The Relevance of the Concept of Ethics in Buddhism to the Modern World
The Relevance of the Concept of Ethics in Buddhism to the Modern World
1.The Buddhist Ethics Leading to the Solution of Human Problems in the World.
According to the Buddha’s view, all people in the world are ill due to bodily disease or mental disease. Even though a person can claim to be free from bodily disease, it is impossible for him to claim to be free from mental disease even for a moment. There is an exemption to this statement only for those whose minds are free from all defilements (arahants). According to the Buddha, suffering is caused by cravings. As long as humans are slave to their cravings, their predicament is bound by the tide of suffering. Due to ignorance or not knowing things as they are, having minds occupied by the root-causes of bad action (greed, hatred and delusion) human beings create countless problems in the world, populated by billions of confused people, appears in the eyes of the Noble One as an undesirable place.
The problems that face mankind to day and threaten the very structure of humanity are world-problems and not isolated in this or that geographical area. We will first prove that Buddhism is essentially a humanistic religion. After having discussed the humanistic aspects of Buddhism, we will turn our gaze to the modern human problems to which Buddhism offers solutions. In this section, we will move closer to an understanding of how Buddhist doctrines can be applied to help relieve humans of the problems which they themselves create.
Religions can be divided into two groups, theistic and atheistic;
Buddhism is atheistic. Theistic men developed religion in order to satisfy their desire to understand the life within themselves and the world around them. The earliest religions arose out of man’s fear of the unknown and his desire to understand the forces which he thought inhabited animate objects.
The dangers that threatened men were natural phenomena.
For example, the eruption of a volcano, a thunderbolt, an earthquake or a flood. When these phenomena occurred, human beings thought that there must be forceful entities causing these phenomena. To relieve their insecurities, they turned to shrines or mountains or sacred trees to implore the unknown but powerful things to have mercy upon them. Today these ‘things’ are referred to as God. Over time, these belief-systems underwent changes; they were shaped into religions by the geographical, historical, socio-economic, political, and intellectual environment existing around them. The Buddha pointed out that there is no safety for those who hold such blind-faith beliefs
The Buddha taught that man can reach salvation, the safety or security in life, not by submitting himself to unknown objects like sacred trees but by his own efforts to penetrate and understand the truth of life. Hence, Buddhism can be given another name: the religion of actions (kammavādi). The Buddha also said, “You yourself must strive. The Blessed Ones are (only) preachers. Those who enter the path and practice meditation are released from the bondage of māra (death, sin)” (Dh. 276). In this respect, Buddhism can be characterized as a religion of humans, by humans and for humans.
The Buddha’s world view is similar to that of Western thinkers who call themselves Humanists. The humanist school of thought sprang forth as a consequence of the Italian Renaissance in the fourteenth century and spread to other European countries. The concept of Humanism declares that it is imperative that we uphold the dignity and value of man and consider his welfare in this world. It thus purports to do away with notions of superhuman agencies playing a direct or indirect role in human life. Humanism holds that man is the measure and human welfare the end of all human activity.
Buddhism, from its beginnings over 2500 years ago, is humanistic in many ways. To characterize Buddhism as Humanism, there are two postulates worth considering : namely the Buddhist attitude towards the existence of God and the Buddhist claim which places human beings at the center of the cosmos.
Being adept in psychology, the Buddha knew that people, in general, are in the clutches of overwhelming desires, ambitions and aspirations, that they have an uninhibited acquisitive tendency which is an obstacle to the enjoyment of life, for it usually leads to unhappiness, dissatisfaction and even to the misery of falling into debt. In the Buddhist perspective, desire can be divided into two forms in the light of its root, namely,
1.Tanhā is directed toward feelings; it leads to seeking objects which pander to self interests. It is supported and nourished by ignorance.
2.Chanda is directed toward benefit, it leads to effort and action, and is founded on intelligent reflection.
Using these two categories, the ethical value of behavior can be judged by
its motivation, i.e., it is motivated by tanhā (craving for things) or chanda (desire for well-being). On the other hand, any behavior can also be judged by its motivation, i.e., it is motivated by tanhā (craving for things) or chanda (desire for well-being). On the other hand, any behavior can also be judged on the basis of the mental state which motivated it. If the decision is driven by greed (tanhā), behavior tends to be immoral and, conversely, if the decision is guided by desire for well-being (chandha), the behavior will be moral. Based on the two kinds of desire mentioned above, several consequences are generated. A discussion of them follows:
There are two kinds of value: true value and artificial value. One can judge whether a value is true or artificial depending upon the value’s impulse. In discussing wealth and economics, true value is created by chanda, i.e., a commodity’s true value is determined by its ability to meet the need for well-being. Conversely, artificial value is created by tanhā, it is a commodity’s capacity to satisfy the desire for pleasure. For the most part, modern advertising promotes the artificial value. For example the value of pure drinking water can be labeled a true value; whereas, the advertising that occurs to promote popular drinks like Coke or Pepsi is based on the artificial value of those beverages. People want to buy them not for pure well-being, but rather for the desire for pure pleasure. Wisely reflecting, we take alms food, not for the purpose of fun, not for indulgence or the fascination of taste, but simply for the maintenance of the body, for the continuance of existence, for the cessation of painful feeling, for living the higher life, through this eating, we subdue old painful feelings of hunger and prevent new painful feelings (of overeating) from arising. Thus do we live unhindered, blameless, and in comfort.
People may perceive the concept of work in different ways according to their attitudes. Some may think that work is something that we are compelled to do in order to obtain money for consumption. Work, in itself, does not satisfy him; rather, he works only to attain money. In Buddhism however, work is either satisfying or unsatisfying depending on which of the two kinds of desire motivates it: the person who is motivated by tanhā may work just for the sake of money, while the person who is motivated by chanda may work for the sake of work itself.
The concept of Buddhist economics on the nature of man begins with the two kinds of desire deep within man: tanhā and chanda. Tanhā tends to bring us in the wrong way, resulting in sufferings and problems in the long run. On the contrary, chanda, bring us happiness and mental development. Therefore, the Buddhist method is that tanhā ought to be eliminated, and chanda must be cultivated.
2. The Concept of Enlightenment for Solution to the World Problems
Buddhism has become a popular religion for rationalizing people because Buddhism is based on logic. Despite declining numbers in its motherland Buddhism is still a captivating religion for many millions of people throughout the world. Buddhism provided spiritual guidance for the worldling and points him out the right direction: Nibbāna.
In order to maintain the status of an accessible and useful religion, Buddhism has to adjust itself with the changing times. Although Buddhism can be divided into two main sects (Theravāda Buddhism and Mahāyāna Buddhism) whose practices differ, the purpose is the same: to bring the individuals to Nibbāna and create peace in the world. The method or means of bringing about the goal or end, viz., peace is ethical. Buddhist ethics have been enumerated in detail through analysis ranging from the arising of man up to the regulations of monastic life. Through this enumerative exposition some presume that Buddhist ethics looks beyond their needs. They may think that such ethics is only for people who denounce the world and live like recluses in search of liberation.. It attempts to describe how people can absorb the good things from early Buddhist ethics into their modern daily life.
According to Buddhism for a man to be perfect there are two qualities
that he should develop equally ; compassion (Karunā) on other side, and wisdom (Paññā) on the other. Here compassion represents love, charity, kindness, tolerance and such noble qualities on the emotional side, or qualities of the heart, while wisdom would stand for the intellectual side or the qualities of mind. If one develops only the emotional neglecting the intellectual, one may become a good-heart fool ; while to develop only the intellectual side neglecting the emotional may turn one into a heard-hearted intellect without feeling for others. Therefore, to be perfect one has to develop both equally. That is the aim of the Buddhist way of life.
It is well known that, the modern society is full of conflicts and sufferings. Nobody can deny that in our life we have both happiness and suffering. When everyone in this world wants happiness and peace in their life and hate suffering, then there are many religious and philosophical schools both East and West trying to find out, how to solve the problems. And try to show the way to achieve happiness and peace. Buddhism is keen enough to show the way to attain global peace. The Buddha preaches and spreads universal world peace through the meaning of love, compassion and universal brotherhood. Buddha conceives good life is free from evils and suffering. So the way to good life is the way to ending evil and suffering.
According to Buddhism, peace of the community depends on the peace mindedness or good will of the individual members of the community and the same holds good even if we enlarge the community to include the whole world. For, Buddhism regards peace as a subjective quality having an individual center and manifestation. It is because of this fact that the Buddha emphasized the subjective aspect of his social ethics more than mere external social behaviour. In the ultimate analysis, therefore, peace is the psychological condition or attitude, a function of individual thought and feeling. Thus peace, in the general social sense, is only the end-result of the cultivation of peace mindedness by the individual who is the ultimate unit of the social community.
This mental attitude tending to bring peace in modern society is further analysed into four states of thought and feelings called the Four Sublime Moods (Brahma-vihāra).
Mettā (loving-kindness) the wish to see others happy.
Karunā (compassion) the wish to help others out of suffering.
Muditā (sympathy joy) the capacity for understanding and appreciating or sharing the happiness of others.
Upekkhā (equanimity) the feeling of an understanding calmness of mind, when the foregoing three are inappropriate.
All social relationships, according to the Buddha, are to be based on these four moods or attitudes and thus they are regarded as representing the highest conditions for social well-being. In fact, it may be rightly asserted that the concept of Brahma-vihāras sums up the whole of the Buddhist social philosophy and gives it in a nutshell. Psychologically considered these four ‘sublime moods’ or moral attitudes of the individual mind with respect to humanity and the dumb creation, and can correctly be subsumed under the term benevolence. This spirit of benevolence is the origin and source of all good will among men, according to Buddhist social philosophy.
The repeated contemplation of these ‘sublime states’ is constantly recommended as providing the best antidote to all forms of conflicts and tensions. A contemporary thinkers says that these four attitudes of mind provide in fact the answer to all situations arising from social contract. They are the great removers of tension, the great peace-makers in social conflict, the great healers of wound suffered in the struggle for existence; levelers of social barrier, builders of brotherhood and again the forces of egoism.
As pointed out above these four sublime attitudes can be comprehended within the single ethical concept of benevolence. It is the matrix from which issue all the postulates of Buddhist social ethics, the foundation upon which is built the whole edifice of Buddhist social philosophy. For, benevolence is the antidote to all forms of conflict and hatred which, in the ultimate analysis, are found to lie at the bottom of every type of tension. Hence the concept of benevolence emerges in Buddhist social philosophy as the essential foundation for peace.
On the other hand, four sublime states (Brahma-vihāra), can also be called the art of noble living, the highest living in the universe. When man lives in the society, man will be confronted with all vicissitudes of living, i.e., gain and loss, good repute and ill repute, pain and pleasure, and so on. It is very hard indeed, to be undisturbed when touched by this welter of experience. But the man who cultivates four sublime states is not upset and he can live together in the society happily and peacefully. Therefore, one who wishes to attain a good life and peace should practice the four sublime states step by step which start from oneself after that spreads to group, society, countries and ultimately to the world at large.
In order that a man has to live in harmony and peace, first of all, one has to practice the noble principle of non-violence and cultivate universal love to get rid of selfishness and to show the right way to others. The fighting is not to be done with the physical body, because the wickedness of man is not in his body but in his thoughts or mind. Non-violence is a more effective weapon to fight against evil than retaliation. The very nature of retaliation is to increase wickedness. If we look around the world, we will see that our world is torn by hatred, anger and unlimited desire.
Deep-rooted selfishness is the basic nature of man. Buddhism seeks no victory over anyone. It seeks to liberate all beings from attachments (including greed, hatred and delusion). In our contemporary life the practice loving-kindness is a way of improving the environment. The arms trade crushes the economy of importing and exporting countries in diametrically opposite ways. This is a highly unequal exchange which is detrimental to efforts to bridge the gap between poor and rich countries. If everybody in the society cultivates loving-kindness and they are able to bring themselves to understand this great truth, the world would become a “paradise on earth” with peace, unity and loving beings dominant in society. Buddhism is well known as the religion of peace. It has never waged a war in the name of Buddhism. The Buddha tells his fellows do not meet violence by violence but by love or do not stop war by war but by love. As he says ‘Conquer anger by love, conquer evil by good, conquer, the miser by liberality, conquer the liar by truth’ (Dh. 223).
The doctrine of Buddha has been as a rule, spread peacefully without any coercive method. All violent deeds are considered contrary to the doctrine of loving-kindness and compassion, these two virtues are the hall-mark of Buddhism to world peace.
Therefore, to live in the modern society happily and peacefully the Buddha preaches the six virtues of harmonious living in the modern society (Sārāniya Dhamma), they are as a follows:
To act with loving-kindness;
1.To speak with loving-kindness;
2.To think of virtuous fellows with loving-kindness;
3.To share any lawful gains with virtuous fellows;
4.To keep without blemish the rules of conduct along with one’s fellows;
5.To be endowed with right views along with one’s fellows.<p></p><ol>
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It is stated that these virtues cause affection and regard, and it is conducive to peace, harmony and unity. The Buddha preaches the doctrine of happiness and peace in modern society; in fact all the doctrines of Buddha consist of loving-kindness. After listening to his disciple Ananda’s suggestion that half of the Buddha’s teachings consist of the practice of loving-kindness, the Buddha said that it was not half but the whole of his teachings. It is this emphasis on loving-kindness and compassion that prevents the Buddhist from using violent means to solve a conflict. The Buddha said; “One refrains from killing creatures, laying aside the stick and the sword, and abides conscientious, full of kindness, love and compassion towards all creatures and beings” (D. III. 245). The famous ‘Discourse on Universal Love’ goes even further and gives the admonition to those who would preserve to love all times as a mother protects her only child.
The purpose of loving-kindness is to establish brotherhood, neighbourhood, friendship and relationship among human beings, and to get rid of ill-will or hatred towards others. As the Fourteenth Dalai Lama says that Love and kindness are the very basis of society. If we lose these feelings, society will face tremendous difficulties; the survival of humanity will be endangered. Together with material development, we need spiritual development, so that inner peace and social harmony can be experienced. Without inner peace, without inner calmness, it would be difficult to have lasting peace. In the field of inner development, religion can make important contributions.
Modern society confronts more serious problems from more industrially advanced society. Even though science and technology have worked wonders in many fields, the basic human problems remain even today. Man cannot find true peace at all. That is because man tries only worldly material to solve the problems. There is no doubt about the increase in our material progress and technology, but this is not sufficient as we have not yet succeeded in bringing about peace by overcoming suffering. There must be something seriously wrong with our progress and development and if we do not check it in time, there could be disastrous consequences for the future generation.
The situation of the modern society right now is that we only develop material comforts, but we forget to develop our mind. So man cannot get real peace. In order to achieve real peace or a civilized society, man has to develop both material things and mind together. If we give too much emphasis to science and technology or material things we are in danger of losing touch with human love, compassion, honesty and altruism. Science and technology, though capable of creating immeasurable material comforts, cannot replace the age-old spiritual and humanitarian values that have largely shaped world civilization, in all its national forms, as we know it today. No one can deny the unprecedented material benefit of science and technology, but our basic human problems remain, we are still faced with the same problem, if not more, of suffering, fear, and tension.
Thus it is only logical to try to strike a balance between material developments on the one hand and the development of spiritual and human values on the other. In order to bring about this great adjustment, we need to revive our humanitarian values and share our humanitarian values with other values as the Fourteenth Dalai Lama says (The Heart of Compassion , Sidney,Piburn, 4-6) :
Universal humanitarianism is essential to solve global problems;
Compassion is the pillar of world peace
All word religions are already for world peace in this way, as are all humanitarian of whatever ideology;
Each individual has a universal responsibility to shape institutions to serve human needs.
The process of human life is necessarily interconnected with several thing because man cannot be separated from society or community. The life of an individual is founded on his society. Man has to seek the principles of ideal social relationship for living in peace. The Buddha was one of the greatest peaceful social thinkers who showed the ideal way to social peace and harmony. He investigated the various problems of the existing social order and pointed out the ways to solve them. His message is that a man should harmonize his life with the mode of living in the society and not follow his own desire, ego and impulse. So in order to encourage compassion man should associate four principles of service (Sańgaha-Vatthu).
Dāna : Giving and sharing one’s own things with others and show that it is proper to share.
Piyavācā : Talking together and discussing things in pleasant and mild speech.
Atthacariyā : Doing things which are useful for others.
Samānattatā : Being even-minded and without pride.
Man can live in the modern society peacefully only by cultivation of basic
moral values. The above mentioned ideals are the ways to social communication and social co-operation. Peace can be secured through social service both material and spiritual. A man who is endowed with compassion will be able to bring peace to an individual and society.
We have seen how Buddhist doctrine can be applied to the modern world. The teachings of the Buddha are not limited to the monks and the recluses; rather, they can be applied to the average man’s daily life. Buddhism purports that an ethical life will help develop man physically, socially, mentally, and intellectually. Being well established economically, maintaining life’s basic needs (food, clothing, shelter and health-care) and living in safe conditions are the prerequisites of physical development. Having healthy relationships with other people in a desirable society with a good social environment, and being among moral people and well-wishing friends are the characteristics of social development. Having possession of good mental qualities such as love, compassion, sympathy, joy, equanimity, mindfulness and concentration will lead to mental development. And, having fully developed wisdom (knowing things as they really are) is intellectual development
ความเห็น (1)
Buddhism only cannot solve completely problems but it can solve in personal point that is a cause of them. For my opinion is all sciences and religions go hand together because that we have said to over social problems and the world, it is so wide and broard for human beings by separation each other to smooth out all issues.
Buddhism has a main way for selt practice or development that the its result is in order to the Nivarna , not rebirth again, it is an absolute individual goal, not the society. For all societies are base on the world leaders, secular and religious ones, to hand and tackling all the international problems.