A Giant Leap for Mankind in Ethnic Transcendence (1/3)

Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

The ascension of President Obama into the white house not only has brought jubilation to the American citizentry, especially to  the black citizens but also has brought equal joy to the world. Of course, the black Americans have a good reason to be extremely exuberant because President Obama has fulfilled the decades of black struggles of civil rights in America. The global villagers also  rejoice because the practice of genuine democracy has transcended ethnic distinction. American President usually can affect or impact the Gross International Happiness (GIH) of the global villagers like us. The possibility of any American citizen of any ethnic origin  illuminates and leads the world in the true practice of representative democracy. The world leaders and citizentry can learn from the positive sides of U.S, such as  democracy, freedom and respect for the  fundamental human rights.  The east tends to look at the negative sides of the west. We should look at their positive sides of the west so that we can learn and develop from them. There are more positive values that we can learn from the west than from the east. I feel a bit uncomfortable why the worldwide media reporting focuses excessively on the negative news rather than on the good news. Negative news are stories  of anti-God; good news are stories of pro-God.

Truth and Love

Naturally, the world likes to see that the best and brightest brain sits on the throne of the white house because what U.S President decides affects the entire international community. Traditionally, the white house is a symbol of global influence and power.   Politically, the  current United States’ non-ethnic politics   mirrored from the victory of  U.S black president Obama has spiritually  led  the world to live  and love the neighbour non-discriminatively for the common good of any nation. Non-ethnic or discriminative politics integrates and unites a cohesive nation .

Love of unity is spiritually very significant. Loving unity is parallel to loving the Truth of God. God is Unity of Existence. Buddhist doctrine of Selflessness or Egolessness (Anattā), Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā) and Dependent Co-arising (Pratītyasamutpāda) are eternal Truth of  unity of existence.  National integration or unity  is the essence of God. It is both politically and spiritually significant.

A religious believer cannot be  saved or liberated spiritually if a citizen is not a participant of national unity. Thus, we see that politics and religion are inseparable. In fact, nothing in the secular world is alienated from religion. Ignorance of this bipolar reality of secularity and spirituality has imperiled the world currently . The 2008-2009 financial crisis, eco crisis of global warming and climate change, economic recession, wars, disasters and catastrophes are feedback of the spiritual wilful ignorance and wishful thinking of the masses.

Ethnic transcendence of the Americans has fulfilled two primary divine commandments of the Ten Commandments of their Lord: Love of God and Love of the neighbour.  Buddhistly put, the Love of God and  non-discriminative Love of Neighbour are synonymous with the Love of the ultimate Truth of Non-duality and the practice of the Four Sublime or Boundless Virtues (Brahma-vihāras) of lovingkindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity.

Non-discrimination

The Americans have nutured a healthy democracy of transcending ethnic distinction and national cohesion or integration. The unity or integration of American voters empowering President Obama to sit in the white house mirrors the maturity of representative democracy generated from fundamental spiritual maturity. That they are able to abandon ethic distinction or racial discrimination to pick one of the best and brightest American elites to lead them to brave through the ‘ Gathering clouds and raging storms’ of financial turmoil, the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Middle East, and ecocrisis of global warming and climate change , natural disasters or catastrophes terrorism , extremism and sectraianism.

 Most importantly, this manifest of racially non-discriminative cohesion of a nation is the manifest of the unity of existence. This unity of existence is the  path, spirit , life and Truth of God (inclusive of Brahman, Tao, Buddha or Allah) . It is the actual practice of Selflessness or Egolessness (Anattā). Action always speaks louder than words. A strong faith in one’s Lord or religion with daily regular prayers without the actual practice or exercise of unity and harmony  is invalidated. Religion demands righteous actions of unity and harmony  and not merely paying  lip service to one’s Lord or religion. Many religionists or believers  are agitated when their religion is criticized or abused. Paradoxically, when their unethical or heedless behaviours have insulted their own religion, they are not agitated. It is even more corrigible when they appease themselves that their Lord is supremely merciful to forgive their sins and yet they continue to repeat the same vices or offences.

In actuality, God’s forgiveness  is strictly conditioned. The strict condition to receive divine forgiveness is repentance. Repentance is not a light demand. It requires a completely sincere  admission of fault or misdeed and a full regret of the commission of the sin. It is followed by a vow not to commit the same mistake again. Under such  strict conditions can only that particular sin be eliminated from the mind. Determined self-effort to rectify one’s character is the precondition to receive the forgiveness of God. It is abandoning the old way and enter a new way of behaviour.

The reward and retribution of human conduct by God system  operate similarly to the Buddhist Law of Karma. God saves those who save themselves. This is parallel to the fact that karma saves those who save themselves. The principle of moral accountability  is similar even though it is dissimilarly paraphrased. Nature does not operate dissimilarly for two different individuals . It is the discrimination of dissimilar religions that human beings have fallen into pit of crisis one after another. The 2008-2009 pit of crises is the deepest hitherto in the economic history of mankind.

President Obama may construct a long ladder and lower it to the pit. But if we do not make a consistent  effort to ascend it, we remain in the deep pit. The best mean to rescue those falling into the pit is a helicopter. Metaphorically put, the helicopter is compared to one’s religion. But alas, countless secularists are not interested in religion at all. Weekly church, mosque or temple attendance to participate in prayer and to listen to the sermon without a real interest in understanding what God (synonymous with Brahman, Buddha or Allah) is does not really help. The is the first requirement of all world’s religions.

 A  true believer is one who understands the Truth of God and conducts himself or herself according to the Word of God or Scriptures.  It is reflected from how well we treat others (Love) and how much we value unity of existence (Truth).  Without the knowledge of the absolute Truth, it is difficult to be benevolent towards others. It becomes relatively easy to be  malevolent instead.

Unity

Every responsible national or world political leader preaches the message of  national unity or global unity. Monotheistically put, the Unity of Existence or Interdependent Co-existence is God . Buddhistly put,  Unity is  the Truth of Emptiness. It is the Truth by which we live. When we oppose God or shatter the Dharma of Emptiness, we are disunited or disharmonious. Conflict and discord  are disharmonious and create disunity. This is tantamount to disbelief in God.

In his inauguration speech, President Obama emphasizes a spiritual Truth which is universally accepted by believers and non-believers thus:

The God given promise is that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve  a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

 The primordial potentialities of God or the Buddha-nature (Dharmadhātu) or Emptiness (‘Sūnyatā) offer equal opportunities to each and everyone of us, both believers and non-believers. The equal opportunities pertain to actualizing human potentials and personal accomplishments. The denial of a rightful opportunity of growth of  an individual  is tantamount to the impedement of the concrescence of God. In this sense, an unrighteous governance constitutes a sin too.  As long as  one ethically or righteously invests right human efforts determined by one’s  free will in the opportunity provided, God or Emptiness (or Dependent Co-arising; Pratītyasamutpāda)  will complete the unity of contigent conditions to effect the accomplishments aspired.

Human accomplishment is unity of existence made possible by reciprocal interaction between  Man’s will and God’s will. God only saves a believer  who saves himself or herself. God does not save one who  is indolent or evil. Man and God are co-creators of human accomplishments. Man’s works are called phenomena. God or Unity of Existence is the underlying and consummating principle.  Whoever generates disunity and disharmony to obstruct or destroy human success has disfigured the face of God or the Truth of Emptiness or Dependent Co-arising. Monotheistically, an action of disunity is sin. Buddhistly put, it is called unwholesome or unskillful action (akusalakamma). Whether it is called sin or kamma, the source is identical. It is the ignorantly superimposed self-centric ego.