Buddhism and Tolerance for World Peace

Buddhism and Tolerance for World Peace

Where is the peace?

Peace in our world – is becoming a much sort after commodity. Having all the materiality we need, we are now turning around and asking where is the peace?

Both personal peace and social peace is not guaranteed in our world.

To sustain our lifestyle, most persons work long hours at the sacrifice of our family wellbeing and relationships.

Can tolerance play a part in generating this peace we are looking for?

If we increased tolerance in our personal world and in our social world, will this help?

Well let’s look at some concepts of what we call peace. Peace means – no war, no fighting, no robbery, no hate, no concern, enough food, shelter, medicines, schooling, scholarship, good sleep, good health.

We all know what peaceful conditions are, but how do you ensure one can keep them?

With all our achievements in this world we have not been able to bring peace and happiness to our world. Every day we see atrocities on a global and local level.

It is time for us to seriously take stock of what we are doing. Apply analysis to our world activity, both personal and global.

Lets stop and take a look.

What are the ingredients that are missing in our world that we know will bring peace.

Tolerance is a key ingredient. We can and should aim to provide all the essential basic ingredients to help bring peace- food, shelter, education, love, safety. And we must generate this idea of tolerance. Tolerance to put up with the conditions we currently have and to strive to improve them. To endure adverse conditions to achieve a final goal. Our final goal being world peace.

Tolerance. What is tolerance?

The Oxford English dictionary, 2nd edition, 1989, Oxford University Press. Defines tolerance as : “The action or practice of enduring or sustaining pain or hardship; the power or capacity of enduring; endurance.”

“The action or practice of tolerating; toleration; The disposition to be patient with or indulgent to the opinions or practices of others; Freedom from bigotry or undue severity in judging the conduct of others; forebearance; catholicity of spirit.”

“One who tolerates opinions or practices different from his own; one free from bigotry.”

“To allow to exist or to be done or practiced without authoritative interference or molestation, to allow, permit.”

“To bear without repugnance; to allow intellectually, or in taste, sentiment, or principle; to put up with.”

“The action of sustaining or enduring; endurance of evil, suffering etc.”

“The action of allowing; permission granted by authority, license.”

“The action or practice of tolerating or allowing what is not actually approved forbearance, sufferance.”

“Allowance (with or without limitations) by the ruling power, of the exercise of religion otherwise than in the form officially established or recognized.”

“Tolerationism – Toleration of religious differences as a principle or system.”

From the above definitions we can say that tolerance is the qualities of patience, compassion, generosity and ethical living to build harmony leading to peace. Having tolerance means to have the ability to listen. Listens to the beliefs, philosophies, culture and personality of others. Practicing tolerance moves us away from hate or ill will; greed or jealousy and ignorance or narrow mindedness.

Tolerance finds a way to allow differences to be respected and grow. It is fresh and clear, not clouded by aversion to diversity. It is not afraid of differences.

To allow all beings to live together regardless of creed, race, age, goals and ideals, this is tolerance.

Tolerance accepts the differences that exist in the world. It accepts that others do think and act differently to oneself- even within our own family – brothers and sisters born together, still can be opposites in personalities and belief systems.

To bring peace to our internal and external world – this is our challenge. Buddha Dhamma gives very clear instructions as to how to come to internal peace.

In the Digha Nikaya, the Lord Buddha expounded the Cakkvatti-Sihanda Suttanta. In this Sutta, the Lord Buddha gives instructions on how to rule a Kingdom to bring peace. We ought to take note and request governments, rulers and organisations to apply this type of governance, that is based on tolerance, compassion and wisdom.

King Asoka was a great Indian King, who after winning many battles, questioned the price of victory against the suffering sustained in human life.

His analysis lead to him rejecting violence and turning to the Buddha Dhamma to rule his country.

Here is an excerpt from the paper written by John D. Hughes titled Recollection by Dharma of the Danda of the Venerable King Asoka.

“The Ariyan duty of a Cakkavatti is that of leaning on The Dhamma, honouring respecting and revering it, doing homage to it , hallowing it, being thyself a Dhamma banner, a Dhamma –signal, having the Dhamma as thy master, shouldst provide the right watch, ward and protection for thine own folk, for thy army, for the nobles, for vassals, for brahmans, and householders, for town and country dwellers, for the religious world, and for the beasts and birds. Through= out thy kingdom let non wrongdoing prevail. And whosoever in thy kingdom is poor, to him let wealth be given.”

The Venerable King Asoka repeatedly declared, he understood Dhamma to be the energetic practice of the socio-moral virtues of honesty, truthfulness, compassion, mercifulness, benevolence, non-violence, considerate behaviour towards all, “little wrong and many good deeds” non-extravagance, non-acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals.”

“Towards all religious sects he adopted a policy of respect and guaranteed them full freedom to live according to their own principles, but he also urged them to exert themselves for the “ increase of their inner worthiness” . He suggested respect for the creeds of others, condoned praise, the good points of others, and suggested to refrain from vehement adverse criticism of the view points of others”. Page 41 BDDR Vol 6 No. 1

Buddhism is the system of practice that helps the one practicing to achieve the state of nirvana to full enlightenment. By focusing on the Law of cause and effect as taught by the Buddha – that all things are conditioned, that is they depend on the causes for their existence, one practices to make the right causes to stop suffering.

Through this persistent practice of developing compassion, generosity, morality and purifying the mind, one develops ability to endure and tolerate suffering with the goal of obtaining peace.

By applying the Buddha’s teachings to understanding why things are the way they are, one develops tolerance for their current conditions, be they lack of materiality or experiencing painful mental states, anxiety, worry or depression.

Buddhism acknowledges the view that all beings want happiness.

We all know that no being wants to be destroyed. No being wants to be not loved. No being wants to be hated. No being wants to be dis-honoured. No being wants to be poor. No being wants to be un-happy. No being wants to be blamed.

Some of the causes that erode peace are: wishing to live at the destruction of others, wishing success for ourselves and others to not succeed. Hating the way others look and sound. Wishing wealth for oneself without any care for the wealth of others. Doing things to gain wealth for self at the expense of others. Having these ideas and speaking with such words and doing such actions we our selves create the causes for war to appear in our worlds.

It is in our everyday lives that we create these causes as persons or nations. Each person does it for themselves. To bring real peace to the world, peace that can continue to be created we need to address the causes of war. Stop making the causes that bring war. Make the causes that bring peace. Generate a win-win attitude. Our actions, personal and global should intend to be for the benefit of self and others.

It is of course easier thought or said than done. Or is it? If we don't start to believe that the world can be a peaceful place with no war and with everyone having enough food, water, wealth- then this reality cannot come into being. Our task is clear- to convince all persons to make causes for peace and not go towards war.

As practicing Buddhists we know that it is difficult to not make the causes to experience the above results in our world. Yet there is a way, the Buddha said so. Another example is what the Buddha said about creating long life for an organisation or group. He said they should 'Gather in harmony, meet in harmony and disperse in harmony'. To really put this into practice we must tolerate any difficulties or differences that arise, to put them down, to restrain ourselves, to focus on harmonising with all members of our group or organisation.

By the law of cause and effect, each being can make the causes for peace rather than war. By example, we can teach every human being on this planet to make the causes for peace and happiness. To be kind to the persons in their world. Act and live to fulfill the needs of the persons in your immediate world- your family, the people you work with, the people in your village. Start small and then steadily expand your thought to include more and more other people. Jump into the other persons' life and see what will make them happy. Experience the world from their view.

It takes great effort to overcome the selfish view. We must start to think about the welfare of self and others. To make everything we do as an act of extending the result to self and the beings in our world.

We look on the personal level, then we can extend to a larger circle- our village, our school, our work, our countries. What is needed? What can we do to help? By every person thinking in this way, more causes for peace will be made, rather than for war.

The seeds or causes of the war that is arising now in the world, were made a long time ago. It is not possible to stop what is arising now, yet we can stop creating more causes for war not to come at a future time. Instead, now we can sow the seeds of peace to fruit at a future time, so all beings can live together in peace and harmony.

May all beings be well and happy.



References:

1.Oxford English Dictionary 2nd edition, 1989, Oxford University Press. States defines tolerance as “ The action or practice of enduring or sustaining pain or hardship; the power or capacity of enduring; endurance.”

2.Hughes, John David, the article “Recollection by Dharma of the Danda of the Venerable King Asoka” published in Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Volume 6 Number 1, Page 39 to 41.

Buddhism and Jesus Christ

Buddhism and Jesus Christ

by Dr. John Ankerberg and Dr. John WeldonAs a whole, Buddhism has little directly to say about Jesus Christ. It does acknowledge what most men do: that He was a great person. For the most part, however, His Gospel teachings are largely ignored and a more convenient Jesus is accepted: one who, along with the Buddha, smiles serenely.

But on the other hand, there is a sense in which Buddhism explicitly rejects Jesus Christ. What Christian belief in a personal Savior from sin represents to Buddhism is a serious form of personal ignorance. Personal Savior? No "person" exists. So what is there to save? And no genuine Savior can exist either, for we must ultimately save ourselves. The central message of Christianity (Jn. 3:16) is thus dismissed as remnants of beclouded consciousness.

After all, one could expect that in Buddhism the biblical Christ would be rather objectionable, for he rejects what Buddhism accepts and accepts what Buddhism rejects. He stresses sin and repentance before God (Jn. 5:34; Mt. 4:17). He believes in a loving, infinite-personal Creator who makes moral demands upon and judges His creatures (Lk. 12:5). He denies the possibility of self-perfection and refers to himself alone as the Savior of the world (Mt. 20:28; 26:28; Jn. 6:29, 47; 14:6). He not only believes in a creator God, the creator God is His personal Father (Jn. 14:5-6); He is God’s unique and only Son (Jn. 3:16, 18). Spiritual enlightenment and salvation come only by Him (Jn. 14:6) because Jesus is "the true light" of the world (Jn. 1:9; 8:12; 12:46). It is impossible that these could come through Buddha and his philosophy, or through Bodhisattvas and their sacrifice of remaining in the world, or through any other self-achieving method (cf., Mt. 19:24-26). Jesus Christ utterly rejects polytheism and paganism (e.g., Mt. 6:7; 22:37; Lk. 4:8). His worldview is thoroughly based on moral absolutes and it is by His moral standards that all creatures, heavenly and earthly, will be judged and required to give an account (Jn. 5:22-29; Col. 1:16-18; Lk. 10:19-20; 1 Cor. 6:3). Jesus accepted the permanency (Mt. 25:46) and utility of suffering (Heb. 2:10; 5:8-9)—indeed it is by suffering alone that the world is redeemed and through which (in part) God sanctifies His people (1 Pet. 2:21, 24; 3:18; 4:1; Phil. 3:10).

Although ecumenically minded people would find it difficult to accept, the Jesus Christ of history is not merely un-Buddhist; He is anti-Buddhist. If we could bring Jesus and Buddha together for a discussion, neither Jesus nor Gautama would find the other’s worldview acceptable. According to Christ, Buddha would certainly not have been spiritually enlightened—far from it. His rejection of a creator God would classify him as a pagan unbeliever, however adept he was at philosophical speculation. "The fool has said in his heart, there is no God" (Ps. 14:1). Such a man would need repentance and faith in the one true God (Jn. 17:3). In other words, Jesus’ view of Buddha is that he would require salvation—just like everyone else.

And conversely, Buddha would have no need for Christ as Savior, for Buddha taught total, unswerving self-reliance. Compare this with Jeremiah 17:5—"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind and makes flesh his strength and whose heart turns away from the Lord." Thus, in discussing Buddhism’s appeal to modern man, Stephen Neill is correct in observing that this appeal is based squarely upon prideful self-sufficiency:

For the modern man one of the most attractive things in this scheme is that in it he is entirely cast back upon himself. ‘Therefore, O Ananda, take the self as a lamp; take the self as a refuge. Betake yourselves to no external refuges. Hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to anyone besides yourself. Work out your own salvation with diligence.’ So the Maha-Parinibbana-Sutta, one of the most famous of Buddhist classics....The Buddha attained to enlightenment by his own intense concentration; he called in no help from any god or savior. So it must be with the disciple. God has been abolished, at least as far as any possibility of a practical relationship to him is concerned. There is no hope for a man outside of himself—or rather in his inner apprehension of the meaning of the Buddha, the Law and the Order. ‘Man for himself.’ That is the modern mood. The last thing that a modern man desires is to be told that he needs to be saved, or that he requires the help of a savior.... So naturally Buddhism has attractive power.... 24

Whereas Theravada views the Buddha as an enlightened man (more enlightened, no doubt, than the biblical Christ, but still a man), Mahayanists have placed Buddha on the level of a divine being who rivals Christ in his deity, although still falling far short of the biblical concept.

The Mahayana text Matrceta Satapancasatkastotra I, 2-4 states of Buddha:

To go to him for refuge, to praise and to honor him, to abide in his religion, that is fit for those with sense. The only Protector, he is without faults or their residues; The all-knowing, he has all the virtues, and that without fail. For even the spiteful cannot find with any justice any fault in the Lord—in his thought, words or deeds. 25

The Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapundarika) says of him "He thus becomes the Saviour of the world with its Gods" (XXIV, 17). 26

Finally, in the area of miraculous, we find another disagreement with Christian faith: "It may be fairly said that Buddhism is not a miraculous religion in the sense that none of its central doctrines depend on miracles." 27

By contrast, how many Christological themes or doctrines depend upon the miraculous? Messianic prophecy (Isa. 9:6; Ps. 22), the incarnation (Phil. 2), virgin birth (Mt. 1:25), Christ’s miracles as proof of his Messiahship (Mt. 8:15-17), the miracles associated with the crucifixion (Mt. 27:50-53), resurrection (Lk. 24:36-39) and atonement (e.g., the miracle of regeneration), the ascension (Acts 1:9-10), the second coming (Mt. 24), etc. The differences are again striking.

In conclusion, Buddha and Jesus are not just a little bit short of being friends. The suffering and exaltation of Christ is hardly equivalent to the serene peacefulness of the Buddha entering nirvana. Jesus came to save the world, not himself (Jn. 12:27). Indeed, Jesus said, "He that would save his life will lose it" (Mt. 16:25). He obeyed and glorified the very God whom Buddha contentedly rejected (Jn. 17:4).