Working Title: Paper for International Conference on Religious Cooperation
to be held in Taipei, Taiwan, 18 to 21 September 2001
An Australian meaning of ‘A Fair Go For All’
by John D. Hughes, Dip. App. Chem., T.T.T.C., GDAIE
Vice President, World Fellowship of Buddhists
Venerable Sangha, Eminent Fathers and Mothers of the various churches, Holy and Religious persons, eminent scholars, Dragon protectors who guard the conference and ladies and gentlemen.
I welcome the opportunity to present this Conference with some notions of a Buddha Practitioner and Teacher on some views that you may meet within the current Buddhist global viewpoint.
I leave you to equate them to the tenets of your own religion.
I intend that this speech will generate more light than heat and if it does not measure up to the standard in your heart I wish to ask you to be gracious enough to overlook any lack of clarity of the notions presented because it would take days of dialogue to reach understanding of some of the 8th order logic I have introduced here and there.
Let me begin with a statement of good will. I believe we have things to discuss together that could lead to collective action that could bring many blessings to many folk, within this troubled world.
I have requested for the ancient Noble ones to guide me in my task here today. I do this with quiet supreme confidence that the merit of their deeds can appear within this conference to bless us all.
We have the advice of Lord Buddha of what makes for stability for long term religious practice. Among other things, to succeed, a Temple ought not to be too new or too dilapidated. We detect a tendency for some places to borrow large sums of money to construct large Temples.
Securitisation of debt is one way responsible organisations can recognise this maxim and hence we suggest that followers of religion exclude the notion of borrowing recklessly to finance building.
It is a blessing to be debtless.
For this reason, our organisation adopts securitisation of debt as a determinant element of our building paradigm to control capital outlay. (6)
Perhaps, we would share with other religions such economic sense. We want stable structures to last. As the world may be on the path to World War 3, it might be prudent to keep debt manageable. And now for what I hope is to be a joke as something that will not happen. If some young persons went off to war and returned to peace only to find their favorite Temple closed for lack of funds, they may well ask what they were fighting for.
Those interested in dialogue should read “An Early Journey” edited by Venerable Karuna Dharma and Dr. Michael Kerze which is linked with the original dialogue members. The co-chair was Venerable Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara, Buddhist Sangha Council of Southern California. This paper is available on Internet, and those interested ought to read it. (7) (refer Footnote 1.)
From a Buddhist perspective, we know about rebirth and know in some lives we are born of this religion and in other lives we are born into a different religion. Provided we have had a series of human births (rather than animal births where we learn nothing) we already have some innate sense of each others religion because of these past causes.
We need not shift from our own religion to another religion to be able to cooperate with one another. But with the negative forces of the world driving persons towards atrocious acts, of which the recent US bombing is merely one example, we must unite to fight what Buddhists call mara and Christians call demonic forces.
The best way to fight is to propagate the peaceful pursuit of our own religions and convert persons lacking in morality to our respective viewpoints. I say this because I know in some of the delegates hearts there is a wish that followers and devotees increase.
May the propagation of morality become a national issue in our respective countries so that future generations will remember us with affection.
But as we say in Australia ‘give people a fair go’. Which is the basis of our multiculturalism. It is impossible to translate the full meaning of ‘a fair go’ in your respective language, so you will have to search your language for the vernacular speech of developing fairness that undoubtedly exists at grassroots levels.
So the impossible dream may not be so far away if we can wish all persons to be given ‘a fair go’.
May you be well and happy and free from harm and successful in your pursuit of what we in Australia term ‘a fair go’ for all.
So thank you very much.
May you be well and Happy at this Conference
The Late Venerable Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara delivered a talk at Gethsemane Conference on “The Importance of Interfaith Dialogue: A Buddhist Perspective”. He referred to some observations of his Holiness John Paul II in which He reminded us all that “what unites us is much greater than what separates us . . . It is necessary . . . to rid ourselves of stereotypes, of old habits. And above all, it is necessary to recognise the unity that already exists.” Since all of you are already knowledgeable about the history of inter-religious dialogue, it isn’t my intention to bore you by rehashing it. But I think it is worth our while to pause every now and then, to “step back” and remind ourselves just how far we’ve come in the last three decades. The evidence, which confirms the Pope’s observation of a “unity that already exists” is most encouraging. Formal interfaith dialogue, however, does not materialise, fully developed, out of a vacuum. It evolves gradually, in response to the needs and aspirations of the broader community of which is participants are members. The “unity that already exists”, of which the Pope speaks is the life of the community, and a tacit consensus, that “what unites us” is at least as important as “what separates us”. On the other hand, this pre-existing “unity” must be recognised, and positive steps taken to build on it. No less encouraging, therefore, is the evidence that what was begun some thirty years ago continues with increasing momentum.” (8)
References
World Council of Churches website at www.wcc-coe.org The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. New York 28-31 August 2000.
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., Buddha Dhyana Dana Review, Volume 6 No. 1, 1996, Recollection by Dharma of the Danda of Venerable KING ASOKA pp. 38 - 45.
Flinders Petrie, Professor, The Religion of Egypt, pp. 92 - 93.
Ku K, Encyclopaedia of Buddhism, Volume II, Fascicle 2, published by The Government of Ceylon, 1967, p.183
1997, David Scott in his “The Study of Buddhism: Issues and Challenges”
Buddhist Discussion Centre (Upwey) Ltd., Buddha Dhyana Dana Review, Volume 7 No. 3, 1997, p 6.
Ven. Karuna Dharma and Dr. Michael Kerze, An Early Journey, The Los Angeles Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue.
Ven. Dr. Havanpola Ratanasara, The Importance of Interfaith Dialogue: A Buddhist Perspective, http://www.zip.com.au/~lyallg/ratana.htm
Msgr. Michael Fitzgerald, M Afr, Developing Dialogue, The Los Angeles Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue.