Engaged Buddhism

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Comment by Andrew Weare ( Yao Xiang -ZBOHY ) on September 25, 2009 at 6:08pm

Hello Ruksen Barua and may I wish you well and equanimitous and at peace in the moment. Andrew.

Comment by Ruksen Barua on September 25, 2009 at 2:39pm

Hello, I'm Ruksen Barua.

Comment by Robert McCarthy on June 19, 2009 at 4:50am

Thank you very much Andrew for what must be -with pain- to go back into such places. For the majority of us, we have no skills such as the wonderful aikido for instance and even then such use is after the act of violence commencing. But at times act we must, in the face of real danger. We can wear the spirit- we can workshop- but the reality of staying strongly within other power when personally confronted by violence is hard medicine- so easy to fall, so hard for us bombu to be selfless. namo amida bu

Comment by Andrew Weare ( Yao Xiang -ZBOHY ) on June 19, 2009 at 12:02am

Each scenario is different. Mentalities differ from simple anger to some psychotic delusion. A notorious man now in jail for stabbing again, failed to intimidate me. Once his screaming rants , as I anticipated, came to a cessation, I sincerely thanked him for his honesty. After all, rational or irrational, didn't matter, it was the cessation of serious aggravation that matterd. He steamed and vented all manner of abuse, new and just out of top security prison. I thanked him for venting how he felt and that it was an open and honest display, nothing hidden. This disarmed him mentally, and I maintained my sympathetic posture. he then spoke normally and actually started crying, saying I was the only one he could trust. I wish things could have had the fairy-tale ending we love to hear, but, alas, he stabbed someone yet again and went straight back to same top-security prison, where incidently he was badly slashed by two inmates. They later flew him from Alaska to a jail in Arizona. Not all scenarios run like this. Oh Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta. I'll answer any questions you wish. Demonstrations are a mob event worth avoiding. Mob conciousness can happen.

Comment by Andrew Weare ( Yao Xiang -ZBOHY ) on June 18, 2009 at 11:39pm

The 'feeling at those times'-? God, I knew the horror I was in for, an intense thought or thoughts flashed through my mind. I just let it go, as I had to use nano-seconds to figure a plan out of this with as little 'planning' as possible. I looked for a chink in the armour so to speak, of the wall of bodies with hate filled eyes and faces trying to engulf me in a ring of bodies. I saw more space between a pair of mobsters and they saw that I saw it. I rushed at the space as they tried to close with all focus, and I knew this was make it or you're damned scenario. Fight or flight I flung up both arms uppercut style at the two men, one to my left and the other at my right as I breached and burst through and ran like the wind. Even as I made headway, calls were shouted by the mob to others ahead in my path and more bodies to my left were emerging even ahead of me as I ran..God knows what at this point, I knew this cannot last my escape had its limits. But, I saw some white uniforms ahead..the Royal Australian Navy in force. I reached them OK and explained the situation. They could see it anyway. It was at this point, even as I reflect now, that I had/have the time to -if I dare- ponder the coulda, woulda shoulda of the experience. Occurrences here happened in the village of Sembawang and Nee Soon on Singapore during the 1960's. RN Barracks HMS Terror and Simbang ANZUK barracks.

Comment by Andrew Weare ( Yao Xiang -ZBOHY ) on June 18, 2009 at 11:03pm

Robert, yes..scary times. 'MANDT' training explores well ,skill in thought and speech during confrontation. Scenarios vary and some I've seen were gory. Ex servicemen behind enemy lines, at some time in their lives, have confided in me considerable life or death dilemmas. Aikido is an art that evades attack. Original Ryu Te karate under 'Taika' Seiyu Oyata the Okinawan Master indeed the highest authority on Classical kara-te, the only surviving school, ( see websites for 'Oyata Ryu Te' ) as I was saying, Ryu Te karate attacks the attack. Such arts provide relief from extraneous fears and leaves one hopefully with plain fear and allows better judgements. I hold a nidan in Ryu Te, a shodan Wado-ryu karate and shodan Oikiru ryu Jiu Jitsu. Above all, I meditate zazen ..Live, love and grow. Namu Amidha Buddha.

Comment by Zee-Zee on June 18, 2009 at 10:59pm

It is obviously harder to stop a mob than one person on their own, but there are examples of it having been achieved successfully. For example two or three years ago the British police first started using Section 60 control orders. On 30 November outside Euston station in London the police surrounded and hemmed in a crowd of demonstrators and held them for 6 to 10 hours with out letting anyone leave, and without access to toilets water etc. The demonstrators had been noisy but peaceful until they were hemmed in but became increasingly frustrated and angry. The police used to control the demonstrators are mainly young and scared and liable to over react. So it looked like a big fight between demonstrators and police was brewing. Tension was defused by just one man on his own, who was dressed up as a pink fairy who went round dusting people down with a pink fluffy feather wand and acting like a clown to make everyone laugh. The event was too big and spread out for him to be in all places at all times, but what he did made a huge difference where ever he was.

I have been on pre-action nonviolence training looking at how a small but cohesive affinity group can turn the mood of a big angry crowd. One of the things you need to do is match their energy before trying to change it. For example turning a chant “death death death” to “dance dance dance”.

Comment by Robert McCarthy on June 18, 2009 at 2:02pm

In an earlier post maiku gave an example of non violent intervention that is quite wonderful. An angry large man about to attack another person, maiku walked in between the two, pretending to be looking for directions, a lost tourist. This was so unexpected by the angry man he walked away. No guarantee of success, but so worthy of the attempt. There is a history since the 1970,s and probably before this of people who are involved in direct action workshopping responses to potentially violent situations that are not violent and that will minimise or possibly even prevent harm to all involved.

Comment by juditta Ben David on June 18, 2009 at 7:39am

Non Violent training? What does this entail? Andrew weare, I am sorry to hear that although you did not engage in fight, others were affected and hurt. Can that be negated by Non violent training?! I am not too sure. Can non violent training stop a mob, or people passionately interested in destruction? I hear here the conflict between personal and transpersonal, I hear also the conflict between our want for immediacy of action and the time frame in which cultural changes may happen.

Comment by Robert McCarthy on June 18, 2009 at 4:54am

A few comments in reply to Andrew and RIchard. Over here in Australia, I have had some involvement in non violent training, I was reflecting that it would be a good thing to be reviisiting and have available within engaged buddhism. Andrew, I dont know if i have the understanding and sensitivity to ask of your feelings today about those times, whether it is even appropriate to ask. You witnessed such terrible suffering. namo amida bu

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