What
Buddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
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Man is his
own jailor
Is there any truth in man'sclaim that
he should be given freedom to do things as he likes?
When
we consider human freedom, it is very difficult to find out whether man is
really free to do anything according to his own wishes. Man is bound by
many conditions both external and internal; he is asked to obey the laws
that are imposed on him by the government; he is bound to follow certain
religious principles; he is required to co-operate with the moral and
social conditions of the society in which he lives; he is compelled to
follow certain national and family customs and traditions. In modern
society, he in inclined to disagree with life; he is expected to conform
by adapting himself to the modern way of life. he is bound to co-operate
with natural laws and cosmic energy, because he is also part of the same
energy. He is subjected to the weather and climatic conditions of the
region. Not only does he have to pay attention to his life or to physical
elements, but he has also to make up his mind to control his own emotions.
In other words, he has no freedom to think freely because he is
overwhelmed by new thoughts which may contradict or do away with his
previous thoughts and convictions. At the same time, he may believe that
he has to obey and work according to the will of god, and not follow his
own free-will.
Taking into
consideration all the above changing conditions to which man is bound, we
can ask 'Is there any truth in man's claim that he should be given freedom
to do things as he likes?'
Why does man have his
hands tied so firmly? The reason is that there are various bad elements
within man. These elements are dangerous and harmful to all living
creatures. For the past few thousand years, all religions have been trying
to tame this unreliable attitude of man and to teach him how to live a
noble life. But it is most unfortunate that man is still not ready to be
trustworthy, however good he may appear to be.
Man still continues to
harbor all these evil elements within himself. These evil elements are not
introduced or influenced by external sources but are created by man
himself. If these evil forces are man-made, then man himself must work
hard to get rid of them after realizing their danger. Unfortunately the
majority of men are cruel, cunning, wicked, ungrateful, unreliable,
unscrupulous. If man is allowed to live according to his own free-will
without moderation and restraint, he would most definitely violate the
peace and happiness of innocent people. His behavior would probably be
much worse than that of dangerous living beings. Religion is required to
train him to lead a respectable life and to gain peace and happiness here
and hereafter.
Another obstacle
confronting religious life and spiritual progress is racial arrogance. The
Buddha advised His followers not to bring forward any racial issue when
they come to practise religion. Buddhists are taught to sink their own
racial origin and caste or class distinction. People of all religions
should not discriminate against any groups of people by bringing forward
their personal traditional way of life. They should treat everyone
equally, especially in the religious field. Unfortunately, followers of
different religions create more discriminations and hostility towards
other religious groups when performing their religious activities.
While working others, they
should not disturb their feelings because of their so-called traditions
and customs. They can follow traditions and customs that are in keeping
with the religious principles and moral codes of their religions.
Racial arrogance is a
great hindrance to religion and spiritual progress. The Buddha once used
the simile of ocean water to illustrate the harmony which can be
experienced by people who have learnt to cast aside their racial
arrogance: Different rivers have different names. The water of the
individual rivers all flow into the ocean and become ocean water. In a
similar manner, all those who have come from different communities and
different castes, must forget their differences and think of themselves
only as human beings.
-ooOoo-
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Source: Buddhist
Study and Practice Group, http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/
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Layout: Chan Duc - Nguyen Thao
Update : 01-11-2002
