What Buddha Might Say...

What Buddha Might Say To George Bush (And Us)

Ed and Deb Shapiro
January 8, 2009

If a bull goes straight when the herd is crossing a road, then they will all go straight because he leads the way. The same among people. If the one who is thought to be the highest lives in goodness, the others do so too. The whole realm lives happily if the ruler lives rightly. -- The Buddha

This advice is exactly what you, George, did not do. Rather, you led your herd into a quagmire. Thankfully it is finally time to say goodbye and it seems it is none too soon: a recent poll found that three out of four Americans are glad to see you go; the former Iraqi Prime Minister has called you a failure; and even shoes have been thrown at you in desperation.

Many people have been in fear at the way you have handled the war in Iraq, Katrina and the economy, and the fact that you ignored the Israeli/Arab conflict until recently. That fear has, at times, turned to anger. And as much as that anger may be fully justified, anger can be like a single match that can burn down an entire forest, or a poison that creates illness in the one who is angry. In other words, it does not help.

When someone believes they are the ultimate power but, as a result, creates immense suffering for others, then it is a form of madness. Their view becomes clouded, their understanding is no longer trustworthy. But in a way it is not their fault, for they do not know they are acting out of ignorance. Their unskillful mind is telling them differently; they believe what they are doing is coming from a higher power when it is actually a delusion of the ego. And being angry at ignorance gets us nowhere.

There is, however, much to learn from the past eight years. For GWB is not entirely to blame. Indirectly we are all responsible for what has happened. Our apathy allowed the corrupt voting machines. We did not protest loud enough when power was blatantly misused. We all bought into the American dream that there was plenty of money for everyone. And we watched from the sidelines as our heritage was spent on a war that has gone nowhere.

So perhaps, in order to find a place of completion and healing, we need to forgive ourselves as much as we need to forgive Bush. Yes, we do need to forgive him! Not for what he did but for the ignorance that led him to act the way he did.

Ed was born Jewish, and on one occasion was dumbstruck when his teacher Swami Satchidananda said, "You even have to forgive Adolph Hitler." But then Satchidananda added, "You don't forgive the act but you forgive the ignorance that perpetrated it. You forgive the being inside and hope they learn and change."

There are such moments of humanity within all of us and Bush is no exception. When former press secretary Scott McClellan wrote a scathing book about Bush's leadership, the president told his senior aides to let it go. "Find a way to forgive, because that's the way to lead your life," White House press secretary Dana Perino remembers Bush advising her.

We also remember years ago our dear friend Ram Dass having a photo of Bob Dole on his altar. He told us it was because the most disliked are the ones who need to be loved the most.

How amazing it would be if we could focus love and compassion on Bush and bring him into our hearts. To offer him forgiveness. What a courageous thing to do. Do you think you could do it?

What have the last eight years meant for you? What would you like to say to George Bush? If your feelings are negative, then can you turn them around? What do you need in order to feel healed?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ed-and-deb-shapiro/what-buddha-might-say-to_b_155115.html