Disconnect Breeds Fear & Conflict
What kind of terrorists lived in Buddha's time, one wonders. For, in Buddha and the Terrorist, Satish Kumar transports us to an idyllic time when monks in yellow robes were revered, and offered rice soaked in mango juice; when they had the courage to confront murderers as well as kings, when there was time to walk in sacred forests, to stop by a pond and ponder over a lotus, look deeply into the nature of life. and talk and listen to each other. Listening meant dropping your opinions and extending into another's interest beyond your own. That helped transform not only your own life but that of a larger community. Buddha met Angulimala and transformed a determined murderer into a man of peace. The king, whose country was ravaged by the killer. travelled to Jetta grove to hold talks with the Buddha. The interaction led him to reflect and question himself and then share the insight with his people over a cool drink of mango juice. "Someone. somewhere needs to take courage to break the cycle of violence" said the Buddha. "Forgive- ness is superior to justice. Being kind and compassionate to those who are good to you is easy. True forgiveness and compassion come only when one is able to forgive even those who have committed barbaric acts. If Angulimala is capable of renouncing violence, is your civilised society also capable of being truly civilised and renouncing violence?" he asked. Love, the Buddha said, empowers everyone. "It is self-organising and self-sustaining. The power of the sword is dependent on the weakness, submission and powerlessness of others. All efforts of control over and conflict with others end in tears, frustration, disappointment- or war". The Dalai Lama says the same thing. But he can hold no talks at Camp David. Only US president Bush can do that and he believes in "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". Yet, in New York's Central Park, thousands of rational Americans listen to the Dalai Lama with interest and reverence. They want no war in Iraq, no bombs in Afghanistan, no assault of prisoners, no assault of women or children. But Team Bush continues to hunt for Osama not just in Afghanistan and Pakistan but in Indonesia, Kenya, perhaps even in India. Osama lurks behind every bearded man on a US highway, at a US airport, hiding behind a name that invokes an Ali or a Husain. "Bush should be looking for Osama not in the Karakoram mountains but in his own heart", says Satish Kumar. Bush's Osama is nothing but fear, disconnecting him and forcing his country into a nightmarish isolation. What is the root of fear? Loss of love, believes Satish. Why should the most powerful nation on earth have such fears? "Because they have lost the connectedness with the rest of the world. Because they deem their own interest as different from the rest of the world". When one begins to share one's interest with the larger human interest then the fear automatically disappears. Then there can be dialogue. "We cultivate the seeds of anxiety", says Satish. But transformation, he believes, is possible. It is like the seed that has the potential. When the seed buries itself, doesn't hold on to itself, you never see the seed again. Only the tree, the leaves, the flowers. It is the same with our ego. We need to bury it. We can water the seeds of anxiety or of generosity. We have the choice. We are constantly on the run, attracted more by the delusion of pursuing happiness. We will come close to realising it when we learn to stop. And Buddha stopped a long time ago.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Anees Jung kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Anees Jung Speaking Tree,Times of India
Disconnect Breeds Fear & Conflict
What kind of terrorists lived in Buddha's time, one wonders. For, in Buddha and the Terrorist, Satish Kumar transports us to an idyllic time when monks in yellow robes were revered, and offered rice soaked in mango juice; when they had the courage to confront murderers as well as kings, when there was time to walk in sacred forests, to stop by a pond and ponder over a lotus, look deeply into the nature of life. and talk and listen to each other. Listening meant dropping your opinions and extending into another's interest beyond your own. That helped transform not only your own life but that of a larger community. Buddha met Angulimala and transformed a determined murderer into a man of peace. The king, whose country was ravaged by the killer. travelled to Jetta grove to hold talks with the Buddha. The interaction led him to reflect and question himself and then share the insight with his people over a cool drink of mango juice. "Someone. somewhere needs to take courage to break the cycle of violence" said the Buddha. "Forgive- ness is superior to justice. Being kind and compassionate to those who are good to you is easy. True forgiveness and compassion come only when one is able to forgive even those who have committed barbaric acts. If Angulimala is capable of renouncing violence, is your civilised society also capable of being truly civilised and renouncing violence?" he asked. Love, the Buddha said, empowers everyone. "It is self-organising and self-sustaining. The power of the sword is dependent on the weakness, submission and powerlessness of others. All efforts of control over and conflict with others end in tears, frustration, disappointment- or war". The Dalai Lama says the same thing. But he can hold no talks at Camp David. Only US president Bush can do that and he believes in "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". Yet, in New York's Central Park, thousands of rational Americans listen to the Dalai Lama with interest and reverence. They want no war in Iraq, no bombs in Afghanistan, no assault of prisoners, no assault of women or children. But Team Bush continues to hunt for Osama not just in Afghanistan and Pakistan but in Indonesia, Kenya, perhaps even in India. Osama lurks behind every bearded man on a US highway, at a US airport, hiding behind a name that invokes an Ali or a Husain. "Bush should be looking for Osama not in the Karakoram mountains but in his own heart", says Satish Kumar. Bush's Osama is nothing but fear, disconnecting him and forcing his country into a nightmarish isolation. What is the root of fear? Loss of love, believes Satish. Why should the most powerful nation on earth have such fears? "Because they have lost the connectedness with the rest of the world. Because they deem their own interest as different from the rest of the world". When one begins to share one's interest with the larger human interest then the fear automatically disappears. Then there can be dialogue. "We cultivate the seeds of anxiety", says Satish. But transformation, he believes, is possible. It is like the seed that has the potential. When the seed buries itself, doesn't hold on to itself, you never see the seed again. Only the tree, the leaves, the flowers. It is the same with our ego. We need to bury it. We can water the seeds of anxiety or of generosity. We have the choice. We are constantly on the run, attracted more by the delusion of pursuing happiness. We will come close to realising it when we learn to stop. And Buddha stopped a long time ago.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Anees Jung kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Anees Jung Speaking Tree,Times of India