| AMIDA TRUST | |
Occasional paper ENGAGED BUDDHISM by Prasada Caroline Brazier Paper originally presented to the Network of Buddhist Organisations, October 2001 |
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What I am saying is a personal view. Amida Trust has a varied membership and, if we have a position, it is that there should be open debate and that we should not be tied to a party line. In debating we learn. We should never by so attached to a view point that we cannot be swayed by its opposite. At the same time it is important that we strive to understand and to voice what is true. For this reason you will find a variety of views within Amida Trust. You will find there is lively debate between them. What I am saying does, however, I believe, broadly reflect the views of the full time community. Standing in the front line of Buddhist activism we are often tested in our views and through sharing and discussion are constantly challenged to ask ourselves ôWhat does it mean to be a Buddhist in these troubled times?ö This challenge leads us to discuss issues within the community and from this discussion to reach understanding together. Causes and Conditions Buddhists do not believe in justice, forgiveness and evil. This is not to say that we do not believe in things that others would place in these categories, but these are not Buddhist concepts. We may loosely use such concepts as we talk about the world situation, but really they belong to the Western Judeo-Christian tradition. For Buddhists, thinking in these terms muddies our philosophical base, and, importantly, leads us to draw conclusions that diverge from the conclusions that a Buddhist analysis might better advocate, when we look at real situations in the world. Most of us in the West have grown up in the Judeo-Christian tradition and it is all too easy to slip back into its ways of thinking and seeing the world, translating Western attitudes into Buddhist language but failing to make the leap into a truly Buddhist understanding. By doing this, we fail to put forward that which Buddhism is most able to offer -an alternative way of seeing problems in the world. Buddhists do not, then, think in terms of justice, forgiveness and evil, they think in terms of causes and conditions, of karma and of skilful means. Although both Eastern and Western traditions talk a great deal about compassion, their notions of compassion and what might comprise compassionate action, are often embedded in the tradition from which they are drawing. A Western view of compassion might, then, mean being generous in upholding the rights of others and in seeking justice for the oppressed. A Buddhist view, on the other hand would be more concerned with feeling for the sufferings of the world and understanding their roots in the conditions we collectively create. So what is the consequence of these different approaches? The Western values of justice and forgiveness are rooted in the idea of an external source of validation and retribution. Embodied by the concept of God, these values suggest a source of ultimate accountability, which is then mirrored in the ways we approach one another. In the image of God we feel entitled to discriminate between good and evil, to condemn certain acts and seek justice from the perpetrators. We have a sense of right on our side and on the side of those we view as wronged. We take the power to mete out punishment or to forgive. Both these concepts are embedded in notions of the powerful other as the source of validity and authority. A Buddhist view on the other hand does not propose an external source of power behind the universe. In the Buddhist interpretation, the universe functions of itself. Things arise in dependence upon and as a result of the conditions that pre-exist them. If one set of conditions exists then one thing is likely to occur, if another set exists another thing becomes likely. Simplistically it is a theory of cause and effect. This interpretation, on the one hand, makes it perfectly understandable why someone might act in a harmful way, but, on the other hand, is not a theory of predestination. It is a theory that puts responsibility with each one of us to act in ways that create the conditions for a better world to come into being. In this way in the Buddhist analysis individual responsibility replaces external authority. We cannot control all the conditions that effect our lives, but equally we must take responsibility for our actions within those circumstances. Karma and Forgiveness In Buddhism we talk of karma. Our actions have effect. Harmful action creates pain and suffering. Skilful action leads to positive consequences. Karma runs its course. The seeds of karmic traces ripen. In this way the concept of forgiveness is not really Buddhist. On the one hand it is important for each of us to let go of anger and negativity we hold towards others, on the other hand, we cannot forgive that other person and take away their karma. To attempt to do so would be to assume powers we do not have. Developing understanding and compassion may create the conditions which will help that person respond positively when karmic seeds ripen, thus freeing themself, but we do not have the power to take away those seeds through forgiveness. We must respect others and trust that, given better conditions, they will act skilfully. With tough compassion we may help them to do so. Affliction and Self Creation Why do people create harm? If we do not believe in evil as an external force in the world (any more than we believe in God as a positive one), how does the suffering arise? Buddhism points to two sorts of suffering. There is the unavoidable suffering of being alive. Being human involves suffering. The Buddha listed birth, sickness, old age and death for starters. We cannot avoid these. But then there are also all the compounded sufferings of samsara. These are the sufferings of attachment; of greed, hate and confusion. When we encounter affliction we try to escape. In the teaching on the second Noble Truth, the Buddha suggested that our escape takes three forms. Initially we escape into the attachments of sensory pleasure, secondly we try to escape from reality by building self structures. Finally we try to escape into oblivion by non-becoming or self-destruction. Each of these levels of escape can have valences of positive or negative action. They involve greed or hate responses or some mix of the two. All these ways of responding are responses to pain. They happen to individuals but they also happen at national and global levels. I think we can see that there has been a lot of escapism in the world recently. Those countries that had the resources have indulged in greater and greater amassing of material comfort. The lifestyles in parts of the world have become increasingly luxurious, at the expense of other sections of the global community. Tensions have grown and the pressure for some kind of redressing of the balance has increased. Recent events seem all to predictable. When the retreat into comfort and consumption was threatened, we have often seen the rise of national identity. We have seen this in the US recently, but we have also seem similar increases in nationalism in other countries at times of economic decline. And when the search for national identity fails to bring comfort? Perhaps then we see the fall into self-destruction. Although the motives of suicide bombers may be complex and reveal different levels of this process, surely here we sometimes see elements of the ultimate playing out of this process of non-becoming. Buddhism, then, offers an analysis of the world situation that differs from that of much of Western society. When we look at the terrible acts that we all witnessed on September 11th and since, and we struggle to make sense of them, our conclusions are likely to be framed in terms of complex causes and conditions. We can also understand that solutions do not arise through vengeance, through seeking justice or through further violence. Such responses simply sow the seeds of future wars. As Buddhists we have an interpretation that allows us to look deeper. This is not to say that we should condone what has happened or is happening in Afghanistan. The attacks of September 11th, if indeed they did arise from Afghanistan, were terrible acts. They were acts of great destruction. Destruction arises out of deep pain. We do not condone the acts, but we do need to look at the pain from which such monumental destruction arose. As we look, we see that these acts are just part of a bigger picture. This is a picture of ongoing pain in a troubled part of the world. It is also a picture of pain in an area that has been the focus for a great deal of international greed and acquisitiveness. The Middle East, with its rich oil resources has been fought over for many years. In Afghanistan, then, for years now we have seen accounts of the oppressive behaviours of the Taliban. The terrible situation of women under that regime. The oppression of those who voiced alternative views. The destruction of cultural and educational facilities and of much of what we have come to think of as normal to modern life. Before the Taliban we saw the fighting and oppression perpetrated by many different factions within the country. Such situations arise when a people are deeply troubled and suffering. These are the destructive face of identity creation, arising out a history of suffering and war. The vying for power of different factions in a troubled and impoverished land arises from the fear and alienation bred into the psyche of a people who have been at the mercy of attacking forces for many years. The younger volunteers in that regionÆs armies have not known a time of safety or peace. Death and hardship have conditioned their mentalities for fighting not ordinary life. Each war creates the conditions for a tightening of the cycle of samsara. Each sanction denies the basic needs for food and shelter, creating conditions for desperate acts. The answer is not more bombs. We in the West must take responsibility for our part in creating these conditions through our quest for cheap oil and a comfortable consumerist lifestyle. And from the West, what conditions prevail? What is our response to these new troubles? For years now, we have assuaged our desire for security and the illusion of permanence by indulging our senses. We have basked in material consumption and through it created the delusion of power. Just as an individual clings to the illusion of a separate self as a means of denying his dependence on others, so too the West has created a sense of entitlement and independence. We believed ourselves safe and impervious. September 11th revealed the flaws in this belief. It showed us that even those places we have come to think of as safe and inviolable were vulnerable to attack. A small group of dedicated people were able to penetrate to the heart of Western commerce and defence. Panic set in. For a short time the chaos of facing impermanence prevailed. How quickly we have tried to reassemble national identity in a wave of panic fuelled fervour. The conditions that lay behind these events are complex and I will not attempt a full analysis here, but what is apparent is that one potent force in this situation is the growing inequality between different countries in the modern world. The ability of one country to dominate and economically control another to its own benefit and the otherÆs detriment. Such inequalities create the conditions for conflict. Thus greed creates the conditions for hate. The Buddha saw great inequality in his time. He left his fatherÆs palace, the fortress of his national identity. He walked out of the system. His act was a renunciation of the oppression and indulgence that breed suffering. He refused to take part. We should follow his example. A Buddhist Response It is important that we, as Buddhists, present a different path. Just as the Buddha was prepared to walk out of a situation that provided the conditions for continued suffering, so too we as Buddhists should stand as witnesses of the forces that are sowing ever more seeds of destruction. We should be willing to renounce those actions that breed violence. As society moves between reactions of greed and hate, gathers material comforts and builds a collective sense of ôus and themö, we need to be willing to renounce that tide or we will be caught up in deluded responses along with everyone else. To do nothing is to be caught in the stream of samsara. The forces of compulsive action are highly co-coercive. Standing against the tide is not always comfortable, but we should not avoid acting because we crave comfort. The Buddha went out into the world. Sitting on our meditation cushions is not enough. We cannot save ourselves as individuals. We need to create the conditions for the salvation of all sentient beings. This is active compassion. This is the Bodhisattva path. If we can take a stand, we become a voice for change. We do not need to be numerous, but we need to be clear. If we are willing to speak out we can be like a lightening conductor for the voices of many. This takes the courage to stand out from the crowd. The symbol of the Buddhist is still potent in our society. For many people the figure of the Buddhist in robes represents one resolved on peace, that can counter the forces of war. The image of the monk burning himself in protest at the Vietnam war lives on in the collective memory as one of the most potent acts of resistance to violence ever committed. The image of a meditating figure is common currency for peace and calm that will not be upset by surrounding events. We have a responsibility to live up to this role. Recently members of our community have been active in the peace movement. When we take part in peace vigils and anti-war protests, we are welcomed by others taking part. Simply being there in our robes is a support to others. We are welcomed by other protesters and police alike because we are perceived as bringing a calming presence to the event. We also make a strong statement by our recognisability. Our clothing is itself a statement for peace. As David said at one demonstration ôI do not need to carry a placard, I am oneö. Buddhist Training nd Activism Joining protests and activist groups is something we have done a lot recently, but it is not common for Buddhists to be so involved. So, where does such activity fit with Buddhist training? It is not uncommon for Buddhists to say ôIf I am to go out in the world, I need first to perfect my practice.ö There is a feeling that unless we have already achieved a high state of spiritual perfection, if not enlightenment, we may do more harm than good. Do not read the newspapers, they will disturb your practice. It is also often said that samsara is so vast an ocean of sorrow that none of us can ever hope to drain it, and our efforts are simply futile and self-indulgent. Help others by perfecting your mind. Send compassionate thoughts out to the world as you sit. We would disagree with these views. The Buddha did not withdraw from the world. He withdrew from the social structures of his time, but he engaged with many, many people, creating an alternative society committed to different principles. He created an example. This example has provided a condition for peace in the world. Sometimes its voice has been strong, other times it has dwindled, but it has never ceased to offer an alternative view to the predominant forces of material accumulation or of violence and war. Greed and hate; they are two sides of a coin. To resist the forces of greed and hate, however, requires spiritual work. Activism without training can easily be subverted. We can never overcome anger, fear and hate in the world if we have not faced them in our own hearts. Activism without this work quickly itself turns to violence, as we sadly see on some occasions. Training to work for peace requires as much courage and commitment as training for war. Indeed, we would see this as the purpose of our Buddhist training. At Amida we have a model of Buddhist training in which we see action and training as complimentary, each feeding the other. Through formal training we cultivate mental states that enable fortitude and groundedness in action. Through action we become aware of those blocks and attachments that we need to overcome. I do not think this is so different from the life of the Bikkhus of the BuddhaÆs time. When the Buddha taught that they should develop mental calm so they would not be swept away by emotion even if they were being ôcut in half by a two handed sawö, we can imagine that the experience was not simply hypothetical. The early Bikkhus went out into the world and faced many dangers on the way. Their training allowed them to be an example even when they were being most horribly attacked. Activism requires discipline and non-attachment that comes from spiritual training if it is to be effective in bringing real transformation and unhooking people from the cycles of retribution. To bring change in the world we must be deeply grounded. So it is important that as Buddhists we find voice. We should be willing to speak and live a message of a different way of being. We should be ready to take on that role as lightening conductors for the views of the many who support peace and non-violence. It is important that we do this individually and it is also important that we do it collectively. I have been rather dismayed recently to hear on the national news, when references were being made to interfaith responses to the current situation in the world, that no Buddhist voice was present. The message Buddhists have to offer is different from that of other faiths and it is important that it is heard. In order to be heard it is important that – we have a clear message – we have a spokes person, willing to stand for the Buddhist position – we have access to those channels which reach people and influence decision making. The other day a person in the media commented to me that it was ôso difficult to find a Buddhist who is willing to say something substantive. Most of them are very nice but they donÆt actually say anythingö. Buddhism does have things to say. NBO is an organisation created to represent the voice of Buddhism in UK. It is important that as such it has the remit to find a public voice and that it is outward as well as inward looking in its communications. Let us take up this challenge together. P.C.J. Brazier |