{"id":98714,"date":"2020-02-05T16:02:25","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T23:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98714"},"modified":"2020-02-05T16:02:25","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T23:02:25","slug":"buddhist-tolerance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/02\/05\/buddhist-tolerance\/","title":{"rendered":"BUDDHIST TOLERANCE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

As\na global religion, Buddhism today has expanded worldwide.  What is significant to note is that this\nexpansion has always been characterized by a spirit of tolerance, harmonization\nand assimilation. In the process, Buddhism has absorbed pre-existing beliefs to\na point where a clear distinction is often difficult today. This is clearly\nevident in China, Japan, India, Korea, Thailand and Myanmar among others. The\nharmonious assimilation of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism is well evident in\nthe Chinese form of Buddhism.  The\nharmonious adaptation of Shinto divinities into Buddhist pantheon –\nhonji-suijaku\u201d, is seen in Japan. How Buddhism harmoniously integrated with\npre-existing Shamanistic beliefs is well evident in Korea. Similarly, in\nMyanmar and Thailand, Buddhism assimilated well with pre- existing nat\u201d\nworship and animistic beliefs, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greco\nBuddhism of ancient times reveals vividly the harmony and assimilation Buddhism\nand ancient Greek spirituality. It was as far back as in the 3rd<\/sup>\ncentury BCE, that Emperor Asoka, the greatest of Buddhist leaders, highlighted lucidly\nin one of his famous edicts, the significance of the spirit of tolerance,\nacceptance, harmonization and assimilation in Buddhism, when he cited – All\nsects deserve reverence for one reason or another. By thus acting, a man exalts\nhis own sect and at the same time does service to the sects of other people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wherever\nBuddhism was introduced, it did not encounter any form of violent confrontation\nbecause its approach had always been one of tolerance, acceptance,\nharmonization and assimilation with pre-existing beliefs and spiritual norms. There\nmay be various schools\u201d among Buddhists of the world. But unlike most other\nreligious denominations, there is a good amount of interaction, understanding,\ncooperation and cordiality among the Buddhist schools\u201d. The reports of famous\nChinese pilgrims to India from the fourth to the ninth centuries CE testify\nthat in spite of the fact that at that time, Buddhists were divided into some\n18 different schools, bhikkhus belonging to different schools could be found\nliving together in the same monastery, practicing and conducting communal\nbusiness in peace and harmony.\u201d There are many Buddhist practices, meditation\nand mindfulness training in particular which are common to all Buddhist\ntraditions, which enable Buddhists to link up and cooperate more closely, in\ntheir pursuit of their common goal. This has been the practice even in ancient\ntimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PERSECUTION\nAND DESTRUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhists\nexperienced untold persecution from non-Buddhists during the history of\nBuddhism. Persecution may refer to unwarranted arrest, imprisonment, beating,\ntorture, or execution. It also may refer to the confiscation or destruction of\nproperty, or the incitement of hatred toward Buddhists. Christians, Muslims and\nCommunists were largely responsible for such persecution and destruction. In\nthe late 12 century, Muslim invaders slaughtered thousands of Buddhist monks in\nplaces such as Bihar, and Kashmir in India. The Buddhist University of Nalanda\nwith its great library was left in ruins. Countless ancient Buddhist monuments\nwere defaced or destroyed, virtually erasing the Buddhist faith from India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atrocities\ncommitted by Catholics and Christians in Sri Lanka especially during the 16th\nto 20th century period were no different. The Evangelical Christian unethical\nprosetytization menace and Wahhabi Muslim fundamentalism, have become problems\nfor Sri Lankan Buddhists in recent decades. The religious fanaticism and\nbrutality and the unethical and confrontational approaches adopted by some conventional\nreligions in the past and today, to serve their selfish ends, provide a stark\ncontrast to the approach in Buddhism which is reflective of the Buddha\u2019s\nsupreme message of harmony and moderation, of an inspiring middle way\u201d in all\nhuman situations in an impermanent world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FUNDAMENTALISM\nAND INTOLERANCE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\ncontemporary times we witness the growing fundamentalism of Wahhabi Islam, aggressively\nproclaiming its beliefs, zealously proselytizing, and even taking up arms\nagainst its opponents. A fundamentalist and intolerant stance, taken by any\nreligion, is offensive to followers of other faiths and to those of no faith at\nall. Overzealous attempts at conversion disturb peaceful coexistence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intolerance\nis essential only to monotheism. An only God is by nature a jealous God who\nwill not allow another to live. When a religion sees its scripture as revealed\nand divinely inspired, it finds a basis for exclusivity and intolerance. Justification\nfor intolerance is provided by the very nature of a Supreme Being who is\ndescribed as a jealous and angry being, who punishes those who defy Him with\neternal damnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nare stories in the Bible which describe God as committing genocide on\nunbelievers with violence toward men, women, children, and even the unborn. The\nKoran says: Slay unbelievers wherever you find them, and drive them out of the\nplaces they drove you from\u2026fight them until idolatry is no more and God\u2019s\nreligion is supreme.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PATIENCE\nAND NON-AGGRESSION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism\ndoes not accept an omnipotent God, a Creator, nor any revealed scripture.\nBecause faith in God or a savior is not an issue for Buddhists, there is no\nreason to judge others, to condemn them for their beliefs, or to feel compelled\nto convert them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nBuddha Dhamma is described as ehipassiko, inviting one to come and see for\nhimself. There is no concept of coercion or proselytization in Buddhism. Buddha\ntaught the importance of patience, tolerance, and non-aggression, providing a\nsplendid ideal of tolerance for Buddhists to follow. There is not a single\noccasion in the Buddhist scriptures of the Buddha being less than\ncompassionate, not only to those who accepted his teachings but also to the\nfollowers of all faiths, not only to the good but also to the wicked, not only\nto humans but also to animals and to all living beings. In striking contrast to\nthe spread of other world religions, which are replete with unethical and\nforcible conversions and sectarian strife, the history of Buddhism is\nremarkable for the complete absence of bloodshed in the name of the teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism\nstarted to enjoy a strong interest from the general population in the West\nduring the 20th century, following the perceived failure of social utopias\nincluding the conventional religions of the West. After the Second World War,\nthe focus of progress tended to shift to personal self-realization, on the\nmaterial as well as spiritual plane. In this context, Buddhism has been\ndisplaying a strong power of attraction, due to its tolerance, its lack of\ntheistic authority and determinism, and its focus on understanding reality\nthrough self-inquiry. According to the latest census it is now the fastest\ngrowing religion in several countries in the Western world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THOUGHTS OF JUSTICE\nCHRISTMAS HUMPHREYS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To quote Justice Christmas Humphreys\n(1901-1983), the eminent British Judge and Founder of the Buddhist Society,\nLondon:  The way of Buddhism is Middle\nWay between all extremes. This is no weak compromise, but a sweet reasonableness\nwhich avoids fanaticism and laziness with equal care, and marches onward\nwithout that haste which brings its own reaction, but without ceasing. The\nBuddha called it the Noble Eightfold Path to Nirvana, and it may be regarded as\nthe noblest course of spiritual training yet presented, in such a simple form,\nto man. Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor \u2018escapist\u2019. It is a system of\nthought, a religion, a spiritual science and a way of life which is reasonable,\npractical and all-embracing. For 2,500 years it has satisfied the spiritual\nneeds of nearly one third of mankind. It appeals to those in search of truth\nbecause it has no dogmas, satisfies the reason and the heart alike, insists on\nself-reliance coupled with tolerance for other points of view, embraces\nscience, religion, philosophy, psychology, mysticism, ethics and art, and\npoints to man alone as the creator of his present life and sole designer of his\ndestiny\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUDDHIST\nTOLERANCE IN SRI LANKA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nhistory of Buddhists of Sri Lanka during the four hundred years of foreign\nChristian rule prior to the country\u2019s political independence is nothing but a\nlong and poignant chronicle of Buddhist tolerance in the face of oppression and\ninjustice. The undertaking to maintain the Buddhist religion given in 1815 by\nthe British (Christians) was grossly betrayed. In 1884 all the Government\nschools, which were the only schools to which the Buddhists could send their\nchildren for higher education were handed over to the Christian Missionaries.\nUp till 1886 Buddhists paid by far the largest amount for the maintenance of\nthe Ecclesiastical Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\nbut the Buddhists tolerated harassment by the Roman Catholic Portuguese for giving\nshelter and employment to Muslims? Or endured similar treatment from the Dutch for\ngiving shelter to Roman Catholics? Who but the Buddhists tolerated the rank\ninjustice of foreign rulers in the island who used the revenue from one of the\nmost sacred places of Buddhist worship, the Dalada Maligawa, to pay for the\nconstruction of St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral? Or the injustice of destroying a Buddhist\nVihara in Kotte to erect in its stead a Christian School? Who but the Buddhists\ntolerated the extortion from them of four hundred pounds a year for the\nbuilding of Christian Churches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nmore recent years, Sri Lankans in general including the Buddhist majority, have\nbeen subjected to various forms of influences from Western and Middle Eastern non-Buddhist\ncountries. With the globalization process they have been exposed excessively to\nwestern and other norms and lifestyles. However, it is a well evident fact that\nthese experiences and exposures have not affected negatively the deep-seated\nspirit of tolerance and accommodation in the hearts and minds of the average Sinhala\nperson in Sri Lanka. This can be attributed to the influence of Buddhism which\nis the dominant faith in our country. Strong Buddhist values of tolerance and\ncompassion have been ingrained in the Sinhala people irrespective of their\nreligions, owing to the fact that they or their forefathers were followers of\nBuddhism at a certain time in their past before they were converted to other\nfaiths. History of our country reveals vividly that this spirit of tolerance\nand accommodation of others irrespective of their religious or other\ndifferences has been a common distinguishing characteristic of the Sinhala community\n of Sri Lanka from very early times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Daya Hewapathirane As a global religion, Buddhism today has expanded worldwide.  What is significant to note is that this expansion has always been characterized by a spirit of tolerance, harmonization and assimilation. In the process, Buddhism has absorbed pre-existing beliefs to a point where a clear distinction is often difficult today. This is clearly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dr-daya-hewapathirane"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98714"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98714\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}