Hudson River Indian Buddhist

Were the Esopus Indians of the Hudson River Buddhists?They had an understanding of the inter-connectedness of life that Buddhist teach.They believed in the sacredness of life,an equalization of everything living.They also lived communally for the benefit of all.They only used their environment,"Mother Earth", to survive and asked for nothing more.These woodland Indians were non-violent and rarely argued with surrounding tribes.They were other-centered and had no use for clinging/attachments the ego-centered Europeans valued.

I had these thoughts as I walked in the woods along the Hudson River near Saugerties,N.Y.The Hudson River is a majestic energy source that calms and nourishes those who value it's strength and beauty.I'm sure the Esopus Indians felt the same way.They believed in sacred spaces where mysteries are revealed to those who are open and liberated from "the self",the feeling of separation from the body of life.The oneness they felt with nature comes alive in all of us,I believe,when we are alone in the woods or stand beside the great rivers of America where commerce is silent.To want nothing but the breath of our body was enough for them as it is now for the modern Buddhists around the globe.

Our rambling egos have done so much damage to ourselves and others as we slide through our own picture shows.It separates us and defends us against a world,in our mind,ready to attack and plunder.We have created our own dictators that reside inside us and take our feet down roads of destruction by reacting without wisdom.The histories of African Americans and American Indians have tears and blood that flow like the Hudson River after a violent rain storm.We will never be emancipated if we see ourselves as separate from the "Mother Earth" we have come from.As parts to a whole,our brothers and sisters,are united in a communal humanity that radiates goodness like the rays of the great Eastern Sun.Our egos block all of this and pronounces our "exceptionalism" in individual and country format.

I'm not a historian but I do believe the culture of the Esopus Indians had an equanimity that transcends our modern one with the towers of Harvard and Yale.They valued not only the sacredness of nature but their place in it.It was the desire to see happiness for others before their own.The mantra,"May I be a vehicle for others' happiness", echoed through the hearts of the Esopus Indians as they fished the shores of the Hudson for the entire community.Our world is muddled in self interest because we have created this type of film with our imaginations.It doesn't have to be this way.We have created it with our minds and it can be transformed by our minds."What about me"" can be transformed into "What about you".Competition is created by the ego centered while cooperation is created by the other centered.Your joy is my joy,your sadness is my sadness..they are universal feelings.The film you create is up to you...I would choose to live with the Esopus Indians if I could.

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Romney Is A Buddhist But He Has forgotten His Way

Mitt Romney could be a perfect human in a perfect world.He has just forgotten his way and got lost in his ID and his Super-ego can't help much because he refuses to live in the present.His ego has complete control of his mind and he clings to his ideas and material wants like a moth to light.He is sinking daily into a darkness predicted millenniums ago by humble monks from Tibet.Mitt has lost the path to his Buddha nature because he is self-centered and wants to accumulate and satisfy every desire his ego tells him to follow.He isn't concerned beyond his self interest because he clings to the concept that he isn't connected to other humans and their struggle for food and health security.He has made himself into an immoral island and likes the company of other beings that are lost in their own selfish picture show.Mitt and friends are always the center of attraction in this cultural darkness.They speak of the light and cling to their religions for protection from their horrific actions.Their livelihoods manipulate and destroy to accumulate money and resources to illustrate their superior,isolated standing in a spiritless, material world.They are ignorant in a beautiful world created by their desires and fears.I have nothing but compassion for these unfortunate beings.They have wasted human life.


Instead of trusting other humans,they fear them because they see others as competition for the desires they want.The only beings they don't fear are their buddies in ignorance who want to accumulate regardless of the consequences to the inferior others.They have been walking these paths since birth and they have been transformed into sad "monkey minds" who treasure the next material accumulation or power environment to control and misuse others.There is still hope for Romney and company if they come back to their Buddha nature and find happiness in the service of others...to see a connection,a brotherhood/sisterhood in all of the body of life.If they become "other-centered",the world would be a gentler,kinder place that considers the needs of others first before financial rewards.Cooperation,not competition, would transform the world into the perfect world it is.If they can change this simple perspective,our world would truly be one human family living for each other.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama at The Aspen Institute

His Holiness the Dalai Lama at The Aspen Institute

Flowing Water Vs.Political Platforms

Flowing Water is one of the places I go to along the Hudson River to meditate these days.I meditate to review and improve my interactions with others(creating compassion),try to understand that there really isn't a Billy Goonan(understanding impermanence), appreciate my own breath and try to peal away the negative,self-protecting conditions that swim around my consciousness that bring me away from happiness and understanding.I rarely watch or read about politics and the perspectives they have for our society.Political platforms are simple to me now.The ones I support are other-centered and the ones that are self-centered are discarded because they lack compassion,have permanence(labeling that is inflexible,not in flux) and will only bring more unhappiness to the country,especially the poor.

If political platforms had the slogan"What about you",we wouldn't have the income inequality we have today.Competition would turn to cooperation and resources would be allocated to the citizens who need it first.Our legislators would come together with the business community to create employment where it is needed most.Public resources would be created to improve each component of society as we use technology for the welfare of society to improve living conditions for all.Food production and costs could be coordinated to bring local products to citizens to improve quality and increase positive eating lifestyles.Housing could be drastically improve and our population could use more of our beautiful farmland instead of crowding around employment environments in large cities.Our educational systems could be improved tenfold and internal values could be taught that would maintain the 'What about you" philosophy.Sounds easy to do if we just switch our perspective from me to you.The main problem comes from citizens protecting a "self" that doesn't exist.The self doesn't have inherent existence but changes in body and mind(consciousness) with each passing moment.The self doesn't exist independently but it arises in dependence upon other phenomena It is an illusion that shouldn't be protected and all suffering comes from providing for that self.Platforms are written to provide for the self by promising to acquire more money through tax reduction or laws that stop government regulation. They are centered on their own needs first and are ignorant that their lives could be more rewarding and happier if they just let go of their interests for others.They lack the trust that is needed to come home to their own goodness.

Mipham - What About Me