religion o-rama

I didn't see Buddhism mentioned in our current  religion-or-rama (did you know that orama comes from panorama, which was a popular thing around civil war time I think where they would paint the walls of a circular room with scenes from some famous battle, or maybe drifting down the Mississippi, and if you stood in the middle of the room, why it was just like you were there, it was a big deal and that's where the suffix comes from), or Taoism.

Buddhism used to be quite popular in the sixties among the hippies.  I think people were trading in their tired old Christianity (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God) for something new and exotic that was deep in the way those pithy one line messages of wisdom are deep.  You know you could have the peace that passeth understanding without being washed in the icky blood of some lamb, instead all you had to do was grok your chakra and drop your acid.  Groovy.

I think there are actually a lot  of different forms of Buddhism, from dashing zen (even a skeptic like me kind of liked zen, it was so zingy), to some forms who have several heavens and hells.  And then there were the chanters.

When I first arrived in Berkeley in the spring of 68, flying from college town podunk midwest to the epicenter of Telegraph Avenue - Acid, acid, The revolution, the revolution, Spare change, spare change - I was warned about the chanters.  They were these little old Chinese ladies who would prowl the streets for newly-arrived hippies  When they encountered one they would talk up the wisdom of the East - and what hippie didn't want to talk of the wisdom of the East with some authentic old Chinese lady? - and they would ask the hippie if they wanted to know more and the hippie, expecting to get some brochure or something would say yes.  Well good then, there is a bus right around the corner waiting to take you to the temple.

So there would be these knots of little old Chinese ladies with a herd of rounded up hippies, who would rather be somewhere smoking dope and drinking Boone's Farm, but were cowed by an actual real Buddhist, and when they had gathered enough they were herded into the bus right around the corner and hauled off to the temple where they got some kind of trinket and their very own personal chant, and all it cost them was money.

I don't think Buddhism encompasses reincarnation, but like I said, there are a lot of different strains, and anyway back in the sixties all those eastern religions were all mixed up, and I remember the subject of reincarnation coming up as the joint made its circle.  But I am with Beagles on that one, I would always rather come back, and if I don't remember anything from the past life how can I make any progress towards Nirvana, not that I am in any hurry to get there, and more importantly if I don't remember anything from my former life how am I still me?

I will differ with Beagles on the Romans taking over Christianity,  The Christians were Romans and when they got powerful enough they made the state give them tax breaks etc,  The Romans didn't take over Christianity, Christianity took over the Roman Empire.

Oh yes, new religions all the time.  Remember the Moonies?  They were big in the sixties, walking around like zombies selling flowers, I think their masters fed them some kind of thin gruel that kept them alive but just barely.  And then there are the Mormons who seem to be everywhere.  And then there are the Scientologists.  Big series on them on A & E, I drop into from time to time.  What a scary bunch of thugs.


The aspect of religion that I wanted to get to was morality,  I noticed at this week's seminary that I had been misunderstood to mean mortality.  There is a connection between the two in that an afterlife gives you a chance to reward the good and punish the bad.  But if I am being good just to get to heaven, then how is that being good.  If God changes His mind and says, you know what, you can eat meat on Friday, and by the way, why don't you sacrifice your son to me?  And I just say right Boss, I'll get right in it, how good am I being?  You know like if some thug wants my lunch money and I give it to him in order not to get beat up, does that make me a good person?

Just in over the radio, talking about our love/hate relationship with our rulers with examples of how the head chimp can bully the rest, but at some point they get annoyed and how the best hunter among the hunter gatherers is well-loved for sharing his meat, but when he starts to parcel it out to his cronies in order to build a power base, they don't like him so much anymore.  Well a slightly different subject, but note how many of our stories and movies are for the rebel overthrowing the tyrant.