Miss Buddha

by Ulf Wolf

  “Every product conceived, designed, and produced is conceived, designed, and produced to make us—or someone—feel good. Wars are fought with the aim for someone to feel good, be that a dictator, a congress, a population, a priesthood, a soldier, a Viking.

  “Perhaps this sounds too simplistic to some, but all great truths are basically simple, and this truth is both very basic and very simple: the world today, it’s entire economic structure, is about feeling good about ourselves, whether physically—which is the most common part of this—emotionally, or spiritually.”

  Otto Jones had the urge to object. It simply was not part of his makeup to let an opposition witness have the run of the floor unchallenged, but, truth be told, he had grown too interested in what Ruth Marten had to say to attempt to stop her. Instead he leaned back into his chair, cast a brief glance at Lara Matthews (who was also paying Ruth Marten rapt attention), then continued to listen.

  “There is, within us all, a deep disquiet,” she said. “An emptiness, an unease. A feeling that sometimes only surfaces just before we fall asleep, a deep certainty that there is something missing, that there must be something else to life, something other than what the world offers. We know this. Innately, we know this. But whenever this certainty surfaces we are quick to disguise it, or ignore it, or to bury—usually under something newly bought or consumed.

  “There is an inner emptiness, and we try to fill it with external goods. We see the commercials on television, and—since it so clearly promises joy and happiness (the actors play that part so well)—we rush out to buy, to fill the emptiness within.

  “And, for a fleeting moment we may even convince ourselves that we are, at least for this one breath and the next, fulfilled. We are happy. We have masked the inner lack with something outer, and for a moment—never much longer—we don’t feel the disquiet. But then, a second, minute, hour, day later, the disquiet is back, urging us to acquire something else that we may again cover up the hurt.

  “For it is a pain of sorts, this disquiet, this need to obtain, this need to add to, to grow, to become.

  “It hurts, this disquiet.

  “And the consumption machinery that fuels the economies of the world knows this, and knows this very well. The world is in the pain killer business. Not only literally—although the pharmaceutical industry is of course one of the cornerstones of our economy—but any way you’d care to take it.

  “We manufacture things, we provide services, all to still the ache, to quiet the disquiet, and we, as hurting human beings, oblige. We work two, three jobs to afford the latest gadgets, the new car, the second, or third car, the bigger house, the longer cruise—all to still the disquiet.

  “We never succeed this way.

  “Does the consumption machinery know or care? Neither. It simply churns out new products and services to cover up and muffle our simmering internal anguish—at whatever cost to the health of our planet.

  “And we oblige, for where else can we go? Who else to turn to?

  “Yet, the key to all spiritual progress, to truly quieting this internal disquiet is Letting Go.

  “Less, not more, is the road out, the path home.”

  Here Ruth paused and surveyed the room. All eyes were on her, and all ears well attuned. She looked at the members of the jury, who all looked back, none averting her glance. Yes, they understood, and they were waiting for more. Even Otto Jones met her glance, and by eyes and body language also signaled: I understand.

  She continued:

  “The unfortunate thing is that the market economies, the purported happiness economy and true happiness are on a collision course. The market, as we know it today, will only survive by the Earth’s population demanding and obtaining more, more, more.

  “But the Earth’s population will only truly survive by demanding and obtaining less, less, less.

  “This is not good news for the powers that be, for those who profit by the solution of greed. For those whose profits are measured in the trillions of dollars. For those whose internal disquiet screams the loudest, and so have to be quelled by the thickest and strongest muffle conceivable: wealth and power.

  “I am on trial here for disrupting the consumption machinery. I am accused of inciting to civil disobedience and unrest. I am not aware of any civil unrest in this country, or in the world for that matter. I am, however, aware of people disobeying the consumption machinery edict to consume, to buy more, more, more. Yes, if this is how civil disobedience is measured, yes, then I am guilty.

  “But if a man is happier at heart, if his inner disquiet is truly soothed by not buying a new car, by instead sitting down to meditate, am I then inciting to civil disobedience? Or am I inciting to true happiness?

  “Every person who has the courage to truly look within and see what will indeed sooth his or her disquiet will see that the answer is letting go.

  “We think that a fortified ego is the path to ultimate happiness. Fortified by food and possessions. Yet, true happiness lies in the direction of a diminished ego, something every meditator can experience firsthand.

  “Something many a meditator has already experienced firsthand.

  “Many a much wiser human being, for what is wisdom if not experience understood?

  “Yes, I apologize to the consumption machinery for upsetting plans, for lessening demand, but I am not here to help the already obscenely wealthy gather more of the same. I am here to help the average human being see his or her way to a lasting, internal happiness.

  “If that is a crime, then so be it.”

  The only sound that could be heard in the court room was a hum of the air conditioner and the occasional traffic noise from the streets below. Ruth had finished, but the room was not yet certain, expecting—hoping for, really—more. In the end, when she said nothing else, Judge Moore realized that her defendant was done defending herself and donned her judge cap once again. Looked down at Ruth Marten, she said: “Have you finished, Miss Marten?”

  “Yes, your honor.”

  “Okay, then.” The looking over at Jones, “Any questions of the witness, Mister Jones?”

  For the rest of his life, Otto Jones was to wonder whether his answer to that question had been the correct one. It was, he often reasoned, a matter of view, a matter of whose interests were served.

  His answer this morning was: “No, your honor.”

  “All right. And as for you, Miss Marten. Does the defense rest?”

  “Yes, your honor. It does.”

  The number of private universes the Tathagata directly addressed during this account of her side of things was never established.

  :

  That evening found some of those media voices that had made Ruth Marten’s conviction a foregone conclusion busy hedging their bets, while others dug in and said that this rose-colored glasses new-age fluff defense of Miss Marten’s did not change the economic realities of the world, nor did it alter the disastrous effect of her campaigns on the country. She had indeed incited to civil, primarily, unrest, and if not found guilty and punished for her crime, this trial would leave the door open for anyone with a hippie mentality to run riot with our economy.

  :: 136 :: (Los Angeles Federal Court)

  Otto Jones had not slept much. He was already regretting not questioning Ruth Marten while she was on the stand, and could, in retrospect, not for the life of him explain why he had not.

  But fact remained, he had let her off the hook (was how he saw things in the light of a new day), and would now have to deliver his closing argument without having punched any holes in her side of the story.

  Lara Matthews had called him late the night before asking him the same questions he now asked himself, but had then pointed out that while her views had been quite convincing, tomorrow is another day and the attention span of most jurors is like that of a goldfish. In other words: deliver a great closing argument and the verdict would be, as most of the morning media still maintained, a foregone conclusion.


  He reviewed his closing draft while mindlessly downing his customary grapefruit, toast, and sugarless black coffee and then left his apartment for the Court House.

  Really, there was nothing to worry about. Not that he could see.

  Meredith Simmons, however, the Biotechnical Industry Association’s counsel, who had also called last night, did not share his admittedly somewhat fragile confidence. She had also expressed near shock at him not cross-examining Marten. “Why the hell not?” had been her question.

  He had refused to answer the question head on. Instead he had summarized—as much for himself as for Simmons—that they had built an incredible strong case against Ruth Marten: she had incited to civil unrest and disobedience. There was no doubt about that.

  “Let’s hope so,” was her not-entirely-convinced reply.

  Yes, he thought to himself in the elevator down to the parking floor, let’s hope so.

  :

  Lara Matthews, quite out of character, placed her left hand upon Otto Jones’ right, and patted it twice: a show of confidence. A reassurance. Things will be fine, you’ll see.

  Jones did not know whether to smile in her direction or not. He was, actually, thankful for the surprising gesture, but also annoyed that she would deem it necessary.

  Oh, well. Here we go.

  Jones stood up and slowly approached the jury.

  “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Were it not for this woman,” he turned and, yes, pointed at Ruth Marten, “the country’s economy would not be grinding to a standstill. This country would not teeter on the brink of collapse.”

  He had their attention.

  “You have heard some of the foremost experts of our time testify to the pernicious—the destructive—influence of the defendant’s new-age spiritualism. You have seen the data illustrating the unprecedented slowdown both in demand and, subsequently, in production.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, although we all still appear to live in normal times—you were, after all, all able to make it here this morning, your hotel did serve you breakfast—there is nothing normal about an economy plunging at this rate.

  “The defendant is charged with inciting to civil unrest and disobedience. Officially. But her crime, the effects of her irresponsible behavior is so much more serious. Imagine no food on the shelves at the supermarket. Imagine your children crying from hunger but nothing to feed them. Imagine no gasoline for your cars, or no electricity in your sockets. There is only one word for such a state: Chaos. Another word for chaos is civil unrest.

  “The word inciting basically mean to ‘rouse towards,’ to instigate, inflame, stir up. Extreme civil unrest—in other words, chaos—is the ultimate result of the defendant’s behavior. The societal fabric is still holding together, even though ruptures have begun to appear, as our witnesses have testified to, but it will not hold together much longer, and once it disintegrates, we will return to jungle law, everyone for himself, or herself. The streets will flow with blood. Children will die of starvation. Theft and murder will be the new order of the day.

  “This is not a nightmare scenario, something I’ve cooked up to scare you into finding the defendant guilty. This is a scenario which is approaching, and rapidly. It is just around the corner, ladies and gentlemen.

  “Unless you find the defendant guilty, and unless she is duly sentenced and is seen to pay commensurately for her crime, there is nothing to slow, or much less stop this catastrophic plunge toward chaos. Only a swift conviction, and an equally swift, and commensurate, sentence can put the brakes on this.

  “Ladies and gentlemen. Know that even though, by law, we could, we are not seeking the death penalty in this case. We are seeking life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. We think that is a more compassionate sentence for we do not believe that Ruth Marten’s ultimate intent—although her actions seem to tell us otherwise—is to destroy our country. We believe that she in her utter disregard for the well-being of the country and its citizens has sought to aggrandize herself, has sought to gain influence and power over the youth of our country, for reasons not entirely clear to us, nor—we believe—to herself.

  “That, in our view, no matter how dangerous the potential result, is not cause for the death penalty. But miss Marten has to be seen as the fraud she is, and she must be publicly denounced and incarcerated in order to counteract her frivolous message of bliss here on earth by destruction.”

  A brief survey of the jurors: they were all still with him. Ex-ce-llent.

  “If you have heard anything during this trial, if any one thing has been spelled out, it is that the effect, ladies and gentlemen, the effect of the Gospel According to Miss Marten, is societal chaos. We cannot allow this.

  “You, ladies and gentlemen, cannot allow this.

  “The future of this country, of this world, now lies in your hands.”

  :

  “Miss Marten,” said Judge Moore. “Do you wish to make a closing argument?”

  “Yes, your honor.” But Ruth Marten did not rise. Instead she closed her eyes and whispered gently into the private worlds of each of the jurors. It was a friendly whisper, and such a natural whisper that none of the twelve men and women thought more of it than a personal notion softly surfacing.

  Then she rose, and spoke aloud what she had just whispered. These words found resonance in her whisper and so rang truer than true with each of the jurors: “I wish this world and its people nothing but true happiness. You know this to be true.”

  Then she sat down.

  “Miss Marten,” said the judge. “Is that it?”

  “That’s it, your honor.”

  :

  After the clerk had handed each of the jury members their written instructions, Judge Moore took up each of these points with them.

  “Members of the jury. The defendant is accused of two very severe charges: Inciting to Public Unrest, and Inciting to Public Disobedience.

  “Firstly, these are crimes which, if the defendant is found guilty by a jury, can entail the death penalty. In this case, however, as you have heard the prosecution stipulate, the death penalty is not sought, and I, as judge, am confirming this.

  “Secondly, you, as jury, must carefully consider two things: Did the defendant’s action result in the circumstances and results claimed by the prosecution. And, if so, did the defendant intend to bring about these circumstances and results.

  “You must, in other words, establish both effect and intent. Unintended effects, can, naturally, have been caused by the defendant’s actions. It is important that you determine, to the best of your ability any such intent.

  “Thirdly, if, after a consideration of all of the evidence you conclude that the prosecution has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt any of the elements of the offenses charged, you must find the defendant not guilty.

  “If, however, after considering all of the evidence, you conclude that the prosecution has proven every element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt then you must find the defendant guilty.

  “Lastly, if found guilty, you may recommend a commensurate jail sentence, up to a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, which is the sentence sought by the prosecution.

  “Should you have any questions over and above what you have been handed individually, and over and above what I have just said, you must put such questions in writing and give it to my clerk.

  “And good luck to you.”

  :

  The jury sat for precisely forty-tree minutes. The foreman then rang for the clerk and handed him the jury’s decision.

  Within five minutes, Judge Moore had called the jury back in.

  “Foreman of the jury, have you reached a verdict?” she asked.

  “Yes, we have, your honor.”

  “What is your verdict?”

  “As to Inciting to Public Unrest, we find the defendant not guilty. As to Inciting to Public Disobedience, we find the defendant not guilty.”

  There was no
denying that Judge Moore actually smiled as she dismissed the jury, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury. The court thanks you for your swift resolution and verdict.”

  And then smiled again as she addressed the defendant, “Ruth Marten, you are acquitted of all charges, and you are free to go.”

  Ruth Marten returned the smile as she said, both aloud and within Judge Moore’s private universe: “Thank you, your honor.”

  :

  Every network in the world led with the acquittal story.

  :: 137 :: (Los Angeles)

  Yet another conference room, another conference. This one takes place in Los Angeles. It is about eight o’clock in the morning the day after the verdict in the Ruth Marten trial. It is the 21st of August, a Wednesday.

  In attendance: the same three individuals who met on the 2nd of May in New York City: Otto Jones, fresh off the trial and its disastrous outcome; Andrew Callahan, FBI’s Los Angeles Bureau Chief; and Meredith Simmons, Biotechnical Industry Association in-house counsel.

  Neither has slept. All three are well versed with the media storm already at full strength.

  “I was to understand, as were my employer,” said Simmons, “that the outcome of this trial was a foregone conclusion. That by now all our problems would be solved.”

  She was addressing Otto Jones, who would not meet her gaze. In fact, he even refused to answer.

  “You are appealing,” said Callahan, stating the obvious.

  “That’s our problem,” said Simmons. “With such a quick, and unanimous, jury verdict, I don’t see the Appellate Court overturning this. Besides, we’re talking months for an appeal. Months before the 9th Circuit will hear this. In fact, there are some who suggest that we don’t even file an appeal. That an appeal will just garner more media and if the verdict stands, well, that’s another handful of nails in our respective coffins.”

  “No one saw this coming,” said Jones. “No one.”