Dhammanusari

The Buddha lived at a time when the economy of India was such that the rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer. There was a conspicuous contrast between the luxury and wasteful extravagance of the leisurely classes and the utter abject poverty and squalor of the peasant and worker, who in fact did all the spade work to keep the granaries of their masters full to the brim. In Benares, in particular, this contrast was most evident. The ingenious craftmen who produced the gorgeous textiles, which dazzled the eyes of the word, were themselves clad in rags which were of the coarsest texture not unlike the dusty gravel roads thy have to traverse to bring wares to town and part with them for a trifle to crafty middlemen. It was the lot of the Buddha, who was in search of a solution to this problem of poverty, disease and misery, to move about in this environment and discover the causes which contributed to these conditions. It was this first hand knowledge of life outside the charmed circle of the high society of his time which helped him to understand and appreciate the many human problems which beset him from time to time.

Practical Outlook
The Buddha is often presented to us by critics as an intellectual in a vacuum whose precepts need consideration modification for a ‘successful’ life under modern conditions. One must face the fact that with industralisation and technological progress the life of the individual and with him the life of the nation have undergone considerable change. The Youth of Today are magnetized by the fantastic developments in the world of science and one can hardly blame them if they have thrown overboard their religious beliefs and they have made a super-God of the Machine. Although we realize that this Machine which is now defied can develop into a Frankenstein monster, it would be futile to put an abrupt stop to their endeavour to search for Happiness through the creations of their genius and research, if not in this world at least in the other planets.

The Buddha as a Guide
In this context the question does arise as to what contribution the Buddha Dhamma can make to help them to shape their lives and make them realize the true meaning of Success and Happiness. We are today so fascinated by these gadgets which help us to a ‘comfortable’ life we fail to appreciate that all these contraptions cannot give us a taste of the essence of Happiness. We often see multi-millionaires from the so-called progressive countries looking for an abode of Peace and Tranquility away from the infernal machine. It is at a juncture like this we see very forcibly the meaning of the Enlightenment of the Buddha. He discovered a Way of Life for all time and for all climes. It is this Truth that he discovered that is reflected in sweetness of the smile in the images of the Buddha by sculptors from the time of Kind Alexander the Great.

The Jataka Tales
The Buddha, as would appear from the Jataka Tales, always had his feet on the ground when he sought to guide those who had lost their way. He was fully conversant with the social, economic and political background. He emphasized the need for economic emancipation for the eradication of many of our ills such as Crime, Disease and Social upheavals. He showed the layman how he should be industrious and efficient in carrying out his daily assignments. He realized that economic advancement depends on a sense of proportion in a meaningful acquisition of wealth and the spending thereof. He advocated thrift and he showed the householder how his earnings should be usefully spent and invested. He did not forget to remind husbands and wives, parents and children and masters and servants their several duties and obligations. He was so tender and affectionate that he even touched on the duty of a husband to make his wife happy with finery and jewellery to keep her in good humour. His advise in this regard shows how practical he was in his outlook and that he was not a mere idealist living out of this world. He was fully cognizant of the many frailties and infirmities which we are prone to.

More than anything else he advised them that for a pure and clean life they should associate with the faithful, the wise, the virtuous and kind. As we know, more often than not, it is the environment that promotes the progress of an individual. One evil friend can ruin a whole family. He even showed us that we should seek to live in a neighbourhood which will help us to lead a life of purity in accord with the Dhamma. This may not always be possible in a busy metropolis but his advice should act as a warning to us when we select our associates. The Master was fully cognizant of these infirmities and it is most fascinating to see in his Jataka tales the five hundred odd facets of the human personality portrayed in a world of men, women, animals, birds and reptiles.

International Disputes
Even in analyzing the ills besetting the Nations of the World the Buddha realized that a spirit of Understanding, Tolerance, Justice without discriminating between the ‘high’ and the ‘low’, the rich and the poor, the strong and the weak and above all Non-violence provided a safe and correct path to the solution of such problems. When we read the history of the World and the fate of mighty nations we begin to realize how wise the Master was in expounding this Doctrine. It is heartening to note that statesmen of this Age like Mahatma Gandhi Shri Kawaharlal Nehru and Martin Luther King sought to put these ideals into practice and now they have gained recognition throughout the world.

Stability of Society
The Buddha on numerous occasions discussed the conditions promoting stability of society and it is most revealing that he was able to see through the cunning and racketeering under a surface of make-believe. He refers to conditions of communal stability of the Order and the stability in the home. What appeals to one most is his high sense of justice. He has clearly anticipated the principles of Natural Justice which we cherish so much nowadays and see to publicise for the promotion of goodwill in our various spheres of activity. Perhaps even in those times there were internecine disputes at different levels and the master seeing arbitrary action on the part of those in power cautioned them to keep in mind the essence of justice before a final adjudication. Dealing particularly with dissensions in the Order thus spake the
Buddha:

“Listen with patience to both parties. He alone who weighs both sides is called a muni. When both parties have presented their case, let the Sangha come to anagreement and declare the establishment of concord.”

F.L Woodward in his ‘Some sayings of the Buddha’ quotes a passage from the Vinaya Pitaka (ii:9) to show how the Master acted as an arbiter:

“First, a brother must be warranted (if he be a wrongdoer) and when he has been duly warned, let him again be reminded, and when he has been reminded, let him be definitely charged with wrong-doing. When he has been charged with wrong-doing, let some discreet and able brother bring the matter before the Order.”

This is an example of the just and equitable approach of the Master to the problems arising within a community.

Sectarianism
The Buddha condemned, in no uncertain terms, a sectarian approach to the problems infecting society from time to time. In the Kalama Sutta he stressed the freedom of the individual to think for himself unhampered by the views of others, but at the same time he cautioned his disciples against parochialism and a narrow sectarian approach to the problems before them.

When the Buddha was a Sravasti in the Jetavanarama a number of sectarians, recluses and Brahmins found their way there. As they settled down for their sojourn in the grove of Anathapindika quarrelsome and noisy disputations rent the air and he could hear words and words and still more words reverberating through the halls of residence and disturbing the quiet tranquility of this monastery… “This is the truth, that is not the truth; that is not the truth, this is the truth”. ….. The Buddha paused for sometime, approached them quietly and serenely and with a gentle smile demonstrated to them that sectarians are blind and unseeing and he graphically related the parable of “The elephant and the blind men.” One said the elephant is just like a pot (feeling its massive stomach), the other that it is like a winnowing basket (feeling
the ears), another that is like a plough-share (feeling its tusks), another it is like a plough (feeling its trunk). By this example he showed that quarreling folk cling to their views as they see only one side of a thing.

Even in our times when we are obsessed with a particular view point we tent to ignore the other’s point of view. Perhaps in situations like this let this parable help us to maintain our equilibrium and see things in their proper perspective.

Smile of Enlightenment
Now that it well known that the world would be on the verge of disaster if there is a nuclear confrontation this powerful and constructive Message of the Buddha should help the great statesmen when they sit round the Conference Table to decide
the fate of the Good Earth. When they are at a loss for a formula to patch up their differences may the Smile of the Enlightenment Buddha give them all the wisdom and succour. Let them when they get back to their respective countries take with them the impression of this smile of holy tranquility which has brought joyous and serene happiness to millions for well over twenty-five centuries.

By S.R. Wijayatilake Esqr. (Puisne Justice, Ceylon)
(Extract from “Voice of Buddhism” Magazine, Vol. II no. 4 December 1974, KDN No. 7773, Published by Buddhist Missionary Society, Jalan Berhala, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur 09 – 06, Malaysia.)