Interesting to me, in particular because my 15-year old daughter, who (like me) is staunchly pro-capitalism, was telling me just last night about awkward discussions at school regarding pro vs. anti capitalism.
For contrast, I want to lay out the (my) pure land view of capitalism:
Consider the beauty of a world where a direct sign informs you what you could do to most help your fellow human (prices, in the mode of transmitting information of relative supply/demand). It is a concrete manifestation of interdependence.
All around is immense material abundance unprecedented in the history of the world: food, shelter, medical care.
Arms-length economic transactions, such as buying off the internet, protect each of us from personal discrimination.
Over time, the amount of resources that someone controls automatically adjusts upwards and downwards based on their capability to steward it well, benefiting all.
And, even though this pure land is awesome, it is also completely optional! There is more than enough unsettled world to re-locate to and live off-the-grid for all those who want to, no money required!
And thus you can abandon fear, as you can rest assured that any action you take, any relationship you enter is always benevolent. The market is a pure land: all participants are Buddhas, every transaction is a manifestation of great compassion, every path leads to progress.
Oh, wow! This explains so much! I’m a recovering ‘Marxist’ and this resonates a lot. I wonder though - why is the hopelessness of anti-capitalism not liberating in the way that Buddhist hopelessness is? I’ve experienced both and I had to come to Buddhism because of all the mental and emotional anguish anti-capitalism was causing me.
I think you really nailed it. The predicament is always in the hope of being able to separate two sides of a non-dual coin from each other. Promise of a Revolution is a promise that we can _somehow_ separate the good of the society from the bad and stay _only_ with the good.
Interesting to me, in particular because my 15-year old daughter, who (like me) is staunchly pro-capitalism, was telling me just last night about awkward discussions at school regarding pro vs. anti capitalism.
For contrast, I want to lay out the (my) pure land view of capitalism:
Consider the beauty of a world where a direct sign informs you what you could do to most help your fellow human (prices, in the mode of transmitting information of relative supply/demand). It is a concrete manifestation of interdependence.
All around is immense material abundance unprecedented in the history of the world: food, shelter, medical care.
Arms-length economic transactions, such as buying off the internet, protect each of us from personal discrimination.
Over time, the amount of resources that someone controls automatically adjusts upwards and downwards based on their capability to steward it well, benefiting all.
And, even though this pure land is awesome, it is also completely optional! There is more than enough unsettled world to re-locate to and live off-the-grid for all those who want to, no money required!
I would add to your pure land view:
And thus you can abandon fear, as you can rest assured that any action you take, any relationship you enter is always benevolent. The market is a pure land: all participants are Buddhas, every transaction is a manifestation of great compassion, every path leads to progress.
Oh, wow! This explains so much! I’m a recovering ‘Marxist’ and this resonates a lot. I wonder though - why is the hopelessness of anti-capitalism not liberating in the way that Buddhist hopelessness is? I’ve experienced both and I had to come to Buddhism because of all the mental and emotional anguish anti-capitalism was causing me.
Oh, of course! It’s because the hopelessness is not allowed to reach full potential by allowing for the possibility of a ‘revolution’.
I think you really nailed it. The predicament is always in the hope of being able to separate two sides of a non-dual coin from each other. Promise of a Revolution is a promise that we can _somehow_ separate the good of the society from the bad and stay _only_ with the good.
“We’re in a Charnel Ground but we shall inherit the Pure Land in the next birth.”