It’s true that there are so many external things that
are beyond our control. However, we have a choice – a
choice to be independent when our external world doesn’t
give us appealing results, choice to be independent when
our external world crumbles in front of us, choice to be
independent when the external world doesn’t bring
justice. We as humans have the strength to overcome
anger, fear, jealousy and greed by deciding to fight
these impurities internally disregards what’s happening
in our external world.
The Buddha has taught us such a noble teaching that if
one follows it and establishes on it he will be solid as
a rock and won’t be moved by any phenomena external to
him. The fundamental misconception in today’s world is
that they are trying to eradicate war using approaches
such as law, sanctions, policies, bans, seminars,
conferences and meetings. They are under the illusion
that what generates within our own minds can be cured by
external means. Buddhism doesn’t completely remove the
word of war out of the dictionary.
Supreme Buddha has taught us about a war which is quite
different from the wars that we hear about today. Our
great teacher has told us to fight as well. That is, to
fight against impurities such as anger, jealously,
hatred, delusion and greed. Instead of modern weapons,
the Supreme Buddha wanted us to use wisdom, kindness,
compassion, patience and concern to fight the war
against defilements. Buddhism teaches us that it is up
to us to decide whether we want global peace or not.
The situation is not hopeless and out of our hands. If
we don’t do anything, who will? Peace or war is our
decision. The fundamental goal of Buddhism is peace –
not only peace in this world, but peace in all worlds –
peace in the whole universe. The Supreme Buddha taught
that the first step on the path to peace is
understanding the causality of peace. When we understand
what causes peace, then we know where to direct our
efforts. No matter how vigorously we stir a boiling pot
of soup on a fire, the soup will not cool. Once we
remove the pot from the fire will it then cool on its
own, and our stirring will hasten the process.
Stirring causes the soup to cool, but only if we first
remove the soup from the fire. In other words, we can
take many actions in our quest for peace that may be
helpful. But if we do not first address the fundamental
issues, all other actions will come to naught. The great
teacher has taught us that peaceful minds lead to
peaceful speech and actions. If the minds of all living
being are at peace, then the world will be at peace.
Supreme Buddha didn’t merely stop there; he also taught
us how to develop our thought through love and
compassion, and that our minds will be strong enough to
fight anger and hatred. The great teacher has taught us
to think like this:
May I be free from hatred
May I be free from anger
May I be free from jealousy
May I be free from mental suffering
May I be free from physical suffering
May I be free from mental suffering
May I live in peace
May I live happily.
War
The Supreme Buddha didn’t want us to stop there. He
wanted to extend this thought process to our parents. He
wanted us to go beyond our parents as well. He wanted us
to spread loving kindness throughout our city; beyond
this province; beyond this country and beyond this
world. He taught us that one should think in this way:
“May all living being in this world protect each other
as if a mother protects its only child.” After attaining
Enlightenment, Supreme Buddha preached the Supreme Dhamma for 45 years. During this time he never praised
war, even with a single word. The Buddha perceived war
through a small story.
Four years after the attainment of Enlightenment, a war
broke out between the city-state of Kapilavastu and that
of Kilivastu over the use of water. Being told of this,
Sakyamuni hastened back to Kapilavastu and stood between
the two great armies about to start fighting. At the
sight of Sakyamuni, there was a great commotion among
the warriors, who said, ‘now that we see the world
honoured One, we cannot shoot the arrows at our enemies’
and they threw down their weapons. Summoning the chiefs
of the two armies, He asked them, ‘why are you gathered
here like this?” ‘To fight,’ was their reply. ‘For what
cause do you fight?’ he queried. ‘To get water for
irrigation.’ Then, asked Sakyamuni again, ‘how much
value do you think water has in comparison with the
lives of men?’ ‘The value of water is very slight’ was
the reply. ‘Why do you destroy lives which are valuable
for valueless water?’ he asked.
Then, giving some allegories, Sakyamuni taught them as
follows: ‘since people cause war through
misunderstanding, thereby harming and killing each
other, they should try to understand each other in the
right manner.’ In other words, misunderstanding will
lead all people to a tragic end, and Sakyamuni exhorted
them to pay attention to this. Thus the armies of the
two city-states were dissuaded from fighting each
other.”
Teachings of the Supreme Buddha tell us that
forcefulness and violence, even to the level of killing,
never solves anything. Killing generates fear and anger,
which generates more killing, more fear and more anger,
in a never-ending vicious cycle. When the people of one
nation invade and kill or subjugate the people of
another nation, sooner or later the opportunity will
present itself for the people of the conquered nation to
take their revenge. Has there ever been a war that has,
in the long run, really resolved any problem in a
positive manner?
And in the present, aren’t we on the brink of a global
war that threatens to permanently extinguish all life on
the planet? When will that happen? Perhaps it will
happen when the collective selfishness of individuals to
pursue their own desires – greed for sex, wealth and
power; the venting of frustrations through anger, hatred
and brutal self-assertion overcomes the collective
compassion of individuals for others, overcomes their
respect for the lives and aspirations of others. Then
the unseen collective pressure of mind on mind will tip
the precarious balance, causing the finger, which is
controlled by the mind to press the button that will
bring about nuclear Armageddon. When the individual
minds of all living beings are weighted, if peaceful
minds are more predominant, the world will tend to be at
peace; if violent minds are more predominant, the world
will tend to be at war.
Tilting the balance
The Buddhist doctrine is capable of tilting the balance
towards peace. Supreme Buddha saw the problem of war as
a karmic one. The solution is seen as the practicing and
teaching of correct ethical behaviour. Good deeds lead
to good consequences; bad deeds to bad consequences. If
you plant bean seeds, you get beans; if you plant melon
seeds, you get melons. If you plant the seeds of war,
you get war; if you plant the seeds of peace, you get
peace.
In order to plant the seeds of peace, Supreme Buddha has
taught us to develop loving kindness. These are the
seeds. In order to support these seeds to grow, Supreme
Buddha wanted his followers to follow certain precepts.
Supreme Buddha explained that the precepts are like the
water that is essential for seeds to grow. Without
water, seeds cannot grow. Without precepts, seeds of
loving kindness planted in an individual’s mind die off.
The most fundamental moral precept in Buddhist teaching
is respect for life and the prohibition against taking
life. All living beings want to live and are afraid of
death. The strongest desire is for life, and when that
desire is thwarted, the response is unbelievably
powerful anger.
The Supreme Buddha teaches that there are no exceptions
to this prohibition and no expedient arguments are
admitted. This taking of life not only covers human life
but all sentient beings. Reducing the karma of killing
is equivalent to putting out the fire under the pot of
boiling soup. If we end killing, the world will be at
peace.
Stealing
The prohibition against stealing says, more literally,
that one must not take what is not given. Stealing,
whether it is by individuals, corporations, or nations,
occurs because of greed. From the time of the Trojan
War, sexual misconduct has also been a cause of war, as
has been lying. National leaders whose minds have been
clouded by drugs are not rare in history either their
conduct is rarely just and peaceful. The international
drug trade in itself has become a major impediment to
peace in most parts of the world. The taking of
intoxicating substances is also prohibited in Buddhist
teachings.
A beautiful vision, some might think. But how can such
peace be realised in a world such as ours? Isn’t it a
mere impractical fantasy? No, it is not. This is quite
possible. As a matter of fact, millions of great
individuals throughout history, not only planted seeds
of compassion in their minds but also completely
eradicated all the impurities from their minds to a
level surpassing human nature.
This is what the Buddha told us to formally believe.
Believe in ourselves. Believe that we can win the war
within ourselves. Believe that we can defeat anger,
hatred, jealousy and greed, for good. Supreme Buddha
told us that human life is capable of attaining such a
feat. In the teachings of the Supreme Buddha, we learn
that humans with higher virtue and wisdom are capable of
attaining such a purified mental state such that deities
from the heavenly plains will salute them. So, planting
the seeds of peace and preserving them with precepts is
quite possible. I hope all of you will have the courage
to plant the seeds of compassion in your hearts and
preserve them with precepts.
May the blessings of Noble Triple Gem
always be upon you!
අව
අටවක
අමාවක
පුර
අටවක
පසෙලාස්වක