Some Lessons from the Pentagon Papers

Last Saturday I was running some Valentines Day errands. On the radio was the Bob Edwards Weekend program. Bob's focus for the first hour of his program was Daniel Ellsberg and the documents that came to be known as "The Pentagon Papers" as they The occassion for the interview was the debut of a new documentary film called "The Most Dangerous Man in America."

The program took me back to my college days and the satisfaction I felt when the world was introduced to the Pentagon Papers and learned the facts that folks inside the government already knew: the war was a disaster and essentially unwinable.

My satisfaction was tempered, however by some words from the Edwards interview with Ellsberg that are not included in the film. Those words concern the threats posed by our new national security state.

After Ellsberg released the Papers to the New York Times and a handful of other major US newspapers, the Nixon administration went after him with the aim of blackmailing him with the threat of revealing secrets that might be obtained by breaking into the office of Ellsber's psychiatrist (and via other dirty tricks).

The break in and the other smear efforts were of course illegal...at least at the time. When they came to light, criminal charges against Ellsberg were dropped.

But the interesting thing I learned only by listening to the interview was that the illegal actions taken agains Ellsberg nearly 40 years ago would be perfectly legal today after the passage of laws aimed at protecting us from terrorists.
Here's a link to the Edwards interview: http://www.bobedwardsradio.com/bob-edwards-weekend/

Take a listen...then go see the film. Decide for yourself what freedom means today. Think about whether it's time for a new version of "The Pentagon Papers."

Heres a brief description of the film from the imdb web site:

"The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "Imperial" Presidency-answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people-in order to help end the Vietnam War. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg shook America to its foundations when he smuggled a top-secret Pentagon study to the New York Times that showed how five Presidents consistently lied to the American people about the Vietnam War that was killing millions and tearing America apart. President Nixon's National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger called Ellsberg "the most dangerous man in America," who "had to be stopped at all costs." But Ellsberg wasn't stopped. Facing 115 years in prison on espionage and conspiracy charges, he fought back. Ensuing events surrounding the so-called Pentagon Papers led directly to Watergate and the downfall of President Nixon, and hastened the end of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg's relentless telling of truth to power, which exposed the secret deeds of an "Imperial Presidency," inspired Americans of all walks of life to forever question the previously-unchallenged pronouncements of its leaders. "The Most Dangerous Man in America" tells the inside story, for the first time on film, of this pivotal event that changed history and transformed our nation's political discourse. It is told largely by the players of that dramatic episode-Ellsberg, his colleagues, family and critics; Pentagon Papers authors and government officials; Vietnam veterans and anti-war activists; Watergate principals, attorneys and the journalists who both covered the story and were an integral part of it; and finally-through White House audiotapes-President Nixon and his inner circle of advisors.

Here's a link to the web site for the documentary:

http://www.mostdangerousman.org/

A Brief Introduction to Buddhism

My organization is currently embarked on a year-long exploration of world religions with monthly presentations about selected religions. For February, we are exploring Buddhism. Here is the text of a document that I prepared and distributed as a brief introduction to this great religion (or philosophy.

What if God Was One of Us?
Part 2: An Introduction to Buddhism

Part of a unique year-long series of programs
Introducing the public to the world's great religions
Sponsored by: Unity Church of Louisville, Interfaith Paths to Peace
and the Rainbow Spiritual Education Center

An Overview of Buddhism:

Buddhism was born in Nepal in the fifth Century BCE, when the historical Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became a Buddha, or “awakened one.”
Although Buddhism is often referred to as a religion, some people see it as less a religion and more a philosophy of living. Many Buddhists either do not have the concept of a Western-style “creator God” or practice a non-theistic style of spirituality. Many Buddhists also do not believe in an individual eternal soul.

At the heart of Buddhism and its practices are two key goals. One is the elimination of suffering for all sentient beings. The second is the cessation of the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth (Samsara) leading to Nirvana, the supreme state of being freed from suffering and individual existence.

According to some sources, there are two major branches in Buddhism: The Theravadan and the Mahayana. The Theravadan is the oldest of the Buddhist traditions and preserves the Pali Canon (original Buddhist canon). Mahayana Buddhism (the Great Vehicle) arose in the first Century CE and emphasizes the value of compassion and holds that all beings can achieve Buddhahood. The Mahayana tradition includes Zen Buddhism and the Nichiren (and Soka Gakkai) practices. A number of scholars see Tibetan Buddhism as a third major branch because of its distinctive beliefs and practices.

Estimates of the world population of Buddhists vary between 250 million and over one billion. Some sources put the international Buddhist population at about 350 million. The US Buddhist population is estimated at slightly more than one million. Although Buddhists are present in many countries around the world, they are highly concentrated in the Asian subcontinent (Tibet, Pakistan, and India), as well as East and Southeast Asia. There are now over 1,000 Buddhists in Louisville and Southern Indiana

A Few Words about Buddhism in Louisville. Louisville’s Buddhist population is served by spiritual communities and/or organizations including Zen, Tibetan, Soka Gakkai (Nichiren), Vietnamese, and Sri Lankan Buddhist traditions. For further information about The Venerable Nanda and his Bodhiraja Foundation (an organization for world peace, community welfare and volunteer work) please e-mail embilipitiye@yahoo.com. For information about Soka Gakkai International please visit http://www.sgi-usa.org/ , and for local information call the SGI-USA KY Buddhist Center at 454-6100. For information about Tibetan Buddhism and the Drepung Gomang Institute, please visit http://drepunggomang.com. For information about the Louisville-area Vietnamese Buddhist community visit www.sanghalou.org. For information about Zen teaching or meditation with Richard Sisto please contact Bellarmine Continuing Education or e-mail: tatduende2@yahoo.com.

Some Key Concepts in Buddhism Among the key concepts in Buddhism are The Three Jewels, The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, and the ideas of Karma and Rebirth. Karma is the notion that our conscious actions have obvious positive or negative consequences which are not punished but rather lead us to places that will help or hinder our spiritual progress not only in this lifetime but in subsequent lives. For Buddhists, the notion of Rebirth does not mean reincarnation in the way many Westerners conceive of it (as an immortal soul being reborn in a different body). In Buddhism, there is no “me” (or ego) to be reborn.

Buddhists are said to take refuge in “The Three Jewels”: The Buddha (a figure to be revered and listened to), the Dharma (the body of teachings and practices about how to live), and the Sangha (the community of practitioners). As noted above, the problem of suffering is central to Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths articulated by the Buddha are:


1. To live is to suffer.
2. Attachment is the cause of suffering.
3. Suffering can be brought to an end.
4. There is a particular path that leads to the end of suffering.

The Noble Eightfold Path offers a model for how we can end our suffering by:


1. Right View. Recognizing the truth of the Buddha’s teachings.
2. Right Resolve. People can and must change in order to end their suffering.
3. Right Speech. Recognizing and speaking the truth without distortion from ego and without embroidering it with our own interests.
4. Right Action. Striving to do no harm to other sentient beings.
5. Right Livelihood. Ruling out work that harms or takes advantage of others or that in other ways hampers our spiritual progress.
6. Right Effort. Learning to control our negative thoughts and encouraging and instilling positive thinking, especially loving-kindness, empathy and compassion.
7. Right Mindfulness. Being fully present to what is happening around us, being attentive.
8. Right Concentration. Using meditation techniques to calm our minds and be able to concentrate on a single object, subject, or theme.


The Five Precepts are not laws or vows made to God or another person; they are promises Buddhists make to themselves to help them diminish their attachment to harmful practices. The Five Precepts include:


1. To Refrain from Harming Living Beings.
2. To Refrain from Stealing.
3. To Refrain from Sexual Immorality.
4. To Refrain from Lying.
5. To Refrain from Intoxicants.


Buddhist Scriptures and Sources for Further Information. The number of key Buddhist texts is too large to include here, but worthy of mention in a limited space are The Pali Canon (The Buddha’s sayings compiled in the 1st century CE in Sri Lanka); The Dhammapada (a key gathering of the Buddha’s sayings in verse); Numerous Sanskrit Sutras, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead. A good introductory book is The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, by Thich Nhat Hanh. For more information about Buddhism and Buddhist texts please visit www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism3.htm.

Selected Buddhist Practices. There are a host of spiritual practices available to Buddhists in the many different traditions. Among these are a variety of different styles of meditation (including sitting and walking, and a number associated with ritualistic actions). Chanting is also central to a number of traditions, and plays a key role in the spiritual practices of the Soka Gakkais who chant “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” (the title of the Lotus Sutra). Some other practices include weekly spiritual gatherings, ritual theatrical presentations, the creation of Sand Mandalas, the use of prayer flags and prayer wheels, creation of Zen gardens, fasting, study of Buddhist texts, Zen koans, and even spiritual debate.


For Further Information about World Religions: A few good sources of information about world religions for those interested in further inter-religious exploration are: the book The World Religions by Huston Smith and a two-volume work entitled, How to Be A Perfect Stranger. A good, general web site about world religions is www.religioustolerance.org. For further information about the sponsoring groups please visit

www.paths2peace.org,

www.unityoflouisville.org

,
www.paths2peace.org">, www.rainbowspiritualeducationcenter.org