[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Politics: Trying to Change the Karmic Chain Reaction

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

October 13, 2004

POLITICS: TRYING TO CHANGE THE KARMIC CHAIN REACTION

I think the Buddhist idea of a politician is not so much one of a con man 
or of a businessman who wins favor with everybody, but someone who simply 
does what is necessary....I think in this country [the United States], 
politics are based on a kind of bad-mouthing and trying to speak out, which 
is all right, but which usually amounts to not knowing what to say; one is 
just copying someone else's aggression. Then aggression starts to snowball. 
In some sense, the main point is responsibility, which is important in how 
the government is run, how the situation is organized, not just ignoring 
everything completely and regarding it as a bad job....
         From a Buddhist point of view, there is some sense of taking an 
interest, we could say for the sake of all sentient beings. This means we 
should take part. This does not mean to say you have to take part in riots 
or blowing up banks or anything like that. But it means to undertake some 
kind of process whereby you try as much as possible to at least eliminate 
the byproducts that you inherit. When you begin to do that, then you begin 
to have a feeling that a fresh start is taking place....[The byproducts 
are] our long term inheritance from problems that took place before and of 
which we are still victims. Try to change this karmic chain reaction. Just 
start fresh.

         From "A Buddhist Approach to Politics: An Interview with Chogyam 
Trungpa," conducted by Karl Ray and first published in the SHAMBHALA REVIEW 
OF BOOKS AND IDEAS 5, nos. 1 & 2, Winter 1976. Now available in THE 
COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Eight, pages 420-421.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by 
permission.

Of interest to our readers: All eight volumes of THE COLLECTED WORKS OF 
CHOGYAM TRUNGPA are now available. For order information and a video 
pre-view of the DVD that accompanies purchase, consult the Shambhala 
Publications website: http://shambhala.com/trungpa/

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Carolyn Rose Gimian

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications,  the Archive of his 
unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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