These are the basic questions concerning hegemony that zandtao suggests the awakening-returning-to-community need to be concerned with. But before we begin addressing those specific questions, let us ask the first question - can you guarantee that you are telling the truth? As sangha talking about awakening truth is experienced so when asked questions sangha has a truthful answer because they know/feel/see the truth because they have experienced the awakening process.
When it comes to hegemony there is no such easy answer. How do we experience the truth about hegemony? Because we are part of an awakening process, if we cannot tell the truth can we avoid telling lies? Because we cannot experience the truth about hegemony then we avoid saying anything about it. And that is part of what happens with bypassing, we cannot experience the truth of hegemony so we avoid involvement with it.
But the awakened work towards having wisdom so they can develop insight into hegemony, and that is the faculty zandtao asks sangha to develop - insight into hegemony. We unlearn our conditioning and develop insight into hegemony. Even with insight this is not a truth that can be experienced as awakening but insight is an aspect of path.
Where can we get this insight? We can get facts from books - academia, but can we get insight? So what do we know about insight? We cannot be told insight, we can study and develop insight for ourselves but we cannot be told. So why did zandtao give a long history of western hegemony at the beginning of Part 2? Essentially to create triggers and promote enquiry - to lead the sangha to a process where they question what they have received concerning hegemony and work towards developing insight about hegemony.
Gaining insight into hegemony is an essential part of an outer journey that is concerned with awakening community but how far do you go? Seeking that insight can be demanding, and it can be time-consuming - unless you are a historian do you want your time consumed with hegemony unless it helps with awakening's inner or outer journeys? So as awakening-returning-to-community we need a balance between the work of developing awakening community and developing insight into hegemony. It does however seem important to zandtao that sangha have some insight when helping communities develop - and helping provide conditions that can turn glimpses towards awakening.
zandtao wants to offer some further indication, and you have already begun this process. Note down what triggered you in reading the history of western hegemony, and use those triggers as places to begin enquiry into hegemony - into developing insight into hegemony.
Here are some questions that might also help understand hegemony:-
Whilst my family do not understand awakening they are not bad people. How can they accept living off the gains of centuries of violence?
Whilst politicians do not tell the truth, how can they participate in the violence of war as part of the system-of-accumulation?
Can we see how or if a system-of-accumulation grew out of the described history of western hegemony?
It is accepted that we live within a Sea of Propaganda. Does that sea extend as far as the history zandtao described.
Within society there are many places you can go to to unlearn and develop insight into hegemony, but such places are not usually places of awakening. For those sangha who have recently left their place of awakening and returned to the community they want to help awaken, joining with people trying to develop insight into hegemony can build connection.
But in terms of activism awakening-returning-to-community need to have a clear understanding of the power of hegemony when speaking with grassroots activists, that will be addressed in the main text.
Books:-