[Buddha-l] anti

[Elihu Smith]

Hi Joy,

Re:"I know what you mean and I agree, but how would
you qualify e.g. 
Anti-republican? Would we have to specify the specific
policies of the 
Republicans we are against and would the "anti" in
this case be necessarily 
hatred?"

Acting personally against individuals because they
identify as Republican, saying "Republicans are evil,"
 or that they "should be wiped off the map," is very
different from being opposed to the Republican party
or the party platform, voting against them, etc. A
party affiliation may be a statement of specific
positions, policy affiliations etc, whereas a
nationality or even state is a grouping of people with
one or several commonalities (which most people are
born into) and lots of variation. Being anti- the
group is hatred for the people qua people rather than
dealing with specific factors/disagreements with
positions and actions while affirming our underlying
human commonality - or, dare I say, Buddha Nature. It
brings to mind the Lotus Sutra Chapter 20 where even
as he is running from those hurling abuse and
stones/sticks at him, the Bodhisattva bows to these
people as "Buddha to be."

My experience is that if we examine our actions, and
emotion-thoughts, we can discover if "anti-" generates
or grows from hatred. 

Elihu