I beheaded the Extremist imam

Setting: Sometime in the year 2018

An Orphan's Thoughts

I was 12-years-old, having been an orphan for four of those years, when I used a sword to decapitate the Imam responsible for the death of my good friend Mohammad. Imam Manhood ordered the beheading of Mohammad, and that his head be placed on top of a pole in my town's main square. I was grief stricken beyond belief, but that's not why I paid daily visits to see my friend's head. I wanted to behold the miracle - the look of joy and the smile that adorned Mohammad's face.

That's not what one would usually see adorning bodiless heads.

It didn't take long for the Imam's enforcers to notice my daily visits. I call them, "the assholes who roar into town in their Toyota pick-up trucks that have machine guns mounted on them." One of these guys asked me if I was worshipping Mohammad's head. Can you believe that? He used the word worshipping? He warned: "If that is the case, we will place your severed head on a pole next to his."

That's when I decided I had a score to settle with this Imam. Looking back, it was easy to get close enough to kill this man. Even easier to actually kill him. I approached him after one of his sermons and asked how I could learn more about Islam. I was surprised when he suggested private lessons with him! Turns out, he had a fondness for young boys and found me, in particular, irresistible. That gave me a chance to be alone with him, and to kill him when he let his guard down.

I am now 16-years-old as of this year (2018), having been on the run since 2014. Right now, I am thinking these thoughts, since thirst has robbed me of my power of speech. Wandering alone in the desert, far from "civilization" can do that to you. That, plus, I have been utterly alone since I killed my first - and so far "only" - man.

I don't know how my words can possibly reach you, since I am only thinking them. I guess I'm praying that some mindreader picks up on my thoughts and reveals them to an audience.

= = = = =

Mohammad and I lived in a medium-sized town which was becoming overwhelmed by the presence of extremists who owed their allegiance to Manhood the Imam. Mohammad was like a father to me and would welcome me to visit and eat with his family - his wife and two daughters. He was a poor man who had always dreamed of making the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. That's one of the Five Pillars* of Islam:

• Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad;
• Establishment of the daily prayers;
• Concern for and almsgiving to the needy;
• Self-purification through fasting; and
• The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.

The hajj is considered mandatory for all Muslims who are physically and financially able, which also means amply providing for the welfare of their families during their absence.

Even though poor, Mohammad made a determined effort over a five-year period to save enough money for the pilgrimage. And he succeeded! However, when he started on his journey to Mecca, he passed an orphanage and decided to pay a visit. He wanted to tell the children and their caretakers he would think of them when praying in Mecca. But he was so shocked at the miserable conditions he saw, he donated all his hajj money to the orphanage.

He explained to his wife, "How can I go to Mecca when there is so much need right here in our home town?"

After three more years, he had again saved enough money for hajj. Only three more years, this time, because he had been blessed by Allah with better financial circumstances. This time, when leaving home for the trip to Mecca, he passed by a hospital. You guessed it, the result was the same as with the orphanage.

But Mohammad made a mistake in the way he described his hajj attempts. He said, "Maybe it is Allah's will that there are to be only four pillars of Islam for me. I cannot seem to resist the needy by insisting on a journey which benefits only me." Word of Mohammad's comment reached the Imam, who became enraged. He told his henchmen: "Just before you cut off his head, yell these words at him - 'There are FIVE, not FOUR, Pillars of Islam, you infidel.'"

But I knew Mohammad's heart, when it came to helping the poor. The man was fanatical in this regard - but not so with that hard edge that spoils other fanatics. He was always giving to others, sometimes to the point where he himself would end up going hungry by not having enough money for food. He made sure, though, that his family never suffered.

In confidence, Mohammad once told me: "You know, young man, I never saw the reason for the Fifth Pillar." I volunteered, in response: "Is it to make Saudi hotel owners rich from pilgrims needing lodging?"

He answered with a laugh: "No. For the Saudis, it was never about money but about power. A way of saying, 'You must prove your faith by traveling, in some cases an obscene distance, to come to my country to pay homage. Not to Islam but to Saudi Arabia as the capital of Islam."

I was stunned at this possibility. Then he added softly: "If you help the poor and disabled, you are doing Allah's will. How the Saudi's feel about your absence? That is of absolutely no importance. But...be careful who you say this to."

Poor Mohammad! I guess he wasn't careful enough himself, when expressing his heart to others.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the

Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and

former candidate for US President (in 2008 & 2012)

Footnote:

Five Pillars* - [source: http://www.islam101.com/dawah/pillars.html ]

"Kill the Messenger" - the CIA/Contra drug movie

There’s a new movie coming out on Oct. 10 called, Kill the Messenger. This description is from Rotten Tomatoes:

QUOTE:

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jeremy Renner ("The Bourne Legacy") leads an all-star cast in a dramatic thriller based on the remarkable true story of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb. Webb stumbles onto a story which leads to the shady origins of the men who started the crack epidemic on the nation's streets...and further alleges that the CIA was aware of major dealers who were smuggling cocaine into the U.S., and using the profits to arm rebels fighting in Nicaragua. Despite warnings from drug kingpins and CIA operatives to stop his investigation, Webb keeps digging to uncover a conspiracy with explosive implications. His journey takes him from the prisons of California to the villages of Nicaragua to the highest corridors of power in Washington, D.C. - and draws the kind of attention that threatens not just his career, but his family and his life.

:UNQUOTE:

There are two elements to consider carefully here: How the CIA finances its operations and the war it decided to wage against US inner-city minorities as payback for the Black Panthers.

Perhaps the CIA thought drug profits were an acceptable means of financing the Contras. And perhaps those profits would have been sufficient. However, these days, the CIA has found a far more efficient way of raising money than depending on Congress or dealing in drugs. All they have to do is turn on one of those printing presses which the Treasury Dept uses to print hundred-dollar bills. My best guess is that CIA stole the necessary gear with Treasury looking the other way.

Makes a certain amount of sense. For isn’t this an easier way to raise money – real money, made on real money-making machines – than messing around in the drug trade?

I remember hearing about how those fiendish North Koreans had somehow managed to flood the market with high-grade counterfeit US hundred-dollar bills. Oh, well, I guess someone had to be blamed, but I assure you – this wasn’t the work of the North Koreans.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the

Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and

Former candidate for US President (in 2008 & 2012)

Contract me at bpa_cinc

Reaching out to the Weinstein Company

On September 8, I sent the following letter (quoted in its entirety in the following section). It came back to me 14 days later – on Sept. 22. The envelope was marked:

Return to Sender

Not deliverable as addressed

Unable to forward

I went to several on-line sources to double-check the address. The only difference among the sources: Some of them cited “13^th floor,” which is how I’d addressed the envelope. While others cited: “Room 1301.” So, I resent this letter about 5 days ago, citing “room 1301.” I resent it as regular as opposed to certified mail, which is exactly how I'd sent the original. I am a bit mystified as to how the US Postal Service was “unable to forward” my earlier letter. But I’m patient enough to see how my latest snail-mail attempt pans out.

Oh, I had also sent this very same letter to one of the production companies involved – Exclusive Media (no response from them yet). I’m not holding my breath for any kind of response from anybody – the Weinsteins included. But I’m hoping my pitch for Best Picture somehow reaches someone in a position of authority that can emphasize the Buddhist ideas expressed therein.

Which is why I decided to post this letter for any and all to see. If the idea of six degrees of separation is valid, then only five people are needed to say to the next one up on the food chain, “Say, have you seen this?”

The letter in its entirety

                                                                                          Steven Searle*

The Weinstein Company LLC                                    

345 Hudson St., 13^th floor                                                

New York, New York 10014

                                                                       September 8, 2014

SUBJECT:  the movie “Begin Again”

To Whom It May Concern:

May I suggest: Regarding your quest for an Academy Award (not to mention greater ticket sales), you would be missing a golden opportunity by not promoting the subtle Buddhist connection in “Begin Again?” Two songs in that movie provide powerful references – more powerfully, “Coming up roses,” and to a lesser extent “Lost Stars.”

I had posted a detailed analysis of these two songs on my blog, which can be found on this link:

http://ind4prez2012.blogspot.com/2014/09/lost-stars-revisited.html

To whet your appetite, this quote from my blog concerns lines 15 and 16 of “Coming up roses,” which supports my point:

QUOTE:

(15) My whole life's turned around

(16) For this thing you keep chasing.

This "thing you keep chasing" is Steve's persistent search for enlightenment, which he has tried over the years to share with Gretta. He succeeds when she admits, "My whole life's turned around [by the power of] this thing you keep chasing." [Skipping the next paragraph.]

Another interesting point is the odd positioning of Steve's own bed - it's so high up, he'd practically have to be able to fly to reach it (hmm, food for thought, since highly accomplished bodhisattvas are able to do exactly that, though he is wise enough not to give Gretta a demonstration, making up some barely plausible explanation as to how he manages to get to his bed).

:UNQUOTE.

Best wishes on your Oscar quest; I think Best Picture is well within your grasp.

Sincerely,

Steven Searle

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of

The Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and

Former candidate for US President (in 2008 & 2012)

FOOTNOTE:

Searle* – I omitted my home address in this otherwise complete version of this letter.

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com

My 900-page letter

Did anyone ever send you a 900-page letter? Beautifully hand-printed on 8.5x11” sheets of loose-leaf notebook paper?

I once received such a "letter," although it didn't go through the US postal system. I shudder to think of the postage on something like that. No, David Ewald took the better part of a year composing this thing, and simply handed it to me when he finished. And the quality of his printing was as good on the last page as it was on the first page.

At the time, David and I had been members of the same Buddhist sect – the Soka Gakkai International – USA. He told me in advance that he decided to write this piece in an attempt to answer many of the questions about Buddhism that I had attempted to raise over the years. I had run my questions by David as well as by members at SGI-USA discussion meetings and numerous leaders within the organization.

My questions were either ignored or badly answered. David at least seemed to listen and try to process what I was saying. However, his oral responses were brief and largely unsatisfactory. Hence, his thought to try a prolonged written approach.

Word of David’s undertaking had become widely known by many of the SGI-USA members in our immediate circle. I was curious as to what this self-motivated scholar would come up with. David didn’t have an advanced academic degree; I doubt he had completed even a bachelor’s degree program. But his home library was huge, he was a voracious reader (for instance, having read all of Mark Twain's writings), and had even invented a coded language of his own to record thoughts he never intended to share with anyone else.

When David presented his 900-page letter to me, I read it immediately – taking about two months to plough though it. There was a lot of fascinating information on the history of cults in the USA, as well as an appreciable amount of Buddhist theory. BUT…for the most part, David didn’t even try to answer any of the questions I’d been posing for years. I didn’t have the heart to tell him this, since I knew he’d worked so hard on it.

I did thank him profusely for his efforts and I even spent the better part of a day making a photocopy of it, so he’d have a copy. He asked that I do this, and provided the money in advance so I could feed the photocopier. I even made up my mind to eventually re-read the manuscript and jot down points for us to disuss.

BUT…before that could happen, David Ewald passed away at the age of 69, seven years ago. I attended a farewell ceremony in his honor at the SGI-USA Cultural Center in Chicago, our home town. The gathering took place in a lovely, intimate space nick-named the Round Room. And there were maybe 200 members present. After we chanted and offered incense, a few of us took the mic to address the congregation.

When my turn came, I showed them the 900-page letter and explained why David had written this. And I heard a few “oohs” and “ahs” from those assembled. But I didn’t offer my opinion on the content, just saying it was rare these days for anyone to even consider undertaking such a project. And I was profoundly humbled that he'd do this for my sake.

After I finished speaking, the meeting came to an end after another speaker or two had offered their anecdotes and fond farewells. Most of us broke into small groups, just hanging around and chatting. To those few who walked up to me, wanting a closer look at David’s letter, I repeated my earlier statement about David having offered this in order to answer my religious, doctrinal questions. I was surprised when a long-time member, Dale Stankiewicz, interrupted by saying, “That should have shut him up.” [Meaning me.]

This wasn’t the first time Dale and I had crossed swords. When I was a member of the district he was in charge of (“District Chief”), on occasion I would ask a question or make a challenging statement. So Dale knew I wasn’t a member of blind-faith – far from it. For example, once, Dale told us about a fairly large sum of money he’d inherited recently. He considered that to be one benefit due to his decades of dedication to the organization and to the practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

He bristled when I suggested that he would have received this windfall without having practiced at all. Maybe, maybe not. It sounded too much like bragging about winning the lottery because he chanted.

In his own way, Dale was somewhat of a scholar – at least of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism as practiced by the SGI. That’s why I was surprised when, in a private conversation, he told me, “The word ‘daishonin’ in Japanese means ‘Buddha.’” I was too stunned to reply, as I should have, “No, the Japanese word for ‘Buddha’ is ‘butsu.’ ‘Daishonin’ means ‘great sage.’”

Dale’s words were spoken in answer to my question: “Why don’t we simply call him [the founder of our sect] Nichiren Buddha, if we really believe he’s a Buddha? Why do we stick with calling him ‘Daishonin?’”

So when Dale gave his inaccurate answer, he was either intentionally lying to me or he had suffered a momentary mental glitch. I suspect the former, since the translation of the word “Daishonin” is widely known among long-time members – and most new ones as well– as being “great sage.

Truly sad. But even sadder, since we have an obligation to study the Buddhist sutras and commentaries? Not one single member present at this gathering, including Dale, asked me, “May I borrow your letter – I’d like to read it?”

END NOTE:  I am sorry to report that I no longer have David Ewald’s letter. A former roommate of mine put it in a storage locker about five years ago. Last I heard, that letter probably ended up being destroyed. On the plus side, at least the copy I’d made for David survived and is part of his personal estate of 10,000 books he’d kept in his house.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Steven Searle, just another member of the
Virtual Samgha of the Lotus and
former candidate for US President (in 2008 & 2012)

Contact me at bpa_cinc@yahoo.com