What People Say-What People Mean

What People Say – What People Mean

K. Ken Fujimoto

Comments such as, "I wonder if Americans can understand Buddhism?" or "Can younger generations understand Buddhism?" are often heard. These statements disguised as questions tell a lot about the person asking the question or making the statement and their understanding of Buddhism. In short, they show that the person really does not understand Buddhism at all.

Such people may know things about Buddhism and some of the ritual or traditions, but they do not understand the real essence. Buddhism addresses the human condition and is not intended for any particular group or race. The teachings transcend time as well since the basic issues faced in life have not changed over the years. The human condition has not changed since the days of the Sakyamuni Buddha. There may be more distractions and those distractions may have become more complex over the centuries, but the basic issues are the same. We still experience the hardships of birth, death, old age, illness, parting from those we care for, being with those we do not care for, unfulfilled desires, and frustrations arising from the changes in our bodies arising from physical maturation and aging.

Society may have changed over the centuries, but have people changed? The names and labels we put on things may have changed, but has there been any real change in human life? We may not have warlords and serfs, but we still have people in power and people who are involved in providing the goods and services needed to enable the society to function. The task of those in power, whether they are warlords, kings or presidents, is to make sure that the distribution of wealth and services extends to as many of the people in that society as possible. They are also responsible for the welfare of the members of that society. This is true for nations, companies and organizations. There may be a difference in complexity, but the basic structure and task is no different today than it was 2,500 years ago.

These differences in society and advancements in medicine and technology have changed many aspects of daily life, but the essence of that life has not changed. More people may live longer today than in the past, but we see more diseases arising and health related issues that were very rare or totally unheard of before have become prevalent. Diseases spread more widely and quickly than in the past because transportation has improved and people tend to congregate more and in larger numbers. Work can be done more quickly and efficiently in the past, but this raises expectation and frustration when things do not go smoothly. Information has become more valuable and people often abuse this information to mislead and confuse others. People still live in ignorance, lie, have frustrations, and lose loved ones. They still become ill and must face death.

We may deceive ourselves into thinking that advances in medicine will lead to a time when we can get our parts overhauled or replaced to extend our lives, but we have seen that a car can only be overhauled and repaired so much before it finally falls apart or needs to be replaced, so what makes us think that we will be any different? We still do not get along with all the people in our lives. We still cannot be with the people we like all the time. We might deceive ourselves into thinking that things are "not as bad as they could be," but it is still happening.

The only thing that might have changed is that we have become better at deceiving ourselves and hiding from the things that we do not want to see and address. We have become so good at self deception that we have made it even more difficult for us to see the truth that Buddhism is pointing out to us. We do not want to see ourselves as evil, so we make attempts to temper the language. We do not want to admit our deceptiveness, so we rationalize. The reality is that no amount of rationalization and deception will change our basic, fundamental reality.

The truths are there. Human suffering and shortcomings are there. As long as this basic human condition is there, the truth of Buddhism will be there. It is a truth that can be understood and realized by people anywhere and of any generation.

We may have to adapt the illustrations and examples we use, but that which is at the core of the issue does not change. The truth of the teaching knows no political borders and is meant for all people and races that experience birth, death, old age and illness. If there should be a race or culture that does not experience these then they might not understand Buddhism, but, for them, there would be no need.