Sunday Times 2
A peace walk… For awareness building…!
View(s):Appreciation by Ven Kolonnawe Dhammawimala Thera of Siri Wajiragnana Dharmayathanaya-Maharagama
Most of us are busy in our struggles to find food to maintain our physical strengths to continue living the lives we have been burdened with, from the very beginnings. A good number of us may find answers while the majority shall always continue to want everything from the time they wake up till the time they are compelled to take rest, to wait for another day and so on.
Was not this the pattern of living from the very origins? Was not that the fate of all those who lived then, who live now and those who will want to live in a future?
In this tragedy of living, how we think of solving our needs and what can be achieved by most of us, is limited as there shall be enough and many beyond their reach. Although achievement gives us a sense of happiness, we shall never be satisfied with what we get. It was, is and will be the nature of all human beings.
Even during the time of Our Lord Buddha, it was the same. In his endeavor to understand what reasons caused suffering to people, he personally subjected his life to find the truth, and he found that we, all of us have to be conscious about our own personal lives as it shall depend only on our thinking capacity which can deteriorate if we ignore, bringing in more and more misery while, by controlling our minds, we can reduce our suffering and that way become happier. If a society can be consisting of more understanding people, such a society shall have more contented members.
Our Lord Buddha advised to visit fellow human beings and be with them in assisting and guiding them in disciplining their lifestyles as it is the most effective way of reducing their suffering. That was how the Buddhist clergy developed as a very closely integrated aspect in Buddhist way of life.
When lay people suffer, we as committed clergy have ways and means to convince such sufferers about the ways to escape. Naturally, not to have desires that can bring pain.
A Buddhist monk knew all relevant aspects, and knowledge had been preserved as memories the monks were trained to remember. After all such knowledge became recorded, that was how all Buddhist knowledge became recorded. Before that, it was the responsibility of Buddhist monks to remember everything and the temples became the centres.
But we can see now, that this relationship has been inching towards a more ‘ritualistic one as everyone is too busy fending for himself or herself now.
Ven Pannakara, who has taken the initiative in making our societies to feel that we are there and are engaged like Lord Buddha advised then, over 25 centuries ago. The presence of himself in a highly complex human society like the United States of America made Ven Pannakara to witness the effects of the suffering caused in the society where he got the opportunity to analyze the whole scenario in a more realistic and a balanced way.
He noted that it was the same analysis Lord Buddha saw 25 centuries ago. But people have become too busy doing only superficial things, whereas all the causes for suffering of the people originate among themselves.
He realised that Lord Buddha had foreseen this unavoidable need, that would prevail right throughout. Especially in a sophisticated one like American Society where there are no answers to the needs of individuals.
Ven Bhikkhu Pannakara as a 44-year-old Buddhist monk initiated the Walk For Peace in the USA. A former engineer, he promotes mindfulness, inner peace, and compassion. As it is not motivated by personal glory, but as a display of commitment, what he draws attention is to stress on personal character purification, that would end in participants achieving light heartedness that will allow compassion and mindfulness.
I have heard some persons, ridiculing the presence of “Aloka” the dog, the “canine participant”. The true story is the personal attitudes of Ven Pannakara and his associates towards other living beings. As this happened during their walk, it received publicity, and may be interpreting it as a media trick.
The key purposes of Ven Pannakara’s peace walk include:
· Promotion of inner peace as the starter of all the other spiritual practices. The walk serves as a reminder that inner peace, mindfulness, and loving-kindness (metta) must be cultivated within individuals to radiate outward to families, communities, and the rest of the world.
· A living demonstration of compassion, non-harming, and unity rather than a political protest (non-violence).
· To connect different communities and beliefs, promoting understanding and reconciliation.
In Sri Lanka, culture developed around Buddhist teachings in a closely well-knit system where it was a simple lifestyle, until such time this country came under the British Empire. The simple life changed with commercialism coming in, with wealth taking over values of virtuous lifestyles. The desires of people started getting influenced by commercial aspects. That affected even the temples and only the religiously important days brought the temple and the people together.
That has distanced people from the temples as people are in a continuous struggle. Now, the temples are there, more independent than before. Only the social needs arising with deaths in a family that would connect the temples with the people through a variety of rituals, such as funerals, remembrance rituals.
How far can the monks of a temple carry on with benevolent activities expected of them when their very existence is at stake?
Some achieve what they need naturally, while others manipulate.
Historically, the scales could have been different, but, the driving force was the same. This is what Lord Buddha said. Development that took place, takes place and will take place would vary, but shall continue as human society develops.
It was a unique feature in all what he explained to the world then, and all those observations and advices had two main paths for the same truth. He showed the rigors of lay life, and pointed out ways to achieve personally, and that is by denouncing lay live and entering a spiritual way of life.
If one thinks that, simply by reciting a stanza from the relevant section from the chapter that is meant to be remembered as Lord Buddha defined and explained in a sermon to the disciples, someday somewhere. Such became clarifications to all the cases that came up later after thousands of years, that became enough for the person or persons, who were compelled to undergo situations that could have been explained and understood. All such developments were be capable of making the persons to understand for whose sake such were recited, and had been sufficient.
It is in a background like that, the anticipated activities of Buddhist Monks, can be carried out. But the question is whether the temples can be engaged programmes meeting the standards of Buddhist Teachings, especially at a time like what we are going through, in a Commercial World which is a total commotion caused by cut-throat competition. This same tendency had gone beyond control, in a country like USA. The difference is that the members in that society are more realistic and are ready to accept when they are confronted with the truth. As a result they are more level headed . What, Our Lord Buddha had said twenty five centuries ago can help in defining even what is happening even today.
It is a respected truth that a good society cannot be formed without first creating honourable and virtuous members. This is how Venerable Pannakara’s Peace Walk has become more meaningful.
What he has initiated is about is the purification of the minds as the first step as once a mind is purified the rest becomes easier.
Venerable Pannakara has opened our eyes.