American Identity and American Gun Culture: A Buddhist Deconstruction

Abstract

While various groups argue about the cause of America’s ongoing gun crisis, any feasible solution must address the historical roots of taṇhā (thirst) that fuel America’s gun culture. Killers often identify themselves as outsiders, and many have been marginalized and bullied. Gun supporters perceive themselves as free and independent spirits, latter day Minuteman stalwartly defending the Constitution. Gun sellers, seemingly devoid of compassion, assume that like any savvy businessperson they are simply supplying what people demand. Buddhist epistemology exposes the delusory ātman at the core of our misidentifications as individuals and groups. When interconnectedness (pratītyasamutpāda) goes unrealized, ignorance disconnects us from the reality of Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra Suchness (tathāta), with devastating consequences. Buddhist texts such as the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna and the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra analyze the process by which deluded identities evolve along with consciousness, allowing us to deconstruct and realistically realign them.