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| Wednesday, 12 January 2005 |
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Viewed from a Buddhist perspective : When nature misbehaves by Bhikkhu Professor Dhammavihari Thera The recent disaster in the South Eastern sector of Asia through giant tidal waves, encompassing a global mixture of humans, have prompted us to express our opinion as Buddhists on this subject.
When Nature misbehaves, as we have expressed above, it affects the lives of humans who inhabit this earth, anywhere and everywhere, irrespective of caste and creed, religion and ethnicity. Humans Have To Weep. Thanks to scientific research of today, enough is known by us now as to how and why these happen. Equal thanks to the diverse forms of media at our disposal in the world, this knowledge is made available to man in every nook and corner. And that, to be sensibly used all the time for the benefit of man, for his security and his well-being. But this disaster could not be averted. Nature moved faster than man. Where shall he succeed and where shall he fail? Better we discover in advance our own limits, every one of us, whether in the east or the west, in the north or the south, and work within those limitations. Even in the pre-scientific age of the world, these very natural things like earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves, typhoons and devastating floods [ not forgetting Noah's ark and the flood], did take place. Man on earth here explained them in his own simple way, elevating these phenomena at times to the level of divine activities or heavenly forces. Thunder and lightning were looked upon by ancient Indians of the Vedic age (i.e. thousands of years ante-dating the time of the Buddha), as the assigned functions of the Rain God Parjanya. It was incumbent on him to strike dead the evil-doers of the land with strokes of thunder and lightning. The Sgveda is very specific on this when it says `Parjanya, with his thunder and lightning, strikes dead the evil doers' (Parjanyah stanayan hanti du-kØtah). The God of Waters, Varuna, was equally dreaded. He could be vicious not only in the external world, with violent movements of water, but could also equally well punish the sinner, filling his inside with water and rolling him into his grave as a victim of the then much dreaded disease Ascitis (colloquially referred to as dropsy). Man who had not yet discovered his identity and his own inner strength, knelt down in prayer for his security. Elsewhere, such elemental violence or misbehavior like hailstorms, directly descending from the skies, were explained as expressions of divine wrath or heaven's vengeance on man for his sinful behavior on earth. They were looked upon as acts of punishment sent down from above, to which man had to helplessly succumb. Whatever be the explanation man on earth gives to these phenomena which the ancients reckoned as heaven sent, they are known to everyone today as recurrent events in the world we live, taking place with fair regularity. The nature of the universe being what it is, Buddhists look upon them as natural events, coming under the category of order of nature or utu-niy...ma. They are as regular as the germination of seeds under favorable conditions. Buddhists call this latter, the order of seeds or baja-niy...ma. When these calamitous events take place, they take toll of life of man, bird and beast without any discrimination. Destruction comes to everyone and everything in their wake. There is hardly any conceivable judgement of guilt or innocence falling upon on any one, within the pale of disaster or outside. We fail to see any sense in making moral issues out of these. Nevertheless, in situations like these, everyone of us who has survived, and who in his or her own area of life activity, has erred towards one's fellow beings through neglect and/or by calculation, should now invariably feel within oneself, a deep sense of moral guilt. Our solemn prayer indeed is that this should happen so, no matter what one's religious creed or ethnic identity be. To everyone, this recent incident provides a real chance in this very life for confession and self-redemption. For those of us who have suffered in this disaster, not necessarily physically, if we really have suffered at all during this crisis, a day of judgement has come. It is not to be missed. This we deliver as a message to mankind. This new thinking and this change of attitude which we now sponsor will undeniably be contributory in a big way to the re-building of a ravaged community anywhere in this disaster-striken sector. Much more than bag fulls of gold, with or without strings. This alone will restore peace on earth and goodwill among men. Think of what has happened. We need to be adequately alerted to our real position in the world we live. We shall not look upon ourselves merely as privileged persons down here on earth, with direct links with heavens above, no matter in which particular region, to which we continue pledging submission for all favours received to streamline our life here. On the contrary, we humans have to be alive to our relationship to a cosmic totality of far greater dimension. This is the idea of a Biophilia Hypothesis. We have to be conscious of the entire ecosystem to which we are linked. In a perilous world like this where death can be more certain than life, Buddhists are required to live in such a way that all life around us may live in comfort and security. For who knows whether death would come to us on the morrow (= Ko ja ... maraoa? suve). Everyone must maximize the benefits of living of/for the other. Sukhino v... khemino hontu sabbe satt... bhavantu sukhitatt...: `May all beings be happy and comfortable. May their lives be safe and secure.' This has to be more than a mere prayer on somebody's lips. This is essentially a charter for healthy and harmonious living in a civilized world. Buddhists shall not destroy the life of any living thing. They shall not cause others to do so. Nor shall they endorse or approve any form of killing done by others. Compassion has to be the ultimate ethic of humans for their own survival. It is this line of thinking that produced Victoria Moran's delightful book entitled Compassion the ultimate ethic. ################# Socio-religious significance of Buddhist chanting by Ven. Dr. Pategama Gnanarama Thera When we view Buddhism from the functionalist perspective of sociology, the role that Buddhism plays in society in bringing social cohesion by means of psychological support to its adherents is more real than apparent in the practice of Buddhist Chanting. Emile Durkheim, one of the earliest functionalist theorists has shown religion's function in sustaining social solidarity in any social system. The Buddhist stance on chanting, therefore, can be analysed from a sociological angle to see how far Buddhism is socially oriented to bring about togetherness and integrity in society. Chanting performed in connection with the significant events of day-to-day life has enabled Buddhists to maintain social cohesion and the Buddhist identity even in modern society that is changing rapidly. Buddhism, provides the adherents with psychological support in their uncertainties, pains and sorrows. The support it has extended both morally and emotionally, which is called psychological support in sociological terminology, can be seen in Buddhist chanting performed not only on the occasions of birth, marriage and death, but also for tribulations and for every auspicious event in life as well. Chanting has been integrated into Buddhist lifestyle so strongly that it has become one of the most popular Buddhist practices among Buddhists all over the world. In Buddhist households, chanting is performed on every occasion of domestic importance in order to ward off evil influences and invoke blessing on the person or the party concerned. It is performed at childbirth, anticipating the safe delivery of the child and then follows every event of personal and social importance to a Buddhist. In this way, most ceremonial occasions are marked with the monks' chanting of paritta. Whether it is laying the foundation of a building or a housewarming or a wedding, it is customary for Buddhists to beseech blessing form paritta chanted by a varying number of participating mons. The emotional boost it provides obvious from the very enthusiasm they display at the performance. Annual ceremonial events of personal, social and religious significance are often celebrated with the co-operation and the participation of family members, well wishers and sympathisers. Besides, it is significant to note, in addition to medical consultation at the time of illness, paritta is chanted for those who are indisposed,wishing their speedy recovery by the blessing supplicated on the power of the truth of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Hence it is quite legitimate to assert that the Buddhist system of chanting has introduced a religious dimension of popular recognition by the laity in a way that they can participate actively in the practice and there by contribute to the maintenance of social solidarity because of the psychological support that is extended by the performance. What is Buddhist chanting? In Theravada Buddhism, chanting is known as paritta'. Etymologically it means 'Protection' (derived from pari+tra to protect). Hence it is defined in the sense of providing protection in every way by the blessing invoked on the truths of the Triple Gem in general and on the truth of dhamma in particular. In providing protection emphasis has been laid on several aspects of the dhamma in order to invoke blessing on those who are in need. It is to be stressed that these protective chants are not mystical compositions (mantras) with mysterious combinations of words and sounds; nor are they magical formulas or talismans or exorcisms. They are original discourses delivered by the Buddha and preserved in the Pali canon. The work popularly known as 'The Great Book of Protection' is supposed to have been composed in Sri Lanka at an early period it consists of discourses culled from the canonical texts and compiled mainly for the purpose of chanting. These discourses have been recited as parittas or chants even during the time of the Buddha. Gradually when Buddhism evolved as a religion of the masses, Buddhist chanting became more and more popular among them due to its efficacy of providing protection by warding off (dukkha), (bhaya), (roga). Invoking Blessing by permeating loving kindness On the whole, benediction is besought for a person or persons in consideration of several aspects of dhamma. In addition to the diffusion of loving kindness to all beings, thoughtful reflection on dhamma, invoking power and genuine qualities of dhamma are recounted in these chants. Hence in the evolution of chanting as a specific Buddhist tradition, several aspects of invoking blessing have been taken into account in consideration of the particular situations that the monks and the laity had to face during the time of the Buddha. Perhaps the earliest phase of chanting is seen with reference to the preaching of the discourse on Loving kindness (Metta Sutta). The discourse is found in both the Suttanipata and the khuddakapatha and prescribes to radiate unreserved loving kindness (metta) to all sentient beings. The Buddha taught the discourse to some forest-dwelling monks to be practised as a protective chant as well as a subject of meditation. The monks had been interrupted in their meditation by arboreal deities who tried to frighten the monks away from their forest abode. These monks had taken their abode in the forest during a rainy season. Realising that the presence of these monks in the forest could be an unexpected bother for them, the deities who had made the trees their habitat took various demonic guises and frequently tried to frighten them away. The monks being terrified and disturbed in their concentration returned to savatthi and reported the matter to the Buddha. Thereupon the Buddha taught them the Metta sutta to be recited and its theme reflected upon as a subject of meditation. On returning to the same forest they chanted the discourse while focusing their attention on its theme. It has been recorded that the deities who listened to the recital were appeased in their unfounded displeasure and thereafter provided guard and protection for the monks as long as they lived there. The Khanda Paritta found in the Vinaya Cullavagga, Anguttara Nikaya as in the Kbandauatta Jataka of the Jataka collection instructs the forest-dwelling monks to pervade loving kindness to the four kinds of royal serpent families lest should they be bitten by them. In the Anguttara Nikaya, it is named Ahinda sutta. The sutta has been taught in connection with the death of a forest-dwelling monk bitten by a snake. although these four royal families have not been identified so far, they are also found in a Sanskrit manuscript. Although the sutta in question speaks about loving kindness and the powers of the seven Buddhas. It is named Khanda paritta in the Cullavagga. This seems to have puzzled Lionel Lokuiliyana, who compiled the English version of 'The Great Book of protection'. For, while saying that it is difficult to say why it is called by that name, he surmises that perhaps it has been named after a demon-serpent found in the Mahabharata. But it is plausible to think that as the compilation of the Mahabharata is few centuries later than the period of the Vinaya Cullavagga as well as the Nikaya works, it has nothing to do with the demon-serpent in the Mahabharata. The sutta might have been so named because it is protection for the five aggregates (pancakkhandha) which an individual consists of. However, as the sutta speaks of seven Buddhas in invoking blessing, it might have been reacted some decades after the rise of Buddhism. Courtesy: Dharmadoot ################# 73rd anniversary of the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara
To mark the occasion a public meeting was held at Mulagandha Kuti Vihara complex which was presided over by T.V. Rajeshwat, Governor of Uttar Pradesh. The Chief Guest was Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Culture, Govt,. of India. The keynote speech was delivered by Mangala Moonesinghe, High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in India, and the Guest of Honour of the function was Kaukab Hameed, Minister of Tourism, Govt. of U.P. Dr. Prabha Thakur, MP-Rajya Sabha and eminent poet, and Dr. Rajesh Mishra, MP-Lok Sabha also graced the public meeting among thousands of delegates and devotees from India and abroad. On the occasion, the Society's half yearly journal "Dharmadoot" Karthika Purnima issue which is dedicated to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, the First Prime Minister of India who had close association with Maha Bodhi Society of India, was jointly released by T.V. Rajeswar, Governor of U.P., by Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister for Information, Broadcasting and Culture, the Chief Guest of the function. Beside President and Chief Guest of the function are Ven. K. Siri Sumedha Thera, Assistant General Secretary of the Society and High Prelate of Mulagandha Kuti Vihara; Mangala Moonesinghe, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in India, (Mrs.) Prabha Thakur, MP-Rajya Sabha and Kaukab Hameed, Minister of Tourism and Rural Engineering Services, Govt. of U.P. |
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Sarnath centre of the Maha Bodhi Society of India held the 73rd
anniversary of the Mulagandha Kuti Vihara on 26th November 2004 at
Isipathana Deer Park Sarnath-the place where Sakyamuni Buddha preached the
First Sermon.
