A pervasive issue that is portrayed throughout the movie Pocahontas is the issue of "us" versus "them." English settlers versus Native Americans. White versus Brown. Bow and arrow versus gun powder. There are numerous depictions of contrasts and opposition everywhere. Hence, controversy. Some people would probably say "and rightfully so!" How can people who are so different from one another live together without fighting? Even with the issues of race that are still prevalent today in the United States, can we ever truly reach a point in time when we can say racism no longer exists? When people are so different from each other is harmony ever possible?
Pocahontas certainly thinks so. And so did the Buddha.
Pocahontas certainly thinks so. And so did the Buddha.
"You think the only people who are people
are the people who look and think like you.
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
you'll learn things you never knew you never knew."
This is a clear throwback life-lesson from 1st grade. "Don't judge a person until you have walked in his/her shoes." The interesting thing is that we rarely still act in accordance with what we were taught as kids. While the first two lines of the stanza speak to the timeless moral principle,"do not judge a book by its cover," I believe the last two lines speak to a more sophisticated creed. Mahayana Buddhist teachings and scriptures that discuss nirvana and all of the constituents required to be in place in order to attain enlightenment often use the term upaya. Upaya means "skilful means" and is used to identify something that either is a method or contributes to the method of attaining a goal, which would be enlightenment in terms of Buddhist goals (Teece, 2007). In an article that uses the concept of upaya as a model of reference to describe the kind of methodology needed in religious education, Geoff Teece, a professor in Religious Education at the University of Birmingham, explains upaya as a concept used by the Buddha in two ways: firstly, in the way that religious leaders such as the Buddha can use metaphors, parables, etc. to communicate spiritual truths to their followers; and secondly, in the way that a religion itself can be upayic--that is, a religion, understood as a vehicle of human transformation, can operate within the teaching and learning process as "skilful means" by which the students develop a wider and deeper understanding of what it means to be human (2007).
Applying the latter idea to this concept of diversity, we could say that it is through the diversity itself that we can learn from one another and use that knowledge and understanding to "enlighten" ourselves about the process of human life and its connection to the greater reality of the universe. This notion of using each other to better ourselves for the greater good was one that I was first introduced to when I attended Dr. Peter Hershock's lecture at Berea College about the value of diversity in term of global interdependence. He spoke on the Buddhist perspective of diversity and how we are not different from each other, but rather for each other (Hershock, 2014). This idea really resonated with me because I have never thought about diversity in such terms. If there is interdependence, then there cannot be a sense of self. Thus, each and every object and being must be different for each other to collectively balance out this interdependence and strive for the greater goals of reality.
This idea of differences existing to balance out one another reminds me of the popular yin-yang symbol with the black and white halves of the circle consisting of a smaller circle with the color of the opposite half, portraying the need for both to exist to have a complete interdependent whole. Although this image is a Taoist symbol, Buddhism also conveys these same messages through different symbols and forms of art. A poem by Ryokan in "Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf" simply lists opposing word pairs such as "hot-cold," "good-bad," "black-white," etc. and explicitly states that it is the proper blend of these opposing pairs in which happiness lies (1993). It seems almost too simple. And therein lies the beauty.
It is.
It is.
Pocahontas is not only trying to convey interdependence to John Smith but also the beauty in the diverse nature of the interdependent beings.
"For whether we are white or copper-skinned,
we need to sing with all the voices of the mountains"
"Sing[ing] with all the voices of the mountains" was another abstract phrase just like "paint[ing] with all the colors of the wind" to deconstruct. I think it alludes to the harmony of silence when one takes the time to be mindful of one's surroundings. There are so many sounds in the world around us. Everything from birds chirping to water flowing to humans yelling at each other in anger. But mountains are silent. They don't speak or sing. Sometimes the most beautiful and in-tune moments are spent in strong silence. And that silence is powerful.
Buddhist meditation teaches much of the same concepts regarding silence. Perhaps one of the most well-known forms of Buddhist mental cultivation is anapana sati, the attentiveness on the in-going and out-going breath with the purpose of gaining an intellectual understanding of the truth of anicca, dukha, and anatta, liberating one from the delusion and putting and end to both ignorance and craving (Story, 1995). However, considering how accepting Buddhism is of individuals at all levels of awareness and readiness to experience the truth, I would argue that practicing mindfulness at the most basic introspective level with the intention to simply understand oneself and others would suffice. And a good place to start would be cultivating a practice of silence--not to necessarily say that we should never speak per se, but rather to think before we speak in order to prevent words that foster conflict or anger between people. To practice speech that is patient, compassionate, optimistic, and open. I think the Venerable Dambara Amila Thero said it best in his interview on "3D," a television series in Sinhala, in which he was supporting religious and ethnic co-existence, when he said "conflict should not be between people--it should be between truth and not truth," (Baabaa Blacksheep, 2012).
Buddhist meditation teaches much of the same concepts regarding silence. Perhaps one of the most well-known forms of Buddhist mental cultivation is anapana sati, the attentiveness on the in-going and out-going breath with the purpose of gaining an intellectual understanding of the truth of anicca, dukha, and anatta, liberating one from the delusion and putting and end to both ignorance and craving (Story, 1995). However, considering how accepting Buddhism is of individuals at all levels of awareness and readiness to experience the truth, I would argue that practicing mindfulness at the most basic introspective level with the intention to simply understand oneself and others would suffice. And a good place to start would be cultivating a practice of silence--not to necessarily say that we should never speak per se, but rather to think before we speak in order to prevent words that foster conflict or anger between people. To practice speech that is patient, compassionate, optimistic, and open. I think the Venerable Dambara Amila Thero said it best in his interview on "3D," a television series in Sinhala, in which he was supporting religious and ethnic co-existence, when he said "conflict should not be between people--it should be between truth and not truth," (Baabaa Blacksheep, 2012).
