Yoga, Buddhism and 18 years in Asia – “They are so

stupid”

About 18 years ago, during my first year of living and traveling in Asia, I spent some time in Indonesia. At the

 time, Indonesia was the most interesting country I had been to as it was quite simple, populous and was

 made up of Muslims.

These are all things that I had not really seen or

experienced in visiting the previous countries that I

had been to in Asia, which at that time included

Japan, Korea, Taiwan, The Philippines, Hong Kong and

Singapore.

The Philippines was poor country, but was also very Americanized having been a colony of The United States

 for some years during the early to mid twentieth century.

During my time in Indonesia I met a number of people

who invited to their homes and learned much about its

people and Islam.

I also visited a number of schools as at that time I

was just breaking into the field of English language

teaching and was interested in meeting and working

with the Indonesian students that I met who wanted to

improve their English.

While staying at a small city in the middle of the

island of Sumatra, I visited a school and the teacher

took the two best students in English, one boy and one

girl, out of the class to meet and talk with me.

Things were going well until I was surprised to hear

the boy all of a sudden say “They are so stupid in

this school, none of them can speak English”.

With my interest in peace and harmony between people,

I have to admit that his remark did make me have less

of an interest in this boy and what he thought and had

to say.

Unfortunately, I have seen and witnessed such an

attitude again and again among many the men of the

various countries that I have visited while living in

Asia.

It has not been an opinion that I have seen expressed

by many women in Asia though, since they seem to have

a kinder, gentler and wiser heart then the men.

This idea that because we have a skill or are skilled

in something, or have an education and a degree, or

can speak English while others can not or are not as

good as we can, and then we think that for some reason

we are smarter then them is quite ridiculous.

Interestingly, recent experiences of mine and others

traveling in India have shown that some people think

because they are from India they know more about Yoga

then people from the west might.

And there has been among many a dissatisfaction

expressed with those who are from India or not who are

quite knowledgeable about or flexible in performing

various postures who think that this makes them more spiritually advanced then others or gives them

 permission to talk to those who are new to Yoga and perhaps learning form them in an impolite or

 disrespectful manner.

Both these attitudes are not in the spirit of Yoga or

anyone who is trying to work a spiritual path and

practice such as Yoga.

One thing that both Yoga and Buddhism show and teach

us, sometimes in some very painful ways, is that we

have been and are at present quite ignorant about many

things.

When we think that for some reason we are better then

or superior to another, this ignorance is manifesting

itself in the strongest possible way.

How can one be better then another when the sun shines

on all of us and the breath is there for all of us to

breathe.

How can one be better then another when the gift of

and teachings of both Yoga and Buddhism are offered to

all.

And how can one be better then another when we all

face the same challenges and end in life, regardless

of whether we practice Yoga or Buddhism or not.

Unfortunately, many times in my life, both in the west

and the east, as I am sure that you have, I have seen

this mindless ignorance expressed in ways where people

think they are better then others and what does it do

and bring us to?

Feelings and actions based on those feelings that are

not in tune with the values and teachings of the

Christian, the Muslim, the Buddhist, the Hindu or

those who practice Yoga.

They just lead us further down a road where we are

incapable of understanding and feeling compassion for

others and can lead to impatience, anger and hatred.

We are all the same.

When we experience the inner balance and external

harmony that comes from either the practice of Yoga or

Buddhism we see this more clearly and what does it do

for us?

It makes us humble.

It makes us patient.

It makes us wiser.

This is when we see more clearly what it is we should

be concerning ourselves with.

Getting away from our own ignorance and stupidity.

©2004 John C. Kimbrough

(John lives and teaches in Bangkok, Thailand. He can

be reached at johnckimbrough@yahoo.com)