Redemption

The same Brit Hume that says it's entirely reasonable to sacrifice the elderly for the economy (I always thought Logan's Run was far fetched...) once suggested that Tiger Woods does not have the concept of redemption because he is a Buddhist. He doesn't have the Christian concept of redemption, but luckily Christianity doesn't own all the spirituality words.

Finger Necklace, or Angulimala, was a brutal murderer, who found the BuddhaDharma through the Buddha, and became a monk. There were times when people who had family murdered by him would throw things at him. But he persisted in the BuddhaDharma path, and became an arahant. If that's not redemption, then I don't know what is.

All he has to do is look at the Wikipedia article (linked previously) to see how each religion determines the concept for them. I saw someone on Reddit ask why everyone assumed everyone was a Christian. It's Christianity presumption. As if that's the only religion that exists, similar to hetrosexual presumption, assuming that is the only kind of sexuality that exists.

I'd also say Milarepa is an excellent example of redemption in the Buddhist religion.

For those who say Buddhism is not a religion, I'd say that they were going along with the Christian presumption that religion is about god. I disagree. But I'm quite happy to see Buddhism as a spirituality instead of a religion. 

Redemption

I try to read at the park sometimes, but I need to keep an eye on my daughter and sometimes it's just too many interruptions. I've been not taking a book to the park and not looking at my phone, and I guess I get to reflecting. Had 2 thoughts today.

1. I remember a while back when Brit Hume said that Buddhism doesn't have redemption. There is a Buddhist text on redemption but it certainly doesn't buy into the hooey that Hume was thinking about, like you get to go to heaven if you're done a little good and repent or whatever. When it all went down I saw a celebrity Buddhist say he thought Buddhism had redemption.

I would say that Buddhism is more focused on preventing negative actions that would need redemption. Angulimala has some making up for murder to be done. Humans can really turn it around and that is an amazing thing.

Redemption is a good idea. It bubbles up from true remorse and the desire to try and right wrongs. Why not try to focus on trying to make up for mistakes.

Plus it helps you realize that there are a lot of things that can't be undone. Not to put more pressure on people, but as an extra incentive to be careful and thoughtful.


2. The neutral stage of metta is the hardest and most useful. If we don't love or hate someone, it's easy to drift away. This stage challenges us most to push for metta to someone who isn't in our grid of like or hate.

Metta isn't about thinking, it's about spreading a feeling further if possible. Provoking a positive mental state into new areas. Thought and feelings go together, so you can't separate them.

tantric sex magic

Just kidding. I want to write about redemption. Even so this is one of my most popular posts.

I remember back in 2010, Brit Hume suggested that Tiger Woods convert from Buddhism to Christianity because Christianity has redemption. I remember at the time a flummoxed Buddhist going on TV to respond to this charge. At the time I was unclear. I wish to muse further on this situation.

Buddhism doesn't have redemption in the sense that Jesus Christ died for our sins, in the sense that we've been kicked out of the garden because Eve gave the apple to Adam. The whole metaphysical contraption of Christianity isn't, obviously, part of Buddhism.

But were there great comeback stories in Buddhism. Of course there were. Did the Buddha think anyone could stage a great comeback? He did hesitate with allowing women into the order, and he gave them more rules, but many think that was quite revolutionary and feminist given the historical context. Of course the story of Angulimala comes to mind. He had a necklace made out of the fingers of the people he killed. When he turned to Buddhism the people stoned him and didn't give him food because they could remember him as a murderer. But that eventually died down and the Buddha taught that you don't run from your problems.

It's not Darth Vader finally acknowledging his son and saving his life type of redemption, but then again no two redemptions are alike.

Thinking about the Tiger Wood situation, obviously he's lost his wife, and by extension full time with his children. I'm sure he visits his children and whatnot, but it's never the same after a divorce. He's been linked to Linsey Vaughn, the great female skier who is injured during these olympics, so his love life has bounced back. He hasn't really won a major since the incident, and the impact on his golfing life has been quite significant. I'm sure he's lost millions and millions of dollars. I don't really know what it's like when you're super rich, what it's like to see some money drift away from you. I'm not sure how bad that really hurts. I don't know his social context, whether people treat him differently or whether he lost any friends. I suppose a real friend sticks by your side even in the bad times, so I guess he lost a lot of friendly acquaintances.

What ever your motivation for "doing good", I would say if it's a kind of redemption motivation, to make up for the bad you've done, well, there's nothing wrong with that. You might realize that it's not easy to tighten things up and "act good". Our lives are a bunch of habits and when we dig a hole, we often find that it wasn't worth it when we start digging out of it. I think that's one of the themes of My Name Is Earl. I think that's the whole point of ethics. It's not to turn you into a sheep, or to flip pleasure upside down and call it bad. The whole point of ethics is that you get hurt by not choosing the best path in life at times, and you really suffer through not being ethical. And that kind of insight is worth all the tantric sex magic in the world.

Did I go on a tangent?

Brandi Carlile's song It Wasn't Me:

Hang on, just hang on for a minute
I've got something to say
I'm not asking you to move on or forget it
But these are better days
To be wrong all along and admit is not amazing grace
But to be loved like a song you remember
Even when you've changed

Tell me did I go on a tangent?
Did I lie through my teeth?
Did I cause you to stumble on your feet?
Did I bring shame on my family?
Did it show when I was weak?
Whatever you see, that wasn't me
That wasn't me, that wasn't me

When you're lost you will toss every lucky coin you'll ever trust
And you will hide from every god like he never turns his back on us
And you will fall all the way to the bottom and fall on your own knife
But you'll learn who you are even if it doesn't take your life

Tell me did I go on a tangent?
Did I lie through my teeth?
Did I cause you to stumble on your feet?
Did I bring shame on my family?
Did it show when I was weak?
Whatever you see, that wasn't me
That wasn't me, that wasn't me

But I want you to know that you'll never alone
I wanna believe do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet
When you fall I will get you on your feet
Do I spend time with my family?
Did it show when I was weak?
When that's what you see, that will be me
That will be me, that will be me
That will be me

[end]

I woke up today singing, "did I go on a tangent?"

I googled the line, and found the song. I went to Spotify, and listened to the song. It seemed so apropo to my fall ten months ago. My actions were ego dystonic. I experienced them as not me. That wasn't me. I could not stop crying this morning for the hurt I brought.

What I love about this song is that she vows, like a bodhisattva vow, to help people back onto their feet, the ones who have fallen like she has. If there's any silver lining to a mistake, it's understanding them, and vowing to help people who've had similar mistakes. "But I want you to know that you'll never alone/I wanna believe do I make myself a blessing to everyone I meet/When you fall I will get you on your feet"

I bought tickets for a Brandi Carlile concert for one of the many people I hurt, and she was very excited. I apologized and apologized. She says I need to forgive myself. A friend thinks what I did was pretty serious and I think so too. Unfortunately I can't take it back. There's a line from a George Michaels song, "some mistakes were built to last/that's what you get/that's what you get". Another friend says I need to focus on positively moving forward; So that's what I'll do. But this song has a lot of meaning for me.

The line "I'm not asking you to move on or forget it" also captures the fact that saying sorry doesn't take back anything, the thing happened. The song goes on to say, "To be wrong all along and admit is not amazing grace/But to be loved like a song you remember/Even when you've changed".

There was this big thing when Brit Hume said that Tiger Woods should convert to Christianity because it has redemption, and he implied that there isn't any in Buddhism. I am sure there isn't redemption like Christianity, because every system of belief is different. But in Buddhism seeing reality, being awake and alive, is the ultimate goal. When you're awake and alive you see things clearly. You're not bewildered, distracted, confused on important levels. You don't go twisting off on a tangent. By coming back to reality is positive progress. 

Angulimama murdered people, and then found the live Buddha, and he turned his life around. The best thing you can do is progress down the path towards enlightenment, which includes pledging to be harmless to others. Doing that might not be redemption, but it's a good thing, and will make do for redemption in my mind.