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.
