Burmese opium production skyrockets post coup

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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TRobinson465
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Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 5:29 pm
Location: United States

Burmese opium production skyrockets post coup

Post by TRobinson465 »

Very sad news from the second largest Theravada country. Economic hardship in the Buddhist nation brought on by it's murderous, criminal generals have forced desperate farmers to turn to opium production.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... p-un-finds

Not surprising. Blessed with the Dhamma or not, poverty begets desperation. Which is why the Buddha advocated for poverty reduction policies. It is truly sad seeing the world's Theravada Buddhist nations fall into poverty due to communism, crooked politicians and murderous, criminal military juntas. Leaving the only prosperous Buddhist nation in the world a small Mahayana Buddhist island.

I guess this does make sense tho. Merit is a finite resource and you can't have it all. Very few people have the merit to have access to both spiritual wealth and material wealth.

Ironically I feel like this is just a cycle in the modern world, excluding the less than 1% of ppl who are actually successful in their nibbana in this life endeavor, poor Buddhists make merit hoping to escape the despair of poverty, many of which will become rich in their next life but will lose the true treasure, the Dhamma by only resolving to escape poverty. Meanwhile rich Western Buddhists vilify merit making for a better rebirth as "lowly" and beneath them, never having to deal with the desperation of third world poverty themselves. Many will keep the dhamma in future births but themselves become poor due to their lack of dana and their evil deeds of vilifying the merit making of others.

So much will have to change if we are ever going to have a prosperous Theravada nation.
"Do not have blind faith, but also no blind criticism" - the 14th Dalai Lama

"The Blessed One has set in motion the unexcelled Wheel of Dhamma that cannot be stopped by brahmins, devas, Maras, Brahmas or anyone in the cosmos." -Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
rajitha7
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Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2016 3:14 am

Re: Burmese opium production skyrockets post coup

Post by rajitha7 »

TRobinson465 wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 2:11 am Meanwhile rich Western Buddhists vilify merit making for a better rebirth as "lowly" and beneath them, never having to deal with the desperation of third world poverty themselves.
This is the correct mindset. That is because merit making is a religious pursuit whereas "Kusala" is the Dhammic pursuit.

Seeking merit induces -> Punna-abhi-sankara -> results in logevity with comforts -> delays Nibbana
Seeking jyana (Ariya/Anariya) induces -> Anenja-abhi-sankara -> results in logevity in nueral comforts -> delays Nibbana
Seeking sins induces -> Apunna-abhi-sankara -> results in logevity without any comforts -> delays Nibbana

Those who seek merits should give it away to those whom Sansaric debts are owed. That frees them from debt and also reduces time it takes to realise Nibbana. That is Kusala.

No one should seek jyana either. The ariya-jyana is a by-product. One receives jyana when working the path. Its not someone one should aim at as its unproductive and delays Nibbana for a long time.

Avoiding all 3 above is Kusala.
It's all -> here
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