A Pure Land on Earth
PEACE--FROM THE BUDDHIST'S POINT OF VIEW
The Buddhist approach to fostering peace grows out of wisdom cultivated in meditation and shared with others in a wide range of activities, among which teaching and exemplary behavior are paramount. Buddhism teaches us that the causes of conflict and war lie within ourselves; it also teaches us how to constructively temper our own tendency to generate conflict. Underlying this is the Buddhist idea that peace in society begins with peace within oneself This cultivated inner peace numerically expands from one person to the next until we can truly say that we both act and think locally as well as globally. Simply by sharing our inner peace on a one-on-one basis, we can have a staggering effect on global peace.
THE CAUSES OF CONFLICT AND WAR
When nations engage in war, when factions are in conflict, ordinary people caught in the middle experience suffering. Their hopes for peace and a fulfilling life are often dashed on the rocks of political or economic expediency. Contradictory as it may seem, leaders often resort to war to end war. In the name of peace, war is waged. The history of mankind has evolved along this self-destructive pattern. Ironically, this rule applies as well to smaller group dynamics. Ostensibly, everyone desires peace, but often a group uses force to control dissidents within its ranks. Again violence is used to suppress violence, even within the family.
Using violence to enforce peace often works, but at great cost. The ensuing peace is fragile and temporary. Soon, war breaks out again and often on a larger scale. In this way, throughout history, a durable peace has eluded the human race.
INNER PEACE
To achieve social peace, Buddhism begins with a program of inner peace, believing that long-lasting peace derives from the ability of each person to calm his or her own mind and to temper actions controlled by the mind. Thus empowered, individuals can encourage those in their immediate sphere of influence to also understand the need for peace and to begin calming their minds. In such a widening circle of influence, more and more people will be included. Step by step, people throughout the world can be at peace with themselves and with others. Like a pebble thrown into a pond, causing expanding ripples to reach the far shore, a single person can positively influence many others toward peaceful modes of thinking and acting.
SANGHA--THE MEDITATIVE COMMUNITY
The meditative community is the peace program and the means we advocate and practice. It is not a community of individuals acting alone, but a community of meditators bonded by an attainable ideal. A good model is perhaps the Buddhist monastic community, or Sangha, which we call a Harmonious Society. The word harmonious encourages members to maintain a peaceful attitude toward others, to adjust their behavior to accommodate others, and to offer themselves for the benefit of others. Accepting the role of peacemaker is more direct than requiring that others wage peace. Following this harmonious model, a larger society can attempt to influence disharmonic elements in its midst through peaceful means.
History reveals that Buddhists, as a community, have never initiated a religious war. On many historical occasions Buddhists have worked to alleviate the pain and suffering of warfare. In the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, there were many warring factions in India. Many stories tell of the Buddha advising a king to govern his country with virtue and compassion; he admonished leaders to forswear force and to influence neighboring countries through virtue and compassion. This advice is as valuable today as it was then.
THE BUDDHIST PRACTICE OF PEACE: GRATITUDE AND COMPASSION
In many sutras the Buddha teaches lay practitioners to treat their parents, children, spouses, and colleagues with understanding and compassion. These sutras teach that each person has many roles in society and that each role dictates specific responsibilities and duties. Rather than putting blind faith in rituals and worship, the Buddha tells us that we should strive to mindfully undertake the responsibilities and duties of our normal lives. If everybody does so, the world will enjoy enduring peace. You can say that the Buddha was the first advocate of "engaged Buddhism."
Other sutras teach us to treat our parents, our country, our teachers, and all sentient beings with heartfelt gratitude for their generosity to us. If our parents do not need our help, we can show our gratitude by offering and dedicating ourselves to the benefit of our families, society, and all sentient beings.
Going one step farther, the Mahayana tradition advocates the Bodhisattva Way, urging us to treat everyone as our parents, or as our good and virtuous friends who lead us to the Bodhisattva Way. Such friends help us in every possible way. Some help us in their positive influence. Others challenge our patience and equanimity through their negative influence, thereby indirectly making us improve our minds and actions. One who practices the Bodhisattva Way must show the utmost gratitude to everyone and vow to help them. In this sense it can be said that Buddhists have no enemies. Even when a person wants to hurt us, or succeeds in hurting us, we seek to influence him so that his harmful disposition will be limited in its effects. When there are no enemies, there are no wars.
CAUSES AND CONDITIONS: THE INFLUENCE OF FEW ON MANY
The course of history can be changed radically by a zealous, dedicated individual or by a minority. A small group of people may greatly impact the ideals, ethos, philosophy, and behavior of the majority. The impact can be either negative or positive. When the impact is negative, the minority leads the society into war and destruction. When the impact is positive, they lead the society into prosperity, stability, and happiness, and may even bring about a new civilization or culture. In these ways, great or infamous historical eras are made.
As a starting point, then, Buddhism believes that each person should cultivate compassion in their own mind so that they will not be disposed to harm. In turn they will influence others to desist from harmful acts. Gradually, in this simple way, world peace can be achieved.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIND
The conventional view of peacemaking is to focus on changing the environment to achieve peace. Such a view advocates the use of institutions, laws, economic structures, military power, etc., to create an environment in which peace can flourish. Buddhists do not oppose such a view, but stress the greater urgency of transforming the mind of the individual.
To transform our minds, we must understand the intimate relationship between the environment and the mind. Buddhists believe that if a person's mind is not pure and calm, whatever advanced technology he may possess, however pleasant the environment he may enjoy, he will not be happy. On the other hand, if a person's mind is pure and calm, even in a tumultuous and confusing environment, he or she can ride out the storm without losing composure. In the midst of disaster, he or she will not suffer, and will be able to help others.
Furthermore, if our minds are compassionate, we will tend to see the environment as deserving of our concern, and take steps to purify it through activism. The Buddha said, "The world changes according to our state of mind." In this way, environmental activism can be seen as an indirect result of cultivating meditation.
A PURE LAND ON EARTH: PRACTICE AND TEACHING
In the not too distant past, Buddhists believed that to practice Buddhism, you had to devote your entire life to a monastic style of practice. You had to stay in a remote place and devote your entire life to reading the sutras, prostrating before the Buddha's statue, and meditating. In modern times we have returned to the way Shakyamuni Buddha practiced Buddhism. The Buddha left home to become a monk because he saw sentient beings fighting among themselves and with themselves. Conflict existed in the inner mind and spread through words and action to the world beyond. All suffered from these fights, conflicts, and confusion. The Buddha vowed to find a way to help sentient beings alleviate this suffering.
Having attained enlightenment, a mind of peace, wisdom, and compassion, he found five disciples and shared his attainment, experience, and method with them. This was the original Buddhist Sangha. With his teachings, the five disciples attained enlightenment in a very short time. He exhorted the five disciples to travel the world over to spread the message and means of liberation. He cautioned them not to travel together so that they could disperse in five directions and cover more territory.
Until his parinirvana at the age of 80, the Buddha never stopped travelling and teaching. Even at the very end of his life, he did not forget sentient beings. The Buddha devoted his entire life to spreading the teachings of peace. This tradition of peace teaching continues today in all Buddhist communities.
The notion of “a Pure Land on Earth" is particularly emphasized in the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism. The Hua- Yen Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra) [Taisho.9, 449] states: "The moment you give rise to the sincere and earnest intention [to attain enlightenment], you have attained enlightenment." This means that, as soon as you give rise to the aspiration to attain the Buddha's mind of compassion and wisdom, you have become a Buddha. Although you are not yet a perfect and complete Buddha, your mind is in harmony with the enlightenment of all Buddhas. As long as you are a Buddha, the world you see is a Pure Land, for when seen through the Buddha's eye of wisdom and compassion, every place in the world is a Pure Land. In other words, peace is created in and with a mind at peace.
A similar idea can be found in the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, which teaches that in helping others accomplish their enlightenment you accomplish your own. Where do we find people to help? In this world, and in every world in the ten directions, but mostly right in your immediate surroundings-- your family, friends, colleagues, and especially, your adversaries, whom you should regard as bodhisattvas. Thus may the Pure Land exist on earth.
HOW TO ESTABLISH PEACE OR A PURE LAND ON EARTH-- THE METHOD
We have talked about the concept of a Pure Land on Earth, but how shall we accomplish it? The method we use we call the Three Practices, which consist of precepts (morality), meditation (concentration), and wisdom. I will discuss them in turn.
The precepts are the vows you take to lead a peaceful way of life through regulating your own behavior of body, thought, and speech. In the passive sense, upholding the precepts means vowing not to commit any wrongful acts. In the active sense, it means vowing to engage in as many acts as possible that benefit yourself as well as others; it means taking responsibility.
The purpose of practicing meditation is to create inner peace by calming the mind and stabilizing your emotions. If you practice meditation well you are less likely to become angry or agitated in your every day life. By meditation, we do not mean just sitting with concentration, we also mean bringing mindfulness to all your waking activities. Thus your emotions and behavior will be more stable, and conflicts with others will lessen. In these simple ways we can establish peace in the lives of individuals and societies.
The simpler methods include contemplating your thoughts, your breath, or counting your breaths. As soon as you begin to contemplate, your mind will calm down quickly. When you practice precepts and meditation together, wisdom naturally arises in your mind, which means that you will be able to see everything more objectively, and your mind and behavior will not be adversely affected by the environment. By practicing precepts, meditation, and wisdom, your mind and actions will be at peace. You will be able to live peacefully with others at all times.
THE "PURE LAND ON EARTH" MOVEMENT
The Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association, with headquarters in Taiwan and the United States, actively promotes the Movement of the Pure Land on Earth. We teach these concepts and methods of practice to all practitioners, whatever their cultural or educational background. Our slogan is: "Everywhere is a meditation hall; everywhere is a Buddhist temple." Every family is encouraged to set up a meditation space, a place where together and singly, family members can compose their minds and experience genuine peace. We believe that "engaged Buddhism" begins by engaging one's own mind, in one's own space.
We promote this peace movement wherever we go. In Taiwan, Europe, and America we have conducted more than l50 seven-day meditation retreats. Those who continue their meditation practice become our worldwide "Ambassadors of Peace." We have founded a university in Taiwan, which will provide undergraduate and graduate education in social and humanitarian subjects geared toward the development of the individual and the peaceful transformation of society. We hold annual international conferences at the Institute of Chung-Hwa Buddhist Culture in Taipei, focusing on a global understanding and spread of Buddhist principles and practice of peaceful living. Our professional seminars spread the message and practice of peace to professionals in all fields, including prominent military and political leaders. Ordinary Buddhists around the world promote this idea and ideal of peace, sharing with and encouraging others.
In July of l997 we sponsored the Third Chung-Hwa International Conference on Buddhism in Taiwan, with the conference topic being: "The Earthly Pure Land and Contemporary Society." With a subtopic of "Building a Pure Land on Earth," scholars from 11 countries representing Asia, America, and Europe presented 48 papers on ways the vision of the Pure Land may have practical relevance today and in the future.
The keynote of the conference was expressed in this way: "Neither the diverse Buddhist traditions, nor fields of scholastic discipline, nor any religion can assert that only its faith or tradition is superior. It is essential that in the process of mutual acceptance and learning, we work toward the vision of 'Building a Pure Land on Earth."'
THE WORLD AS SANGHA
If the Sangha is the community of Buddhists, then true Buddhists see the world as their Sangha. This is not to say that we should see all people as Buddhists, but that we should see them as parents, brothers, sisters, and children, all deserving of our compassionate care. And it all starts within the small circle of earth that each one of us inhabits at any given moment. This is where peacework begins--within our own bodies, hearts, and minds. It is concrete, it is direct, it is simple, and it is the way of the Buddha.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING
Dalai Lama, Ethics for the New Millennium (New York: Riverhead Books, l999)'
Eppsteiner, Fred, ed., The Path of Compassion,' Writings on Socially Engaged Buddhism (Berkeley: Parallax Press, l988).
Fu, Charles Wei-hsun, and Sandra A. Wawrytko, eds., Buddhist Ethics and Modern Society (Connecticut and London: Greenwood Press, l99l ).
Kraft, Kenneth, ed., Inner Peace, the World Peace: Essays on Buddhism and Non violence (Albany: State University of New York, l992).
Shantideva, A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, translated by Stephen Batchelor (Dharamshala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, l979), 3-9.
Sheng-yen, "On the Temporal and Spatial Adaptability of the Bodhisattva Precepts, with Reference to the Three Cumulative Pure Precepts," in Buddhist Behavioral Codes and the Modern World: An International Symposium, ed. Fu, Charles Wei-hsun, and Sandra A. Wawrytko (Connecticut and London; Greenwood Press, l994), 3-50.
_,"Buddhist Tradition and Modernity" in Buddhist Ethics and Modern Society, ed. Fu, Charles Wei-hsun, and Sandra A. Wawrytko (Connecticut and London: Greenwood Press, l99l), 3-4.
_, "The Relationship between Buddhist Vinaya and Building a Pure Land on Earth" in Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, Vol. l0, l997) (in Chinese).
Sivaraksa, Sulak, Seeds of Peace: A Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 199l ).
Thich Nhat Hanh, The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering Into Peace, Joy & Liberation (Berkeley: Broadway Books, l999).
_, Interbeing: Commentaries on the Tiep Hien Precepts (Berkeley; Parallax Press, l987), 72.
_, Being Peace (Berkleey: Parallax Press, l988).
_, Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 1992).
CONTACT INFORMATION
．Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association
Nung Ch'an Monastery
89, Lane 65, Ta-Yeh Road
Pei-Tou, Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: (O2) 2893-3161
．Ch'an Meditation Center
90-56 Corona Avenue
Elmhurst, NY ll373
Tel: 7l8-592-6593
718-595-0915
Fax: 718-592-0717
E-mail: DDMBAny@aol.com
Website: http://www.chanl.org
