Buddhism and Human Rights

Buddhrsm and Human Rights

CURZON

CRITICAI- STUDIES IN RUDDHISM

General Editors: Charles W. Prebish Pennsyh ania StcrteUniuersi ty f)amien Keown Goldsmiths College, Llniuersitl of London

The Curzon Critical Studies in Buddhism Series is a conrprehensive study of the Buddhist tradition. The series explores this cornplex and extensive traditin fiom a variety of perspectives, usins a range of different methodologies. The Series is diverse in its focus, including historical studies, textual translations and commentaries, sociological investigations, bibliographic studies, and considerations of relisious practice as an expression of Buddhism's integr:rl religiosity. It also presents materials on modern intellectual historical studies, including the role of Buclclhist thought and scholarship in a contemporary, critical context and in the light of current social issrres.Tl're series is expansive and imaginative in scope, spannine rnore than nvo ancl zr lialf'nrillennia of Buddhist history. It is receptive to all research u'orks that inform ancl advance our knowleclge and understzrndins of the Btrclclhist tradition. The series maintains the highest standards of scholarship ancl promotes the application of innovative methodologies and research methods.

THE REF[,EXT\'E NATURE OF AWARENESS A Tibetan Madhyamaka Def'ence Paut Wittiams \\'O\IE\ IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE BUDDHA Struggle ior l,iberation in the Therigitha Kathrtn R. Bk chstone AT-TRUISM,\ND REALITY Stucliesin the Philosophy of the Bodhicaryivatara Paul William.s

Buddhism and I{uman Rights fdited by

Damien V Keown CharlesS. Prebish WayneR. Husted,

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given a hard time by power holders for his daring outspokenness and truth telling. The latter is a Buddhist monk and scholar.He is an author of a book, Buddhadho**o,4 which is widely recognized in Thailand as one of the most lucid expositions of the Buddha's teaching. His thoughts on Buddhist views on various aspectsof life are very well respected.Being a respected monk, he has never been in trouble with the authorities. Although both are steeped in the Thai Theravada tradition, however, their views on the role of Buddhism regarding problems of society, including that of human rights, diverge in a significant way. While Sulak favors a kind of socially engaged Buddhism in which the religion is seen as an instrument toward betterment of the society in terms of justice, democracy and respect for human rights, Prayudh Prayutto tends to be more conservative, and for him Buddhism seems to be more concerned with the cessaticlnof suffering at the individual level rather than trying to improve society at large. I shall try to show in this paper how both thinkers deal with the problem of the relation between Buddhism and human rights, accentuating the key problem of the relationship of Buddhism toward its social environment. Buddhism and Human Rights in Sulak Siaaraksa For more than three decadesSulak Sivaraksahas been a leading voice of consciencefor the Thai people. His continual and courageous criticisms of successive unjust regimes have given him a lot of trouble with the authorities. During the time when seemingly all sectors of the Thai society were effectively silenced by totalitarian regimes, his was the sole voice raised agairrst them, aiming at raising the awareness in Thai people of the true meaning of democracy and justice.DSulak calls for a return to the real roots of the Thais, and examination of imported Western values and technologies. I Ie rails against Western educated intellectuals in his society who appear to worship Western techniques and ways of thinking without really understanding the roots and historical contexts of those techniques and thinking. That is, he persistently criticizes the normal attitude among Thai bttreaucratic planners who blindly adopt the Western models without critically examining whether they really lead to "good life." He calls for a return to the traditional pattern of Thai life. This call, however, does not mean hc is advocating a nostalgic glorification of the past. In fact he has many stinging words directed against aspectsof Thai history. But the call is part of his campaign against the rampant consumerismin Thailand today. For hirn lhais should abandon consumerism and return to their indigenous cu llr lr c wit h a s t ro n g c ri ti c a l a tti tu d e .

Hongladarom 99 €.tg! thinks thattuddhism is anything but a religion devoted solely to an individual search for salvation with no regard for the social environment within which such search takes place. He is often vehement against monks who abandon the true teaching of Buddhism and become mere instruments of power wielders to legitimize their rules.6 In SassanaIQp SangkhomThai (Religion and Thai Society), one of Sulak's most important work, he writes: The saying that Buddhism is concernedonly with individual salvation is a complete neglect of its basic principle, that is, the denial that individual soul exists.The Buddha's teaching concerns only individuals, but it is also involved with something wider, which cannot be other than the society and politics. And this is what the Buddha often said in the Pali canon, which is the main scripture of the Theravada tradition. The attempt to understand Buddhism without its relations to the society is an error. Buddhism is an attempt to relate with the individual's serious disease.It is primarily a way to defeat limitations of the attd in a way that brings in involvement with the social and the political. Until Buddhists are well aware of this fact, their adherence of Buddhism cannot help them get rid of their atta.7 That is, the suPrgme gtlal-of Theravada Buddhism, attainment of the state of extirguishment gf:l)_de-fjlemenL*or nihhfna (Sanskrit, niraana), is not possible if the Buddhist cuts himself or herself out of his or her involvement with"lhe soci*a;a-nrt political, accordirrg to Sulak. Since Buddhism teaches that e x is t enc eof a s el f i s a n i l l u s i o n , to try to p ro ceedtoni bbdnaby getti ng this indiaidual self of mi.neto arrive at salvation is thus a contradiction. Rather onc must bc aware that one's own self is indistinguishable from that of all othcrs, and in fact that there is no underlying self behind the momentary consciousnesseswhich are constantly in flux. This means for Sulak that an incliviclualmust relate to others, and any attempt to cut oneself off from such relation is a presupposition of an individual self in the first place. This idea of the impossibility of attaining nibbdnawithout dissolution of the individual self and relation toward others, then, is the core of Sulak's view on thc relation between Budclhism and human rights. The ideal form' of socicty is one where its members are all free from self attachments. However, Sulak realizes that such a society is only an ideal, and Buddhism has to compromise with its social environment in order that its teachings be acccssiblcto the outer circle.That is, the original Buddhist community, which at first consisted only of arahants, later included more laypeople so that its

100 Hongladarom teachings could reach them and change them for the better.S Thus the ideal community of the selflessarahants form an ideal, or a standard on which ethical and moral judgement of lay societiesare based.Thus such violations of human rights as slavery, torture, etc. could only be a movement in the opposite direction t