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Engaged Buddhism: Re-interpretation of Early Buddhism Prof. Bhikshu Satyapala On this auspicious occasion of Vaisakha in Hanoi I have chosen to present the paper ‘Engaged Buddhism: Re-interpretation of Early Buddhism’ to pay my respect to Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh has coined the term ‘Engaged Buddhism’ which became very popular in the post world war era in the academic world. Charatha Bhikkhave carikam bhujana hitaya bahujana sukhaya is a command of Lord Buddha to Bhikkhus to engage one self and society for all-round development. As for example an engineer restoring the rainwater in a reservoir to use purity and the energy of water for multipurpose like watering the surrounding for irrigation work, generating electricity to keep the area full of light. On the other hand untapped rainwater flow aimlessly without serving human being. That’s why Lord Buddha asked Angulimala to use the energy of his Metta, Karuna, Mudita and Upekkha to nurse the labour pain of a pregnant lady. By nursing the bud weather affected people, area he will nurse none but Lord Buddha. A Bhikkhu who has taken shelter is to Lord Buddha, into Dhamma and in to the Samgha is bond by his vow to execute his spiritual and physical energy for the all-round development of the human being. Lord Buddha has used his energy for 45 years of his life on this Earth. As Buddhism has been seen as passive, otherworldly, or escapist, ‘Engaged Buddhism’ may initially appear to be a self contradiction. Isn’t one of the distinguishing features of Buddhism focus on the solitary quest for enlightenment? No enlightenment can be complete as long as others remain trapped in delusion. Genuine wisdom is manifested in compassionate action. When we re-examine Buddhism’s 2550th year old heritage; we find that the principle and even some of the techniques of an engaged Buddhism have been latent in the tradition since the time of Lord Buddha qualities that were inhibited in the Modern Asian settings can now be actualized through Buddhism’s exposure to the west, where ethical sensitivity, social activism and egalitarianism are emphasized. We believe that Buddhism may have unique resources to offer the west and the world and apply ancient Buddhist insights to actual contemporary problems. When Prince Siddhartha saw an old man, a sick man, a dead man and a wandering monk, he was moved to seek salvation and eventually he became the Buddha, the Awakened One. The suffering of the present day should move many of us to think together and act together to overcome such death and destruction to bring about the awakening of humankind. Silhouetted against a full July moon, five figures sect listening to a young man seated beneath a tree. The man’s force which was lit up by the moon light had an air of detached spirituality and complete understanding. The five listened intently to the speakers’ every word, the only other sound that filled the air was the high drove of the crickets. This seemingly unmomentous scene was, in fact, an event of world importance for it was the first sermon on the principle of a philosophy which was to be known as Buddhism. The year was 528 B.C.E., the place, the Deer Parks at Issipatana (Present-day Sarnath) near Varanasi in Indic. The speaker was Siddhartha Gautam of the tribe of the Sakyas. In his sermon said that there were two extremes of life, one was over indulgence and attachment to the luxuries of life of wealth, food, drink and the flesh while other was the masochistic indulgence in self-denial. Both were to be avoided, in their place one should strive for the middle path. This leads to spiritual calmness and an insight into life leading to higher knowledge, enlightenment and ultimately Nirvana. The middle may consist of understanding the four Holy Truths and the Nobel Eightfold Path. The four noble truths may be expressed as follows: 1. Existence is unhappiness 2. Unhappiness is caused by desire and selfishness. 3. Desire and craving can be overcome by 4. Following the Eight-fold Path are
This famous sermon in the Deer Park is known as the “setting in motion of the wheel of existence”. It is also known as “wheel of the doctrine” and the “wheel of law” for the Buddha compared the spokes of the wheel to the roots of pure conduct, justice being the oneness of their length, wisdom, the rim, while the axle of truth is attached to the hub, which is modesty and thoughtfulness. His explanation of the doctrine was based on the conception of a metamorphic wheel. The wheel became an important symbol in the Buddhist art of many countries. The fundamental teaching of Hīnayāna and Mahayāna is based on the sermon at Varanasi in the four noble truth and the eight fold path. The Hīnayāna scriptures also teach a passage which is known as the chain of dependent origination. This Kernel can be explained in the following way that out of ignorance gives imagination, from which follows self-consciousness, out of which is compared existence and then the six senses. The sixth of which is thought. From this comes contact, then feelings and emotion, then covering and attachment and becoming from which comes rebirth and all the ills that one attached to the flesh. The meaning of this passage is that life is full of sorrow and suffering that life is transient and soulless. The Hīnayāna is not a metaphysical doctrine but a philosophical doctrine. It does not speculate on the origin or end of the world. The Hīnayāna had a cosmology which accounted for the fact that the Universe existed but was not created by anyone creation or deity. Lord Buddha did not encourage speculation into metaphysics. He directed men “attention to their own world and the things that they could do to improve their own existence.” It is this philosophy on self reliance that Hīnayāna practices. Refuge in this practice is expressed in the Triratna, the three jewels, which is repeated as a deity prayer not only in ¹yāna Buddhism but also in Mahayāna Buddhism. It is “I seek refuge in the Buddha, I seek refuge in the Dhamma and I seek refuge in the Sangha.” Thus, the Buddhist seeks refuge in the example given by the Buddha in his teachings and in the perfect way of life which he attained. Mahayāna is devotional Buddhism. It has forsaken the lone quest for Nirvana and replaced it with concern for salvation of all living creatures. The Vajrayāna was a progression and a natural development of Mahayāna philosophy. It was also the product of the time and much influenced by the prevailing Hindu thought of the 4th and 5th centuries C.E. The Vajrayāna extended the Bodhisattva principle and combined it with elements of esoteric Brahmanism. The mysticism of the Saivite cult was adopted by the Buddhists and grafted on to the Bodhisattva idea. This was the recognition of the active energy of the deity personified in the female form – his Shakti. This introduced female deities into the Mahāyāna Buddhist Pantheon. The wholeness was symbolized by the sexual union of the deity with his concern. The theory was explained in the tantrās and is thus known as Tantric Buddhism. It was the Vajrayāna School of Buddhism that was introduced into Tibet in the 8th century C.E. There it combined with indigenous belief in magic and neuromatic ritual Bon-po to become Lamaism. Through this brief survey of the three yanas we have seen that Buddhism in fact many things, it could be said all things to all men. It is a philosophy and a devotional religion, it is a lone path and a mass doctrine, it both denies the existence of God as well as creates its own deities. It has presented to the artist a vast array of subjects which can be extremely puzzling the uninitiated. The Dhamma is good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. Good in the beginning is the goodness of the moral precepts – Not to kill, steal, commit adultery, tell lies, or take intoxicants. Good in the middle is concentration. Good in the end is wisdom and Nirvana. The Dhamma is visible here and now. It is always in the present, the omnipresent. The Dhamma is timeless. It offers results at once. There are three yanas and none is higher or better than any other. All three carry the same Dhamma. There is the fourth vehicle that is even more complete called Dhammayana. It is the Universe itself, and it includes every way that leads to peace and loving kindness. Dhammayana can never be sectarian. It can never divide us from any of our mothers and sisters. Come and experience it for yourself. The Dhamma vehicle will bring you to peace right here and now. Step by step, moment by moment it is comprehensible and can be understood by anyone. This is the kind of Buddhism I love. The eight fold path… “Right Meditation” which is reinterpreted by Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh as which I am quoting “Meditation is not to escape from society, but to come back to ourselves and see what is going on. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. With mindfulness we know what to do and what not to do to help.” “Think globally live ethically” is the message of today’s earth Buddhism. As it is the mode word of the 21st century which echoes the Lord Buddha’s word of the 6th century B.C.E. Thich Nhat Hanh’s Engaged Buddhism, Taiwan’s Earth Buddhism and Green Buddhism, Ariya Ratan’s Shyam Dass Buddhism and Sulak Sivarakhsa’s Engaged Buddhism of Thailand are making an good effort of reinterpreting early Buddhism in a modern terminology. As all of know Lord Buddha in his childhood with is compassionate heart had saved the life of an wounded pigeon. Seeing the sights of an ill man, an old man and an fun crawl procession had touched his compassionate heart to achieve the true course of this suffering of human kind and to get rid off. After finding the cause of suffering he had wondered till his last break to make good life of all beings not only of earth planet but of whole cosmos. In the 3rd century B.C.E. the Great Emperor Asoka has followed the policy of Dhamma which in modern terminology is Engaged Buddhism. Asokan Rock Edicts, Major and Minor are witness to his policy of Buddha’s compassion towards the beings of Earth. In the first century Rev. Nagarjun in his Srutilekha had appacated the king of Avanti to implement the social policy of Lord Buddha to remove their suffering. In the modern time Father of the Indian Constitution Bodhisattva Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar made the policy of the Republic India to follow and implement the Lord Buddha’s teaching in the font of Social and Economic and International policy. That constitution is functioning well in the country and India is moving ahead peacefully on social and international font. Happily I draw your attention towards India’s neighbouring Buddhist country Bhutan who has been following the Buddhist economic policy of happiness of all. Bhutan is ecologically and economically an content country. This kingdom has no greed of territorial expansion and without extreme material greed. This kingdom is well protected by Govt. of India. I am seeing Jurassic Park lively at Deer Park at Isipatana. Freely every being are fearless mingling with each other without harming anyone else. That was the kingdom of Lord Buddha. His concern for animal kingdom reflect in the policy of King Asoka, King Kanishka, King Harsha and all enlightened king of the world. Bio-diversity park are being developed in India very earnestly. Bird sanctuary, National Zoo and Botanical Gardens are expanding. Earth hour is marked on the 29th march by more than 40 countries to alert the world from environmental disaster. India is in favour of peaceful nuclear explosion. India want to use nuclear resources for building dams to preserve water to generate electricity, to irrigate land, to control wood and face the famine. In modern terminology it is Earth Buddhism, Engaged Buddhism, Green Buddhism. Whatever name we may give it is continuation of Early Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism. With this note I conclude my lecture by uttering
In the present century which is on the verge of collapse due to global warming, green house effect, depletion in ozone layer, star wars and weaponization of space. Lord Buddha’s message of caratha bhikkave carikam bahujana hitaya bahujana sukhaya is a nuclear button in the hands of Bhikkhu t to make best use of natural properly in a natural way, not to destroy this universe but to rescue this universe from collapse state. Hanoi is modern day Issipatana where Thich Nhat Hanh has turned the wheel of law and revived Lord Buddha’s vacana in a true spirit. Lord Buddha had done in… by setting the Wheel of Dhamma in to… He has given a new vista a new view about the Dhamma of the Buddha. He has brought back the ‘Buddhism into the heart of farmer, fisher, toiling man on the street which was confined for long within the walls of monastery on the auspicious occasion. We offer on rich tribute to our masters who have sacrificed their life for the welfare of beings and for the happiness of all brethrens crossing man made boundaries of nations. |
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