Interdependent Co-Arising [The least popular buddhist idea.]
One time I took a bunch of LSD and though I was the devil for like 9 months. It was a minor schizophrenic episode, and coincided with a pretty deep religious exploration of the idea of evil, as well as the concepts of morality / ethics / philosophy and depth psychology / psychology of religion.
This happened just as I was transferring from lower division to upper division schooling -- from community colleges into Humboldt State University.
In order to cope with these crazy thoughts:
- I am a Vampire.
- I am Jesus Christ.
- I am the Devil.
- I am going to take the Devil into heaven and Assassinate God.
- I must Save the Devil, in order to bring about the new holistic non-dual state of reality.
- I was fundamentally born evil
- This society is subconsciously satanic.
I switched to Religious Studies, and then focused intensively on Carl Jung as well as various branches of mysticism, and more radical leaning philosophers.
I also learned a bit about Buddhism at this time.
.:.
The biggest mind fuck in that whole post LSD crisis was how it is possible to justify monstrous acts of behavior through very simple philsoophical precepts:
So, for instance: Interdependent Co-Arising.
Interdependent Co-Arising, states that all things are dependent on one another to exist, and that each behavioral transaction that takes place has a sort of self-absolving net zero implication for the karmic balance of the world.
The idea is a very powerful one, if I'm understanding it correctly, because not only can it be used to condemn the self-righteous, but it also dismisses the validity of self-victimization.
I think holistically, it's probably not useful to cherry pick ideologies independent of their context.
It's useful to remember that Life is Suffering, and that the dharmic path is to eliminate and resolve this condition of suffering for not only yourself, but for all conditions that you are in contact with.
Life, in this sense, can seem very similar to a web of despair and karmic entanglements, and it's possible to justify suicide within this context.
IF my life is just a series of karmic entanglements and suffering is inevitable, then wouldn't the most reasonable path forward be to withdraw my participation from within this karmic web of entanglements, such that my contributions toward the net sum of suffering is as close to zero as possible?
Hermitage is likely a response to this thought process.
Also, let's talk about violent assault, and predation, in the wake of Epstien and the #metoo movement -- or rather, let's not. Because when applying this concept we can derive multiple frightening implications:
- The Predator and Murderer are equally responsible for the suffering they inflict, as those who enable their behavior, and those victims who placed themselves in their orbit, as those members of society who enacted social conditions which caused suffering and lack, which in turn empowered financial motivations, which in turn re-enforced a sex for resources exchange, which in turn perpetuated a playboy stereotype, which in turn pushed sexual satiation and cruelty into sex trafficking and child abuse, which in turn created the conditions which likely lead to the predatory acceptance of the sorts of women who act as handlers and recruiters, and provide social proof, which in turn goes to the rest of society for lifting up these wealthy people to positions of power and idealization, which in turn invest them with power which they abuse -- and then when they abuse that power, and destroy lives, we act so shocked.
What these ideas end up doing when you expand them far enough, is they end up acting like a dissolution of self-righteousness.
Suddenly, I am responsible for, and connected to everything.
It's sort of like ethical, philosophical LSD.
Welcome to Buddhism, Everything is your fault.
What fascinates me is the connection between this and predatory nihilism.
This is the psychopath / sociopathic end of the spectrum. But it shares the same lack of responsibilities as teenage nihilists.
This buddhist idea is only useful if you have a conscience, or a desire to recognize and eliminate suffering.
And even in that case, the only thing that it promises to resolve is to reward you with a liberating level of despair and heartbreak, which may protect you from further self-destruction.
In all likelihood, the 'satanic party / hell realm' of the gnostics and 'bad trippers' and Phillip K Dick is real. The Dystopian Corporate Police State is here. The Empire Never Ended.
The buddhists simply say "Life is Suffering".
So, even if you find enlightenment, and work to end suffering for all sentient beings, -- even if you inhabit the pure light of the Amitabha, the very real theatre of death and suffering and destruction will be perpetuated in a sort of collective delusion of violence and pain that we call reality - aka: Samsara.
From this point of view, it's easy to just look at Social Justice Warriors, and say, "You're all a bunch of scared obnoxious and irresponsible children."
But as soon as you make that judgement, you get sucked back into the conflict, and you lose the momentary clarity that was provided by meditating on your complicit role in the suffering of humanity, and the bliss afforded by the impermanence of all things, or the reality of there being no-self.
Makes me want to practice buddhism, just so I can get some relief.
There is very little social justice in the Buddhist world-view, and they are not fucking around in the slightest.
The whole Tibetan Book of the Dead thing -- is just about staring hell in the face, and accepting that it is nothing more than a projection of your own non-existence, and suffering unending until this conclusion is basically resolved in your consciousness.
Whereas a majority of the people on earth are looking for monsters in their closets, or serpents to cast out of their gardens.
It's pretty incredible.
Cause you're sort of obliged to play along in the theatre, but you really ought to be aware that nothing is really anything at all -- but also everything is serious as hell -- which is why the whole world is suffering.
I ought to study more buddhism.