BUDDHISM BLOG #1

Citation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkVQoe2fEEA (YouTube) A clip from Zoolander.

 In this instance, the stereotype is Hansel, played by Owen Wilson. Not only is he a stereotypical model (handsome, stupid, a bit conceited), this clip also insinuates he is a Buddhist. I wasn't sure at first, but I was thinking of the part where he's by the ocean doing mystical hand movements saying when he was a kid he was more interested in what bark is made out of on a tree and basically his character throughout the whole movie. I decided I could use this clip when Hansel mentions Richard Gere as one of his heroes. Richard Gere is in fact a Buddhist, although he comes from a Methodist upbringing. Firstly, I want to address Hansel. I hate to say it, but I believe Americans stereotype a lot of eastern religions as being naïve, kind of living in some fantasy world. Hansel represents this ignorance. He doesn't mention any world issues, any interests in activism, but he likes Richard Gere. Obviously that's not the case with Gere who has been active in the Buddhist community and other world issues. I just think that Americans do think of Buddhists as being “blissed out” (I know Rasnic used this, but I liked it), kind of like Hansel. Unaware of how they appear to the rest of the world, and absorbed in trivial issues such as what bark is made out of.

My first impression of what Brad Warner thinks about Buddhism and the West is that we basically have no idea. He talks of the first “zen master”, Fred, he researched in Los Angeles, pointing out how Fred taught a class called “Tantric Zen”. Warner follows up with the statement “folks, there ain't no such thing as Tantric Zen” (13). Tantric buddhism is a Tibetan tradition, and zen is a Japanese tradition. I can relate this to my video because obviously Hansel has no idea what he's talking about...concerning anything. Warner talks about the “obvious rip-offs I couldn't believe anyone could fall for” (26), such as “the growing movement to bring back the idea that psychedelic drugs could give you in a single dose the insight that dedicated Buddhist practitioners spent decades working on” (26). I remember a specific scene in Zoolander (I couldn't find a video), where Hansel gives everyone “special” tea to find themselves or something. Hansel doesn't know what he's doing, idolizes Richard Gere and all, when it comes to Buddhism, and I believe that's a stereotype we often have of Buddhist practitioners here in the U.S.  

SUCCESS & LIBERATION

Liberation

1. Sufjan Stevens, "Vesuvius", Age of Adz, Alternative, 2010
2. Joni Mitchell, "All I Want", Blue, Folk, 1971
3. Atmosphere, "Clay", Overcast!, Hip-Hop, 2007
4. Bob Marley, "Redemption Song", Uprising, Reggae, 1980
5. Sufjan Stevens, "The Transfiguration", Seven Swans, Folk, 2006

Success

1. 2Pac, "Amitionz Az A Ridah", All Eyez On Me, Hip-Hop, 1996

2. Eyedea & Abilities, "Act Right", E&A, Hip-Hop, 2004

3. Big L, "No Endz No Skinz", Lifestylez Ova Da Poor & Dangerous, Hip-Hop, !995

4. Radiohead, "Fitter Happier", OK Computer, Alternative, 1997

5. Snoop Dogg, "Tha Shiznit", Doggystyle, Hip-Hop, 1993

 This half of the assignment required me to narrow my search down to certain kinds of music that touch on the themes success and liberation. Liberation was hard because it is kind of a broad subject. Liberation could be running outside naked, or in Hinduism's case, understanding and accepting your ultimate reality. The songs I chose were mostly about finding yourself, and understanding your destiny. Sufjan is a christian, so a lot of his songs hint at accepting Jesus Christ and God, and what it takes to live eternally with them in heaven. Hinduism's views on liberation are different than these songs. I chose songs that, to me, represented liberation. They touch on accepting fate, questioning the universe, finding love, and trying to please God while your alive. This, in turn, will lead you to an eternal life in heaven free of corruption, hate, and all of those bad feelings that make life on earth hard for people. That's what I believe to be true liberation, which is similar in a way to Hinduism in that I agree learning as much as you can about God and yourself will lead to this.

The success half of this assignment was much different. I narrowed my focus to hip-hop because I think it represents best what Americans believe to be success...money! Not only that, but being the best, owning the best stuff, having a lot of intercourse, basically just being able to live the life of riley, whereas Hindu's believe working hard at what you do will lead to more money, therefore success. I think both cultures, and a lot of the world, think that money is a huge part of success. Having money links to the pleasure aim because with money we can fulfill all these materialistic desires that come with the consumerism of pop culture in America. I threw in the Radiohead song because I think that's what a lot of Americans believe to be success.

“Fitter, happier, more productive,

comfortable,

not drinking too much,

regular exercise at the gym

(3 days a week),

getting on better with your associate employee contemporaries ,

at ease,

eating well

(no more microwave dinners and saturated fats)”

This song's totally creepy, but I like how it kind of makes fun of the “American Dream”, what we think to be success. A cookie cutter life, with a steady income and a lot of routines. This may be an Indian's idea of success, too, but to each his own. Overall, I think that the differences in American and Hindu ideas of success is apparent. I'm sure Hindu's don't just link success to just money, fame and power. Liberation is a success in their eyes and American's overlook that possibility. 

PLEASURE

1. Sufjan Stevens, "All For Myself", Folk/Indie/Awesome, 2010
This song not only has a visually pleasing video, but in my eyes, it has the most realistic lyrics about humans desire for pleasure.

2. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, "Buddah Luvaz", Hip-Hop, 1995
3. of Montreal, "Plastis Wafer", Psychedelic Dance, 2008

4. Betty Davis (CHECK THIS BIATCH OUT), "He Was a Big Freak", Sex Funk, 1970

5. 2Pac, "How Do You Want It", Hip-Hop, 1996
Bibio, "Fire Ant", Electronic Indie, 2009 (I just really love this song and it gives me much pleasure to dance to it...)

Pleasure obviously was the easiest aim of which to find fitting songs. I'm not really attracted to anything associated with popular culture, but since I love music I have to brush shoulders with it sometimes. Yes, most music, whether on the top 20 charts or not, is about many of the same things. Love, sex and drugs is a constant theme is most music, including the more underground music I appreciate. I cannot deny it is human nature, no matter how smart a person is, his/her race or gender, or the musical taste of said person, to desire these pleasure inducing facets of life. I had no apparent theme, besides using songs I like, when doing this assignment, but it is apparent that the pleasure theme in music has dominated songs throughout the ages. I've song a song about raunchy sex from the seventies, as well as one from 2008. I've got 2 hip-hop songs from the nineties about drugs and sex...some of the most desirable activities during that time. 

The most obvious thing I learned from this assignment is no matter where one is geographically, humans rudimentary desires are the same. AND, no matter what time the time in history, people still desire those same things, drugs, sex, and love. Look at Carl Orff's Carmina Burana which came about around 1230 AD. The words are from a poem written by monks describing sinful acts such as sex, drinking alcohol and gambling. The environment and timeline may change, but people, we don't really change. 

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The Youngbloods, "Get Together", Folk, 1967

Radiohead, "Optimistic", Radiohead, 2000

2Pac, "Changes", Hip-Hop, 1998 (released posthumously)

Cymande, "Listen", Funk, 1972

Joni Mitchell, "Woodstock", Folk, 1970 

Sadly, songs with a community service theme were much harder to find in America pop culture. When doing this portion of the assignment I realized it would be a futile attempt to try and find 5 songs I know talking about legitimate community service (i.e. helping out homeless people, going to old folks home), so I tried to focus more on songs that's aim was the betterment of mankind in general. These were easiest to find from the seventies because of the amount of civil unrest during that time. One thing I noticed about the difference between my songs and the Hindu aim is most of these songs target helping one group of people (most of the time a group including whoever was singing the song). I get the feeling that the Hindu aim is more about helping others, in general, not just when it will better your situation. 

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