The Compassionate Revolution: Radical Politics and Buddhism
Reviewing
The Compassionate Revolution: Radical Politics and Buddhism By David Edwards, David Cromwell says that the book’s message is perhaps counter-intuitive, but a
compelling one. Compassion - not anger, facts, action or even protest - should
be central to the effective struggle for freedom and
democracy.
He quotes David Edwards: The Buddhist principle of unconditional generosity, which seems so
outlandish from a conventional perspective, makes perfect sense in the context
of dissent. ... It is a counter-intuitive message perhaps, but a compelling one.
Compassion - not anger, facts, action or even protest - should be central to the
effective struggle for freedom and democracy. The compassionate way might
initially strike us as incredibly difficult, but it is at least possible, and
therefore preferable to the impossible attempt to achieve a compassionate
society through violence and hatred.
Reviewed by David Cromwell
February 7,
2000
Green Books 1998, £9.95 ISBN 1-870098-70-6
Let's get straight to the point. What does Buddhism have to do with
radical politics? According to David Edwards, author of the remarkable Free to
Be Human, the answer is "everything". The roots of Buddhism lie in compassion,
and it is compassion - not anger - that empowers activists and dissidents,
whether they be environmentalists, human rights campaigners, or anyone else
concerned about social and ecological justice. At present, argues Edwards, "Our
capacity for compassion is hobbled, vestigial, a fact that explains our failure
to generate effective resistance to the forces of greed and hatred currently
laying waste to our planet." Simply put, compassion is the root of all
successful dissent.
In The Compassionate Revolution, it is claimed that the destructive
capitalist system arises from the three Buddhist "poisons" of greed, hatred and
ignorance: greed for profit at almost any cost, hatred of obstacles to profit,
and public ignorance of the links between Western interests on the one hand and
Third World dictators and environmental degradation on the other. The key to
demolishing systems of exploitative power is awareness rooted in compassion for
all living things, not feelings of anger and hatred which overwhelm and
neutralise too many dissidents. "There is no possibility of weakening the bonds
of delusion without combating our own greed and hatred, on which this system
depends. The antitode to ignorance rooted in greed is awareness rooted in
compassion." Edwards anticipating a sceptical response, responds thus: "Although
we Westerners may find this woefully naïve, presumably not many of us can claim
to do so on the basis of personal experience. Can we say that unconditional
kindness and compassion have ever been at the heart of the Western 'left'
response to corporate capitalism?"
The implications for all activists, including the building of
networks to counter the present unsustainable system, are both profound and
practical: "The Buddhist principle of unconditional generosity, which seems so
outlandish from a conventional perspective, makes perfect sense in the context
of dissent. If we truly care about the suffering of others, and believe that the
dissolution of the deceptions that maintain exploitative power (for example, by
suppressing our capacity for compassion) is a key way to aid that suffering,
then seeking to involve and support our fellow activists as far as we are able -
encouraging, advising, assisting in any way we can - is the best way to achieve
that end."
Perhaps the biggest structural barrier to achieving such an end is
the lack of substantive debate in public life, largely shaped by powerful media
sources. Despite an unprecedented display of sophisticated citizen protest
against economic globalisation in Seattle last year, mainstream reporting was
still dominated by images of "street protest", "ugly violence", and "riots".
Edwards tackles the age-old problem of media bias from a new angle, revealing
how it arises from the inherent greed, hatred and ignorance of a capitalist
society. This augments the cogent analysis made by Edward Herman and Noam
Chomsky in their 1988 book, Manufacturing Consent, which detailed a "propaganda
model of media control". Their model explains how money and power is able to
filter out news which is not "fit to print", marginalise civic dissent, and
allow government and big business to broadcast their messages to the
public.
But as Edwards carefully explains: "Noconspiracy theory is required,
merely an understanding of the standard operation of market forces. In fact the
theory of 'democratic' thought control not only does not propose a conspiracy
but actually requires the absence of any such conspiracy. Thought control of
this sophistication could not be achieved, let alone maintained, through any
kind of conspiracy, for the simple reason, that it would quickly be exposed and
so made largely impotent (as was the case, for example, in the Soviet
Union)."
Buddhism teaches us that the first step to liberation is awareness of
the nature of reality. The noble eightfold path is the development of ethical
conduct, hand in hand with wisdom, that ultimately extinguishes dukkha, the
suffering, impermanence and imperfection of our daily lives. Consider how this
translates to radical political activism; that we must appreciate the nature and
extent of the problem facing us, namely "the institutionalized subordination of
people and planet to corporate profit". Only an awareness of this allows us to
move to the second goal of liberation: identifying a realistic alternative
system that honours human justice and environmental
protection.
Working towards these aims requires us to examine ourselves, and our
relationships with each other. "Dissidents are a famously irate bunch, keen to
stick to facts and political discussion, but unwilling to look closely at their
own motivation. They are also notoriously angry and full of hatred for those
they deem responsible for our woes." Such hatred, which occasionally manifests
as railing against corporate bosses who are trapped by selfish material
satisfaction and dreams of empire-building, may be understandable, but it is
ultimately self-defeating. Edwards quotes from one of the tales in Aryasura's
The Marvellous Companion, "Alas for those shameless ones who, in the name of
expediency, oppress humanity and extend amorality. I do not see that such
actions have gained you either pleasure or joy." In other words, our corporate
and political masters (the "shameless ones") have not attained ultimate
happiness in pursuing their own greed, whims, or desire to dominate
others.
It is a counter-intuitive message perhaps, but a compelling one.
Compassion - not anger, facts, action or even protest - should be central to the
effective struggle for freedom and democracy. "The compassionate way might
initially strike us as incredibly difficult, but it is at least possible, and
therefore preferable to the impossible attempt to achieve a compassionate
society through violence and hatred. Feelings of hatred and anger do not even
bring peace in relationships between friends, spouses, families; they prevent
even dedicated people from forming cohesive movements for social change. How
then can they bring anything but chaos and disaster to a whole
world?"
David Edwards has written an inspiring, incisive and essential work
which ought to occupy a place on the bookshelf alongside Herman and Chomsky, as
well as other brave and compassionate dissidents such as John Pilger, Howard
Zinn, Sharon Beder and Vandana Shiva. Ultimately hopeful, this clear-sighted
book maps out the compassionate revolution that, whether or not they acknowledge
it yet, activists the world over are seeking.
9:30 PM
Sultan Shahin
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