
Gentrifying the dharma: How the 1 percent is hijacking mindfulness - ohjeez
http://www.salon.com/2014/03/05/gentrifying_the_dharma_how_the_1_is_hijacking_mindfulness/
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cstavish
The absurdity here is palpable. Setting aside the fact that it is impossible
to "gentrify", "hijack", or otherwise get a corner on a spiritual/mental
exercise, _mindfulness is not Buddhism_. The artcile sloppily conflates the
two terms. Let's not kid ourselves here, Westerners aren't going to start
adopting a Buddhist way of life (which goes far beyond casual mindfulness
meditation) in droves... so why shouldn't they take something beneficial from
the Buddhist tradition and apply it to their otherwise
decadent/capitalistic/exploitive lives?

I say this is a generally pro-capitalist non-Buddhist who read the Sutra of
Hui Neng in college.

~~~
socrates1998
I agree.

And I think you could argue the other way. That without more mindfulness of
the 1%, you won't see any major changes in the world.

The more the wealthy realize that consumption, status, wealth and success
doesn't equate to happiness, the better the world will be.

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DanAndersen
I wonder if there were similar complaints when Buddhism entered China:

"Buddhism appealed to Chinese intellectuals and elites and the development of
gentry Buddhism was sought as an alternative to Confucianism and Daoism, since
Buddhism's emphasis on morality and ritual appealed to Confucianists and the
desire to cultivate inner wisdom appealed to Daoists. Gentry Buddhism was a
medium of introduction for the beginning of Buddhism in China, it gained
imperial and courtly support."[1]

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Buddhism)

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wallawe
Gentrify, 1 Percent... Just one more politically charged word in the title and
you've got yourself enough clicks to fund your corporate bonuses, Salon.

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mr_spothawk
News Flash: Dozens of protesters gathered at a Mountain View treatment plant
to protest Googler's sewage as a threat to traditional California values.

Somebody who appeared to be the leader was quoted: "These capitalist pigs are
dumping all their GMO feces into our taxpayer funded treatment plant." His
solar-powered megaphone began to die out as a cloud passed over head, but that
didn't keep him from starting a chant... "Hell no, you can't go! Hold it in
till you're about to blow!"

... </satire>

seriously, if these guys get their way, Google won't be allowed to Carpool,
Meditate, Recycle or anything else.

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joyeuse6701
I am inclined to believe this is more tribal think than anything else. Group
'Y' does not like Group 'X'. If Group 'X' does anything or adopts Group 'Y'
customs, Group 'Y' rejects it as false and offensive. This happens all the
damn time.

The hypocrisy is that they complain about capitalism and it's consequences
when they directly benefit from it. The irony is that the only reason they
have any validity to NIMBYism is that land ownership is an axiom of
capitalism.

Anyway, there are plenty of sects of Buddhism, molded for their era and
circumstances (Zen Buddhism anyone?). The author would do well not romanticize
Buddhism or the subjects as some sort of underdog religious crusaders. That
they are not.

