How can I become less affected by politics?

Try watching a documentary about the Illuminati, "The American Dream" cartoon on Youtube for instance. It will disillusion you from the left-right paradigm which is designed to make us combat each other rather than the establishment itself.

Politics literally means the study of the people. As such, doing something truly good through politics is what a bodhisattva would do. On the other hand, most of our minds are too clouded to make a change in the right place and time.

It would be good to go to a protest, help fund an actually anti-establishment politician (like Ron Paul)... but it gets tricky. Trump claimed to be anti-establishment but here he is completely bought out.

After you learn more about the system at its core, including fractional reserve banking... you will see how it is doomed for failure and maybe make preparations.

To be forcibly un-involved from politics is to hide under a rock--but definitely do not get mired in the details.

Taking the precept of not "speaking of what is not true" coupled with "abstainging from entertainmaint shows" serious, next to the basic precept.

Once one does not give attention to not benefical things every kind of hindrence dies.

By abstaining from TV, radio, News papers, useless books, and from talks about it, its fast done.

Like all it starts with good association.

After some month one knows and normaly has no more desire in idly talk. Stay especially away from "Buddhists" either lay or monks, who are only a little involved in such, not to speak of active in such. Totally not aware, how much ever they talk and teach.

If asking, my person would not even know who is president or was the last maybe 12 years in the country he was born, not to speak of others politicans near and far.

If liking to know more and in detail, feel free in an non-political area.

(Note: this is a gift of Dhamma and not meant for any commercial purpose or any other worldly gain.)

As long as you keep analysing a situation as good, bad or neutral and react to them, suffering will arise. So stop reacting and being emotionally attached to these categorizations. Ultimately, one's sphere of control is limited. If you can do something, do it, or else just leave it alone. Getting emotionally attached and creating suffering for oneself does not help you or even put things right. If things are not right, at least make sure you are not hurt.

As a Buddhist, to be engaged in mainstream politics is very difficult because we cannot know the real truth of politics, unless we are absolutely certain.

For example, I have heard some of the most famous Western Theravada monks & the Dalai Lamai speak about 9/11 as though Islam really did it & provide ideas that justify war.

Since there was no real evidence Islam did 9/11 & since the American wars after 9/11 were unrelated to the alleged (Saudi Arabian Wahhabi) terrorists, how can a Buddhist speak truthfully in any way that supports war & killing with a unknown & unproven view?

Similarly, these same Western Theravada monks recently were supporting presidential candidates who were engaged in wars & murder because they believed some other policies of these candidates were better than the other.

Therefore, we have Buddhist monks & nuns encouraging their supporters to vote for political parties that engage in unjustified wars & killings.

It follows, unless you are truly certain who you support politically will not engage in any harm, how can you, as a Buddhist, support mainstream politics?

How can you get passionate about opposing Donald Trump or Viktor Orbán when the alternative is really no better, from a Dhammic point of view. Basically all of the major politicians, when examined closely, are violating the Buddhist moral precepts.

For example, the only Australian politician I listen to (occasionally) was originally an intelligence officer 'whistle blower' about the weapons of mass destruction before the Iraq War. Naturally, he was proven to be right. I recently phoned his office about the Syrian gas attack &, as a result, he was the only Australian politician to make an honest & moral statement about it, namely, there was no evidence that is was a deliberate chemical attack.

What I am saying here is if you get involved in truly moral politics, you will have very little support & feel quite powerless. When you realize how powerless you are to affect real change, the 'passion' diminishes greatly. Although you may occasionally try to do something, you realise there is little you can do to affect real change when the majority of people are still supporting the major political parties.

Buddhism explains six realms of existence: (i) human; (ii) benevolent godly (deva); (iii) violent godly (asura); (iv) animal; (v) ghost; & (vi) hell.

Most politicians & rulers throughout history have been violent gods (asuras), which is why they resort to military violence to achieve their ends.

In other words, in my opinion, they are not regular human beings like you and me. Their disposition is inherently evil, psychopathic & animalistic.

The Buddha described this non-human animalistic behaviour as follows:

Here, bhikkhus, there is no conduct guided by the Dhamma, no righteous conduct, no wholesome activity, no meritorious activity. Here there prevails mutual devouring, the devouring of the weak.

SN 56.47

In this respect, the Buddha taught to view evil as evil, for what it really is, in a way that leads to disenchantment & dispassion towards the world:

'See evil as evil.' This is the first Dhamma discourse.

'Having seen evil as evil, become disenchanted there, dispassionate there, released.' This is the second Dhamma discourse.

These are the two Dhamma discourses that the Tathagata — worthy & rightly self-awakened — has given in sequence."

Iti 2.12

---

Those who imagine evil where there is none, and do not see evil where it is — upholding false views, they go to states of woe.

Those who discern the wrong as wrong and the right as right — upholding right views, they go to realms of bliss.

Nirayavagga

While we can try, the Buddha did not really place great hope in the world. Instead, he taught the world is evolving following Dependent Origination, i.e., evolving with ignorance & craving.

If we examine the history of the world, for thousands of years, it is just war after war. When there is a particularly vicious & destructive war, such as WW2, the people take a rest from war. But then soon enough, they start again. Has there really been any change?

The USA has spent $5 trillion on a war on terror. However, there is more terrorism today than there was when this war began. Yet how many people question this war & what it is really about?

According to the scriptures, the Buddha taught the majority of the people in the world are spiritually blind. If you have this right view, you will give up politics because you will realise you cannot really change anything politically (apart from yourself).

174. Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.

171. Come! Behold this world, which is like a decorated royal chariot. Here fools flounder, but the wise have no attachment to it.

170. One who looks upon the world as a bubble and a mirage, him the King of Death sees not.

58. Upon a heap of rubbish in the road-side ditch blooms a lotus, fragrant and pleasing.

59. Even so, on the rubbish heap of blinded mortals the disciple of the Supremely Enlightened One shines resplendent in wisdom.

Dhammapada