Socially Engaged Buddhism (with reference to Australian society)

by Phuong Thi Thu Ngo | 2012 | 44,050 words

In this essay, the concept of socially engaged Buddhism will be discussed with exclusive focus on Australia. The term Socially Engaged Buddhism refers to an active involvement by Buddhist members in society and its problems, practitioners in this nascent movement seek to actualize traditional ideals of wisdom and compassion. Also dealt with are the...

B (1). Political Ideal in the Time of Buddha

The word contribution has a large an extensive application in its sense. The Buddhist contribution, so far as the world is concerned, is composite. Buddhism which moulded not only for the Indian thoughts for several centuries contributed largely to Indian culture in its various aspects but also for whole the planet up to today’s world. The contribution, which Buddhism giving out to the world is indeed notable. The part played by the monasteries (viharas) and the member of order was unique in this regard. In this section attempt to describe some of its important aspects, such as political and social ideals, and economic development based on the aesthetic ideals acquired in the time of Buddha.

Buddha lived in the 6th century B.C. It was an age of great upsurge, intellectual and social, in many parts of the world, India not exception was notice the upheaval in the domain of political and social ideals, educational system and the like Gautama Buddha was born in a famous Sakya clan. His father Suddhodana with his capital at Kapilavatthu was the chieftain of the clan which had the oligrachical system of government. There were other neighbouring clans, viz. the Vajjis, Licchavis, Koliyas, Videhas ect…. They had also republican organizations. Buddha was thus born and grew up among republican people.

Being disgusted with the earthly pleasures Siddhartha in his youth left home and adopted the life of a recluse to rescue mortal beings from the miseries of the world. After his victory of Maras and become Buddha he started his missionary career at the age of thirty-five and continued at for forty-five years, in other words right after his enlightenment he had served the benefit for all sentient beings until the day of his last physical breath. According to Mahayana text believes that the Buddha always exists in this world in order to make the benefit to beings not only his forty-five years in his lives time.

With his sixty disciples Buddha started his community order, known as the sangha, which contributed much to the propagation and popularity of Buddhism and exists even today. From the Mahavagga[1] we had learned that the Lord Buddha was encouraged his orders dispersed into different places, into different directions even himself crossed from village to village, from town to town to preach the truths dharma to beings for their benefit such as “Go ye, now, oh Bhikkhus, and wonder, for the gain of many, for the welfare of many, out of compassion for the world. Let not two of you go the same way. Preach the doctrine which is glorious in the beginning, middle, and end, in the spirit and in the letter, proclaim a consummate, perfect and pure life of holiness." Ere long the member of his disciples had grown fairly large and he had to work out rules and regulations for the guidance of the members of the sangha (order) which are contained in the Vinayapitaka. Before the rise of Buddhism there were forms of communal life, but they lacked any organization and code of rules regulating the life of the members. Buddha’s credit lay in his thorough and systematic character which he gave to the sangha (order).

As already mention as above Buddha was born in a republican state. He was imbubed with democratic ideas from his boyhood. The political constitution of the clans from which many men joined the sangha as Bhikkhus (monks) in early times was further of a republican type. One can, therefore, naturally expect Buddha’s democratic ideals in the constitution of the sangha.

In overall, here is given an outline of the noteworthy features of the constitution of the sangha to have an idea how principles of democracy worked in the sangha.

a. Novice (Pabbjja) and Bhikku (Upasampada)

There are two ceremonies prescribed for admission into the sangha. The first called Novice in Sanskrit called Pabbajja which admits one as a novice into the sangha while the other known as Bhikkhu in Sanskrit called Upasampada makes one a regular member of the sangha. In the beginning these were done by Buddha himself with the word himself with the words ‘ehi bhikkhu, come bhikkhu’, according as the member was one or more. This completed the ordination which conferred monkhood. No other formality was necessary. He hid not delegate the power of ordination to any of his monks in the beginning. Their duty was to place before Buddha the seekers after ordination. The candidates for the ordination were thus brought before his presence from different parts of the country to the place where he was staying at the time. This caused great hardship to the desiring entrants and was sometimes also found Impracticable. The Sanskrit Vinaya records that one of such men, when being brought before Buddha for ordination, died on the way, and was deprived of the benefits of entering the sangha. This necessitated a modification of the original procedure “which making its his senior disciples henceforth to confer the Pabbajja and Upassampada on the candidates in the name of Trinity i. e. Budddha, Dharmma and Sangha. He thus delegated the power to his monks to admit people to his sangha. But this power of delegation to the individual monks who were Upajjhayas did not work well. Shortly after, a Brahmin it a rule that the instead of the monks individually as hitherto before. The minimum member of monks required to constitute such an assembly was also laid down. This new procedure effected a radical change in the individual monks. It left everything to the judgement of the assembly of monks. This indeed made the opening of a new chapter as to the introduction of democratic principles in the history of Indian religious orders.

b. Semimonthly Meeting (Uposhadha)

Next in importance to the ordination is the Uposhadha[2] ceremony which was introduced into which religious discourses were held on certain days of a month for the well-being of the members of the sangha. Such practice was in vogue among other sects of ascetics even before Buddha. It was held twice every month on the new moon and place and recites the Patimokkhasutta which contains 227 rules of conduct for monks and 348 rules of conduct for nuns. This code of rules which takes up eight chapters enumerates different types of offences committed by the monks. All the monks living within the fixed jurisdiction of the avasa (monastery) should hold the Uposatha together. None of them could be absent. If anyone failed to join in the service due to illness or unforeseen events, he should send his consent by proxy, and in which case the consent of the absentee was as valid as that of one present personally in the service. In case of a dispute as to the date of the calculation of Uposatha ceremony-the incoming monks counting the day as the fifteenth, while the resident monks reckoning it as the fourteenththen if the number of the incoming monks was greater, the resident monks should yield to them and vice-versa. It may be recalled that the working of the sangha was on democratic lines. Every transaction of the sangha was done on the basis of the rule by majority and that was why consent of all the monk of monastery was so much insisted on.

All property communal. Every member of the sangha had principles of democracy. Like modern public meetings at the assembly of monks a chairman was elected by the unanimous consent of those present, but the consent was make by silence. There was no recognition of rank in the sangha. Simple seniority on the relation of teacher to pupil was only recognized. No monk could give orders to another. Buddha considered himself as an elder brother who was concerned with happiness of the masses. From the Mahaparinibbanasutta we learn that he repudiated the idea of a successor to him. As already observed, all decisions were taken by majority of votes and when differences of opinions arose, the decision was postponed. It was then referred to a select committee to deal with the dispute. Sometimes votes were taken, marked sticks were used for the purpose. Thus, the system of government obtaining in the sangha wad entirely democratic in nature, and the principles of democracy working first in the domain of religious institutions. It made the sangha invincible and, as such, it was destined to work wonders in the history of the Indian people not very long after its inception.

Lastly, this democratic ideal wad further developed and materialized in the field of state administration by the Maurya emperor Asoka who was indebted for this grand and noble deal to Buddhism. His idea of Dharmavijaya was not only a missionary movement, but a definite imperial policy. It indeed achieved of unity and fraternity for the people of India.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Mahavagga includes several sutta-like texts, including an account of the period immediately following the Buddha's Awakening, his first sermons to the group of five monks, and stories of how some of his great disciples joined the Sangha and themselves attained Awakening. Also included are the rules for ordination, and various procedures that monks are to perform during formal gatherings of the community.

[2]:

Uposhadha in Sanskrit and Uposatha in Pali. A semimonthly meeting of selfexamination and puplic confession held in Buddhist monasteries. At the uposhadha, monks recited the precepts for the Buddhist Order, and those had violated them confessed their offenses. The uposhadha was held at the time of the new and full moons.

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