Where is the peace?

Peace in our world – is becoming a much sort after commodity. Having all the materiality we need, we are now turning around and asking where is the peace?

Both personal peace and social peace is not guaranteed in our world.

To sustain our lifestyle, most persons work long hours at the sacrifice of our family wellbeing and relationships.

Can tolerance play a part in generating this peace we are looking for?

If we increased tolerance in our personal world and in our social world, will this help?

Well let’s look at some concepts of what we call peace. Peace means – no war, no fighting, no robbery, no hate, no concern, enough food, shelter, medicines, schooling, scholarship, good sleep, good health.

We all know what peaceful conditions are, but how do you ensure one can keep them?

With all our achievements in this world we have not been able to bring peace and happiness to our world. Every day we see atrocities on a global and local level.

It is time for us to seriously take stock of what we are doing. Apply analysis to our world activity, both personal and global.

Lets stop and take a look.

What are the ingredients that are missing in our world that we know will bring peace.

Tolerance is a key ingredient. We can and should aim to provide all the essential basic ingredients to help bring peace- food, shelter, education, love, safety. And we must generate this idea of tolerance. Tolerance to put up with the conditions we currently have and to strive to improve them. To endure adverse conditions to achieve a final goal. Our final goal being world peace.

Tolerance. What is tolerance?

The Oxford English dictionary, 2nd edition, 1989, Oxford University Press. Defines tolerance as : “The action or practice of enduring or sustaining pain or hardship; the power or capacity of enduring; endurance.”

“The action or practice of tolerating; toleration; The disposition to be patient with or indulgent to the opinions or practices of others; Freedom from bigotry or undue severity in judging the conduct of others; forebearance; catholicity of spirit.”

“One who tolerates opinions or practices different from his own; one free from bigotry.”

“To allow to exist or to be done or practiced without authoritative interference or molestation, to allow, permit.”

“To bear without repugnance; to allow intellectually, or in taste, sentiment, or principle; to put up with.”

“The action of sustaining or enduring; endurance of evil, suffering etc.”

“The action of allowing; permission granted by authority, license.”

“The action or practice of tolerating or allowing what is not actually approved forbearance, sufferance.”

“Allowance (with or without limitations) by the ruling power, of the exercise of religion otherwise than in the form officially established or recognized.”

“Tolerationism – Toleration of religious differences as a principle or system.”

From the above definitions we can say that tolerance is the qualities of patience, compassion, generosity and ethical living to build harmony leading to peace. Having tolerance means to have the ability to listen. Listens to the beliefs, philosophies, culture and personality of others. Practicing tolerance moves us away from hate or ill will; greed or jealousy and ignorance or narrow mindedness.

Tolerance finds a way to allow differences to be respected and grow. It is fresh and clear, not clouded by aversion to diversity. It is not afraid of differences.

To allow all beings to live together regardless of creed, race, age, goals and ideals, this is tolerance.

Tolerance accepts the differences that exist in the world. It accepts that others do think and act differently to oneself- even within our own family – brothers and sisters born together, still can be opposites in personalities and belief systems.

To bring peace to our internal and external world – this is our challenge. Buddha Dhamma gives very clear instructions as to how to come to internal peace.

In the Digha Nikaya, the Lord Buddha expounded the Cakkvatti-Sihanda Suttanta. In this Sutta, the Lord Buddha gives instructions on how to rule a Kingdom to bring peace. We ought to take note and request governments, rulers and organisations to apply this type of governance, that is based on tolerance, compassion and wisdom.

King Asoka was a great Indian King, who after winning many battles, questioned the price of victory against the suffering sustained in human life.

His analysis lead to him rejecting violence and turning to the Buddha Dhamma to rule his country.

Here is an excerpt from the paper written by John D. Hughes titled Recollection by Dharma of the Danda of the Venerable King Asoka.

“The Ariyan duty of a Cakkavatti is that of leaning on The Dhamma, honouring respecting and revering it, doing homage to it , hallowing it, being thyself a Dhamma banner, a Dhamma –signal, having the Dhamma as thy master, shouldst provide the right watch, ward and protection for thine own folk, for thy army, for the nobles, for vassals, for brahmans, and householders, for town and country dwellers, for the religious world, and for the beasts and birds. Through= out thy kingdom let non wrongdoing prevail. And whosoever in thy kingdom is poor, to him let wealth be given.”

The Venerable King Asoka repeatedly declared, he understood Dhamma to be the energetic practice of the socio-moral virtues of honesty, truthfulness, compassion, mercifulness, benevolence, non-violence, considerate behaviour towards all, “little wrong and many good deeds” non-extravagance, non-acquisitiveness, and non-injury to animals.”

“Towards all religious sects he adopted a policy of respect and guaranteed them full freedom to live according to their own principles, but he also urged them to exert themselves for the “ increase of their inner worthiness” . He suggested respect for the creeds of others, condoned praise, the good points of others, and suggested to refrain from vehement adverse criticism of the view points of others”. Page 41 BDDR Vol 6 No. 1

Buddhism is the system of practice that helps the one practicing to achieve the state of nirvana to full enlightenment. By focusing on the Law of cause and effect as taught by the Buddha – that all things are conditioned, that is they depend on the causes for their existence, one practices to make the right causes to stop suffering.

Through this persistent practice of developing compassion, generosity, morality and purifying the mind, one develops ability to endure and tolerate suffering with the goal of obtaining peace.

By applying the Buddha’s teachings to understanding why things are the way they are, one develops tolerance for their current conditions, be they lack of materiality or experiencing painful mental states, anxiety, worry or depression.

Buddhism acknowledges the view that all beings want happiness.

We all know that no being wants to be destroyed. No being wants to be not loved. No being wants to be hated. No being wants to be dis-honoured. No being wants to be poor. No being wants to be un-happy. No being wants to be blamed.

Some of the causes that erode peace are: wishing to live at the destruction of others, wishing success for ourselves and others to not succeed. Hating the way others look and sound. Wishing wealth for oneself without any care for the wealth of others. Doing things to gain wealth for self at the expense of others. Having these ideas and speaking with such words and doing such actions we our selves create the causes for war to appear in our worlds.

It is in our everyday lives that we create these causes as persons or nations. Each person does it for themselves. To bring real peace to the world, peace that can continue to be created we need to address the causes of war. Stop making the causes that bring war. Make the causes that bring peace. Generate a win-win attitude. Our actions, personal and global should intend to be for the benefit of self and others.

It is of course easier thought or said than done. Or is it? If we don't start to believe that the world can be a peaceful place with no war and with everyone having enough food, water, wealth- then this reality cannot come into being. Our task is clear- to convince all persons to make causes for peace and not go towards war.

As practicing Buddhists we know that it is difficult to not make the causes to experience the above results in our world. Yet there is a way, the Buddha said so. Another example is what the Buddha said about creating long life for an organisation or group. He said they should 'Gather in harmony, meet in harmony and disperse in harmony'. To really put this into practice we must tolerate any difficulties or differences that arise, to put them down, to restrain ourselves, to focus on harmonising with all members of our group or organisation.

By the law of cause and effect, each being can make the causes for peace rather than war. By example, we can teach every human being on this planet to make the causes for peace and happiness. To be kind to the persons in their world. Act and live to fulfill the needs of the persons in your immediate world- your family, the people you work with, the people in your village. Start small and then steadily expand your thought to include more and more other people. Jump into the other persons' life and see what will make them happy. Experience the world from their view.

It takes great effort to overcome the selfish view. We must start to think about the welfare of self and others. To make everything we do as an act of extending the result to self and the beings in our world.

We look on the personal level, then we can extend to a larger circle- our village, our school, our work, our countries. What is needed? What can we do to help? By every person thinking in this way, more causes for peace will be made, rather than for war.

The seeds or causes of the war that is arising now in the world, were made a long time ago. It is not possible to stop what is arising now, yet we can stop creating more causes for war not to come at a future time. Instead, now we can sow the seeds of peace to fruit at a future time, so all beings can live together in peace and harmony.

May all beings be well and happy.


References:

1.Oxford English Dictionary 2nd edition, 1989, Oxford University Press. States defines tolerance as “ The action or practice of enduring or sustaining pain or hardship; the power or capacity of enduring; endurance.”

2.Hughes, John David, the article “Recollection by Dharma of the Danda of the Venerable King Asoka” published in Buddha Dhyana Dana Review Volume 6 Number 1, Page 39 to 41.