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The
Urban Dharma Newsletter... October 8, 2002
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In
This Issue:
1.
Buddhism and Nonviolence ...by Sulak Sivaraksa
2. Buddhism and War- Combating terrorism is no crime!
...by Sarath Weerasekera
3. Buddhism and War ...by Ru Wickremasinghe
4. Book Review: Seeds of Peace ...by
Sulak Sivaraksa
5. Temple/Center of the Week: The Buddhist
Peace Fellowship
-------------------------------
1.
Buddhism and Nonviolence ...C H O I C E S ...Living Consciously
...by Sulak Sivaraksa
...from
Seeds of Peace: A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society (1992)
by Sulak Sivaraksa- Parallax Press, Berkeley, California, www.Parallax.org
*
http://www.bodydharma.org/choices/violence/sivaraksa.html
Fifteen
years ago, a notorious Thai Buddhist monk told the Bangkok press
that "it is not sinful to kill a Communist." He later
modified his statement, saying, "to kill communism or communist
ideology is not a sin." He claimed that he did not encourage
people to kill others. Nevertheless, he confessed that his nationalist
feelings were more important than his Buddhist practice. He
said he would be willing to abandon his yellow robes to take
up arms against the communist invaders from Laos, Cambodia,
or Vietnam. By doing so, he said, he would be preserving the
monarchy, the nation, and the Buddhist religion. Young people
in Siam were astounded that a Buddhist monk had tried to justify
an act of killing. Although monks in the past have tried to
condone "just war," none has ever been able to find
any canonical source to support this claim. That is why our
monk had to retreat from his earlier statement.
Christmas
Humphreys, the founder of the London Buddhist Society, stated
that one of the reasons that he abandoned Christianity was that
during the First World War, when his brother was killed in serving
his King and country, both English clergymen and German pastors
invoked the same God to guide the soldiers in warfare. The emphasis
on pacifism seems to be at once a great strength and a great
weakness of Buddhism as an organized religion. It strengthens
the religion in moral terms, but what happens when nation and
religion are threatened by an enemy? Dean Inge of St. Paul's
Cathedral in London once said, "If Christians had been
as pacifist as Buddhists... there is scarcely any doubt that
the 'legacies' of Greece, Rome, and Palestine would have been
finally and totally extinguished."
Before
the end of the Vietnam War, I asked Venerable Thich Nhah Hanh
whether he would rather have peace under a communist regime
that would mean the end of Buddhism or the victory of democratic
Vietnam with the possibility of Buddhist revival, and he said
that it was better to have peace at any price. He told me that
preserving Buddhism does not mean that we should sacrifice people's
lives in order to safeguard the Buddhist hierarchy, monasteries,
or rituals. Even if Buddhism as such were extinguished, when
human lives are preserved and when human dignity and freedom
are cultivated toward peace and loving kindness, Buddhism can
be reborn in the hearts of human beings.
In
all of Buddhist history, there has never been a holy war. Surely
Buddhist kings have waged war against one another, and they
may even have claimed to be doing so for the benefit of humankind
or the Buddhist religion, but they could not quote any saying
of the Buddha to support them. The Buddha was quite clear in
his renunciation of violence: "Victory creates hatred.
Defeat creates suffering. The wise ones desire neither victory
nor defeat... Anger creates anger... He who kills will be killed.
He who wins will be defeated... Revenge can only be overcome
by abandoning revenge... The wise seek neither victory nor defeat."
After
waging many wars, Emperor Asoka was so moved by sayings such
as these that he converted to Buddhism and became the model
for later Buddhist kings. Buddhism retreated from India, China,
Vietnam, and other countries rather than involve its believers
in armed struggles to preserve itself. Again, this illustrates
the strengths and the weaknesses of Buddhism.
On
many occasions in the history of Sri Lanka and Buddhist Southeast
Asia, monks have been asked by kings to initiate peace treaties.
On the other hand, Theravada Buddhist monks have never been
involved directly in warfare. They could not be, for to kill
or to cause a person to be killed is a sinful act of such great
magnitude that a guilty monk would immediately lose his robes.
Personally a monk may agree or disagree with any war, but he
is required to refrain from exposing his opinion in this respect.
In
Siamese chronicles we find the story of a great king who personally
fought the Crown Prince of Burma while both were on elephants,
and the Siamese king won by slaying his opponent. Afterwards,
he was angry with his generals for not following him more closely
and allowing him to face the enemy single-handedly, and he condemned
them to death. The Buddhist Patriarch and other senior monks
visited the King and asked him to pardon the generals. The monks
said that on the eve of the Buddha's enlightenment, if the Blessed
One had been surrounded by all the deities, his victory over
the hordes of Mara — the evil ones in various forms of
greed, hatred and delusion — would not have been as supreme
as the victory when the Buddha single-handedly overcame the
army of sensuous desires. Likewise, if His Majesty had been
surrounded by all his generals and won the battle, it would
not have been as great a victory as His Majesty's single-handed
victory over the Crown Prince of Burma. His victory cold be
regarded as similar to that of the Great Buddha. Using this
metaphor, the monks secured the release of all the generals.
Hsuan
Tsang, the famous monk-traveler, was once asked by the Emperor
of China to accompany him on a military campaign. The monk's
reply showed his tactfulness and his adherence to Buddhist ethical
codes:
Hsuan
Tsang knows himself not to be of any assistance to your military
campaign. I feel ashamed to be the object of unnecessary expenses
and a useless burden. Moreover, the Vinaya discipline forbids
monks to see military battle and displays of armies. As Lord
Buddha gave such an admonition, I dare not, to please Your Majesty.
Sri
Lanka has been invaded by foreign aggressors many times in its
history, and Buddhist monks were so committed to pacifism that
the lineage of the monkhood was at one point discontinued. To
recontinue the lineage, the King of Sri Lanka had to send a
mission to Siam for a group of Siamese monks to ordain Sinhalese
novices and laymen.
The
spirit of nonviolence permeates Buddhism. The first precept,
not to kill, is the foundation for all Buddhist action. This
idea is expanded in the notion of non-harming (ahimsa):
that one should actively practice loving kindness towards all.
The
Buddha said, "There is no greater happiness than peace."
The ultimate goal for a Buddhist is to reach the peaceful state
of nirvana and the means to reach this goal must be peaceful.
To be a Buddhist, one is first of all required to observe the
Five Precepts, to ensure that one does not take advantage of
oneself or others. Being neutral towards all beings, one can
embark on the spiritual journey of meditation and reach tranquility
of the mind, so that eventually one might be enlightened and
gain the insight or wisdom of seeing things as they really are
(pañña or prajña). Buddhists call
this the realization of total awakening or enlightenment (bodhi).
One
day, a religious leader came to visit the Buddha and asked,
"When one follows your Way, what does one do in daily life?"
the Buddha replied, "One walks, stands, sits, lies down,
eats, and drinks." The man asked, "What is so special
about that?" And the Buddha answered, "An ordinary
person, though walking, standing, sitting, lying down, eating,
or drinking, does not know that he is walking, standing, sitting,
lying down, eating, or drinking. When a practitioner of the
Way walks, he knows that he is walking. When he stands, he knows
that he is standing." This is mindfulness practice —
to be mindful of every movement of body and mind. Without mindfulness,
we get caught up in our thoughts and in the pleasures and pains
of our senses.
To
practice nonviolence, we must cultivate mindfulness. It is easier
to do so in quiet, peaceful surroundings. We should pick a suitable
time and find a secluded place where we can devote ourselves
to practicing meditation, without interruption. To begin, we
should assume a comfortable posture. The usual postures are
sitting, standing, walking, and lying down. The ideal posture,
if it is comfortable, is sitting cross-legged, with the spine
erect and head straight, eyes half-closed, and hands resting
on the lap. We follow each breath and develop concentration.
During meditation, when anger (or some other emotion) arises,
we know that anger has arisen. Meditation on the breath of loving
kindness is as simple as this. We cultivate patience and joy,
and we do not discriminate between what we desire and what we
wish to avoid. We accept each thing as it comes, and then we
let it go.
Then
we embark on the development of metta, loving kindness,
to dissolve all hatred and acquire the virtue of patience as
a foundation stone upon which to build spiritual strength. The
Buddha offered us many hints concerning how to maintain the
proper attitude for meditation:
In
those who harbor such thoughts as, "He abused me, he struck
me, he overcame me, he robbed me," hatred never ceases.
In
those who do not harbor such thoughts, hatred will cease.
Hatred
never ceases through hatred in this world; through nonviolence
it comes to an end.
Some
do not think that all of us here one day will die; if they did,
their dissension would cease at once.
One
should give up anger, and renounce pride.
Let
a man overcome anger by loving kindness; let him overcome evil
by good; let him overcome miserliness with generosity; let him
overcome lies with truth.
One
should speak the truth, not succumbing to anger.
There
is none in the world who is blameless.
One
should guard oneself against misdeeds caused by speech. Let
him practice restraint of speech. Let him practice virtue with
his mind.
The
wise who control their body, speech, and mind are indeed well-controlled.
Once
we feel content and peaceful, we can spread our loving kindness
towards others:
May
all beings be happy and secure;
May
teir hearts be wholesome.
Whatever
living beings there may be,
Feeble
or strong, tall, fat, or medium,
Short,
small, or large, without exception,
Seen
or unseen,
Those
dwelling far or near,
Those
who are born or who are to be born,
May
all beings be happy.
(Metta
Sutta)
When
we sit in meditation, our body and mind are relaxed. We are
not only peaceful and happy, we are also alert and awake. Meditation
is not a means of evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.
When one person in a family practices meditation, the entire
family will benefit. Because of the presence of one member who
lives in mindfulness, filled with compassion, the entire family
will be reminded to live in that spirit. All Buddhist communities
need at least one experienced meditator to help create a peaceful
atmosphere for everyone, to set a good example and to provide
the sweet nectar of mindfulness for everyone to share and be
nourished. This is so important for people of our time.
Every
day, we find ourselves in conflict situations, ranging from
minor inconveniences to serious confrontations. Conflicts can
flare up over backyard fences or national borders, over cleaning
up the kitchen or cleaning up the environment. They can involve
our most intimate relations or the briefest acquaintances. Whenever
people cannot tolerate each other's moral, religious, or political
differences, conflict is inevitable and often costly.
But
conflict can also open avenues of change and provide challenges.
Conflict resolution skills do not guarantee a solution every
time, but they can turn conflict into an opportunity for learning
more about oneself and others. Violence and heated arguments,
where people hurl abuse and become overwhelmed by their feelings,
are sure signs of crisis. During crises, normal behavior is
forgotten. Extreme gestures are contemplated and sometimes carried
out. These are obvious clues that something is wrong.
Conflicts
can be positive or negative, constructive or destructive, depending
on what we make of them. Buddhists know that everything is impermanent,
everything is changing; but in many conflict situations, we
forget and become attached to our views, refusing to let them
go. We tend to blame the other side alone for our problem.
Insight
into impermanence can allow us to alter the course of events
simply by viewing them differently. We can turn our fights into
fun. Transforming conflicts in this way is an art, requiring
special skills. The key Buddhist term, skillful means (upaya),
refers to just this kind of process. We must try to develop
skillful means to understand conflict. We must remember that
crisis, tension, misunderstanding, and discomfort, including
our fights and personal differences, are part of life. It is
a mistake to expect to avoid conflict all the time. The best
we can do is to make conflicts less painful by learning to anticipate
them and to manage them constructively. Conflict resolution
depends on awareness, and there are clues that can give us ideas
for how to deal with it.
The
first step in the art of conflict resolution is to regard conflict
as an opportunity and to look for skillful means to apply appropriately.
Generally, when people think about conflict, they believe that
there are only three possible outcomes: victory, defeat, or
compromise. From the Buddhist point of view, the end result
is less important than the way we work with it. There are many
stories from the life of the Buddha that illustrate how he dealt
with conflict situations. I would like to present two of them.
The
first incident arose from a difference of opinion between two
monks on a minor point of the monastic rules. Because these
monks happened to be experts in different fields of study and
each had a large following, their conflict escalated, and more
people became involved. After a time, the two groups' minds
became polluted, and each felt that the other was wrong. The
Buddha went to their monastery and told them both to let go
of their position and ask forgiveness from the other, so that
they could live harmoniously together. He told them several
stories to illustrate how conflicts can grow from small misunderstandings
to serious crises. One story was about a king and queen who
were attacked by another ruler. As they lay dying, they asked
their small son to be patient and forgive the enemy. The son
eventually joined the enemy's service and became his royal page.
Once, alone in the jungle with his parents' killer, the page
drew his dagger, but his parents' words of caution came to his
mind, and he could not commit the act. Seeing the drawn dagger
in the hand of his page, the enemy king learned the whole story.
All was forgiven and the page ended up marrying the king's daughter
and succeeding to the throne.
Stories
like this are often told in Buddhist countries to encourage
us to solve conflicts in nonviolent ways. But when the Buddha
told it to the quarreling monks, it had no impact. The Buddha
saw no alternative but to leave them and stay by himself in
the forest. Soon after, the lay community found out about the
conflict, and they refused to give alms to the monks. After
being hungry for many days, the monks came to their senses.
They went to pay respect to the Buddha and ask for forgiveness.
They let go of their views and opinions and were willing to
accept each other.
Another
incident from the time of the Buddha deals directly with armed
conflict. The King of Kosala wanted to become a relative of
the Buddha, so he asked for a Sakya princess to be his Queen.
The Sakya clan was very caste-conscious and always refused marriages
with outsiders. So instead of the princess, they sent the King
of Kosala the daughter of a slave girl to be his queen.
The
King and his new Queen has a son, Vidhudhabha. Neither he nor
his father knew that the Queen was an outcaste. When the young
prince went to visit his relatives among the Sakya, he found
that they all looked down upon him because his maternal grandmother
had been a slave. So the young prince vowed to kill all members
of the Sakya clan in revenge.
When
Vidhudhabha succeeded his father to the throne of Kosala, he
marched his army northward. The Buddha heard of the situation
and went to sit at the border of the two kingdoms to stop the
warlike King. But three times he was unable to convince the
King to get rid of his hatred and vengefulness, and finally
the King did kill almost all of the Sakyans. On his return home,
Vidhudhabha and his troops were drowned in the river.
We
can draw many conclusions from this story. Although the Sakyan
clan produced a wonderful person who eventually became a Buddha,
who preached that people should get rid of caste and class barriers,
they continued to hold their views of caste in contradiction
to his teaching. They deceived the king of Kosala, who was much
mightier than they, and they paid for it. As for Vidhudhabha,
his negative thoughts drove him to a terrible act, and his life
ended tragically.
Those
who claim to be Buddhists but want to solve armed conflicts
by violent means are no different from Vidhudhabha and the Sakyans
who honored the Buddha and listened to his sermons, but thought,
spoke, and acted violently. On the other hand, there are many
non-Buddhists who are compassionate and filled with forgiveness
towards others. They are more Buddhist than the Buddhists. To
solve the complex problems of today's world, we need Buddhists,
Hindus, Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Marxists all to face
the situation mindfully in order to understand the structural
violence and to avoid blaming anyone. With skillful means and
patience, we can solve the world's conflicts nonviolently.
There
is a Buddhist saying that describes this approach:
In
times of war
Give
rise in yourself to the mind of compassion,
Helping
living beings
Abandon
the will to fight.
Wherever
there is furious battle,
Use
all your might
To
keep both sides' strength equal
And
then step in to reconcile this conflict.
(Vimalakirti
Sutra)
Tibetans
provide an excellent example of a Buddhist approach to conflict.
However violent and ruthless the Chinese aggressors have been
to this country, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has never said
a harmful word against them. He always asks the Tibetans to
refrain from armed struggle and to meditate on what they did
in the past that might have caused them so much suffering.
The
Tiananmen massacre in Peking followed shortly after a similarly
bloody incident in Lhasa in 1989. This time the Chinese government
treated their own people as badly as they had the Tibetans.
But none of the Tibetan spiritual leaders in exile ever said
that it served the Chinese right. On the contrary, the Tibetan
Buddhists are always full of compassion towards the Chinese
and hope tat one of these days a resolution will be found to
the issue of Tibet. One cannot help but admire their attitude.
Although they have been in exile for over thirty years, they
are still very positive and hopeful, yet realistic. Their teachings
of self-awareness, meaningful community development, and environmental
sensitivity have contributed positively to the world at large.
The
Tibetans have used Buddhism to understand their situation. I
think more of us who find ourselves in conflict situations can
use meditation as a means to defuse them. If you are in a conflict,
it is good to contemplate the person who is causing you the
most suffering. Visualize the features you find most repulsive.
Think about what makes the person suffer in daily life. Try
to understand how he came to do what you find so unjust. Examine
his or her motivations and aspirations. See what prejudices,
narrow-mindedness, hatred, or anger he or she may be harboring.
Contemplate in this way until understanding and compassion well
up in your heart, and watch your anger and resentment disappear.
You may need to practice this exercise many times on the same
person before you can feel calm enough to understand the other
person. This is only one of many meditation practices that can
be used in situations of conflict or anger. Another is to meditate
on yourself in the same way, on your own suffering caused by
attachment and the lack of wisdom.
In
conflict situations, nonviolence is the desired end as well
as the means to achieve it. The Buddhist approach to conflict
resolution requires concentration and the practice of mindfulness.
When we make nonviolence a part of our daily lives, we water
the seeds of a nonviolent society.
2.
Buddhism and War - Combating terrorism
is no crime! ...by Sarath Weerasekera
Midweek
Review- * http://origin.island.lk/2002/08/28/midwee07.html
If
a notorious criminal enters the house of Priya and Prem by force
and tries to harm them, then what would Prem do? Will he start
practising ‘Metta’ in keeping with the Buddha’s
teachings of non violence and Ahimsa, or would he try to study
the root causes why men behave in such a manner and try to address
those root causes, or would he simply try to overpower the criminal
with whatever means available and save themselves from the criminal?
If the latter course of action is the answer, how should the
people act if their land is under siege and their lives endangered
by a group of terrorists?
I
thought of writing this after reading the article, ‘Buddhism
and War.’ by Priya and Prem Jayasekera in The Island Midweek
Review on 14th Aug. 2002. It said that they were both horrified,
stupefied, and shocked to hear an ardent ‘Sinhala Buddhist’
say that the Buddha did not say anything against wars, and therefore
war was justified and as such it was a horrendous statement
founded entirely on ignorance. It then elaborated on loving
kindness and Ahimsa of the Buddha and argued that Buddha was
always against war.
I
have little knowledge of Buddhism as against Priya and Prem,
who appear to be well versed in Damma. However, I find it difficult
to agree totally with their argument, as they have not touched
upon national security or action in self-defence, when dealing
with "Ahimsa".
Even
a kid knows that Buddhism is against war. The Buddha has advocated
and preached "non violence and peace" as his universal
messages and said, "Never hatred is appeased by hatred
but it is appeased by kindness." The Buddha not only condemned
killing of all types of living beings but also condemned the
destruction of plant life.
As
Priya and Prem also agree Buddhism is not a religion but a way
of life", a teaching, which should be practised in daily
life. Now the question is: Has Buddhism, as a way of life, given
permission for a State to raise and maintain an Army to protect
its citizens from aggression? Can a good Buddhist be a good
soldier? And can such a soldier kill to protect his land his
people?
If
a notorious criminal enters the house of Priya and Prem by force
and tries to harm them, then what would Prem do? Will he start
practising ‘Metta’ in keeping with the Buddha’s
teachings of non violence and Ahimsa, or would he try to study
the root causes why men behave in such a manner and try to address
those root causes, or would he simply try to overpower the criminal
with whatever means available and save themselves from the criminal?
If the latter course of action is the answer, how should the
people act if their land is under siege and their lives endangered
by a group of terrorists?
While
civilians are being killed, children forcibly conscripted, people
extorted and arms amassed for destroying the country by the
terrorists, should they practise Metta towards the enemy or
try to find the root causes or try to save the innocents from
being butchered? If Buddhism is a way of life and if that way
of life prohibits any action against aggression and if the forefathers
of Sri Lanka have acted accordingly, Buddhism in Sri Lanka would
have vanished long time ago.
Now
let us briefly see how the Buddha has responded when it came
to national security.
The
Buddhist texts show that the Buddha, though he preached non-violence,
has acknowledged that a state must have an Army to defend herself.
In Cakkavatti-Sihananda Sutta in Digha Nikaya, the Buddha has
justified the king in raising and maintaining an army to protect
his people from external and internal aggression. Hence the
Buddha was mindful of an army to protect the citizens and consequent
use of force in defence, as a worldly necessity.
Once
the Buddha asked King Pasenadi whether he would like to keep
a noble youth in his Army if he was untrained, unskilled, timid,
trembling and wanting to run away. The fact that the Buddha
used similes from Pasenadi’s military implies that he
accepted and acknowledged the existence of an Army as a tool
of the state.
King
Suddhodana one day came to the Buddha and complained that his
soldiers were joining the order and it had resulted in depletion
of the army. The Buddha immediately ruled that if someone in
the army wanted to enter the order, he must get the consent
of the king. (This rule is still valid in our country.) This
incident too implies that the Buddha has accepted that a state
must have a fully-fledged Army for defence whilst being fully
aware of the role of the army during an invasion. Hence Buddhism
recognises the validity of certain worldly needs which may not
be fully compatible with the highest ideals of harmlessness
and non-violence.
In
the Seeha Senapathi Sutta (Anguttara Nikaya) Seeha, the head
of an army brigade, comes to the Buddha to clarify certain matters
connected to Dhamma. The Buddha clarifies it and he attains
"Sothapaththi" but continues to serve in the Army!!
The Buddha never asked Seeha to quit the Army or demobilise
his army.
Prem
and Priya have also mentioned that terrorism is the answer of
the desperate and hence the root causes have to be addressed
as a solution. It may be so in the long term. "Terrorism"
is, unleashing of violence towards civilians and civil targets
to achieve a political objective. Does anyone expect a government
to do nothing and allow the terrorists to kill civilians until
the so called "root causes" are properly addressed?
If someone argues that the government must wage war against
the terrorists in order to save the lives of innocents and public
property, can he be branded an extremist? Terrorism must be
rooted out in terms of cause and effect. Treating the root causes
if any, is operationally a long-term project whilst reacting
immediately is necessary to deter the killers. It is best to
preserve the complimentary character of the two. I am sure Prem
and Priya would agree with me on this.
Not
only against terrorism but, as we are all aware, countries fight
for independence as well. Ven. Walpole Rahula Thera points out
that fighting for national independence has become an established
Buddhist tradition since freedom was essential to the spiritual
as well as material progress of the community. The state cannot
grant people Nibbana and all it can do is to ensure their freedom
to attain it for themselves. In order to ensure that, the state
may have to wage war in its defence.
Throughout
the history of Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks have played an active
role in protecting the country and Buddhism, against foreign
invasions. In 5th century BC during the invasions of from south
India Ven. Mahanama raised the Royal prince Dhatusena amidst
attempts to assassinate him. He admitted the prince into Order
and brought him up secretly training him in every sphere. Dhatusena
subsequently liberated Sinhalese and Buddhism from aggression.
Can anybody argue that Ven. Mahanama acted against the Buddha’s
teachings?
As
per Mahawansa when king Dutugemunu became remorseful at the
thought of killing a large number of human beings in battle,
some Arahats living in the island of Piyangu met the king and
said that his path to heaven was not obstructed as his "intention"
had been benign.
Ven.
Rahula in his book "The heritage of the Bhikku" concludes
that although the above record is diametrically opposed to the
teachings of the Buddha, working for the freedom and upliftment
of religion were considered so noble by both laity and Sangha
that they seemed to believe that Arahats themselves had accepted
that even the destruction of human beings in order to save the
country was not a grave crime.
The
precept to refrain from killing is one that is voluntarily undertaken.
A Buddhist knows if he violates that tenet he does so at his
own peril. But the question is whether there is any mitigation,
if killing is carried out as a duty that one owes to the state.
In a situation like this hatred is not so dominant in "Chetana"
or the mental volition that accompanies such an act.
We
all have heard of the monk Therapuththabaya, who disrobed, joined
King Dutugemunu’s Army, fought the enemy, and after winning
the war joined the Order again and attained Arahathood !! We
have read in texts how the Buddha has prevented many wars. But
being a soldier is not one of the five forbidden livelihoods
mentioned in Buddhism.
The
Buddha has accepted that even a righteous king must have a well-trained
Army to defend his people. I am sure the person, whom Priya
and Prem took on so vehemently calling him an "ardent Sinhala
Buddhist" was only trying to say that.
(The
writer is Rear Admiral, Navy Camp, KKS)
3.
Buddhism and War ...by Ru Wickremasinghe
Lanka
Daily News, September 3, 2002
http://www.buddhistnews.tv/current/warnbud-N.php
Colombo
-- Buddhism, is absolute 'AHIMSA' or non violence. The noble
Buddha preached loving kindness towards all beings "long,
short, tall, thin, stout or medium. Seen, unseen, born yet to
be born, those living far or near, to all beings without exception",
in the Mettha Sutra (Discourse on 'loving kindness'). In the
same Sutra He stated "just as a mother would love and protect
her only child even at the risk of her own life so may you cultivate
boundless love towards all beings".
Ours
is not a religion. It is a philosophy. The Dhamma is a teaching
which can be and should be practised in daily life.
That
is what is meant by 'the practice of Buddhism', not going to
the temple and repeating stanzas, some even ask for forgiveness
from the Buddha! Some have transformed the Buddha into an eternal
God and even pray to him! The Buddha released Himself from Sansara
or the cycle of births and deaths.
This
is a concept that is fundamental to Buddhism. But some of our
Sinhala Buddhist sadly do not comprehend Buddhism.
In
all His teachings the Buddha stresses how sacred and precious
life, especially human life is. He has said "A single day
of life is worth more than all the treasures of the universe"
(the Saddharma Pundharika Sutra or the 'Lotus Sutra'). War,
which cruelly robs people can never be excused by any reason
or cause. It is an absolute evil. Those who advocate war or
terrorism, are in fact cowards. In Lanka those who advocate
war are the well heeled people in Colombo who have not sent
a son or daughter to defend this country. They do not mind at
all if the sons of the poor are sacrificed so that they may
live in comfort.
It
is the injustice that has bred our problem. As Martin Luther
King Jnr. said 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".
As another great Japanese Buddhist leader, Daisaku Ikeda has
stated "We must unite across differences of nationality
and faith in order to create a world free of injustice, violence
and terror."
We
have been in recent years trapped in a vicious cycle of hatred
and reprisals. We must, if we claim to be a really Buddhist
country, break this cycle of violence and transform distrust
into trust. This is the antidote to terrorism and the worship
of violence. In this country we have seen over the years, including
the period of JVP insurgency, the vilest depths to which human
nature can sink. This is a damning indictment on a country which
claims to practise - I repeat practice, (not worship) the word
of the Buddha.
The
evil over which we must triumph is hatred. Did not the Enlightened
and Compassionate One say "Hatred is not conquered by hatred
but by love alone"? Let us practise that. Unless we achieve
that fundamental transformation within ourselves we will not
be able to perceive our ultimate connection with all our fellow
human beings - feeling their suffering as our own - we will
never be free of conflict and war.
We
must be able to feel other's suffering as our own. We cannot
emphasize this point more strongly. Our war will truly end when
we cultivate Mettha or love for all beings whether they be Tamils,
Muslims, Malays, Burghers, Christians or Hindus. We all belong
to one human family, let us not divide ourselves by labels.
We must break down the icy walls of distrust and restore faith
in humanity. We were not born into this world to hate Tamils
or anyone else and to destroy each other in the process. We
must restore our faith in humanity and in each other.
As
for the Tamil problem let us address the causes of the insurgency.
Let us remove the cause for the war.
There
have been antagonisms generated because of alienation and 'marginalization'.
Terrorism is the answer of the desperate. It is also the response
of the weak and the coward. We cannot condone it. It will not
go away so long as the social, economic and political conditions
that created the problem in the first place, remain.
We
may not teach hatred but neither do we teach our children to
love one another irrespective of our ethnic, religious and cultural
differences. Our education system is not structured for a multi-ethnic,
multi-cultural society. We do not emphasize the fact that we
all belong to one human family. We must introduce 'peace studies'
or peace education in our schools and even have a faculty for
peace studies and conflict resolution in at least one of our
universities.
We
must also introduce the teaching of the histories and languages
of the other people who inhabit our land. We lose nothing. We
only add value to ourselves. Let us build peace and transform
our violent society. We would also suggest that all schools
start their day with a period of meditation. Fifteen minutes
of Ana-pana-sathi (the concentration on the breath) and fifteen
minutes of Mettha Bhavana or meditation on love and compassion.
Our minds create our reality, did not the Buddha say that the
mind is the forerunner of all things? We create God, hell and
heaven in and through our minds. So let us strive to control
our minds and our thoughts.
We
must lift up our thoughts and vibrations to those of peace,
harmony and sharing. Let our minds be filled with thoughts of
love, compassion, understanding, tolerance and with the following
words of the Buddha from verse 183 of the Dhammapada
"Sabba
Papassa akaranam
Kusalassa
upasampada
Satchitha
pariyo dapanam
Etham
Buddhanu sasanam."
"Not
to indulge in that which is evil
To
cultivate love and goodness
To
purify one's mind of hate
That
is the word of the Buddha."
4.
Seeds of Peace: A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society ...by
Sulak Sivaraksa
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0938077783/wwwkusalaorg-20/
Amazon.com
Reviewer: Sean Parlaman from Ashland, Oregon:
"Never
before have I read one book with so many answers to so many
problems, save for the Gospels perhaps. Ajarn Sulak Sivaraksa
for years was a much-criticized, crystal clear voice for positive
social change and human rights during the dark days of military
dictatorship in Thailand. Unfortunately, with the realization
of democratic freedom in that country starting in 1992, most
influential Thais used their freedom not to rediscover the fundamental
values of human decency as taught by Buddha and Christ, (and
which made Thais world famous as a loving, generous people),
but to embrace the new gods of consumerism and development in
pursuit of their own financial gain.
The
result of that idolatry is an economy in shambles today, thanks
to a "Rich then Green" economic approach which placed
wealth for a few above quality of life for all. In this setting,
it is appropriate for Thais, (and foreigners who love Thailand),
to discover or re-discover "Seeds of Peace," and it's
message of human spiritual transformation -- starting with each
of us -- expanding outwards (much like Bobby Kennedy's metaphor
of rings of water in a pond) to transform families, communities,
villages, cities, states, nations and the world.
Although
the political message is somewhat outdated -- Ajarn Sulak wrote
"Seeds of Peace" in 1991 while a political exile hated
by the military/police Thai government which was run out of
power in the May 1992 pro-democracy demonstrations -- the spiritual,
social and activist message is one that is more vital than ever
today. Thais are now faced with the proof that profit and material
wealth -- as both Buddha and Christ taught -- destroy us as
spiritual beings, and they cannont guarantee happiness. The
Thai government's answer to the economic downturn has been to
put more faith in an export economy in which child and under-paid
labor is still rampant, and to accept IMF bailout schemes which
cripple local decision-making ability and hobble the rights
of the workers even more. By reconsidering and returning to
the traditional values of Thai Buddhism, and by embracing "engaged
buddhism" as a social and activist model, Ajarn Sulak believes
that Thais can regain some of the qualities of Thai life which
now exist mostly as sentimental recollections.
Sulak
Sivaraksa precieves with crystal clarity the cancers that are
inside all of us -- greed, anger, mistrust, hate, ignorance,
indifference -- and demonstrates how they infect our entire
world on a global scale. But he also offers the answers with
equal clarity, of the good, peacefulness, unconditional love
and optimism which we hold inside of us as well. That part of
us, our "higher selves," are "seeds" which
can transform not only our life and the lives of those we love,
but change our entire world as well."
5.
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship
http://www.bpf.org/
For
over two decades, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship has been in
the forefront of socially engaged Buddhism.
Through
our projects and publications, we strive to apply Buddhist principles
to issues such as
•
human rights
•
systemic violence
•
economic justice
•
environmental sustainability
BPF
members can be found serving food to the homeless, teaching
meditation in jails, working in community gardens with at-risk
youth, and sitting meditation at vigils for peace and justice.
Buddhists
of all traditions are invited to come together in this worldwide
network of Dharma practitioners who care deeply about helping
beings to liberate themselves from all forms of suffering.
The
Journal of Socially Engaged Buddhism
Turning
Wheel brings a sharp focus to urgent matters of peace, social
justice, environmental activism, and dharma practice. Turning
Wheel's fresh style and plain-speaking quality reflect the
grassroots activism of BPF.
In
every issue, you'll find writing that challenges the mind and
speaks to the heart from some of the leading thinkers of socially
engaged Buddhism. Some of our authors have included:
Robert
Aitken Roshi, Joanna Macy, Sulak Sivaraksa, and Gary Snyder
And,
because the awakened mind exists everywhere, we also regularly
publish the writing of “everyday Buddhists” from
many traditions and points of view.
Each
issue of Turning Wheel is filled with regular features that
bring together insight and action:
•
Indra's Net (news and action alerts), Family Practice, Prison
Page, and History column
•
Announcements and events in the world of socially engaged
Buddhist
•
Art and poetry
•
Book and film reviews
Far
from being a mouthpiece for any Buddhist “party line,”
Turning Wheel embraces diversity and encompasses many
(sometimes opposing!) points of view. It's always lively, often
controversial. Our editorial policy: stretch the mind in as
many directions as possible. Edited by writer/activist Susan
Moon (author of The Life and Letters of Tofu Roshi and
co-editor of Being Bodies: Buddhist Women on the Paradox
of Embodiment
Prison
Project
The
BPF Prison Project is deeply committed to working with prisoners,
their families, and all other persons associated with the prison
system to address the systemic violence within the prison-industrial
complex.
We
are committed to engage in compassionate action through: 1)
ministry; 2) correspondence; 3) training; and 4) advocacy, education
and networking activities.
1.
Ministry
Ministry
helps individual prisoners develop skills necessary to meet
the everyday violence in prison, and to lead productive and
satisfying lives while in prison and post-release. We co-sponsor
the Prison Meditation Network, which teaches meditation, yoga,
and journal writing in seven local prisons and jails. We also
co-sponsor Sangha X, a group for ex-prisoners and ex-drug addicts
which meets twice weekly.
2.
Correspondence
The
Prison-Community Correspondence Program communicates with hundreds
of prisoners across the United States. We distribute free dharma
books and subscriptions to our quarterly journal Turning
Wheel to almost 1,000 inmates. We also coordinate correspondence
between prisoners and interested Buddhist correspondents (along
with offering guidelines and mentoring for volunteer correspondents).
3.
Training
Training
is provided for the people who teach inmate meditation programs.
Teachers are carefully screened and mentored for work inside.
We hope to eventually include meditation classes for correctional
officers and prison administrators as well. We want to work
with all the people associated with these institutions, out
of recognition that they are also suffering in an unjust and
inhospitable system.
4.
Advocacy, Education and Networking
Advocacy,
education, and networking activities to mobilize people in the
faith-based, Buddhist, and activist communities, and the general
public. The growing interest in prisons means this is a ripe
time to promote understanding of the root causes of the current
prison crisis, and to work together for change. We have been
focusing on resistance to the death penalty and addressing youth
and lifers' issues..
International
Projects of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship
BPF
co-sponsors several international projects and is affiliated
with socially engaged Buddhist projects worldwide.
Projects
co-sponsored by BPF
Burmese
People’s Relief Group (BPRG)- provides funding for
general relief and training such as medical, food and education
for Burmese refugees along the Thai/Burma border. For more information,
contact hnathan@senecacapital.com
Tibetan
Revolving Fund- provides small loans for labor intensive
livelihood projects such as bakeries and rug factories in refugee
settlements in India and Nepal.
Dharma
Gaia Trust- nurtures awareness of the complementarity of
Buddhism and ecology through generating funds for Buddhist-inspired
ecological projects in Asia and the developing world.
International
affiliates include:
Sakyadhita
International Association of Buddhist Women
Support
organization for Buddhist women worldwide, dedicated to empowering
and educating Buddhist women, and the development of the Bhikkhuni
sangha. Resources for women.
International
Network of Engaged Buddhists
INEB's
areas of concern have centered on alternative education, non-violence,
human rights, the environment, women's issues, alternative development,
and the integration of spirituality and activism.
Universal
Education/Alice Project
Buddhist-based
school in Sarnath, India, dedicated to a holistic, transpersonal
approach to education for rural village children.
Other
international affiliates
BPF
Bangladesh
BPF
Bangalore
BPF
Australia — Melbourne and Sydney
INEB
Japan
BPF
Ladakh
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