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| Sunday, 18 May 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Bhikkhu Bodhi and Vesak at UN by FACTOTUM When the appeal was made at the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 to declare Vesak Poya day an international holiday the then Sri Lankan Foreign Minister reminded the western world that Buddhism was the leading religion gaining popularity and much attention as a way of life which could be utilised to resolve problems faced by man all over the world. Then in the year 2000 a New York born US citizen who had converted to Buddhism and ordained as a Buddhist monk under the tutelage of the late Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Mahanayaka Thera made the keynote address when the first official United Nations celebration of Vesak was held. Bhikkhu Bodhi introduced himself as a native of New York city born and raised in Brooklyn who had developed an interest in Buddhism as a meaningful alternative to the materialism of modern American culture and had entered the Buddhist monastic order here in Sri Lanka. In that address Bhikkhu Bodhi, having dealt with events in the life of the Buddha commemorated by Vesak - the Birth, the Enlightenment and Passing Away (Parinirvana) - dwelt of the relevance of the Buddha's message in these troubled times. Excerpts of that address: Through the prevalence of greed, the world is being transformed into a global market place where people are reduced to the status of consumers, even commodities, and our planet's vital resources are being pillaged without concern for future generations. Through the prevalence of hatred, national and ethnic differences become the breeding ground of suspicion and enmity, exploding in violence and endless cycles of revenge. Delusion bolsters the other two unwholesome roots with false beliefs and political ideologies put forward to justify policies motivated by greed and hatred. While changes in social structures and policies are surely necessary to counteract the many forms of violence and injustice so widespread in today's world, such changes alone will not be enough to usher in an era of true peace and social stability. Speaking from a Buddhist perspective, I would say that what is needed above all else is a new mode of perception, a universal consciousness that can enable us to regard others as not essentially different from oneself. As difficult as it may be, we must learn to detach ourselves from the insistent voice of self-interest and rise upto a universal perspective from which the welfare of all appears as important as one's own good. That is, we must outgrow the egocentric and ethnocentric attitudes to which we are presently committed and instead embrace a "world-centric ethic" which gives priority to the well-being of all. The Buddha states that of all things in the world, the one with the most powerful influence for both good and bad is the mind. Genuine peace between people and nations grows out of peace and goodwill in the hearts of human beings. Such peace cannot be won merely by material progress, by economic development and technological innovation, but demands moral and mental development. It is only by transforming ourselves that we can transform our world in the direction of peace and amity. This means that for the human race to live together peacefully on this shrinking planet, the inescapable challenge facing us is to understand and master ourselves. By proposing a practical path of moral and mental training, the teaching offers us an effective remedy for tackling the problems of the world in the one place where they are directly accessible to us: in our own minds. As we enter the new millennium, the Buddha's teaching provides us all, regardless of our religious convictions, with the guidelines we need to make our world a more peaceful and congenial place to live." |
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