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Contents.BeliefsThe belief of the Soka Gakkai centers on recognizing that all life has dignity with infinite inherent potential; this immanent 'Buddhahood' exists in every person and can be awakened through the Buddhist practice prescribed by Nichiren. Further, a person's social actions at every moment can lead to soka, or the creation of value (the theory of the interdependence of life).
Societal change is facilitated through 'human revolution', a way of living in the world that creates value.The doctrine of the Soka Gakkai derives from Nichiren, who promulgated the Lotus Sutra as he perceived its application to the epoch in which he and people today live. Main article:Gakkai meetings have been called 'formal liturgies' in that their format—'chanting, relatos (experiences), teachings, inspiring entertainment'—is identical from place to place. Discussion meetings are among the most important activities of the Soka Gakkai. Professor of philosophy at Virginia Tech University Jim Garrison writes that John Dewey’s belief “that the heart and guarantee of democracy is in free gatherings of neighbors and friends in the living rooms of houses and apartments to converse freely with one another.” Garrison points out that the Soka Gakkai grew out of precisely such gatherings.
'Soka Gakkai discussion meetings are a wonderful example of grass-roots democracy.' At discussion meetings, participants are encouraged to take responsibility 'for their own lives and for wider social and global concerns'. The format is an example of how the Soka Gakkai is able to 'dispense with much of the apparatus of conventional church organization'. ProselytizingAt one time, the Soka Gakkai's expansion methods were controversial, as it employed a Buddhist method called, a term employed by Nichiren, translated as 'break and subdue (attachments to inferior teachings).' The reason for propagation, as explained by Josei Toda, is 'not to make the Soka Gakkai larger but for you to become happier. There are many people in the world who are suffering from poverty and disease.
The only way to make them really happy is to shakubuku them.' In 1970 Ikeda prescribed a more moderate approach, 'urging its members to adopt an attitude of openness to others'; the method Soka Gakkai prefers since then is called shoju - 'dialogue or conversation designed to persuade people rather than convert them', though this is often referred to still as 'shakubuku spirit.' In 2014 the Soka Gakkai changed the 'Religious Tenets' section of its Rules and Regulations as regards propagation. Formerly, the Tenets said the Soka Gakkai 'would seek to realize its ultimate goal - the widespread propagation of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism throughout Jambudvipa (the world), thus fulfilling the Daishonin's mandate.' The new version says 'it shall strive, through each individual achieving their human revolution, to realize as its ultimate goal the worldwide propagation of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, thus fulfilling the Daishonin's mandate.'
According to Soka Gakkai President Harada, 'worldwide propagation' is a function of individuals undergoing positive change in their lives. The belief of the Soka Gakkai, then, is that propagation activities give meaning both to the activity itself and to the personal lives of its members. HistoryThe following are categorized records of the first three presidents of the organization, their leadership and list of contributions. Makiguchi years: 1930–44. First President of the Sōka GakkaiIn 1928, educators Tsunesaburō Makiguchi and both converted to Nichiren Buddhism. Main article:was released from prison on July 3, 1945, after serving two years of imprisonment on the charges of.
His health had been severely compromised and businesses destroyed. He immediately set out to rebuild the organization that had been repressed and dismantled by the government during the war. From this start Toda served as the link between the movement's founder, Makiguchi, and Ikeda who led its international evangelism.
The reconstruction of the organizationWhile imprisoned, Toda studied a passage for the Immeasurable meanings sutra (considered the introduction to the Lotus Sutra) that describes Buddhahood by means of 34 negations – for example, that it is 'neither being nor non-being, this nor that, square nor round'. From this, he concluded that 'Buddha' is life, or life force.The 'philosophy of life' restates principles formulated by Nichiren: 'three thousand conditions in a single moment' ( ichinen sanzen), and 'observing one's own mind' ( kanjin)The concept of life force is central to the Soka Gakkai's conception of the role of religion and the application of Nichiren's teachings. 'Our health, courage, wisdom, joy, desire to improve, self-discipline, and so on, could all be said to depend on our life force,' Ikeda says.The groundwork for the organization's growth can be found in Toda's work during the years between his release from prison (1945) and his inauguration (1951).
Daisaku Ikeda receiving 'Leonardo Prize' in 2009 from Alexander YakovlevJōsei Toda was succeeded as president in 1960 by the 32-year-old. Ikeda would come to be a moderating and secularizing force.: 77 Ikeda formally committed the organisation to the principles of free speech and freedom of religion and urged, from 1964, a gentler approach to proselytizing. Under Ikeda's leadership, the organization expanded rapidly, both inside and outside Japan during the 1960s.Within the first 16 months of Ikeda's presendency the organization grew from 1,300,000 to 2,110,000 members.
By 1967 it grew to 6,240,000 families according to its own reporting. In 1968 over 8,000,000 people contributed to the construction of the Sho-Hondo. Between 1961 and 1968 the organization's Study Department (members who sit for graded examinations on doctrinal matters) grew from 40,000 to 1,447,000. By 1968, under Ikeda's leadership, the daily newspaper attained a circulation of 3,580,000. Today, it has a circulation of 5.5 million copies, making it Japan's third largest daily. International growth.
Main article:In October 1960, five months after his inauguration, Ikeda and a small group of staff members visited the United States, Canada (Toronto), and Brazil. In the United States he visited Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles, meeting with members, the vast majority Japanese war brides, at discussion and guidance meetings, setting up local organizations, and appointing leaders to take responsibility. He encouraged attendees to become good American citizens, learn English, and get driving licenses.Ikeda also expanded the scope and pattern of the Gakkai's activities. In 1961 Ikeda created an arm of the organization, the Culture Bureau, to accommodate nonreligious activities. It had departments for the study and discussion of Economics, Politics, Education, Speech, and, later in the year, the Arts.Ikeda and his team visited countries in Europe and Southeast Asia in 1961 and the Near and Middle East in 1962. By 1967 Ikeda had completed 13 trips abroad to strengthen the overseas organizations. Parallel to these efforts Ikeda attempted to find the universal aspects of Nichiren Buddhism stripped away from Japanese context.The Gakkai's first overseas mission, called 'Nichiren Shoshu of America' (NSA), grew rapidly and claimed some 200,000 American adherents by 1970.
Ikeda founded Soka Junior and Senior High Schools in 1968 and Soka University in 1971. 'Soka Gakkai International' (SGI) was formally founded in 1975, on Guam. Founding of the Komeito. Main article:The Soka Gakkai practices what has been called ' Soka Humanism', which it attributes to Lotus Sutra teaching that the 'Buddha is life itself'.Accordingly, the organization also claims that the goal of human activity and religion is the welfare of human beings. Daisaku Ikeda writes:'Nichiren Buddhism is about human beings.
The human being is most important. Nationality, social position, ideology - none of that matters. The human being is the foundation.' Nichiren wrote 'if you think the law is outside yourself. It is an inferior teaching.' The movement is seen as the basis for a global 'intellectual humanism' movement, espousing 'sympathetic action' of removing suffering and imparting joy.
Epp says of Ikeda 'He always shows concern for 'the human element', which allows him to avoid proselytizing; he does not “indulge in ritualistic phrases”; (p. 71) and “. Man’s wholeness and happiness are absolutely central” to his philosophy.In May 1970, Daisaku Ikeda clarified the Soka Gakkai's role, transcending proselytizing, was to create a foundation of humanism in all aspects of society. In addition, the cultural endeavors of the Soka Gakkai are viewed by its adherents as expressions of Buddhist humanism and are aligned to creating a peaceful and more humane society. 'Peace, culture, and education'In the 1970s, the Soka Gakkai began to re-conceptualize itself as an organization promoting the theme of 'Peace, culture, and education.' In later years, the three themes were institutionalized within the 1995 charter of the. Peace activitiesThe group's peace activities can be traced back to the Toda era – at an athletic meeting in 1957, Toda called for a complete ban on nuclear weapons.
A 1975 petition drive against nuclear weapons by the Gakkai's youth division garnered 10 million signatures, and was handed over to the United Nations.: 84 Culture of peaceThe Soka Gakkai was included in a collective Buddhist response to UNESCO's 'Declaration on the Role of Religion in the Promotion of a Culture of Peace', established in Barcelona in December 1994. The Soka Gakkai's contribution to building a culture of peace is summarized by person-to-person diplomacy, the promotion of small community discussion meetings with egalitarian mores reflecting the Lotus tradition, the promotion of the values of compassion, wisdom, and courage to promote action to nurture world citizenship, and participation in cultural events to foster the culture of peace.
Peace and human rights activists such as Dr. Lawrence Carter of Morehouse College and Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who partnered with the Soka Gakkai in various exhibits and presentations, praise the organization's efforts. Support of United NationsSGI has been in consultative status with the since 1983. As an NGO working with the United Nations, SGI has been active in public education with a focus mainly on peace and nuclear weapons disarmament, human rights and sustainable development.Each year, Ikeda publishes a peace proposal which examines global challenges in the light of Buddhist teachings. The proposals are specific and wide-ranging, covering topics as constructing a culture of peace, promoting the development of the United Nations, nuclear disarmament, the prohibition of child soldiers, the empowerment of women, the promotion of educational initiatives in schools such as human rights and sustainable development education, and calls to reawaken the human spirit and individual empowerment.
The complete texts of recent proposals are available at the SGI website. The Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research has published a compilation of topical excerptss. ExhibitionsThe Soka Gakkai uses its financial resources for a number of civic activities. As a of the United Nations, it has participated in many activities and exhibitions in conjunction with the UN.The Soka Gakkai has been active in public education with a focus mainly on peace and nuclear weapons disarmament, human rights and sustainable development. It has sponsored exhibits such as 'A Culture of Peace For Children', which was featured in the lobby of the UN Building in New York and 'Nuclear Arms: Threat to Our World'. Soka Gakkai also contributed to The Earth Charter Initiative with the 'Seeds of Change' exhibit, 'a 'map' showing the way towards a sustainable lifestyle'.SGI promotes environmental initiatives through educational activities such as exhibitions, lectures and conferences, and more direct activities such as tree planting projects and those of its Amazon Ecological Conservation Center run by SGI in Brazil.
One scholar cites, SGI's president, to describe such initiatives as a Buddhist-based impetus for direct public engagement in parallel with legal efforts to address environmental concerns. In India, Bharat Soka Gakkai (SGI in India) debuted the traveling exhibit 'Seeds of Hope', a joint initiative of SGI. At the exhibit opening in Panaji, the Indian state capital of, regional planning head Edgar Ribeiro spoke of lagging efforts to implement environmental laws and that: 'Only a people's movement can take sustainability forward.' In Malaysia, President Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok said that this exhibition helped 'to create the awareness of the power of a single individual in bringing about waves of positive change to the environment, as well as the society.' Establishment of institutionsThe Soka Gakkai has established multiple institutions and research facilities to promote its values of peace. By the SGI team at, on October 30, 2011.
Performance art is one of Soka Gakkai's peace activities.The Soka Gakkai sponsors many cultural activities for its membership as well as the general public.Cultural institutionsThe Soka Gakkai's subsidiary organizations also have a social presence. The is a subsidiary of the Soka Gakkai which Ikeda established in 1963. It claims to sponsor over 1100 concerts each year. It has sponsored tours by international artists such as the La Scala Opera Company, about which Ikeda told Min-On's director that he 'wanted average Japanese people to see first class art, even if we lost a lot of money'.Ikeda also founded the in 1983. It houses collections of western and oriental art, and has participated in exchanges with museums around the world. Performance artSoka Gakkai considers and other genres of to be a major aspect of its peace activities. It has a long tradition of 'culture festivals,' originating in the 1950s, which take the form of group gymnastics (through its world-famous ), marching bands, traditional ensembles, orchestras, ballet, or choral presentations.
The Soka Gakkai perceives these activities as vehicles for its members to experience the skills of cooperating with others, opportunities to engage in the personal discipline that performing arts provide, and occasions to overcome obstacles and to undertake one's own 'human revolution.' They enhance peer networks and understanding of and commitment to the goals of the organization. Soka Gakkai's Tokyo headquartersFormally, the is the umbrella organization for all national organizations, while Soka Gakkai by itself refers to the Japanese arm. Soka Gakkai maintains an international political presence as a registered with the United Nations.: 273The basic functional organizational unit is the Block – a group of members in a neighborhood who meet regularly for discussion, study and encouragement. A number of Blocks form a District, and Districts are grouped into Chapters. From there the Soka Gakkai is organized into Areas, Regions, Prefectures and, finally, Territories – all under the umbrella of the national organization.
Discussion and study meetings, the basic organizational activities, are conducted mainly at the Block level, though there are occasional meetings held at every level. MembershipSoka Gakkai has, together with its international offshoot (SGI), been described as 'the world's largest Buddhist lay group and America's most diverse'. Soka Gakkai International claims a total of over 12 million adherents.
The majority of these belong to the Japanese organization, whose official membership count is 8.27 million households. According to statistics from the (a body of the ), the Japanese organization had 5.42 million individual members in 2000.A study in Europe found that most of new members joined because of the personalities of the people they met within the organization; but the biggest reason for continuing is the positive changes they see in their own lives. List of Soka Gakkai presidentsThe following are the list of the presidents of the Soka Gakkai:. – (18 November 1930 – 2 May 1944).
– (3 May 1951 – 2 May 1960). – (3 May 1960 – 24 April 1979) + ( Honorary President of the: 1979 – Incumbent). – (24 April 1979 – 18 July 1981). – (18 July 1981 – 9 November 2006).
– (9 November 2006 – incumbent)Economic and social influenceThe Soka Gakkai's newspaper, the Seikyo Shimbun, has a readership base of 5.5 million. Forbes magazine estimated that the organization has an income of at least $1.5 billion per year.
Religion scholar Hiroshi Shimada has estimated the wealth of the Soka Gakkai at ¥500 billion.SGI's president, Daisaku Ikeda, has been described by journalist Teresa Watanabe as one of the most powerful and enigmatic individuals in Japan. A 1995 San Francisco SFGate article describes Ikeda as a 'charismatic leader' who can display a violent temper in private. According to religious scholar Jane Hurst, there is no indication he has exploited his position and his home has been described as 'modest'. Japanese politics. See also: Humanitarian workThe Soka Gakkai conducts humanitarian aid projects in disaster stricken regions. As an organization it is not only dedicated to personal spiritual development but also to engaged community service. After the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Soka Gakkai facilities became shelters for the displaced and storage centers for food and supplies for the victims.
The relief effort also included community support by youth groups, global fundraising for the victims, and spiritual support. SGI-Chile members collected supplies to deliver to a relief center after the country's 2014 earthquake. Public perceptionToday, Soka Gakkai is rarely criticized in mainstream news media. Ikeda occasionally contributes editorials to major newspapers, which also print reports on Gakkai business. Since the Komeito Party joined the ruling government coalition in 1999, widespread criticism by the media of the Soka Gakkai has abated and the Soka Gakkai is gaining acceptance as part of the Japanese mainstream.
There has been a 'fractured view' of the Soka Gakkai in Japan. On the one hand it is seen as a politically and socially engaged movement; on the other, it is still viewed with suspicion by some Japanese. Claims the Soka Gakkai's perception has suffered from sensationalist and often irresponsible treatment by the media even though the group has matured into a responsible member of society. Other scholars reject the cult label. Some scholars who utilize the typology of newly emerging denominations categorize it as 'gnostic-manipulationist', a category of teachings holding that the world can improve as people master the right means and techniques to overcome their problems. According to Anne Mette Fisker-Nielsen, 'Soka Gakkai's relentless, but highly successful, proselytizing in the 1950s stirred up fear in wider society.
Soka Gakkai was portrayed by the mass media as aggressive even violent – although it is difficult to find evidence.' Throughout the 1950s, the Soka Gakkai was a relatively radical movement that remained outside mainstream Japanese society, but since the foundation of the Komeito in the 1960s, it has considerably moderated its activities and has become a very mainstream movement, especially after the Komeito joined the coalition government in 1999.Soka Gakkai has long been a subject of criticism in the Japanese weekly tabloid news/magazine press. Press criticism of the Soka Gakkai should be seen against the backdrop of negative press coverage of new religious movements in general. It is important to understand that Japanese journalism is unlike that of the West. Scholars point out that less than two percent of journalists in Japan have degrees in journalism. That plus feeble libel laws leave little recourse for the victims of malicious defamation.
Associate Professor of Religion at Hamilton College, Richard Seager writes that it is time to cease being overly intrigued by the Soka Gakkai’s history of controversy. “Over the course of a relatively short period, the Soka Gakkai moved from the margins of Japanese society into its mainstream.” Cult appellationDuring the early postwar decades, the Soka Gakkai found itself embroiled in various controversies and appellations of 'cult' and 'cult of personality' have become attached to it. Claims of personality adulation towards is among the centerpoint of criticism from outsiders and former practitioners of the organization. Some criticism are also sourced from its former affiliate, Nichiren Shoshu who shared the same negative sentiment in 28 November 1991 citing claims of.Nevertheless, in accordance to the organization's views, these charges have largely resulted from both negative and distorted media coverage.Newer scholarship has generally refuted the Soka Gakkai's former cult appellation, noting the organization's maturation, progressive qualities, and its calls to its membership to be excellent citizens. Criticism of the organization continues to exist, to which the organization describes its vision and structure as a continuing work of humanistic progress and continuous improvement.International perceptionThe Republic of honored the 25th anniversary of the SGI's founding with a commemorative postage stamp.
The stamp was issued on October 2, the anniversary of SGI President Ikeda's first overseas journey in 1960.In 2005, award the youth of Soka Gakkai in Singapore for their 'community and youth services' work.The Soka Gakkai of the Republic of Cuba (SGRC) attained juridical recognition in 2007, following an official visit of Daisaku Ikeda in 1996. It has a membership of approximately 500 individuals spread throughout most of the country's provinces.In 2008, Ikeda was a recipient of the, a state-issued award of the Russian Federation bestowed on foreign nationals whose work, deeds and efforts were aimed at the betterment of relations with the Russian Federation and its people.In 2012, President Ma Ying-jeou of The Republic of China (Taiwan) commended the Taiwan Soka Association for many years of effort in the areas of public welfare, education, and religious teaching.
The is not a mere collection of words, it is clearly something which has to do with experience. For some people though, Buddhism and Buddha Dharma has to do with a collection of knowledge, but if it remains at this level, there is a deep lack. As the root of the Buddha's teachings have to be applied in every single moment our dualistic mind is functioning.
Well, until we are realizing, our mind is working dualistically, which means that we have to apply the Buddha Dharma in every single moment of our life. You may think that there are many moments in daily life which have nothing to do whatsoever with the dharma, but this is an incorrect concept; the dharma can be applied in every moment of our life. Whatever funny or strange moment you may think at, saying 'Oh, this has nothing to do with dharma', if you are analysing it a little bit, then you will find that at one level or another, the dharma can be applied. Dharma has somehow the power or ability to transform everything from whatever gross state into something spiritual, depending on our motivation. And here is one of the key words: motivation. As often as possible, it is important to have a meditation about what is our motivation. What is our goal?
What do we want to do with our life? What do we expect to achieve within this life?
And since we belong to the tradition, our right motivation has to be to benefit others. So, everything that we are doing, thinking, has to be directed towards the benefit of others. This might be our deepest thought, wish, goal: How to benefit others. It does not mean that we have to forget our own interests, our life, it does not mean that we have to neglect our body or our life, it just means that we have to think about our body and our health with the right motivation. And with that motivation, every single moment can be transformed into something wonderful. This afternoon I was taking the example of 'taking a shower'.
It seems to be a very common thing, and we may not think about what we are doing while taking a shower. While cleaning our body, we may think about a thousand other things.
Yet, if we analyse the action of cleaning our body, and if we transform it in the right way, it can become a practice: While the soap is taking out the dust from our body, we can generate in our mind the wish to clean the mind from its delusions in the same way, then this thought is completely transforming the situation. It sounds perhaps funny, but this is really something which is effective, because it really plants the seeds to actually purify the negativity in our mind. And the meal is a wonderful moment for the practice. It is a way to meditate both on attachment and on Bodhicitta at the same time. When you are in front of your meal, according to what is in your plate, there are a lot of conceptions that arise, either attachment or aversion towards what is in front of you, and this is the right moment to think about and to meditate upon that. And at the same time, you have to ask yourself why you are eating, why you are maintaining your body in good health.
Well, we are talking here about good health, this is in case you are eating good food. And the right motivation to take the meal, to keep the body in good health, has to be in order to practice more, in order to develop your mind, and with the final idea, the final goal, to be able to help more. With such a motivation we are not eating any more in order to increase our attachment to food, but we are eating in order to benefit others. First of all, it is important to keep in mind the Six, because in many moments of our days we will be able to emphasize more on one of the.
From the morning, when we are opening our eyes, it is good to have a meditation, even if it is a short one, in order to give the day the right orientation, the right impulse to the day, and to take the right decision that we will do our best in order to apply the dharma teachings. This decision is important because it will launch a type of awareness within our mind. You see, the real way to apply dharma lies exactly there, in how we are dealing with our mind, and how we are dealing with what we are used to call 'outside situations'.
All the words have of course their own importance, and all the technical points of dharma have their own importance, but if you are a high scholar and you know many texts and you can recite by heart all kanjur (tib. /bka' 'gyur/) and tanjur (tib. /bstan 'gyur/), but if you don't understand how to apply it, if you don't make an effort in applying the dharma in every moment your mind is working, then it is useless. Nowadays, we have all the informations, all the texts, there are a lot of books and data support, computers, cds, thus it is not as important to memorize huge amounts of texts as it may have been in the past, but it is still extremely important to know how to deal with the situations we are facing. When I was living in Sera monastery, I met all kinds of monks, some high scholars and some so-called simple monks; I must say that it is not always the high scholars who show the best example. I have of course absolutely nothing against the scholastic knowledge, but for me the scholastic knowledge takes it sense when it starts to be applied in the daily life.
We have a propension in the west to give a lot of importance to diploma and such scholastic degree. Yet, many high lamas do not have a specific degree, but were quite wonderful in their way to explain dharma. And when I am thinking about that, I am thinking about Lama Yeshe or Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche who indeed do not have a degree, for example, but they have been most respected for their way to explain the dharma which is just wonderful, because it is applied, it is practical.
As each of you is progressing along the dharma path, and as each of you has the wish to engage more and more, I think that it is important to focus on the practice and to focus on how to apply it, on how to change your mind, much more than learning texts by heart or to spend months for learning Tibetan, for example. If one has enough time and energy to learn the Tibetan language, it is fine. But I think this should be something extra, the cherry on the top. The main focus is on how we are dealing in our life with our children, our wife or husband, our boss, and so on. It is important because it is in all those situations that we are creating the various that will make our future. And talking about children, it is how we are dealing with them and how we are showing the dharma principles to them, this will help them to get those good principles in a good way.
And as soon as we are known to be a Buddhist practitioner, we have also a responsibility in the sense that others are watching how we are behaving in our daily life. I am not talking at all about pretending to be what we are not, but to try to be what we would like to be. And as we are engaging in the path, we are expecting - I do, at least - to become better and better every time I have the opportunity to practice. Everything else, all the other formal practices and rituals are meant to help you in this approach. But the core of the dharma life, the core of our practice is at the same time our motivation and the way we are applying it every time we can. I was talking about shine as one of the important practices, and once we start to have a good approach about shine, it is important to apply our quiet mind on a subject such as emptiness.
To tend to have a clear understanding of the world in which we are living, not to grasp on it as most of the time we are doing. As you see, the basis of Buddhism does not lie in very complicated practices, sadhanas, but it is really lying in how we are dealing commonly with phenomena we are facing. Once again, I am not at all against the rituals and the studies, but I think we just have to relativize. It might seem to be a rather unconventional way, as many people rely much more on ritual and scholastic studies, but out of the experiences of many holy beings it appears that the way we are dealing with our minds moment after moment is what is helping us most. Bodhicitta (tib.
/byang chub sems dpa'/) is much more than just as it is often translated in the west; Bodhicitta is much better translated as. It is a state of mind which thinks in an altruistic way about all sentient beings without exception. And at the same time that we are thinking in an altruistic way about all sentient beings, there is this very deep wish to engage ourselves into the resolution of the of all those sentient beings. And this is an engagement without boundaries, without limits in time and space. That is very important to keep in mind, because otherwise, according to different situations, we may tend to make class distinctions among human beings. And to create some categories among human beings quite easily leads to a kind of xenophobia, a sort of racism toward another category. A good point to clarify within ourselves is to make the distinction between what the people are showing and the being, the consciousness by itself.
We can disagree and we can show our disagreement to a certain behaviour, but it should not be a judgement on the being. If you are in front of a fascist person, of course you can disagree with fascism, but by no way, by no means can you take the being out of your compassion. So, when the time comes where for any reason we have to face a certain ideology, we have to really try to find an antidote to the ideology, such as fascism, without to take hateful decisions against the beings which are behind. In front of any kind of things we do not appreciate, and mainly nowadays with what is happening in the world, we should keep in mind that violence is never a solution to solve violence. Gandhi was saying, 'Eye by eye, and the world will be blind soon.' It is extremely important to meditate on such things, because it is clear that we are living in degenerating times, and a number of events is showing that we are not going to the best. Thus, we as dharma practitioners have to be very clear about how to react in front of various situations.
Daily Life Game
Basically, I cannot make any parallel between Djihad and Shambala warriordom; because for me the object of the action and the way to act is diametrically opposed; I understand that the parallel which could be thought about could be the strength of motivation, but the object to reflect on is completely different. The Shambala warriors are never going against the beings, never against the reality of a being, his consciousness, and just for those of you who know a little bit about Shambala, it is just a way to fight against negativities, like we could see some wrathful Buddhas, for example, so there is a fight against negativities and not against beings. Basically, what we are calling 'warriors', or 'heros for liberation', or whatever, are really struggling for the best of all beings, for promoting the freedom of all beings. While the Djihad motivation is to promote only one side, their own side. And there is a concept which is for me unbearable: They do believe that the more human beings who do not follow their religion they are killing, the higher will be their rank in heaven. Thus, the object is not the same. Though, somehow we could take a lesson from that.
When we are seeing the way they are struggling for a goal, even if the goal is not right, we can ask ourselves how far we are ready to struggle for our goals. How much are we willing to engage in the dharma in our daily life. How much are we willing to conduct our life for the benefit of others. Those people are ready to die for their goals, would we be able to think about engaging our complete life for the benefit of the others.
When we are meditating about our motivation, about Bodhicitta, this is something we can ask ourselves, how deep am I willing to go for the sake of others? The being is the consciousness, a potential.
On the top of that consciousness there are a lot of layers, of misconceptions, of social educations, of misunderstandings, which makes the consciousness to react most of the time in an inappropriate way. It is said in the texts that the consciousness is clear and all-knowing.
Thus, each consciousness has that quality of clarity, but due to all the various karmic causes that we have created and due to all the various misconceptions that we have we are not in touch with this clarity. Thus, we do react out of our ego, all those kinds of misconceptions. This is something we have to understand when we are seeing somebody reacting. We don't have even to look at the others, we can look at our own reactions, for example, when we get angry: We can meditate on that: What really got angry? Is it my real fundamental which got angry?
Or is it all this bunch of misconceptions and emotions that reacted? And I guess you have the answer.
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So then we can ask ourselves the same thing when we somebody else getting angry: This person, as ourselves, got angry out of misconceptions, misunderstandings, so we can find a way to react in front of this misunderstanding, but without to react against the being which is behind. Thus I could say: 'I don't like anger', but not: 'I don't like that being'. Acting like this, we can at the same time work on our own misconceptions, and we can avoid the escalade in our emotions against somebody else.
Also in such case we have to separate the action, the way we are reacting, and the motivation for doing so. With the right motivation, we will never engage into harmful activities. Though, at the same time, this does not mean that we will not have to fight in order to help others.
When I say 'to fight', it is obvious that when somebody is trying to attack your children, it is implied that we have to do everything that has to be done in order to preserve the well-being of the children. But we have to do it with the right motivation. The right motivation lies in how we emotionally are engaging ourselves in the relationship both to the attacker and the children. Briefly, we could say that the limit of our activities is the life not killing. If you are good at fighting, you may try to save the lives of your children by fighting, but the limit has to be the live - of the person who is attacking. We cannot act for the good by killing, there is nothing which can justify killing. We can ask ourselves: Why did he want to kill that person?
He did not kill that person in order to save 500 people. He wanted to kill that person in order to avoid that this person will accumulate 500 murders. It is slightly different, because we cannot avoid that beings are meeting the results of the causes they have created.
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If someone has created the karma to be killed, he will be killed, whatever we are trying to do. But if somebody is wanting to kill, the wish to kill is not karmically conditioned, it is out of your free will that you are deciding to kill. Thus, you can act on that. In that story, many people think that the bodhisattva killed the person in order to save the lives of 500 people, but this is not true. He killed that person in order to avoid that person to accumulate 500 murders. Surely, we can say that because he has killed one man, he has accumulated the negative karma of killing one man.
Nevertheless, his motivation was so pure, and the act was so much directed for the benefit of that being, that the negative aspect is covered by the right motivation. Because, in the story of the bodhisattva who has killed a person, he could be sure of what he is doing because he had Bodhicitta, not just the taste or an idea of Bodhicitta, but the realization of Bodhicitta, thus, his motivation was truly good. So it is not the action which is important, it is what is behind the action the motivation. And if one day you have to fight, if you are fighting for something which is really motivated by Bodhicitta then I would not say that it is creating negative karma.
And I go further in saying that in the bodhisattva, it is said clearly that we should not avoid acting in such a wrathful way, if it is for the real benefit of some sentient beings. We cannot hide behind the bodhisattva ideal saying 'I am non-violent and I cannot do anything violent!' - which seems to be violent itself. The violence for me is not in the movement, it is in the motivation. There are people who look very calm, but are extremely violent in their words, in their behaviour, and there are some other people who seem to be rude and rough while having a good motivation. You understand? In brief, we can say that we have to pray for the world peace, because it will take place what the biggest number of people have karmically created.
Whether there will be a third world war or not, it seems that the future will be less peaceful, without any type of emotion we have to pray as much as we can. We have to pray for two things, one thing is to be able to help in any situation, and secondly, to hope for a peaceful situation. If we understand well the law of cause and effect, there is no reason to be either optimistic or pessimistic, but just to wait and see what happens in the outside world and at the same time to grow spiritually inside. We cannot change somehow what has been created by the big number of beings, but we can change ourselves inside, and because we are changing ourselves inside, we can have an influence on our surroundings.