Whatdoesdemocracylooklike?

Democracyisawayoflifeyettobelived.

BertoltBrechtsinterpretationof
TheBuddhasParableofthe
BurningHouse.

(hps://whatdoesdemocracylooklike.les.wordpress.com/2011/07/011.jpg)
BertoltBrecht(hp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht)s
poem,TheBuddhasParableoftheBurningHouse,relatesa
parableoftheBuddhas,foundintheLotusSutra
(hp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Sutra),tonotfearingthe
changeswhicharevolutionwouldinvolve.

GuatamatheBuddhataught

GuatamatheBuddhataught
Thedoctrineofgreedswheeltowhichwearebound,and
advised
Thatweshedallcravingandthus
UndesiringenterthenothingnessthathecalledNirvana.
Thenonedayhispupilsaskedhim:
Whatisitlike,thisnothingness,Master?Everyoneofus
would
Shedallcraving,asyouadvise,buttellus
Whetherthisnothingnesswhichthenweshallenter
Isperhapslikebeingatonewithallcreation,
Whenyoulieinwater,yourbodyweightless,atnoon,
Unthinkingalmost,lazilylieinthewater,ordrowse
Hardlyknowingnowthatyoustraightentheblanket,
Goingdownfastwhetherthisnothingness,then,
Isahappyoneofthiskind,apleasantnothingness,or
Whetherthisnothingnessofyoursismorenothing,cold,
senselessandvoid.
LongtheBuddhawassilent,thensaidnonchalantly:
Thereisnoanswertoyourquestion.
Butintheevening,whentheyhadgone,
TheBuddhastillsatunderthebreadfruittreeandtothe
others,
Tothosewhohadnotasked,addressedthisparable:
LatelyIsawahouse.Itwasburning.Theame
Lickedatitsroof.Iwentupcloseandobserved
Thattherewerepeoplestillinside.Ienteredthedoorwayand
called
Outtothemthattheroofwasablaze,soexhortingthem
Toleaveatonce.Butthosepeople
Seemedinnohurry.Oneofthem,
Whiletheheatwasalreadyscorchinghiseyebrows,
Askedmewhatitwaslikeoutside,whethertherewas
Anotherhouseforthem,andmoreofthiskind.Without
answering
Iwentoutagain.Thesepeoplehere,Ithought,
Mustburntodeathbeforetheystopaskingquestions.
Andtrulyfriends,
Whoeverdoesnotyetfeelsuchheatintheoorthathell
gladly
Exchangeitforanyother,ratherthanstay,tothatman
Ihavenothingtosay.SoGautamatheBuddha.
Butwetoo,nolongerconcernedwiththeartofsubmission,
Ratherwiththatofnonsubmission,andoering
Variousproposalsofanearthlynature,andbeseechingmen
Toshakeotheirhumantormentors,wetoobelievethatto
those
WhoinfaceoftherisingbombersquadronsofCapitalgoon
askingtoolong
Howweproposetodothis,andhowweenvisagethat,

Howweproposetodothis,andhowweenvisagethat,
AndwhatwillbecomeoftheirsavingsandSundaytrousers
afterarevolution
Wehavenothingmuchtosay.
Thiswaspublishedin1949inKalendergeschichten,acollection
ofstoriesandpoemswhichBrechthadwrienwhileinexile
duringthewar.InEnglish,TalesfromtheCalendar,translatedby
IvonneKappandMichaelHamburger,London:Methuen,1961.
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JULY11,2011
DARCYMCCLARE
BERTOLT
BRECHT,BUDDHA,BUDDHISM,DEMOCRACY,GERMAN
POETRY,GLOBALIZATION,KALENDERGESCHICHTEN,
LOTUSSUTRA,MAHAYANABUDDHISM,POETRY,
RELIGION,REVOLUTION,TALESFROMTHECALENDAR

4thoughtsonBertoltBrechts
interpretationofTheBuddhas
ParableoftheBurningHouse.
1.

Moderatorsays:
ThisisoneofthebestIveeverheardof.Thisisthereality
whichhelpsustoliveinthissociety.Forsomepeople,
howevermuchwetrytomakethemunderstandthe
impendingdanger,theycannotperceiveituntilnallygreat
harmisdonetothemeventuallygetperished..

REPLY APRIL24,2012AT2:54PM
2.
kvarfrmatavfallsays:
Howdy!Wereadyourwebsiteeverynight,soonafterWe
waterthisindoorplants
REPLY NOVEMBER24,2013AT10:52AM

REPLY NOVEMBER24,2013AT10:52AM
DarcyMcClaresays:
Great!Thanks!
REPLY NOVEMBER24,2013AT2:05PM
3.Pingback:Poet,too|Dactyls&Drakes

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