The Buddha who guided us to inner peace
Though most people prefer to live in a peaceful atmosphere and an untroubledenvironment, some unwise and uncivilized citizens, leaders, politicians andtheir henchmen create terrible fear and danger within our global society.
Even though innumerable peace efforts have been made forums, conferences,meetings and endless negotiations, there are no signs or gestures to console orcomfort ourselves by achieving this so called peace.
Nuclear and Bio chemical weapons, weapons of mass destruction and many othersophisticated armaments have become a major topic and an issue globally forseveral decades. Both openly and secretively, some countries deal with certainother countries and certain groups to destroy human beings.
Due to this, the value of mankind has become worthless, respect for humanityhas trivially been disappearing, human inner qualities, ethics and virtues havebeen dramatically undermining and eroding for money and power in our human societytoday.
These changes have transformed our society into violence and conflict. Theculture of violence catastrophically escalates, multiplies and intensifieswhile culture of peace pessimistically and hopelessly disappears.
It is disgraceful and contemptible that in the name of peace, hypocriticaland insincere members of our human family incite and encourage unacceptableanarchy to achieve their own personal hidden agendas.
Honesty, sincerity and veracity should be present in one's mind to achievetrue peace. The Supreme teacher the Buddha, 2551 years ago very preciselyemphasized the way and the perfect path to practice to achieve lasting peace inmany discourses, during his forty five years ministry.
Once the Buddha said: "Hatred is never appeased by hatred in thisworld; by non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is an eternal Law."
According to these words of the Blessed One, we can understand the keyreason and main cause of never ending and irresolvable violence and conflictwhich have been destroying many innocent lives and shelters for many years.
Negotiations and so called peace talks have not yet contributed any elementor ingredient to reduce violence and achieve peace. They have all become lipservices. Greed for power and money are the foremost hidden agendas andaspirations in the minds of most envoys, delegates and politicians in ourglobal society, today.
While preaching soothing words for the unwise by paraphrasing the Buddha'sand other religious Masters' words, those who claim to be as Buddhists,Christians and so on, the power and money hungry people openly and blatantlyviolate the basic principles and guidelines, which the Blessed One andfoundering fathers of other religions compassionately advised us to follow andpractise to achieve peace, harmony and unity in this life.
The Buddha clearly described the advantages of cultivating wholesomequalities and the disadvantages of practising unwholesome qualities.
As a virtuous and righteous person, one should reflect on one's conduct andbehaviour to ensure whether it is beneficial for oneself and for others. It isimportant to note, certain deeds, although may be beneficial for oneself, couldbe detrimental to others and therefore, should be avoided, if this remarkableadvice of the Buddha is followed no one will suffer in the name of violence andconflict.
Lack of sublime qualities such as loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic -joy and equanimity in some humans, have caused cruel activities and violence toworsen and intensify. Though many religionists boast of their own dogmas and credos the dearth oftheir spiritual practice along with their followers has resulted in the declineof spiritual advancement. Inability to manage one's anger, incapability toshare resources with others, violation of human rights and craving for equalopportunities are visible and ostensible facts which result from lack ofsublime qualities.
As a true peacemaker who achieved the incomparable and remarkable innermostpeace called Nibbana, The Buddha has tremendously emphasised the way topractise metta (loving kindness) to attain inner peace, as well as creating afearless environment for others. The Blessed One has clearly taught us that the paramount cause and thedriving force is craving which builds and fosters turmoil and chaos withinoneself that could explode verbally and physically.
In the Dhammapada, the Buddha profoundly explains thus:
"Mind precedes all mental states. Mind is their chief; they are allmind-wrought. If with an impure mind a person speaks or acts, suffering followshim like the wheel that follows the foot of the ox."
Even though these sterling words are more than 2550 years old, they aregreatly accepted and followed by the wise and are practical and realistic, eventoday.
In His profound teachings, the Four Sublime qualities - (Brahma Viharas) arethe key factors which one should cultivate and develop within oneself andspread throughout our global society to achieve inner peace and tranquillity.
The Four Sublime qualities (Brahma viharas) are:
Metta - Universal friendliness or loving kindness.
Karuna - Compassion.
Mudita - Sympathetic-joy or rejoicing for others welfare, prosperity,success and progress.
Upekkha - Indiscrimination, equanimity, impartiality and see things as theyare with unshaken mind.
If whoever is aware of and accepts the Law of Kamma, he will never allow forany unwholesome thought to implant and perpetrate into words and deeds. The Blessed One discovered and established an incomparable and unsurpassedpath of purification which can be tread, experienced and attained by the wise;those who are able to train and tame their mind by observing and investigatingtheir own hidden tendencies and ulterior motives are called wise.
This is the only way to eradicate violence and to achieve true peace. Oncethe first Prime Minister of India Pandit Shri Jawaharlal Nehru said:"Peace is not a relationship of nation. It is condition of mind brought aboutby a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also astate of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people."
Pandit Shri Jawaharlal Nehru has modestly asserted and proudly stated thatthe only path to achieve peace is the Buddha's path of purification many timesduring his tenure as a Prime Minister.
Let me quote the words of Pandit Nehru again.
"If we follow the principles
Enunciated by the Buddha
We will ultimately win
Peace and tranquillity for the world."
It is also commendable that A. T. Ariyaratne, well renowned leader ofSarvodaya Movement, has been guiding and persuading people to approach andachieve peace by cultivating and practising metta - loving kindness.
He is a good living example to everyone who teaches how to achieve realinner peace, not only by preaching but also by cultivating and practising. Thisis always admired and highly appreciated by the wise.
According to Buddha Dhamma, what you sow you may reap. Every time one getsangry at anyone under any circumstance, that person creates unwholesome kammaand definitely consequences will be dangerous and he will create unhappinessamong others too. But, on the other hand, if one concentrates on putting hisown mind at peace by cultivating patience he will experience peace then andthere and in future too.
This is the only way how we can spread peace. First one has to develop onesown mind and cultivate good deeds and act accordingly and then only we cangenerate peace and spread peace to the whole world. When you plant the seeds ofwar, you get war; if you plant the seeds of peace, you get peace.
"He is truly virtuous, wise and righteous, who neither for his own sakenor for the sake of another (does any wrong), who does crave for sons, wealth,or kingdom, and does not desire his own success by unjust means."
(By the Supreme Master - The Buddha)
May all beings be well and happy!
May all beings be free from violence!
