly change the destiny of not only our nation but her speech was a possible cause that could effect the destiny of the entire world.
Although this event was an epic harbinger of change in America our Buddhist evolution in America has not manifested an educational culture whereas we can find Buddhist written dissertations of such phenomena. When I speak of Buddhist writings on this subject I am referring to the Buddhist teachings as taught by Nichiren Daishonin who we Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist refer to as the “True Buddha” of mappo or the Buddha of our age who was born in Japan on February 16, 1222.
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism was introduced in America by an organization called the NSA or Nichiren Shoshu of America. Nichiren Shoshu was bifurcated into two distinct Buddhist organizations in America. The parent organization is operated by the Nichiren Shoshu Temple who has an over 750 year old history of teaching Buddhism and the other is the SGI Buddhist organization lead by the charismatic Daisaku Ikeda who was once the lay leader of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism now excommunicated has created his own Buddhist sect.
Nichiren Shoshu Temple and the SGI represent a distinct Japanese culture whereas the Buddhist culture and teachings are centralized and lack the spontaneity of culture and Buddhist dialog regarding cultural events as it relates to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. Our current Buddhist teachings does not allow an environment that incubates American Buddhist protagonist, writers or journalist who are engaged at teaching the Buddhist Prospectives of life and living. I have attempted to encourage Nichiren Shoshu Priest to lecture on current events and to help bring Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism to our main stream society.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin since her speech on September 3, 2008 is perhaps lately the most written and talked about phenomena in America. Certainly she is one of the most interesting phenomena from the 24 hour news stations to the comedy talk shows Sarah “The Barracuda” Palin is an enigma and a cultural phenomena.
Most religions deal with one day going to heaven and finding a place of bliss and wonder after you die but Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism says in the Gosho Gift of Rice; “
The true path of life lies in the affairs of this world and to have a profound knowledge of this world is itself Buddhism. Further the Daishonin writes “All Scripture or teachings, from whatever source, are ultimately the revelation of Buddhist truth.”
Almost instantly after her September 3, 2008 speech Sarah Palin reached “Rock Star” Status. The name Sarah Palin created an almost media frenzy and she is at the time of this writing; “the darling of the Republican party” who is generating huge crowds of people to hear her speak.
The Gosho (Buddhist Bible) reads: “ “"The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature...and their consistency from beginning to end." What does this mean?
Answer: It means that all beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds, from Hell at the lowest to Buddhahood at the highest, are, without exception, the manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. Where there is an environment, there is life within it. Miao-lo states, "Both life (shoho) and its environment (eho) always manifest Myoho-renge-kyo."1 He also states, "The true entity is invariably revealed in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably possess the Ten Factors. The Ten Factors invariably function within the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably entail both life and its environment."2 And, "Both the life and environment of Hell exist within the life of Buddha. On the other hand, the life and environment of Buddha do not transcend the lives of common mortals."3 Such precise explanations leave no room for doubt. Thus, all life in the universe is clearly Myoho-renge-kyo.”
Let me break the Buddhist teachings down in plain and simple terms. Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism deals with all phenomena as it relates to universal laws and concepts. The Sarah Palin phenomena is simply a universal law and via the Buddhist teaching we can understand this phenomena.
Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism teaches us that; “ all phenomena invariably possess the Ten Factors. The Ten Factors invariably function within the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably entail both life and its environment. I am trying my best to keep this lecture simple by avoiding to explain the complicated Buddhist theory of Ichinen Sanzen or 3000 worlds in a momentary existence. In a very simple way Sarah Palin has what we in Buddhism call a Karmic relationship with the many, many people who are fascinated with her. The question that we ask is it possible that the Republican party of George W. Bush would select as their Vice Presidential nominee a person who is as an honest and true reformer and hero of the working class?
In my personal Karmic circumstance with Sarah Palin as it relates to my cultural relationship with her runs counter to the many thousands who love and respect her. Buddhism bring to the forefront an understanding of phenomena and we who are Buddhist seek to use our clear or enlighten vision to make the correct decision regarding our relationship to Sarah Palin or any other person.
In order to explain my personal relationship or Karmic relationship to Sarah Palin I searched our Buddhist Bible or Gosho to explain how I feel about this phenomenon of Sarah Palin.
The Gosho that I can find that explains this Sarah Palin phenomenon as it relates to my personal Karma regarding her is called
“Roots of Good Fortune.”
What an appropriate title.
With a happening like this in America where this woman could be in line to press the trigger on a nuclear bomb that can destroy the world and no Buddhist Priest or SGI writers can find or write a Gosho that is remote to this subject is beyond my thinking. This is what I found in the Gosho that explains this Sarah Palin phenomenon.
In the Roots of Good Fortune Gosho the Daishonin Writes;
“Suppose one dries dung, breaks it up, passes it through a sieve, and forms it to resemble a block of sandalwood. Even if one were to then carve this into the image of a woman, a heavenly goddess, or a Buddha, when it is burned, it would still give off no other fragrance but the stink of dung.”
Nichiren Daishonin is clear when he writes; even if you carve this into the image of a woman, a heavenly goddess, or as the Republicans have done; what it is, is what it is “Dung.” Many White people will get mad at what I write but if you read Time magazine's September 22, 2008 issue about a story about Sarah Palin Time Writer Joe Klein writes in an article called “ The American Myth” Joe Klein's current writing is in line with what the "True Buddha" Nichiren Daishonin wrote over 700 years ago. Joe Kline writes;
Sarah Palin a Buddhist Lecture
“ Enter Reagan. His vision of the future was the past. He offered the temporal pleasures of tax cuts and an unambiguous anticommunism, but his real tug was on the heartstrings - it was "Morning in America." The Republican Party of Wall Street faded before the power of nostalgia for Main Street ... at least a Main Street that existed before America began losing wars, became ostentatiously sexy and casually interracial. In his presidential debate with Jimmy Carter, Reagan talked about an America that existed "when I was young and when this country didn't even know it had a racial problem." The blinding whiteness and fervent religiosity of the party he created are an enduring testament to the power of the myth of an America that existed before we had all these problems. The power of Sarah Palin is that she is the latest, freshest iteration of that myth.