Orange County Buddhist Church
Orange County Buddhist Church
Recent world events leave us in an unsettling situation, wondering if our country is about to go to war with Iraq. People are buying up duct tape from the stores in preparation for possible bio-chemical terrorist attacks. The President speaks strongly that Saddam Hussein will be made to disarm, regardless. How should we understand this situation that the entire world finds itself in? Is peace a viable possibility? Can we use force to create peace?
In the book, “The Teachings of the Buddha”, edited by Jack Kornfield, there is the following quotation from the Dhammapada, one of the oldest of Buddhist texts:
Harmlessness
“All beings tremble before violence.
All fear death.
All love life.
See yourself in others.
Then whom can you hurt?
What harm can you do?
He who seeks happiness
By hurting those who seek
happiness
Will never find happiness
For your brother is like you.
He wants to be happy.
Never harm him
And when you leave this life
You too will find happiness.
p. 8, “Teachings of the Buddha”
edited by Jack Kornfield
In light of the recent current events, this passage to me carries great meaning. “All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life.”
There is a universality of life expressed here. All beings love life. Who is there that does not? When we understand that all beings love life, how can we propose to take that precious life away from others?
“See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt?” When we dualistically look at the world as us against them, friend vs. foe, then great barriers can arise between people. This can occur between two people, between organizations, between countries. When we look at the world non-dualistically, then the world is not divided between friend and foe, us vs. them. We begin to see ourselves in others. They seek happiness like me. They wish the best for their children like me. They feel joy and sorrow, pain and suffering, just like me. How can they be so different than me? When I can see a part of myself in others, then how can I bring harm on to others?
Shinran Shonin also lived in a turbulent and chaotic time. There was political unrest and fighting. Even traditional Buddhist groups brought forth persecution to Honen, Shinran, and others who were proponents of the “new” Nembutsu movement. Despite this chaotic time that Shinran lived in, he offered these words that were the sub-theme of our Buddhist Churches of America this past year: “Spread the Buddha-Dharma and make the world at peace.” (Buppo hiromare, yo no naka annon nare.) These words from Shinran Shonin are also most important for our world today. Perhaps one way to contribute to greater peace in the world is to share the Buddha-Dharma with others.
Shinran’s teacher, Honen, experienced great personal tragedy in his life as a young boy. His father lay dying from a violent attack by an opposing political group. His last wish to his son was that he become a Buddhist monk, because hatred cannot be overcome by hatred. Although Honen as a young boy must have felt great anger and hatred to those who killed his father, he followed his father’s wish and entered the Buddhist path at the age of nine.
I heard another version of this story from Honen from a talk or sermon somewhere. That version related that it was Honen’s mother who pleaded with Honen to become a monk. Upon the death of his father, Honen wanted to seek revenge and kill the murderer of his father. His mother stopped him by saying, “If you kill the murderer of your father, then someday that man’s son will want to take revenge and kill you. The killing will go on endlessly for generations.”
How true those words are when we reflect on them in the context of today’s world and society. Gang wars are always about retaliating for something done to them. The opposing gang must then seek revenge and retaliate back. Soon neither side remembers what the initial conflict was about, except that they must retaliate the most recent violence brought on to them. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians seems to be the same kind of example of retaliations that have gone on for decades, if not centuries.
Where does it stop? When both sides have beaten each other into the ground?
The book, “Teachings of the Buddha” also has a very meaningful passage from Buddhist sutras that I would like to share.
Sand Castles
“Some children were playing beside a river. They made castles of sand, and each child defended his castle and said, ‘This one is mine.’ They kept their castles separate and would not allow any mistakes about which was whose. When the castles were all finished, one child kicked over someone else’s castle and completely destroyed it. The owner of the castle flew into a rage, pulled the other child’s hair, struck him with his fist and bawled out, ‘He has spoiled my castle! Come along all of you and help me to punish him as he deserves.’ The others all came to his help. They beat the child with a stick and then stamped on him as he lay on the ground....Then they went on playing in their sand castles, each saying, ‘This is mine; no one else may have it. Keep away! Don’t touch my castle!’ But evening came; it was getting dark and they all thought they ought to be going home. No one now cared what became of his castle. One child stamped on his, another pushed his over with both hands. Then they turned away and went back, each to his home.”
From the Yogacara Bhumi Sutra
Translated by Arthur Waley
p. 16, “Teachings of the Buddha”
edited by Jack Kornfield.
As we live in a time when there is threat of war, I hope that we do not become like this example of children destroying each other’s sand castles. Countries and cities can be easily destroyed with modern warfare, almost as easily as kicking down a sand castle. However, homes and schools, families and lives, cannot be rebuilt as easily as a castle in the sand.
Namuamidabutsu,
Rev. Marvin Harada
