89
E. ASIAN
“PARABLES”
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19 ACTS
OF TRUTH
In all the higher religions there has been a
passionate search for ultimate reality. This has been combined with an equally
passionate search for the good life, which in turn, requires a realistic
understanding of present evil.
The great basic names, words or symbols in religion
are concerned with reality: its attainment and its transformation.
The root meaning of satya
(truth) is "what is". The root meaning of dharma (doctrine,
religion or righteousness) is "that which holds together, supports,
upholds". While that of brahman
is the "ultimate mystery of being or holy power".
Dharma
Heinrich Zimmer says of the word:
"The word implies not only a universal law, by which the cosmos is governed
and sustained, but also particular laws or inflections of "the law",
which are natural to each special species or modification of existence.
Hierarchy, specialization, one-sidedness, traditional obligations are thus of
the essence of the system. But there is no class struggle; for one cannot
strive to be something other than what one is." (Philosophies of
In another passage, Zimmer says of the great Sankara commenting on his poetry:
"Such a holy megalomania goes past the bounds of sense. With Sankara, the grandeur of the supreme human experience
becomes intellectualized and reveals its human sterility." (op. cit. page
463)
It is only fair to add that this is only a part of
Zimmer's brilliant exposition of the thought of Sankara,
whom he calls the "shining
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Sankara”, who “was not only a supreme
scholastic thinker but a remarkable religious poet as well”.
It is interesting to compare Zimmer’s judgment with
that of a modern western scholar and authority on the Asian social scene, Gunnar Myrdal:
"Religion should be studied for what it really is; a ritualized and
stratified complex of highly emotional beliefs and valuations that give
sanction to sacredness, taboo and immutability to inherited institutional
arrangements, modes of living, attitudes. Understood in this realistic and
comprehensive sense, religion usually acts as a tremendous force of social
inertia. The writer knows of no instance in present-day
Many great western scholars have indeed contributed
much to our understanding of eastern religions by their dedicated scholarship
and Zimmer was one of the most outstanding of them. But it is doubtful if they
had an existential understanding of eastern religion in everyday practice, in
its varied manifestations. Did they sufficiently understand the immensity of
the struggle the great sages and rishis had to
go through in seeking and maintaining a grasp of their vision of reality amid
the superstitions, savagery and elemental energies of the situation in which
they lived?
Did they sufficiently sense the compassion for all
living beings which enabled them to persevere in that struggle through fierce
austerities and bitter renunciations?
Did they sufficiently comprehend the impact of all
this on the masses of the people – deep down in their sub-conscious?
Did they sufficiently visualize the inter-action
between the holy men and the masses, the guru and the sishya – each challenging and teaching as well as
learning from the other?
Dharma, above all, is concerned not with
law but with spirit.
Maya
Ananda Coomarasway
points out that real meaning of “maya” commonly
translated as illusion, is creative power on the principle of manifestation:
“Maya is not properly delusion, but
strictly speaking creative power, sakti, the
principle of manifestation; delusion, moha, is
to conceive of appearance as things in themselves, and to be attached to them
as such without regard to their procession”. (the transformation of Nature in
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Maya is not a negative concept.
Essentially, it arises out of a positive attempt to get beyond the appearances
of things to the reality beyond. It comes out of a dissatisfaction with things
present and a burning desire – transcending mere craving or attachment – for a
fuller and more meaningful existence. “I AM…”
In the Christian tradition, too, there is this
grappling with reality. When the name for God is sought, the answer is given in
terms of reality: "I AM: that is who I am". (Exodus 3:14). Martin Buber in his translation says that the future tense is
called for by the context: "I will be there as I will be there". That
is. God is defined in relational, eschatological terms. In the New Testament,
God is spoken of in terms of the Word who was "in the beginning" (St.
John 1:1) and "became flesh... full of grace and reality" (
Satyakriya
The concept of the Act of Truth (Satyakriya) is one of the clearest indications of the
positive nature of the religious quest in eastern religion. Here the
proclamation of truth produced miracles of transformation of life. Recalling of
good dharma and good deeds influences the course of history. But there
is no encouragement here of self-righteousness or narrow Puritanism.
Parable One
One occasion, an old courtesan named Bindumati performed her Act of Truth and caused the mighty
Ganges to flow back up-stream. The righteous King Asoka,
"greatest of the great North Indian dynasty of the Mauryas",
was incredulous:
"You possess the Power of Truth! You, a thief, a cheat, corrupt,
cleft in twain, vicious, a wicked old sinner who has broken the bounds of
morality and lives on the plunder of fools."
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The courtesan replied:
"It is true, your Majesty, I am what you say. But even I, wicked
woman that I am, possess an Act of Truth by means of which, would I so desire,
I could turn the world of men and the world of the gods upside down."
The king:
"But what is this Act of Truth? Pray enlighten me".
The courtesan:
"Your Majesty, whosoever gives me money, be he a Ksatriya or a Brahman or a Vaisha
or a Sudra or of any other caste soever,
I treat them all exactly alike. If he be a Ksatriya,
I make no distinction in his favour. If he be a Sudra, I despise him not. Free alike from fawning and contempt,
I serve the owner of the money. This, your Majesty, is the Act of Truth by
which I caused the mighty
So, the meek inherit the earth! What an over-turning
of the established norms of society! Is not this a prophetic reversal of the
roles of the oppressor and the oppressed? Society, with its elaborate laws and
structures, attitudes and prejudices, is so constituted as to glorify the
righteousness of the oppressors and magnify the wickedness of the oppressed.
The oppressors are pure, hard-working, honest (integrity is the word!)
The oppressed are immoral, lazy, unreliable (you just can't trust them!).
This story is one of the pre-figurements
of the new society where the true worth of the oppressed masses will be
recognized and a new spirit will motivate the actions of all in society. So we
will dream so we will overcome! Human society cannot survive, cannot advance
without such dreams, without such resolutions.
Parable Two
Then there is the story of the queen who wanted to
visit the sage, her husband's brother, and offer him food and drink. But
between the city and the forest there was a river which was in full spate and
could not be crossed. The king proposed an Act of Truth. He asked her to go to
the river bank and utter the following words:
“O river-goddess, if from the day my husband’s brother took his vow, my
husband has lived chaste, then straightway give me passage”.
The queen was astonished and thought to herself. “The
king speaks incoherently. I have performed to him my vow as a wife. Is physical
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contact the meaning intended?” she was afraid of the outcome but then
she thought she must not doubt so she uttered the proclamation of truth. The river
subsided temporarily and she crossed over and went to the sage. The sage wanted
to know how she had crossed the river so she related the whole story. She then
asked the prince of sages,
“How can it be possible, how can it be imagined, that my husband lives
chaste?”
The sage replied,
"From the moment when I took my vow, the king's soul was free from
attachment and vehemently did he long to take a vow. He does not desire the
yoke of sovereignty. He bears sway from a sense of duty. The chastity of the king
is possible, even though he is living the life of a householder, because his
heart is free from sin, just as the purity of the lotus is not stained, even
though it grows in the mud"
The queen made her offerings of food and drink and
then inquired how she could cross the river on her way back. The sage asked her
to address the river goddess thus:
"If the sage, even to the end of his vow, shall always abide
fasting then grant me passage".
Amazed once more, the queen went to the bank of the
river, proclaimed the words of the sage, crossed the river and went home. After
relating the story to the king, she asked him,
"How can the sage be fasting, when I, myself, caused him to break
his fast?"
The king said:
"O Queen, you are confused in your mind; you do not understand in
what true religion consist. Tranquil in heart, noble in soul is he, whether in
eating or in fasting. Therefore, even though a sage eats, for the sake of
religion, food which is pure, which he has neither himself prepared, nor caused
another to prepare, such eating is called the fruit of a perpetual fast.
Thought is the root, words are the trunks, deeds are the spreading branches of
religion's tree. Let its roots be strong and firm, and the whole tree will bear
fruit." (Quoted in Zimmer, op. cit. page 163 f.)
Truth must be rooted in the heart. The inner
attitude, inner commitment is all-important. There must be constant renewal of
the light within.
Parable Three
So it is that even a shameful truth, honestly and
fearlessly faced, can
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be a source of liberation and renewal, a source of power and healing.
This is well illustrated by the story of the youth Yannadatta.
Yannadatta was bitten by a poisonous snake.
His parents carried him to the feet of an ascetic, and said,
“Reverend, sir, monks know simples and charms; heal our son”.
“I do not; I am a physician”.
"But you are a monk; therefore out of charity for this youth,
perform an Act of Truth."
He laid his hand on Yannadatta's
head and recited the following stanza:
"For but a week I lived the holy life
With tranquil heart in quest of merit.
The life I've lived for fifty years
Since then, I've lived against my
will.
By this truth, health!
Poison is struck down! Let Yannadatta live!"
Immediately the poison came out of Yannadatta's breast and sank into the ground. The father
then laid his hand on Yannadatta's breast and recited
the following stanza:
"Never did I like to see a
stranger Come to stay. I never cared to give.
But my dislike, the monks and
Brahmans Never knew, all learned as they were.
By this truth, health! Poison is
struck down! Let Yannadatta live!"
Immediately the poison came out of Yannadatta's back and sank into the ground. The father bade
the mother perform an Act of Truth, but the mother replied,
"I have a Truth, but I cannot recite it in your presence."
The father answered:
"Make my son whole, anyhow."
So the mother recited the following stanza:
No more, my son, do I hate this
snake malignant
That out of a crevice came and bit
you, than I do your father!
By this truth, health!
Poison is struck down! Let Yannadatta
live!
Immediately the rest of the poison sank into the
ground, and Yannadatta got up and began to frisk
about. (Quoted in Zimmer, op. cit. p. 167f.)
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There are some stories that are, indeed, true than
fact! A wealth of experience, understanding, dialogue, prophecy, probing of the
subconscious lies behind them. There is a marvelous interaction between guru
and sishyas, holy man and householder, and
consequently, householders with another. The true holy man or man of God does
not over-awe the layman with his holiness (integrity!). he is the first to
acknowledge his own weaknesses. He does not condemn others. He is the first one
to recognize the genuine worth of those whom others condemn. Thus he encourages
and draws out the best in others and helps them to face up to their weaknesses.
He, in turn, is helped and challenged by them. So, there are spiritual
resources deep down in die sub-conscious of our peoples, in their history and
traditions, from which we have to draw, on which we have to build.
The inner dynamics of the people's consciousness in
Asia was still to be sufficiently explored and its latent power harnessed for
development. This can only be done by
Finally, the story of the youth Yannadatta
may help us in Sri Lanka to understand the state of our society, and of other
societies, too, both "developed" and "developing". An
analysis of the April 1971 insurrection of Youth in
"Who are the misguided?
Who are the terrorists?
Who are the robbers?
Who need rehabilitation?
(From Violent Lanka, The Day of Slaughter)
Answering that could be an Act of Truth! Only then
could healing and reconstruction come.
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20 INTEGRATION
The Buddha as well as the Christ was conspicuous
example of the integration of fullness of life and fullness of sacrifice – of
world-affirming and world-denying. But this does not mean that there were no
conflicts or tensions in their personalities.
In an article in the Christian Century (March 21,
1973), introducing his latest book "The Human Face of God"
(Westminster Press, USA, May, 1973), Bishop John Robinson writes:
"Jesus Christ has been presented as an immaculate paragon, with the
static sexless perfection of flawless porcelain. But the Gospels give every
reason to believe that Jesus was a man of like passions as ourselves, sharing
the same unconscious drives, and libido, with a temper, intolerance, anxiety
and fear of death as strong as anyone also...
By every recognized standard of the day Jesus was a law-breaker, an
outcast, a 'sinner'. Yet within a generation Christians were describing him as
"without sin"...
The secret of his self-possession, his poise, his authority, his 'peace'
which come through the pages of the Gospels – was what he made out of
the inner tensions and the outward conflicts that marked and scarred his entire
public life".
In the same way, the true portrait of the Buddha, the
"Awakened One", has been overlaid with heavy layers of false
idealization (a mixture of poetic license and superstitious exaggeration) that
often make him out to be an impassive demi-God. An
imaginative interpretation of the records is necessary to recover the real Gautama of flesh and blood. An example is the story of his
temptation, at the threshold of Enlightenment, by the God Kama-Mara
(Desire and Death), the master magician of the world illusion.
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Another is the story of how later, after the
Enlightenment, Gautama made up his mind that what he had
experienced was beyond speech, and all attempts to talk about it or convince
others about it would be vain. The Lord Brahma came to him and persuaded him,
with much imploring to change his mind and teach the path to mankind but of no
avail. Both these stories, with their elaborate imagery, are obviously
dramatizations of the inward tensions and outward conflicts that the Buddha had
to contend with again and again – not merely under a tree in a forest but in
the normal course of ordinary life that was lived at an extra-ordinary (or
inspired) pitch.
Bearing in mind then, that the great masters of the
spiritual life were always essentially in touch with the world and understood
and appreciated it, so it is necessary to assess the true value of the
"via negativa' the sacrificial emphasis - in the
style of living of the ancient religions. In their contrasting of the ancient
"sacral universe" with the modern "secular universe" there
is a tendency in modem writers to devalue some of the most valuable experiences
and insights of the ancients.
In an important book "Everyday God" (SCM
Press, London 1973) J.G. Davies tries to point to a
synthesis between the sacred and the secular and to the emergence of a new
style of living for modem man. He quotes two critics of older style of living (pp.215 and 217):
"It is a question whether any rethinking of Christianity in contemporary
terms can be relevant so long as no simultaneous attempt is made to dislocate
and expel the habits of life-denial which have characterized it" (Gabrie Vahanian in Death of God,
New York, 1967).
"While in other religions 'spirituality' - man's relationship with
God - is obtained at the price of a greater or lesser renunciation of the task
of building up the human world, in the Bible man is bound to God by virtue of
his responsibility for the transformation of the cosmos in which he lives and
has his being". (J.M. Gonzales – Ruis in S.J. Taylor, ed.. The
Sacred and the Secular, 1968).
We may add that even Heinrich Zimmer, a brilliant exponent of Eastern
Religions, writes:
"Buddhism was the only religious and philosophical message of India
to spread far beyond the borders of its homeland. Conquering
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enigma's, this one must be ranked as the most uncompromising
obscure and paradoxical…
From the beginning, by the nature of the problem, the doctrine had been
meant only for those prepared to hear. It was never intended to interfere with
either the life and habits of the multitude or the course of civilization. In
contrast to the other great teachers of mankind (Zarathustra
preaching the religious law of
Confusius commenting on the restored system
of early Chinese thought; Jesus announcing salavation
to the world); Gautama, the prince of the royal Sakya clan, is known properly as Sakyamuni:
the silent sage of the Sakyas; for in spite of all
that has been said and taught about him, the Buddha remains the symbol of
something beyond what can be said and taught". (Philosophies of
With regard to what Zimmer says about Buddhism being
"obscure" and only "for those prepared to hear" it can be
easily shown that the Christian tradition, too, has a similar emphasis of the
"transcendent" dimension:
"As Jesus said this he called out, 'If you have ears to hear, then
hear. His disciples asked him what this parable meant, and he said, 'It has
been granted to you to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but the others
have only parables, so that they may look but see nothing, hear but understand
nothing" (Lk. 8.8-10, cf
also Ezek. 2.5, Isaiah 55.8-9, Job 26.14, 1 Tim. 6.16, refer also previous
article).
This transcendent – other worldly – element has been
at various times, in all religions, exaggerated and corrupted, out of all
proportion, by various monkish and other excesses of slavish, unimaginative,
and misguided followers of the great masters of the spiritual life. But that
does not invalidate the principle involved.
Zimmer goes on to say, that Buddhism "was never
intended to interfere with either the life and habits of the multitude, or the
course of civilization." If that was so, why did the Buddha found an order
of monks and send them out to the world?
It may perhaps, be said that this was a later
addition and not the original words of the Buddha. But "sub-sequent
action" could be understood in terms of the "original impulse".
Gonsales-Ruis, from the Christian point of view,
contrasts what he calls "the greater or lesser renunciation of the human
world" in the other
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religions with the positive religion of the Bible. But Vahanian, himself a Christian writer, condemns the ‘life
denial’ to be found in Christianity too.
A comparison of these quotations shows that a true
comparative study of religions probably still awaits a sufficient number of scholars
who are equally at home in all the great religious traditions – scholars who
engage in real living dialogue with other religions and ideologies –
dialogue which involves, not merely study and discussion, but life together –
and that includes struggle together for common goals in the social and
political fields, in the liberation movement,
However forbidding the Buddhist ascetic ideal may be
in cold print and however much it may appear to be meant only for the monks or
for a select company, there can be no doubt that – as exemplified in the life
of the Buddha himself and in countless faithful followers through the centuries
– it has had a profound and deep impact on the consciousness of the masses.
Thus, despite the decay and corruption of time and the unfinished nature of the
religious quest, there is a powerful reservoir of genuine religious tradition
among the masses of the people, which, if tapped and channeled with
understanding, could be of immense value in coping with the characteristic
problems of this present time. There is as much a need for the true spirit of
sacrifice today as there has ever been.
What must now be explored is the inter-action between
the leaders and the masses of the people in religious endeavor. A closer look
at the various religious records will show how much the Guru depends on his sishyas. They keep him in touch with reality
by asking the right questions. The Guru questions them in turn and there is a
joint search-venture – for the truth, in dialogue. The rough edges and
eccentricities of the lonely Guru's personality are humanized by encounter with
ordinary people. This may come gently in simple, ordinary ways but also has to
come through much suffering and even humiliation. There can be no individual
salvation – even for the Guru – apart from the responsibilities of community
living. "Miracles" happen when relationships between people are set
right.
J.G. Davies in his book, already
referred to, quoted Monica Furlong, a popular journalist:
"We may need a mutation of the traditional concept of holiness.
What will happen will be a moving away from the lovely and haunting vision of
perfection in a tiny handful of men and women to a new understanding of how the
seeds of wholeness might be coaxed to grow among a much wider section of the
population". (Everyday God, p.218)
Much
earlier, Leon Trotsky in his famous Copenhagen speech, “In
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Defense of
October", had said:
"It is true that humanity has more than
once brought forth giants of thought and action who tower over their
contemporaries like summits in a chain of mountains. The human nee has right to
be proud of its Aristotle, Shakespeare, Darwin, Beethoven, Goethe, Marx, Edison
and Lenin. But why are they so rare? Above all, because almost without
exception, they come out of die upper and middle classes. Apart from rare
exceptions, the sparks of genius in the suppressed depths of the people are
choked before they can burst into flame. Anthropology, biology, physiology and
psychology have accumulated mountains of material to raise up before mankind in
their full scope the task of perfecting and developing body and spirit.
Psychoanalysis, with the inspired hand of Sigmund Freud, has lifted the cover
of the well which is poetically called the "soul". And what has been
revealed? Our conscious thought is only a small part of the work of dark
psychic forces. Human thought, descending to the bottom of its own psychic
sources, must shed light on the most mysterious driving forces of the soul and
subject them to reason and to will.
Socialism will mean a leap from the realm of
necessity into the realm of freedom in this sense also, that the man of today,
with all his contradictions and lack of harmony, will open the road for a new
and a happier race."
Significant advances have
been made in the understanding of the development of consciousness among the
masses of the people (conscientisation) in the
great experiment of Mao's China and in the pioneering work of Paulo Freire and others in Latin America.
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21 COST
OF LIBERATION
When Buddhists are asked about the social content of
the Buddhist message they often point to some comparatively minor and unknown
episode in the Buddha's life and teachings to illustrate his social concern.
But the Great Renunciation, which is central to his
life and teachings, is the best illustration of his social concern.
Unfortunately, wrong interpretation of this has often led to a negative idea
of the Buddhist message.
Thus, R. S. Hardy, a Christian missionary in Lanka,
an apparently meticulous western scholar, in his monumental "Eastern
Monarchism: an account of the origin, laws, discipline, sacred writings,
mysterious rites, religious ceremonies and present circumstances of the order
of mendicants founded by Gotama Buddha (complied from
Sinhalese Mss. and other original sources of informaton),
with comparative notices of the usages and institutions of the Western ascetics
and a review of the monastic system", published in 1850, wrote:
"I send forth my treatise to the world, aware of its numerous imperfections,
but cheered by the consciousness of integrity in its preparation; and I ask no
higher reward than to be an humble instrument in assisting the ministers of the
cross in their combats with this master error of the world, and in preventing
the spread of the same delusion, under another guise, in regions nearer
home" (Preface, p. ix)
More recently, the more liberal and modem William
Temple, then Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "Christianity is the most
materialistic of the world's religions" thereby implying that Christianity
was essentially positive in its attitude to the world and that other religions
(including Buddhism) were less positive or negative.
The wrong interpretation of the Buddha’s renunciation
goes some-
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thing like this: the Buddha was born into an environment of refinement
of worldly knowledge and action, of pleasure and luxury. Consideration as well
as, perhaps, experience of the evils, satieties, decay and disease, led to
revulsion from the world and a search for personal or individual salvation
apart form the normal everyday life of society. Thus, according to this
interpretation. Buddhism is, fundamentally, a negative religion.
There are some modifications of this extreme interpretation.
For instance, some say that he sought and found an individual salvation or
liberation by an absolute extinction of all desire, both good and evil, but
then he came back to the world to teach his fellowmen. This is, more or less,
the view put forward by Arnold Toynbee in his "An Historian's Approach to
Religion" (an extremely sympathetic comparative treatment of all religions
in the best modem ecumenist spirit):
"The Buddha himself was guilty of a sublime inconsistency. For he
resisted the temptation to make the immediate exit into Nirvana that his
Enlightenment had brought within his reach, and chose, instead, to postpone his
own release from suffering in order to teach the way of release to his
fellows" (p. 64) and
"Though the Buddha, unlike Christ, set out to teach a philosophy,
the spirit in which he acted destined him also to become the founder of a
religion" (p. 72) again:
"The one school of philosophy that has succeeded in satisfying
Man's spiritual needs is Siddharta Gautama's; and it has achieved this by quickening the
letter of its doctrine with the spirit of its Founder's sublimely illogical
practice" (p. 73).
But how could Buddhism have had such a tremendous
impact on such an immense continent as Asia - In days of primitive communications
– if the original fundamental impulse of its Founder was a negative one? And,
considering that an essential constituent of the good life is concern for
others, how is it possible for individual salvation – any real salvation – to
be found apart from society? But is not a more likely, natural and integrated
interpretation possible? An interpretation that integrates the original impulse
with the subsequent actions?
Errors in interpretations arise in different ways.
The original authors who committed the tradition to the written word, were
obviously inspired men, but, nevertheless, did not always comprehend the
fullness of vision or spirit of the original Master. Then came the interpreters
of interpretations who have their own particular inspiration as well as
limitation or bias. In the case of foreign authors, who learn Buddhism
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from books, lack of contact – lack of dialogue – with a living tradition
is a serious handicap. Local authors may have their own particular handicaps.
Then there is distortion and corruption of centuries of history.
A local account, by the Venerable Kasappa
and Siridhamma of Vajirama,
Colombo begins the relation of the “Four Signs” (an old man, a sick man, a dead
man and a hermit) that preceeded the actual
Renunciation, thus:
"Our ancient books tell us that the decisive factors were not
brought about by human agency. The king guarded his precious son too carefully
for that to happen. The Devas saw that the time was
ripe for the furture Buddha to renounce the world,
they knew what would move him. It was a Devaputta, a
son of the Devas, who assumed the the
likeness of the Four Significant Visions' s seen by Siddhattha.
Digha Nikaya
Bhanakas, the Bhikku reciters of the long
Sermon Section of the Sacred texts, say that the four visions were all seen on
one and the same day. In other places, like the Jataka
Commentary, it is said that the Four Visions were seen on four different
days". (The Life of the Buddha, Government Press, Ceylon, 1958).
But as the authors of this account would themselves
probably acknowledge, the ancient stories are not to be taken absolutely
literally. The original writers had their own particular art forms for the
communicating of their insights. If they lived today they would have probably
used the medium of the short story or novel. The imagination has to be employed
to understand – and spiritually perceive – all that was involved in the Great
Renunciation.
The historical situation was a state of corruption
and decay of the great Hindu religious tradition and the religious and social
institutions of the time. There was a blind and unquestioning acceptance of
tradition in a crystallized form – with a sad lack of the creative thinking so
necessary to solve the urgent problems of the time. In this situation, the
privileged classes were mercilessly exploiting the people.
Prince Siddhartha was born into a position in the
"Establishment" into one of those islands of comfort, ease and
security where self-seeking, hypocrisy and complacency were the order of the day.
Relations and friends, naturally did their best to veil the true situation and
ensure that he would conform to the Establishment. But a young, questioning,
sensitive spirit led to a certain dramatic and inspired encounter with reality
not, surely, on one or even four days, but as part of a normal (though
inspired) experienced of the human condition.
The young man’s
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compassion was aroused by the oppressions the people labored under. He determined to find a way of
liberation for them – liberation in its deepest sense. But this involved a
critical prophetic insight into the society in which he lived and, ultimately,
a radical break way from it, at great cost. So when he returned to the world he
took a very strong stand against caste and against positions, honor and social
status, acquired through the accident of birth and exercised without
responsibility to society.
After leaving home, there was the "wilderness
experience" – the toil and the strain of the search for truth and justice.
The thoroughness of the break with society – the apparently absolute character
of the renunciation of all desire – need not mean that he did not understand
and appreciate the world at its best, or that he ever gave up a true concern
for his fellowmen. Nor need it mean that he was, or became, immune to the
charms and delights of worldly life. What it meant was a realization of the
cost of liberation – the deep sacrifice and relentless inner discipline that
was necessary, especially in the leaders, to bring about necessary change both
in the lives of individuals and society.
Clear evidence of the Buddha's positive social
concern in his founding of a remarkable community of remarkable community of
monks – the Sangha – that has endured continuously
through the centuries – and his magnificent charge to them on sending them out
into the world:
"Go ye forth, monks, for the good of the people, for the happiness
of the people, out of compassion for the world – for the welfare, the blessings
and the happiness of devas and men. Teach, monks,
dharma which is lovely in the beginning, lovely in the middle, and lovely in
the ending. Explain both in the spirit and in the letter the good life,
completely fulfilled, wholly pure". (Digha Nikaya)
It must, again be said that the liberation envisaged
here is liberation in its deepest and widest sense. But it certainly would
include liberation in its many political and social implications. The Buddha's
message was essentially prophetic and it is abundantly clear that it aroused
opposition from corrupt sources of authority, power and privilege, both
religious and secular. The story of the rebellion of one of his own disciples, Devadatta, is well known. On another occasion, an
intoxicated elephant was sent raging against him!
The Sangha, of course, has
not always lived up to its magnificent vocation. There has been degeneration
and decay – siding with the oppressors and exploiters – selfish and escapist
separation from the world. But there has been impressive historical evidence of
the Sangha's participation in the building and
development of society and of positive Buddhist inspiration in the lives of lay
Buddhists – both leaders and people.
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It is often said that youth –
especially revolutionary youth – in
Sri Lanka today have no use for religion. But it may be that what they
reject is not the spirit of religion at its best but the degraded practice of
religion as they see it in so many of their elders. That the Buddha, for
example, is still capable of inspiring modern youth is illustrated in the
following story.
An eminent Buddhist prelate visited an insurgent
prison camp and preached a sermon. During the course of it he chided them for
disobeying their parents and rebelling against society. He urged them to turn
back in penitence and to filial loyalty. At the end of the sermon the young
insurgents told him that Buddha had rejected family and society (that is the
status quo) in his search for liberation. He succeeded and that is why he was
honored. Someday, they, too, would succeed and then they also would be
justified.
Now, one need not necessarily agree with the ideology
or methods of the insurgents.
But the point of the story is clear. To these youth, the essence of the
Buddha's stand was for liberation and justice. Does this not mean that, despite
evident corruption and decay in the life of society, both religious and
secular, the true spirit of Buddhism may still be alive today? Hidden perhaps
and not yet drawn out, not yet articulated, but sill capable of providing
inspiration for the transformation of society?
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22 ENOUGH
FOR ALL
In an important work, entitled
Socialism (Saturday Review Press, New York, 1972) Michael Harrington retells a
famous socialist parable. In desert societies, water is so precious that people
fight for it. Governments wage war over it. Marriages are made and broken
because of it. If a person who has known only the desert was told that in the
city, there are public water fountains where water flows freely all day he just
wouldn't believe it. Because he knows with the certainty of bitter experience
that it is human nature to fight over water.
Mankind has lived long in the desert. We are now
coming out it, There is enough for all. Scientists have calculated that the
present production capacity of the world is enough to feed three times the
present population of the earth. But we are slow to give up living by the law
of the desert - the law of competition. We have still far to go in working out
new structures of sharing. So the population explosion is a problem. Human
resources are a problem. Endless vistas of despair lie ahead. But when there is
a radical change of structures together with a radical change of understanding
then human resources combined with technology – and rooted in a genuine
indigenous culture – could open up endless vistas of development.
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This is not just materialism. A vision of new life –
a-shared life leading to a fuller life – is involved. In a sense, this vision
has always been there – is always being worked out. New life is always being
evolved, And revolution, it must be remembered, is a part of evolution. They
are not two different things, as is often supposed. Marx and Darwin grew up together!
There is much that is common in the thought of the Communist Manifesto (1848)
and the Origin of the Species (1858). Adaptation–development–evolution – is a
dialectical process involving conflict. Through it there is the continuing
search for both justice and efficiency.
At the third session of the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development, which was held at Santiago, Chile, in 1972, President
Salvador Allende pointed out that, "the
developing nations which account for 60 per cent of the world population have
only 12 per cent of the gross product at their disposal". (One may add to
this that the
The modern world is marching out of the desert. The
problem of poverty is not lack of resources. (It may be that this has never
been the problem?) The problem is unjust international order. And unjust
international order is reflected in unjust social order within nations. As
Michael Harrington says: "There are some who are loathe to leave behind
the consolation of familiar brutalities; there are others who are in one way or
other would like to impose the law of the desert upon the Promised Land".
Harrington goes on to add: "The socialist project does not promise, or
even seek, to abolish the human condition, for that is impossible, under
socialism, there will be no end to history – but there may be a new history".
There has to be the conviction that a new order is
necessary and that
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it is possible – practicable – of achievement. Then must follow the
patient working out of new structures of government and administration, of
religion and education, of production and distribution.
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23 PERMANENT
REVOLUTION
In the building of a socialist society there has to
be a revolution of mind and spirit as well as a revolution of structures. Both
these revolutions must proceed together. One is inconceivable without the other.
For the revolution of mind and spirit to take place there must be constant
dialogue and discussion. This does not necessarily mean that there will be no
action. Both can proceed together. It depends on the nature of the dialogue.
In "Fanshen", William Hinton's retelling of
the revolution in a Chinese village, it is related how in the Chinese
revolution a proverb was invented to describe the constant dialogue and
discussion: "Under the Kuomintang, a plague of taxes; under the
Communists, a plague of meetings". In these meetings and discussions,
certain stories and parables were often used to stimulate discussions and
deepen the understanding. For instance, in a recent book, "
The story referred to was that of "The Foolish
Old Man Who Removed the Mountains". It appears in Mao Tse-tung's
famous little Red book. It tells of an old man who lived in
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and said derisively, "How silly of you to do this! It is quite
impossible for you few to dig up these two huge mountains... The Foolish Old Man replied, "When I die,
my sons will carry on; when they die, there will be my grandsons, and then
their sons and grandsons, and so on to infinity. Why can't we clear them
away?" Having refuted the Wise Old Man's wrong view, he went an digging
everyday, unshaken in his conviction. God was moved by this, and he sent down
two angels, who carried the mountains away on their backs.
This an ancient Chinese fable that was quoted by Mao Tse-tung in a talk in 1945 to members of the Communist
party. He went on to say, "Today, two big mountains lie like dead weight on
the Chinese people. One is imperialism, the other is feudalism. We must
persevere and work unceasingly, and we, too, will touch God's heart. Our God is
none other than the masses of the Chinese people. If they stand up and dig
together with us, why can't these two mountains be cleared away?"
Now this is not a mere vague, superficial, romantic
faith in the people. Neither is it aggressive atheism or pure materialism. It
is faith in the people based on a common vision and a deep commitment. Mao had
himself, over a long period, experienced too much of the actual difficulties,
limitations and privations of life alongside the people to cherish romantic
illusions. But he had also, through a shared experience of suffering and
struggle, come to realize what the people are capable of a certain spirit – a
certain understanding and vision – are communicated to them. So Mao infuses new
life into an old parable by rejecting superstition-and interpreting it in terms
of his own – understanding of the power of the people when moved by a common
spirit, a common vision and purpose.
By taking their stand alongside the people – working
and struggling together with them – the leaders have to learn from the people
the basic facts of the liberation struggle – the nature of the movement of
history among the people. This they have to help make clear – articulate – for
the people and join with them in motivating them and organizing them for
action. The difficulties, the obstacles and the enemies of the
liberation-struggle have to be clearly identified and understood as also the
necessity of uniting all revolutionary elements in the common struggle for
liberation and for a better way of life for all. The people have had a long
experience of struggle against oppression. By their strong and silent labor,
peasants and workers in the heart of the country have earned their livelihood
and supported their families through the years with indomitable spirit against
tremendous odds. They have preserved – developed – the WILL TO RESIST. Signs of
this are shown from time to time. There is tremendous potential in them for the
revolutionary transformation of society if the
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necessary changes are made to give them their due place in the
government and production processes. Thus, with correct vision and leadership,
miracles of courage and achievement can be expected from the people. The
impossible can become a reality.
But the struggle for the transformation of society
must be continuous. There will be "continuous contradiction" and
therefore need for "permanent revolution". There will be decisive
stages or "break-throughs" in the liberation struggle
when imperialist and feudal powers can be broken and significant advances made
in socialist construction. But there will be a danger of a relapse into
bourgeois thought and practice. Deep-seated ways of thought and life cannot be
completely changed in a hurry, so there must always be vigilance and
self-criticism. Raymond L. Whitehead, a member of the Committee of Concerned
Asian Scholars referred to earlier, in his "A Christian's Inquiry into
the Struggle-Ethic in thought of Mao Tse-tung"
(September 1972), describes the continuing struggle going on there against
selfishness and the social structures of selfishness: "Over a long period
of time, but with new emphasis in recent years, the Chinese Communist have
given attention to the relation of individual self–revolutionization to class struggle. Objective
conditions and subjective motivation are both important. One can never escape
the necessity of deciding which stand to take, or the necessity of continuing
self-criticism and self-revolutionization or the need
for ideological molding. The emphasis here is on commitment and on the
necessity of self-revolutionization to carry the
socialist revolution forward. This emphasis is not new, but it received new
impetus in the Cultural Revolution". Whitehead refers to an Editorial in
the Chiehfang Tsunpao
(Liberation Army Daily) of October 25, 1966 on "The Necessary Road to Revolutionization of Thinking" (among numerous other
sources that he quotes): "According to this editorial, revolutionization
is a 'lifelong' process in which one seeks to adhere to a proletarian stand to
serve the people wholeheartedly, to put the interests of others above
self-interest, and to make uninterrupted effort to destroy bourgeois ideas and
establish proletarian ideas. The process 'knows no end' because there is always
a higher degree of consciousness which one can achieve, and greater
contributions which one can make".
As the
Foolish Old Man said: "When I die, my sons will carry on; when they
die, there will be my grandsons, and then their sons and grandsons, and so on
to infinity..." Is this not transcendence? Even further beyond and ever
deeper within!
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24 POPULATION
EXPLOSION
With a population explosion and
meager resources our problems are insoluble. Human resources are essentially a
nuisance. Thus, the answer is birth control, foreign aid and tourism. That
about sums up the faith of a certain not uncommon brand of politician. It is
also the faith of quite a number of people – shall we say, a tendency in us
all? Do we not hear the words of the Master? "Why are you so fearful 0 you
of little faith? (Incidentally, no sensible person should be against birth
control, so long as it is viewed in the right perspective).
There may not have been a population explosion at the
time of Jesus
Christ. But he faced a not entirely dissimilar situation. Five thousand men to
say nothing of women and children, and only five loaves and two fishes! The
disciples question: "What is that among so many?"
To begin at the beginning, Jesus saw that a great
crowd had come a great distance to see him. His heart went out to them because
they were just not cared for. They were in desperate need of true leadership.
He had much to teach them and cured those who were sick. As the day wore on,
his disciples approached him and said, "This is a lonely place and round
about to buy themselves something to eat". Jesus replied, "Give them
something to eat yourselves". For the disciples, obviously, this was a
situation of utter panic. But Jesus was calm, confident: "What have you
got?" He did not say: "Don't worry. I can manage this." He did
not summon manna from heaven. He said, "What have you got? Give
them something to eat yourselves". In other words, his confidence
was based, under God, on trust in the people – in their resources and their
resourcefulness. It turned out there was a boy who had five barley loaves and
two fishes.
Youth to the fore! The disciples still doubted: “What
is among so many? He asked them (one evangelist says “he ordered” them!) to sit
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down in groups and they sat down in groups of about fifty or so.
Obviously, there was going to be a spirit of order and fellowship. Not each one
for himself or a wild scramble. They had heard the Word and were prepared to
share. Then followed thanksgiving for the little offering of the young boy. It
was broken and shared! Having left their homes to go to a desert area it is not
unreasonable to suppose that people would have taken food with them. May be
picnic baskets. There may well have been also those who went to sell food among
the crowds. The boy may have been one of them. When he came forward to share
what he had, others too would have shown a similar spirit. So they were able to
eat to their harts' content and the scraps left over, which they picked up.
were enough to fill twelve great baskets. (There were baskets too!)
Miracles happen when human relations are set right
and a certain spirit inspires people. There is a world of difference between
miracle and magic. In miracle there is concern for others, moral choice and commitment.
Magic is essentially materialistic and selfish - concerned with materialistic
manipulations. It is power without righteousness – power without fellowship –
power for the sake for power – and essentially devilish, satanic. When ash or
holy oil drops - or is supposed to drop – from the photograph or status of a
so-called holy man that is magic and so essentially devilish. In fact, whatever
the "charms" that are exercised and by whomever they are exercised –
whether by light readers, holy men, politicians, or lovers, such power -
without moral choice and commitment - is essentially devilish and grievously
leads people astray. There is the story of a certain disciple who went to his
Guru and told him that after ten years of meditation he could cross a certain
river by mind-power. The Guru told him, "That is nothing. You have take
ten years to do this. Any villager here crosses this river by ferry at the cost
of ten cents". In short, there is no miracle, in the best sense of this
word, where there is no increase in love and humility.
In certain interpretations of St. John's reporting of
Christ – for instance, with regard to the famous, rather abstract
self-declaration, e.g. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" –
there is a tendency to exalt Christ at the expense of his humanity and at the
expense of humanity in general. Similarly, in certain interpretations of the
miracles there is a tendency to present him as a wonder-worker. The writer of
the fourth gospel himself is justified in the perspective of the message he had
to give. He was a great devotee of Christ. Obviously, through personal experience
of Christ and deep meditation, he had attained to a profound understanding of
vision of Christ's significance and there is a magnificent portrayal of this in
the fourth gospel. But we need to probe the scriptures more deeply – both the
fourth gospel as a whole and the rest of the
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scriptures – for a true theology of the people. The synoptic
writers, with their more homely, down-to-earth, concrete reporting of the
language of Christ, help us here.
Christ's healing of the sick was always in the
context of teaching people – teaching through dialogue with them in homely
parables – about the Kingdom of God and his justice. He helps them to get into
a right relationship with himself and with each other, in the Kingdom. It is
then that wonderful things happen, The best in people is drawn out. Human
resources are motivated and mobilized. The sins of the flesh of the exploited
masses are not judged and castigated. It is the pride and insensitiveness of those in authority – of
those responsible for unjust and oppressive structures in society – that are
clearly exposed, judged and rebuked.
Three illustrations, briefly summarized, must
suffice. Each is a dialogue that needs a novel to do it full justice. First, an
encounter with a sinner. A woman who was living an immoral life comes to Jesus.
In the ensuing dialogue – under the very nose of the self-righteous Pharisee
and his judgment - Jesus speaks of "her great love". There is no
facile judgment here. Jesus looks deep into her inner resources and draws out
the best in her. What worked the miracle was the establishment of a
relationship between him and the woman. Maybe, he was himself humbled by the
spontaneity and purity of her approach to him. Dag Hammerskjold's words, written in another context, may well
serve as a commentary on this encounter: "Hunger is my native place in the
land of the passions. Hunger for fellowship, hunger for righteousness – for a
fellowship founded on righteousness, and a righteousness attained in
fellowship". (Markings, P. 62).
Second, an encounter with a person of another religion,
primitive animism. A Canaanite woman, a mother, comes asking for healing for
her daughter. She says that her daughter is tormented by a devil. But it is not
clear who needs healing more – the daughter or the mother. There is obviously a
conflict situation in the home. Conflict also between the Jews and indigenous
people involved in this dialogue. Ultimately, the mother gets the medicine and,
through this, the daughter, who is not present, is healed. Jesus begins by
judgment but learns – is educated – by the woman's magnificent response. He
says, "I was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and to them
alone. It is not right to take the
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children's bread and throw it to the dogs". She replies,
"True, Sir. and yet the dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters'
table". A 'preparation for the Gospel' indeed! Christ is humbled. This is
a growing-point – a turning point – in his ministry. He recognizes that he must
look beyond the narrow confines of the prevailing Jewish exclusiveness to a
true universality of vision. He bursts out: "woman, what faith you have!
Be it as you wish' ". And from that moment her daughter was restored to
health. The forging, through crisis, of relationships of humility and forgiveness, openness
and love brings liberation and healing.
Third, also an encounter with a person of another
religion, the more developed, classic Roman religion. A Roman centurion comes
for healing for his servant, "whom he valued highly". The elders of
the Jews besought Christ earnestly, "He deserves this favor from you, for
he is a friend of our nation and it" is he who build us our
synagogue". Again a conflict situation. Religious and racial conflict
between Jews and Gentiles and, no doubt, the domination of the centurion in the
master-servant relationship. There is tension between conflict and growing
together. For the Jews and Romans had serious religious, political and social
differences but the centurion had built a synagogue for the Jews. He dominated
his servant but valued him highly. Again, the person healed is not present.
This is not magic. Crisis brought humbling and humbling brought revelation and
healing. The centurion says, "Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my
roof. But only speak the word and my servant will be healed. "Jesus bursts
out: "I tell you this, nowhere, even in
The feeding of the multitudes was in the context of
such teaching and healing. Imaginative leadership motivating and mobilizing
human resources on the basis of
fellowship, cooperation, sharing, justice. This was a fulfillment of
Christ's mission which he had described at the outset as "to preach good
news to the poor, to proclaim liberation to the oppressed." He was himself
a worker and chose workers as his chief apostles. He took his stand alongside the
people and trusted them – fully aware of both their weaknesses and strengths
and the difficulties and obstacles of the liberation struggle. His involvement
in the struggles of the people was, ultimately to lead him to the cross.
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People together – in a certain spirit – with a
certain vision. Of course that spirit – that vision – is not easy to come by.
It has to be sought for. There has to be a going out into the desert –
exploration – sacrifice. It is essentially a mystery. One needs faith. A
subsequent incident made it perfectly clear that the significance of the
feeding of the multitudes was much deeper than is ordinarily supposed. Christ
then asks his disciples, "Why do you talk about having no bread? Have you
no inkling yet? Do you still not understand? Are your minds closed? You have
eyes. Can you not see? You have ears, can you not hear? Have you.
forgotten?" And hope too, and love are needed. We must look forward to our
hearts' content! But it is by groping experiment - small beginnings with faith
and thanksgiving, mutual forgiveness and love that we discover each other as
comrades in a common undertaking - and feel the taste of what is yet to be. So
we can go on seeking and finding.
(The above six articles were written as a series of
"Socialist Parables" by Yohan Devananda and published in Satyodaya,
a journal edited by Fr. Paul Caspersz, S. J. The aim
of the series is to show the common theme of development - justice - liberation
in Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity as well as in the Marxist and Secular
ideologies.)