Lessons from the California Fires :
A Buddhist World View

By K.Wong

Introduction

In October, 2007, the fierce, dry winds blew from the desert and out towards the sea. A fire was kindled by an irresponsible element somewhere in the forest . These strong, dry winds spread the fires swiftly across more than 500,000 acres  of southern California as an uncontrollable forest wildfires  . For days , the courageous  fire fighters could not contain the spread of the forest wildfires .  The wild fires drove away half-million victims from their communities as their homes were devastated by wildfires . More than 2000 homes were destroyed  and scores of victims injured . Like any major disaster, the misfortune or tragedy mirrors both the beautiful side and the ugly  sides of human species .

Two natures

For those who discern innate human spirituality , it is not too abstruse to comprehend two  aspects of human nature . The former is the manifest of the innate divine nature of all human  species which can only be unveiled through the self-development of wisdom or self-realization . The latter is the manifest of the animal nature or lower self motivated by ignorance of the ultimate truth of Reality – the true nature of human relationship with the Absolute Truth designated differently as Buddha-nature , Brahmanhood or Godhood . The ignorance of the true nature of human personality and external multiplicity of the world or their relationships with the absolute Truth engenders the fallibilities of human conduct  .

Beautiful Side

In time of enormous national crisis , a major disaster usually brings forth the utmost excellence in humanity . The fire fighters and the rescue workers become selfless heros and heroines who perform their works to their utmost . The same The fire fighters  risk heir lives to extinguish the fires,  save homes or structures and rescue  human lives .

The same spirit of heroism was equally evident in  battles against the recent  California Fires in San Diego, United States of America occurring in late October , 2007. The fire fighters courageously and selflessly  battled the fires and saved the victims and their homes or structures reducing the damages caused by the forest wildfires to the minimum losses . The rescue workers consisting of the members of the Police , National Guard members , members of office of the emergency services , the staff of the Forest and Fire Protection department , civilians, Red Cross and hospital medical  staff collaborated to evacuate and rescue the victims to bring them safely to the various evacuation centres or shelters . Even the California Governor, Schwarzenegger was there to coordinate in the rescue operation and rendered humane advices to the victims. It was during the time of  national crisis or disaster that the innate  highest goodness of human species was revealed . Some victims, who had been safely rescued or evacuated by the emergency aids offered their thanks to the rescuers  at Church services .  The victims,  instead of frustratingly and distressedly  condemning the weaknesses or deficiencies of the rescue operations, which were normally raised by distressed homeless victims,  perceived only the heroic , bevevalent ,  ultruistic , compassionate  aspects of mankind in the selfless rescue efforts rendered . They thanked the heros and heroins explicitly in the Sunday church services for altruistic compassionate services rendered  . This aspect of humaneness and appreciative joy expressed by the homeless  victims touched me profoundly when I read about it  in the aftermath of the forest fire disaster . But I would like to assert that genuine church  goers are usually prompt  to admit or acknowledge the benevolence , altruism and compassion  of others . As the obedient servants of their beloved Lord , they revealed the innate  highest good or the supreme virtue of humankind .  It is this holy spirit graced by God that that the terrestrial earth can be transformed into the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth . Buddhism endorsed and highly recommends such virtuous actions of the utmost degree .

Ugly Side

According to the California’s governor, Schwarzenegger, the wild fires were  possibly kindled with evil motive by an arsonist or a group of arsonists . Schwarzenegger described the disaster as the heinous crime committed  by the ugly side of human behaviours . He warned that the Police would  do the  utmost to locate and  hunt him or them down until the criminal or criminals  would be prosecuted and  punished  maximally under the Rules of the Law . Of course , if the criminal was an arsonist or a group of arsonists , it is not difficult to conclude that he  hates America because he is  definitely, fully aware of the fact that disaster by wild forest fires would  be catastrophic.

 It is true enough when Sākaymuni Buddha promulgates that Hatred is one of the three poisons in life (greed-hatred-delusion) . Hatred is rooted in the grasping upon the fire aggregates of Form, Feelings , Perceptions, Volitions and Consciousness . The Grasping was resulted from the superimposition of illusive self or ego into the human personality or five aggregates . The wildfires could also be  kindled by lumberjacks and other related   deforestation workers  ,  heedless  picnics campers  or agriculture farmers , crop cultivators or the jungle aborigines .  If the  fires were kindled by them for utilities  , the forest wildfires might  have been initiated and erupted  in an uncontrollable scale due to their carelessness and irresponsibility of not extinguishing the fire started  before they left the forests.

The Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid told reporters that one reason why we had the fires  in the California was global warming . His argument was not unsound or irrational . The greenhouse effect of global warming had made the dry forest leaves and undergrowths much more inflammable and highly combustable . The fierce winds could also  be the by products of global warming. Even the California Governor , Schwarzenegger admitted publicly that strong winds and dryness had dependently co-produced the  perfect forest wildfires beyond the control of the firefighters .

When the recent Huricane Katrina  struck United Stats of America severely before this forest fire disaster   , C.Ray Nagin , New Orleans mayor said the city was devastated  because ‘God is mad at America’ . A minister of the Middle East  country, diplomatically friendly to the United states,   uttered in a similar tone  thus : The Hurricane represented Allah’s judgment on America’s sins. I opine that if we invited their comments on California Forest Wildfires , I believe that they would comment similarly . Buddhist doctrine of moral cause and effect also emphasizes the moral rewards and retributions corresponding to the kammas (actions) committed  . Whoever have committed wholesome kammas will reap the corresponding wholesome vipākas (results or consequences) . Whoever have committed unwholesome kammas will be retributed correspondingly . Discernment of the cause of any consequence is an edifying exercise . Buddhist tenet warns us to be fearful of cause rather than being fearful of result . The Hindus, Christians and Muslims are taught to fear God and to be the  absolute obedient servant of their  beloved Lord . To be absolutely obedient servant of God connotes that one has surrendered one’s illusive self or ego for the sake of God. The complete surrender of self  or ego purifies the mind.  God loves one whose mind is purified for His sake  . In other words , their beloved Lord admonishes them to be absolutely vigilant or heedful of their moral conduct through their bodies , speeches and minds before they  regret  when the gate of Hell is opened widely for them during the day of judgement in the afterlife . The Monotheistic teaching of ‘Love and fear God’ differs not, in essence, from the Buddha teaching thus : Guard mindfully and vigilantly  your six sense doors through the diligent practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness . The Four Foundations of Mindfulness also purify the human mind through the elimination of the illusive  self  or ego . Thus , All esoteric religions expound a common message through dissimilar exoteric or exterior  dimensions . It is a great folly and ignorance to discriminate and dispute among dissimilar faiths . All dissimilar  religious saints are internally identical leading a similar interior life which is ineffable ! True enlightenment or gnosis is beyond all religions . If a saint discriminates , he or she  can not become a true or genuine saint .  The True Man is without rank . Both God and Buddha are ineffable Absolute Truth. They are not personalities which can be perceived physically or reified . They can only be self-realized . There is only one Truth in the entire cosmos.

Conclusion

The fallibilities of the worldings are always the causes of human suffering or anguish. According Buddhist perspective , the fallibilties of ordinary worldlings dominate human conduct are due to their  ignorance of the right world view. The ugly side or animal nature of the human behaviours is rooted in ignorance . All esoteric religions including Buddhism , Hinduism , Christianity and Islam are expounded to annihilate this ignorance of the illusive existence of selfish self or ego . Form the Buddhist perspective , ignorance and the resultant fallibilities of ordinary worldlings are the collective outcome of not canalizing the Five Faculties or Powers to consummate the Buddhist noble undertaking of the Noble Eight Fold Path.  The Five Faculties or Powers are faith , Faith , Diligence ,Mindfulness, Concentration and Wisdom .  The first four powers are exoteric or exterior and the fifth power, Wisdom is the esoteric fruit or interior noble life  resulted from the  exoteric training of the Noble Eight Fold Path . Wisdom destroys  fallibilities of Man and preserves infallibilities of Man.