Bill Clinton Transmitted the Message of God

K.S.Chow

Introduction

Former United States president Bill Clinton was awarded with a Sekhar Medal accompanied with a cash award of USD200,000.00 for his global contributions in transformational leadership through his global humantarian project known as ‘Clinton Global Initiatives’. The award was made by Sekhar Foundation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  on December 5, 2008. What was more significant and spiritually elevating was the Bill Clinton Sekhar memorial inaugural lecture on the  communal truth or universal values of humanity. He drove home the importance of truth discernment that  the wisdom of apprehending the communal value of  interdependence and integration to secure world peace and prosperity.

Unity

Bill Clinton  asserted thus in his truth unveiling   speech thus, “ Mankind cannot run away from global interdependence. Divorce is not an option. We cannot get away from each other.” Though this utterance seems to be a simple general knowledge, in actuality, this is a very profound  message of God. Alienation from interdependent unity is alienation from the unity of God. Alienation from unity is exertion of self (attā).  Attā (carnal self)  is negation of Anattā (Selflessness or Egolessness). It is  a truth unveiling message  which can emancipate a person spiritually if the insightful discernment is penetrative enough. The message advises nations to drop their egoes and co-operate with one another. The message is equally pertinent to individuals in human society or within  a nation.

Even though this soteriological significance of message of Unity of Existence is not discerned by many as the profound message of ultimate Truth, a mundane application of Unity of Existence suffices to promote and foster the alliance of civilization at the global  level, national integration at the national level and harmoniously cohesive  living at the societal level in a multiracial environment. Our unstable world is currently imperiled by human wilful ignorance and wishful thinking. The current political and economic  woes and ecocrisis mirror human ignorance and perversion.

Universally discerned, God is the ultimate Truth or Reality of the Unity of Existence. Succinctly put, God is Unity of Existence. God is the unity of multiplicity. Buddhistly defined, Unity of Existence is Emptiness. Common-sense knowledge reveals that unity of existence is evident everywhere. Hence, God is immanent everywhere. Buddhistly put, there exists Buddha-nature or Emptiness everywhere. The world is Empty. Emptiness is cosmic Unity or cosmic Self (Dharmadhātu). Cosmic Self is negation of self or ego. God and  Buddha refer communally to the  ultimate  Reality - Cosmic Self. Surrender of human individual self to cosmic Self is the union with God . Buddhistly put, the union with God is non-duality. Monotheistically, the non-duality is unceasing rememberance of God. Non-duality is living in oneness of the world without discrimination. Non-discrimination conditions harmonious living of self merging in unity  with others .

It is significant that one is aware that one is  a part of the cosmic self or the whole. When you realize that the right hand is yourself and the other right hand is your enemy,  the right hand accidentally hit your left hand with a hammer while working , are you going to strike back your right hand ? The knowledge of Unity of Existence, which is God, destroys non-discrimination, and hatred. It even brings forth love. This is the pragmatic value  of religion or the knowledge of God (synonymous with Brahman , Buddha and Allah).

The Cosmic Self, known as microcosm at the level of Man and as macrocosm at the level of universe, is ultimately the cosmic unity of the dynamic process becoming (bhava). Dynamic process becoming is the moving unity of the continuum of global co-existence. Process-theistically defined by Whitehead, a renowned British Perennial Philosopher,  every unity of existence  is the actual entity of God. Every actual entity is a process Reality.  Buddhistly put, every actual entity is dependently co-arisen non-dual Unity of a moving  conditioned phenomenon. A moving conditioned phenomenon is the micro-unity of contigent causes and conditions. A micro-unity is a micro-actual entity. A micro-actual entity is the subset of a universal set . It is a subsystem of a total system.

An actual entity is a subsystem view of a total system. A micro-unity or subsystem can be expanded into a larger micro-entity through integration with other related actual entities. The expansion of micro-entity through continuous integration is the growth or concrescence of God (continuous creation of the phenomenal world) according to the perception of Whiteheadian process philosophy. Buddhistly put, the conditioned phenomenon is further expanded by adding additional causes and conditions to continue the creation. A fruitful conditioned phenomenon is an accomplishment in the world. Whitehead describes an accomplishment in the world as the determinate actual entity. Thus we see that whoever know relative-absolute (world-God) relationship underlying religious knowledge understands the world better. The continuous creation of the world can be either positive or negative. The current economies rise of China and India are positive creations . However, the financial crisis and the co-crisis are negative creations. The knowledge of God or Emptiness, which is process philosophy, can be applied to understand the world.

Whiteheadian concept of the  concrescence of God  is actually  the collective growth of the combination of multiple conditioned phenomena. The integration of all micro-unities or micro actual entities (the expansion of conditioned phenomena or necessary existents)  constitutes the macro-unity or macro-actual entity (total system) of the phenomenal world. In other words, all global villagers are organic members of the human family. The demarcation of the global village of the earth planet is merely for the convenience of political management of different nations headed by  the respective presidents or prime ministers. 

The cosmic concept of God is synonymous with the doctrine of interdependent network of contigent conditions (dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda) expounded in Avataṃsaka-sūtra of Hua-yen Buddhism.  Buddhism and Monotheism are thus reconciled through the process or perennial philosophy of dynamic process becoming. Religious discrimination is sheer ignorance due to incomplete religious instructions caused by overemphasis of the exoteric dimension of religion. All dissimilar religions differ exoterically. They are, in reality, identical esoterically.

Whoever is separated from Unity of Existence  is considered to be alienated from God. Alienation is organic schism or a breakaway from God. What happens when a portion of branch is separated from the vine? Can it grow again? Obviously, it is doom-laden. Likewise when a person is alienated from Unity of Existence , he or she will be retributed for the disunity created. Disunity is mirrored from disharmonious human relationship. Creator of disunity is punished by the pain of failure or doom. Buddhist put, separation from the Unity of Existence is shattering the Dharma of Emptiness or Dependent Co-arising.  It is violation of the true  nature of things (dharmatā) .

From the perception of Christian wisdom, the alienation from Unity of Existence  or God  is actually defined as sin. The consequence of sin is the punishment of God or suffering due to sin. Buddhistly explained, any sense of separation from universal unity is known as self-centric ego. Self-centric ego is the claim of autonomous or independence existence. Autonomy or independence is not consonant with the ultimate Truth that all beings are interdependent and interrelated. It violates the Truth of Anattā (Selflessness).

Unity preserves the Dharma – the order of peaceful existence. Disunity opposes Dharma and destroys peaceful co-existence. Mundanely put, unity conditions accomplishment whilst disunity conditions defeat. Unity is conditioned by ethics; defeat is conditioned by ethical deficiency. Hence, Bill Clinton’s lecture on global interdependence and integration was aimed to promote and foster alliance of civilization between the west and the east. In the aftermath of global financial crisis and ecocrisis, Bill Clinton’s message of interdependence and integration to unite the global villagers are pertinent and timely. Whatever crisis  happens in the west is the concern of the east; whatever occurs in the east is also the concern of the west .

If Bill Clinton’s strategized message is intuitively discerned, it is a very powerful soteriological message of human  transformation and spiritual awakening. Even if the audience are not spiritually delivered  by  his message of interdependence and integration, they would have benefited from the key message of the timely lecture. They would have discerned that the unity of interdependence and integration  is the sole Reality or Truth and disunity is an illusion and unreality. When the world values and worships unity of interdependence and integration discarding disunity which is, in realty, motivated by self-centric ego, the world is liberated and saved.  Bill Clinton emphasizes that it is global ethics of  shared responsibility to actualize the innate truth of interdependence into integration. This was well said.

Interdependence breeds integration. Integration breeds the unity of existence. Unity of existence breeds unlimited accomplishments in the world .This is how the world is being creatively advanced by interdependence and integration of actual entities. This is the ultimate interpretation of God’s power of creation. God does not create something from sheer nothingness (creation ex nihilo). The dynamic creative activity of God is compatible with Buddhist ontology of dynamic becoming actualized by the primordial potentialities of God  or the possibilities of Emptiness. The possibilities are consummated through the energy of Dependent Co-arising through the conglomeration of causes and  conditions. The energy of Dependent Co-arising is the Truth of  Unity of God Essence  or Buddha-nature.

It is thus evident that God or Buddha-nature  is the energy of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. God or Buddha-nature  is the Truth of Unity or Non-duality. Monotheistically defined, Non-duality is metaphorically expressed as the unity with God between the faith lover and the beloved God. Non-duality expresses Emptiness – the oneness of the world.

Prospering Together

According to Whiteheadian process philosophy, interdependence and integration of beings  constitute the concrescence of the world designated as the concrescence of God . The concrescence  of world or God is increasing expansion of micro-unity or micro-actual entity. Mundanely visioned , it is the  progress of collective prosperity of the world. The prosperity can be either economic or non-economic. This explains the progressive icons of human civilization since time immemorial hitherto. Conversely, if negative contigent conditions are added, it becomes the decline of the world , such as the recent eruption of middle-east crisis.

Whitehead expounds that the prosperity or accomplishment in world is the satisfaction of world or God. The satisfaction of world or God is also the satisfaction of human achiever because God dwells in Man. Buddhistly put,  the mutual satisfaction of world or God and human achiever is the harmonious interpenetration between the phenomenon and principle. Spirituality of dissimilar religions is diversely paraphrased . However, different paraphrases  convey the same  absolute Principle of Truth. This  human wisdom reflects Man is the best and brightest among all sentient beings as Man can use diverge expressions to convey the same Truth to different people of different capacities and religious inclinations . It is through Man that God , Buddha or Brahman  can be seen.

Shared Responsibilities

Bill Clinton then concluded that in the world of interdependence and integration , all human beings must share responsibilities and interests and cooperate to create win-win atmospheres or situations so that we are able to enjoy communal successes. He advised us to exercise our democratic responsibilities to elect a trustworthy national leader who is capable of governing and co-operating with other world’s leaders.

Bill Clinton pinpointed that some current political situations in the world are risky practices which menace the unity of interdependence and integration. Divinely put, the political conflicts or separatism are disfiguring the faces of God or devastating the mould unity of God or severing the flow of Tao or shattering the Reality of Emptiness or interdependence. He quoted the following political and religious conflicts  occurring between China and Taiwan, Sri Lankans and Tamil Tigers, Buddhists and Muslims in southern Thailand , Israel and Palestin , Catholics and Protestants in North Ireland  and Kosovos and Bosnias.

Conclusion

In fact, the bikerings between different political parties in some political unstable developing and undeveloped nations are political divorces from God. Likewise , the financial crisis, clashes of civilizations, wars, global warming, climate change, crimes, fluctuating  oil and food prices, poverty or impoverishment, hunger, diseases and natural disasters and catastrophes mirror the alienation of Man from the interdependence and integration because of anthropocentricism. That Bill Clinton has converted his role as a former politician to a humanitarian activist is a gift to the poorest nations because of his vast experience  and influence. It is heartening to learn that his humanitarian project has been receiving enormous financial supports from some of the rich nations. This is effacing human will in God’s will. This is what Anattā is about. Anattā does not only produce Arahants but also genuine philanthropists. The positive alliance of civilizations between the west and east is the Unity of God or dependently co-arisen Unity.  This is the real meaning of being close to God, Tao,  Buddha, Brahman or Allah. Action speaks louder than words. It is the right path to be emulated by the rich and the powerful.  

The former United States president Bill Clinton  has turned more spiritually altruistic and humanely compassionate to benefit the poorest nations. He is  collaborating or participating actively in humanitarian works globally in developing and underdeveloped countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Clinton Global Initiatives help members  formulate commitments to actions to improve education, health, energy, climate change  and poverty allevation in over 150 countries. His previous position as the U.S President had opened his eyes that saw the sorrows of the world in which more than 50% of the global villagers are still impoverished and vulnerable to diseases and natural disasters.