Sharon Stone was caught by reporters on a Cannes red carpet and asked what she thought of the earthquake in China. (Funny, but do they ever ask George Bush or U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon what they thought of "If These Walls Could Talk 2"?) Stone was happy to discourse on the spiritual implications of China's biggest natural disaster in three decades, of course, and while the result was not exactly the Jerry Falwell moment the gossip sites are playing it as ("Actress Sharon Stone Blames China's Treatment Of Tibet For Earthquake"), it was a good example of how Hollywood Buddhism is different from all other Buddhism.
What Stone actually said was that her first reaction was that the earthquake, which cost more than 50,000 people in southeast China their lives and millions more their homes, was the result of China's "karma" for how they've been treating Tibet and her "good friend" the Dalai Lama. After learning that the Tibet Foundation was rallying support for the earthquake victims, Stone says, she got a lesson in how "to put your head down and be of service, even to people who aren't nice to you." It's a nice lesson we should all remember.
But first thought, best thought, as the Buddhists say. And the best Stone could come up with herself was that the millions of Chinese without homes and grieving their loved ones only got what they had coming to them. Nevermind that the victims have little to no control over their totalitarian government's decisions in regard to Tibet or anything else. Or that we might not be competent to judge the moral vector of acts of God. Or that it makes her sound like a preacher blaming 9/11 on the ACLU, homosexuals, and abortionists.
I wonder, too, how the Dalai Lama would feel about Stone's vindictiveness on his behalf. If she's really his good friend, wouldn't she have anticipated that he would wish the Chinese no ill? For Hollywood's Buddhists, apparently, the enemy of your friend--sorry, your good friend--is your enemy too.
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"If you believe in the laws of Karma, then you believe that Karmic forces are Karmic forces and peoples thoughts or beliefs about Karma may have little or nothing to do with it at all. Some karma comes into fruition immediately, some in one lifetime, some in many lifetimes. The seed may have been planted eons ago or yesterday. Who knows why China suffered the severe Earthquake? People have karma, areas have karma, governments have karma. Everything is cause and effect. So basically you can think or feel whatever you want about whatever you want, someone else will always disagree."
Posted by: Robert | June 1, 2008 10:50 AM
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This is why people should not comment about Sharon Stones actual opinions.
As a buddhist you have to practise compassion to all living things, and by that I also mean that you should do this towards Sharon. Even if she would be right or not, it´s her karma and no one can judge her about it.
When she gets insight in this matter you probably won´t read any more comments from her.
As for the terrible things that happens around the world. The only reasonable thing would be karma.
People seem to forget that there are many more sad things in this world then earthquakes and other natural fenomenons.
China is the worlds largests export country in animal furs, we all know that living things there (exept people) are mistreated and suffers because of human stupidity.
This of course applies to many country´s around the world. Weapon export, human-trade (children and adults), prostitution, drug-trade, abuse of animals and so on..
So my opinion would be:
Think before you talk and try not to judge anyone, you will never know the reason for things to happen, the only thing you can do is to practise compassion against all living organisms and make people around you happy to be alive. A happy person spreads positive energy and makes good things to other human or animal beings.
Umm, I never claimed to be a buddhist, and I'm not. And I can comment about someone if I want to. That's sort of the point of this forum. If you're entitled to your opinion, then so am I.
The difference between our Buddhism and their buddhism? Are you kidding? Have you heard of Karma? I would say that Sharon Stone was right on, not because she if famous, because of Karma. The westerners have a saying, "What goes around comes around". Another saying, "What you send into the life or lives of another or of others will come back into yours".
Have we heard of Karma? Obviously - it's in the title of the article.
Have you heard of Krypton?
First of all, I don't think karma has anything to do with earthquakes. There's no Almighty God who strikes people down with natural disasters for oppressing Buddhist monks. That's just silly. It's like saying someone got HIV because they were rude to their teacher. There's no connection at all.
Secondly, people should not care much what Sharon Stone says. She's just a Hollywood celebrity, and she also forced UNICEF to contribute $750,000 to buying mosquito nets which were already provided by African governments and which were then stolen and sold as dresses on the black market. Not the spiritual leader anyone should be looking to if they care at all about Buddhism.
Don't curtail free speech, but be ready to accept other's free speech too. Thus said, it's balanced.
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