Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Commentator :
1. Phramaha Somboon Phanna
: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University
2. Asst. Prof. Dr. Somwang Kaewsufong
: Chiang Mai University
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 19
Prof.Dr. R.Gopalakrishnan,
Formerly Professor and Head,
Department Of Philosophy,
University Of Madras, Chennai—600 005
India
+91 98411 71138
Email: gopalki_rls @yahoo.com
Abstract
In this paper an attempt has been made to describe the entry, growth and
disappearance of the globally reputed Buddhist faith and practice in the Southern
part of India especially in the Tamil land. Grandeur of Buddhism lies not only in the
scriptural texts, teachings and practices, etc. but in the organisational techniques
like the Sangam paved the way for the spread of Buddhism in all parts of the world
through royal patronage, scholarly interpretations, and collective modes of
propagation and institutionalized methods of worship in the monasteries. The
methodology resorted to here are both historical and descriptive, but highly
informative and explanatory.
The entry of Buddhism was traced from the historical records especially of
the travellers, and the notes of eminent emissaries, literary sources, excavations,
inscriptions, art and architecture, viharas etc. The development of this faith has been
studied from the grand epics like Manimekalai, Virasoliam, Kundalakesi etc. The
Tamil emperors, even though followed different native religions, they did not hate
the promotion of Buddhist practices both individually and collectively. They
constructed monasteries and donated lands and revenues to sustain them. The
Bodhisattvas too contributed their might in maintaining the prestige of Buddhism
through their commitment and praxis.
Besides the historical back ground, this study accounts for the existence of
Buddhist centres in different parts of Tamil country as well as the origin of new cult
known as the avalokitesvara. Also more information are obtained from the
inscriptions, sculptures, art and architecture regarding the prevalence of Buddhism in
the Southernmost part of India. It is to be proudly noted that this faith did not
flourish without philosophical themes and doctrinal expositions.
The final section deals with the reasons for the decline and disappearance
of Buddhism from this land and concludes with a few suggestions to revive this holy
faith in this soil.
Introduction
Buddhism, a living faith of the world, founded by a prince turned
enlightened sage of the aristocratic Sakya clan, has made significant contribution to
the realm of religious pursuits as well as intellectual interrogations, cultural heritage,
social stability, moral enhancement, artistic development and literary zeal. Though it
declares life being filled with sorrows, it is not subscribing to pessimism; it
apparently inculcates the profoundest egoism, yet it is extolled for its loftiest moral
denominations; it denies the metaphysical self, but it insists total responsibility for
our actions through rebirth; it denies the existence of a supreme God, still it
guarantees perfect liberation from the turmoil of worldly existence.
Buddhism received royal patronage for its exalted and sublime ideals
along with scholarly support for its continued existence so that millions of followers
embraced this simple religion with high thinking. Above all, this religion advocates
deeply humanism in all spheres and promoted equality at all levels of human
existence. As a well organised religion, Buddhism promulgates universal truths in a
four-fold manner, the theory of dependent origination as an offshoot of the second
noble truth, the famous eight practical pathways to perfection as well as the tri-ratna
(three jewels viz. the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha). These unique and
meritorious doctrines having universal appeal and the magnificent personality of its
founder made this religion more popular since they amalgamated both theory and
practice.
monastery (samgharama) near Kanchipuram which served as the rendezvous for the
most eminent scholars and Acarya Dharmapala stayed there and wrote several
commentaries on Pali texts. He also states about the stupa about 100 feet high, built
by emperor Asoka to commemorate the victory of the Buddha over Tirthikas in
religious debate and admitted several people in to his fold. Kanchipuram was a well-
known centre of Buddhism during the regime of the Pallava dynasty in teaching and
cultural activities associated with Buddhism. In the Talaing chronicles, the source
book of Burmese Buddhism the names of ancient Pali rulers like Asokavarman and
Buddhavarman finds a place who visited this centre. Buddhist scholars like Dignaga
and Dharmapala went to North India from Kanchipuram and Bodhidharma went to
China and founded the Zen school of Buddhism (ch’an) based on Mahayana
Buddhism. According to Yuan Chwang, there existed more than 100 monasteries
with about 10,000 monks all belonging to the Sthavira school.
The Chinese visitor refers to the prevalence of a few monasteries in
Malakuta in the Pandiya country accommodating very few monks. He also mentions
about the Avalokitesvara cult in the potaloka mountains. Akitta Jataka refers to
Kavarippumpattinam, a capital and port city of the imperial Chola dynasty, in the
kingdom of Tamila. It also refers to the visit of great monks of Therevada, such as
Buddhadatta, Buddhaghosa and Dharmapala who engaged in religious activities in
Ceylon and the Tamil land. Abhidhammavatara depicts this city as a wealthy and
luxurious one. Both Silappathikaram and Manimekalai, the two grand epics of Tamil
language, refer to Indira vihara, built by Mahendra, son of Asoka, who visited this
town when he proceeded to Ceylon as a Buddhist missionary.“ The spread of
Buddhism in Tamil Nadu is known from the epi-graphical evidences found in its
ancient caves and stone beds. Brahmi scripts in a number of caves have been found in
Tamil Nadu mainly in the Madurai, Tirunelveli and Chengalpattu districts. It is clear
from history that Brahmi script was popularised by Emperor Asoka through his
Dharma vijaya; such scripts are found in almost all places in India. The name Dravidi
or Damidi (Tamili) is given to the South Indian Brahmi scripts.”1. (Murthy, R.S.,
p.XIII). The above name is noticed in a few Jaina works and Lalitavistara, an early
Mahayana Buddhist work.
Tamil to Buddhists who came from Sanskrit background. The polemics of Nilakesi, a
Jaina work and the Sivagnana Siddhiyar, a Saiva philosophical treatise develop
arguments against the Buddhist concept of ‘no soul’ (anatma) theory in a manifold
dimension. While criticising Buddhism from the Saiva religious point of view, St.
Thirugnana Sambandhar, an infant saint, points out the salient points of Buddhism.
Scholars have found out there are several similarities between Thirukkural, a moral
compendium in Tamil and the Dhammapada, a Buddhist work, not only in
conceptual framework but in the illustrations too.
Conclusion:
“A comparative study of the development of Buddhism in Tamil Natu and
the neighbouring countries clearly shows the fact that when Buddhism was in decline
in Tamil Natu, it witnessed tremendous growth in the neighbouring countries. The
monks of Tamil natu, who had left from their native land, have contributed a great
deal for the growth of Buddhism abroad. In this sense we may say that the Tamil
Buddhist genius was not destroyed but sublimated in another direction where it has
grown with fresh vigour and vivacity. We may cite a host of Buddhist monks such as
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Bodhidharma and others who moved from South India and developed Buddhism in
other countries.
“Nevertheless, the impact of Buddhism can be seen in all aspects of Tamil
Culture. It has expressed itself in exquisite forms and given an enduring colour and
richness to Tamil culture as a whole. It has exerted a profound influence on the
existing religious and social institutions, language and literature as well as on art and
architecture. One can recall the attempts made by the Tamil and Malayalam poets of
the twentieth century to revive Buddhist tales and message in their themes of
humanitarianist orientations. It should indeed be a purposive and fruitful study to
examine the impact of Buddhism after its decline, on different facets of Tamil artistic
expression and experience during the various phases of the development of Tamil
culture.”9 (Hikosaka Shu, p.202)
The genuine and right thinking and ambitious aspirations of a Buddhist
Scholar from abroad is getting fulfilled in a slow and steady phase. The disgruntled
scholars on Hindu faith especially in the promotion of social inequality and caste
menace not only embraced Buddhism but also giving new orientation to invite
followers to this very ancient faith. Contemporary scholars with historical knowledge
and literary genius also do their might in providing a new impetus for the revival of
Buddhism and restoring the abandoned and dilapidated monuments and relics with
pristine purity and magnificent glory. Let us hope for the day when a large number
of followers of Buddhism dominate in the historically, culturally and socially well
repudiated and recognised Tamil Country.
References:
Samuel, John, General Editor, Buddhism in Tamil Nadu, Collected Papers (Institute
of Asian Studies, Madras, 1998)
Buddhism in Tamil Nadu—A New Perspective (Institute of Asian Studies, Madras,
1989)
Ibid.
Tamilum Tattuvamaum (Manivasagar Patippakam, Madras, 1976)
Buddhism in Tamil Nadu A New Perspective
Buddhism in Tamil Nadu Collected Papers
Buddhism in Tamil Nadu A New Perspective
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 29
Abstract
While many of the world religions extended their help to adopt
sustainable development and to reduce anthropogenic activities. Buddhism is not
lagging behind with its energetic engagement and high socio-ethical spectrum. Here
Buddhism is not a religion of introspective withdrawal but to rejuvenate the world by
providing alternative mean to social development. It is both in east and west is
willing to learn the root cause of ongoing social crisis and conflict. Buddhism is
instrumental in commendable efforts to make awareness and provide solutions. The
neo liberal capitalism and multi-national corporations encourage maximization of
profit at the expense of human values and environmental sustainability. The
multinational corporations or ‘Transnational Tyrannies’ have monopolized two third
of world trade and became protector of universe by possessing special rights and
privileges. Their capitalist zeal treats environment as a sub-system of capitalism. so it
is to be exploited in order to lubricate the wheels of the capitalist machine with an
insatiable desire for profit perpetuating to greed, hatred, moral turpitude and
negligence towards environment (Sivaraksha, Economic Aspects of Social and
Environmental Violence from a Buddhist Perspective’, pp.47-48, 2012). The
globalization of economy has also led to social and cultural crisis, poverty and
powerlessness in some pocket of the world. It has eroded the traditional community
structure and accelerated the depletion of natural resources (Janeb, 1998). The third
world economies have virtually succumbed to intensive consumerism mainly those
produced by the transnational corporations.
Introduction
The people have been induced to abandon their traditional way of life and
culture evolved over thousands of years and most suitable to their local conditions
and environment. The labourers are compelled to sacrifice their services at low wages
in the name of industrialization. The peasantry has been displaced for the sake of
large infrastructure projects. The people are taught to compete and indulge in
excessive consumerism which encourages greed, violence and delusion in the society.
It is the globalization of tanhā or craving. It may be craving for the gratification of
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passions or of eternity or for the success. The vast chunk of the population who are
lured by the consumer oriented mercantilism will never have the means to acquire
the commodities portrayed to them. So they consider themselves inferior, alienated
and culturally backward. The globalization brings about certain groups of people
who are not currently capable of coping with the increased competitive pressure to
compete with the rest of the world. With economic hegemony the dominant nations
control the political institutions and economy of the dependent nations who need
their financial and economic support. Such bondage leads to enormous debts and
erosion of traditional institution for the underdeveloped nations.
At such circumstances new secular institutions preloaded with new social
and cultural values have been emerged. Due to presence of industrialized market
economy, traditional social and economic structure based on agrarian economy has
been jeopardised. Buddhist world view has tried to transform itself by
accommodating modern socio-economic values. It paves the way to prepare ground
for not to succumb to wrath of modernization and westernization (Swearer, 1991).
The principle of interdependence may be a positive step aimed at curbing this deep
rooted problem. It encourages the principle of equality and justice together with rule
of law for all the nations. The paticca samuppada explains that ‘every existing thing is
both conditional and that nothing can exist independently. Everything depends in
some way or the other conditionally on one-another (S.C. Chatterji, 1984). It
recognizes the existing reality of a thing, a person or a nation. It always tends to make
a greatly united world in which all the people regardless of nation, religion, culture
etc. can co-exist and live independently and harmoniously. In the context of
globalization the interdependence also means that whatever principles, policies and
actions taken should have positive impact. The Buddhist teaching of non-
discrimination and equality are related to this understanding. It recognizes the
complexity of causation that produces conflicts and suffering and clarifies the issues
that leads to reconciliation and solution to the problems (Bloom, 2012). The mindset
of the Buddha was to establish equalitarian ethos which could cut across the
tribalism and the distinction of race or religion He asserts that lineage does not enter
into man’s being either good or bad, nor do good look or wealth (Majjhima Nikāya,
II). It provides a new way of thinking for current situation and act as potential and
competent force for the process of globalization to cope with international
competitiveness and challenges to meet global demand as well as develop co-
operative working environment. Sulak Sivaraksa coined “small ‘b’ Buddhism”
signifying Buddhist doctrine with transformative relevance and pragmatic
methodology to engage with contemporary problems and their solutions. He argues
suffering as incorrigible human tendencies about consumerism, materialism and
unwarranted possessions which are threatening the world. He visualises that short
term political and economic gain are creating chaos and suffering which can only be
stopped with mindfulness and rational thinking. For it he uses ‘b’ in place of ‘B’ for
Buddhism to emphasize changed vision of Buddhism to counter self-conceited ideas
engulfing the world (Donald).
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 31
Conclusion:
The people’s participation will require decentralization of power,
distributive justice, egalitarian ethos and material security. The underdevelopment
within a nation is characterized not only by the production of pseudo values and non
values but also by mal-distribution of genuine credentials. The over-consumption by
the privileged classes goes hand in hand with under consumption by the masses
(Sachs, 1979). The materialism is engulfing each and every society of the world and
is eroding their vibrant cultural values. In globalized world, to gain wealth, power
and to fulfil the insatiable sensual pleasure through undesirable means are becoming
the most domineering values. The people are obsessed with packaged food and
standardized products sponsored by transnational organizations; especially the
younger generation of is more addicted to western variety of foods in place of
traditional healthy and hygienic food products. The food items are now not preferred
by their intrinsic value of nutrition but on basis of their multinational logo and
advertisements. The sustainable and traditional patterns are fast changing. In the east
the traditional joint family structure is on the verge of collapse and the nuclear family
structure is becoming the norm of the society. The monoculture of globalization has
been promoting a system totally at odd with the existing values of the traditional
societies. It encourages to negative direction of kamma leading to unemployment,
disintegration of traditional family and community structure and imbalance in
ecosphere. When the society is facing such kind of difficulties motivated by
unwholesome and evil roots, it will lose the healthy structure and will not be able to
survive. Buddhism states such implications. The approval or disapproval of policies
is to articulate the voice of the people. Any economic development scheme cannot be
planned without paying due attention to this factors. A nation has to make a serious
effort to carve out both an alternative vision of the modern society and an indigenous
path leading to it. The much of traditional knowledge and expertise have been lost in
the name of modernity and science, depriving common people everywhere of help in
the time of need.
References:
Janeb, H. P. (1998). Globalization from Buddhist Perspective. Kandy: Bodhi Leaves No.
146, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society.
(n.d.). Majjhima Nikāya, II.
(n.d.). Majjhima Nikāya, II.
S.C. Chatterji, &. D. (1984). An Introduction to Indian Philosophy. Calcutta: Calcutta
University Press.
Sachs, I. (1979). Development, Maldevelopment and Industrialization of Third World
Countries. Development and Change, X(4).
Sivaraksha, S. (2012, 4 23). Retrieved from Economic Aspects of Social and
Environmental Violence from a Buddhist Perspective: http://www.jstor.
org/stable/1390560
Sivaraksha, S. (2012, 3 23). Economic Aspects of Social and Environmental Violence from a
Buddhist Perspective’, pp.47-48. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/s
table/1390560,: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1390560,
Sivaraksha, S. (n.d.). Economic Aspects of Social and Environmental Violence from a
Buddhist Perspective. Retrieved 4 23, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org/
stable/1390560
Stephanie, K. a. ( Dharma Rain: Source of Buddhist Environmentalism). Introduction,
p.xvii.
Swearer, D. K. (1991). ‘Sulak Sivaraksa’s Buddhist Vision for Renewing Society’, p.18,
Crossroads: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, Vol.6, No. 2,
1991. Pp.17-57. Retrieved 3 28, 2012, from http://www.jstor.org/stable
/40860347: http://www.jstor.org/stable/ 40860347
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Abstract
Some of the concepts contained in the Sanskrit and Pali Buddhist texts do
not have clear equivalents in the English language. Behind each language lies a great
background of cultural symbolism and linguistic usage. Terms such as ‘insight’,
‘consciousness’ and even ‘spirituality’ are understood in the West according to a
cultural heritage that has its roots firmly embedded in Judeo-Christian narratives and
cosmologies.
However, ‘continental philosophy’, with its notions of the ‘deconstruction’
of culturally constructed ideas and the transcendence of the symbolic self, are related
directly to Buddhist epistemology. The Pali term anatta or ‘non-self’ resonates
strongly with the postmodern issue of the symbolic self, an illusory sense of self that
emerges from a radically objective interpretation of the world. Both Buddhism and
continental philosophy share the idea that all perspectives are conditioned
viewpoints. The Pali term saṅkhārā expresses this notion of conditioning and the five
aggregates of existence (pañcupādānakkhandā) demonstrate the way this conditioning
takes place by means of the human tendency to cling to sensory objects and to
identify with personal feelings and thoughts.
Many Buddhist texts employ narrative strategies such as metaphor,
analogy and semiotic flow to express contemplative experiences and levels of
consciousness that cannot be adequately described in the third-person oriented,
propositional language of Western academia. Academic terminology is dominated by
a thirst for objective facts because its roots still lie in a Cartesian logico-empiricism. It
is therefore necessary to consider the great distance between the linguistic and
narrative foundations of Buddhism and present-day Western culture: it becomes
necessary to find an appropriate terminology or ‘language’ to fruitfully interpret the
wisdom of these ancient documents. This paper will argue that the form of
expression employed by continental philosophers such as Nietzsche, Heidegger,
Foucault and Derrida is just such a language.
Introduction
Continental philosophy can be said to have its origins in the writings of
Nietzsche, to progress through the phenomenology of Husserl and Heidegger and to
reach its fruition in the French postmodernism of Foucault, Derrida and Kristeva. Its
heavy emphasis on the importance of the study of language makes possible the
science of ‘semiotics’. Semiotics, or semiology, is the study of language as signifying
process. It is a process in which the written or spoken word, as well as the visual
image, is said to invoke certain associated concepts in the mind of the beholder or
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 35
listener. Few words and images however can be said to be associated with just one
clearly defined concept. Rather the reverse is true: each signifier tends to produce a
constellation of signifieds, a complex array of meanings and values. This leads many
researchers in the fields of language studies, philosophy and the human sciences to
question the ability of language to faithfully represent that which is ‘in the world’.
(Francisco J Varela,1991 : 15)
To adopt this questioning attitude to language, it is argued here, resonates
strongly with that of the early Buddhists, who considered the apparent substantiality
of the objective world as the result of a human desire for certainty and solidity.
Clinging to the objects of desire, according to this view, restricts the freedom of a
person to adapt to momentary changes of circumstance, creating the illusion of a
static world and a static personality which is imprisoned within its intransigent
boundaries. One system taught by the Buddha to describe the process by which this
imprisonment occurred was known as the khandhas (Skt: skandhas) or ‘aggregates’,
the ‘five constituent elements of being’. (Monier Monier-Williams, 2002 : 1256) In a
general sense, the term khandha refers to the notion of an aggregation of separate
elements. In an applied sense it relates to the aggregation of the elements that
constitute a personality, an ego. The five khandhas - material form (rūpa), feeling
(vedanā), perception (saññā), karmic (or ‘conditioned’) influences (sankhāra), and
consciousness (viññāna) - together constitute the ‘sensorial aggregates which
condition the appearance of life in any form’. (Rhys Davids and William Stede, 1994 :
233)
Everything that is available to sense perception is thus compounded or
conditioned. What appear to be straightforward substantial objects are aggregations
of various sensory processes. One such process (rūpa) identifies the form of an object
while another (vedanā) evaluates the object emotively. The aggregate of sankhāra (the
karmic dispositions or karmic formations) could be expressed in Western terms as the
influence of a person’s previous experience or history of structural coupling with the
world, his or her history of interactions with an environment. By recognising the
khandha nature of perception, practitioners come to realize - in contemplative
experience - the epistemological notions of impermanence (anicca), discontent (dukkha)
and no-self (anatta). That is, he or she experiences the impermanent nature of
phenomena through a direct recognition of the processes that compound the various
perceptual elements into an appearance of substantiality. The ego comes to be seen,
from the perspective of insight, as “simply five ‘heaps’ (khandhā) of psycho-physical
phenomena”. (Sangharakshita, 1993 : 199) This paper suggests that the doctrine of the
five aggregates resonates in such ways with certain theories of signifying process that
are employed in continental philosophy.
The aggregates construct the familiar phenomenal world we know by
joining together our impressions, habitually-acquired meanings, values, and our
personal feelings; that is, our feelings of desire or aversion for the object. In a similar
fashion, through the signifiers and invoked concepts of the occidental signifying
process, the phenomena of the world come to acquire definite meanings and values.
Through recursive interactions with phenomena in particular cultural contexts we
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come to regard these meanings and values as fixed and immutable. We learn to read
the world as if it were a text. The meanings that we read into the world affect our
perceptions of the world. Continental philosophy, in a similar way to Buddhist
epistemology, views ordinary perception as compounded and constructed. Like
Cervantes’ character, Don Quixote, (Miguel de Cervantes, 1987 : 104) whose
perception of the world is dominated by the romantic novels he has read, we learn
who we are and what is expected of us by constantly referring back to stories told to
us in childhood and we demonstrate our knowledge of this text by acting out the
heroic adventures of the characters portrayed. Like the Buddhists of the Perfection of
Wisdom sutras, whose aim was to transcend the mundane world of
conceptualizations, the challenge of the continental philosophers is to escape from the
text, to avoid the constructed meanings and values that distort understanding, and to
disrupt and deconstruct the processes implicated in these distortions.
Semiotics, as the French theorist Roland Barthes has pointed out,
recognizes three terms as constituting the signifying process; the ‘signifier’ (the word
or image presented), the signified (the concept ‘seen’ by the mind) and the sign (the
larger, metaphorical meaning). This third term, the ‘sign’, is the ‘associative total of
the first two terms’ (Roland Barthes, 1993 : 97) and adds a whole new dimension of
significance to the original concept. Barthes gives the example of a bunch of roses that
a man gives to his wife: in this context, the roses signify ‘passion’. They have taken on
a metaphorical or symbolic meaning as they appeared in this particular context. The
word ‘rose’ is spoken and the image of a red flower appears in the mind’s eye of the
listener. But here, the emotions and personal history of the man and wife are engaged
in the signifying process evoking an entire flood of significations, narratives and
mythologies. It is only when the three elements of the signifying process arise in
relationship that we receive the whole message in the form of ‘passionified’ roses.
(Ibid, p.98.) These roses, delivered in a romantic context, become weighted with fresh
value; something is created which was not there before. They are weighted with
passion and the participants’ history and mythical associations are brought into play.
It can be said then, that when the object and its concept appear in a
particular context they are swamped by a deluge of secondary significations: surplus
semantic value is added according to the recursive usage of the sign, its genealogy
and mythology, in the history of the culture, and the individual, to which it belongs.
The basic sensory value of the first two terms becomes a mere primary material from
which the third term - the sign - draws its greater meaning. The simple sensory image
provided by phenomenal experience and the concept to which it is arbitrarily yet
uncomplicatedly related, contribute to the creation of a new metaphysical reality
which is at the same time something more and something less than the original
perception.
The khandas work in a similar way. They constitute a similar analysis of the
signifying process. When they arise together in various combinations they form
particular perceptions, meanings and cognitive events. They are the five constituents
of being but they are also known as the five aggregates of clinging
(pañcupādānakkhandā) because they are the attributes of a person’s personality that the
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 37
person is attached to. The individual identifies with his or her own personal
thoughts, feelings and perceptions and this leads to an overindulgence in a
narcissistic sense of selfhood. Just as continental philosophy views the self as a social
construction created from a mythical use of language, the Buddhism of the
prajñāpāramita texts sees it, and reality itself, as a ‘linguistic construction’ that is
mistaken for a ‘self-existing’ entity. It arises from the khandas and refers to ‘personal
awareness’ rather than to reality. (Lex Hixon, 1993 : 120)
Every thought, like every perception of self, is a creation of the five
aggregates and cannot reveal the independent existence of external objects. Each
perception is to be treated as an interaction between knower and known. In the
aṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitasutta (Perfection of Wisdom Sutra), Subhuti, a disciple,
asks the Buddha what in fact is to be understood by the expression ‘the world’. The
Buddha answers that the world is to be understood in terms of the khandhas
(aggregates), which are ‘empty of own being’. (Edward Conze, [trans] 1973 : 173) In
other words, not only must human perception of an objective world be mistrusted on
the grounds of the arbitrary nature of the senses, feelings and habitual mentation but
the aggregates themselves must be considered as having no true existence. The
‘marks’ of rational thought are mere appearances, signifiers pointing to insubstantial
referents; they are metaphorical recreations which are only ‘directed [onto] external
objects’. (Ibid, p.174.)
The human need to create meaning and order out of the overwhelming
diversity of phenomenal experience produces the metaphorical nature of the sign
which constructs itself through a process of resemblances rather than identities, as
Michel Foucault demonstrates in Les Mots et les Choses. (Michel Foucault, 1966 : 32-59)
The term ‘sign’ comes from the verb ‘to signify’ and produces both linguistic
concepts and visual images in its attempts to communicate. Since the renaissance of
classical Greek thought, the West has employed a form of language that minimizes
the visual. Foucault suggests that knowledge was characterized by resemblance until
the end of the sixteenth century when Cartesianism reduced the function of the sign
to that of creating clear and distinct identities. The third-person, objective perspective
that produces the propositional language of present-day scientific thought follows
Descartes in its attempt to reduce the metaphysical aspects of the signifying process.
Yet the sign continues to seize upon certain aspects which ‘this’ and ‘that’ have in
common, creating in the process a third ‘thing’ which presents itself as both ‘this’ and
‘that’ in combination. If all the details could be seen, together with the associative
total of the constitutive elements of the sign, a clear and inclusive view of the object
might emerge that was free from habitualised metaphorical projections. Because the
object shares similarities with others of its kind, it is dominated by, and embedded
within, universalizations.
A similar process is recognized in Buddhism. When bare consciousness of
the object or sensual image that is immediately available to perception encounters the
emotional, volitional and precognitive dispositions of the perceiver, a more specific
cognition is produced, a cognition that is conditioned by the previous mental habits
of the person (sankhāra). Buddhist contemplative practices are concerned with
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disrupting these previous habitual processes in order to see the object more clearly
and in a more transparent fashion. (Jeff Wilson, 2017) This can be rendered by
Jacques Derrida’s notion of a ‘primitive meaning, the original, and always sensory
and material, figure’, which, while not ‘exactly a metaphor’ is a ‘kind of transparent
figure’ that is as close as it is possible to get to ‘a literal meaning’ or ‘sens propre’.
(Jacques Derrida, 1982 : 207-271. p.211) Meditation, at its most basic level, strips the
object of the narratives that conditioning has attached to it and frees consciousness
from its habitual associations.
In Buddhist practice, the main object under deconstruction is the self.
‘Cetovimutti’, the freeing of the mind, is achieved through what Japanese Zen
patriarch Dogen referred to as a shedding off of the ‘accumulation of habits’ which
constitute what we think of as the ‘self’. (Dogen, 1986 : 29) Delusion is created as we
experience the world with the ‘burden of the self’, which is just a ‘bundle of mental
habits’ and ‘ingrained views’. (Ibid, p.30) To perceive objects or cognitive events as
unconditioned phenomena it is necessary to transcend these ingrained views through
meditation. From the perspective of continental philosophy it is to deconstruct the
specific interpretations and meanings which can themselves be seen to have been
created by the conventional usage of the sign in its own cultural history. Dogen’s
insight, that the self is a burden, artificially constructed from mental habits, shows
that meditation is concerned with appreciating the pure phenomenon of this
‘passionfied’ rose by separating out its second-order, metaphorical meaning. That is,
such contemplative practice aims to reinstate the sensory, transparent and ‘literal’
meaning of the phenomenal experience itself. It is, again from the perspective of
continental philosophy, to transcend the subject/ object dichotomy by ‘bracketing out’
(Roger Brooke, 2000 : 14) the over-conceptualized explanations imposed by the
conditioned mind. To describe phenomena in terms of this conceptualized and
mythologically-determined language results in a distancing of the person from the
experience. Such a deluded and conditioned reading of the world is the result of
unexamined views: it is what Buddhist contemplative practices attempt to transcend,
and that postmodernism seeks to deconstruct.
To state that our representations of the phenomenal world are based on
metaphor is, of course, to suggest that the world we profess to know is not really an
objectively knowable world at all. As Heidegger pointed out, Kant’s influential
‘proof’ of the possibility for empirical knowledge of the world depended on his
assumption that the contents of his own consciousness correlated precisely with the
Being ‘of objects in the space outside of me’. (Kant’s ‘Critique of Pure Reason’, quoted
in Martin Heidegger, 1962 : 247) For the first-century Mahāyāna Buddhists, this kind
of proof of an external world amounted to nothing more than ‘linguistic convention’;
to an exercise in ‘seizing on a material object’ which in truth was simply the product
of a ‘verbal expression without factual content’. (The Diamond Sutra’, in [trans]
Edward Conze, 1973 : 138)
The five terms which constitute the khandhas - forms, feelings, perceptions,
reactions and bare awareness - provide an apparently definite shape and character to
the domain of our experience. Objects are conditioned, for instance, by our feelings
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 39
toward them and by our intentionality (or volition) in regard to them. The value we
perceive to be inherent in them, the meanings we read from their surfaces, as well as
the attachment we form for them; are all products of a personal and cultural
investment. That is, we judge each object to be good or bad from the vantage point of
culturally-created individualism, dependency and egocentricity. The object is thus
metaphorised in the same way as the ‘passionified’ rose: its sign is the product of a
complicity between the form we perceive through bare awareness - the sensory,
material and transparent impression - and the feelings of desire or aversion we feel
toward it.
We become incapable of standing outside of language: we are trapped
within a textually-created, symbolic world of our own making, trapped by desire and
by a world metaphorically constructed by our desire. A desire to escape from the
painful and unsatisfactory aspects of human life, together with a fear of uncertainty,
leads us to invest meaning in things and to become attached to them. The apparent
solidity and permanence of our possessions provides the comforting delusion of a
static and predictable world filled with eternal and unchangeable significance. For
this reason, a major aim of contemplative practice has been to invoke an attitude of
equanimity; to stand between the extremes of desire and aversion. Such an attitude,
rather than forcing humans into subjection to the all-powerful object of their own
invention, creates a space in which to be self-reliant, self-fulfilled and unconditioned.
This paper began by separating the signifying process into the signifier (the
word or external image), the signified (the invoked concept or internal image) and
the sign (the associative total of the first two terms). This western analysis of the way
language works was compared to the Buddha’s teachings by relating it to a signifying
process consisting of the five aggregates. In Mindfulness meditation, it is through
momentary, mindful awareness that the effects of the aggregates are recognized and
their power diminished. These five aggregates are traditionally credited, above all,
with the constitution of the subject-ego. The signifying process, in both Western and
Buddhist systems, is intimately involved with the construction of self. Only through
constant self-recollection does the individual produce meaning and value and only
through constantly consulting one’s own desire does one construct the objects of
desire; the mental contents.
When this habitual and unwholesome self-referentiality comes into contact
with bare, mindful attention, and with the Buddhist epistemological trinity of
impermanence, no-self and discontent, it loses its centrifugal omnipotence. When the
associated narratives and mythologies of the ‘passionified’ rose are stripped away so
that the form, texture and smell of the rose itself can be immediately perceived,
universalisations give way to a mutiplicity of particularities and a conditioned
‘reading’ of the object dissipates, leaving a space for the emergence of insight.
However, while the philosophical deconstruction is theoretical, its
Buddhist counterpart is practical. After being instructed in the adoption of a suitable
posture and the appropriate method of observing respiration, the student of
Mindfulness is introduced to this central doctrine of the aggregates. All other aspects
of Buddhist contemplation revolve around an understanding of these khandhas:
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Don Quixote, as the centre of his own drama, is a self at the centre of its
solar system of objects. A social ego is produced through the placing of desire’s
attention. Whenever an object is seized upon by desire, a mirror is created which
reflects an aspect of the self. The object, which had hitherto orbited the cognitive
domain (which has the ego as its solar centre), has become the focus of desire and
begins to exert an ‘exorbitant’ pressure on the attention. (Julia Kristeva, 1982 : 14) The
pressure from the world-as-sign is so great that the body, as the site of immediate
experience is thrown off and becomes abject. All that which is not preconfigured in
this conditioned conceptualization of a world, and which has not been appointed a
definite sign, is excluded from this symbolic order. Emotion, jouissance, spirituality
and experiential knowledge are all abandoned in the quest for rational clarity.
under constant attack by the drives, which, in their motility, refuse to be held down
by that which attempts to codify and control them. (Julia Kristeva, 1986 : 94)
The Mahayanists, while holding to the importance of equanimity as the
middle path between extremes of behaviour, mitigated what they saw as an inherent
tendency in Buddhism for extreme detachment, with an emphasis on compassion.
The codified moralism and strict precepts of early Buddhism were deconstructed by
scholars such as Nāgārjuna, and the authors of the Perfection-of-Wisdom sūtras. For
them, ethics were henceforth guided by a direct, moment-by-moment appreciation of
the emotional state of others, a sensibility to the suffering of others and a fluid and
energetic exchange of feeling.
Conclusion
Contemplative practitioners, like poets and painters, have as a primary
motivation the re-institution of this pre-symbolic semiotic space. The rigid
constitution of the symbolic is under constant attack during the production of art as it
is during the production of the contemplative states of tranquility, equanimity and
compassion. While in the former, it is the passion of the artist which attacks the
stases, in the latter it is the one-pointedness of attention and (psychic) energy directed
by a will-power turned back against itself. Will, in its conventional sense, as
Nietzsche reminded us, is primarily a will-to-power directed out onto the world and
the other. In contemplative practice, will is brought to bear on the true adversary;
one’s own restlessness and striving for control over external circumstances.
The dissolution of the power of the dominating symbolic domain is closely
connected to the diminishing of the power of the subject-ego. Anatta is central to the
Buddhist enterprise as freedom from the dominance of the symbolic is central to
continental philosophy but both systems share similar concerns. Yet while
investigations into the mechanics of the sign involve lengthy deconstructions and
analyses of origins and genealogies, mindfulness meditation brings an immediate
recognition of the signifying process as it happens. At any moment the mindful
practitioner can see how the phenomena of the present are conditioned, governed
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 45
and determined by the feelings, mental dispositions and habits. When the rose can no
longer be seen, because it has been obscured by habitual representations that have
reduced it to a metaphorical token for something else, an immediate perceptual
experience of the unadulterated flower itself can be restored by practicing the art of
mindfulness and by observing the simultaneous arising of the initial word or image,
its habitually-invoked concepts and its ‘second order’, metaphorical meanings.
Our symbols and over-conceptualised values have taken on a substantiality
that the Perfection-of-Wisdom texts warned against in their doctrine of emptiness.
Continental philosophy is able to mitigate to a certain extent this over-emphasis on
the symbolic through a rediscovery of the pre-verbal semiotic space in which a
release of emotion and intuition can facilitate insight and compassion for others.
However, occidental societies, alarmed by Freud’s discovery that reason has not
succeeded in repressing the untamed passions, tend to devalue the language of first-
person experience in favour of a more propositional vocabulary that can impose
order on the undifferentiated. This produces a textuality in which the third-person,
objective view dominates the first-person, experiential perspective. The Buddhist
texts reveal a balance between the objective and experiential (ajjhattabahidā) and the
realization that another level of knowledge lies beyond that of the intellectual level.
Knowledge obtained through meditation (bhāvanāmayāpaññā) is of more value than
knowledge that is handed down by tradition or arrived at by intellectual means
alone. Perhaps this is because meditation employs the analytic mode of cognition, in,
for example, its observation of body and mind and uses a more poetic, metaphorical
language to describe contemplative forms that involve visualization and the
immediate perception of phenomena.
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 47
Abstract
This dissertation has three objectives, namely: 1. to examine the origin and
historical development of The Sanghyang Kamahayanikan; 2. to study the main
concept of The Sanghyang Kamahayanikan; 3. to analyze and criticize the versions of
the Sanghyang Kamahayanikan. This Dissertation is a documentary research. The
data and observations, limited to the text of Sanghyang Kamahayanikan, translation,
interpretation and explanation. Sanghyang Kamahayanikan is esoteric Buddhist text.
Venerable Mpu Shri Sambhara Surya Warama it about 929-947 C from East Java, the
successor of Mataram Kingdom, which was shifted to there. The oldest literature was
found at Lombok Island in 1900 CE. Professor Yunboll discussed it on 1908 and was
translated into Dutch language by J. deKatt in 1910. Later Professor Wuff inspected it.
The text is restricted for the teachings in the Mahayana school, with focus
on the tantric path of the Yogacara School using Mantranaya or the Mantra method.
The text has been divided into two parts, each of which can be read independently.
The first section, entitled Sang Hyang Kamahayanan Mantranaya, consists of 42 Sanskrit
verses, each with a related commentary in elaborate old Javanese and regrouped
under 11 subtopics and a conclusion. The second section consists of instructions in 86
verses, written mainly in old Javanese, with a few middle level Sanskrit references.
Both texts belong to the same school and are connected. The text is in a question and
answer form.
The Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan consists of two parts, each of which
forms a separate track. The first part consists of a connected series of Sanskrit
strophes with a more or less elaborate Old-Javanese commentary attached; at the end,
the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Mantranaya is given as the title. It bears the same
meaning as what is called in the verses mantracaryānaya and generally known as the
Mantrayāna. The second part is a doctrine written in Old-Javanese, punctuated with
a few Sanskrit quotations of less high form, belongs the same school as the first part,
as per the examination of the content. The practical teachings in the Sang Hyang
Kamahāyānikan are set out in four steps. The first, Mahāmārga (the great path); second,
Paramabodhimārga or Paramamārga (the supreme path) has already been dealt in the
Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Mantranaya and at the first beginning of Sang Hyang
Kamahāyānan Advaya Sadhana. Third, Mahāguhya (the great secret) and fourth,
Paramaguhya (the supreme secret) is the subject of this part of the text. The above
practices are entry levels meditation into tantric practices. Sanghyang Kamahayanikan
teaches how one can attain Buddhahood, i.e. a student must first practice Pāramitā,
then described Paramaguhya and Mahaguhya. As an addition, it also explained the
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Introduction
Esoteric Buddhism or tantric was developed between 1st -10th Century in
Java, during which period, saw the writing down of Buddhist texts. There has been
exploration of some Buddhist data from Sumatra, however briefly, the transmission
of esoteric Buddhist teachings to the archipelago, and to Java in particular. The
evidence gathered thus far allows us to surmise that early hidden teachings, e.g.
Those that were related to the Guhyasamāja tradition, were already redacted and
thriving in India in 5th to 6th century at the latest. From there, those hidden teachings
spread to regions outside. The two Chinese dhāraṇīs associated with the group of six
dated to the 6th century corroborate development in outlying regions. The Talang Tuo
inscription dated to 684 AD, may provide additional clues on such development.
Chinese records on Fa-xian and Guṇavarman suggest that Buddhism in Java began in
5th century at the latest (Eliot, 1921).
Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan is the title of this old Javanese Buddhist
scripture, which is in three versions, and which were simply named as A, B, C by
Kats, the Dutch translator and critique. He also clarified that the SHK consists of two
sections: the first section known as Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Mantranaya, meaning
‘The Mantra System of Mahāyāna’ (Kats, Sanghyang Kamahāyānikan (Oud Javaansche
tekst met Inleiding, 1910), while the second section as attested in version B, is called
Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Advayasādhana, ‘The Mahāyāna Method for Attaining Non-
Duality’ (Kats, Sanghyang Kamahāyānikan (Oud Javaansche tekst met Inleiding,
1910). Version A consists of 65 palm leaves as compared to the less complete Version
B which has only 27 palm leaves. Because versions A and B are composed of
Buddhist teachings, they have been called the Bauddha version, while C is called the
Śaiva version, due its teachings, which are mostly of Śaiva origin.
The old-Javanese manuscript written on palm leaves, now known as Codex
Orientalis 5023 of the Legatum Warnerianum, Leyden University Library, was
discovered on the 18th of November 1894 by Dr JÑ Brandes in the palace-compound
of the Balinese King of Cakranĕgara, on the island of Lombok, one of the Lesser
Sunda Islands to the east of Bali. By order of the Governor-General of the
Netherlands East Indies, Dr Brandes, then Government linguist, was attached to the
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 49
staff of the military forces engaged in the Lombok war, with a view to preserve from
destruction all objects of cultural interest to be found, especially manuscripts. It was
probably written between 929-947 AD by Mpu Shri Sambhara Surya Warama
from East Java, the successor of Mataram Kingdom which was shifted to East Java.
The name can be found in the introduction to the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan which
is in only one manuscript of Sang Hyang Tantra Bajradhātu Subhūti, the colophon of
the ‘C’ version of the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan records.
The old literary language of Java is commonly known as Basa Kawi or Kavi,
that is the language of poetry. However simply the predecessor of modern Javanese
and many authorities prefer to describe the language of the island as Old Javanese
before the Madjapahit period, Middle-Javanese during that period and New Javanese
after the fall of Madjapahit. The greater part of this literature consists of free versions
of Sanskrit works or of a substratum in Sanskrit accompanied by a Javanese
explanation. Only a few Javanese works are original, which is to say not obviously
inspired by an Indian prototype, but on the other hand nearly all of them handle their
materials with freedom and adapt rather than translate what they borrow (Kats,
Sanghyang Kamahāyānikan (Oud Javaansche tekst met Inleiding, 1910).
All this literature is based upon classical Sanskrit models and its not
distinctly Buddhist although the prose version of the Mahabharata states that it was
written for Brahmans, Sivaites and Buddhists. The Sutasoma, Vighnotsava,
Kunjarakarna, Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan, and Buddhapamutus are purely Buddhist
works and the Tjantakaparva, Arjunavijaya, Nagarakretagama, Wariga and Bubukshah
show striking traces of Buddhism. Some of these works are in accessible, but two of
them deserve examination, the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan (edit with transl. and
noted by J.Kat, 1910) and the story of Kunjarakarna. The first is tentatively assigned to
the Madjapahit epoch or earlier, the second with the same caution to the eleventh
century.
Middle-Java was coming to an end. The interesting point is how far can the name of
Sindok and Tantrism in the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan be connected to Middle-Java
too.
The historical dating of the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan version C can be
dated as having been written latest in the first half of the 10th century is mentioned in
the colophon. However, studies are still being carried out to determine the actual
date of version C, as well as of the two other versions, which are believed to be dating
from before the first half of the 10th century to the 15th century (Wulff, 1935) There are
two valid points to be clarified: (Jong, 1974) the date of the original composition of
the Sanskrit verses and the date of their arrival in Java. However, his dating of the
Old Javanese text is that it is not be older than the 10th century, from his conclusion on
the general history of the Adhyardhaśatikāprajñāpāramitāsūtra because its verses had
already been found in the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Mantranaya. (Jong D. , 1974) It is
clear that there are still dating issues regarding the three versions of the Sang Hyang
Kamahāyānikan. Following the publication of the text by Kats, many investigations
regarding the contents of the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan have been carried out, with a
main focus on the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Mantranaya and attempts to make the
readings more accessible, and identification of the Sanskrit sources.
Since the Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan is related to Java, it is important to
understand the development of Buddhism in this island, although Sumatra appeared
to be a great centre of Buddhism. Chinese records on Faxian and Guṇavarman
suggest that Buddhism in Java began in the 5th century at the latest (Kandahjaya,
2004).
It is known that as early as the 5th to 6th century, hidden teachings, such as
those of the Guhyasamāja tradition, had already been written and were flourishing in
India and were spread to outlying regions. Evidence of which can be seen in the two
Chinese dhāraṇīs associated with the Group of Six dated to the 6th century. The
Talang Tuo inscription dated to 684 could provide more evidence of such a
development. Guṇavarman sailed by ship to Java at the beginning of the 5th century
and is connected to the eleven gold plates engraved with the Pratītyasamutpādasūtra,
Vibhaṅga, and Upadeśa texts. These gold plates support Yijing’s report, who in the 7th
century, mentioned a Buddhist centre called Kaliṅga (Heling 訶陵
), in Java.1
According to Yijing, Huining 會寧 , a monk, native of Chengdu in Sichuan, lived for
three years in Kaliṅga in Java, after his arrival in 665. He lived there with a famous
monk, Jñānabhadra, who may be the monk of the same name mentioned in the
Chinese canon,as the translator of the Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra.
1
See Lahiri 1986: 36–38. The Balinese Aṣṭa-mahā-bhaya-kliṅ contains the
toponym Kliṅ (Kəliṅ), which has been identified as Java by Goudriaan and Hooykaas (1970:
311). It has been debated whether the name Heling 訶陵
refers to Kaliṅga, also the location of
this toponym. Damais (1964), van der Meulen (1977), and lately Mahdi (2008) are among
those who have contributed to the discussions. While the discussions on Heling may have
pointed to a number of geographical locations, including Kaliṅga in India and the Malay
Peninsula, the Chinese accounts from the Tang dynasty record descriptions of Heling
unmistakably referring to Java (Groeneveldt 1960: 12–15).
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highest mantra-rule, that all Buddhas of the past or future attain omniscience, and
that Buddha Sakyamuni, the present Buddha, could drive Mara the Evil one to flight
by the power of this mantra. Therefore, the disciple should also strive to gain
omniscience; follow this path, then he will also belong to the Tathagatas, the self-
created (svayambhu). There are four main concepts of Sań Hyań Kamahāyanan
Mantranaya in this accompanying Theoretical text to the Sadhana or spiritual practice
book. The Sacred Utterance, The Buddha’s have Three Periods, Symbolizing the
Buddha, and Seeds of Enlightenment.
Sang Hyang Kamahāyānan Adwaya-Sādhana is the path to be followed in
order to become like a Buddha. It consists of four steps: the Mahā-mārga (the great
path); secondly the Parama-bodhi-mārga or Parama-mārga (the supreme path);
thirdly, the Mahāguhya (the great secret); and fourthly, the Paramaguhya (the supreme
secret). The Paramabodhimārga or the Parama-mārga teaches how the cultivation of all
Buddha’s conducts (buddhacārya) and wisdom leads to the achievement of the ten
perfections (daśapāramitā). The tantric practitioner is now equipped to proceed onto
the third step, which is the Mahāguhya and includes the practice of yoga, bhāvanā, and
Caturāryyasatya or the Four Noble Truths. The Paramaguhya is the tantric rite to attain
non-duality (advaya); and the knowledge of non-duality (advayajñana), which is based
on a sound, breath and visualization method.
Mantranaya. The remaining three steps are explained in the Sang Hyang
Kamahāyānan Advaya Sadhana. When we examine the paths explained in the Sang
Hyang Kamahāyānan Advaya Sadhana, many unusual concepts or terms that
immediately attract our attention, such as yoga and bhāvanā, and the daśapāramitā (ten
perfections).
Conclusion
Sang Hyang Kamahāyānikan is a Buddhist scripture in Sanskrit and
commentary in old Javanese language. It is a treatise (or perhaps extracts from
treatises) on Mahayanism as understood in Java and presumably on the normal form
of Mahayanism. It is a literature in prose of the Javanese People in early periods. It was
written by Mpu Shri Sambharasuya Warana from East Java, the successor of Sri Ishana
(Mpu Sindok) during the reign of Mataram kingdom which had shifted to East Java.
The oldest literature was found on Lombok Island in 1900 AD. Professor Yunboll
commented on it in 1908 and it was translated into Dutch Language by J. De Katt in
1940', and later reviewed by Professor Wuff.
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The scripture consists of two parts with each forming a separate tract; the
first one consists of a series of connected Sanskrit strophes with a more or less
elaborate old-Javanese commentary attached at the end, which the Sań Hyań
Kamahāyānan Mantranaya is given as the title. The verses mantracaryanaya is evidently
and generally known as mantrayana. The second part, a real catechism in old-Javanese
with a few quotations in Sanskrit of a much less higher form, belongs as the contents
prove, to the same school as the first part. It is professes to teach the Mahayana and
Mantrayana, which is apparently a misspelling for Mantrayana. The emphasis laid on
Bajra (that is Vajra or Dorje), Ghanta, Mudra, Mandala, mystic syllables (mantra), and
Devis marks it as an offshoot of Tantric. On the other hand it is curious that it uses the
form Nibbana not Nirvana. Its object is to teach a neophyte, who has to receive
initiation, how to become a Buddha. In the second part the pupil is addressed as
Jinaputra, that is son of the Buddha or one of the households of faith. He is to be
moderate but not ascetic in food and clothing: he is not to cleave to the Puranas and
Tantras but to practice the Paramitas. These are defined first as six and then four
others are added. Under Prajñaparamita is given a obscure account of the doctrine of
Sunyata. Then follows the exposition of Paramaguhya (the highest secret) and
Mahaguhya (the great secret). Later is defined as being Yoga, Bhavanas, the Four Noble
Truths (Aryasatya) and the Ten Perfections (Paramita).
Refference
Acri, Andrea, Esoteric Buddhism in Mediaeval Maritime Asia: Network of Masters, Texts,
Icons (ed. Andrea Acri). Published: ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute: 2016.
Chandra, Lokesh ed. The art and culture of South-East Asia. New Delhi: International
Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1991. 430p., 20p. of plates.
(Sata-pitaka series, 364.) 151-164 Hamilton Asia NX577. A78 1991.
de Jong, J.W. Notes On The Sources and Text of Sań Hyań Mahāyānan Mantranaya. BKI. 130
in Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde / Journal of the Humanities and
Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania 130(4) · October 1974
Ensink, Jacob (1978), “Siva-Buddhism in Java and Bali,” In: Bechert, Heinz, ed. Buddhism
in Ceylon and studies on religious syncretism in Buddhist countries: report on a
symposium in Gottingen. Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1978. 178-198
Hamilton Asia BQ352 .B83
Ishii, Kazuko, San hian kamahayanikan (sei daijoron) ni miru ko jawa no mikkyo (old
Javanese esoteric buddhism as seen in the Sań Hyań Kamahāyānikan). Tónan Ajia
Kenkyū, 1989
-----------, . Borobudur, the Tattvasamgraha, and the Sań Hyań Kamahāyānikan, In: Lokesh
Chandra, ed. The art and culture of South-East Asia. New Delhi: International
Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya Prakashan, 1991. 430p., 20p. of plates.
(Sata-pitaka series, 364.) 151-164 Hamilton Asia NX577. A78 1991.
………. "The Correlation of Verses of the 'Sang Kyang Kamahāyānan Mantranaya' with
Vajrabodhi's 'Japa-sutra'" (PDF). Area and Culture Studies. 44.
Kandahjaya, Hudaya. San Hyan Kamahāyānikan, Borobudur, and the origins od esoteric
Buddhism in Indonesia, article on Esoteric Buddhism in Mediaeval Maritime Asia:
Network of Masters, Texts, Icons (ed. Andrea Acri). Published: ISEAS Yusof
Ishak Institute: 2016.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanghyang_Kamahāyānikan
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=694093770639158&id=688891344492
734
https://bhumisambhara.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/6/
http://shivabuddha.blogspot.com/2010/08/sang-hyang-Kamahāyānikan.html
http://blogsitusku.blogspot.com/2012/09/kitab-sang-hyang-Kamahāyānikan-bagian.html
http://odisha.gov.in/e-Magazine/ Orissareview/ 2013/ jul/ engpdf/ 114-120.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_Esoteric_Buddhism
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The Monk’s Duty in Khmer Society : The Living, Role and Participation
Abstract
Buddhism is very important and valuable religion for Cambodian people
since Cambodia has received and practiced it. Cambodian started to believe and
follow the teachings of Buddha by seeing the great benefit of practicing Buddhism.
Many people became Buddhist, monk and novice. They try to practice and spread
Buddhism throughout the country, especially the monks (Walpola Rahula, 2005-6)
who are the most important one in upholding and promoting Buddhism. They play
very role in adopting and propagating Buddhism due to they are closed to the
Buddha’s teachings. They can learn and practice Buddhism easier than lay people
therefore Buddhism has rooted in the heart of Cambodian people and it continues to
flourish in Cambodia from time to time.
In all periods of history Khmer monks not only play the important role for
Buddhism but also for Khmer culture and tradition as well as the social life of people.
The Khmer monks have many kinds of role and duty such as they have to take care
and develop temple which is the shrine place for venerating (ārama), they have to
learn and practice the teachings of Buddha (dharma-Vinaya), moreover they have to
take care of Khmer and Buddhist tradition and they have to provide the good
education to the people most importantly they act as the moral teacher and
demonstrate the heavenly and happy ways to people. This text is the study about
Khmer monk and it has three main points for discussing and noting. First one it
shows about monk’s life, secondly the monk’s role and thirdly the duty in helping to
solve the political crisis in the country. This text will focus on study and discuss of
Khmer monk in present situation. It will reflect on living, the role and joining of the
monks in Khmer society.
Introduction
Cambodia is a one of the Theravada Buddhist countries in Southeast Asia.
This country is full of surprised and interesting thing. It is a place that Buddhism has
been well observed in ages. King Ashoka sent missionaries (Sarakham, 2006-180) to
the land of Suwannaphumi, which has sometimes been identified as the mainland
Southeast Asian region of Mon (now a state in Myanmar, the state of Mon) and Khmer
(now Cambodia) people.
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protection of the chief of temple. One can become a monk for one, two, three or seven
days when their own relatives die.
Monks share their resources, their habits, their practice and their
personalities in monastic life. Living in a temple one can face many difficulties,
particularly in order to protect their ordination, the code of conduct (Vinaya) for
monastic life that is very explicit in how they live in the temple. Buddhist monks
have to live in the temple (wats), which contain residences and a hall for eating house
and for classes. They live a regulated lifestyle in the temple: there are no fewer than
227 rules to observe, eating after midday, sleeping on a too-comfortable bed,
participating in entertainments such as dancing are all forbidden. They are also not
supposed to participate in politics, though this has changed over time; since the 1980s
some Buddhist monks in Cambodia have taken active role in politics.
Khmer monks follow Theravada Buddhist tradition. They respect the rule
(Vinaya), as laid down by the Buddha, in its many practical rules define the status of a
monk as a mendicant and gives a monk a source of contemplation on what things are
really necessary. They need to go for alms that Khmer Buddhists offer such as the
four requisites (Catupacaya in Pali), food, clothing, shelter and medicines. These are
what lay people can offer for them as a practical way of expressing generosity
(Monychenda, 1995-110), making merits and appreciation of their faith in the
Buddhism. The monks depend on lay people. They know the practicing Buddhist
studies for Sangha as an act of faith and respect to the Sangha. They respond by
sharing merit, spreading good will and the teachings of the Buddha to all those who
wish to hear, irrespective of personal feelings. Monks perform ceremonies at
occasions such as births, deaths and weddings, and more broadly they play a role in
ministering to the people’s social and emotional needs, just like in other religions. In
the mornings, monks leave the pagoda and walk the streets for alms-giving. The lay
people wait for the monks for offering them gifts of food, and the monks give them a
blessing and merit in return.
The duty of the Khmer monks they have to take care of Khmer tradition and
Buddhist tradition. As we know in Khmer rouge regime (Hung, 1997-70), the Khmer
tradition and Buddhism were destroyed but after this regime they are reborn and
developed again by Khmer monks. Until present day although some tradition are
starting to lose due to the globalization modern but the monks have the duty to give
the good advice and sermon leading to take care the Khmer tradition. For instant in
recent year some young girls start to wear the mini short skirt in public but when
they go to temple or meet the monks they always change the dress and wear the
dress of Khmer tradition, especially in all kinds of traditional ceremonies such as
making celebration in the local place.
The Khmer monks are pattern of good conduct and morality for Khmer
people. All people always respect and support to monks all the time therefore monks
have to practice Dhamma-Vinaya strictly since the first day of ordination as monks
and novice by putting their effort in study dharma and practice. If they are old they
will study and practice about Vipassanadhura(Vipassana means insight into the true
nature of reality. vipassana meditation uses mindfulness to eliminate pain, attain happiness
and see life clearly or insight meditation) but if they are young they will practice
ganthadhura, studying the Dhamma-vinaya as we know there are two Dhuras, two kinds
of study in Buddhism.
In all temples they have schedule to practice depending on the rule of
temple or the rule of Shangha. Some temples have Pali scholar or Dharma school.
This way is to force the monks and novice to study the teachings of Buddha and
practice for own happiness and supporting the people. Temple is considered as
center of people from various sides in the villages as well as Khmer society. Monks
act as the teacher of morality. In the ways of Khmer and their standard of living they
have to practice the conduct of Buddhism such as five precepts. In the name of
Buddhists at least they have to hold Sila or five precepts. Some people are very busy
and some are difficulty in earning to live, so they don’t have the time to find to
understand the Buddhism enough. Monks have to give them good advice, the
sermon and the teachings of dharma in temple or schools. For instant Khmer monks
go to teach dharma in public school on Buddhist holyday and give the sermon in all
kinds of activities. When they people have celebrated ceremony. They always invite
the monk to give sermon, therefore the monk can give the good advice and the lay
people can got the good advices.
The last of Khmer monk’s roles is to assist the mind of people and develop
the harmony. The monks who help people by giving of good advice (Dhamma) when
the people have problems, they always start with their thinking sometimes with
unreason that make them doubtful, worried and suffered. When they meet the
problems like this they go to temple and enter to the Upothotha hall (in Khmer
Upothothahall called Viheara) to pray for solving of the problems. Some people ask the
monks the way out of the problems so the monk always helps to change their
disorderly thinking in mind by explaining the cause and reason according to Buddha
teaching and their experiences after that they will be better. On the other hand, in the
daily living some people usually make argument to each other like some people have
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the different idea, opinion and side that there are some argument exist. Although
there are problems but when they go to the tempe and listen to the monks, they will
give up the difference thought and make the harmony. For instant in this recent year
the political situation in Cambodia make them different side, different party, different
idea by their supporting own groups or party. They often say that “we are belonging
to this party…that party”, so sometimes it is cause to make argument to each other.
But when they have listened to the monks they start to give up those things and think
about harmony of nation, tradition and happy living, therefore when they go to the
temple they will become relative and friend in the one nation with the birth and
death.
There are many various kinds of the role and duty of Khmer monks such as
the monks have to take care of temple and make it as ārama, the monks take care of
tradition and Buddhism, the monks provide the good education by acting as the
moral teacher and demonstrate the heavenly and happy ways to people, the monks
practice dhamma-vinaya and take care of mind and develop the harmony of people.
novices can join many activities in Buddhist holy day, after returning from going
alms, but mostly they don’t go for alms on Buddhist holy day and all the monks and
novices go to Sala Hall for joining the lunch.
The duty of Khmer monks in helping to solve political crisis in the country
Khmer monks are the pattern of Khmer life, while most Khmer follow
Theravada Buddhism, and the religion has been a source of guidance and national
identity, political engagement has taken on different forms throughout the country’s
troubled history. Almost of Khmer people respect and trust in the monks. They
consider the monks as the persons who can give merits, good advice and lead them
to happiness in this life and next life. They believe that the monks who are intelligent,
brave and wise at all due to monks follow the teachings of Buddha. When the monks
tell, teach and lead them. They always follow their advices therefore the monks are
believable and reliable for them.
In Khmer the monks are the important refuge of mental thinking by
leading to calm and happiness of mind. The monks are the leader of doing goodness
and teaching the wrong and right ways to people. Sometimes the monks lead to find
the justice for people in the villages or community when they get the injustice. For
example recently the monks lead and join to help the people who suffer from
injustice of private company and powerful people such as Venerable Loun Sovath, he
always calls for Cambodian human rights (Monychenda, Buddhism and Khmer
developing, 1996-145) and justice of land disputes. He play role as human defenders
who appealed to international community to pay more attention to local people’s
fight for rights and freedom. They also urged their countrymen to keep fighting
against repressive government.
The monks live with happiness, pain and suffering of the people. They
think when people are happy they will be happy but when people are in pain,
difficulty and suffer they will be too. They said that “we’ve been eating our people’s
food, and now our people, our nation, is experiencing injustice, so we can stand and
help them,” and they also join the protest such as sitting on a couch inside a pagoda
near the Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh. Looking at the joining to uphold the
rights of Khmer monks, they join to choose the leader in the recent election. The law
and rule of Khmer monks show that sometimes the monks have the right to vote but
sometimes they are prohibited to vote like in five years later, The Great Supreme
Patriarch Tep Vong barred monks from voting, only to overturn the ban ahead of the
2008 election. In the meantime, however, monks were prohibited from joining
protests via a prakas signed by Non Nget and the Minister of Cults and Religions in
June 2007. Coming up 2013 all monks are allowed to have the right to join the
election. Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong, head of the country's largest Buddhist sect,
retracted his order last year. When asked why, he said, "it is important for
democracy" for monks to vote and he allowed Cambodian Buddhist clergy to join the
voting. Monks were constitutionally allowed to vote, but many who tried were
blocked by local officials or threatened with expulsion from their pagodas. In the
Cambodia context that is related to the monk leader in finding the peace, It was
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around this time that one of Cambodia’s most famous proponents of “engaged
Buddhism,” Maha Ghosananda, who died in 2007, began to lead annual peace
marches across the country. In the biography, Ghosananda walked against war,
landmines and other scourges. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his
work. But historians say that the UN-backed elections in 1993, when monks were
granted the vote for the first time, created a new sort of politicization. Like many
noble ideas outlined in the UN blueprint for Cambodia, suffrage for monks didn’t
work out as planned, and the problem flared up every five years when national
elections rolled around. Around the political situation, the monk have join to perform
their role in choosing the leader (Monychenda, Preahbat dhammik, 1995-43) that why
make them supported and held the different parties. In the note, the top monk, the
monk officers and powerful monks support the government and normal monks and
Buddhist student monks support the opposition party, therefore they always have
the different ideas. Meanwhile other groups of monks from two groups do not
support both sides but try to help all kinds of people. So in the present time the
Khmer monks not only play the important role for Buddhism but also perform the
role in political situation and crisis in the country.
Conclusion
The main points of study on the Khmer monk are to focus on the living, the
role of Khmer monk and the duty in helping to solve political crisis in the country in
present situation. It reflects clearly about their living, the role and participating in the
Khmer society. For the life of monk in Cambodia, they have to live in the temple.
Sometimes they can face many difficulties. They depend on four requisites, food,
clothing, shelter and medicines that Khmer Buddhists (Phangcham, 1990-649) offer
and they respond by sharing merit, spreading good will for them in the return.
Khmer monk has to take care the temple by constructing and building, cleaning and
protecting. They take care of the value (Monychenda, Buddhism and Khmer
developing, 1996-151) of Buddhist tradition and Khmer culture, tradition. The Khmer
monks are pattern of good conduct and morality for Khmer people. They have to
practice Dammar-Vinaya strictly. Khmer monks act as the teacher of morality
(Ven.Dr.Phangcham, 1990-64-65) and develop the harmony by giving good advice,
the sermon and the teachings of Dharma to lay people.
For the activity, traditionally Khmer monks always perform Buddhist New
Year, Magha Puja, Visakha Puja, Asalaha Puja, Buddhist lent, Kathen and Money flower
ceremony. In daily activities they practice the duty particularly and regularly by
joining the morning chanting, evening chanting, cleaning the ground of temple and
going for alms.
In the present political situation, some Khmer monks have joint politics for
calling for justice, peace and happiness of people and joint the protest against
injustice and corruption by calling for freedom and justice for Khmer society. The
monks are believable and reliable, they are important refuge of mental thinking
leading to calm and happiness. They are the leader of doing goodness and teaching
the wrong and right ways to people. They are not only leader of the religious
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activities but also play important role to demonstrate the happy way, harmony and
peace in the country. The monks also join to hold the rights to choose the leader in
the election, although sometimes the law and rule has prohibited to vote. The monks
support and hold the different parties. Some monks support the government and
some monks support the opposition party, meanwhile other monks are the middle
way but try to help both sides in order to make the country calm and peace like the
democratic countries.
Thus Khmer monks perform many of functions in Khmer society such as
they are often healers, the practitioners and modern psychiatrists. They take care and
transmit of Khmer culture and values. Otherwise, they provided a living model of the
most meritorious behavior and many opportunities for gaining merit to people and
they help to solve the political situation and crisis in the country, therefore the Khmer
monks have many kinds of role and duty in leading, teaching and demonstrate the
heavenly and happy ways to people.
References
Abstract
During the course of his first sermon delivered at Sarnath following his
enlightenment, which was subsequently referred to by the Pāli scriptures and
canonical texts as Dhammacakkapavattana, the Buddha categorically assigned the
monks the great task of moving in the society and reaching out to people for their
well-being. In his own life-time and after his Mahaparinibbāna, this humongous task
was realised with a measure of perfection and poise by the Theras and Mahatheras.
The saddhamma, as it was usually called in its systematised form and essence, was
spread in the Indian Society first, and then in different parts of the world known to
the followers of the Buddha. The quintessence of it is defined by Buddhism as a firm
opposition to, and resistance against all wrong perceptions, malpractices and
retrograde views. Thus, it can be stated without an iota of doubt that Buddhism has
been socially engaged in its nature ever since its birth.
Keywords: Socially Engaged Buddhism , ASEAN’s Invaluable ,Legacy to the World
Civilization
Introduction
Its new face emerged before the world when Vietnam was torn by war
with the United State of America. The war left the economy of Vietnam in shambles
and threw the country into the trap of indigence and destruction to a reasonable
extent. It was in those moments of deep crisis that the new form of Buddhism arose in
Vietnam and mesmerised the world, setting the unique example of a spiritual system
that was veritably capable of donning a protector’s role to save the society.
The concept has been acclaimed and appreciated worldwide, and has
motivated a number of countries and their people to put it in practice. Throughout
Europe and America, this form of Buddhism has been adopted on a massive scale for
its sheer ability to do away with the faulty social, national and international structure;
and reconstruct the new world order as non-violent, non-exploitative and non-
suffering by nature. This can thus be regarded as the ASEAN region’s priceless
legacy to the world with immense potentials to liberate West Asia, Arabs and Africa
from the clutches of violence and starvation.
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Now the question arises as to what were the concepts and scriptural
elements that motivated Thich Nhat Hanh to coin this term, and launch a widespread
initiative to connect the esoteric practices of Buddhism with society and social well-
being. In one of his interviews, he stated, “When bombs begin to fall on people, you
cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time, Meditation is about the awareness of
what is going on not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you.” He
further added, “When I was a novice in Vietnam, we young monks witnessed the
suffering caused by the war. So we were very eager to practise Buddhism in such a
way that we could bring it into society.” 1 Thus, the great concept emerged and
became a part of the welfare practices. These welfare practices can be regarded as a
broad-based effort to actualise the traditional Buddhist ideals of wisdom and
compassion in the contemporary world.
It is crucial now to trace the elements of social concern in Buddhist
Philosophy. First of these elements is rooted in the Middle Path of the Buddha, which
teaches that both extreme asceticism and extreme sensual indulgence are to
beavoided. It has categorically emphasized that even the lives and practices of monks
should not be too ascetic while the lives of Buddhist lay followers should not be too
pleasure loving. It is in avoiding these two extremes that the quintessence of the
Buddhist Middle Path can be realised and internalised. There is no gainsaying that
the ‘extent’ of the Middle Path is vast, wide and very flexible.2
The second element of Buddhist Philosophy that is worth mentioning is
Paṭiccasamuppāda (Dependent origination). It suggests that individual betterment
and perfection on the one hand and social good on the other are fundamentally inter-
related and interdependent. Finally, the Buddhist standpoint ascertains that a
minimal amount of responsibility for individual betterment and perfection is
required of all individuals, while maintaining an appropriate degree of social
responsibility.3
Buddhist Monastic Communities have had a long tradition of developing
symbiotic and reciprocal relationship with the laity. As per the traditional practice,
monks and nuns have to shoulder the responsibility of teaching the ‘Middle Path’.
They have gained respect and patronage by their own exemplary moral conduct. Lay
persons have responded by providing food clothing and shelter for the monastic
community and by regarding the ascetic life as a paradigm of the ethical religious
Path.4
Thus, it can be stated that being socially engaged is not new to Buddhism.
What is new is the way Buddhist leaders are engaging each other and are being
engaged. According to some Buddhist scholars, Buddhism, viewed historically, may
first have begun as an escape from the world but subsequently, it turned into a re-
visioning and re-engagement in the world when one experiences it with fresh eyes.5
Since the emergence of the new form of Buddhism in 1963, some striking
features have become evident in its fabric, paradigms and overall dynamics. Now,
the term engaged Buddhism suggests a bigger and far more broad-based social
movement. Drawing on the traditional ethical and social teachings of Buddhism,
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engaged Buddhism now intends to apply them to social life as well as to social issues,
thereby engaging them for social good.6
The vision to Philosophize Buddhism underwent change to some extent in
the 20th Century. What is uniquely novel in case of the socially concerned lot of
contemporary Buddhists is their keenness to ‘adopt many new methods and styles’
indicating that their vision is more international in scope; and that they are more
educated in their training, more democratic and gender inclusive in their
organizations, more aware of ecological destructions, more innovative institutionally
and technologically; and more concerned than ever to move society towards non-
violence, justice, truthfulness and peace.7
Attributed to Thich Nhat Hanh during the 1980s and 1990s, several other
personages have also been associated with this movement. The most internationally
visible leaders of this movement are the Dalia Lama, Eheng Yen, Sulak Sivaraksha, T.
Ariyaratne, Joann Macy, Kenneth Craft, Rev. Nānissara etc.8
All agree that for Buddhism to act as an effective instrument for systemic
institutional change, traditional Buddhists’ emphasis on individual, moral and
spiritual transformation must be adjusted to address the structure of oppression,
exploitation and environmental degradation more forcefully; while preserving the
unique Buddhist emphasis on the practice of mindful awareness and a lifestyle of
simplicity. Though these new Buddhist activities represent a radical departure from
some earlier forms of Buddhist practices, their ‘meaning’ cannot be understood just in
contrast with the latter. Nevertheless, it has been historically that the new forms of
socially engaged Buddhism could not have arisen in traditional cultures unless those
cultures were intrinsically oriented towards adopting positive and productive
changes. Thus, there is a broad agreement among the scholars regarding the
assumption that Buddhism could change because of changes in cultural contexts
where it is adopted.9
Buddhism and social activism can contribute to each other. This is a timely
and potentially faithful field of enquiry. While the main emphasis of the Buddhist
teaching is on inner development, that is no reason for Buddhists to dissociate
themselves from the society in which they live. We are all dependent on, and so
responsible to one another. The fundamental aim of Buddhist practices is to avoid
harming others and if possible, to help them; and this cannot be fully achieved
simply by thinking about it. The phenomenon of social activism is an attempt by like-
minded people to alleviate social problems through drawing attention to them; and
trying to change the attitudes of those in a position to affect them.11 further, as H.H.
Dalai Lama says, we sometimes need isolation initially, while pursuing our own
inner development. However, after you have some confidence and intrinsic strength,
you must remain with, contact and serve society in any field such as health,
education, politics and so on. There are people who call themselves religious minded,
trying to show this by dressing in peculiar manner, maintaining a peculiar way of
life, and isolating themselves from the rest of the society. This is wrong. A scripture
of mind purification says, “Transform your inner viewpoint, but leave your external
appearance as it is.” This is important because the very purpose of practising the
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great vehicle is service of others and this fairly explains why you should not isolate
yourself from society. In order to serve and help, you must remain in the society.12
A basic tenet of this teaching is that Buddhism is essentially active. In this
assessment, Buddhism teaches people to renounce the world, but this does not mean
physically separating oneself from worldly activities. Instead, it implies cultivating
an attitude of cognitive detachment , while still working for others. This is the proper
attitude of Bodhisattava who is able to work within the world for the benefit of
others, without getting dragged down by its negative elements.
In this way, the Buddhists have scope for social engagement. The trend for
this was set by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is the voice of all intellectuals of the world. As
we are aware now, science and technology have seen an unprecedented advancement
over the years, but a sharp degradation in moral and ethical values has also come
about simultaneously. From West Asia to Africa and Pakistan, human life has lost its
value. Buddhist Philosophy has the capacity to transform the theoretical tenets into
reality. Now-a-days, in terms of the spiritual temperature of this era, the result would
be the sheer inability to achieve intangible satisfaction, due to which we are
compelled to accept tangible dissatisfaction. This is because the tastes and values that
characterize our material advancement have been conditioned by nineteenth Century
naturalism and rationalism or by materialism.
Further projections of Socially Engaged Buddhism as the gift of ASEAN
more than half of the world is suffering from different kind of violence, occasionally
sponsored by government or created by terrorist outfits. Is this an un-ending process?
Or can it be controlled by spread of right view or right education? The whole world is
suffering or about to suffer because of wrong perceptions. We have wrong
perceptions of identity, religion and service to the world and God. The Western
sciences which are the product of industrial revolution and are empirical in nature
have created a lot of problem in the world. The Western consumerist theories have
proved to be perilous for the human civilization. Their tools of advancement have
dominated the eastern anthropocentric, ethical and contentment based theorization
and tools of development.
But what about the techniques to make the society non-violent, ethical and
based on human values? The character-building mechanisms are getting weaker
every day. On the other hand, technologies that promote violence are getting more
advanced while humanistic engineering is insufficient for filling in the void.
Now, as the Western methods of development have shown their negative
impact on the society and on various countries, it is the turn of the East to take a bold
global initiative. It will be giant step forward, if the Asian model of development
based on Buddhist Scriptures is adopted and the world gets the opportunity to
closely experience the impact of the Buddhist way of life. ASEAN should propagate
the social concerns of Buddhism. We should appeal to all citizens of the world to
remove the sense of violence from our lives first. Of course, this is not an easy task to
accomplish. It has never been easy because we live in an atmosphere that is charged
with different forms of violence serving as means of recreation and entertainment for
a lot many people. Our popular films show violence which they import from
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Conclusion
There is a very old Buddhist idea that deals with the four right procedures.
According to it, the first right procedure is to prevent evil or violence from starting.
The second right procedure is to remove any evil or violence as soon as it starts. The
third right procedure is to encourage the acts of peace and non-violence. The fourth
right procedure is to nurture the growth and continuance of actions that lead to good
will and recognition that all our lives are inter-related. We must understand that all
these have extremely significant implications for our society.
Refference
Chapple, Cristopher Key, Nonviolence to Animals, Earth and self in Asian
Traditions, Delhi, srisatguru publication, 1993, p-21,28
Donald K. Swearer, “Buddhism and Ecology: changes and promise”, Earth
(Washington) vol-10, p-22
Herbert Guenther, Reflections on vision and World engagement: ANB publishers,
New Delhi, 1996, P-1
Interview by John Malkin.
John Carman and Mark Juergensmeyer, A Bibliographic guide to the comparative
study of Ethics, Cambridge, Cambridge University, Press, 1991 P-72
Ken Jones, The social face off Buddhism: An Approach to Political and Social
Activism, London, wisdom publication 1989, p-9
Peter Harvey; An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics, Cambridge, Cambridge
University, Press, 2000, P-112
PuriBhanti: Enggaged Buddhism
Russel F. Sizenmore and Donald k (eds), Ethics wealth and salvation: A study of
Buddhist Social Ethics, Columbia; University of South Carolina, Press, 1990
p-30
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Abstract
Introduction
a.)Meditation:
Meditation is a means of transforming the mind.
Buddhist meditation practices are techniques that encourage and develop
concentration, clarity, emotional positivity, and a calm seeing of the true nature of
things. It can involve a lot of techniques or practices to reach this heightened level of
consciousness — including compassion, love, patience, and of course, mindfulness.
Further, it defines it is all about letting go. You cultivate the power of
surrender. This gives your body deep rest. When you give your body the rest that it
needs, it knows how to heal itself. This happens when you're accessing a state of
consciousness that is different from waking, sleeping, or dreaming.
b.)Mindfulness?
Mindfulness is the psychological process of bringing one's attention to
experiences occurring in the present moment, which can be developed through the
practice of meditation and other training. The term "mindfulness" is a translation of
the Pali term sati, which is a significant element of Buddhist traditions.
Ref :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
C.) 3 Buddhist Theories:
1.)The Threefold Training :
(Seela –Samadhi- Pragna)
(Conduct – concentration – Wisdom)
2.) Nobel Eightfold Path:
1. Right view - Samma Drusthi
2. Right resolve- Samma Sankappa
3. Right speech –Samma Waacha
4. Right action—Samma Kammantha
5. Right livelihood-Samma Aajeewa
6. Right effort –Samma Wayama
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meditation .An empowered mind always success to develop Good habits. In overall
people understand the one’s responsibility as follow.
Physical well-being
Social responsibility
Economic responsibility
Mental well-being
He who has understanding and great wisdom does not think of harming
himself or another, nor of harming both alike. He rather thinks of his own welfare, of
that of others, of that of both, and of the welfare of the whole world. In that way one
shows understanding and great wisdom."
Ref: Anguttara Nikaya (Gradual Sayings) Fours, No. 186
"By protecting oneself (e.g., morally), one protects others; by protecting
others, one protects oneself."
—Ref: Samyutta Nikaya (Kindred Sayings) 47; Satipatthana Samy., No.
19
As we have noted, the significance of social action as mindfulness training
is, of course, incidental to that profound compassionate impulse which more — or
less — leads us to seek the relief of the suffering of others. Our motives may be
mixed, but to the extent that they are truly selfless they do manifest our potential for
Awakening and our relatedness to all beings.
Through our practice, both in the world and in withdrawn meditation, the
delusion of a struggling self becomes more and more transparent, and the conflicting
opposites of good and bad, pain and pleasure, wealth and poverty, oppression and
freedom are seen and understood in a Wisdom at once serene and vigilant. This
Wisdom partakes of the sensitivity of the heart as well as the clarity of thought.
In this Wisdom, in the words of R.H. Blyth, things are beautiful — but not
desirable; ugly — but not repulsive; false — but not rejected. What is inevitable, like
death, is accepted without rage; what may not be, like war, is the subject of action
skillful and the more effective because, again, it is not powered and blinded by rage
and hate. We may recognize an oppressor and resolutely act to remove the
oppression, but we do not hate him. Absence of hatred, disgust, intolerance or
righteous indignation within us is itself a part of our growth towards
enlightenment (bodhi).
Such freedom from negative emotions should not be mistaken for
indifference, passivity, compromise, loving our enemy instead of hating him, or any
other of these relativities. This Wisdom transcends the Relativities which toss us this
way and that. Instead, there is an awareness, alert and dispassionate, of an infinitely
complex reality, but always an awareness free of despair, of self-absorbing
aggression, or of blind dogma, an awareness free to act or not to act. Buddhists have
their preferences, and in the face of such social cataclysms as genocide and nuclear
war, they are strong preferences, but they are not repelled into quietism by them.
What has been said above has to be cultivated to perfection by one following the
Bodhisattva ideal. We are inspired by it, but very few of us can claim to live it. Yet we
shall never attain the ideal by turning our backs upon the world and denying the
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Let’s see the the leaders who are practicing meditation for their mental as well as
physical wellbeing.
Here are 9 executives in the world who practice meditation
1.Marc Benioff – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
2. Arianna Huffington – President and Editor-in-Chief, the Huffington Post
Media Group
3. Bill George – Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School
4. Padmasree Warrior – CTO and Strategy Officer, Cisco system
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Conclusion:
Destruction of nature, Large scale conflict / wars, Inequality (income,
discrimination) ,Poverty Religious conflicts, Government accountability and
transparency / corruption ,Food and water security, Lack of education ,Safety /
security / wellbeing ,Lack of economic opportunity and employment are main issues
in the world that people are suffering according to the reports and those issues are
basically raised from keeping unconscious and greed mind set up in the society
.Society can be but up through develop our self each other. The best self-development
or self-empowered tool is the meditation. Meditation which tool has no religion it is
owned to all humans in the world for developing a better society.
Refference
Alexander CN, Chandler HM, Langer EJ, Newman RI, Davies JL. Transcendental
meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the
elderly. J Personality and Soc Psychol 1989; 57(6):950-964.
Carrington P, Collings GH, Benson H et al. The Use of Meditation Relaxation
techniques for the Management of Stress in a Working Population. J
Occupational Med 1980; 22(4):221-231.
Castillo-Richmond A, Schneider R, Alexander C et al. Effects of Stress Reduction on
Carotid Atherosclerosis in Hypertensive African Americans. Stroke [serial
online] 2000 [cited 2003 July 31]; 31(3):568-573. Available from: Lippincott
Williams and Wilkins/Ovid.
Fee RA, Girdano DA. The Relative Effectiveness of Three Techniques to Induce the
Trophotropic Response. Biofeedback and Self-regulation 1978; 3(2):145-
157.
Fling S, Thomas A, Gallaher M. Participant characteristics and the effects of two types
of meditation vs quiet sitting. J Clin Psychol 1981; 37(4):784-790.
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 77
Gonzales R. ABC Relaxation Training As a Treatment for Depression for Puerto Rican
Elderly. In: Johnathon Smith, editors. Advances in ABC Relaxation:
Applications and Inventories. New York: Springer Publishing Company;
2001. 209-211
Harinath K, Malhotra AS, Pal K et al . Effects of Hatha Yoga and Omkar Meditation
on Cardiorespiratory Performance, Psychologic Profile and Melatonin
Secretion. J Alt Compl Med 2004; 10(2):261-268.
Seer P, Raeburn JM. Meditation Training and Essential Hypertension: A
Methodological Study. J Behav Med 1980; 3(1):59-71.
Shannahoff-Khalsa DS, Ray LE, Levine S, Gallen CC, Schwartz BJ, Sidorowich JJ.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Yogic Meditation Techniques for Patients
With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. CNS Spectrums 1999; 4(12):34-47.
Targ EF, Levine EG. The efficacy of a mind-body-spirit group for women with breast
cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Gen Hosp Psych 2002; 24:238-248.
Vedanthan PK, Kesavalu LN, Murthy KC et al. Clinical Stduy of Yoga Techniques in
University Students with Asthma: A Controlled Study. Allergy and
Asthma Proc 1998; 19:3-9.
Wenneberg SR, Schneider RH, Walton KG et al. A controlled study of the effects of
the transcendental Meditation program on cardiovascular reactivity and
ambulatory blood pressure. Intern J Neuroscience 1997; 88:15-28.
Wood CJ. Evaluation of Meditation and relaxation on physiological
response during the performance of fine motor and gross motor skills.
Perceptual and Motor Skills 1986; 62:91-98.
Woolfolk R, Carr-Kaffashan L, McNulty TF. Meditation training as a Treatment for
Insomnia. Behav Ther 1976; 7:359-365.
Woolfolk RL, Lehrer PM, McCann BS, Rooney AJ. Effects of progressive relaxation
and Meditation on cognitive and somatic manifestations of daily stress.
Behav Res Ther 1982; 20:461-467.
Zuroff DC, Schwartz JC. Effects of Transcendental Meditation and Muscle Relaxation
on Trait Anxiety, Maladjustment, Locus of Control and Drug Use. J
Consulting Clin Psychol 1978; 46(2):264-271.
https://www.bgracebullock.com/single-post/2017/12/29/What-is-the-science-of-
mindfulness-missing
http://www.visuddhimagga.info/English_4Day_program_guide.html
https://puredhamma.net/key-dhamma-concepts-that-have-been-hidden/sorting-out-
some-key-pali-terms-tanha-lobha-dosa-moha-etc/lobhadosa-moha-versus-
raga-patigha-avijja/
https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/
http://www.buddhismdictionary.org/MOHA
https://www.scribd.com/document/173089409/Purabhedasutta
https://www.scribd.com/document/54610052/AnattalakkhanaSutta
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-27292/whats-the-difference-between-
mindfulness-meditation.html
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https://www.doyouyoga.com/whats-the-difference-between-mindfulness-and-
meditation-25553/
Ref : http://www.keepinspiring.me/buddha-quotes/#ixzz56zSuMVId
Ref: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/jones/wheel285.html
Ref: Samyutta Nikaya (Kindred Sayings) 47; Satipatthana Samy., No. 19
Ref:Anguttara Nikaya (Gradual Sayings) Fours, No. 186
Ref: Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta: The Great Discourse on the Establishing of
Awareness
Buddhist text
Ref :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
Ref:http://www.abc.net.au/health/features/stories/2007/10/11/2054844.htm
Ref: https://www.fastcompany.com/3007542/buddha-had-it-right-relax-mind-and-
productivity-will-follow
Ref: By Abby Jackson , Business Insider
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Abstact
Cambodian Buddhist have been applied the concept of parenting for their
children based on the Buddha doctrine such "Bramha Viheara="dwelling place
of brahmas" and five precepts "Panca Sila" and almost value Buddha teaching was
applied and be fundamental for Cambodian culture in past time, today and future.
While Cambodia and Buddhism have destroyed by Cambodian civil war over 25
years(1969-1993) with tragedy and left behind the single mothers, marginalize
children, people with disabilities, lost their basic rights become emotion depression
also decreased the code of ethic(morality) and broke the policy and law(miss
conduct). However, as the developing country, there are many women and children
need the social services for emotional treatment to be healthy in living and adoption
with their current situation with welfare both emotional and physical is a part of
social component.
To respond to this problem, This strategy focus on parenting skill without
violent consistency to Buddha teaching on parenting with good manner with
physical speech and mind peacefulness, Buddha explain that “Nothing happiness,
without Peacefulness”. For family happiness in family, community, society, Buddha
touch the way how to for lay Buddhist and apply the "Bramha Viheara Dhamma",
kindness and living with morality for quality live, how mange the resources in the
family for happiness. He teaches parent to parenting and non-violence and how to
overcome the issue for becoming education system and prohibit only their physical
and speech and thinking, feeling which the cause of leading the action. The
consistency of positive parenting skill or morality of Buddhism side and side in our
country nowadays is the important core component for teaching children to become a
good next generation with healthy, strong mindfulness and good morality, good
characteristic in living with present and future happiness.
Introduction
Cambodian Buddhist have been applied the concept of parenting through
Buddhist principle with their children since acknowledgement and accepted the
Buddhism in this gold land "Sovanak Pumi". It have been known as whole country
for log time in the past and today who be parenting based on the Buddha doctrine
such "Bramha Viheara="dwelling place of brahmas" five precepts "Bagn Cha Silar"
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and almost value Buddha teaching was applied and be fundamental for Cambodian
culture in past time, today and future. While the both development of Kingdom and
Buddhism have destroyed by Cambodian civil war over 25 years(1969-1993) with
tragedy and left behind the single mothers, marginalize children, people with
disabilities, lost their basic rights become emotion depression also decreased the code
of ethic(morality) and broke the policy and law(miss conduct).
After the 23 October 1993 of Paris Peace Agreement the facing issues,
Cambodian government have been capture to set-up the national strategic plan toke
into action and promoted active engagement from citizen to overcome. However, as
the developing country, there are much of women and children need the social
services for emotional treatment to be healthy in living and adoption with their
current situation with welfare both emotional and physical is a part of social
component. Resulting the survey in 2013 by ministry of women affair and UNICEF
show that more than 50% of children experiences with psychological abuse, 25%
children got physical abuse, and 5% of children have experience at least one time on
sexual abuse, about 60% of children got abuse do not less than a kind of the child
abuse form, it can be psychological or sexual abuse percentage of abuse stills high
level and fond that the person who closer with children as parent or care giver is the
abuser/offender especially in their family (Affair, 8 Sep 2017).
To respond to this problem, ministry of Women Affairs and related
ministries in partnership with international Organization, national NGOs started to
take action for created the mechanism, strategy, procedure, and currently have
endorsement the positive strategy for 2017 to 2021. This strategy focus on parenting
skill without violent consistency to Buddha teaching on parenting with good manner
with physical speech and mind peacefulness, Buddha explain that “Nothing
happiness, without Peacefulness” For family happiness in family, community,
society, Buddha touch the way how to for lay Buddhist and apply the "Bramha
Viheara Dhamma", kindness and living with morality for quality live, how mange the
resources in the family for happiness (Khmer-Bali, B.E 2536/C.E 1969.). The Buddha
teach parent to parenting and non-violence and how to overcome the issue. Law and
strategy on positive parenting is becoming to education system and prohibit only
their physical and speech but Buddhism can support and touch more about how to
control the mind, thinking, feeling which the cause of leading the action. The
consistency of positive parenting skill or morality of Buddhism side and side in our
country nowadays is the important core component for teaching children to become a
good next generation with healthy, strong mindfulness and good morality, good
characteristic in living with present and future happiness.
Asia country including Cambodia, Thailand, Loas, Purmar, Srilanka and a part of
other country in the world such Europe zone, America, Australia.
What is Buddhism make a different?
Buddhism is the scientism, full spectrum democratic, the religion of
freedom and peace leading in the world.
Buddhism is humanisms who teach the human being to be ethical or
morality, charity, loving kindness (Peaceful, equity, solidarity, knowledge, which is
the best way to inspire the human happiness).
Buddhism is the independency, ownership and self-esteem (Attahi Attano
Neato= Beside you are the refugee yourself, No anyone) and freedom of believe for
everyone.
Positive Parenting
Positive parenting is the parent approach without any form of violence
inclusion of neglect instead of setting-up the log-term goal, limitation, understanding
the thinking and feel also problem solving.
Cambodia
A nation in South East Asia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, is the democratic
rely on constitution with over 15 million of population official recognize Buddhism
as national religion represented 96% is Buddhist. A famous and empire king in
Ankor regime of The King Chayvaraman VII (Today Ankor Wat is the world
heritage).
Application with positive parenting:
On third century of Buddhist era (234 years after Buddha pass away),
Cambodia have greeting and acknowledged the Buddha teaching as whole country
officially, who Ven. Sonathera and Utaretera(Indina Buddhist monks) was the
ambassador to spread out and expand the Buddha's voice of wisdom to all humanity
in South East Asia(Sovan Pumi) under highly supported by the King Ahsoka
(Ancient Indian King who honor Buddhism) hold in Patali Putra capital city, Indian.
Buddha teaching have integrated mainstream deeply and as core component
for Khmer traditional for parenting, family taking care, social development which
appearance the principle of Bramha Vieara: goodwill(Meta) un-limitation love with
children, Compassion (Karuna) feel pity when children confront the suffering,
Empathetic joy (Mudita) Empathy with children every time ,Equanimity (Upekkha)
strengthening, supporting children and guiding children on the right way (Ven. Ku
Sopheap, BE. 2550).
A modern today 21st century, a science/technology society, Cambodian
family are being perform those teaching in daily life either integrated and
fundamental perspective for creating low, policy and procedures especially the
positive parenting strategy and toolkit 2017-2021 which contain the 4 component:
1)log-term goal, 2)warmth & limitation, 3) Understanding thinking and feeling and 4)
problem solving.
In second volume of Mankolar Suta, the Buddha have toll that after
understood of wife pregnancy, the both have set-out the future expectation of their
children. They expectations that their children to be well-known, high qualification,
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keep virtue and high quality living standard, value and respective other, high
position, a manger, leader, business person so on. As referee, when the King
Sototana (Ancent Indian King, the Buddha's father ) got inform that his wife was
pregnancy he expected that his son will be the emperor king for leading the whole
Indian states. To accomplish the goal he has dedication and set the approach with
relevant to control and supports his son accordingly. For in stand, immediately after
the Rahula was born (Sutotta's son), Sutotta(Buddha's name when layman) expected
that his son will be a deliverance from all suffering so after awaken, the Buddha
allowed the Venerable Sariputra ordain Rahula to become the monk and perform the
teaching of Buddha, he have deliverance suffering as Buddha's expectation.
This is the log-tern goal setting in Buddhist concept.
Since set-out the family plan and willing with number of children should
be have, pregnancy, sickness of pregnancy estimated 9 months and 10 day, the
mother carefully concern for the baby inside, so she must to care for eating, sleeping,
standing and sitting that hurting the baby unless she needed, desire something or in
case of the live dedication. Delivery the birth is most the difficulty and dangerous for
every mother unless natural delivery and medical delivery, or mean that exchange
the live between mother and early baby, can be dead anyone or sometime the both or
fortunately survive the both. In that case the Buddha globally announce that she have
done the most difficult and dangerous who rarely anyone el done in this would
(Tukkara Karika). Even though confronting with seriously dangerous, she have given
a birth successfully however she seem to be empty power for movement just heard
the baby voice make her a powerful and strong look like the magic power
installment. For these all dedication Buddha call "Karuna Bramha Viheara" empathy
from the parent also call warmth and limitation in the parenting strategy. These
activities of parenting call keeping warmth and limitation.
At the time of childhood for the children, parent have empathy with
children every time to concentrated and determine the children's needed such as
cloths, food, accommodation, medical care treatment without hesitation if any serious
situation or in case of selling everything because of their children. To easy
understanding children growth and development both physical and emotional,
Buddhism have classified the age of humanity into three ranking 1) The first of age 0
year to 45 years old (Childhood) 2) Middle of age 46 years to 65 years old
(Adulthood) 3) Final age 66-75 years old(Older). This traditional view and current
concept on Child Development is the same page on the way to find out their mind,
thinking, emotional and complied professional standard of parenting "Children See,
Children Do!"
Cambodian traditional view a child look like the white pager who fostering
accepted and follow what they seen from adult and other children even good or bad
action. So good partner of parent, car giver and adult very curial and sensitively for
promoting the positive parenting "Children Seen, Children do". The parent always
thoughtfulness, support and educate the children on right way to be kind, generosity,
honest... For ensuring loving children on the right way and achieving the log-term
goal, the Buddha taught the lay Buddhist how to education with morality, coaching,
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mentoring with equality, equity and fairly with their development, must not be
judgment based on " Four Akkati Dhamma" or "Four root cause of fail judgment"
because of love, hat, fear, and ignorance. The Buddha teach the parent to keep
peaceful of acts, speech and mind mean that if children misconduct must be consider
and find out the root cause and discuss with them face to face, speak with them
honor, sweetly, meaningful, and compassion with children. They must avoided
beating, hitting, shoving, and holding a child around, burning, drowning or
suffocating a child, blame, punishment. If children facing the issues parent should be
talk with them appropriate manner, make the safety, friendly, positively for problem
solving with calm and explain the reasonable adoption to natural living in this world
with "Loka-Dhamma= Affairs or phenomena of the world ". The standard list gives
eight: wealth, loss of wealth, status, loss of status, praise, criticism, pleasure, and
pain. Adoption, resilience with above Loka-Dhamma enable them to meet the
happiness, deliverance the suffering straight to point of set goal successfully. Living
with issues and overcome through Loka-Dhamma mean to accept the reality of
impermanence: sometime meet happiness and suffering, sometime met with love,
losing the property and resources, sometime famous, respected, praise, everything
will be change as the natural law. Risk assumption and resilience is the best way for
humanity. The mention the way of parenting with focusing on the problem solving
which have been stated on the positive parenting strategy with Khmer slogan on
parenting "Parenting to live not just for growth". Measuring the family
harmonization with equity, equality and gender based referent to Singkealaka Sutta,
the Buddha have tough the dividing role and responsible for family member
individually/personally inclusion parent and children is the core part of it. These
mention call focus on the problem solving in the strategy (Cambodia_SSC, 2015).
More importantly of physical, the parent should be demonstrate on mind
development on their compassion for children to
1) 1)Prevent the children from evil/bad deed: guide the children to
aware of impact of evils avoiding
2) lying, cheating, drug using, alcohol drinking, gambling, gangster,
cruel, and violation
3) Persuade the children to do good: make children closely in family,
generosity, honestly, social contribution and keep code of conduct
4) Make a chance for children for enrolling the school to learn the art for
earning money, or suitable of today labor market and encourage
them to learn the Buddhism on how to live calm, happiness for today
and future 4) Give them a married to a suitable wife to align with
tradition and married law in respect country
5) 5)At a proper time they would hand over to them their inheritance
for make them possible job or business to earn the money for family
economic.
On that way, children are the duty to parent and family in positive ways as
following:
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Hotu" as well as comparing your feeling first of doing something whether suitable
done or not "Attanam Ubamam Kattva=Be reflected your self-first of doing". More
importantly in daily living must perform the related law on civil code, criminal code,
child protection policy, law on prevention violence against women and victim.
2) To refrain from taken what not given: prevention children all illegal
acts of
non-given anything unless a little, a few or many/ much instead of explanation
offering "Tean" charity, kind, contribution, donation with all people also obey the law
of anti-corruption law, bribery law and finance policy in place.
3) To refrain from wrong misconduct in sexual pleasures: learn to keep
in mind
to virtue the people fairly with goodwill, sympathy, sympathetic, equanimity or
regarding as mother, daughter, cousin... Within the country must respect to the law
on prevention human trafficking, and child protection policy as well.
4) To refrain from false speech: be honor and keep reality of speech,
and fair to
5) all wellbeing's also must perform the related article of cheat on civil
code and criminal code.
6) To refrain from distilled and fermented intoxicants which are the
occasion for
carelessness: currently drug and alcohol have serous damage the human virtue not
just physical, emotional and speech. It the root cause to make human to act
inappropriate manner to lose of wealthy, property, making ague and violation,
impact the health to shorter to died, carelessness of confidentiality of personality,
unable to control the thinking and emotion. As detail previously, these teaching of
Buddha are value of positive parent to make more complementary to reach the gaol
of positive parenting strategy in Cambodia.
The second principle of strategy stated that): Focusing on problem solving
mean to listen the children talk respectively for finding the best way of solution
comply with peace, positive with volunteer agree from the children. Buddhism is the
resolution based through finding the cause and impact in all stages of solution
process, he teach parent, care giver to consider first before decision to ensuring the
fairly: "Ye Tama Heto Pava Ye Sam Hetong Tattakato" Whatever Dhamma talk,
Buddha talking with cause and impact. To become smart and expertize in problem
solving, the Buddha showing to apply the eight of wisdom(Saborisa Dhamma) for
positive way with children:
1) Understanding root cause and impact "Dhamagnuta=Clear with
nature of problem": parent should be a skill full of good listener, discuss with the
compassion, confidentiality to ensuring the feeling comfortable or easy to talk to
identify what is reality of the cause and avoiding the pressure and balm that hurting
the feeling. It important step to know the cause and step to set the agree plan to
overcome.
2) Understanding the benefit for children(Athagnuta) should analysis
what haveto be done or not, what will be impact positive and negative avoided make
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children feel fear, sad, sorrow shy but keep them feeling of someone are standing to
help with hope, confident and motivation.
3) Knowing yourself "Attaguta" to reflection yourself on knowledge,
skill,willingness, confident regarding to positive parenting. Also concentrate on
thinking and develop the way to manage the reactive of feeling on the children and
further focus the value reflection to preventing the put the pressure on their
perspective and value.
4) Understanding limitation or scope of expectation "Mattagnuta"
controlling and identified the needed of type of food, cloth, resources, expenditure for
running the family operation and run business for harmonization, growth, happiness
and sustainable for family. To understanding the basic right of children rely on
UNCRC and child development, must ratified what the task should hand over for
implementing which do not affect to their development, growth, schooling and
damage the health in form high risky work of child labor.
5) Understanding the suitable circumstance "Kalagnuta" finding the
suitable to make a discussion such not be blame among of their friend inside, and
other related person that shape them the reputation, discrimination from anybody
should find the security place for talking with warmth, confident, keep all
information secret in order inspiring their potential to adoption, resilience and
responding peacefully.
6) Understanding the characteristic and attitude of all family
membership "Barisagnuta" capability to capture the nature of thinking, emotion, need
and desire to set the plan to respond and explain them learn to live together of
diversity in happiness, non-discrimination, and gender equity.
7) Understanding the characteristic and attitude of individually
"Bokalagnuta"identified the personality and privacy on the thinking, feeling, needed,
willingness, cloth, food, free time activities, life goal, career goal making easy for
parent them accordingly.
The principle 3 of strategy) respective and value in equity or equal
treatment for all human with non-discrimination and judgment of race, religion,
nation and whatever and principle 4) Focus on the child growth and development
are included into "Saborisa Dhamma" as well. The principle 5 of strategy) Based on
the UNCRC (United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child) which Cambodia
have ratified on 15 October 1992. The Buddhist parenting rely on the reality of nature
for existent "Dhamma" Buddha not encourage him but to follow the trust that he
found of the nature of globally. Buddha toll that "Yo Dhamma Basati, So mam
Basati=who see my teaching-see me" mean follow the principle that he tough.
The Buddhist parenting principle as following areas:
1) Understanding the code of parenting "Vinaiy Bagnat&Buddha
Nughati" meanfollow the "Four Akkati Dhamma" guide them on the right way
without pre-judgment, understanding the role and responsible among family and
five precept or 5 morality for humanity.
2) Skill and professionalism in parenting: parent must understanding
the "Four Bramha
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 87
Vihear", the 7 art or skillful of parenting "7 Saborisa Dhamma" and the four keys to
success parenting "Ithi Pata Dhamma".
3) Understanding the natural of live concentration on cause and impact
to make the adoption, resilience and deliverance from suffering "Appi Dhamma"
inclusion of the eight of challenges in every life and how to overcome "Eight Loka
Dhamm", the reality of every live must be confront and how to living with "8
Appinaha Bachavekana" and key message for reminding the every human every day
"Satti Pathana".
Conclusion
Buddhist parenting base on the natural of live or teaching of the Buddha
whom Cambodian Buddhist are being perform is the peacefully of thinking, acts,
speech. These are core fundamental complementary to the Positive Strategic Plan
2017-2021 under coordination of Ministry of Women Affairs of Cambodia,
successfully implemented to promote the non-violence parenting for children also
preventable of unneeded of separation children from the family and capability to
develop children with equality and equity.
The core principle of Buddhism is too consistency with positive parenting
strategy of Ministry of Women Affairs, implementing body and relevant ministry
with the strong commitment take into reality action for 2017-2021 and extension. As
the same page of understanding and approach in parenting, is the key measuring
indicator of behavore change and add value the existing good concept and
experiences for all parent, car giver, duty bearer, right holder also social environment
with safety sustainable adding value for child growth and development across
Cambodia to be healthy, value, and good productive as the treasure of the Kingdom.
Reference
Introduction
The Tibetan word tendrel means interconnection, interrelation,
interdependence or interdependent factors. Everything, all our experiences, are
tendrel, which means that an event that exists because of relationship between
interrelated factors. To understand what tendrel or dependent arising is, let’s take an
example. All electronics and mechanical things are dependent on us humans.
Let’s explain this, to build an automobile we need automotive engineers.
Therefore, even Mercedes-AMG A 45 or Volkswagen 2017 CC is dependent on a
human for it to be called an automobile. Additionally, automotive engineers will be
useless if the raw materials to build the car are not available. So it is important to
have materials like rubbers, metals and paints in addition to an intelligent and
talented automotive engineer to build the car. It does not end there, for the car to be
fully functional it would need fuel and a driver. If either of these is absent, then
Mercedes-AMG A 45 or Volkswagen 2017 CC will cease to exist.
All elements are necessary for the car to be perceived drivable, and they are
necessary not in succession but simultaneously. The car is an event whose existence
depends on the interaction of those elements; that is tendrel.
There is interdependence of all things and a mutual interaction between
causes and effects. This existence of anything ‘now’ or an event results from earlier
factors which are probably its original cause. Nothing can exist on its own or
independently. Human beings do not exist in isolation but they exist in relation to
society and nature and vice versa. Without society and nature, human beings would
not have survived. Therefore, it is up to human beings to create a habitable society.
Habitable society can be achieved when there is a Sustainable Social
Development happening in the communities. It is crucial to clearly understand the
interconnected relationship.
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Social Development
As defined by UN, Social Development is about improving the well-being
of every individual in society so they can reach their full potential. It can be achieved
only when each and every citizen on this planet is happy and self-sufficient (The
World Bank, 2017). It is not only about the happiness and self-sufficiency of the
present generation but also for all the future generations. It is about using the limited
natural resources unselfishly.
Additionally, providing mutual aid and self-help, service delivery and
other forms of assistance for economic and social development. Therefore, social
development means developing people. It requires removal of obstacles that refrain
citizens from achieving their dreams and aspirations with confidence and dignity. It
is about refusing to accept that who live in poverty will always be poor.
Let’s look at another example. As stated earlier every event is
interdependent, for a country to be labeled as ‘poor country’ or ‘rich country’ they are
dependent on one another. If there is no poor then who do we refer to as rich,
similarly if there is no rich then what do we refer to as poor. All these phenomena
such as rich and poor are dependent on one another. Although, there are times when
some rich people or country might feel that they do not need to depend on the poor
or are independent of the poor. But they should realize that they are indirectly
dependent on the poor. They have been identified as rich because of the existence of
poor.
Sustainable Development
The UN has recently adopted 2030 agenda for Sustainable development
which is based on a commitment to “leave no-one behind”. Furthermore, World Bank
also emphasized that Social Development should focus on the need to “put people
first” in development processes (Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation, 2009;
Programme, 2015). It is also about helping people so that they can move forward on
their path to self-sufficiency. Sustainable social development promotes social
inclusion of the poor and vulnerable by empowering people.
Therefore, volunteerism is one significant way to help societies in need in
terms of poverty reduction, sustainable development and social integration
particularly overcoming social exclusion and discrimination. According to “State of
the World’s volunteerism report 2015” defines volunteerism as “activities undertaken
of free will, for the general public good and where monetary reward is not the
principal motivating factor” (Programme, 2015). Additionally, in Buddhist context
volunteerism, the act of giving, sharing and generosity are results of the positive
feeling in the mind to help people or do a good thing. This positive feeling in the
mind comes into existence because of the Buddhist core values such as compassion to
achieve well-being through wisdom.
Sustainable Social Development is a development event that is dependent
on several dimensions such as Equity, Diversity, Interconnected/Social cohesions,
Quality of life, Democracy and Governance, and Maturity. If any of these dimensions
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disappear or are not fulfilled, then it will not be qualified as sustainable social
development.
From the above definitions of volunteerism, it can be observed that
volunteerism and sustainable social development are interdependent (Programme,
2015). If sustainable social development is seen as independently existing event, then
volunteerism would have never originated. Contrarily, volunteerism would not have
come into existence in the absence of sustainable social development. All these
phenomena arise dependent upon a number of causal factors.
Conclusion
Therefore, from this point of view, volunteerism spirit for sustainable social
development is also a samsaric phenomenon and it has resulted from the interactions
of the twelve links of dependent origination as stated above. In conclusion, if anyone
says that the word ‘independent’ exists, then we have to be aware that it exists in
relation to the word ‘dependent’. What we are doing here is penetrating into the truth
of the Law of Dependent Origination, and freeing our minds from it. For a practicing
Buddhist the final spiritual objective is nirvana, the state of the mind that has been
cleansed of all its distressed and deluded states (The Dalai Lama, 2014).
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References
Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation. (2009). What is social development? -
Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation. Retrieved February 28, 2018,
from http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/esic/overview/
content/what_is_ social_development.html
Programme, U. N. D. (2015). State of the World’s Volunteerism Report Transforming
Governance. Retrieved from https://www.unv.org/sites/default/files/2015
State of the World%27s Volunteerism Report - Transforming
Governance.pdf
Rigpa Shedra. (2017). Twelve Links of Dependent Origination - Rigpa Wiki. Retrieved
February 28, 2018, from http://www.rigpawiki.org/ index.php?title=
Twelve_Links_of_Dependent_Origination
Rinpoche, K. (1997). The Middle Way of the Buddha. MassachusettS: Wisdom
Publications. Retrieved from http://www.buddhamind. info/leftside/arty/
his-life/middle.htm
The Dalai Lama. (2014). The Dalai Lama on Dependent Origination. Retrieved
February 28, 2018, from http://www.wisdompubs.org/blog/201410/dalai-
lama-dependent-origination
The World Bank. (2017). Social Development Overview. Retrieved February 28, 2018,
from http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/socialdevelopment/overview
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The Fifth National and the Third International Conferences 2018 93
Abstract
This study aims for understanding human working system and its key
elements and development of organization to reach effectiveness. Organization
development is human life development, focusing on body and mind, and all senses.
As we practice mindfulness, the mind will learn to let go of troubles and sufferings.
At the same time, not practicing mindfulness leads to ego and sufferings.
Working in an organization means to spending time and energy with the
others, therefore, it's important to apply morality of the sublime states of mind and
development of mind to the certain way that suits every nation and religion. This
leads to success and happiness in organization, according to the quality of
development and people of the organization and nation.
Introduction
According to Buddhism, living life in the proper way need a practice called
'virtue'. That means, as long as our lives are not completed and still have
incompletion and sufferings, we must keep going and learning. These days,
education focuses on academic teaching, which includes the highly qualified ones
and also the opposite. If we adapt Buddhism teaching into education, to develop
people' minds, organizational development will become qualified in terms of people'
mind quality that will be a great example to the community to follow.
Nowadays, people' lives is shifting rapidly. Material has become the
important thing, leading them to want to have more and want to be more. This is the
imbalance in living life according to Buddhism teaching, which believes in
abundance and sustainability. Once people can't control neither the need to have
materials nor their emotions, as the result of lack of practicing mindfulness, there will
be sufferings and pressure. People will express emotions over reasons. However, if
people practice their minds and learn to accept and let go of needs, organization will
be filled with quality people and quality work.
Regarding these key points and the above situation, we think that quality
organizational development is the one that include suitable Buddhism teaching 'Four
Sublime States of Mind', as they are the heart of working together in an organization.
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People who apply this aspect to their lives will achieve any kind of achievement they
want effectively, and also with attention to details, kindness, and good quality of
mind. Organization itself will become effective and successful.
to all, without anger, or rival. Another meaning of mercy is the state of doing good to
each other without looking to get something in return, whether the people they're
doing good for will know it or not.
2. Kindness and pity are the wish that people in suffering will recover from
that suffer, without any other means. This is very straightforward
3. Sympathetic joy is the joy of seeing others' happiness and success. Some
people feel jealous of other people. Jealousy is when people don't want to see other
people being happy, successful, and pretty, having good education, position in their
career, or reputation. Sympathetic joy is the opposite of this. It is to feel happy for the
others for all the reasons above. Sympathetic joy is the dharma of having good and
pure mind.
4. Detachment is the acknowledgement of matters with the centered mind,
without emotions like love or hate.
The sublime states of mind teaches us to practice and control our mind in
these days society with love and goodwill to all, help people and other creatures in
need, to recover from sufferings. It also teaches us to be happy with others' happiness
and to detach.
When organization applies the teaching to manage within the organization,
troubles will be lessened, happiness will be increased. Happiness acts like water that
nourish people' behavior to become more positive and improve working atmosphere.
Conclusion
The main task of organizing the organization is organizing human life
(personnel) who spend time together. Bonding the good relationship between each
part so that they can work together as a team will lead the organization to its target.
Personnel are like the cogs that drive the organization. There are 2 key parts of the
organization which are personnel and work. To organize the personnel to be
effective and efficient is very important because it would lead to good work.
Personnel will help to reach the goal and education organization is extremely
important as the base of the nations' achievement.
Living human life consists of mind and body. Body connects eyes, ears,
nose, tongue and body itself to assist sensing of human's acknowledgement, as is also
an important tool to express actions to the outer world. Human is completed once
they have mind. Mind is a kind of dharma state that can sense the outer and itself.
Human need only body and mind to communicate with the outside world. It's
human nature that we sense image, taste, scent, noise and thoughts to the sensing
organs. If human's mind is continuously trained, they will have consciousness and
intelligence to know these senses, not for their ego, but to let go of any emotions
created by senses that would lead to endless sufferings.
Sublime states of mind teaching is suitable with all nations and religions. It
brings peace to the world. In the organization, the teaching will teach people to do
and wish well to other people, to feel and help people in need, to be happy with
others' happiness and to be detached and centered. Organizational personnel with
the sublime states of mind are completed and work with happiness, the work place
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will become a happy place and that brings motivation and effective work
atmosphere. The organization will be ready for the change to the better and stable
growth. Once the educational organization is ready, that means the nations'
personnel organization will also be with quality.
References
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya.Thai Buddhist scriptures Mahachulalong
kornrajavidyalayaUniversity.
Bangkok: Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya Press, 2539.
Mahamakut Buddhist College.The English version of the Royal College of
Corrections, 91 volumes.
Bangkok: Mahamakut Buddhist College, 2525. Phra Phrom Kunakorn(P.
O. Payutto), Happiness is Here, Where do You Look For? Bangkok : Off-
Set Creation Ltd., Page 260-264.
Phra Mahbunchit Sudprong(Bunchit Yanasawaro P.T.9), “Study and Analysis of
Qualities of the Saints in Theravada Buddhism”, Thesis Master of Arts,
(Comparative Religion Graduate Studies, Mahidol University, 1993), Page
43. 47
Phra Sophon Maha Thera (Maha Srisayador), Sublime States of Mind, 1st
Edition, (Bangkok: Prayoon Sarnn Thai Printing Co., Ltd., 2555), page 7.
Phra Sophon Maha Thera (Maha Srisayador), Sublime States of Mind, 1st Edition,
(Bangkok: Prayoon Sarnn Thai Printing Co., Ltd., 2555), page 7.
See detail, Phra Mahbunchit Sudprong(Bunchit Yanasawaro P.T.9), “Study and
Analysis of Qualities of the Saints in Theravada Buddhism”, Thesis Master
of Arts, (Comparative Religion Graduate Studies, Mahidol University,
1993), Page 43. 47
See detail, Phra Phrom Kunakorn(P. O. Payutto), Happiness is Here, Where do You
Look For? (Bangkok : Off-Set Creation Ltd., Page 260-264.
See details, Phra Mahbunchit Sudprong(Bunchit Yanasawaro P.T.9), “Study and
Analysis of Qualities of the Saints in Theravada Buddhism”, Thesis Master
of Arts, (Comparative Religion Graduate Studies, Mahidol University,
1993), Page 43. 47