Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Muslims' anger over caricature... what if the same insult is put on Buddha?
I read with fear the other day an article by an ustaz about past Muslim's reaction when their prophet was reviled : the insulter is killed!
He cited a case from the Hadith of a blind Muslim man who had a Jewess wife. She served him well as a wife, bore him children but she couldn't seem to keep her mouth from insulting her husband's prophet everyday.
The man was patient with her for sometime and with each insult he advised her to stop insulting until one fine day he blew his top. He waited till she had slept, he then stabbed her with his knife/dagger.
The next day,his prophet announced a murder had taken place and he demanded to know who was the murderer. This blind man gropped his way to the prophet and admitted his crime. He cited his wife's insults were the cause of the murder and with that the prophet declared ,"her blood was halal" meaning THE BLIND MAN WAS SINLESS FOR MURDER!
No comments... that's the way they react.
But what if the same insult was hurled at our Noble Triple Gem? The Great Teacher Buddha declared nothing bias. The Buddha preached abstainence from killing, all forms of killing is cruel. No such thing as lighter bad kamma for those who kill to uphold the prestine of Dhamma or to uphold the Buddha's name. Part of a sutta records the Buddha's actual words against anger towards people who revile the Triple Gem :
WHAT TO DO WHEN OTHERS SAY BAD THINGS OR PRAISE THE BUDDHA, DHAMMA OR SANGHA?
[extracted from DN 1 Brahmajala Sutta (The Supreme Net : What the Teaching Is Not) , from Ida B. Wells Memorial Sutra Library, http://www.buddhistinformation.com/ida_b_wells_memorial_sutra_library/brahmajala_sutta.htm ]
… "Monks, if anyone should speak in disparagement of me, of the Dhamma or of the Sangha, you should not be angry, resentful or upset on that account. If you were to be angry or displeased at such disparagement, that would only be a hindrance to you. For if others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, and you are angry or displeased, can you recognize whether what they say is right or not?"
‘No, Lord.’
"If others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, then you must explain what is incorrect as being incorrect", saying: ‘That is incorrect, that is false, that is not our way, that is not found among us.’
"But, monks, if others should speak in praise of me, of the Dhamma or of the Sangha, you should not on that account be pleased, happy or elated. If you were to be pleased, happy or elated at such praise, that would only be a hindrance to you."
If others praise me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, you should acknowledge the truth of what is true, saying: ‘That is correct, that is right, that is our way, that is found among us’. …
See the consistency of the Buddha's teachings? We were not tought Loving Kindness and Compassion on one hand, and on the other taught " righteous anger or violence".
No bias teachings in Buddhism.
So, when someone reviles the Triple Gem, inform them of the truth. Correct their wrong views. That's the best we can do.
Do not let our hands do the talking!
No violent demonstrations! Peaceful ones are ok...
No destroying public property... no burning of buildings... no taking hostages...
THE BUDDHA'S WAY IS TRUELY THE WAY TO ETERNAL PEACE!
He cited a case from the Hadith of a blind Muslim man who had a Jewess wife. She served him well as a wife, bore him children but she couldn't seem to keep her mouth from insulting her husband's prophet everyday.
The man was patient with her for sometime and with each insult he advised her to stop insulting until one fine day he blew his top. He waited till she had slept, he then stabbed her with his knife/dagger.
The next day,his prophet announced a murder had taken place and he demanded to know who was the murderer. This blind man gropped his way to the prophet and admitted his crime. He cited his wife's insults were the cause of the murder and with that the prophet declared ,"her blood was halal" meaning THE BLIND MAN WAS SINLESS FOR MURDER!
No comments... that's the way they react.
But what if the same insult was hurled at our Noble Triple Gem? The Great Teacher Buddha declared nothing bias. The Buddha preached abstainence from killing, all forms of killing is cruel. No such thing as lighter bad kamma for those who kill to uphold the prestine of Dhamma or to uphold the Buddha's name. Part of a sutta records the Buddha's actual words against anger towards people who revile the Triple Gem :WHAT TO DO WHEN OTHERS SAY BAD THINGS OR PRAISE THE BUDDHA, DHAMMA OR SANGHA?
[extracted from DN 1 Brahmajala Sutta (The Supreme Net : What the Teaching Is Not) , from Ida B. Wells Memorial Sutra Library, http://www.buddhistinformation.com/ida_b_wells_memorial_sutra_library/brahmajala_sutta.htm ]
… "Monks, if anyone should speak in disparagement of me, of the Dhamma or of the Sangha, you should not be angry, resentful or upset on that account. If you were to be angry or displeased at such disparagement, that would only be a hindrance to you. For if others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, and you are angry or displeased, can you recognize whether what they say is right or not?"
‘No, Lord.’
"If others disparage me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, then you must explain what is incorrect as being incorrect", saying: ‘That is incorrect, that is false, that is not our way, that is not found among us.’
"But, monks, if others should speak in praise of me, of the Dhamma or of the Sangha, you should not on that account be pleased, happy or elated. If you were to be pleased, happy or elated at such praise, that would only be a hindrance to you."
If others praise me, the Dhamma or the Sangha, you should acknowledge the truth of what is true, saying: ‘That is correct, that is right, that is our way, that is found among us’. …
See the consistency of the Buddha's teachings? We were not tought Loving Kindness and Compassion on one hand, and on the other taught " righteous anger or violence".
No bias teachings in Buddhism.
So, when someone reviles the Triple Gem, inform them of the truth. Correct their wrong views. That's the best we can do.
Do not let our hands do the talking!
No violent demonstrations! Peaceful ones are ok...
No destroying public property... no burning of buildings... no taking hostages...
THE BUDDHA'S WAY IS TRUELY THE WAY TO ETERNAL PEACE!
