defending the Dharma

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In Buddhism, I think it's fair to say that Gautama, the man sometimes credited with getting the Buddhist format off the ground, remains an important figure. His words, as repeated or made up in various texts, carry weight. His adventures are repeated. In short, Gautama -- the guy sometimes called "the Buddha" -- is a heavy hitter.

And if I remember my mythology correctly, at the time when Gautama fell into his own lap and "attained enlightenment," he did not immediately go out and teach. He seriously considered forgetting about it all and not burdening others with his discoveries. Then he decided against that and the rest is history ... decades of wandering around teaching others, just giving what he had to give. No doubt he had his supporters and he begged, so there was food on the table.

And in the course of those teachings and wanderings, perhaps he did say something about "defending the Dharma [Truth]" but I don't remember reading it. As far as I can see, he just made his decision and then acted on it without defending anything in particular... just offering.

But I don't know. Maybe he did have something to defend. I just can't remember or never knew what, exactly, it was.

And so I wonder sometimes what frame of mind must prevail in order for someone to implicitly or explicitly "defend the Dharma." I see pictures of fine temples and finely-dressed Buddhists with finely-orchestrated rituals and finely-written books with finely-tuned lyrics about "compassion" or "understanding" or "emptiness" or whatever and I'm not against it ... but I do wonder. Too much of what passes for "defending the Dharma" seems to mean defending my turf, my income, my stature, my organization, my point of view, my deeeeep meaning ... or, if I can get people to agree with me, our anointed stuff....

SWAT Team Buddhists... ever so thoughtful, ever so 'middle-way,' and ever so swathed in Buddhist Kevlar.

Of course I may just be as fucked up as the professional purveyors of what I imagine. But I do make some effort not to defend the sky or seek reward for my peerless power-point presentation. If a group hug or some snuggly relief is the best Buddhism can offer, it deserves every kick in the ass it receives.
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