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(A spiritual-talk on Buddhism given at the Satya Sai Centre, Nairobi, on 23rd September 2001)

by Bhikkhu Ananda (Nepal)

"LIVE AND LET LIVE OTHERS" has become an urgent application of common mass today. As the current socio-political situation, day by day, being overwhelmed by fear, terror, war, hatred, mistrust and malice, we have intensely felt our life and world around, in a state of uncertainty, difficult and danger. On one-hand, today, we can expect a more advanced world, but on the other, a more difficult, dangerous and uncertain world as time marches on.

Buddhism, in its foremost message, recommends the value of non-violence for it is the foundation of universal peace, love, harmony and co-existence. Buddhist value-system is based on solely non-violence, evaluating the preciousness of free and fearless world in which every human and non-human living being can share their equal-right. Even to destroy a tiny grass, means violating its freedom of living for in Buddhist ethics, even green vegetation are regarded as one-facultied-life.

Why non-violence is a must?

Life is perpetually on the edge of tragedy, disaster, misery, pain and grief without a practice of non-violence. Here the term "violence" means violating someone's freedom and right. As each one of us born free, has right to live freely. No one has right to violate life, freedomand rights of his fellow-beings. The Buddha, enlightened one, thus emphasizes in his teachings, "Making one's self the example or standard of comparison" should not kill or harm others. This is what universally applicable ethical foundation wherein was expounded a system of values based on the practical principle of doing unto others what you would wish others do unto you. We have to put in comparison our self-interest, self-esteem, self-security, self-value unto others.

The Dhammapada, a popular Buddhist hand-book, clearly shows, how, one should practise non-violence; comparing one's self the example for the fear and death and life is dear to all:

* All fear at the rod (punishment)

All fear death

Feeling for others as for oneself

One should neither kill nor cause to kill - Dh. 129

This stanza clearly indicates that how fear, death, punishment, and violence bring an unpleasant, awful, fearful, horrible and terrible common-experiences in the minds of both human and non-human beings. And how life is dear to all. Even a pet-dog at your place wants to be treated lovely and gently, and doesn't like to be treated in a rude way. Once you fail to do so, it starts behaving in a different way.

The live-evidence, that we experienced just few weeks back, the tragic and horrible terrorist attack on the New York Twin-towers, on 11th September, is still echoing as a shocking experience in our hearts and minds. The 1,300-ft. tall Twin Towers, which were an amazing construction of modern architecture, well-equipped with latest technology and sophisticated facilities, reduced to a mass of rubble within a matter of two hours. Thousands lost their lives; thousands lost their husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, sisters, wives and mothers. Millions, around the world, for a moment, got shocked, and stunned by this grave disaster. And billions worth money wasted.

Why - how non-violence takes place

When human mind is ill-directed, ill-trained, and ill-tracked, the harm, disaster, unfortunates, and loss, that cause us are immeasurable. One of he greatest of thinkers, Albert Einstein, once said, "Atomic-energy, which has shaken even the whole world, cannot train one man's mind".

The Buddha stresses in the Dhammapada thus:

"Whatever harm a foe may do to a foe

Or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind

Can do far greater harm to oneself" - Dh.42

Here ill-directed mind means; One's mind, wrongly motivated with false-views (MICCHA-DITTHI) which are tenfold, such as:

(1) Negation of effect of giving (2) Sacrificing (to please the God) (3) Evil action; (4)-(5) Negating "this" and the "next" world (7)-(8). Denying mother and father (9) Denying spontaneous rebirth; (10) Non-acceptance of the existence of righteousness and well-discipline.

These false views are the root causes for day to-day's global, social, political, economical and environmental crisis and terrorism. Even when religious beliefs are misinterpreted, misunderstood, and dogmatised as "our religion is the best of all and else are false and should be destroyed" then, religion itself becomes a two-way cutting - a sharp sword. It is therefore, religion should be a proper guidance to help man to think correctly; to train, tame and well-direct man's mind in order to raise above from the level of animal status. And it must be the path for one, to be good, to do good and to lead a happy-life. We are different from animals because we have minds to think correctly to differentiate what is good and bad.

How to practise non-violence

One of the Bodhisatva (The Buddha-to-be) ideals is "May others be not always disturbed, by me." This emphasizes that how we should live a harmless life, without disturbing others. The criteria for assessing one's conduct were two-fold: we avoidance of

The reproach of the wise (YENA VINNU PARE UPAVADEYYUM)

The possibilities of self-reproach or repentance (YAAM KATVA NANUTAPPATI)

The motivation for good conduct is expected to come internally on account of fear and shame (HIRI-OTTAPPA) which are referred to as the factors which govern the world (LOKA-PALAKA DHAMMA). In the simplest form, Buddha's teaching was "to avoid all evil, to do good , and to keep the mind pure."

Dr. Ananda Guruge, a renowned Buddhist scholar, in his book "What in Brief is Buddhism" mentions: "As a basic minimum, the five unwholesome form of conduct are indicated for lay people to avoid. Couched in the formula of five precepts (PANCA-SILA), is a set of minimum disciplines which a devotee takes upon himself as a guide to his or her spiritual progress: they relate to killing, stealing or taking what is not given, sexual misconduct (but more comprehensively worded as "improper pursuit of sensual pleasures"), lying and the consumption of intoxicants (again worded with characteristic specifically as situations of heedlessness or negligence caused by liquor and intoxicants").

The very first Buddhist precept of five-precept is abstaining from destroying life which does not only means killing or taking one's life but also not to cause, plain, traing and organize (someone or a group) to so. In simplest word, not to harm, haras, disturb, and interfere in someone's freedom. In other words, to create a respectful attitude towards other's life. Had we really practised this precept, unnatural death-incidents caused by, war-victims, road-accidents, terrorist-attacks, murdering, fighting, could have been much more.

The Second precepts advocates not to grab robber or destroy other's property and to give equal value and respect as yours, which help to reduce the robbing, looting, destroying properties in our society.

The Third precept dignifies the equanimity between man and woman. In other words, creating respectful attitude, towards opposite sex and maintaining the purity and value of pre-marriage, marriage and post-marriage. The burning social issues of today like, marriage breakdown, single-parents, street-children, orphans, would not arise and we could have eradicated the deadly disease AIDS by now if we really and honestly practised and preserved this virtue.

The Fourth Precept emphasizes one to be truthful, honest, frank, open, and upright in dealing with personal and public affairs. Confidence, intimacy, cordiality bring us success, and make our upward path smooth and steady.

The Fifth Precept, when really privatized controls and helps to maintain the international, national, social, and domestic life. Intoxicating drinks and deadly-drugs, like; LSD, STP, HEROIN, OPIUM, HASHISH, COCAINE, MARIJUANA are the prime cause for all sort of crimes - violence, rape, murder, smuggling, social and domestic conflicts. And most importantly, if one violates this precept, that would be the stepping stone for all crimes and violence in a country.

Further more, four devices, which also cause social instability, should be kept away from our daily practices by which hardly anyone is escaped.

1. Partiality (Chhanda), 2. Hatred (Dosa), 3. Fear (Bhaya), 4. Delusion (Moha).

To cultivate non-violence, one should practise four divine qualities, they are:

1. Maitri -loving kindness

2. Karuna - compassion

3. Mudita - altruistic joy

4. Upeksha - equanimity

These are simple not solely Buddhist practises, but basic human ethics, norms, and values that should be practiced in our day-to-day life, irrespective of caste, creed, race and rank.

And whatever there is a common-acceptance as GOOD in our society, means in common it is GOOD and whatever there is BAD menas, in common it is BAD . If killing is BAD means in common it is BAD and to save a life is GOOD which means in common it is GOOD whoever does. In other words, if a Buddhist commits a killing, he is not a good Buddhist at all, and so to the other religious practitioners too. It is adversity to common religious and social ethical values to recommend that only Buddhist way of Killing is bad hence Muslim, Christian, Hindu or other religious way of killing is good. In other words, whichever act that brings peace, harmony, friendliness and cheerfulness for the co-existence of the people of different religious and social environment is accepted as GOOD and an act that which creates adversity, ill-feeling, discrimination, marginalization, hatred, fear, doubt is omitted as BAD. Hence, The Buddha in his admonition to little Rahula, in the Ambalatthika Rahulovada Sutta, emphasizes thus: Before committing any act one should consider in three ways:

1. Is it harmful to me?

2. Is it harmful to others?

3. Is it harmful to both others and me?

And again

1. Think before your commitment.

2. Think while you are committing.

3. Think after your commitment.

As every action has its reaction, violating one's freedom of life, has also its results here and now. That is:

One who kills also faces threat to his life.

One who conquers also faces being conquered.

One who reviles get reviled.

Thus as a result of his own action

The spoiler will in turn be spoiled. (Dh. 67).

Let us therefore, live peacefully and harmoniously, practising non-violence, for a free and fearless world, respecting the value of each other's life and freedom.

May all beings be well and happy!

Any comments on this essay are welcome on e-mail:[email protected] or. [email protected]. 

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