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Institutional Members

MAITRIYANA BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY
AMITABHA BUDDHIST SOCIETY
LIFE AND HOPE ASSOCIATION
AROGYA FOUNDATION FOR THE DISABLED
THE BUDDHIST ASSOCIATION TANZANIA
KIND HEART AFRICA
RURAL AWARENESS FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY
CAMBODIA TEMPLE IN KAUSHAMBI
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BUDDHIST SOCIALISM
DHARMAVIJAYA ENGLISH DHAMMA SCHOOL
SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA VIHAR TRUST
WORLD ASSOCIATION OF THERAVADA
ZEN MULTIVERSITY

* Amar Mane (PRESIDENT)

* Master Maitreya Samyaksambuddha (SPIRITUAL PATRON)

*Venerable Tep Vuthy (PEACE AMBASSADOR)

* Master Yan Maitri-Shi (INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY)

 

Founding Act and Internal Regulation

On December 21, 2012, Master Maitreya Samyaksambuddha made the creation of the Indian Buddhist Federation, becoming its first President. It is time to re-found the Buddhism of India that Siddharta Gautama created two thousand six hundred years ago, reconquering the spiritual field in order to restore Buddhism toward the right Path. This reconquest must be proposed to all Buddhist communities in India in order to try to save the entire society. This goal of refoundational work is indissoluble from a meditative formation that must be dispensed in this movement of analytical-existential-libertarian reconquest of Buddhist Spirituality.

The next evolutionary step must be performed, unifying the Spirituality in order to Guide toward the evolution of consciousness. Buddhism must recover the relationship with the Truth and criticize any deviation of the Dharma that delays its progress and development. The Founder of the organization will preserve the right of veto in the face of resolutions approved by the government of the Indian Buddhist Federation that may be contrary to Buddhist Spirituality.

The Indian Buddhist Federation may issue degrees of Instructor or Master in Meditation to those students who have approved the training process under the guidance of a spiritual master.

The Indian Buddhist Federation calls upon to make a Seventh Buddhist Council that will occur in the next years of its foundation. Each institutional member revalidates the realization and existence of such Council.

The Presidency of the Indian Buddhist Federation will last for a period of 8 years and will not be an eternal power, so the Founder will personally deal with the period 2012-2020 while then there must be a new President for the period 2020-2028.

The Indian Buddhist Federation may criticize activities of Sanghas that may be contrary to Buddhist Spirituality, performing this kind of advice with respect and humility.

The Indian Buddhist Federation will have as its financial funds the activities coming from Meditation Trainings, while the memberships are free.

The Indian Buddhist Federation will offer support and spiritual guidance to all its institutional members, transmitting them the integrative and evolutionary knowledge of the Buddha-Dharma-Sangha.

The Indian Buddhist Federation believes that humanity is in danger due to a materialistic lifestyle, which generates crises such as climate change, so it seeks to expand and relaunch meditative life throughout India as a better way to seek the survival of humanity in the face of the possibility of self-destruction. Meditative life, with its analytical-existential-libertarian style, is the answer offering the Cure of mental suffering and the Liberation of the oppressed peoples of India.

The Indian Buddhist Federation is ruled by the Buddhist Law and the International Law, its Purpose being the integral and democratic development of the Buddhist Spirituality in India.

The Indian Buddhist Federation may remove the membership of an institutional or individual member in case of misconduct sanctioned by an Ethics Committee. All kinds of internal conflicts will be addressed through such Committee.

The Indian Buddhist Federation will have face-to-face and virtual meetings and deliberations, which will allow a correct and rapid decision making in all circumstances.

The Indian Buddhist Federation will be represented by its President, who shall maintain good behavior at all times and places.

The Indian Buddhist Federation may modify its internal regulations with the full support of its members, or with the support of its Founder.

The Indian Buddhist Federation will have institutional members that must adjust to ethical guidelines, such as the values of Detachment, Commitment, Liberty, Openness, Compassion, Wisdom, Love, Companionship and Self-sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

The Way of Solidarity

The Maitriyana is a spiritual path (marga) towards the Awakening (Bodhi) of the individual and society, by developing an authentic pathway of an analytical understanding, an existential conduct and a libertarian meditation on the basis of the teachings of Gautama and Jesus. Therefore, it is about a solidary Path of spiritual evolution. In this sense, the Buddhist Socialism is an international movement that is proposed to apply compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) to the political, economic and cultural problems of the contemporary world, as the possibility of the environmental destruction. Thus the Maitriyana is a mystical counterculture with the Purpose (Dharma) of creating a sane, free and enlightened society. Therefore the spiritual masters teach how to heal the world,[1] devoting their lives to the commitment and responsibility towards the welfare of the entire Earth (Gaia). This orientation is translated into a revolutionary contemplative practice (kakumei zen) that develops the hidden spiritual possibilities in all beings, by self-realizing the apprentice and simultaneously transforming the peoples through the solidary action. The Buddhist Socialism involves an extraordinary effort, for it is about transforming the inner and outer world, waking the wise consciousness and the compassionate action, so that it surpasses the ideologies that consider it is possible to change society without producing an inner revolution. Indeed, the Maitriyana is an integrating pathway because it implies the Cure (Nirvana) of both the poisons of the inner world, which are attachment, aversion and unconsciousness of mental reality, as well as the poisons of the external world, which are greed, hatred and delusion of the social reality. Like the Master Kapleau, the Buddhist Socialism appreciates the solidary activism as a contribution to the world and as a possible form of libertarian meditation, by helping the individual to develop love and equanimity. This teaching of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has a radical meaning: the peak knowledge (satori) is authentic when it is expressed into action wisely compassionate. Therefore, the tradition of Maitriyana is a model of Integrative Spirituality that seeks both the transcendence of Ego and the Awakening (Bodhi) of the people, and so the orientation of the spiritual master being the hardest path to travel. Definitively, the source of this loving and spiritual attitude is the artistic contemplation, as Master Kukai has taught, because the Purpose (Dharma) or Truth of life can be expressed through the spiritual art by revealing the state of Sublimation (Nirodh). This lucid and inspiring conception of the path of Buddhist Socialism is the key to understand how to achieve the Liberation and Serenity (Samatha) of the apprentice and the society. The Way of Maitriyana helps the entire humanity to achieve the Cure (Nirvana), by teaching an advanced evolutionary state that is nothing less than the ideal or aspiration of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva): achieving the Awakening (Bodhi) of all beings. This fundamental metamotivation is the mission of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ), reason by which the libertarian meditation reveals Gautama and Jesus as the cosmic archetypes or maximum incarnations of the compassionate wisdom (manjushri-kuanyi). These figures should not be used with the intention of religiously worship them, since they are a source of inspiration and self-realization of the hidden potentialities of the individual. For the Buddhist Socialism, Gautama and Jesus comprise a model and paradigm of a waking mind, peak knowledge (satori) and solidary conduct, but not a source of religious cosmology. Therefore, like Master Kapleau, the Maitriyana confirms that the aim of the contemplation of the Real is learning to act with compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) in the world. This solidary attitude, however, is not a mere activism, because it has the profound intention to save and liberate others. Goodness then is the essence of the mysterious practice of libertarian meditation.

The wheel of the Purpose (Dharma) is one of the most special and ancient symbols of Spirituality, being an emblem of the teachings of Gautama and Jesus, because it symbolizes the highest degree of integrity and uniqueness. Evidently, the Sense of Purpose (Dharma) is the profound mystery of existence, being the essential outline of the contemplative practice that leads to both the Cure (Nirvana) and the Liberation of the Peoples. Therefore, through the Sublimation (Nirodh) of Desire, the spiritual master represents not only the most amplified and higher state of consciousness, but also the most ambitious program of transformation of the world, by irradiating compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) to the confines of the whole Universe. Thus, the libertarian meditation is the vehicle for the initiation and welfare of all humankind. The tradition of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is then revealed as pure solidarity with the fellow beings, by participating in politics, economy and culture with the guidance of protecting the Earth (Gaia) through the transmission of wise serenity and compassionate action.[2] The path of the Buddhist Socialism is the deployment of Spirituality in the everyday life, by cultivating the contemplative consciousness in order to create a better world. In this way the libertarian meditation is always a simple, useful and comprehensive position of solidary approachment to others. This lucid and spiritual love represents the culmination of Maitriyana, by helping the people to achieve the Salvation amidst the mundane suffering. Therefore, the roots of this movement are Gautama and Jesus, who were the greatest masters Awakened and Saviour Beings (Buddhas-Christs) of history, as the maximum symbol of the attitude of awakened consciousness (bodhicitta) and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). The gradual flowering of the Awakening (Bodhi) of the world represents the possibility of moving forward with clarity and lucidity towards the next evolutionary stage. In this way the Socially Engaged Spirituality of Buddhist Socialism is the most important practical and theoretical path, because it contemplatively expresses the high goals of the human beings. The spiritual master proposes the libertarian meditation as a direction towards the transformation of the inner and outer world, by exercising a vision and experience capable of achieving the Cure (Nirvana) of the apprentice and of the Earth (Gaia), because this path is a return to the spiritual nature of all humanity. Just like Master Matthiessen, the Maitriyana confirms that the true nature of Self is return home, by raising a Kingdom of Heavens on Earth.

For the Buddhist Socialism, the integration of the sacred and the profane, the spiritual and the mundane, are an expression of contemplative maturity, Gautama and Jesus being an archetypal figure of this profound solidarity with the welfare of all living beings, because as Master Tenzin Gyatso establishes, the main characteristic of a Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is his great universal love for the world. This benevolent attitude characteristic of the libertarian meditation is the aspiration that all human beings become aware and cease the suffering, causing a worldwide level of Spirituality without precedent in nature. This implies that the Maitriyana, like the Master Aitken, believes that flowers, children or birds are glimpses of the Awakening (Bodhi) of the Socially Engaged Spirituality. Indeed, the fundamental principle of Buddhist Socialism is then the interrelationship and interdependence of all that exists, showing that the inner and the outer world are one. The spiritual master teaches solidarity as a contemplative practice whose only Purpose (Dharma) is the Cure (Nirvana) of suffering. In fact, the impulse of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is to develop the true nature of humanity and alleviate the oppression suffered by the peoples.

An important principle of Maitriyana is to unify the everyday life with the spiritual development;[3] by performing the common activities with a detached attitude and mystical consciousness. This learning which is provided by the libertarian meditation involves that working – even though it is about transporting water and wood – must be experienced with lucidity and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). In fact, the Buddhist Socialism coincides with Master Dogen that the daily acts do not exist outside the Spiritual Purpose (Dharma), by teaching the individual to feel peace and Mindfulness amidst the daily conflicts, which unites the transcendental to the mundane. Thus, for the spiritual master, Serenity and Liberation are always in wonderful moment of present. The cultivation of Mindfulness to the present time is the practical pathway of the awakened consciousness (bodhicitta) in the here and now. This contemplative practice on the activities of the everyday life simultaneously is an opening and delivery to the internal and external world. Just like Master Ikkyu, the Maitriyana confirms that the true key for Salvation is Mindfulness, because it allows the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) not be isolated and maintaining a useful and solidary presence in the world, always recognizing the needs of the others. In this way the libertarian meditation teaches the apprentice to worry about the ethical consequences of his choices, whether conscious or unconscious. Therefore, for the Buddhist Socialism, the three pillars of the spiritual learning are contemplation (dhyana), wisdom (prajna) and ethics (sila), which in turn have as a common basis the force of compassion (karuna). Consequently, the precepts of the ethical conduct derived from this Integrative Spirituality are to respect life, to be equitative with others, love adequately, speak honestly and maintain the consciousness pure against the perversion and destruction that the capitalist system transmits. In this way Mindfulness does not lead to permissiveness or indifference in the face of the world’s conflicts, but it cultivates tolerance and patience in order to achieve their Salvation. Being fully present in the here and now is the secret of a better world.

The Maitriyana is an expression of the type of spiritual family or solidary commune (sangha), by manifesting the millenarian ideal of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) through the loving attitude for others. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism develops the model of spiritual family as a form of libertarian meditation, by recommending that parents and children base their everydayness on certain ethical and socialist principles. This implies that the model of family and commune (sangha) driven by the spiritual master is superior to any style of social bond, leaving the type of materialistic family in order to develop a group of people with a common Purpose (Dharma) or supreme goal: the Awakening (Bodhi). The contemplative life then constitutes an alternative to the materialistic culture, transforming the home of the individual in a learning centre of the Way (dojo).[4] This transformation is an important dimension in the teachings of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), bringing Mindfulness to the family life, which revitalizes the presence of transcendental values such as respect, generosity, responsibility, cordiality and purity. Indeed, the Maitriyana radically changes the family life, since the libertarian meditation is basically a duty of helping others, by developing the principles of self-knowledge and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). This non-genetic transmission of Mindfulness allows raising children and turning them into evolved humans, beings that are willing to give their lives for building a better world, beings that are able and capable of save humanity. Thus the Buddhist Socialism is the fundamental function of producing a systemic change in society.

For the Maitriyana, an adequate way of work is something important for the Cure (Nirvana) of the apprentice and society, by integrating the contemplative practice into the everyday life in order to honourably work in spite of the materialistic and consumerist civilization. This right livelihood obviously implies a cordial relationship with the others, because it is basically a vocation nourished by the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna), as Theodore Roszak indicated. Thus, the adequate way to work prescribed by Gautama raises a pathway of personal satisfaction, knowledge of reality and service to the fellow being. By sublimating the deepest intentions of the individual, the correct livelihood expresses responsibility for the future generations. Therefore, the libertarian meditation can be defined as a way to enjoy the work that one is supposed to do,[5] which strengthens the character and refines Mindfulness of mind. Evidently, the principles of the adequate way to work, as fidelity to oneself, consideration for others and compliance with the agreements, are very profound practical values for the Buddhist Socialism, together with social responsibility and environmental care. Therefore, the spiritual master seeks the reformulation of the contemporary world through the reflexive speech and the ability to listen carefully to others, by cultivating cordiality and frankness to transmit hope, happiness and Awakening (Bodhi) to the whole society. This commitment of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) banishes the conflict and disunion of capitalist civilization, encouraging the abandonment of greed, hatred and ignorance. Consequently, the Maitriyana has no objection to claim that the economy, politics and culture of capitalist materialism is destroying the planet, so that it simultaneously propounds that the correct livelihoods are fundamental for the survival of humanity and the Earth (Gaia). While religions and governments often ignore the evils of the world, such as war, poverty, ignorance and pollution, instead, the Buddhist Socialism strives to provoke about a global transformation through the force of Solidarity. This task requires a supreme determination, applying spiritual values and a higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC) in order to solve the world problems. The spiritual tradition of Maitriyana risks notably, because combating greed entails the price of loneliness. However, society desperately needs this kind of contemplative practice. Solidarity is the natural expression of the aspiration of the spiritual masters of saving all beings, by being the fullest offering that can be done for life. In this sense, the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) are the tools for building the future world with joy and enthusiasm.

The apprentice who practices libertarian meditation feels he has to do something facing social injustice, so that the revolutionary struggle is not alien to the Spirituality of the Buddhist Socialism. Although this libertarian political participation is nonpartisan, it certainly is a metapolitical involvement that works for the welfare of all beings. During the last 2600 years the spiritual movement created by Siddhartha Gautama was a synthesis of the psychological, philosophical and political levels, by having an influential role in society for being an international symbol of peace, justice, knowledge and ecology. These values are the four pillars of thought and social practice of the Maitriyana, which is a metapolitical path that starts from the idea that the inner and outer well-being are interconnected to each other. Thus, the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) openly advocates both for the Liberation of the individual and for the democratization of the people. The Buddhist Socialism is effectively a pacifist and integrative movement, conveying a cutting-edge education and defending human rights at a global level. This postmodern tendency favours the social transformation on the basis of non-violence, which are both the means and the very end of the Cure (Nirvana). In this way the ethical precepts of Maitriyana are both a guideline for the apprentice and a social struggle against militarism, exploitation, corruption, prostitution and drug trafficking. These practices are the recipes for a society awakened and cured from the evils generated by consumerism, such as inequality and environmental destruction. Indeed, the spiritual master categorically affirms that politics, economy and capitalist culture is intimately linked to attachment and greed, by considering in the same way as Master Buddhadasa that there is an alternative paradigm of civilization: the Buddhist Socialism. This positioning is the creation of a global libertarian community dedicated to the Awakening (Bodhi) of all beings. This quest for Liberty, Equality and Fraternity seeks to convert the entire world into a Kingdom of Peace where the whole society lives in harmony with nature. Thus the Maitriyana represents a spiritual alternative of a profound social change, conceiving a future free from acquisitive and competitive impulses. The libertarian meditation then leads to the development of a sane and better society, transforming the structure of the world by applying the awakened mind (bodhicitta) and the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna), which are fundamental to find the cure (Nirvana) from suffering at a global level. From this point of view, solidarity can solve and overcome all conflicts and challenges that appear, by practicing revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) in order to create an international community of peace and social justice. According to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), no matter how unfair or infernal the world situation is, one should always contribute to the Liberation of humanity and the protection of the Earth (Gaia).

Facing a process of mass extinction of species that the capitalist civilization is rapidly performing, the spiritual master is positioned in society as a protector of nature, being fully committed in trying to solve very serious problems such as the destruction of forests. This pathway of defense of the Mother Earth (Gaia) is one of the multiple directions to which the Buddhist Socialism is aimed. In the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) it is performed a call to protect all ecosystems through the principles of pacifism and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). The method of the libertarian meditation is an ethical response facing the ecological crisis of West and East, helping the subject to be able to understand that the spiritual values are the only possible solution to this global problem. In this sense, the Maitriyana shows that there is a fundamental interexistence between the apprentice and the environment, this vision of interdependence being a requirement for the very process of Awakening (Bodhi). In this sense, the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is a supreme form of environmental activism, manifesting an attitude of union and interdependence with all beings. In this way, the Buddhist Socialism encourages simplicity and the responsible and moderate consumption, always having respect for the environment and detachment from the illusory needs, which leads to the true happiness. The awakened consciousness developed by the libertarian meditation can transmit the force of social and environmental activism to the future generations, by detaching the individual from the thirst for seeing results or fruits of action in the short term. Thus the Maitriyana is a lighthouse of hope against the painful extinction of species, because it is the Path towards the Cure (Nirvana) of the Earth (Gaia).

By following Awakened and Saviour Beings (Buddhas-Christs) like Gautama and Jesus, the Buddhist Socialism deploys an impressive vow of wise and compassionate action, having the Purpose (Dharma) of purifying the Earth (Gaia) and liberating the peoples through the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) and its peak knowledge (satori). While there are conflicts in the world, the tradition of Maitriyana will continue to struggle peacefully for the Salvation of humanity. Therefore, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) personifies the awakened and adequate action against the Real. Thus, the path of Buddhist Socialism manifests solidary actions in fields such as economy, politics and culture. In this sense, the deployment of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) transforms society by organizing a type of community (sangha) dedicated to the aim of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. In the reconciling vehicle of the Maitriyana it is considered that all the peoples have potentiality to change their attitude and achieve this Awakening (Bodhi). But this implies be contacted mystically with all areas of life, devoting Full Attention to the fellow being and showing reverence for the weft of nature. The spiritual master knows perfectly how to instruct each person, because some people need teachings while others require his presence or attitude. For the Buddhist Socialism, the spiritual practice may occur in different scenarios, such as loving parenting, righteous work and the care of nature. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) transmits the Cure (Nirvana) in multiple ways, although all of them share essentially the spirit of solidary practice and the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). In the practice of libertarian meditation, the analytical-existential understanding is developed in the encounter with the others and the entire world. From the point of view of Maitriyana, the transmission of the spiritual Purpose (Dharma) is an archetypal and peak expression of loving action for the others. This path of serenity-in-action is the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) as an attentive and persevering pursuit of helping the other to able to Awaken (Bodhi).

In 2600 years of history the Spiritual Discourse has adapted to different cultural circumstances, so that the tradition of Buddhist Socialism is a metalineage which honours all the great spiritual masters who were pioneers and archetypes of the Path of Spirituality. Thus, the great ancestors of the Maitriyana were Gautama and Jesus, who bravely assumed great physical dangers to try to save the world by means of the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). This attitude of universal solidarity is essentially the action of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), whose solitary way passes through all sorts of fear, shame, madness and illusion.[6] The libertarian meditation envisions how to develop an attentive and awakened society, by transforming the mind, ideas and communities. In this way, the Maitriyana exerts an unprecedented spiritual leadership in the world history. However, this model of ideal society generates controversies and criticisms in those who are attached to the status quo and are terrified to change. In spite of this, the most important goal of the Buddhist Socialism is to lead all beings into the unknown path of Liberation and Cure (Nirvana) from suffering, by being determined to purify the mind and society from addictions of attachment and consumerism.

The Maitriyana maintains serenity even in the face of the enormous dangers that implies being a voice of revolutionary honesty, so facing the crises it manifests clear ideas that are capable of transforming any kind of personal or social situation. Just like the master Thich Quang Duc, the spiritual master is willing to sacrifice his own life in pursuit of the Awakening (Bodhi) of the people. These transcendent generous acts are inherent to the mind of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva). Thus, the Buddhist Socialism is ready to cope with a difficult future, because war, indigence, illiteracy and pollution are four very powerful horsemen on the pathway of capitalist civilization. The revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) helps the apprentice to develop Mindfulness and Serenity even in disaster situations. Therefore, the libertarian meditation is an essential aspect of all genuinely revolutionary path. Contemplation (Zen) allows the subject to be truly attentive to the internal and external situations, being able to respond ethically to the psychological and social suffering. In this sense, the attitudes of clarity and openness are deeply intertwined with perseverance and solidarity. The Maitriyana claims that the apprentice cannot change the world unless he himself has not changed before. In this way, the mystical life is intrinsically solidary. The spiritual master considers that the fundamentals of the libertarian meditation are tranquility and the full presence in the world, by being the maximum expression of the pacifist and solidary movement of East and West. On the pathway of the Buddhist Socialism the practice and theory are the fruit of contemplation-in-action or doing-in-the-nothingness (wu-wei), which is the learning of the ethics of silence and responsible detachment. From the lives of Gautama and Jesus the Maitriyana offers the most important example of what it is the serenity and equanimity, by maintaining with calm and alert a dynamic balance of inner and outer concentration. This libertarian meditation is achieved through a fascinating synthesis between direct perception of the world and isolation in nature.

The Buddhist Socialism participates in the world with joy, awakened consciousness and solidarity, always acting for the good of the others. This lifestyle dedicated to serving the fellow beings is the key not only for the Cure (Nirvana) of mind but also for the Liberation of society. Therefore, this virtue of generosity, which is the highest value, is about a work from heart to heart, by renouncing the own benefit for the welfare of the people. The fabric of contemplation (Zen), compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and solidary action form the most powerful force in the history of humanity: the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha). Indeed, the Maitriyana is the way of the solidary attitude and the humanitarian principles, by working on the network of interexistence for the Salvation of the Earth (Gaia) and the evolution of humanity. The Buddhist Socialism is a mystical social action that seeks the spiritual maturity of the peoples, so that it shares the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in order that all beings can feel this miracle. Thus, the subject must be delivered to the search both of the Awakening (Bodhi) of Self as well as of Healing of the world. This work for the transindividual Liberation is the pathway of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), on which the apprentice cannot be authentically liberated unless all other beings are not liberated too.[7] Thus, the Integrative Path of Maitriyana is a movement of genuine humility and openness (sunyata), by stating that a spiritual master may not be physically different from any other human being, although his higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC) makes him notably in an evolved being. Even although he lacks parapsychological powers, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has a pure and spontaneous participation in the world,[8] converting his daily life into a true mystical practice. Therefore, the spiritual masters are the creators of a better society, struggling with commitment, simplicity and courage for democracy, human rights and the evolution of the peoples. The commitment with the cause of transformation of social reality is then the culmination of 2600 years of Spirituality. However, this spiritual path is infinite, because there will always be new perceptions to have, new learnings to transmit and new persons to help.[9]

The fundamental principle of the libertarian meditation is that Liberation is the intrinsic spiritual nature of humanity, so it is not about something that must be acquired but rather dis-occulted. Therefore, the libertarian teachings of the tradition of Buddhist Socialism, through the paradoxical dialectic logic, mean that the spiritual evolution of human being is the expression of his true selfness. Contemplation (Zen) is a revolutionary attitude that aims to liberate such occult nature by means of the embodiment of the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). Evidently, the Integrative Spirituality of Maitriyana is diverse and flexible, adapting itself to contemporary conditions through different disciplines in order to convey solidary love and ethical generosity. One of the most important features of Buddhist Socialism is its constant passion for the transformation of the inner and outer world. In accordance with the Master Hisamatsu Shin´ichi, the Maitriyana claims that the truly spiritual lifestyle in the contemporary civilization is based on the three pillars of the analytical inquest of the Self, the existential inquest into reality and the libertarian inquest of the world history.[10] These three complementary pillars are equivalent to the multidisciplinary set of the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), whose practice and theory is something that profoundly transcends clinical psychology, academic philosophy and partisan politics. The integration of these elements constitutes a conscious, interdependent and solidary life, assuming the radiant attitude of the peak knowledge (satori) unto the ends of Cosmos.

 

[1] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[2] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[3] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[4] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[5] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[6] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[7] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[8] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[9] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

[10] Kenneth Kraft, The Wheel of Engaged Buddhism: a new map of the path.

 

 

Gautama with Saint Francis: Appropriate Solution to the conflicts of the world

Faced with the innumerable personal conflicts and social crises to be resolved, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) develops appropriate solutions that are a method and an extraordinary resource for learning from the everyday life. These solutions are a guide to the world, because they teach how the suffering generated by the conflicts between individuals, groups and nations can be properly vanished. However, the reconciliatory method used by the spiritual masters does not imply the development of the intellect, but rather of intuition, which allows to understand the hidden meanings of the problems of existence. By keeping the rational mind in a state of Mindfulness, by clearing it from the illusions of Ego, the apprentice begins to discover the liberating sense that arises from the teachings of the Maitriyana Spirituality. It is about a contemplative learning because when studying the positionings of Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) facing the crises and conflicts of life, the subject can start a Path towards Serenity and Awakening (Bodhi) of the life force.

The academic or rational way of interpreting the stories of the spiritual master leads to the consideration that their contents are irrational or paradoxical. However, this only proves that the stories of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) are supraintellectual, by possessing a paradoxical dialectical logic that is linked to the poetic language. Thus, the approach of the method to overcome crises developed by spiritual masters such as Siddhartha Gautama and Jesus of Nazareth is really based on a trans-historical point of life, providing the mind with a metaintelect that dialectically unifies the opposite poles to paradoxically overcome the conflicts and contradictions at all levels of existence. The metaintelect or Eye of Truth is the higher faculty of the peak knowledge (satori),[1] which causes a sublimating transformation of all conflicting or problematical issues through the unity of the opposites, which results paradoxical and shocking from the lower vision of the ordinary intellect. Therefore, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), even when he is a spiritual master Adequately Self-Awakened (Samma Sam Buddha), is not omniscient nor indestructible and should confront the problems of mundanity for continuing to be imperfect, impermanent and insubstantial, although always by overcoming challenges and obstacles of life through compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna).

Faced with a constantly imperfect, impermanent and insubstantial reality it is evident that consciousness experiences frustration and confliction, so that crises inevitably occur. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism is not a Pathway that seeks to eliminate or hide the conflict, but rather to address it through ethical instruments capable of finding a solution or Cure (Nirvana). Wisdom (Sampajañña) of compassion appears in the Maitriyana as a way of learning in the face of problems, which is the very paradoxical key for their own overcoming. Undoubtedly, righteousness in the immediate resolution of conflicts not only gets self-realize the human being, but also produces a genuine harmony and development on Earth (Gaia). From the vision of dialectical-paradoxical logic, the conflict is an integral part of life, so that the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) usually welcome it as an opportunity of change the vital situation, by understanding that, in the crises, those who fight for goodness and honour emerge.

By adopting this attitude of libertarian meditation, both the apprentice and the peoples do not waste the opportunity to grow and move forward towards wholeness. This means that the fate of humanity it is not necessarily self-destruction, because possibilities of change and transformation are constantly open. The function of the spiritual masters is then to inspire the world and provide an example of how one can evolve with balance, by showing that the course of life provides oppressive, sad and painful experiences, but also pleasurable, funny and wise ones. By remaining detached faced with the opposite poles, the subject increases his ability to learn and grow through the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). The method of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is quite simple, studying profoundly the conflict within its context and analyzing the different alternative possibilities for resolving the crises in order to put into practice the most correct and just Awakening (Bodhi) to reach to a true and lasting peace.

The Buddhist Socialism field represents an extraordinary example for the entire humanity, by transmitting the method of addressing and resolving conflicts that characterized Gautama and Jesus, who faced multiple problems and challenges through an art or lifestyle based on the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña). This implies perceiving conflicts and crises as a wonderful reason to change and deploy creative resources, helping the apprentice to understand his own unconscious while it is taught the people how to get out from oppression, so that crises are an ally in the solution and Cure (Nirvana) of the world.[2] The spiritual master helps people to break free from the emotional burdens and unconscious patterns (bhavanga) of the past, by delving into the crises through full awareness. This allows revalidating and strengthening the commitment to the existence, establishing transparent bonds of friendship with others. Here the Sublimation (Nirodh) has an essential role when detaching and transpersonalizing the consciousness through contemplative practice, which is the only way leading to the full development of subjectivity (viññana) and of the inner vision (Panna), by purifying the process of perception-ideation (sañña) in pursuit of deciphering the unconscious contents (bhavanga-citta) that emerge into the conscious system (Vithi-citta). In fact, the Maitriyana is the One Way (Ekayana) that leads to the integral transformation of mind in both conscious and unconscious sphere.[3]

The Buddhist Socialism classifies three classes of conflict: the suffering derived from the neurotic patterns of the unconscious mind (sankkhára-dukkha), the suffering caused by physical pain (dukkha-dukkata) and the suffering generated by the change (viparinama-dukkha). In this way, dissatisfaction (dukkha) has respectively a past, present and future appearance. The kind of conflictivity that is vanished by the Maitriyana aims precisely to the third kind of frustration (dukkha), which is generated by the impermanence and change. Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) transmits a practice able to overcome anxiety, uncertainty and insecurity associated with the appearance of the new. In this sense, any change implies crisis, both in personal and social conflicts, because it means the death of what is known, and this profoundly affects the body and mind through unconscious, by producing stress, tension and despair. Therefore, a spiritual master is not a subject that lacks crisis, but rather is someone who is always prepared for unexpected conflicts, recognizing that impermanence and change are constant, trying to understand the root causes of the problems, by disaggregating a solution and communicating frankly and openly to others the steps to be followed. These four noble attitudes are an accurate method to cure society from crises that put in doubt its survival, by causing the evolution of humanity and routing it towards a libertarian socialist civilization. Once this next evolutionary stage is reached, small problems of an everyday order will only remain, which can be resolved without too much difficulty. The Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) then prevent the dangers besetting the world, by analyzing crises in their entirety in order to help to find a righteous solution. The Way of Buddhist Socialism helps that a new consciousness in the world crops up through the process of libertarian meditation.

The spiritual master teaches that in order to overcome conflicts it is indispensable to implement a revolutionarily renewed attitude through a higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC). Thus, in order to banish the global conflict of humanity it is necessary a radical understanding of the crises, profoundly reflecting on the causes of suffering of the peoples. Therefore, the advice of the Maitriyana is to follow the example of Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) as Gautama and Jesus, observing the practices and teachings they left with their selfless presence in society. Clearly, this does not imply a religious attitude towards these great spiritual masters, because the apprentice must never have religious faith but the development of Mindfulness, the profound insight and the peak knowledge (satori) forming the One Way (Ekayana) towards the adequate resolution of conflicts of the world.[4]

Evidently, when studying how a Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) resolves his conflicts the individual gets to learn a way to handle his own problems, as well as those of society in general. The incidents and stories of spiritual masters against scorn and recrimination are then the best guidance for the transformation and Salvation of the world. In this way the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is a Path that helps the apprentice to overcome insults and disdain in order to be in peace and tranquillity. Obviously, this does not mean running away from problems, since the teachings of the Buddhist Socialism show that conflicts must be confronted and solved before departure. The tools that a Free Being and Enlightened (Arhat-Bodhisattva) uses facing the crises are silence, inner loneliness and compassion towards those who do not know what they are doing. Over time, since the reality is transitory, all unpleasant attitude of contempt ends up disappearing. By not reacting before defamation, the spiritual master follows the complicated path of detached behaviour. Thus, the practice of libertarian meditation is a pathway that does not necessarily entail positive experiences as joy, as a part of the perception of the traumatic features of the Real, as imperfection, impermanence and insubstantiality.

As Siddhartha Gautama pointed out, the Maitriyana considers it is much better to live a single day or instant by perceiving the Real than living a hundred years believing that everything is permanent. Therefore, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) teaches that it is superior the lifestyle that seeks the Awakening (Bodhi), even if there is only a moment, instead of the materialistic lifestyle that survives hundreds of years without reaching Cure (Nirvana). Indeed, the contemplative observation of the transitoriness helps to develop a clear perception of the Real, being a deep and absolutely indispensable vision for the lifestyle of Spirituality.

Moreover, since the status or social respect is something transitory, at some point in his life every spiritual master unavoidably suffers any kind of conspiracy, false denunciation, defamation or even assassination attempt by religious or powerful people, because the Spirituality always affects the interests of those who make profit or have power. However, faced with this fact the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) act with full self-consciousness through the Eye of Truth. In this sense, the spiritual master best represents the interests of the general welfare of the people, always taking care of the most humble and oppressed, which represents a true subversive positioning against the political, economic and cultural structure which prevails in society.[5] While the religious and governmental leaders often use and manipulate the poor, instead, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is characterized by having the honesty and peaceful resistance that Gautama and Jesus showed against all kinds of crises. Instead of being passive, flee or be violent, the spiritual master adopts an attitude according to which all personal, social or international conflict must be finished in its very point of origin, which allows to overcome the crises through a useful and effective conduct. Thus, as it has been seen in the lives of Gautama and Jesus, the contempt, accusations and slanders of society when they are ethically confronted with equanimity, they rapidly vanish like any feeling of anger. Certainly, Buddhist Socialism teaches to overcome crises and difficult situations with patience and Mindfulness, by offering a model of stoic behaviour that is a practical method in order that all the peoples of the world are able to overcome infamy of capitalist civilization, remaining strong and loyal to the spiritual values. Therefore, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has a victorious attitude and he is never expressed as a pusillanimous that flees faced with negative situations. In the same way as if it were to react with violence, if the spiritual master comes to flee from crises, he would only achieve giving them reason to those who insult him, reason by which it is recommended the subject to wait with patience and Mindfulness so that peace and serenity naturally emerge.

Definitively, Gautama and Jesus confirm that patience is the supreme way of the Awakened and Saviour Beings (Buddhas-Christs), whose teachings are summarized in abstaining from evil, in the act of doing good and purifying the mind. This transmission of Truth never causes pain to fellow beings, because it belongs to the serenity and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). The apprentice who does not despise or does not cause pain to others achieves to remain in a higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC), by taking care of himself and the world through the constant moderation and humility, as Gautama and Jesus did.

The libertarian meditation is an exercise of frankness and honesty, always maintaining a pedagogical aim for all of humanity. This practical philosophy of Sublimation (Nirodh) is what all the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) taught and embraced, who sought to purify the individual through the de-identification of the impurities of attachment, aversion and unconsciousness. Thus, the shelter during this process of emptying of the apprentice shall be the teachings that clear the path towards the Awakening (Bodhi), never by clinging to the figure of the spiritual master, who is nothing but an equanimous assistant in the process of the overcoming of crises of existence.

For the Maitriyana, what is most worthy of admiration of Gautama and Jesus is that they were fully delivered to the Purpose (Dharma) of helping the whole humankind without any distinction, by exercising the supreme virtue of Equanimity when trying to avoid war in all nations. In this sense, the great Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) are synonymous of righteousness and justice, by perceiving deeply and contemplatively the Real. Indeed, the force of Equanimity and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) transcends the opposite poles, by allowing the individual to be able to position beyond pleasure and pain.[6] In the Path towards the Cure (Nirvana) of both apprentice and society, equanimity indicates the direction or Purpose (Dharma) of the libertarian meditation, through which it is possible to embrace the many possibilities of existence without attachment or aversion to any of them.

Following Gautama and Jesus, the Buddhist Socialism affirms that the death and repression drive is overcome by the ethical conduct of the individual who lives his existence with Mindfulness, peak knowledge (satori) and Liberty. The Maitriyana establishes that in order that the apprentice can access a stage of Liberation, his inner energies must be balanced by means of the contemplation in action. This mystical balance (Samadhi) facilitates the emergence of a powerful inner Vision while it allows the subject has the will to dissipate the obstacles and consummate the transformation of both himself and the world. If the sublimated energy is insufficient, this profound state of libertarian meditation does not occur. Thereby, both the sublimated energy of life and the balanced consciousness are essential for the practice of transformation of society, which is the search for conquering the ultimate goal of progress and the Awakening (Bodhi) of the world.

The movement of Buddhist Socialism has the Purpose (Dharma) that Spirituality flourishes among all the peoples of the Earth (Gaia), unselfishly striving to help the entire humanity through the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and the Spiritual Love towards all beings. These premises of the spiritual master allow the Maitriyana to clearly perform its pacifist mission, by enacting a righteous and just society that fully embraces the Purpose (Dharma) of the spiritual evolution of consciousness. Unlike governors, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is at the service of the welfare of the people, by fighting for peace, social justice, advanced education and ecological harmony. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism criticizes the traditional state policy for not caring about the happiness and Liberation of society, which should be the main mandatory interests of every ruler. Thus, the possible silence or non-action of the spiritual master in the face of crises is actually about a strong complaint to the status quo of the world, by being a subversive practice against social functioning, because the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is not a mere political opponent and he knows what is the adequate time and mode to convey his struggle against war, poverty, ignorance and pollution. Therefore, the spiritual master exposes the bases of the Purpose (Dharma) of evolution of consciousness of humanity but without losing sight of how to help the poor and hungry in the here and now. Definitively, the apprentice has more possibilities of accessing the Cure (Nirvana) if he is fed and in good health, so that the Maitriyana shows a great sense of empathy and affection for the oppressed ones, at the same time it has a great patience and understanding in the face of basic needs.[7] This bright and devoted mission of the Buddhist Socialism for the good of all humanity is because it complies with the profound insight that Gautama and Jesus had, who clearly perceived how the people can reach the Supreme Bliss of Salvation.

The Maitriyana cultivates the psychical equilibrium (Samadhi), develops the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and practices the code of ethical conduct (sila), so that it helps to transform the mind and the community, by concentrating the absorption capacity in a single point that is the analysis of processes of internal and external world, which enables the subject to be able to overcome the conflict between the opposing poles and to perceive the Real from the angle of dissatisfaction, impermanence and insubstantiality.

Precisely, the Buddhist Socialism is a practice of contemplation in action that combines compassion and wisdom for every act of daily life. Without damaging the spiritual precepts, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) immerses into the turbid water of the social in order to be a Great Compassionate Master of the World. Thus, any apprentice of Maitriyana knows that Gautama and Jesus were great orators and eminent political analysts, knowing to clarify how to simplify the problems attacking the peace of society. By dis-occulting the hidden sense of existence, the Buddhist Socialism disentangles an intricate pathway towards the organic evolution of humanity. Certainly, as Gautama taught before dying to the ascetic Subhadda, the Noble Eightfold Path is the recipe to cure the world and produce Awakened Ones (Buddhas), who does not exist in every Spirituality lacking of this Path of Righteousness comprised of Adequate Vision (Sammá-ditthi), Adequate Decision (Sammá-sankappa) Adequate Word (Samma-vácá) Adequate Acting (Sammá-kammanta), Adequate Mode of Living (Sammá-ájíva) Adequate Effort (Sammá-váyáma) Adequate Attention (Sammá-sati) and Adequate Concentration (Sammá-Samádhi).

The Maitriyana feels a great empathy for all the peoples of the Earth (Gaia), so that it strives to disinterestedly provide an answer to the dilemma of survival and Salvation of humanity. Despite the fact that in the capitalist civilization this type of search does not generate any respect or admiration, the service of the Buddhist Socialism strives to apply a profound knowledge and contemplation in action which can achieve the Awakening (Bodhi) of the whole society. In this way, it is completely admirable the intuitive intelligence and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of the spiritual master facing the delicate issues of the world, by offering a psychoanalytical method of psychological sagacity by providing a direct response half hidden in order to allow the individual discovers the Truth by himself.[8] Nonetheless, this implies that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is philosophically unpredictable, since at the moment of spreading Spirituality he uses the dialectical paradoxical logic, never fully knowing how he is going to react facing a new situation. Thus, both Gautama and Jesus were spontaneous incarnations of a revealed knowledge, being profoundly lucid, wise and compassionate, reason why during 2600 years their aura has been risen up to illuminate the Earth (Gaia).

The Maitriyana denounces that the lack of lucidity blinds the consciousness of the apprentice, simultaneously obscuring the vision of the world, by catching him into a vicious circuit of greed, hatred and delusion. Indeed, without compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) the society becomes a slave of the longing and thirst for domain, because attachment, aversion and unconsciousness contaminate the mind and the habitat of beings. The libertarian meditation is then the pathway to sublimate the Desire and simultaneously transforming the world, by clearing the mind from all venom in order to deploy a righteous way of living and full of love in the here and now. For the spiritual master the source of suffering is the pulsional energy of repetition (karma), which is closely linked with the psychical vices and the lack of awareness. Therefore, the contemplative cultivation of Mindfulness and the training in peak knowledge (satori) are the practices of the Buddhist Socialism leading to the radical transformation of mind and society. The Maitriyana then affirms that the mission of Gautama and Jesus was not releasing anyone, because they simply had the function of showing the Way so that humanity discovers the Noble Truth and can be released and saved by itself. In this sense, the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ) teaches the practice of libertarian meditation as a means of self-awareness and self-transformation, which requires Mindfulness and a lucid perseverance in the Nothing-in-Being. By keeping incisive at all times the individual can overcome the internal obstacles, reaching the Noble Truth as a form of irreversible evolution of mind, which remains anchored in contemplation and Cure (Nirvana). Thus, the true sage (muñi) is not characterized by his intellectual knowledge and cultural opinions, but for being absolutely free and empty from psychic contaminations as craving for accumulation of wealth or power. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) experiences Awakening (Bodhi) with total detachment towards selfish satisfaction. That is the immutable Purpose (Dharma) of the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) that characterizes the altruistic mission of the Buddhist Socialism for the sake of the human being. In this way, the apprentice who treads the Path of Truth is directed to the integral transformation of mind, freeing himself from psychic contaminations of Ego in order to never return to the ordinary state of consciousness (OSC), because he has evolved by remaining imbued with peak knowledge (satori). This kind of subject has been then converted into a spiritual master, by being immune before the inner greed or social status, because he has stripped from anxiety and hesitation that characterizes the mind that is clung to the mundane. The Purpose (Dharma) of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is always the Cure (Nirvana) from attachment (upadana) and compulsion (tanha), since when he reaches this Liberation for himself continues wishing it for the others. Definitively, according to Maitriyana the Awakening (Bodhi) it is the most safe and welcoming refuge for the peoples of the world who may experience an existence of tranquillity and overcoming of suffering. The most basic contemplative practice of the Buddhist Socialism consists of sublimate the compulsion to attachment (tanha-upadana), which is the factor tying the human being to the illusions of Ego and the mundane desires, pushing him to the repetition (karma) of suffering . Therefore, the libertarian meditation starts from the analysis of experiences in order that the apprentice understands the obstructive forces (Mara) which inhabit his mind, by assuming in depth the difficult task of transforming his interior and exterior. Thus, the objective of Maitriyana is transforming the longings and attachments of humanity, by changing them by the Purpose (Dharma) that Gautama and Jesus had: the aspiration for transcendence and the love for life.[9] Only through this analytical, existential and libertarian journey it can be abandoned selfishness, dualism and consumerism. To this end Buddhist Socialism proposes three fundamental ways of being, as Equanimity, Mindfulness and Adequate Thought, which purify the mind, including unconscious (avidya), by showing how to transform the world dominated by pleasure and obsession. The individual achieves the Cure (Nirvana) when he gets completely sublimate the compulsion to attachment (tanha-upadana), by keeping Mindfulness facing complacency and self-representation of Ego so that this does not have a central space in life. In this way, the apprentice takes the reins of his existence, by self-realizing and engaging with transforming the inner and outer world by unconcealing the intrinsically luminous consciousness of the True Being. By keeping his mind in a contemplative state, the subject must direct his Mindfulness towards the direct and constant perception of the three features of existence, which are dissatisfaction, impermanence and insubstantiality. This authentic and alert introspection allows understanding the fundamental nature of the conflict, which can be overcome through the sacred life of the libertarian meditation. When fully contemplate the emptiness of existence, the spiritual master vanishes the false metaphysical or nihilistic point of view, not distracting his watchful attention with illusory ideas nor with consumerist practices, which demonstrates the need to maintain an attitude of dialectical openness in order to achieve reconciliation (maitri) among the peoples.

The Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) accept questions and give explanations in public. This is not an easy thing because it requires much intelligence and intuition, by knowing how to apply subtle mystical techniques in order to successfully respond in a dialectical battle, especially when individuals who are refractory to analysis (Padaparama) are taught, who tend to raise questions not because of the fact of learning but rather to try to embarrass or molest the great sages. Precisely, this very thing was experienced by Gautama and Jesus, who not only confronted the religious and political status quo at that time, but they also assumed the enormous challenge of reaching to the Adequate Self-Awareness (Samma Sambodhi) by themselves, because they lacked spiritual masters who teach them to achieve the overcoming or Cure (Nirvana) of all conflicts. Definitively, what converts the apprentice into a Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is not the guidance of a teacher, but the fact of renouncing the Ego, by extinguishing greed and reaching self-realization of the peak knowledge (satori).

However, according to Gautama and Jesus, the Maitriyana states that there are two main categories of human beings: those who can learn to be transformed (neyya) and those who are refractory to be analyzed (padaparama). While the subject who can learn (neyya) has a strong and healthy mental foundation, by being able to understand and integrate the Spiritual Purpose (Dharma), on the other hand, those who are refractory to be analyzed (padaparama) have an Ego too thick to learn the mystical practice, so that their consciences are too limited to appreciate and apprehend the teachings of the spiritual master. This pathology of learning disability was known by Siddhartha Gautama thanks to his training in psychiatry.[10] The Awakening (Bodhi) is then the fruit of a capacity that is latent in the majority of people, although in certain kinds of people this ability seems to be almost nullified by serious mental contaminations, even if they can show a brilliant intellectual mind. Thus, the self-transformation or spiritual development of the higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC) must be experientially or viscerally captured but never intellectually.

The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) applies the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of the Cure (Nirvana) with total patience and tranquillity, since only the force of equanimity leads to the full victory over selfishness, dualism and consumerism, by living in honesty and trustworthiness in order to rest in happiness. Therefore, the spiritual master is one of the most hardworking human beings in history, devoting all his time and energy to the Purpose (Dharma) of helping humanity, because he works with intelligence and serenity for the welfare and harmony of all peoples. Thus, Gautama and Jesus succeeded to revolutionize the social order of the past, completely dispensing with the injustices and illusions of the metaphysical or materialistic system of their times, as the custom of animal sacrifice to the gods, to be replaced by a loving, wise and compassionate system towards all beings of Creation. According to the Buddhist Socialism, in this achievement lies the divinity or supermanhood of these great spiritual guides, who helped millions of people to purify their minds, perceptions and actions in order to open eyes to the True Purpose (Dharma) of life.[11] The inexhaustible altruistic delivery that Gautama and Jesus performed to all humanity, regardless of race, religion or social status, left a legacy of two thousand six hundred years of unlimited compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) in the world. The Maitriyana continues this legacy of redemption and Evanescence (Nirvana) of the suffering of the peoples, by profoundly respecting and appreciating the genuine love and peak knowledge (satori) that these great Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) had. The spiritual master is endowed with an iron health, extensive integral knowing, superior ethical values and unwavering Liberty,[12] by setting these resources in motion in pursuit of the mission and Purpose (Dharma) of saving humanity.

The work of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is based on three main steps: first, it covers both his basic needs and those of his companions-of-Way; second, cares for his acquaintances; third, provides a service of welfare to everyone. This implies that an Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ) does not only have good physical health to help humanity, but he also provides a particular treatment to his faithful companion-of-life, who gives unconditional support in the Path of Spirituality, as Yasodhara and Mary Magdalene did. Obviously, Gautama and Jesus felt an enormous affection towards their respective companions, by helping them to evolve their inside and to reach the Awakening (Bodhi). Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism proposes a kind of mystical marriage and a model of enlightened family, by following the example of Siddhartha Gautama in his relationship with Yasodhara and his son Rahula,[13] to whom he left the best inheritance or legacy that can exist: abandoning the mundane life and joining the Path of Spirituality to achieve the supreme goal of Cure (Nirvana). In this sense, the spiritual master abandons the ordinary family but is open to form an enlightened family, which is perfectly illustrated in the model of spiritual commune (sangha), where each member is considered as a brother.

The Maitriyana is at the service of the world, performing their humanitarian and spiritual work for the welfare of the people, because it is not only indicated the path towards true mental health but also towards world peace, seeking that both the apprentice and the government abandon the use of violence and oppression in order to pass to be governed by righteousness and law. By fighting against cruelty of the mundane Power, the Buddhist Socialism seeks that humanity recovers calm, because the subject must not only be free from fear and anxiety but also from the unjust social system. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has an absolutely splendid mind that he efficiently and tenaciously puts at the service of others, since the libertarian meditation constantly perfects (pāramī) generosity, ethical conduct, self-renounce, wisdom, energy, patience, honesty, determination, unconditional love and equanimity.[14] In fact, the development or perfection of all these characteristics are what allows the apprentice being able to become a Self-Enlightened (Sammasambuddha).

Long before reaching Awakening (Bodhi), Master Gautama practiced and specialized in self-mortification (attakilamatthánuyoga) and the extreme difficulty (dukkara-kiriyá) with two great ascetics masters: Álara Káláma and Udaka Rámaputta, who taught him the eight stadiums (jhanas) of concentration (samadhi). However, this yogic practice of asceticism did not lead him to the Cure (Nirvana), since the Awakening (Bodhi) was experienced by himself thanks to the contemplative practice (Samádhi-Vipassana). For that reason, it should not be considered that his ascetics instructors were who truly taught Gautama the pathway towards the Cure (Nirvana), who after finishing the eight mystical stadiums decided to dialectically return to the fourth stage, thus centralizing his spiritual experience in the Middle Way. In this way, Gautama utilized the metaphysical experiences of infinite space (Ákásánacáyatana), infinite consciousness (Viññánancáyatana), the absolute Nothingness (Ákiñcaññáyatana) and the non-perception-and-non-apperception (Nevasaññánásaññáyatana), but he did not stay attached to them, as these transindividual stages are characteristic of the completeness (pseudonirvana). This decision to adopt the Middle Way opened a totally new spiritual path in Ancient India, focusing all the mystical awareness on the objective of Clear Vision (Ñana) in the cultivation of inner introspection. But the subject who develops this pathway does not only achieves mental health and inner happiness, but also acquires compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) or peak knowledge (satori) through the Mystical Way of the Clear Vision (Samádhi-Vipassana), which is a procedure leading to the Supreme Self-Awakening (Samma Sambodhi). In this pathway the Spiritual Love and intelligence are unified into a new higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC), by flourishing the profound and intuitive Vision (Ñána-dassana) that is essential in order to give impulse to the building of a new better world. Thus, the contribution of Gautama and Jesus for the Maitriyana is genuine and indisputable, because their practice of libertarian meditation allows the humanity to reach to Salvation and Evolution. Without the operation of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) the world will not be able to survive the capitalist Apocalypse, reason why the Visionary Knowledge of the spiritual master is indispensable to adequately overcome the conflicts of the contemporary world and make flourishing a new humanity transformed and purified from all contamination. Only the force of contemplation (zen) then allows to express the beauty and joy of a better world.[15]

Although Siddharta Gautama reached the Adequate Self-Awakening (Samma Sambodhi) by himself, he certainly was nourished with tools which allowed him to reach such a state, because he does not only had learned the technique of concentration (samadhi) from yogic asceticism, but also as a prince he received an academic education in three main fields: the science of psychology, the philosophy beliefs, and finally, the liberal arts of politics. Undoubtedly, these three disciplines contributed to lay the foundations to then create the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), so that the knowledges of these three disciplines led Gautama towards the Awakening (Bodhi). These knowledges, theories and practices helped Gautama a lot in order to give him a clear expression to the ineffable Middle Way of Spirituality. Therefore, the method of the Buddhist Socialism is based on the own findings and experiences of Gautama and Jesus, who have crossed supreme knowledges that stand out and shine above any other existing vision. Definitively, no one has achieved to overcome them in the discipline of Spirituality.[16]

The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is the incarnation of the most special aspect of the Earth (Gaia), always teaching to care for the living beings that inhabit it. Therefore, the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of the spiritual master is always imbued with limitless love and the maximum purity. Gautama and Jesus never said one thing and then they did another one, because their honesty and sincerity have always been nourished by the Way of Reconciliation (Maitriyana). This is because for the Buddhist Socialism it is a duty to correctly and adequately perceiving and understanding the Real, by demonstrating in act that which is preached. This simple method is the basis of spiritual attitude in order to overcome conflicts and crises of life. However, the art of providing an adequate solution to the problems of the world requires the Full Attention (Mindfulness) by the apprentice, which must have great lucidity and patience. In this sense, the four pillars which must practice the individual who follows the wise and compassionate Force of the Maitriyana are determination (chanda), vigour (viriya), the awareness raising (citta) and active knowledge (vimamsá). These four factors are indispensable for the socialist libertarian revolution and its Purpose (Dharma) to save humanity, because they represent the counterpower of the Spiritual Love and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). Thus, the Buddhist Socialism raises the four remedies of peace, social justice, education and ecology as a way to expand the state of consciousness of humanity, by raising the evolutionary development of the world through the nutritious and full energy of the Cure (Nirvana). Precisely, the Maitriyana poses Gautama and Jesus as the supreme example of Spiritual Love and Compassionate Wisdom (Karuna-Prajna) applied to the adequate solution of the problems of society, promoting the idea of generosity and selflessness as a vital attitude for the Salvation of the world. In this way the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) seeks that the peoples abandon the path of material gains to head towards the Awakening (Bodhi), which means being an ally of Solidarity and Truth to fight against greed and lie of the capitalist civilization. As Gautama and Jesus have taught, by residing only in Righteousness and Holiness is that the death is overcome.

 

 

[1] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[2] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[3] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[4] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[5] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[6] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[7] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[8] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[9] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[10] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[11] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[12] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[13] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[14] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[15] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

[16] Dhiravamsa, Crisis y solución: unión de opuestos.

 

 

Revolutionary Buddhism: Prophetic and Revitalized Left

The importance of the role of Siddhartha Gautama in the history of humanity will be strongly appreciated by introducing into the world the aim both of welfare and liberty (Anraku jiyu) and of the Awakening (Bodhi) of the people. This postmodern orientation – paradoxically of 2600 years old – positions the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana beyond the political right, but also beyond the traditional left. Thus, both Siddharta Gautama and Seno’o Giro are the basis of the path of Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) and its restoration project of a prophetic and revitalized left to resolve the problems of society. The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is then a libertarian force or Middle Way that transcends the opposite poles or extremes of both nationalism and imperialism as well as the right and left, by sympathizing with a human rights communism as dialectical overcoming of the unbridled capitalism and the authoritarian communism. Consequently, the commitment of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) with world peace and social justice represents a clear case of prophetic left, criticizing the economic, political and cultural Power through the logic of negation (Hitei no ronri) and the universality of the Purpose (Dharma) of saving the world. In fact, the reformist proclamations of Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) are nothing more than fulfilling the prophecy (vyakarana) of the event of a Pure Earth or Kingdom of Heavens.

The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana and its commitment with the future of humanity place it outside the materialistic or metaphysical establishment. Thus, the spiritual master does not seek domination of society, but its Liberation and Cure (Nirvana) through the event of the naturalness of Purpose (jinen honi). Consequently, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) seeks the Salvation and Evolution of humanity, by helping the apprentice to become a superhuman in order to then transforming everyone spiritually, by overcoming all the adversities that this entails. But this transformation of consciousness does not occur through a mere satisfaction of material needs, nor by means of progress in the conflict, since the key for human evolution is not the survival of the strongest but the survival of the more righteous or adequate (samma), which is the individual who brings peace, justice and harmony to the world. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is then the model of global citizen, spiritually transforming the civilization through the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha). However, for the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana this fact constitutes going beyond the State (kokuchu), religion and family by assuming the global values of peak knowledge (satori) for the whole society. Thus, the spiritual master never makes a call to patriotism nor to the defence of the status quo, because his loyalty remains always in building a Kingdom of Righteousness, Peace, Compassion and Truth in the here and now. To achieve this, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) shows by means of the paradoxical dialectical logic that the reality of utopia, as truth of universal unity, is intertwined with the mundane reality in a potential way. This means that the Pure Earth or Kingdom of Heavens is to the world what the original Awakening (Hongaku) is to the ordinary mind that seeks the incipient enlightenment (Shigaku). From this perspective, the Maitriyana teaches that the revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) is the practice that enables intuiting the Real Nature (Jisso) of the inner and outer world, by achieving the Cure (Nirvana) of suffering and alienation through the unconcealment of Truth and the innate harmony. This implies that self-analysis (hansei) is a way both for mental health and for the empathy with others, always appealing to the righteousness and fairness to resolve all sort of conflicts, because that is how the prophetic and revitalized left of Gautama, Isaiah and Seno’o Giro considers that State (kokuchu) and nation must be servants of the Purpose (Rissho) and never the reverse. In this way, it is evident the internationalism of the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi), seeking that peoples are in accordance with the Truth in order to thus unconcealing world peace which is inherent in the very nature of human being and of the Earth (Gaia). For the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), Spirituality is the peak Truth (paramartha) of life, by showing the importance of the Spiritual Rights in the righteous and adequate evolution of society.

The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana performs a prophetic critique associated with the human rights communism and the true democracy, providing an immediate sense of virtue and solidarity, since the libertarian meditation is an extension of the ethics of Detachment. The wise and compassionate orientation of the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is then a consequence of the ethics of disidentification and the abandonment of Ego, which is the clear foundation of a new human being committed to the selfless service to the world. Definitively, the spiritual master affirms that the genuine service for the fellow being must come from the experience of dissatisfaction, impermanence and insubstantiality, and every social change shall be guided by the dharmic nature of human being in order to work for the common cause of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. This dedication cannot be imposed by governments and religions, because it must come from the genuine devotion for the Salvation and Evolution of humanity, carrying out the welfare of all peoples. Thus, Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana allows the utopia of the direct and global democracy, since the governors are considered as authoritarian and non-benevolent given that they do not seek the Good of the people but their own selfish interests. This attitude is clearly anti-imperialist but it is also trans-nationalist, since the libertarian communist Way (Sanghayana) is the Supreme Path for the welfare of all human beings. A life based on self- analysis (hansei), the revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) and charity is the true pathway for compliance with the Spiritual Rights as transcendent standards that organize the happening of the socialist civilization of the future. The Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) restores the spiritual nature of humanity and of the Earth (Gaia), celebrating the new era of Awakening (Bodhi) of the apprentice and the emergence of the Pure Earth or Kingdom of Heavens. But to do this first it must be produced the distancing from Ego and the fall of capitalist civilization, allowing the deployment of an honest, idealistic, healthy and supportive individual. Indeed, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is the Cure (Nirvana) or antidote to the capitalist evils of war, exploitation, ignorance and pollution, such as it was anticipated by Siddharta Gautama and Seno’o Giro when they criticized the economic system of private property that turns people into a slave, showing that the Correct Liberation arises when the notions of Ego and attachment are vanished to give way to the practice of selfless communism.[1] The consequences of this new post-capitalist system are the Evanescence (Nirvana) both of greed, hatred and delusion as well as of selfishness, dualism and consumerism, by reforming the internal and external world with the utopian vision of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) in the here and now. The Revolutionary Way of New Buddhism (Shinko Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is a peaceful revolution that does not support violence of materialism and metaphysics, by having empathy with the suffering and injustice experienced by the peoples. For this reason, the spiritual master embodies a counterpower facing the establishment of unbridled capitalism or of the authoritarian communism, demonstrating that Spirituality goes beyond the religious institution and therefore it cannot be considered as an opiate of the masses.[2] For the prophetic left of Gautama and Seno’o Giro the Spirituality is the very life, so that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is also concerned about political, economic and cultural issues, performing an open criticism about the existence in order to facilitate the knowledge of oneself and the transformation of society. In this way, for being a spiritual movement for the creation of a better world, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) maintains a close relationship with Marx and Tolstoy, reason why spiritual teachers as Uchiyama Gudo and Ambedkar considered the chan Buddhist commune (sangha) as a model of communitarian life that can be applied to an entire country in the same way as Marxism.[3]

The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of the Maitriyana states that the proper attitude towards the evil of capitalism must be reformist and never slave or parasitic from this system,[4] by criticizing the religion for maintaining a conservative complicity towards the establishment that hinders the emergence of the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi). Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) calls for the Evanescence (Nirvana) of both capitalist and religious institutions,[5] taking refuge in the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of Gautama to promote a society based on the welfare and communitarian property.[6] This implies that the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakai Shugi) not only has an anti sectarian tendency but also of a prophetic left, unifying the post-metaphysics with post-capitalism. Moreover, Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is also a utopian call for the reconciliation (wakai) and integration of all disciplines and spiritual movements under the same roof, which is the ecumenical guidance of Gautama.[7] This synthesis is what spiritual masters as Seno’o Giro have dreamed, whose source of inspiration is nothing less than the pristine reconstruction of Spirituality in itself in order to fight against the evil of capitalism. This revolutionary project is the Purpose (Dharma) of the Way of Original Buddhism (bukkyo honrai no michi) or Fundamental Buddhism (Konpon Bukkyo) of Seno’o Giro, whose compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) is the most powerful socially active force of history, for it has the potential to guide humanity and save it from the evil of capitalism through the construction of an altruistic and cooperative society led by the vision of Gautama and Jesus.[8] Definitively, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) seeks the progress of the whole world through the conservation of Spirituality, so it is completely understandable that its mystical reason drives it to be impelled by the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ). However, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana does not ceases to be Gnostic, non-superstitious, humanistic and scientific, being a spiritualism (seishinshugi) with feet and hands on the Earth (Gaia), reason why promotes the society of brotherhood (dobo shakai) and cooperation in calling for the abolition both of the monopoly of wealth and the exploitation of workers.[9] Therefore, the changes promoted by the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) are based on the values of altruism, Vacuity and the interdependence of all beings, whose consequence will be the trans-sectarianism, anti-separatism and internationalism as a banner of the future civilization, since nationalism and imperialism are against the people and the destiny of the world.[10] The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana then works in favour of creating a Kingdom of Purpose (Dharma) ruling peace, justice, knowledge and harmony for all beings, by transmitting an ecumenical unity on the basis of the teachings of Gautama and Jesus, which can be synthesized as an altruistic and unselfish universal love (muga no ai).[11] Consistent with Seno’o Giro, this involves taking refuge in the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) of Spirituality as the articulation of the state of awakened mind, the doctrine of the interexistencia and the society free from alienation.[12]

The Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) works to bring a civilization of consciousness, Truth and righteousness to the world, so its manifesto drives the eradication of social class conflict, by freeing society and simultaneously achieving the purification of mind. This struggle for a better world thatis practiced by the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is nothing less than the project to save humanity, building a Kingdom of Awakening (Bodhi) on Earth.[13] Indeed, the search for peace and social justice is a matter of the spiritual master, for whom the human rights communism is something key along with the ecological harmony. However, this is not a mere idealistic plan, but it is really a tool or skilful means (hoben or upaya) for the ethical transformation of the inner and outer reality, such as Tolstoy and Seno’o Giro dreamed, so that the practice of self-realization and self-transcendence must be part of a movement of planetary reform. Thus, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana proposes a social change based on the occurrence of a new spiritual human being.

 

The Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakai Shugi) goes beyond nationalism and imperialism, but it is also a countercultural force or current of progressive and radical resistance against the warmonger and materialistic status quo,[14] criticizing the unbridled capitalism and the authoritarian communism through an internationalist and humanistic vision that works for the world peace, social justice, peak knowledge (satori) and ecological harmony. In fact, the slogan of the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is to follow the teachings of Gautama and Seno’o Giro in order to achieve the missing link between having an awakened mind (bodhicitta) and being a liberator of society. Thus, this spiritual movement is situated in the social context as a prophetic and revitalized left. This kind of metapolitics develops a radical practice and a theory, by articulating the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and Karl Marx within the search of the Liberation, since the two have done the same but from different levels.[15] But this libertarian and transhistorical orientation is performed through the dialectical process of the altruistic ethics and the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) on issues both personal and geopolitical.

In accordance with Seno’o Giro, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is constituted as a wise and compassionate tradition of protest,[16] at the same time that can be understood as a spiritual communism founded on the ideals of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ), such as Katayama Sen longed with his vision of Spiritual Socialism,[17] or may be considered as heir of a buddhic synthesis with Confucian and Western teachings, in the same way it was raised by Tanaka Sogoro. In accordance with Tarui Tokichi, this oriental socialist model has the following principles: sincere love (shin-ai) in words and actions; equality between oneself and fellow beings (jita byodo or atma-para-samata); greater welfare (saidai fukuri) of society; care for people with compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna); remediate the antagonism between rich and poor through the four measures (shudan) of the pacifist and cooperative society (kyodo shakai), the communal ownership of goods (tenbutsu or tenmotsu kyoyu), the open education and ecological demographic regulation.[18]

Just like Takagi Kenmyo, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) presents a socialist model more associated with mysticism than with traditional politics,[19] although without losing its dramatic commitment to protest against social injustice, even assuming the possibility of being arrested and executed by the system, as was the case with Master Uchiyama Gudo,[20] whose libertarian socialist ideas came directly from his life experience.[21] The radical experience of Buddhist Spirituality is a socialist utopia of a critical style, seeking to replace the inequitable and oppressive capitalist materialistic civilization by a Buddhic country (nyorai no kokka). But this universal political project starts always from the psychological and philosophical experience of the apprentice’s Empty Being (Muga), in order to emphasize the interdependence and interpenetration of the entire existence and bring selfless love (muga-ai) to the poor and oppressed people.

Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana denounces that the capitalist system not only generates suffering in the peoples but also violates Spirituality,[22] so the individual must oppose to nationalism, militarism and imperialism, by engaging in building a human rights communist society that is capable of restructuring the capitalist civilization. This is nothing less than the implementation of a Buddhic-Earth in the world,[23] being based on the highest values and teachings of humanity, as compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and fraternal love. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) not only seeks the people is cooperative and internationalist, for it also aims to the purification and unification of all spiritual traditions. For its positioning facing the decadent governmental and religious institutions, which are recognized as contrary to the spiritual principles of Siddhartha Gautama, the Maitriyana is then Buddhism of the Reconciliatory Way (Wakaido Bukkyo) which starts a new era of peace, social justice, knowledge and natural harmony. Thus, as Gautama and Seno’o Giro stated, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) seeks an appropriate Cure (Samma Nirvana) for the suffering and inequity of society.[24]

For the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana, the capitalism is an economic, political and cultural system that is to blame for the insecurity of the people,[25] so the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei zen) must be practiced in order to find solutions to these global problems, by founding the Salvation of humanity through the event of a revitalized society (shinko shakai).[26] This is the revolutionary orientation of the practice and theory of Libertarian Spirituality, developing the Truth of the Evolution and change by producing a buddhic revitalization in the fields of psychology, pedagogy, medicine, philosophy, art, science, politics, sociology and theology. Thus, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) has a humanistic and spiritual element that is absent in the authoritarian communism, taking the concept of Empty Being (Muga) to paradoxically promote subjective self-realization and social liberation. This obviously implies the evanescence (Nirvana) of malignant heresies (inshi jakyo) of religious ignorance and of governmental deception as opium (Ahen) of peoples, by promoting and establishing instead the agnosticism or atheism (mushinron) of the New Buddhism (Shinko Bukkyo) of Maitriyana through the practice of self-realization (jinrui kaiho) and self- transcendence (mugaizumu).[27] In this way, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) associates the Awakening (Bodhi) of the apprentice with the experience of emancipation and Liberation (Kaiho) of society by demonstrating that the humanitarian teachings of spiritual masters – like Nichiren, Honen and Shinran – are linked to Marx’s communitarian commitment in order to fade oppression and suffering of the people. According to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), compassion or love (ai) have a supreme importance for the world revolution, not being a feeling nor a concept but rather a practice (jissen) that has the power to recognize the problems of life when it is accompanied by the righteous view of the objective criticism. In this way, the compassionate love of the spiritual master provides the basis for a New Humanism (Shin Jindoshugi) for the revolution that builds the Buddhic Pure Earth (Jo Bukkokudo) in the world, by purifying and reconstructing society from its very foundations.[28] The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is then a progressive movement that develops all facets of existence, transforming the internal and external world through the conservation of selfless love (muga-ai), which is the very embodiment of Purpose (Dharma) according to Gautama and Seno’o Giro.[29]

Consistent with Lévi-Strauss, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) seeks the construction of the necessary articulation between Marxist materialism and liberal humanism, by synthesizing the goal of Cure (Nirvana) of the subject to the aim of Liberation (Kaiho) of society. Thus, since the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is an Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), it is working for the evanescence (Nirvana) of the evils of false consciousness, ideology and alienation. This implies that the Libertarian Spirituality of Gautama and Seno’o Giro is the tradition of social protest or metapolitical force more reformist and radical of history, working to create a society of values that spiritually conquers the world and confronts militarism, capitalism, fascism and nationalism. In order to carry out this pacifist civilization the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) considers that it is necessary an international conversion or global spread (Kosen-rufu) of the teachings of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ), whose essential philosophy (kokka) is love (ai). The mission of the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is to prepare millions of human beings to skillfully develop the project of Salvation of the world,[30] by establishing a happy and healthy society: many in body but united in mind (itai-doshin).

The fundamental doctrine of the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is to ethically transform economy, politics and culture on the traditional basis of the teachings of Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) as Gautama, Nichiren and Seno’o Giro, overcoming both metaphysics and materialism for creating the dialectical paradoxical indivisibility (funi) of spirit (shin) and matter (Shiki), whose result is nothing less than the unity (myogo) between the sacred law and the secular law in order to overcome exploitation and misery of the peoples in the era of Apocalypse (Mappo).[31] Thus, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is the only Spirituality that proposes a world ruled by the noble principles of righteousness, always working for the people.[32] Thus, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) differs markedly from the selfish and corrupt interests of the current governments of countries, which use the democratic system only for the accumulation of Power. Therefore, the spiritual master works at a different level than that of the mere politicians, because his function and Purpose (Dharma) is always seeking the evanescence (Nirvana) of suffering of everyone without resorting to coercive or authoritarian means. In this sense, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) affirms that the principles of true democracy are Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, reason why the contemporary governments are clearly criticized for being pseudo-democracies that do not represent the true interests of the people. Thus, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is critical in the face of wild capitalism and dictatorial communism, considering that an overwhelming Third Way (daisan do) must be created in order to democratically promote the welfare of the whole society. This is the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) or human rights communism, creating a genuine democracy founded on the principles of the great spiritual masters, as Gautama, Jesus and Nichiren, because the True Buddhist Spirituality is the only Path to meet the material and spiritual needs of nations. For this reason, the true or buddhic democracy (buppo minshushugi) must be established for performing both the welfare the apprentice and the prosperity of society,[33] by awakening each subject to the principles of Buddhist Spirituality.[34]

In order to create a Revitalized Civilization (Shinko Bunmei) under the guidance of the teachings of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ), the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana cares about four areas: global peace, social justice, advanced education and ecological harmony. This is sought through a process of buddhization of nine subjects, such as psychology, pedagogy, medicine, philosophy, art, science, politics, sociology and theology. But in strictly economic, political and cultural terms, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is a third way (daisan do) in the face of the unbridled capitalism and the authoritarian communism, by taking the best of them – as the human rights and the pursuit of welfare of people – in order that a Neo-Socialism (Shin Shakaishugi) based on Liberty, Equality and Fraternity emerges.[35] The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is then a Middle Way (Chudoshugi) that maintains and simultaneously transcends the opposite poles of left and right or of progressivism and conservatism, as it is the dialectical synthesis of capitalism and communism.[36] Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is about a prophetic left and a revitalized progressivism that seeks the revolutionary change in the world without losing sight of the Real and the Truth.

 

The social activism against war and social injustice that performs the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana represents a betrayal to the governmental look, whose selfish interests often lead to arresting and convicting to death the builders of a better world who face militarism and capitalism. Like Master Takagi Kenmyo,[37] the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) uses Mindfulness for the societal issues, by proposing a Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) based on the Purpose (Dharma) of the Pure Earth, whose ideals are Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for all. This libertarian activism is a prophetic left which demonstrates that Gautama and Jesus were soulmates in teaching a heroic model for the creation of a civilization nourished with communist values that is capable of overcoming poverty and social discrimination, transmitting the grace of universal love. The essence of the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is then egalitarianism, which is not a theoretical vision but a prophetic practice of social reform, transforming the structure of the economic, political and cultural system from the very Spirituality.[38] Thus, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is interested in happiness and welfare of the people, by teaching the Universal Good, Transcendental Love and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ) who protects all beings of the Earth (Gaia). In this way, spiritual masters as Gautama, Honen, Shinran, Ikkyu, Seno’o Giro and Takagi Kenmyo were socialist heroes who understood that the Buddhist Spirituality is the mother of the whole people and the enemy of the powerful aristocracy.[39] Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) affirms that the Pure Earth or Kingdom of Righteousness is the practice of true communism, seeking to purify the capitalist society that treats the poor as animals or toys.[40] The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is a realistic calling to the engaged social action with the change, by seeking to help and save the world through the ascending progress (kojo shinpo) based on equity and also through a communitarian life (kyodo seikatsu) based on peace, justice, education and ecology.

The Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is an important part of the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), analyzing and examining the possibility of transforming the world through the role of transnational and critical ideas of Spirituality. Thus, thinkers like Suzuki Daisetsu and Inoue Shūten have contributed to the formation of the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana,[41] movement that carries the flag of pacifism and social justice as a form of social activism committed to the buddhic reform of civilization. This implies that the spiritual master presents a new paradigm of libertarian socialist civilization, within which progress is not related to the accumulation of material goods but to the accumulation of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) has the mission of the radical reform of society, establishing dialogue with all the spiritual movements in order to banish the evils of superstition and consumerism that threaten the peaceful world order. The libertarian meditation is effectively the antidote for the malignant religion (jakyo), because it works both at the level of the inner mind (naiso) and at the level of the external practice (gaiken). Since the capitalist civilization is the era of blockage (jidai heisoku) that oppresses Liberty, Equality and Fraternity among human beings, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is presented as a Spirituality of libertarian socialist nature, by showing a profound commitment to the welfare of all humankind at the time of denouncing the governments as oppressive and bureaucratic while it criticizes religions as monuments of ignorance.[42] Indeed, the governments are essentially ruthless and opposed to social progress, while the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ) teaches ideas helping to build a better society, developing the state of Being Nothing of the apprentice as a pathway towards social progress, since the secret of a better world is derived from the unconditional vow of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) that is to save all beings.[43] This mystical aspiration seeks the evanescence (Nirvana) of the unjust society, being a critical spirit that raises the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) as a self-discipline much more encompassing than morality and the governmental institution,[44] as it is a mystical order (shinpi) that goes beyond the individual or national interests.[45] Thus, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana confirms that it is fundamental to deal with the teachings of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ) and his Christian Zen (Kikyo Zen) in order to perform a mystical and spiritual unification of humanity.[46] This reforming vision of the social structure proves that by having Mindfulness on the existence of the poor and oppressed, the subject can build a just society,[47] ethically developing his mind and his linkages with the others. In this way, the practice of social commitment involves the emergence of a Critical Spirituality which is pacifist at the same time it promotes equitable social progress, reason why it is denounced the lack of Spirituality of the militaristic governments,[48] not only because the use of violence is something unjustifiable, even as a means for the goal of social change, but also because the tremendous evil of war is the pursuit of economic gain through murder.[49] For the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) it is something markedly ordinary to defend peace in times of peace, while maintaining a pacifist Discourse during times of war is a risky and problematic challenge, because it is endangered one’s life. This predisposition to self-sacrifice or martyrdom, as in the case of Master Uchiyama Gudo, demonstrates that the ideals of the Awakened and Saviour Being (Buddha-Christ) are to create world peace without individual or national interests,[50] so that no apprentice or people can be spiritual and simultaneously be involved in war. This is the reason why the spiritual master is the ruler of his own life, by lacking of discipline both of subjection and of the fight.[51] The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana through its contemplative ethical practice is a critical view of the bellicose and unjust social structure of the capitalist politics and economy, by having the urgent responsibility to spread socialist teachings throughout the world. In this sense, the Spirituality is essentially pure pacifism and human rights communism, combining the transcendental values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity with the psychological, philosophical and political sphere of human being. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) acts as a magnetic field,[52] by attracting everyone who resist the state oppression and the lack of Spirituality of society, as taught Inoue Shūten, in order to freely imagine the best kind of society, since social engagement is not really separate from the analytical and existential deconstruction.

 

The Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is a libertarian socialist movement that follows the footsteps of Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus of Nazareth and Uchiyama Gudo, by practicing an engaged activism with the awareness raising of society. Although this doctrine is a radical change of thought (shiso no kaiten), it certainly is a tradition of righteousness and self-sacrifice for the others. In this way, the prophetic and revitalized left of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) peacefully struggles against the capitalist exploitation and the centralization of state power, while he has hope in the potential ability of self-determination of the people.[53] However, for developing this communitarian lifestyle based on libertarian communism, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) affirms that the price of this unique utopian vision is self-sacrifice, because the storm of the revolutionary progress requires the subject is willing to give his own life for the Good of others. But obviously this act is not an ordinary violence (state or illegal), but rather it is something completely opposed, it is an action that can be named as divine violence, being the incarnation of the Justice and Truth. This struggle for the existence is then an act of creation and not one of destruction, since the ordinary violence is repressive and ties the human being in a coercive and bloody game of guilt and retribution, while the divine violence is liberating and detached in a righteous process that purges and redeems the apprentice through the divine power of Evanescence (Nirvana).^[54] This Salvation that occurs without the shedding of blood of others is a sacrifice of life that occurs similarly to a process of nature, by renouncing the selfish self-preservation in order to fulfill the task of defeating the worldly Power, at the same time the subject is released through the universal counterpower of self-sacrifice.

Consistent with Jesus and Uchiyama Gudo, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is an activist movement of libertarian socialist Spirituality that self-sacrifices itself for the Purpose (Dharma) of a world without poverty or inequality, seeking that the big corporations stop accumulating power and money while they authoritatively oppress and control the essential freedom of the people, which is the mysterious Holy Spirituality (kukashigi no seirei) that makes humanity progress until it reaches the destination of the Kingdom of Heavens or Pure Earth in the here and now. But this evolutionary impulse is usually repressed by the materialistic longings, so that when it emerges is often expressed as something that goes against the external circumstances. When the apprentice practices libertarian meditation he comes into contact with the spiritual blood he inherited from the Awakened Ones (Buddhas) of history who have been unceasing promoters of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, always acting in tune with their own will without being stopped by anyone.[55] In this way, the spiritual master’s self-sacrifice symbolizes both the potential spiritual nature of the individual and the very condition of progress of society, overcoming the shackles both of Ego and the State. In this sense, for the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) the abandonment of the Ego is a process similar to the Awakening (Bodhi) of communitarian awareness (Heibon no jikaku), reason by which the Cure (Nirvana) of mind is similar to the libertarian socialist transformation of the world, which is nothing less than the ultimate destination of the Salvation of humanity through the force of the mysterious Holy Spirituality (kukashigi no seirei).

Just like the Master Uchiyama Gudo, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana teaches that the socialist libertarian theses are that all human beings have a spiritual nature or intrinsic dignity (issai shujo shitsu bussho),[56] so that it is not only transmitted a teaching within which there is egalitarianism and non-discrimination (kore ho mu byodo koge),[57] but it is also considered to all beings as if they were own sons (issai shujo mina kore ako).[58] By following the King Ashoka, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) considers that achieving the Awakening (Bodhi) is undoubtedly related to social equality and the human rights communist liberation as expressions of the communitarian awareness (Heibon no jikaku), so that the traditional politics becomes obsolete before the supreme gaze of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), whose metapolitics is liberating and supra-state.

The Anarchist Communist Buddhism (Museifu kyōsan Bukkyo) of Maitriyana considers the communitarian awareness (Heibon no jikaku) as a process of Self-Awakening (Sam-Bodhi or Jikaku) of the Real,[59] from which there is collaboration with others in a common action. In this way, the self-realization of human being and society is the same process.[60] Thus, when the apprentice reaches the Cure (Nirvana) he acquires the contemplative ability to participate in libertarian politics, by seeking the Awakening (Bodhi) of the entire nation. This implies that the libertarian meditation seeks to displace the concentration of capitalist power, by working in favor of the direct democracy of the people. Therefore, the ethical Liberation to which the spiritual master aims is profoundly related to the sense of interdependence or interexistence of all beings. This evolution of consciousness of the people achieves self-determination and simultaneously interconnectivity.[61] Just like Gautama and Uchiyama Gudo, the Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) develops the synthesis of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, because for the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) self-determination and mutual support are profoundly interrelated.[62] Nonetheless, the spiritual master considers that the traditional institutions of the State, family and religion are aggregates of consciousness, by being something as dispensable as the very Ego. Only when the individual lives with the goodness of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna), he can achieve independence and the peaceful collective life, genuinely helping others who suffer,[63] while he is detached from the selfish desires in order to live harmoniously for good of everyone.

Unlike religion or pathway of the gods (kami no michi), the centre of the metapolitics of the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana is not self-preservation but rather self-sacrifice, by considering that the libertarian socialist civilization inevitably will overtake capitalism, so that the apprentices must participate in this utopian movement with a spirit of sacrifice, since many times the transformation of the world requires the cost of one’s life. Nonetheless, the mysterious Holy Spirituality (kukashigi no seirei) is immortal, being transmitted from generation to generation,[64] so this spirit of Liberty does not disappear without leaving traces in the others. This means that for the revolutionary vision of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), self-sacrifice becomes his way of self-preservation in the spiritual blood of humanity. Definitively, achieving the Cure (Nirvana) is to connect with the interexistence of all beings, by realizing that Ego is an illusion that must be self-sacrificed in pursuit of the good or self-preservation of the entire world, thus transcending the false dualism between subject and society in creating a collective life of peace and harmony.[65] The Buddhist Socialism (Butsu Shakaishugi) is a practice that embodies the mysterious Holy Spirituality (kukashigi no seirei) that unites all human beings and constantly promotes progress and the self-preservation of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity in the face of the internal repression and the external oppression. This concept of self-sacrifice is related to the interdependence of all beings because, when the apprentice sacrifies himself for the mission of Salvation of the world, he achieves to embody the force that continuously drives the human being towards the Evanescence (Nirvana) of subjugation. Self-sacrifice, although it is not a biological preservation, is certainly a spiritual self-preservation of the communitarian consciousness (Heibon no jikaku). In accordance with Gautama, Jesus and Uchiyama Gudo, the Revolutionary Buddhism (Kakumei Bukkyo) of Maitriyana appreciates the fact that self-sacrifice is a process that transcends the annihilation (horobi) to pass into eternal life (eisei),[66] because while the subject who is clinging to his Ego is doomed to dissapear, instead, the apprentice who acts through the revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) will achieve eternity, since getting involved in the mystical revolution is the realization of Paradise on Earth (tengoku).[67]

When a spiritual master effectively sacrifices himself his biological body dies and is annihilated, but his mystical or divine blood – which is the peak knowledge (satori) – remains in a state of resurrection, being preserved perennially within the communitarian awareness (Heibon no jikaku) of the world. Ergo, the paradise or socialist utopia (riso sekai de aru), whether Buddhist country (nyorai no kokka), Pure Earth or Kingdom of Heavens, is then the progressive propagation of the Truth through self-sacrifice.

 

—————————————————–

 

[1] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[2] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[3] Inagaki Masami, Kindai Bukkyo no Henkaku-sha.

[4] Seno´o Giro, Metamorphosis to the New Buddhism.

[5] Seno´o Giro, Toward a new Buddhist movement.

[6] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[7] Murakami Sensho, On uniting the Buddhist Teachings.

[8] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[9] Seno´o Giro, New Buddhism in the midst of radical social change.

[10] Seno´o Giro, New Buddhism in the midst of radical social change.

[11] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[12] Whalen Lai, Seno´o Giro and the Dilemma of Modern Buddhism: Leftist Prophet of the Lotus Sutra.

[13] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[14] James Mark Shields, Zen and the Art of Treason: Radical Buddhism in Meiji Era (1868–1912) Japan.

[15] Claude Lévi-Strauss, Tristes Tropiques.

[16] S. Large, Buddhism, socialism and protest in prewar Japan: the career of Seno´o Giro.

[17] J. M. Shields, A blueprint for Buddhist Revolution: the Radical Buddhism of Seno´o Giro (1889-1961) and the Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism.

[18] Tarui Tokichi, Toyo no kyomuto.

[19] Takagi Kenmyo, My Socialism.

[20] Ishikawa Rikizan, The social response of Buddhist to the modernization of Japan: the contrasting lives of two Soto Zen monks.

[21] Yoshida Kyu ichi, Nihon kindai Bukkyoshi.

[22] J. M. Shields, A blueprint for Buddhist Revolution: the Radical Buddhism of Seno´o Giro (1889-1961) and the Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism.

[23] Yüsen Kashiwahara, Nihon Bukkyoshi: Kindai.

[24] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[25] Seno´o Giro, Revitalized Buddhism on the road to social reform.

[26] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[27] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[28] Masami Inagaki, The Collected religious writings of Seno´o Giro.

[29] J. M. Shields, A blueprint for Buddhist Revolution: the Radical Buddhism of Seno´o Giro (1889-1961) and the Youth League for Revitalizing Buddhism.

[30] Murata Kiyoaki, Japan´s New Buddhism: an objetive account of Soka Gakkai.

[31] Nichiren, The establishment of Righteousness and the Security of the Nation.

[32] Daisaku Ikeda, Great Cultural Movement.

[33] J. A. Dator, Soka Gakkai: Builders of the Third Civilization.

[34] Murata Kiyoaki, Buddhist Democracy.

[35] D. Ikeda, Complete Works I.

[36] P. O. Ingram, Soka Gakkai and the Komeito: Buddhism and Political power in Japan.

[37] P. L. Swanson, Takagi Kenmyo and Buddhist Socialism: a Meiji Misfit and Martyr.

[38] Takagi Kenmyo, My Socialism.

[39] Takagi Kenmyo, My Socialism.

[40] Takagi Kenmyo, My Socialism.

[41] Moriya Tomoe, Social Ethics of “New Buddhists” at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: A Comparative Study of Suzuki Daisetsu and Inoue Shūten.

[42] D.T. Suzuki, Anjin ritsumei no chi: shōzen.

[43] D.T. Suzuki, Shakai minshutō no kettō kinshi ni tsukite (shakaishugi no shūkyōteki kiso).

[44] D.T. Suzuki, Letter to Nishida – 3 December 1902.

[45] D.T. Suzuki, Zassai zō.

[46] D.T. Suzuki, Christian Zen (Kikyō Zen).

[47] D.T. Suzuki, Fūki no sitei ni atauru sho.

[48] Inoue Shūten, Suma byōkan roku.

[49] Inoue Shūten, Heibon kiwamaru heiwaron.

[50] Inoue Shūten, Heibon kiwamaru heiwaron.

[51] Harold Fielding-Hall, The Soul of a People.

[52] Ama Toshimaro, Shūkyō wa kokka o koerareruka: Kindai Nihon no kenshō.

[53] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[54] Walter Benjamin, Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical Writings.

[55] Andrew Lindsay, Uchiyama Gudo’s Zen Anarchist Understanding of Blood as a Critique of Progress.

[56] Great Nirvana Sutra.

[57] Diamond Sutra.

[58] Lotus Sutra.

[59] Uchiyama Gudo, Ordinary Self-Awakening (Heibon no jikaku).

[60] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[61] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[62] Andrew Lindsay, Uchiyama Gudo’s Zen Anarchist Understanding of Blood as a Critique of Progress.

[63] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[64] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[65] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[66] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

[67] Fabio Rambelli, Zen Anarchism: The Egalitarian Dharma of Uchiyama Gudo.

 

 

Buddhist Anarchism: the Awakening of the Revolutionary Utopia

The Maitriyana is the central figure in the creation of a Postmodern Spirituality, engaging itself in a radical fight movement against the four evils of the world: war, injustice, ignorance and pollution. This revolutionary perspective of Buddhist Anarchism significantly represents the culmination of 2600 years of development and spiritual evolution of human being. In accordance with the Master Taixu, in the Maitriyana there is a synthesis of the Libertarian Discourse, which is nothing but the surprising convergence of the revolutionary traditions or narratives of Gautama and Kropotkin.[1]

Since it operates beyond ideology, politics and religion, the Buddhist Anarchism is a form of higher socialist thought with the ability to reveal the future of humanity in the here and now. Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is one of the most important leaders of the world, by being the very centre of the spiritual reformation of society on its entrance into the socialist era. Thus, the spiritual master is responsible for key innovations for the Salvation of the world, simultaneously redirecting the different traditions towards the development and practice of Humanitarian Spirituality with a commitment to the world. Therefore, by being beyond metaphysics and nihilism, the Middle Way of Maitriyana is the torchbearer of Buddhism of human life (rensheng fojiao).[2] This implies that the Purpose (Dharma) of Buddhist Anarchism is properly defined as the construction of a Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) or Kingdom of Righteousness in the world because the teachings of Gautama and Kropotkin aim at both the Liberation of the subject and of the whole society. Just like Master Taixu, the Maitriyana prepares and trains a generation of thinkers capable of ethically influencing humanity, confronting the mundane Power through the the strength of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). The Gautama-Kropotkin articulation positions the Buddhist Anarchism as a supra-intellectual formation that surpasses all previous forms of socialist revolution, but also shows a profound dedication to radically reform the spiritual tradition. In the same way as Master Taixu played a significant role in the history of the Buddhist radical movement in China, the Maitriyana starts a metapolitical revolution open to all humanity, since it embodies the Purpose (Dharma) of the interests for the general welfare of the world. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is then a crucial figure in the formation and development of supra-intellectual thinking to a free and enlightened society, by examining global problems through the radical loupe of revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen). This demonstrates that the Buddhist Anarchism, by means of the Gautama-Kropotkin articulation is a very important chapter in the threshold of post modernity, recognizing that society is the product of historical forces that can be transformed through the practice of libertarian meditation. In the metapolitics of Maitriyana, the Cure (Nirvana) of society becomes the primary project of Spirituality. Therefore, the teachings of Master Taixu reveal the surprising concordances between the libertarian projects of Gautama and Kropotkin,[3] by founding an Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) capable of achieving the Great Awakening (Maha Bodhi) of the world.

The Buddhist Anarchism is a radical metapolitical thought but it is also a spiritual practice for the daily life, by training the apprentice by means of the revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) on issues such as the cause of the evils of the world and also on its possible antidotes. Indeed, the subject can achieve the Cure (Nirvana) after experiencing the reformist vision of the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna), by achieving the true realization of the Purpose (Dharma). This makes that the Maitriyana appreciates the revolutionary contributions of Kang Youwei, Tan Sitong and Sifu Liu,[4] teaching the apprentice to move away from a life of seclusion in order to trigger the Desire of saving all beings, which clearly cultivates the Socially Engaged Spirituality.[5] The original Purpose (Dharma) of the spiritual master is to create a communal society (sangha) based on the education of peak knowledge (satori). In this sense, like Master Taixu’s work, a school of Reconciliatory Spirituality is a revolutionary alliance (Tongmeng Hui), functioning as a base of operations for the progressive and radical development of the teachings of Gautama, Bakunin, Proudhon, Kropotkin and Marx,[6] who are undoubtedly the lantern for a new century (Xin shiji). Thus, the Buddhist Anarchism can be addressed through social democracy,[7] by valuing the libertarian vision of Equality (Heng bao) and Natural Justice (Tianyi bao) which was present at the values of ancient cultural traditions of India and China, but they later have been lost in time. This explains the reason why the Maitriyana is iconoclastic and cosmopolitan, being involved in a global revolutionary movement that seeks to liberate the peoples from governmental or religious oppression. The centre of the radical vision of Buddhist Anarchism is the development of the Awakening (Bodhi) of society, by promoting a post-utopian revolution founded on the libertarian principles of teachings from Gautama and Kropotkin.[8] In this sense, the work of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is the triumph of libertarian socialist interpretation, which was the most important radical and revolutionary discourse of China in 1920.[9]

Despite the fact that being a follower of Maitriyana implies the possibility of being killed by the mundane Power, since governments often order arrests or killings to those who want to build a better society, becoming a martyr is not inconvenient for the subject who genuinely wishes to save the world. Therefore, the spiritual master is not involved in mundane politics, although certainly never loses the revolutionary and radical vision of the Libertarian Spirituality, which is the emergence of Buddhist Anarchism. Here, the experience of peak knowledge (satori) is the climax of the revolutionary utopianism.[10] Indeed, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is intensely involved in the recovery of a lost communism, which essentially is nothing but the harmony and interexistence between human beings and the Earth (Gaia). The process of Cure (Nirvana) of society then produces the declaration of independence of the peoples against capitalist and materialistic civilization, at the same time it is opened the Path towards the timely establishment of a global democratic republic unprecedented in history of humanity. This type of planetary community is a society with advanced ethics, so the Maitriyana is the most influential libertarian group in the construction of a conscious world. However, in order to carry out the libertarian socialist Purpose (Dharma) founded by Gautama and Kropotkin the apprentice must be ideologically empty, being in favour of an approach open to constant revolution. This involves not to aim at the mere objective of state communism, but to embrace the vision of pure socialism (Chuncui shehuizhuyi) that is inherent in the Buddhist Anarchism. Thus, the metapolitics of Maitriyana does not aim at grow rapidly in the number of members or followers, because it is not a mundane political party, but rather it seeks to answer the call for the sake of the community, such as Master Taixu did with his positions and revolutionary ideas.[11] The spiritual master is then a prominent leader of the pure socialist vision, transmitting the Non-governmentalism or Buddhist Anarchism (wuzhengfuzhuyi fo) as the only platform for the Salvation of the world. Thus, the central idea of this thought are the three voids (san wu): absence of state, absence of religion and absence of family, because these three institutions host oppressive culture, false dualism and alienating hierarchy, so that by achieving the evanescence of these evils it can be established a new society based on the spiritual values of Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai).[12] In accordance with Master Taixu, the Maitriyana transmits this radical vision because it is the best way to build a revolutionary utopian future, affirming a profound disagreement towards the capitalist civilization and simultaneously setting the groundwork for the establishment of a global democratic republic able to bring hope to future generations. This means that the Buddhist Anarchism is a step on the Path towards progress and spiritual evolution of the world, overcoming the frustrations caused by the lack of ethical ideals of governments that only aim to concentrate Power in their own hands. Therefore, the libertarian vision of Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) uses to consider presidents as dictators rather than representatives of the people, not being accustomed to reject a specific president but rather to the government itself.[13] The cause of disillusionment that the peoples often experience towards their governments is because the governors are nothing more than opportunists seeking fame, power or money,[14] instead of being unselfish heroes and humble revolutionaries who work for the happiness and welfare of the society.

The Maitriyana claims that governments’ failures are not due to the characteristics of the individuals who compose it, because rather every form of government is inherently oppressive. Thus, like the position of Master Taixu, the Buddhist Anarchism is a form of pure socialism which differs strongly from statist and authoritarian communism (shehuizhuyi guojia pai), considering that Liberty (Ziyou) has to be both the ultimate goal and the very Path towards the evolution of humanity, because both the means and the ends should be consistent with one another.[15] Therefore, democracy and liberty of expression are transcendental elements in implementing the metapolitical ideas of the spiritual master, whose Purpose (Dharma) is always liberating others in a correct and adequate manner, instead of appealing to the oppressive machinery of the State as Yuan Shikai did.[16] This harmony between forms and objectives is a prominent feature of Maitriyana and its articulation Gautama-Kropotkin, which teaches the apprentice to develop Consciousness (Liangxin), Liberty and Equality (ziyou pingdeng) as well as the Great Unity (Datong).

The commitment of Buddhist Anarchism is clearly to share a comprehensive and systematic manifesto that shows the path towards a better world by means of pacifism, social justice, education and ecology, which are practical ways towards the Awakening (Bodhi) of the people. This work is the eternal great passion of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), even knowing that it might be a quest that may remain inconclusive (weiwan). In this sense, just like the vision of Master Taixu, the Maitriyana is a radical spiritual thought that combines the profound teachings of Gautama and Kropotkin with the Purpose (Dharma) to achieve the Cure (Nirvana) from the four evils of the world that are war, inequality, ignorance and pollution, all of these being something that emerges directly from the oppressive structures of family, religion and the State, which usually establish the status quo of selfishness, dualism and consumerism. In effect, society tends to differentiation by means of awarding categories, rubrics or status. Thus, the spiritual master helps the individual to disidentify and become a being without clothes by reaching his full potential through this new spiritual education detached from state authority. In contrast to the mundane Power and its exploitation of people, the Buddhist Anarchism really seeks the Liberation of society in the face of the illusions of nationalism and imperialism, claiming a rebellious and transforming doctrine that establishes the Kingdom of Righteousness in the here and now for all beings. In accordance with Taixu Master, the Maitriyana argues that the transition from monarchy to republic system has only changed the symbolic surface of society, keeping intact in the depth the underlying oppressive dynamics that do nothing but take away the people’s Power of Choice, positioning governors who only follow their own ambition through corruption, conflict and violence.[17] Therefore, the critique of the State performed by the Buddhist Anarchism is also extended to the family system (zongfa), since both use hierarchical categories and names that oppressively define the status and social relationships of human beings, by putting shackles (jie) to Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai). From this evil system which is family the dualism and the opposition between the oppressed and the oppressor arises, although society often considers this system as natural and good.[18] Thus, the Maitriyana has the libertarian concern for the overcoming of the social division,[19] which is the origin of inequality and the great warlike conflicts. The establishment of the evanescence of state and family hierarchies frees the apprentice from the status or role, by curing then the social division of humanity, because without the limits or bondage defined by the State, religion and family, the subject is able to initiate a collapse process of the system of inner and outer alienation. Given that the divisions among the peoples lead to conflict and war, the Great Unity (Datong) promoted by the Buddhist Anarchism is the Only Way (Ekayana) for world peace and the transformation of history. Indeed, the revolutionary metapolitical project of Maitriyana does no more than unhide the fundamental state of Liberation and Integration of humanity that is usually hidden by selfishness, dualism and consumerism. But when the apprentice becomes detached from these evils or ties, then he can understand the Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai) underlying all the differences. In concordance with Master Taixu, the Buddhist Anarchism denominates State, religion and family as malignant systems (e zhidu) or malignant customs (e Xiguan) which not only represent bondage but also a false morality (wei daode). This implies that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) denounces the morality of society as a mechanism of protection of evil, like happens with the case of political loyalty to the president on something that is merely complicity and the search for the own survival, or also as is the case of police and their commitment to the oppressive laws permitting the killing of people.[20] Therefore, the righteousness or ethics of Detachment becomes the Path of purification from the tyrannical evils of State, religion and family. Faced with the oppressive Power and false morality the spiritual master establishes that these ones are caused by greed, hatred and delusion which are characteristic of the level of ordinary mind. Thus, the Cure (Nirvana) of society occurs only when the subject has been de-identified from attachment, aversion and unconsciousness.

The Maitriyana teaches that the true nature of consciousness is the Awakening (Bodhi), so tath the ordinary state of consciousness (OSC) or non-enlightened mind is really a veil that hides the Truth of Being: the apprentice is essentially free and responsible for his actions. In this sense, the great ignorance or unconsciousness (avidya) combated by the libertarian meditation is that which hides this Purpose (Dharma) of Liberation. Thus, just like the Master Taixu, the Buddhist Anarchism claims that the ordinary consciousness is structured around the mind of selfish greed (siyu xin) that represses the mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin), the latter being an altruistic and reconciliatory mind. Therefore, in the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) they are transmitted the spiritual revolutionary ideals of Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai), which are inherent in the unborn consciousness or True Self which is repressed by the Ego. The Maitriyana claims that the fundamental structure or essence (ti) of the mind is integrative, although the ordinary consciousness certainly is divided into its daily function (yong), where the mind of selfish greed (siyu xin) is influenced by the evils of status, material gain (li) and sexual gender (se), that are reinforced each other.[21] Therefore, the Buddhist Anarchism faces the cognitive causes of the evils of the world, such as attachment, aversion and unconsciousness, but it also denounces social manifestations of greed, hatred and delusion, which simultaneously reinforce the cognitive causes.[22] However, like Master Taixu, the Gautama-Kropotkin articulation recognizes that there are innate spiritual tendencies towards sociability and brotherhood, reaffirming an anthropological vision which considers that mutual support (sangha) is the dharmic nature of humanity, despite it is usually found repressed or distorted by the authoritarian structures of State, religion and family. The Maitriyana tradition refers to this inherent sociability of human being as interexistence, which is the analytical-existential-libertarian basis of friendship, detachment and Desire for self-transcendence. In this sense, the Ego and the mundane Power hide and oppress the mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin) which is a characteristic of the individual,[23] but it is dis-occulted at the stadium of Cure (Nirvana). Certainly, the general dynamics of the evanescence of suffering consists of three steps: first, evanesce attachment, identification and the repetition of the frustration cycle; second, evanesce the objects of ordinary thinking; third, evanesce ignorance or unconsciousness that represses the structure of the awakened mind.[24] For the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) the false social morality transmitted by the structures of kinship repress the mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin) which is the deepest level of Being, by establishing a system of divisions and limitations that gives beginning to the polarity between individual and object. But if the apprentice becomes detached from these primitive systems of dualism then he can evolve his consciousness by growing and developing as a superhuman. Thus, the spiritual master is a subject who has emptied himself from kinship structures and false morality, by liberating himself from the oppressive institutions that are often seen by people as a natural condition of life, as State, religion and family, in order to be replaced by the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) of the Analytical Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha). Therefore, the Buddhist Anarchism considers the Liberation as the true glory and happiness of the human being, because it is disidentified from illusion and the distorted visions (diandao) promoted by society,[25] connecting himself with a clear understanding of the Real. Instead, the apprentice who becomes attached or is identified with the status quo or prevailing social Discourse has a false morality or ethical disability which makes he confuses as something natural the suffering with happiness and the evil with good. But when the subject perceives things as they really are, then he commits to undertake a process of purification and transformation of internal and external world, creating a Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) after evanescing the four evils of war, injustice, ignorance and pollution. Only through the Awakening (Bodhi) humanity can progress and create a libertarian socialist civilization based on the Purpose (Dharma) of the great openness of human knowledge (wenming Jinbu Zhishi Dakai).[26] The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is part of a spiritual vanguard which perceives the evil and oppressive systems as they are, working for the Cure (Nirvana) of civilization (wenming) as the great Master Taixu did. The Gautama-Kropotkin articulation of Maitriyana shows the possibility of the postmodern event of a better world through the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha). This implies a postmodern pedagogical process that is something historic, because it is a self-civilising project.[27] In this context, the great openness of human knowledge (wenming Jinbu Zhishi Dakai) is the emergence of peak knowledge (satori) in the whole society, achieving the evolution of human being over the support of self-knowledge. Undoubtedly, this libertarian socialist understanding is the transhistorical development of Buddhist Anarchism, coinciding with the Master Taixu in the ultimate goal of the event of a free and enlightened society through an amplified and higher consciousness.[28] Even though the mind of selfish greed (siyu xin) is very strong in the ordinary consciousness and has attachment to the malevolent social system of the status quo, the mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin) is always present latently together with the utopian possibility of building a better world.[29] In accordance with Master Taixu, in the vision of Maitriyana, if the human being evanesces the forces of attachment, aversion and unconsciousness within his mind, then he can completely eliminate his corresponding oppressive social systems based on greed, hatred and delusion, which will leave place to the natural event of a dharmic civilization in the Great Unity (Datong) represented by the spiritual values of Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai), by erecting then a society based on peace, justice, wisdom and harmony. In this revolutionary utopian model of Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) or Kingdom of Satisfaction (Sukkhavati), as Marx and Taixu have pointed out, every human being will be respected according to their abilities and needs,[30] having vanished the evil and oppressive systems of the State, religion and family. Only this kind of radical evanescence of the evils of society can overcome the false morality, discrimination and conflict among peoples. This implies that humanity evolves only through Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai), following the ideals of libertarian communist system of the Buddhist Anarchism. Under the guidance of the spiritual master it is uncovered the intrinsic goodness of human being, by allowing not only a psychic and social welfare but also by the progressive implementation of the post-utopian achievement of Salvation of the world or Great Awakening (Maha Bodhi) of all beings of Earth (Gaia).[31] Like the radical vision of Master Taixu the Maitriyana points out that the achievement of Salvation of society will be attained by means of two processes: by making emerge mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin) in the inner world, and by implementing the Buddhist Anarchism in the outer world.[32] Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) affirms that the apprentice must overcome the false morality, the malignant social systems and the concept of kinship, but always doing this in conjunction with the liberation of mind of fraternal love (bo ‘ai xin) which transforms subjectivity. This process is the construction of a new civilization (wenming) based on the education of the peak knowledge (satori) rather than the traditional civilization (wenming) based on parental education. In this sense, the Maitriyana advocates for the elimination of traditional parenting, working towards a socialist system in which the whole society is responsible for the education of transcendental values of all human beings from their childhood up to their old age. Instead, in capitalist civilization children are considered a property of parents or family, rather than considering them as they are inherently free beings. Thus, Buddhist Anarchism seeks the disappearance of the notion of self-interest, by allowing the manifestation of fraternal and communitarian love.[33] In accordance with  Master Taixu, the approach of Maitriyana is a dismantlement of the oppressive structures of State, religion and family, by replacing them with the libertarian structures of the Awakened One (Buddha), the Purpose (Dharma) and the Commune (Sangha). Given that when knowing the causes of suffering the apprentice is able to eliminate it, the spiritual master affirms the need that children are raised by the whole community, which must share the resources in pursuit of a common goal, by returning their true fraternal nature to humanity. This is possible thanks to the advent of the libertarian socialist civilization and the peak knowledge (satori) opened by the Gautama-Kropotkin articulation of Buddhist Anarchism which demonstrates that the capitalist status quo is a perverse order. Therefore, the Maitriyana works for the Cure (Nirvana) of mind and society, simultaneously and dialectically establishing a psychism and an interlinking system of a wise and compassionate nature. Thus, the restoration of mind of reconciliation (Bo’ai xin) is considered as a cause, while the Buddhist Anarchism is the fruit as well as the guidance (Qiandao).[34] This reflects the interdependence and profound consonance between means and ends in the theory and practice of Maitriyana because in order to establish the evolution of a better world it is counterproductive appealing to coercive or authoritarian resources that do nothing but perpetuate the old structures of oppression. The Buddhist Anarchism is then a libertarian revolutionary movement that always respects the essential Liberty (Ziyou) of Self, working all the time for the restoration of the fundamental nature of Awakening (Bodhi) in all humanity, which is both the means as the end of the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen). In accordance with Master Taixu, the Maitriyana affirms that in the contemporary civilization the peak knowledge (Satori) has not been open to the whole society, which is regulated by a false morality and by limiting concepts such as kinship and self-interest. Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is revolutionary because he opens a direct way towards the peak knowledge (Satori) for all peoples, making the reconciliatory mind (xin Bo’ai) emerges in order to build a fraternal social system. When the subject becomes detached from self-interest both to himself and to the family, only then he can fully develop the reconciliatory mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin), whose consequence is the evanescence of the oppressive and malignant illusions of State and Capitalism: the spontaneous implementation of Buddhist Anarchism.[35] According to the Maitriyana, this is because there is a process of mutual reinforcement, because like attachment, aversion and unconsciousness are mental forces which feed back the oppressive social systems, which in turn also strengthen these psychic forces, in the same way the reconciled mind (Bo’ai xin) feeds back the implementation of Buddhist Anarchism, and this one, in turn, mutually interpenetrates and constitutes such mind of fraternal love (Bo’ai xin).[36] This implies that, like the Master Taixu, Maitriyana affirms that Cure (Nirvana) of mind is a process similar to the revolutionary utopian project of the Awakening (Bodhi) of the Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) or Kingdom of Liberation (Jietuo) in the world. Consequently, the model of ideal or post-utopian society of the Buddhist Anarchism is the virtue of the nature (xing) of the fraternal mind (xin Bo’ai), the virtue of insight (zhi) of social transformation and the virtue of cease (duan) of suffering.[37] In the libertarian framework of Maitriyana these three virtues can be cultivated progressively or simultaneously,[38] functioning as the direct cause (zheng yin), the revealing cause (liao yin) and the conditioning cause (yuan yin) of the Great Cure (Nirvana) of the world, which is nothing more than the unconcealment of the intrinsically free and enlightened mind of human being. In the practice of the libertarian meditation, this intrinsic nature of mind is revealed through an insight completely attuned to the radical Detachment from the illusions of the materialistic world, by expressing the essence of suchness (ziti xiang) through the process of traversing (Xunxi) the veils of mental and social illusion. Therefore, the emergence of the reconciling mind (xin Bo’ai) is an indistinguishable process of implementation of the Buddhist Anarchism, the first being the utopia in the internal world while the second is the utopia in the external world.[39] The revolutionary implementation of Maitriyana starts from the reconciling or fraternal mind (xin Bo’ai) in order to unconcealing the spiritual nature in the entire humanity, which implies to evanesce the capitalist repression based on greed, hatred and delusion. When the ethical virtue of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) is carried out in the subjectivity of the apprentice, then the Utopian Awakening (Bodhi) of the world can be achieved.

Although the Buddhist Anarchism is not a mundane political system, it certainly shows a clear analysis which is capable of vanishing the evils of the world through the convergence between the libertarian narratives of Gautama and Kropotkin. This revolutionary articulation is based on the direct perception of the real problems of life, by identifying the causes of human suffering and by teaching a Path towards its dissolution or Cure (Nirvana). This is the Awakening (Bodhi) of the socialist revolution led by the Maitriyana as an Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), showing an alternative to both the ordinary state of consciousness (ECO) and the social status quo. Thus the practice of revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) seeks to recover the nature of the intrinsic Liberty (Ziyou) of the human being by means of peak knowledge (satori). In accordance with the Master Taixu, the Buddhist Anarchism is a methodology that extends from the analytical-existential sphere, which concerns the inner world and the world of ideas, towards the libertarian sphere concerning the social world, then positioning itself as a postmodern vision that emerges after deconstructing the mundane illusions. As a consecuence of such libertarian meditation it emerges a meta-reflexivity that outperforms the mere rationality, freeing the subject from the historical forces that determine the current order, in order to show then how can a new kind of subjectivity and society be achieved. Thus, the tradition of Maitriyana emerges as a Radical Spirituality that teaches the possibility of transforming the apprentice and the world. The theory and practice of the Buddhist Anarchism is the highest possibility of Liberty (Ziyou), Truth and Harmony which lie dormant waiting to be rediscovered in the face of the dysfunctional, artificial and authoritarian state policy. This is why, in Maitriyana, the secret of Cure (Nirvana) of the apprentice lies in the revelation of its structure of Interexistence by rediscovering or restoring serenity and peace within the intersubjective relations. Therefore, the struggle for the Libertion is developed through the development of this Truth, overcoming the internal and external constraints that generate psychological repression and political power. In this sense, the transgression of the authority performed by the Buddhist Anarchism is an inseparable process of returning to a lost social plenitude,[40] because once it is understood the current order of things it is opened the possibility to achieve a better alternative to the materialistic civilization. Definitively, like the teachings of the Awakening of Faith, the Gautama-Kropotkin articulation indicates that the Cure (Nirvana) or solution to suffering is found inherently in all human beings,[41] waiting to be recognized or unconcealed both in the field of mind and in the field of society. This Liberty (Ziyou) is the fundamental Truth that must be discovered by the individual through the suprarational Path of Maitriyana that disidentifies the mind from the oppressive structures that limit the potential for the welfare and self-realization. If all human beings are inherently free, then the role of the practice of revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is not so much about achieving something but rather causing or cultivating the event or recognition of what one always already is.[42] Therefore, the practice of libertarian meditation does not attempt to produce nothing but Liberty (Ziyou) or Awakening (Bodhi) which both are intrinsic to the human being. The tradition of Buddhist Anarchism develops this line of contemplative thought (zen) in the immediate position of here and now, where the cultivation of Cure (Nirvana) and self-realization of Being are equated as identical processes. According to the position of the spiritual master, the One Way (Ekayana) towards the Awakening (Bodhi) is by overcoming this false duality between achievement and spiritual nature, then understanding that the mystical cultivation must interconnect means with ends.[43] This leads to the Maitriyana’s critique towards state communism, stating that the dynamic process of utopian revolution can only be successfully achieved through a movement free from all authoritarianism; otherwise the revolution of the world simply would reinstate hierarchical and oppressive structures similar to those in capitalist State. Therefore, in order that any revolution is successful the means to carry it out must be consistent with the ends, by anticipating the utopia of the future society within the reconciled and fraternal mind (Bo’ai xin) which is in an embryonic state inside each apprentice. Thus, in the post-utopianism of Buddhist Anarchism it is transmitted the notion that the world revolution is already present in itself in the Liberation or Cure (Nirvana) of the individual, because the Awakened One (Buddha) is a precursor of future humanity. Actually, the evanescence of the world evils is not something that emerges after a long process, but rather is the very act of Detachment in the here and now as a first revolutionary act in the construction of a better society free of the oppression from State, religion and family. Thus the Maitriyana not only fuses cultivation with realization, but also revolution with utopia, demonstrating that the emergence of a Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) in the world is achieved in the Awakening (Bodhi) of the True Self. Even though this may seem an extreme utopianism, it is certainly something practicable and implementable through Buddhist Anarchism and its articulation Gautama-Kropotkin. Therefore, the values of Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai) for all the peoples of the Earth (Gaia) is the corporatization of the Cure (Nirvana), making emerge the future evolution of human being that lies latently or embryonically within the present and immediate consciousness. The revolutionary utopization of Maitriyana offers a concrete program of direct action against capitalist civilization, recommending the implementation of pacifism, communism, human rights, free education and environmental harmony as pillars that unite causes with fruits. Clearly, from here it is understood that the transformation of society can only be achieved through the transformation of mind, establishing the immanent possibility of revolutionary utopia of Awakening (Bodhi) in the inner and outer world.

Just like Master Taixu, the Buddhist Anarchism transmits a Postmodern Spirituality, synthesizing the libertarian narratives of Gautama and Kropotkin through an analytical-existential look applied to the social sphere. This enables to stop considering the capitalist enrichment as the glory of humanity for being an intrinsically bellicose, unjust, ignorant and polluting system. When the apprentice perceives things as they are, understanding the causes of social suffering, then the possibility of creating an alternative for a better world emerges: the Cure (Nirvana) or revolutionary utopia. But to achieve the Salvation and Evolution of humankind, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) departs from the materialistic prehistory of a society based on the oppressive Power of the State, Religion and Family. Thus, the spiritual master promotes a revolutionary Discourse capable of being the next stage of human being:  the Analytical Existential-Libertarian Spirituality (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), which is the embodiment of a progressive civilization based on the peak knowledge (satori) of Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai). But all this project of world Liberation is only possible if the apprentice uncovers the reconciling mind (xin Bo’ai) that remains hidden or unborn within the human being, thus allowing that society reaches the Awakening (Bodhi). In the Maitriyana, this implies a revolutionary strategy to overcome the social change difficulties, since it does not resort to any type of coercive authority, but aims to make emerge the mind of reconciliation (Bo’ai xin) as an ethical means for the purposes of libertarian socialist utopia. At the same time, however, the Buddhist Anarchism has a dialectical and simultaneous connection with such reconciliatory mind (xin Bo’ai) by reinforcing it and even co-emerging with it in the process of the Great Cure (Maha Nirvana) of society. Thus, through the libertarian meditation, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) shows the utopian civilization of the future in the immanent experience of the here and now. Therefore, the Awakening (Bodhi) of the individual represents the highest point of the evolution of consciousness, yet also represents the beginning of the end of the capitalist system. However, the post-utopian position of Maitriyana enables to provide a program to achieve the ideals of Liberty (Ziyou), Equality (Pingdeng) and Fraternity (Bo’ai) among all peoples, even though the system of the mundane Power sows doubts and disillusion when trying to suppress and kill the leaders of the Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) in the world. This is because the spiritual master has a systemic relationship with the Pathway of Purpose (Dharmayana), by practicing revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) to save the world through the Buddhist Spirituality.[44] In this way, the future generations will experience great admiration and inspiration for the radical and libertarian ideas of Gautama and Kropotkin by establishing a Pure Earth (Renjian Jingtu) or Kingdom of Heavens in the here and now after making emerge goodness, sane thought, rational behaviour and peak knowledge (Satori) in human beings.[45] Thus, only through the radical social ideas of Buddhist Anarchism, the evils of the world can be dispelled.

 

[1] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[2] M. Bingenheimer, Some Remarks on the Usage of Renjian Fojiao and the Contribution of Venerable Yinshun to Chinese Buddhist Modernism.

[3] Jiang Canteng, The early life of Master Taixu (1890–1927) [Taixu dashi qianzhuan (1890–1927)]. Don A. Pittman, Toward a Modern Chinese Buddhism: Taixu’s Reforms.

[4] Edward S. Krebs, Soul of Chinese Anarchism.

[5] Taixu, Autobiography of Taixu [Taixu zizhuan].

[6] Yinshun, Annalistic biography of the great master Taixu [Taixu dashi nianpu].

[7] Taixu, Autobiography of Taixu [Taixu zizhuan].

[8] Peter Zarrow, Anarchism and Chinese Political Culture.

[9] Arif Dirlik, Anarchism in the Chinese Revolution.

[10] Eric Goodell, Taixu’s Youth and Years of Romantic Idealism: 1890–1914.

[11] Yinshun, Taixu dashi nianpu [Annalistic biography of the great master Taixu].

[12] Shehui dang ren, Research on the three no’s [San wu zhuyi zhi yanjiu].

[13] Jiang Jun and Li Xingzhi, The intellectual current of anarchism in modern China [Zhongguo jindai de wuzhengfuzhuyi sichao].

[14] Taixu, A cursory discussion of the equalization of wealth: equal education as method; communism as goal [Jun pin fu qianshuo: yi pingdeng jiaoyu wei shouxu, yi gongchan zhuyi wei mudi].

[15] Taixu, A comprehensive view of the Socialist Party and Chinese Socialist Party [Shehui dang yu zhongguo shehui dang zhi bamian guan].

[16] Liu Shifu, The government and the socialist parties [Zhengfu yu shehui dang].

[17] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[18] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[19] Kang Youwei, Book of Grand Unity (Datong shu).

[20] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[21] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[22] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[23] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[24] Ashvaghosha, The Awakening of Faith.

[25] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[26] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[27] Andrew F. Jones, Developmental Fairy Tales: Evolutionary Thinking and Modern Chinese Culture.

[28] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[29] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[30] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[31] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[32] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[33] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[34] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[35] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[36] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[37] Taixu, The Three Great Evils of the World (Shijie zhi san da zui’e).

[38] Master Ouyi Zhixu, Outline of the [Tiantai] Teachings and Contemplations (Jiaoguan gangzong).

[39] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[40] Saul Newman, Anarchism, Utopianism and the Politics of Emancipation.

[41] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[42] J. R. Ritzinger, The Awakening of Faith in Anarchism: A forgotten chapter in the Chinese Buddhist Encounter with Modernity.

[43] On Bernard Faure, The Rhetoric of Immediacy: A Cultural Critique of Chan/Zen Buddhism.

[44] Taixu, My Religious Experiences (Wo de zongjiao jingyan).

[45] Taixu, Creating a pure land on earth [Chuangzao renjian jingtu].

 

 

Maitriyana: Spiritual Challenge to Modern World

The Maitriyana is a spiritual movement that teaches people how to purify life, by liberating the human being from greed and attachment to material wealth. Thus the Buddhist Socialism defies modern capitalist culture, proposing a social, economic and political model based on the vision of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) as a correct way to overcome the impurities of contemporary civilization. The spiritual master offers a practice of revolutionary transformation that is the libertarian meditation, not resorting to any intellectual bias because it rather transmits compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) in order to eradicate ignorance of humanity. This requires interpreting the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) as a spirituality that reaches the Truth, liberating the subject from misery through the ethics of Detachment. Thus, the practice of revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) aims to purify and transform the inner world in order to be a force of Awakening (Bodhi) in the external world, by uncovering the noblest possibilities of the apprentice. But this Cure (Nirvana) from alienation is really a new lifestyle, rather than being a special moment that is reached in a certain time. Thus the Maitriyana has the motivation of being a source of hope for everyone, by showing how the teachings of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) can be applied to achieve a Pure Earth or Kingdom of Righteousness in this life.

In the capitalist civilization the people is oppressed by a lifestyle of selfishness, dualism and consumerism, which implies that the ordinary subject considers to the mundane possessions as the maximum achievement of existence. Even the traditional education does not help to question these social values, since it manifests that success means being an intellectual one and having power or money. Instead, the Buddhist Socialism is aware that the most important thing in life is achieving true happiness which is the peak knowledge (satori) that liberates the apprentince from the suffering generated by the continuous pursuit of material satisfaction. However, the spiritual master is not against wealth, rather being critical when the material greed is the only thing present in the subject. Therefore, the Maitriyana seeks to embrace the totality of happiness: material satisfaction together with Spiritual Awakening (Bodhi) for all beings.[1] Since the capitalist civilization converts the people of materialistic culture into a slave, the Buddhist Socialism shows to the apprentice he must be responsible for his decisions and choices, by being detached from the mundane guidelines that lead to dissatisfaction and deep misery. Therefore, the Maitriyana does not only have a metapsychological therapy, but it also provides a social and global therapy to achieve the Cure (Nirvana) from the suffering caused by contemporary culture. By boosting the Liberation of humanity through a lifestyle empty from oppression and full of true happiness, the vision of Buddhist Socialism is a genuine pathway for the Salvation of the world. Definitively, the teaching of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) provides a possible solution so that the whole humanity can overcome the evils of capitalist civilization, by practicing libertarian meditation as a form of Awakening (Bodhi) facing the enormous problems of the contemporary  culture, economy and politics. But at the same time that it is presented a challenge to the modern era, the vision of Maitriyana is also a reinterpretation of Spirituality.

During 2600 years the Buddhist Spirituality has been a revolutionary force in many countries, by transmitting a Way of Life related to the metapsychology, metaphilosophy and metapolitics, which implies that it has also influenced the various fields of medicine, science, art and religion. Thus the spiritual master cooperates enormously with society by showing an exemplary life that benefits both himself and the whole of the people, since it provides ethical guidance facing the dilemmas of existence and contributes to world harmony and peace.

The Buddhist Socialism is a pathway of Maitriyana with a Purpose (Dharma) of ethically influencing the world, by devoting its existence to serve the mission of the Awakened One (Buddha).[2] Consequently, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) does not impart formal or traditional education for considering this source of knowledge as something useless for the Cure (Nirvana) from the evils of world, tending to prefer establishing schools in rural or forested areas in order to protect the compassionate wisdom (prajna-karuna) and provide the Liberation to the people through a humble lifestyle. In this way, in accordance with Master Buddhadasa, the Buddhist Socialism establishes three vows of Engaged Spirituality: first, teaching the principles of Spirituality so that everyone reachs Liberation;  second, creating an ecumenical dialogue between all religions; third, achieving detachment of human being facing the materialistic tyranny in order to establish a Pure Earth.[3] These vows of Maitriyana are an attempt to restore a Pure and Integrating Buddhism (Purnayana) able to benefit everyone, freeing the peoples from the shackles of selfishness, dualism and consumerism. This implies that Buddhist Socialism harmonizes and reinterprets the essential principles of the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, showing that the Awakening (Bodhi) of society can be achieved in the here and now through a practice of revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) which transforms the daily life into a healthy life.

The spiritual master is a figure that is positioned as one of the most important reformers in history, transmitting a libertarian tradition that goes beyond the intellectualism and the materialistic science. Therefore, the subject is encouraged to practice Mindfulness on the inner and outer world, by experiencing a new way of life. This is based on that, according to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), the True Buddhist Spirituality is a practical Way in which impurities of the mind, speech and action are partially or fully faded.[4] Just like the Master Buddhadasa, the Maitriyana reinterprets even the very meaning of Buddhism, which means the Way of the teachings of the Awakened One (Buddha),[5] and not the religion that worships Siddharta Gautama. In this way, the spiritual master considers that Buddhist Spirituality should not follow only to Gautama, but it also should study the teachings of all the Awakened Ones (Buddhas) in the history of the world, who have always known the Truth of existence and they have behaved properly and respectfully towards all beings.[6] In this sense, the Buddhist Socialism develops the right understanding (sammāditthi) and forms part of a higher practical and theoretical framework which is the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), which is centralized by the force of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) as an essential form of spiritual praxis. Certainly, the Maitriyana follows the Path of Gautama, but it reinterprets the scriptures through a hermeneutic and demythologizing approach very similar to the heterodox technique of Master Buddhadasa, integrating the renunciation of materialistic world with the hope of reaching the Cure (Nirvana) in the here and now. This doctrinary innovation of the Buddhist Socialism is an abandonment of the religious conservative tradition, using the dharmic language (phasa tham) as an innovative method of interpretation and demythologization of the spiritual doctrine. Thus, the hermeneutical innovative reinterpretation conducted by the Maitriyana is deidentified from the ordinary language (phasa khon) of religion to orient the apprentice towards Truth and the Peak Knowledge (Satori) which embodies the dharmic language (phasa tham) of Spirituality.[7] This reinterpretation aims to lead a mutual understanding of the essence of the message of all traditions, which is profoundly beneficial for the contemporary society. In this sense, while Salvation is, according to the ordinary language (phasa khon) of religion, something essentially metaphysical and outside world, instead, according to the dharmic language (phasa tham) of Spirituality it is about the evanescence of suffering and misery in the here and now.[8]

In accordance with Master Buddhadasa, the Buddhist Socialism proposes the pathway of Liberation through wisdom (paññāvimutti) as an appropriate form of Waking up (Bodhi) the peoples of contemporary world. Only this can fade the suffering caused by greed, malice and delusion of the capitalist civilization. But this Cure (Nirvana) can be attained at any time of life provided that the subject becomes a wise one.[9] However, even the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) continue to have problems while he is still alive, because the only thing that changes is that he has liberated himself from the attachment to suffering, responding ethically facing every adverse circumstance which is presented to him. This implies that the spiritual master acts on behalf of the True Nature or Purpose (Dharma), by developing a Way of Libertarian Spirituality that reveals to the people the Suchness (tathatā) or knowing things just as they are (yathābhutanānadassana).[10] However, this apprentice’s access to the Dharmic Truth is not related to the concept of mundane truth, which often changes according to the circumstances of the moment, while the True Purpose (Dharma) never changes.[11] Therefore, according to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), everything that exists is imperfect, impermanent and insubstantial, while the trans-existing – which is the Empty Self – is the only thing that remains perennial in the world. In short, according to the spiritual master, the possibility of Awakening (Bodhi) is always present in every subject at a latency mode, reason why the Truth or Purpose (Dharma) is something perennial and immutable.

Just like the teachings of Master Buddhadasa, the Maitriyana searches that the members of the community (sangha) learn the Truth of Existence, which has been widely worked by Siddharta Gautama in his Four Noble Truths (Ariyasacca) and with the Noble Eightfold Path (dukkha-nirodha-gāminī).[12] Thus the Buddhist Socialism is a profound social analysis that shows the reality as it is, transforming the basis of the senses (ayatana-kusalatā) in order to achieve reconciliation with the vacuum (Suñña) or order of nature (idappaccaytā). Upon the foundation of Mindfulness (Satipatthana) the apprentice can practice an intuitive method of Liberation through wisdom (paññāvimutti), which is the supreme guide for humanity to reach true health and happiness. In this sense, the event of the hidden possibilities of Being is the state of the Liberation from attachment, by converting himself into someone who perceives the Real.[13] Just like Master Buddhadasa, the Maitriyana reinterprets the pure doctrine of Buddhist Spirituality by expressing it in the best possible way for the contemporary era so that the peoples act appropriately and respect the nature of reality, since this is the One Way (Ekayana) towards serenity and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) in the here and now.

Buddhist Socialism is an ethical defiance in the face of capitalist civilization based on selfish, dualistic and consumerist values, which often exploits an attitude of greed for gaining economic and political power. Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) teaches the apprentice to detach himself from the materialistic insatiable thirst for accumulation of money and possessions in order to focus his Attention around the Sense of Purpose (Dharma) of life. Consequently, the Maitriyana shows how to achieve Cure (Nirvana) from the problems that emerge from disorder, confusion and social degeneration.[14] Precisely the school of Buddhist Socialism provides Mindfulness to the suffering of society, seeking the cessation of the main evils of the world which are war, injustice, ignorance and contamination. Thus, the Maitriyana develops universities that teach this kind of peak knowledge (satori) to all humanity, differing from traditional education centred on intellectualism and monetary success. In accordance with Master Buddhadasa, the Buddhist Socialism criticizes the traditional education as incomplete and inefficient because it ignores the most basic issues of life, such as teaching the subject to be a free human being and to reach the evanescence of the suffering caused by the attachment (tanha). However, the spiritual master claims that Desire is completely natural, although it certainly can vary according to individual circumstances, being a real problem when the Desire is associated with materialistic objectives which are self-destructive. In fact, when the Desire is led by the Ego or I, the apprentice often develops serious physical illnesses.[15] Therefore, the enormous repertoire of strategies of Maitriyana aims at the Sublimation (Nirodh) of Desire in order to avoid unnecessary suffering, because the great problems of life that derive from dissatisfaction, impermanence and insubstantiality cannot be avoided or repressed satisfactorily, being rather the true features of the Real. When trying to achieve the Awakening (Bodhi) of all humanity, the vision of the Buddhist Socialism benefits the deep levels of society, by leading it towards the Path of Cure (Nirvana) which is a lifestyle of world peace, social justice peak knowledge (satori) and ecological harmony. Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a postmodern subject who demithologizes Spirituality, by providing a perspective adapted to the future of human being, but without losing the Essential Truth or Purpose (Dharma). In the same way as Master Buddhadasa, the Maitriyana reinterprets Spirituality as a pathway towards the transformation of the whole society, fading the current way of life based on ignorance (avijja) for transmitting a wise and compassionate way of life that is no more than the authentic Way of Siddharta Gautama which consists of self-analysis, self-transcendence and self-liberation. Consequently, the libertarian meditation provides to the apprentice the ability to be disidentified from attachment (tanha) to the accumulation of material possessions,  liberating himself from selfishness, dualism and consumerism which characterize the capitalist civilization.[16]

The Buddhist Socialism states that every individual has the hidden potentiality for being spiritually developed, by evolving from an ordinary state of consciousness (OSC) towards a higher and amplified state of consciousness (H-ASC) which is inherent in the holistic mind of the spiritual master and his Path of Serenity-in-the-world. However, according to the doctrine of Maitriyana, there are three different types of human beings in the spiritual realm: the apprentice, the teacher and the master. Unlike the ordinary subject (Puggala) who has mundane goals (Lokiya Dhamma), an incorrect perception (micchaditthi) and attachment to pride, doubt, superstition, lust, ill will, mania, depression, hopelessness and unconsciousness, instead, the apprentice (sekha) is someone who is in a spiritual process to empty himself from these mental contaminations, entering into the current (sotapanna) of the Purpose (Dharma). At the same time, the teacher or instructor is someone who has already done several purifications although his transformation is not complete (Sakadāgāmi), so that he is still exposed to return to old habits. Thus, the transformation process ends in a Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) or spiritual master, who is a subject with a Supramundane Purpose (Lokuttara Dhamma) and a correct perception (Sammāditthi) of Truth. This Libertarian Spirituality of the supramundane state is not about an access to a metaphysical reality, but rather it is the Awakening (Bodhi) or Liberation of the world. When the human being enters into this spiritual state he becomes detached from things, acquiring the mastery of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) for guiding the whole humanity towards the development and evolution of mind. Indeed, every apprentice has the hidden capacity for the Cure (Nirvana), by developing the spiritual and supra-intellectual potentiality of seeing the Real as it is: unsatisfactory, impermanent and insubstantial. Therefore, like Master Buddhadasa, the Buddhist Socialism suggests that every human being should become a spiritual guide, acquiring peak knowledge (satori) about the phenomenal reality not just to become a Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) but also to work towards the building of a Pure Earth or Kingdom of Righteousness. The metapolitics of Maitriyana is then the statement that the Pathway of the Awakened Being (Buddhayana) is the supreme lifestyle for the entire humanity, by achieving the evanescence of the world evils through the vision and insight of the revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen). Therefore, the spiritual master brings the ultimate guide to reconcile humanity with its Truth or Purpose (Dharma).

In accordance with the Master Buddhadasa, the Buddhist Socialism reinterprets the Noble Truths of existence, by considering that life is intrinsically unsatisfactory, impermanent and insubstantial, so that the real causes of suffering (Dukkha-Samudaya) are attachment, aversion and unconsciousness that shape the identification with the I or Ego, which is the source of affliction and misery.[17] Thus, attachment and greed are at the very root of frustration and suffering, simultaneously ending in the social field with the form of selfishness, dualism and consumerism. Just like Lacan and the Master Buddhadasa, the Maitriyana considers that the birth of mental illness is caused by the idea of I (je) or Me (moi), which are attachments and identifications with lust, stereotypes, rite and self-representation. Thus, the Evanescence (Nirvana) of suffering and misery is the transformation through the ethics of Detachment from said attachment.[18] From the perspective of Buddhist Socialism the Awakening (Bodhi) is not a supernatural miracle that is reached in a life after death, but rather it is the natural condition of mind, which can be produced in any time of the subject’s life provided that the mind is freed from its filters or illusions (Maya). When the apprentice practices revolutionary contemplation (kakumeizen) he departs from the notion of Ego and consequently becomes a transpersonal force in the world. However, some practitioners are confused and they consider that Liberation is the temporary absence of attachment, when in fact the Pathway of Cure (Nirvanayana) from suffering is the permanent cessation of avidity in the here and now,[19] being something that is developed through the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and the emptiness from an I (Anatman) as self-realization of the Truth. In this regard, the Way of Awakening (Bodhiyana) of the True Self is righteousness in vision, thought, speech, action, lifestyle, work, attention and concentration.[20]

The method of Maitriyana is not repressive, but rather it seeks the ethical Sublimation (Nirodh) of Desire, by orienting the life force towards the right understanding or adequate vision of the Real, which emphasizes the Liberation through knowledge (Paññāvimutti). This transintelectual method requires a profound observation, by experiencing a kind of superior and intuitive thinking. The guidance of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is then a direct Way towards fulfilling of human potentialities of the Cure (Nirvana) within the contemporary era. In fact, the spiritual master declares that it is possible to overcome suffering through the right perception of the Real (Sammā-diṭṭhi),[21] which is structurally unsatisfactory, impermanent and insubstantial. However, most of humanity has a noxious lifestyle due to their wrong perception of reality, so that their mind produces attachment, aversion and unconsciousness, increasing the selfish greed, dualistic hatred and consumerist delusion. Consequently, the communities are sick for having an inadequate vision of the world, so that the Buddhist Socialism seeks the Liberation of people through the acceptance of traumatic features of the Real, in order to be able to courageously confront the problems suffered by society. But just like Master Buddhadasa, Maitriyana considers that the Awakening (Bodhi) of Truth will only happen when the subject is emptied from any concept of I or Ego, by being capable of achieving compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) in the here and now . Ultimately, there is never an individual who experiences suffering, but rather there is the experience of suffering,[22] showing that the mind is nothing more than an impersonal set of thoughts without a thinker. This understanding of psychic Vacuity allows depersonalizing the everyday life, by deidentifying the apprentice from the ordinary state of consciousness that generates so much harm to others, since the false idea or sense of Ego leads to selfishness, material accumulation and capitalist civilization. However, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) states that the Cure (Nirvana) is reached when the mind is liberated from psychological and social masochism.[23]

The Buddhist Socialism postulates notions which are identical to the teachings of Gautama and Buddhadasa, by developing a practice of libertarian meditation in order to achieve the Salvation of all humanity in the contemporary world and not in a possible metaphysical or postmortal existence. In the Maitriyana, the individual is fully responsible for developing the mental skill of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna), being able to become an Awakened One (Buddha) if he transforms his life into a spiritual practice. Indeed, the libertarian perspective of the Buddhist Socialism does not deviate from the revolutionary core of the teachings of Gautama and Buddhadasa, which are completely suitable for the contemporary world. Thus the spiritual master devotes all his time to build a Pure Earth or Kingdom of Righteousness based on the pillars of peace, justice, education and ecology by teaching at all times that the evolution of human being depends on the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) as a direct Pathway towards Truth, eradicating all the illusions that governments and religions transmit. According to the Analytical Existential Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha), the requirement for Salvation is then the abandonment of attachments, developing a free mind and an awakened society.

 

 

[1] Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Hand Book for Living.

[2] Peter A Jackson, Buddhadāsa: Theravāda Buddhism and Modernist Reform in Thailand.

[3] Piyadee Prasertsom, Challenge of Modern Age to Thai Buddhism: In the View of Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

[4] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Handbook for Mankind.

[5] Piyadee Prasertsom, Challenge of Modern Age to Thai Buddhism: In the View of Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

[6] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Handbook for Mankind.

[7] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Two Kinds of Language.

[8] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Keys to Natural Truth.

[9] Siddharta Gautama, Anguttara Nikāya.

[10] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Handbook for Mankind.

[11] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Keys to Natural Truth.

[12] Piyadee Prasertsom, Challenge of Modern Age to Thai Buddhism: In the View of Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

[13] Siddharta Gautama, Dhammapada.

[14] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Barom tham.

[15] Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living

[16] Piyadee Prasertsom, Challenge of Modern Age to Thai Buddhism: In the View of Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu.

[17] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Handbook for Mankind.

[18] The Book of Analysis: Vibhanga from Abhidhamma Pitaka.

[19] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Handbook for Mankind.

[20] The Book of Analysis: Vibhanga from Abhidhamma Pitaka.

[21] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, A Handbook for a Perfect Form of Ānāpānasati Bhāvanā Meditation.

[22] Gerald Roscoe, The Good Life: Guide to Buddhism for the Westerner.

[23] Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu, Handbook for Mankind.

 

 

Spiritual Reformism

The movement of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) has a radical attitude related to the libertarian communism, appealing to build a healthy and educated society by means of a revolutionary activism and a new current of thought. But this involves going beyond any dogmatism and authoritarianism, studying a theory that synthesizes the vision of Siddharta Gautama and Karl Marx, so the Maitriyana appreciates Han Yongun as a Korean thinker who implemented the development of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui).[1]

The pioneering work of Maitriyana does not start from an intellectual experience but from the abandonment of the bourgeois greeds and behaviours, although this may be perceived as an idealistic attitude according to the look of capitalism. In the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) there is a spiritual conversion which results in an anti status quo position, so that the spiritual master is often accused of spreading extremist and subversive ideas. However, there have been extraordinary spiritual beings that have had the courage to transmit communist or anarchist ideas, such as the monk Kim Songsuk, who assumed a radical position to overcome the religious institutions. But the Maitriyana is neither anti-religious nor pro-religious, being rather a Libertarian Spirituality that influences the world to establish a mystical postmodern paradigm. This implies a critique of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) to Catholicism and evangelism being the religion of the capitalist civilization, whereas Mohammedanism is the religion of the feudal civilization. Instead, Spirituality is the key element of the transcultural fortitude of the libertarian socialist civilization which will be the next period of humanity. Thus, the new movement of Cultural Revolution of Maitriyana emphasizes a meta-religious and anti-imperialist vision, by taking the provocative decision to promote libertarian communism as a progressive and reactionary form facing the primitive ideas of ordinary humanity. Just like what happened in China, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) criticizes the predominance of superstition and metaphysical faith, although it also includes the radical mistrust of the economic, political and social State power. At the same time the Maitriyana adopts the resolution of abolishing war, social injustice, ignorance and pollution, additionally denouncing to the governmental administration of the world as rigidly centralized and authoritarian. Consequently, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) proclaims the Spirituality as the only Way that can cope with the losses and damages caused both by the religious institutions and the state Power, serving the development of Truth as a form of combating the opium of the peoples. This post religious and antistate struggle is highly prominent on the agenda of the spiritual master, whose libertarian communist leadership has the supreme task of organizing a humanity unified and reconciled through the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña).

The Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is then the vehicle for progress and liberation of the society, functioning as a radical, transnational, reformist and pro-democratic organization, which peaceably struggles against the hegemony of materialism. Certainly, the Spirituality is a self-awareness of the oppressive and alienating Power which both the state and religion possess, being the realization of the Purpose (Dharma) of the human being, whose main flavouring is Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The movement of Maitriyana demonstrates a separation between religion and Spirituality which implies that if Marxism is against the religious field of dogma it should not necessarily be against the spiritual Way of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui). Therefore, the radical currents of Maitriyana are directly involved in the libertarian communism, such as the great Han Yongun did.[2]

The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) develops a Path of radical reform of the world, fighting peacefully for the reconciliation of the peoples. Therefore, the metapolitics of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) emphasizes the altruistic nature of Spirituality, by providing it the appropriate function of being the guide towards the evolution and Salvation of humanity. This leads to the Evanescence of the survival of the fittest, defending the oppressed people through Love of Truth and the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña). Thus, the understanding of Buddhist Spirituality is indispensable to successfully establish the Great Awakening (Maha Bodhi) of the postmodern world, giving opportunities of reaching the Cure (Nirvana) to both the subject and the community. This pioneering attempt to transcend the capitalist civilization and appeal to the spiritual ideals of altruism and kindness is concordant with the vision of Takakusu Junjiro.

The Maitriyana thinking is a harmonization between egalitarianism and cosmopolitanism (segyejuui), stating that from the idea of the universal Buddhic nature of all beings, Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is both the Libertarian Spirituality of postmodern present and the great utopian unity of the future world.[3] In fact, the libertarian and internationalist principles of Maitriyana are based on the Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for all beings, building a global civilization wherein all the peoples work as a big family, thus banishing greed, hatred and ignorance. The Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) of the spiritual master carries out the civilization of the future in the here and now as a Kingdom of Righteousness on Earth. According to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), this future society will be called a Buddhist world because it will be free, egalitarian and fraternal.[4] In this sense, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) should be understood as libertarian internationalism based on the idea of brotherhood and solidarity, which implies the establishment of a human rights Communism that brings social economic and political justice among the entire people. Certainly, the spiritual master believes that the capitalist system is perverse, cruel and inhuman in its quest for materialistic benefits, so that abandoning this type of monetary civilization is essential for the survival of humanity and the future advent of a Buddhist world of a great unity.

Given that the economic, political and cultural inequality is a central feature of capitalist civilization, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) proposes a kind of civilization of a socialist (sahoejuui) orientation which is based on the global alternative order of solidarity. This progressive and postmodern tendency starts from the altruistic principle of Maitriyana, not only accusing the global Power of being selfish, dualistic and consumerist instead of working for the Salvation of the world, but also creating a Kingdom of Righteousness and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) for all the peoples. Thus the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is altruistic, dialectical and detached, forming apprentices willing to devote their lives in pursuit of Awakening (Bodhi) and the Salvation of all beings.[5] These is the great desire of every spiritual master following the Path of Gautama, Confucius and Jesus in order to wisely and compassionately confront the world of competition and monetary gain, whose civilization is built upon the strength of greed, hatred and ignorance. The doctrinal values of Maitriyana are then a radical opposition to the modern barbaric civilization based on imperialism and militarism, promoting a realistic Way to build the Buddhist society of the great unity, egalitarianism and altruism in the contemporary world. Certainly, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) does nothing but being a devotee of this new era of peace.[6]

Consequently, the Path of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is constituted in a political, economic and cultural context of postmodern direction, producing radical social changes based on the ideas of mutual support from Kropotkin and on the universal love of Han Yongun, which are contemplative practices of Maitriyana. This support and love for all beings is the best way to confront the evils of nationalism and imperialism, since it is about the existential Truth which will eventually become reality.[7] Precisely the libertarian meditation demonstrates that the communist or anarchist connotations of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) are not based on an idealist or metaphysical theory, but in a holistic and integrative vision in which what composes the mind is identical to what composes the material reality, so that the Cure (Nirvana) of the subject can also be replicated for the Awakening (Bodhi) of society. Thus, the experience of Emptiness (Sunyata) provides a radical revolution of inner and outer world. Indeed, the seed of the Liberation which is present in all beings is the only thing which never dies in the phenomenal reality.[8]

The economic ethics of Maitriyana provides a foundation for understanding the communist nature of the teachings of Gautama, whose economic detachment is emphasized strongly by the Way of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui). Therefore, the spiritual master criticizes the accumulation of property and social inequity by living in the ideal of non-consumerism. But this metapolitics of Maitriyana is also concordant with the Christian Socialism of thinkers such as Kagawa Toyohiko,[9]  criticizing the hedonistic impulses by means of an ethical radicalism quite similar to the political and economic ideas of Karl Marx. Thus, Han Yongun in Korea together with Seno’o Giro in Japan showed how to correctly and radically lead the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui), maintaining the universal principles of brotherhood, non-violence and the communal society (kyodo shakai) free from selfishness, dualism and consumerism.[10] Therefore, the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) fades the psychical causes of social suffering, such as attachment, aversion and unconsciousness because they lead to material exploitation, war and injustice. But the Analytical Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) of Maitriyana is not much different from pacifist and socialist teachings of Jesus, whose movement was opposed to militarism and the violent domination of the oppressed ones, trying to build a society based on mutual support and Spiritual Love. Only in this way the people will no longer be based on the pursuit of economic gain to move to be based on solidarity. Therefore, the Engaged Spirituality of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is consistent with the ideas of the Liberation Theology in teaching an alternative to the capitalist civilization. However, although the Maitriyana is close to the libertarian communism it criticizes the materialistic dogmas of the authoritarian communism of Stalin,[11] since the repression and persecution do not lead to the purification of society. Actually, only the Spirituality has the power to achieve Cure (Nirvana) of the people by eradicating the illusory beliefs –both metaphysical and materialistic – through the practice of libertarian meditation. But if one tries to banish religiosity by means of violence this fact will do nothing but strengthen it, since the religious beliefs are part of the structure of the mind, this being the reason why the authoritarian communism tends to behave as a religion in which there is an absolute faith and their assumptions and results never are put in doubt. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) starts from the transformation of the apprentice in order to properly liberate society. In this way, the Maitriyana is beyond the political false dualism between left and right, positioning itself as a Middle Way which transcends all extreme, because only this kind of vision can achieve the Unity of the world. In this sense, the political, economic and cultural ideals of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) are the most important radical attempt in history to rebuild a Pure Land in the here and now, showing that only the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity can achieve the Salvation and evolution of humankind.

 

The Maitriyana declares that Siddhartha Gautama is a spiritual hero with a revolutionary vision capable of leading the world through the darkest periods of history by developing a libertarian movement that rejects the capitalist order and simultaneously reforms Spirituality. The Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is never subordinated to governmental Power nor is limited to the nationalist compromise although it certainly has an independence attitude towards the political, economic and cultural oppression. Therefore, the metapolitics of Maitriyana remains ethically pure, correct, original and profound in the face of the status quo. This transnational historical Discourse is sustained in seeking the best interests of the community, so that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) emerges as a socialist hero and as a source of spiritual achievements that may contribute not only to a country but also to the entire globalized world. Thus, it is doubtful that the spiritual master has a nationalist perspective, his complex and inclusive vision being something which makes him a citizen of the world. In fact, what underlies the practices and ideas of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is an emptying from all ideology, being related to a Spiritual Reformism that develops a socially conscious Pathway.[12]

However, given that Maitriyana has a metapolitical perspective does not participate in partisan politics, since the latter is a dualistic instrument that serves the goals and interests of the mundane Power. Nor the Spirituality has a metaphysical agenda associated with religious beliefs. Thereby, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) does not relate to the oppressive institutions of political, economic and cultural system. Evidently, this emptying of all ideology emphasizes the self-reflection and cultivation of revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) within a trans-nationalist framework. The Maitriyana assumes a practice of libertarian meditation that primarily serves to a revolutionary Purpose (Dharma) of resistance against the materialistic Power, having the commitment and the transcultural attitude of not giving in to the oppression of the system. Therefore, the vision of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) can be reconstructed as that of the archetype of the revolutionary subject, sharing wise and compassionate ideas to peoples around the world. Just like Han Yongun, the spiritual master teaches the emergence of self-reflection and the cultivation of a Spiritual Reformism with a self-critical attitude towards the illogical and superstitious religiosity.[13] Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) teaches the apprentice to become a civilized person (munmyong’in) who believes his existence depends on his own efforts and abilities, being responsible for everything what happens to him.

The Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) then equates the virtue of self-determination with the virtues of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, which are the guiding principles of Spiritual Reform of the world. For this reason the Maitriyana coincides with Han Yongun that religious recitation (yombultang) should be eliminated within the Buddhist Spirituality, since people tend to worship the image of Siddharta Gautama instead of seeking the Awakening (Bodhi) within themselves. Thus the spiritual master is against idolatry and superstition,[14] these practices of external faith being something that the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) seeks to vanish.[15] Actually, the individual must develop faith in oneself (chashinjok). In accordance with Han Yongun the Maitriyana states that the practice of adoration or prayer towards the supernatural powers of Gautama is a False Buddhism.[16] The practice of revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) does not lead to the idea of God but it approximates the apprentice to his True Self. Thus the meta-religiosity or trans-faith has an analytical, existential libertarian function in the world, being a skilful means of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) to overcome the suffering of the people. This resistance (chohang) towards the cultural Discourse of Power is the best Way towards the social welfare, freeing the subject’s mind despite any adverse or oppressive circumstance. Through the libertarian meditation the apprentice can transform the world in a detached way, having spiritual fortitude to overcome poverty and suffering.

This practice of cultivation and strengthening of the Spirituality is the key factor to dealing and overcoming the problems of capitalist civilization.[17] From here it is understood the reason why the Maitriyana is a Radical Way which proposes a libertarian communist alternative, by promoting the peaceful resistance against the oppressive authorities. Based on the principle of return to the True Self as the best way of positioning in the world, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is more focused on the welfare of the people than in the struggle or conflict against the oppressor Power. This implies that the Cure (Nirvana) to the evils of society is nothing less than the spiritual empowerment. Only in this way a communist society can be developed successfully and without resentment towards the higher social classes, since the world revolution of the Maitriyana starts from the base  of the subject’s Awakening (Bodhi). Actually, by means of the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) the apprentice can understand that if he is poor and weak this is not due to the rich and powerful ones, it is because of his own choice and responsibility facing unhappiness.[18] This implies that there is always a possibility of fundamental change within the human being. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) argues that social transformation begins with oneself by overcoming the difficulties by being emptied of all illusory thinking and wrong conduct. Thus, the liberating effort of the individual is the most powerful tool for achieving social happiness. The practice of libertarian meditation is a self-reflection and self- responsibility which functions as a guiding principle for Spiritual Reformism of humanity, ethically guiding the people by teaching them a new way of living, thinking and acting in the world. Although the agony and suffering caused by others is indescribable, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) shows that the path towards Liberation is a matter of self-reflection and self-criticism.[19] Facing the misery generated by the oppressive system, the Maitriyana has a predicament that works for the self-realization of the people and not for the resentment towards the oppressor, teaching that in order to achieve Freedom one must not destroy the enemy but rather reaching the Cure (Nirvana) of mind, transforming the own way of thinking and seeing life. Only this can bring transnational independence of the peoples, removing the fundamental psychological causes of capitalism which are attachment, aversion and unconsciousness. Even in the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) the elimination of capitalism is not considered the final solution, but rather the Awakening (Bodhi) of mind and society it is. At the same time, this implies that state oppression is ineffective and nonexistent if it does not count with the support of the community, so the people must simply wake up if they choose to be free and critical against the political, economic and cultural oppression of the dominant Power. Therefore, the Maitriyana never encourages to struggle violently against oppression and government domain, because it is adhered to analytical, existential and libertarian principles. This implies that the spiritual master seeks to motivate the people by rehabilitating their Intrinsic Liberty so that they achieve an attitude of psychological, philosophical and political independence towards their oppressor. Thereby, all colonial relationship is nothing more than the result of passivity and submission of the human being who is an agent of change when reaching the Cure (Nirvana), by realizing that both suffering and happiness are somewhat dependent on oneself. Thereby, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) overtakes Master-Slave dialectic, not appealing to the guilt or the self-disgust, but rather to the ethical responsibility and the detachment towards the external Power.

The transnational ideas of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui), focused on self-realization and self-transcendence of the apprentice, constitute an important alternative to the mere anti-capitalist vision, promoting an understanding of how to construct a better and post materialistic world. However, this does not imply a metaphysical view, because the Maitriyana transcends all dualism. Thus the spiritual master not only criticizes the monetary vision of life, but also to the religious fatalistic approach that believes that everything that happens is prepared by Heaven (ch’onmyong) or by Fate (p’alcha). Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) coincides with Yi Kwangsu in the fact that superstitious beliefs should be discarded so that the people understand that they are the ones that determine their lives, having the possibility of happiness in their own hands through the responsibility. This is the revolutionary transcultural position of Maitriyana. From this perspective, the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) are the progenitors of the reconstruction of the world, arguing that the cultivation of ethical capacity and of the spiritual fortitude is indispensable for the Liberation of society. Even though this purpose takes a century in being achieved, certainly the metapolitical Way is the essential requirement to achieve it, because the spiritual values of responsibility and self-determination are the analytical and existential framework for sharing a transnational vision and achieve global goals for the whole humanity. Through the ethics of caring of oneself (chajo), the spiritual master proclaims a transnational and transcultural movement.

Consistent with Han Yongun, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) does not focus on an isolated practice of society, promoting a Spiritual Reform of the contemporary world through the Awakening (Bodhi) and the Liberation of the ordinary people. This involves applying the thinking of Siddharta Gautama into the social practice, actively participating in the transformation of the economy, politics and culture. However, this does not necessarily mean that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) participates in local or national politics, since his identity and ideals are decidedly global. Thus, the individual is encouraged not only to serve his nation, but to do the best for the whole world because the true identity of Being is the Interexistence with all beings. The spiritual master is then an independence activist (tongnip chisa) but of the entire humanity, not being able to be pigeonholed with the mere label of anticapitalist.

The libertarian voice of Maitriyana defies all governmental conventionalism through the metapolitical Vehicle of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui). In this sense, as Yongun Han established, the True Spirituality is only possible when it is free from governmental interference and restrictions.[20] The metapolitical Purpose (Dharma) of Maitriyana is not only criticizing the governmental control over the libertarian commune (Sangha), but also promoting a community administration free from state regulation. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is separated from both the nationalist and imperialist politics, the Spirituality being the guiding principle for the present and future world.[21] The Maitriyana is then transnational and simultaneously anti-imperial, being an Integrative and Reconciliatory Spirituality besides being the Ultimate Truth that encompasses, surpasses and transcends all ideologies and Discourses.[22] This is because the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) perceives the Buddha-nature or sense of equality (p’yongdung) that underlies all beings. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) transcends the dualism between spiritualism (yusimnon) and materialism (yumullon), something that can be perceived in the Purpose (Dharma) of Salvation of the world through Compassion (chabi), Universal Love (Pagae) and Mutual Assistance (Hoje). This demonstrates that the Maitriyana is the Perennial or Transcendental Buddhism whilst it moves away from the unreal and metaphysical, by encompassing and reconciling all the psychological, philosophical and political ideas, so it is the supreme guidance for all things.[23] As a metapolitics the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) has a leading position with a fundamental importance for the survival and evolution of humanity, so that nationalism is not an important issue in the spiritual master’s life. Like the vision of Han Yongun, the Maitriyana is beyond any political ideology, especially imperialism and nationalism. However, the countercultural idea of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is that Awakened Ones (Buddhas) such as Gautama, Confucius and Jesus have a compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) and a heroic love that impels them to desire saving the entire humanity. In this sense, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a Transcendent Saviour and not a mere politician, because his universal revolution is transnational,[24] working for the welfare of all the peoples on Earth (Gaia) above the racial and national boundaries. Even though the spiritual master is dressed and talks in accordance to local customs, his Purpose (Dharma) is universal, since he has an absolute commitment to the mission of Salvation of all beings, the same as Gautama and Jesus were not concerned in saving only to the Indians and Jews respectively.

Consistent with Han Yongun the Maitriyana establishes that the Awakened One (Buddha) is eternally devoted to the revolutionary change of the whole Cosmos and never to a nationalist movement concerned about the welfare of a particular nation. This means that the figure of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) as a patriotic hero of one country should be replaced by that of an international and transnational Saviour who is only loyal to the universal vision of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña).[25] Thus, the teachings of Gautama were not only metapsychological and metaphilosophical but also metapolitical, always showing the apprentice the Way towards the Real. Therefore, the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is the better way of living the existence. Although according to the capitalist system the spiritual master may be considered as someone useless for the modern world, the Libertarian Spirituality certainly is the best way possible to make changes in society by helping the oppressed of all peoples. In this sense, the ideals of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) as pacifism, human rights communism, education and ecology are fundamental activities that overcome any political ideology, whether imperialist or nationalist, since the Spirituality should never be allied to the dominant government position. While the economic, political and cultural Power of capitalist civilization considers that Spirituality is an irrelevant and even meaningless matter for modern life, instead the Maitriyana claims that partisan or governmental local policy is the one that has little importance for the postmodern world, since the individual should commit to global interests and objectives. The Revolution (Hyongmyong) of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) does not only talk about metapolitics, but also about how to transform the inner world and the world of ideas. Therefore, the nationalist interests are not something urgent in the eyes of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), because in fact those interests are considered as aggressive, blind and controlling of the others.[26]

Just like Han Yongun the Maitriyana then criticizes the fact that Buddhist Spirituality may be used as a political tool for supporting imperialism or any government, so that the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is positioned as a Universal Spirituality with a wide vision and more fundamental than the traditional political ideologies. Furthermore, the libertarian meditation is also presented as a radical anarchist practice with the crucial function of criticizing and rectifying the wrong direction of imperialism and nationalism, by inspiring people to go beyond these systems – including the authoritarian communist – through the self Liberation and the care of oneself.[27]

In accordance with Yi Kwangsu, the Maitriyana seeks to transform the whole world into a Pure Land of direct democracy, pacifism, mutual aid (sangho pujo) and mutual love (sang’ae). All the great spiritual masters of history, as Gautama, Confucius and Jesus taught the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, transmitting Love (sarang) and Salvation to all of humanity. Continuing with the economic, political and cultural vision of Gautama the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) claims that the ideal lifestyle is Detachment from the accumulation of private property along with the opposition to injustice and inequality, by sharing ideas which are similar to libertarian or anarchist communism. Thus the Maitriyana has a socio-political vision that guides the world towards the Spiritual Revolution which, as Emmanuel Mounier pointed out, shall be economic, political and structural or shall not be. However, this not implies falling into the ideologies of imperialism and nationalism. Therefore, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has the superpower of preserving the spiritual identity of the peoples, trying that this one is not destroyed by the capitalist civilization. Since Spirituality is the most important activity of life, it should never be subordinated to materialism or to the government.

The Spiritual Reformism of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is a trans-economic, metapolitical and countercultural position facing the mundane authorities, insisting on the global pacifism as a way of creating the justice of future in the here and now, which complies with the Purpose (Dharma) of human life. Thus, the Maitriyana is really a political Counter-Discourse of anti-imperialist and post-nationalist characteristics, resorting to the image of the Awakened One (Buddha) as a pacifist hero who saves the world through compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña), the great goodness (taeja taebi) and temperance (inyok), courageously guiding humanity towards the Cure (Nirvana) from evil.[28] For that reason, both Gautama and Jesus have been popularly considered as Saviours of all beings, always moving forward and never retreating on the revolutionary Way of the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui). This obviously implies assuming the original Purpose (Dharma) of the True Self by overcoming malignant events (map’yon) of war, injustice, ignorance and contamination. These obstacles are confronted by the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) and the rightness of the spiritual master, since ethics of Detachment is the best way to have courage and bravery in the diversity. Following the example of Gautama and Jesus, the apprentice can defeat the internal obstacles with great heroism, spiritual prowess and daring effort (yongmaeng chongjin).[29] Thereby, the subject should re-experience the conquest of Gautama over the force of death (mara), even coming to be willing to not to sleep for seven days until not reaching the Awakening (Bodhi).[30] In this sense, the Maitriyana repositions to Gautama and Jesus as supreme incarnations of the archetype of the spiritual warrior who heroically defeats the enemy of wickedness that is selfishness, dualism and consumerism.[31] However, this does not imply associating the Buddhist Spirituality with war and militarism as the Japanese imperialism and its holy war against China and the West erroneously has done.[32] Thus the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is the Salvation of the values of world peace, social justice, cultural development and terrestrial well-being. The libertarian meditation emphasizes the true spirit of internationalist pacifism, by rediscovering Gautama as the heroic archetype of ethics who peacefully conquers the evil. In contrast to Harada Daiun Sogaku, the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) considers that it is impossible to know the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) through violence.[33] The heroic act of non-violence is a subversive Discourse that leaves the mark of eternal life in history, representing transnational loyalty and mystical devotion to the Pure Land, which is the attainment of the global Great Awakening (Maha Bodhi). Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) emerges as the singular conqueror of a new planetary civilization, being defiant in the face of the dominant ideologies and governments of the world. Although this Liberation may seem an unattainable or utopian ideal, the spiritual master has an unwavering engagement with this Purpose (Dharma) of Salvation and Evolution of humanity. Thus the apprentice must embark on the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) with solidarity, Mindfulness, tenacity and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) in order to achieve the Cure (Nirvana) of the inner and outer world. Therefore, without the virtue of libertarian meditation is impossible to be successful in any social objective, because this practice allows overcoming adversity and oppression.

The poetic expressions of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) are a symbol of tenacity, perseverance and courage in the subversive Way of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui), by overcoming adversity and difficulties that emerge when people is resistant to change. Precisely the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) encourages the individual to live as if they were the last five minutes of life, as this ethical rule is directed to the sure success.[34] From this it emerges a critique of the political leaders of the world because of their lack of consistency and spiritual commitment before impermanence. Thus, only a patriot (chisa) of the world goes beyond seeking security and personal interests, by living intensely as if he would have few minutes of existence. In this sense, the Maitriyana includes knowledges of many liberals, communists, anarchists and patriotic activists in order to ethically lead the world in spite of the unfavourable economic, political and cultural circumstances of the capitalist civilization. Therefore, the same way as Han Yongun, the spiritual master usually considers governmental politicians as selfish, whimsical, coward and opportunistic for seeking their own interests and security instead of working for the good of the people. Instead, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a transnational hero because he embodies the spirit and practice of the libertarian meditation, criticizing the traditional leaders for abandoning their founding objectives and for not having Sense of Purpose (Dharma) to cope with the obstacles and difficulties. The apprentice should not think then about his own benefit but about seeking the Awakening (Bodhi) of others, because abnegation and Detachment from oneself is an attitude of Cure (Nirvana). Only this mode of being overcomes all temptations and humiliations of Power. The critique of the state politics – imperialist or nationalist – performed by the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is an evidence of a libertarian and internationalist commitment to the human rights Communism which is a supra-ideological Counter-Discourse against the repression of capitalism and authoritarianism. This implies that the metapolitics of Maitriyana transcends both the savage capitalism and the dictatorial communism.

The Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) offers many alternatives to the way of understanding society, denouncing as wrong to the materialist perspective whose ideas of progress are based on monetarism. As the life of the spiritual master demonstrates, the essence of the libertarian ideas of Maitriyana is not an anticapitalist calling but a self criticism of mind, by banishing the causes of the privately owned greed which are attachment, aversion and unconsciousness. Under the influence of Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) it is established a particular Communist mode of social organization which abandons greed, hatred and delusion of economics, politics and culture. Thus, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a superhero with an original internationalism without parallel, never encouraging the rancour and hostility towards the oppressive Power. In this sense, the ethics of the Middle Way converts Maitriyana not into an anti-capitalist movement but rather into a post-capitalist movement, having the fundamental intention of producing a Counter-Discourse that is subversive before the materialistic relations, liberating the mind from the shackles of the dependency and alienation.

For the Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) the spiritual is the transcendental matter of its entire metapolitical Vehicle, detaching itself from the socio-political ideologies of imperialism and nationalism to articulate the mystical ideal with libertarian communist goals. This implies that the Buddhist Spirituality should never be subordinated to governmental policy, but it should always transcend it. Although the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is not metaphysical, certainly it is not mundane either. Therefore, the same as Han Yongun, Maitriyana considers the Buddhist Spirituality should be the guide for all economic, political and cultural activities, and never the reverse.[35] The Buddhist Socialism (Pulgyo Sahoejuui) is then a Way able to ethically reinvent the world in order that it works with a supportive attitude towards peace, justice, education and ecology. Thus, resistance and collaboration coexist in the life of the spiritual master, whose subversive message helps to build a better society. In this manner, the Maitriyana will have an important position in the history of the world, leaving a legacy capable of achieving the Evanescence (Nirvana) of the ills afflicting humanity. This is because the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a complex spiritual superhero and an eminent leader for the future world, by reminding the peoples that there is a mode to live in society which is alternative and more correct or healthy.

 

 

[1] Vladimir Tikhonov, Han Yongun´s Buddhist Socialism in the 1920s-1930s.

[2] Vladimir Tikhonov, Han Yongun´s Buddhist Socialism in the 1920s-1930s.

[3] Han Yongun, On the revitalization of Korean Buddhism.

[4] Han Yongun, On the revitalization of Korean Buddhism.

[5] Avatamsaka Sutra.

[6] Han Yongun, On the revitalization of Korean Buddhism.

[7] Han Yongun, The Buddhism I believe in.

[8] Han Yongun, What happens with the life after the death.

[9] Han Yongun, Sakyamuni’s spirit: dialogue with a journalist.

[10] Stephen Large, Buddhism, Socialism and Protest in pre-war Japan: the career of Seno´o Giro.

[11] Han Yongun, Communism and Anti-religious Ideal.

[12] Pori Park, A Korean Buddhist response to modernity.

[13] Han Yongun, A treatise on the reformation of Korean Buddhism.

[14] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[15] Han Yongun, The Buddhism I believe in.

[16] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[17] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[18] Han Yongun, Autorreflexión.

[19] Han Yongun, Autorreflexión.

[20] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[21] Han Yongun, The Buddhism I believe in.

[22] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[23] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[24] Han Yongun, The spirit of Shakyamuni.

[25] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[26] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[27] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

[28] Han Yongun, Point of Departure.

[29] Han Yongun, Endeavor.

[30] R. E. Buswell, The Zen monastic experience: Buddhist practice in Contemporary Korea.

[31] Han Yongun, Great strength.

[32] R. H. Sharf, The Zen of Japanese Nationalism.

[33] Brian Daizen Victoria, Zen at war.

[34] Han Yongun, The last Five minutes.

[35] Jung-Shim Lee, A doubtful national hero: Han Yongun´s Buddhist Nationalism revisited.

 

 

Navayana: The New Way of Ambedkar Buddha

Capitalist civilization is a political, economic and cultural system that is endangering the biological and social system of the Earth (Gaia) as well as the life of all the peoples, so that the Maitriyana is a revolutionary practice that teaches the Way towards a new era of humanity through the profound transformation that the Peak Knowledge (Satori) initiates facing the challenges of the future. The libertarian meditation banishes the use of rituals and dogmas, by teaching the Cure (Nirvana) from the evils of war, poverty, ignorance and pollution which both West and East suffer. Buddhist Socialism is committed to resolve the world problems, emerging as a force which globally transmits the values of peace, social justice, human rights and environmental harmony. Thus the tradition of Revolutionarily Engaged Spirituality is the Path to the Salvation of humanity by opening a new chapter in history. By being an ethical practice, the Maitriyana is a new style or paradigm of the Liberation, being the New Vehicle (Navayana) in the evolution of the Spiritual Purpose (Dharma), such as Gautama and Ambedkar were able to envision.

The Buddhist Socialism is a revolutionary orientation that reflects an attitude in favour of the personal and social Liberation, so that it is the highest embodiment of the socially engaged ethics and the discipline of virtue and altruism. Therefore, the Maitriyana is the culmination and synthesis of all traditions, teachings and techniques which have sought the evanescence of suffering in the world. Thus, the Buddhist Socialism is the libertarian manifesto of Gautama and Ambedkar to liberate, re-educate and save the world, offering an intense spiritual practice of Detachment towards family, culture and capitalism. This involves promoting a peaceful, fair, cultured and harmonious society, which is able to fulfil all the highest and postmodern possibilities. In this sense, Maitriyana is a countercultural human rights tradition, so that it builds a libertarian socialist civilization of an ecumenical style.

The essence of the look of Buddhist Socialism is the recognition that the spiritual nature of the human being must be updated both at a personal level and at a community level. This implies that the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) seeks to transcend both the Ego and the political and cultural institutions, by teaching the subject to banish the internal causes of suffering but also to promote the social development of the world. In fact, the libertarian meditation induces the apprentice to perceive that the process of dealienation is a Liberation or Salvation of the inner and outer world. Certainly, the intersubjective and linking structure of mind demonstrates that the very notion of subject is an effect of the social, and vice versa. Therefore, psychology, philosophy and politics are completely interrelated fields.

In contrast to the cultural and religious system, the spiritual commune (Sangha) founded by Gautama had a fluid and spontaneous structure, teaching their apprentices to practice a sacred life style detached from governments and temples, to thereby form part of an ethical and mystical counterculture in which the individual is free and finds a spiritual home.[1] Currently the Maitriyana has a complex dynamic because it assumes the universal mission of being the voice of planetary consciousness, guiding the peoples towards the change and evolution of mind and society. This constant spiritual guidance includes political and religious organizations from around the world. In this way the Buddhist Socialism is a Perennial Cultural Revolution, providing an advanced compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) along with social activism in pursuit of peace, social justice, education and ecology. It is in this context of social engagement with the suffering of the people that the Maitriyana emerges as a tradition of equality and Liberation facing the oppression of the political, economic and cultural system.

The style of Buddhist Socialism is a Way in favour of the human rights and the progress in every area of life, listening and responding to the cry of the fellow being due to the universal responsibility which the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has. Thus, the Maitriyana is the supreme incarnation of the vow to save all beings, acting in the world through the universal compassionate wisdom (maha karuna-prajña). When an apprentice practices the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) he can perceive the Real, so then he inevitably acts in order to correctly resolve the world problems through Mindfulness. Therefore, Buddhist Socialism is a metapolitical way of doing good and curing humanity and the Earth (Gaia), because once it is perceived that there is no distinction between one and the others the Spiritual Love then drives the individual to help the whole Creation. This Socially Engaged Spirituality initiated by Gautama and Ambedkar influenced spiritual teachers such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Robert Aitken and Bernard Glassman, whose social philosophy is consistent with the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) of the great Awakened Ones (Buddhas) of History.

The libertarian meditation penetrates into the apprentice as a present moment awareness, which involves perceiving what is really happening in the inner and outer world, but most of all it involves understanding how to change it, recalling the spiritual nature of the True Being. In the Maitriyana, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a heroic and saviour figure which provides an understanding and inspiration for the peoples of all cultures, by teaching that the True Self is Interexistence with all beings. From this experience of interdependence, unity and empathy, the subject becomes aware of the suffering of the other, dissolving the shackles of selfishness, dualism and consumerism. This allows an evolution of his emotions and feelings, to thus give way to the event of the Spiritual Love (metta), sympathy (Anukampa), compassion (karuna) and equanimity (upekkha),[2] understanding at all times that the suffering of the fellow being is also his own suffering. In this sense, the Buddhist Socialism experiences a prophetic compulsion to oppose war, social injustice, ignorance and contamination, thus emerging in contemporary civilization as a peaceful, egalitarian and heroic action that transmits the metapolitical values of democratization, laicism, feminism, pragmatism, observation, agnosticism and communism.[3] The Maitriyana collectively emerges to directly and indirectly influence to governmental or cultural collective institutions, which might seem like a new kind of Spirituality or Neo-Buddhism, although it certainly is about the ancient practice of Mindfulness in daily life. Therefore, spiritual masters such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Venerable Khemadhammo and the Dalai Lama usually express that all Buddhist Spirituality is intrinsically engaged. The universal responsibility of the Buddhist Socialism is an approach of revolutionary political activism, considering optimistically that practicing revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) in the everyday life can influence and establish new institutional forms. This is because the Spiritual Love towards the fellow being promotes a society based on the ethical principles of the Purpose (Dharma), so that the practice of Detachment has a social reach which can even redirect governments towards responsibility.

The Maitriyana is a network of psychology, philosophy and politics, which seeks the Awakening (Bodhi) of mind, of the ideas and the society, being a multidimensional treatment for dissatisfaction (dukkha) present in all areas of the life. In the four noble truths discovered by Siddharta Gautama it is diagnosed the disease, its aetiology, the prescription for health and the treatment plan. At the same time, by the vision of the Buddhist Socialism, through the libertarian meditation, it is employed this traditional method for the Cure (Nirvana) of the phenomenal world, which is both internal and external, so that the impulses of attachment, aversion and unconsciousness are overcome, together with the forces of greed, hatred and delusion. This evanescence of the mental and social suffering is the way of sacred life of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), which is mainly oriented to a committed service of Healing and Liberation of the others. This revolutionary practice of contemplation (kakumei-zen) is as indispensable as the moments of sitting meditation (zazen), helping the mind to make the much needed unity or transcendence of the individual-object dualism. In this sense, an apprentice who is alone in a cave practicing contemplation may be so committed to the Spirituality as the one who helps a sick, hungry or marginalised person.[4] Ultimately, the purpose of libertarian meditation is finding the Wholeness of Life, and this can be practiced both in one’s mind and in the society. But, obviously, there is no possibility of bringing peace to the world if previously it has not been reached the own internal peace. This is the main difference between a spiritual master and a simple social activist, because the latter does not practice Mindfulness and Compassionate Wisdom (karuna-prajña) in his task of helping the other.

The ethics of social commitment occupies a central place in the Maitriyana, along with the practical styles of discipline, virtue and altruism. The ethics (sila) of Buddhist Socialism is synthesized by saying that it has the vow to avoid evil, to cultivate good and save all beings.[5] Thus, the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is a discipline that seeks to convert every people of the world into a sacred dwelling (brahma vihara), by teaching the virtue (paramita) of serving others. This style of Spirituality leads the society from a primitive state towards an evolved one, banishing the forces of greed, hatred and delusion by means of an instruction (sasana) which leads to detachment, wisdom and compassion. This is the New Way (Navayana) of the Awakened Ones (Buddhas).

Although the focus of the individual’s training is a meditation solitarily, certainly this kind of observation must be applied within society, given that the mind is composed of social relations. By purifying the psychism, therefore, also the link with the world is purified, generating compassion (karuna), joy (mudita), equanimity (upekkha) and love (metta) towards others. According to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), one can only save the world by cultivating the virtues of generosity, ethics, courage, patience, contemplation and wisdom, since the virtuous motivations and modes drive the social revolutionary action. In this sense, the compassionate love is the greatest instrument for the personal and social transformation taking undoubted psychological and political benefits, since it leads to wellness of mind and the wellness of community. The altruistic social service based on Mindfulness, love and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) is what the tradition of Maitriyana has inherited, whose heart is the cultivation of virtue, transforming the character of the apprentice while he is taught to achieve the future liberation of the world, stop the war, protect the oppressed ones, educate the ignorant and care for nature. These values accurately represent the Buddhist Socialism as a movement that promotes self-realization and self-transcendence both of the subject and of the commune through discipline, virtue, altruism and commitment. In the tradition of Maitriyana, the libertarian meditation is not merely a concern for others but also a revolutionary way to help them and guide them.[6] Actually, the Buddhist Socialism does not ignore or deny the value of the spiritual development of the apprentice through the generosity, ethics, courage, patience, Mindfulness and wisdom, but it broadens these virtues so that everyone can reach the Awakening (Bodhi). The spiritual masters are the greatest practitioners of this virtuous and altruistic Purpose (Dharma) which has the Great Compassionate Wisdom (Maha Karuna-Prajña), that when emerging with the Cure (Nirvana) can save all humanity. In accordance with the Master Zhiyi, the Maitriyana makes the grandiose proclamation of the vow of Salvation of all beings, by practicing the ethics of commitment towards the production of a better society.

The intimate structure of the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is an advanced interrelationship between the ethical discipline and the values of generosity, altruism and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva). Thus the Buddhist Socialism produces a peaceful, prosperous, cultured and ecological community, by healing both the neurotic misery of the subject and the alienating suffering of the people. This entails to cope with political tyranny, economic injustice, cultural oppression and environmental degradation which are distinctive features of the capitalist civilization but also are of the Communist dictatorships. Ergo, the Maitriyana reflects a critical shift that leads the world through a libertarian socialist theory and practice. A perfect example of this metapolitical and mystical attitude can be found in the life of Gautama and Ambedkar, who fought to abolish the caste system through the true force, visualizing how to transform society through the direct action of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña). Therefore, spiritual masters are in favour of the reform of beliefs and practices both religious and government, since these institutional forms are the very expression of greed, hatred and delusion. Since these forces are social aspects of attachment, aversion and unconsciousness of mind, what that the Awakening (Bodhi) of consciousness achieves can also transform and liberate the society.

In accordance with Gautama and Ambedkar, the Buddhist Socialism believes that direct democracy and education are the appropriate instruments to solve community issues and to non-violently stir up the social change, by building a new world on the basis of humanistic principles. The style of engaged and radical ethics of the altruist Way of Maitriyana aims at recreating new states of consciousness and new institutional relationships, causing the emergence of individual and social Cure (Nirvana) to which the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) such as Ashoka and Nichiren pointed. The New Way (Navayana) of the Buddhist Socialism, however, has been associated with the spiritual practice of Master Gautama since ancient times. This Path is similar to a raft, existing for the Purpose (Dharma) of navigating against the stream and never to be attached to the status quo,[7] crossing towards the other shore of the Awakening (Bodhi). For this purpose the apprentice must abandon all belief or stereotype.

The Maitriyana is a pacifist Way that evolves the tradition of non-violent revolutionary activism, even influencing all the great world religions to direct them towards purely spiritual ideas. Unlike the Way of the apprentice (Sravakayana) or Way of the Solitaire Awakened One (Pratyekabuddhayana), the Buddhist Socialism is the Unified Vehicle (Ekayana) that Gautama and Ambedkar followed. The Maitriyana is a Reconciling Way for many features, being centred around the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) of the spiritual master, so it is a mystical rationalism with a liberating ethics open to continuing revelation, which demonstrates the reason why it transcends both the Small Way (Hinayana) and the Great Way (Mahayana), since both systems are conventional constructions or artificial taxonomies.[8] The Reconciliatory Spirituality is a metapsychological, metaphilosophical and metapolitical Discourse which is the very evolution of Spirituality, developing a new model of consciousness, reality and conduct, in order to set the values and peoples of future. Thus, the Buddhist Socialism promotes a true paradigm shift by being a constellation of values that cross the fields of psychology, medicine, philosophy, science, politics, economy and culture. This demonstrates that the Maitriyana is much more encompassing than a mere religion, being a Pathway (Yana) or spiritual paradigm that encourages humanity to enter into dialogue with its own terminologies, comparing and contrasting it with no prejudice, as each new form of Buddhism should be critically measured in front of its Source: Siddharta Gautama.[9] Thus, the Buddhist Socialism reconciles or unifies the old paradigms within a New Way (Navayana), by modifying the old mistakes and absorbing all the positive aspects of the past. Precisely the Maitriyana does not only unify the Small Way (Hinayana) with the Great Way (Mahayana), joining the Theravada with Zen, Pure Land, Nichiren and Vajrayana, but it also achieves a reconciling synthesis with all the knowledges and religions of the world, creating the cross-cultural manifestation that East and West have never experienced before.

Consistent with Gautama and Ambedkar, the Buddhist Socialism leads the world by being the architect of a better way of life, teaching the society how to reach the Cure (Nirvana) from the evils of religion and government. Therefore, the Maitriyana is a countercultural pacifist Way that is historical, being a Neo-Buddhism or New Way (Navayana) which transcends the ancient sectarian divisions of the past.[10] By being a Spirituality socially engaged with the welfare of humanity and the entire Earth (Gaia), the Buddhist Socialism is also a World Pathway (Lokayana) that is directed to the cultural revolution of contemporary civilization, struggling for peace, social justice, human rights and global harmony.

In this sense, the Maitriyana can be considered as the Neo-Buddhism of Ambedkar, which is a third alternative or New Way (Navayana) that exceeds the Small Way (Hinayana) and the Great Way (Mahayana), but it can also be understood as the Perennial Buddhism or the One Way (Ekayana) of Siddhartha Gautama. Thus, social commitment and the revolutionary political vision of the Buddhist Socialism is the embodiment of responsibility and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva). Even if the academic and intellectual scheme of the three vehicles (yanas) of the Small Way (Hinayana), the Great Way (Mahayana) and the Diamond Way (Vajrayana), were accepted and even if the Engaged Buddhism heterodoxically were considered to as a Fourth Pathway (Yana), then the Maitriyana should be considered as the Authentic Buddhism of the Future or the Fifth Way (Yana).[11] The Buddhist Socialism is a tradition that attempts to command the history of the world through a universal ethics. Therefore, the Maitriyana is the highest point of the practices and theories of Libertarian Spirituality, including all the mystical visions and techniques of history against the political, economic and cultural oppression. This is because the spiritual masters have always been sensitive to injustice, having the hope to build a better world and a reformed society through the Awakening (Bodhi). In fact, this passion for social justice that Buddhist Socialism possesses has influenced the traditions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam, demonstrating that the Purpose (Dharma) of Maitriyana is to lead the peoples towards a New Era of Salvation.

In the contemporary stage, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) proposes a libertarian imperative characterized as the universalisation of Cure (Maha Nirvana), being this state a derivative of the conscious exercise of Choice. Unlike the ordinary individual or Homo Sapiens-Consumans, the spiritual master is a Homo Spiritualis-Compatiens who makes that Liberty is his lifestyle facing alienation, creating a new global situation in which the Awakening (Bodhi) becomes a categorical imperative. In this context, Siddharta Gautama and Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar were the leaders of the independence process of humanity and the architects of a Pure Land, through an agnostic and heretical Way against the dominance of religions. They were postmodern beings because they hermeneutically dismantled ancient traditions in order to reassemble them in a New Way (Navayana). Thus the postmodern deconstruction that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) performs unifies past, present and future, being the Buddhist Socialism a vision that thinks a new Unity of science, ethics, aesthetics and Spirituality.[12] This sense of social Purpose (Dharma) against the oppression suggests a parallel or articulation between Gautama and Ambedkar with the Liberation Theology of the socially engaged Christendom.[13] In this way the Maitriyana studies economic, political and cultural issues of all societies in history. The spiritual master cares about the people, to whom he loves as if they were his own children, because the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has the supreme vow to save all beings through Buddhist and Postmodern Spirituality.

Buddhist Socialism is a very singular spiritual movement because it transcends both the monastic life and the lay, emphasizing the libertarian meditation as a direct way to abandon the social repetition (karma) of alienating patterns. This intervention of the Awakened One (Buddha) lacks all ritualism and metaphysical speculation, being rather metapsychological, metaphilosophical and metapolitical in nature. Therefore, the Maitriyana proclaims as Noble Truth that the suffering of society is caused by the economic exploitation, the political cruelty and the cultural illusion. Consistent with Gautama and Ambedkar, the Buddhist Socialism has a Superior Purpose (Dharma) which is the human evolution, the social liberation and the Great Cure (Maha Nirvana) of the world, proposing satisfactory criteria for the establishment of a libertarian, egalitarian and fraternal civilization. According to the Maitriyana, Gautama and Ambedkar taught political, economic and cultural liberty along with a conception of equality among all human beings, so that their social doctrines are postmodern and centred on bringing the earthly Salvation of the human being.[14] Even though it may not have acceptance among intellectuals and academics, the redefinition of Liberation proposed by the Buddhist Socialism is a real spiritual practice that produces a profound impact on the world, developing a revolutionary change geared towards the Great Awakening (Mahabodhi). In this sense, the social points of view of the spiritual master are the Light of the Purpose (Dharma) that guides the peoples from darkness to Salvation. These were the fundamental principles of Gautama and Ambedkar.

The revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) is a passionate pursuit of peace, justice, education and harmony, creating a mystical commune (Sangha) that works for the Good of the majority by assuming a nonviolent metapolitical position (ahimsa). Without deviating from the core of the teachings of Gautama and Ambedkar, the Maitriyana is the foundation of a new tradition of spiritual schism and reform against the political, economic and cultural status quo. This implies a break with the intellectual dynamics and the historical conventions, evolving in order to take on the challenges of the future. Precisely the postmodern thinking of Gautama and Ambedkar builds values and lifestyles on the basis of libertarian imperative, developing a hermeneutic work that interprets, innovates and evolves the Global Spirituality. Thus the Buddhist Socialism is an experience that contributes to the post-religious heresy of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva).

In accordance with Kabir, the Maitriyana rejects the caste and social class system to replace it with a utopian vision of universal brotherhood and social reform. Although this goal is very ambitious, it is certainly inspired by the revolutionary social teachings of the great spiritual masters who are able to guide the masses towards the evanescence of violence. Therefore, the heart of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) breaks into pieces by hearing the voices of suffering of those living in poverty, misery and slavery, by attending those cries for help to teach a life based on the care of oneself, since this is the best help possible.[15]

The compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) of Gautama and Ambedkar is reflected in the Buddhist Socialism as a process of Cure (Nirvana) from cultural, economic and political oppression towards the peoples, so it is a libertarian social reform that maintains a firm opposition to the caste division or social classes system. This is because the Maitriyana is the very embodiment of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, always working for the cause of human rights against the evil of government and religion. Thus the Buddhist Socialism combats the concept of destiny in order that the peoples are aware about the problem of choice, emerging as a heretical voice in a world full of superficiality and banality.

Consistent with Gautama and Ambedkar, the Maitriyana teaches the apprentice to change his religion in order to gain caring for himself and create a cooperative society, acquiring the power of independence and happiness to make a free, egalitarian and fraternal world. Unlike Gandhi,[16] Buddhist Socialism believes that religion can be changed at will, because it is precisely an integral part of oneself. Ergo, the spiritual master assumes the task of changing the religious identity of society as a global research project, guaranteeing the Buddhist Spirituality as a form of supreme social equality.[17]

The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) devotes much time and energy to the mystical conversion or dharmic conquest of peoples through the transformation of psychology, philosophy, science, politics and religion. Therefore, the tradition of Maitriyana is an Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) whose ethical criterion points to the Great Awakening (Mahabodhi) of humanity, liberating the peoples that are oppressed by social injustice and cultural intolerance. Like Jesus and Muhammad, the Buddhist Socialism has a prophetic mission for world peace, social justice, compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) and the interexistence of all beings. The Maitriyana emanates this message of Liberation which is the perfect antidote or Cure (Nirvana) for the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion that totalitarian governments and fundamentalist religions have put into the heart of the individual. Thus, the empirical logic of the Buddhist Socialism is heroically engaged with the Purpose (Dharma) of the Salvation of humanity and the Earth (Gaia).

Only the Maitriyana is compatible with the ethical and rational solution which contemporary life demands, making the Spirituality resurfaces in the world, so that the tradition of the Buddhist Socialism is a revolutionary activism focused on bringing welfare and brotherhood to the people through detachment towards selfishness, dualism and consumerism. The spiritual master dedicates his life completely to the resurgence and dissemination of Spirituality, working for the dharmic conquest of the world such as King Ashoka did more than two thousand years ago. Like Gautama and Ambedkar, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) has the vow of not dying attached to his culture of origin, by demonstrating with his life the hermeneutics of the Liberation.

The Maitriyana is an Epic Way that deliberately chooses to go beyond the religious faith, establishing a Global Cultural Revolution to nurture social pluralism. The method and style of this heretical quest is the libertarian meditation, which transforms both the mind and society, showing that the Buddhist Socialism mission is carried out through the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen). Following the teachings of Gautama and Ambedkar, the Maitriyana is a radical turn of the interpretation on what is the Purpose (Dharma) of Spirituality and therefore it incorporates the most important aspects of all traditions. However, even though the Buddhist Socialism is considered a New Way (Navayana), it is a revolutionary orientation but not a distortion of the central doctrine of Buddhist Spirituality, as Bhadant Anand Kausalyayan concluded with respect to Ambedkar.[18] In this sense, the Maitriyana gives hope to humanity through a Noble Truth that shows the Path to Salvation in the here and now. Therefore its only Purpose (Dharma) has nothing to do with metaphysics or with religious rituals, but with the evanescence of suffering and misery of the world through the Path of Purification, Righteousness and Virtue.[19] The Buddhist Socialism is precisely this ethical Path towards the evanescence of inhumanity and social injustice, promulgating the values of generosity (Dana), compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and reconciliation (Maitri) as an antidote, in order to help to those who suffer. These teachings of Gautama and Ambedkar are the basis of Maitriyana, which puts an end to the ongoing and perpetual conflict among the social classes, showing the path towards the Liberation and Awakening (Bodhi) of the world, which is the Kingdom of Rightness on Earth such as Gautama, Jesus and Ambedkar have described it.[20]

This critical understanding of the Reconciling Spirituality promotes a radical ethical transformation of society, being the Supreme Turning of the Wheel of Purpose (Dharma). The Buddhist Socialism redefines the Cure (Nirvana) as a process of Liberation and Dealienation, so that it establishes a critical hermeneutics that transforms and evolves history of Spirituality, at the same time it is focused on the authentic teachings of Gautama, which are rational, logical, beneficial and accurate in meeting the needs of the people. According to the spiritual master, the teachings of Gautama have a psychoanalytical and existential message, but they have a socialist message too, teaching love, liberty, equality and fraternity.[21] The Maitriyana is then a metapsychological, metaphilosophical and metapolitical discipline that interprets hermeneutically the canons of the sacred scriptures of all traditions, by functioning in the same way which Gautama encouraged the apprentices to think and innovate by themselves.[22] Therefore, this movement is authentically spiritual because restores the literal ancient teachings that were lost in the past, such as the use of paradoxical dialectics; the doctrine that Buddhism is the articulation of Awakened Being (Buddha), of the Purpose (Dharma) and of the Commune (Sangha); the fact that the disciples (sravakas) can reach the Awakening (Bodhi); the idea that Spirituality has a unique flavour that is a Truth which must be verified experientially; the detachment towards orthodoxy and the proximity to the orthopraxy; the function of the non-Buddhist literature in the formation of new genres of scripture and in the proliferation of various lineages systems.[23]

The libertarian hermeneutics of Buddhist Socialism is as revolutionary as the works of Nagarjuna, Asanga and Pai-chang, being a framework that reinvents the teachings of Gautama and Ambedkar to submit an original and independent approach from any political, economic or cultural authority, because it reflects a tradition that is the very evolution of Spirituality. Despite being a radical turn of thinking, the Maitriyana does not imply a denial or betrayal of the original teaching, but it is a trans-ideological evolution just as the Great Way (Mahayana) was in its days. In this sense, it is a dialectical regression to the Source, which is beyond the ordinary conceptual forms.

Consistent with Gautama and Ambedkar, the Buddhist Socialism affirms that suffering is caused by the class struggle, which in turn is caused by the passions of the individual. This social teaching of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is a radical and paradigmatic interpretation which the Maitriyana offers when continuing with the long tradition of helping those who are oppressed, as the outcast, women and children. The spiritual master believes that the cultivation of compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) has the potential to create a free, egalitarian and fraternal society. Thus the Buddhist Socialism seeks the Great Cure (Mahanirvana) of people through the libertarian meditation as a form of Mindfulness and Criticism about the evils of the world, such as war, class struggle, ignorance and contamination. But to achieve the Awakening (Bodhi) of humanity new changes or turns of the wheel of Purpose (Dharma) must be created. Consequently, the New Vehicle (Navayana) of Maitriyana follows Gautama and Ambedkar to propose four noble truths of metapolitical nature: first, the global civilization suffers from poverty and social injustice; second, the suffering of the people is caused by the economic, cultural and political oppression, which is expressed individually or collectively on greed, hatred and delusion; third, there is hope of building a society based on the values of liberty, equality and fraternity; fourth, the apprentice must be educated, agitate and organize a new world.[24]

By addressing both the social and the individual dimension of the process of Liberation, the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) goes beyond the field of psychology and philosophy to enter the political level. However, this does not imply assuming a mere position of social activism that enhances the material conditions without doing a transformation of the inner world of the subject, so that the Buddhist Socialism is a revolutionary Way towards the future rather than being a movement that simply improves the current conditions. Therefore, the only faith that the spiritual master has is that the battle for peace, social justice, education and ecology can be won. According to Gautama and Ambedkar, this battle is spiritual and not material, because it seeks happiness and not social Power. This is a battle for the Liberty and self-realization of the human being.[25] Ultimately the Maitriyana is a Spirituality of Liberation that seeks the Cure (Nirvana) of the subjective and intersubjective experience, transforming the mind (citta) and commune (sangha) of the apprentice, so it works for direct democracy and human rights of all peoples of the world. Just like the holistic thinking of Gautama and Ambedkar, the Buddhist Socialism is an advanced training in liberal arts and social sciences that invokes these knowledges to redefine the Buddhist Spirituality and reach its high point after 2600 years on the Path in East and West. The Maitriyana leads humanity to its spiritual revitalization, so that the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is an important figure in the evolution of the world, being the father of a new human species and the protector of the Earth (Gaia).

Gautama and Ambedkar were so revolutionary that even figures such as Gandhi appear as minor before them, given that the New Way (Navayana) of the Buddhist Socialism fights for the abolition of the caste system and the change of religion, being this necessity a calling to which very few attend. In this sense, the Maitriyana is the most important libertarian social movement in world history, because its metapolitical and mystical thinking is an interpretive and hermeneutic framework which is not only consistent with Gautama and Ambedkar but also with the Postmodern Spirituality of the Theology of Liberation.

In keeping with John Dewey, the reformist thought of Buddhist Socialism is a transcultural campaign for peace, social justice, universal education and ecological interexistence, providing the opportunity to create an enlightened and responsible society for making a better world.[26] Precisely the Maitriyana is the Future of Spirituality for echoing this practical vision of Gautama and Ambedkar, who wanted to their mysticism remains perennial and available in all times, by having the courage to give freedom to their followers in order that they make changes according the current needs.[27] In this sense, the Buddhist Socialism is a progressive and postmodern movement that considers that the transformation of both the State and religion is a key element for the social and transcultural revolution. This implies that the current world can become a Kingdom of Heavens through the Rightness of the people, by experiencing and practicing Spirituality by means of a New Way (Navayana), which is nothing less than the Golden Path to the evanescence of the social crises.

Just like the Theology of Liberation, Maitriyana does not attempt to save a single human being as a separate and independent cell, but rather it aims at achieving the Salvation of the social organism, by not taking the human being to Heaven but transforming the life of the Earth (Gaia) into a divine Kingdom of Harmony.[28] This is the main feature of Postmodern Spirituality and the praxis of the ethical reform of Buddhist Socialism, which considers Gautama and Ambedkar as leaders of the values of liberty, social justice and world brotherhood. In accordance with the Theology of Liberation,[29] the Maitriyana creates a dialectical synthesis between the marxist teachings and the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña) of Gautama and Jesus in order to liberate humanity from alienation and social oppression, bringing hope and optimism to the peoples suffering.

The Buddhist Socialism considers Gautama and Ambedkar as postmodern figures of the spiritual tradition of the future, so that they are examples of the libertarian imperative as a heretic exercise that transforms the religious status quo according to the needs of the community. Thus the Maitriyana is a set of ethical and critical values which faces the absolutist and repressive movements, producing the spiritual conversion of the world through an intuitive rationality. The Postmodern Spirituality of the Buddhist Socialism is a Meta-Discourse (Maha-Sutta) that explicitly appeals to the Great Purpose (Maha-Dharma) of the revolutionary spiritual action. By being departed from the religious faith, the Maitriyana approaches to metapsychology, metaphilosophy and metapolitics of the libertarian tradition. However, this Meta-Discourse (Maha-Sutta) goes beyond the classical formulations of the world cultures, because it meets the needs of Waking up (Bodhi) the whole humanity and the Earth (Gaia). Thus, this revolutionary Path of the Buddhist Socialism is a global vision that transforms the personal and social field, believing that Spirituality is concordant with the demands of pacifism, social justice, direct democracy and environmental wellbeing. Just like Gautama and Ambedkar, the Maitriyana believes that religious systems of the past must be transformed according to the current spiritual needs in order to provide principles of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity among the peoples. Ultimately, the engaged vision of the Buddhist Socialism is not merely the creation of a New Way (Navayana) of Spirituality, but rather the rediscovery of the ancient Only Way (Ekayana) of Siddhartha Gautama, whose spiritual acts were symbols of the indispensable values for the Salvation of society. But certainly the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) provides rich resources for a hermeneutics of the Liberation able to bring hope and a new spiritual identity to the oppressed peoples of the world, sowing the generations of the coming socialist civilization.

 

In accordance with Marx, the Gautama-Ambedkar articulation is the architect of a new political, economic and cultural vision called Maitriyana, which encompasses different fields of thought. However, the Buddhist Socialism is a Spirituality that transcends the categories of the old and the modern, because it assumes an attractive postmodern position devoid of all prejudiced attitude. Thus the spiritual master reveals that the teachings of Gautama are the perfect guide for any social revolution, because they go beyond psychology and philosophy. According to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) Spirituality is absolutely necessary for liberty, equality and fraternity of society, thus differentiating from the metaphysical and religious speculations to become a lifestyle tending to Salvation and Cure (Nirvana) of humanity. The Maitriyana Spirituality then is centred on ethics and not superstition, having the function of rebuilding the world and bringing happiness to society through the high ideal of Detachment towards private ownership. Therefore, the spiritual master never leaves the spirit of brotherhood and reconciliation (maitri) towards the fellow beings.[30]

Just like Marx, the practice and theory of Buddhist Socialism is a mystical science or libertarian meditation facing capitalism. The doctrine of Maitriyana has a Utopian Purpose (Dharma) which is the establishment of a new world, stating the thesis that the Great Awakening (Maha Bodhi) of society is an inevitable and inescapable event if humanity wishes to survive its consumerist self-destruction. Thus the metapolitical objective of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is to rebuild the civilization and not explain metaphysical questions, transforming the economic, political and cultural force that leads the history of humanity. Therefore, the Buddhist Socialism is a New Way (Navayana) which allows putting an end to the eternal conflict among the social classes of the rich and the poor, banishing greed, hatred and ignorance that people who are attached to money have. Through the ethics of Detachment, the spiritual master leads the subject to the true wealth which results from the Libertarian Spirituality of the Maitriyana, whose social conversion is the greatest revolution in history. But unlike the authoritarian communism, the Buddhist Socialism does not attempt to capture the State Power neither establish a dictatorship of the people, not only because the socialist civilization is an irresistible and inevitable event, but because the original base of the future must be the direct democracy.

In accordance with the vision of Marx, the metapolitical corpus of Maitriyana allows the survival of humanity by critically overcoming the capitalist system, planning a pacifist revolution for everyone. From the experience and libertarian vision of Gautama and Ambedkar it is accepted as accurate the thesis that it is inevitable the economic, political and cultural system of the Buddhist Socialism. Thus, the metapolitical function of the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) is to rebuild the world and not waste time on metaphysical matters, leading the peoples towards the Cure (Nirvana) of social conflict and monetary exploitation by means of the right conduct, Detachment from private property, the tranquillity of Being, the peak knowledge (Satori), the clear vision and Awakening (Bodhi). Only these practical values can banish the misery caused by the class struggle, turning society into a Commune (Sangha) of liberty, equality and fraternity. Due to Gautama and Ambedkar confronted the misery and exploitation, therefore, the Maitriyana is not far from Karl Marx, seeking the evanescence of possession or private property. This is the foundation and basis of the new social genesis which Buddhist Socialism seeks, whose best testimony of detachment and non-possession have been the rules of the Commune (Sangha).

Although at first glance it may be considered that ethical rules of contemplative monks and apprentices are much more rigorous than those of authoritarian communism,[31] the Maitriyana certainly proposes right means but without resorting to violence. Therefore, the Cure (Nirvana) gives birth to a New Way (Navayana) for the communist gospel, because the Buddhist Socialism contains the key to solution to the world problems, such as poverty and unhappiness.[32] The Maitriyana has the Salvation of humanity as its fundamental Purpose (Dharma), recognizing the right means transmitted by Gautama and Ambedkar to be capable of banishing oppression and alienation of the people: protecting life, generating wealth, telling the truth and maintaining purity in body and mind. Obviously, this has practical implications for the subject, although at a social level it clearly implies that the Buddhist Socialism is ecological, anti-capitalist, democratic and it combats prostitution and the drug trade, unlike the vast majority of countries. Only in this way the world can achieve the evanescence of the evils of war, inequality, ignorance and pollution. To do this, Gautama and Ambedkar prescribed the Way of Rightness in vision, thought, speech, conduct, lifestyle, effort, attention and contemplation. This leads to an intelligent, honest, friendly, open, peaceful, pure, persevering, active, mystical society that is free from superstition. Consistent with Gautama and Ambedkar, the objective of the Ninefold Noble Path of Maitriyana is to establish a kingdom of Rightness on the Earth (Gaia), in order to banish suffering and dissatisfaction of the people. This revolutionary doctrine is the Gospel of the Buddhist Socialism, whose realization is the Great Awakening (Maha Bodhi) of society after overcoming the obstacles of selfishness, doubt, ritualism, passion, evil, repression, metaphysics, pride, narcissism and ignorance. This allows the apprentice is able to open his eyes and realize that he is only a small part of a Whole in a constant impermanence, which is the cultivation of the experience of higher and amplified state of consciousness (HASC).

The metapolitical doctrine of Maitriyana inculcates the practice of ethical virtue in the everyday life of humanity by promoting the compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña), renunciation (nekkhama), solidarity (Dana), vitality (viriya), tolerance (khanti), Truth (Succa), determination (adhitthana), reconciliation (maitri) and equanimity (upekkha). When these ethical virtues are practiced to the maximum it is created a free and enlightened society that puts an end to the world misery and suffering. But this global spiritual conversion can only occur voluntarily, because the ethical change and liberty cannot be imposed. This differentiates the Buddhist Socialism with respect to the authoritarian communism, never resorting to means of violence or popular dictatorship for establishing the social change and a new economic, political and cultural system. However, Maitriyana confirms that both Gautama and Ambedkar have had common purposes with Marx.[33] Indeed, the Buddhist Socialism is against violence, but this does not mean that it assumes a passive position to the oppression of the status quo, but rather it is always working towards justice. Like Gautama himself pointed out to Commander Sinha Sennapati, defence is permitted when it is in the interest of Truth, justice, Liberty, equality and fraternity. Pacifism must never mean submission, but rather struggle through superior means or compassionate and benevolent struggle. But one never has to fight for selfish purposes nor by dualistic or consumptive purposes. Although establishing a new world involves the destruction of the previous, the integrative and reconciling vision of Maitriyana does not use violence nor use dictatorial force of the authoritarian communism. Thus the Buddhist Socialism follows to Gautama and Ambedkar, who were born and died as democrats despite having lived both during times of monarchy. Therefore, the spiritual masters are lovers of the republic and equality, by rejecting any kind of individual private ownership, even if it is the case of a scarf for cold, since every belonging is of the Commune (Sangha), such as Gautama taught to Mahaprajapati Gotami.[34] In fact, the Commune (Sangha) has the most democratic constitution of history, never having a power head or dictatorial control. Therefore, only the Purpose (Dharma) is the Supreme Commander of Maitriyana, this being a spiritual movement that has a non-dictatorial leadership and that is based on popular support. The aim of the Buddhist Socialism is to conduct a Perennial Revolution but without disrespecting the human life and values of liberty, equality and fraternity. This means it does not repress those who criticize or think differently, making it something different from authoritarian communism. In this way, the use of force must be the last resort and never the first. The real power, according to the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva), does not come from violence nor from the governmental or religious authority, but from reconciliation, kindness and hope.

The Maitriyana is governed by the Law of Rightness and not according the Law of Force, by protecting the peoples and the Earth (Gaia) through the Celestial Wheel of Purpose (Dharma). In order to create a libertarian socialist civilization, the Buddhist Socialism follows the example of Gautama and Ambedkar not conquering through the sword but through rightness. This is the supreme duty of a Monarch of the Spiritual Turning, by renouncing the Power to devote to the commitment of helping of society and becoming a spiritual sovereign of the world. Given that the Maitriyana is a synthesis of East and West, it is a Global Spiritual Path which meets with the socialist mission of King Ashoka of the Ancient India, showing the Way to the Great Cure (Mahanirvana) from the evils of the world, such as war, poverty, ignorance and contamination. Definitively, what seeks the spiritual master is that the subject is ethically trained to be a sentinel for the Kingdom of Rightness.[35]

The Buddhist Socialism states that the concept of permanent dictatorship is not only a political mistake but it is also a philosophical one, because Freedom cannot be imposed. In addition, when a popular dictatorship is carried out it tends to spread itself rather than keep safe democracy. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) points out that any dictatorship of the people must be quickly liquidated itself after overcoming the obstacles in the Way of the direct democracy of society. Therefore, the world peace can only happen by means of the practice of self-disarmament. The Maitriyana provides a satisfactory response about how to replace the oppressive Power of the State and religion, by teaching that only the Libertarian or anarchist Spirituality can perform the true communism. But the only thing which can make the humanity does not resort to violence and chaos is the spiritual guidance of the Awakened Ones (Buddhas) such as Gautama and Jesus, who showed the value of humility, compassion and wisdom to save the world and establish a Kingdom of peace, justice, knowledge and equanimity.

The Buddhist Socialism coincides with Marx that religion is the opium of the people. However, the Libertarian Spirituality does not match with the oppressive methods of authoritarian communism, which seek to eliminate religion and not its purification, transformation or Sublimation (Nirodh). The Maitriyana does not have any metaphysics, so that it seeks to create a Kingdom of Rightness on the Earth (Gaia) and not in Heaven, curing the world from the evils of war, poverty, ignorance and contamination. But in order that the people have peace, wealth, knowledge and harmony, the apprentice must cultivate commitment, virtuous conduct, libertarian meditation and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajña). This implies that the subject must work for a better world, respect life, donate, care for women and children, tell the Truth to society and combat the vices of drugs. Therefore, the revolutionary vision of the Buddhist Socialism is a lifestyle that purges humanity from the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion generated by capitalist civilization, which is contrary to happiness and justice in society. Although the authoritarian communism was not aware of this fact, the Spirituality of Gautama and Ambedkar is the definitive aid for maintaining the true communism (Sangha) without resorting to the force or dictatorship,[36] being a model that can be applied both at a Community level and at governmental level. The libertarian commune (Sangha), founded by Gautama 2600 years ago, is a republican and democratic organization, being something that Lenin and others failed to build.

The method of the revolutionary contemplation (kakumei-zen) of Maitriyana is a miracle because it is the integral transformation of the human being, helping them to change their minds and attitude in order to thus consciously assume a Way beyond the compulsion to mental illness and institutionalized violence. This is what the Awakened Ones (Buddhas) of the history have consistently taught, who never forced people to do what they thought it was right or good, but rather they simply sought spiritual evolution of humanity so that it voluntarily assumes the change and the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. In this sense, although the authoritarian or dictatorial communism has undeniable achievements in the field of education and health which can be implemented in all countries, certainly it tends to the permanent dictatorship, which paradoxically goes against everything which Marx as well as Gautama and Ambedkar taught. Thus the Buddhist Socialism is not only a revolution in the field of economics, politics and culture, but also in the field of human rights and spiritual values, these last being completely unattended by the authoritarian or dictatorial communism.[37] Although capitalism and religion are evils in the world, they cannot be combated through other ills, but they must be confronted through the proper means, which are the essence of Buddhist Spirituality. Humanity must grow materially, but the correct means of doing so are through Spirituality. This social reform is the objective of the New Way (Navayana) of Gautama and Ambedkar, whose spiritual values can be summarised as an articulation of Liberty-Equality-Fraternity. Whilst the French Revolution failed to produce Equality, the Soviet Revolution did not fail in doing that. However, as the spiritual master indicates, authoritarian communism often fails to produce Liberty or Fraternity. Therefore, the Maitriyana is an Integrative or Reconciliatory Revolution precisely because it addresses these three spiritual values, considering that anyone of them lacks value without the presence of the others. In this way, the Buddhist Socialism follows Ambedkar and theorizes that Liberty-Equality-Fraternity can only coexist if one follows the New Way of the Awakened One (Buddhanavayana).[38]

 

[1] Christopher S. Queen, Introduction: A New Buddhism.

[2] Harvey B. Aronson, Love and sympathy in Theravada Buddhism.

[3] Duncan Ryuken Williams and Christopher S. Queen, American Buddhism: methods and findings in recent scholarship.

[4] Christopher S. Queen, Introduction: A New Buddhism.

[5] David W. Chappell, Searching for a Mahayana social ethic.

[6] Georges Dreyfus, Meditation as ethical activity.

[7] Alagaddupama Sutta.

[8] R. S. Cohen, Discontented categories: Hinayana and Mahayana in Indian Buddhist History.

[9] Hans Küng, Theology for the Third Millenium: an Ecumenical View.

[10] Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar life and Mission.

[11] Christopher S. Queen, Introduction: A New Buddhism.

[12] David R. Griffin, Varieties of Postmodern Theology.

[13] Christopher S. Queen, Dr Ambedkar and the Hermeneutics of Buddhist Liberation.

[14] D. C. Ahir, Dr Ambedkar on Buddhism.

[15] Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar life and Mission.

[16] Sangharakshita, Ambedkar and Buddhism.

[17] B. A. M. Paradkar, The religious quest of Ambedkar.

[18] Joanna Rogers Macy and Eleanor Zelliot, Tradition and Innovation in Contemporary Indian Buddhism.

[19] B.R. Ambedkar, The Buddha and his Dhamma.

[20] B.R. Ambedkar, The Buddha and his Dhamma.

[21] B.R. Ambedkar, The Buddha and his Dhamma.

[22] Robert A.F. Thurman, Buddhist Hermeneutics.

[23] Ronald M. Davidson, An Introduction to the standards of scriptural authenticity in Indian Buddhism.

[24] Christopher S. Queen, Dr Ambedkar and the Hermeneutics of Buddhist Liberation.

[25] Dhananjay Keer, Dr. Ambedkar life and Mission.

[26] B.R. Ambedkar, Annihilation of caste.

[27] B.R. Ambedkar, The Buddha and the Future of his Religion.

[28] Walter Rauschenbusch, Christianity and the Social Crisis.

[29] G. Gutierrez, A Theology of Liberation.

[30] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[31] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[32] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[33] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[34] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[35] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[36] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[37] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.

[38] Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Buddha or Karl Marx.