To All Buddhists in India
The news about the attempted attack on Mr. Ratnakar Gaikwad, Chief Information Commissioner of Maharashtra State – a Buddhist follower with high regard for Dr. Ambedkar and who aims to dedicate his final years for the benefit of disseminating Buddhist teachings – is matter of concern. This is especially so when it turns out that the group of people who made such an attempt on Mr. Ratnakar Gaikwad, former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra State are not only Buddhists but also followers of Dr. Ambedkar.
Regardless of the cause of dissent among those Buddhist groups at Aurangabad, and no matter who is right or wrong on the matter of that cause, no matter what the facts are, those are not the substance that should be raised to justify the use of method that is morally wrong, not proper with the status of Buddhist, and certainly not legal.
Any worldly conflict must end with having a dialogue based on rationality and Dhamma righteousness. If that still does not lead to closure, then it must enter the social justice process, to rely on the power of the court of justice.
Relying on moral criteria according to religious principle, social law – culture and tradition – and legal principle is thus what everyone in society must agree upon in order to enter such process which will bring peace and happiness to society, according to the principle of peace in Buddhism.
Therefore, any action that does not respect religious rule and regulation, and that denies legal process which is the social rule, that action is not a method of peace.
Our Buddhism teaches people to have loving-kindness and compassion for each other, even for people who are our enemies “not harming, not insulting, be restrained in morality” is the fundamental principle of practice in Buddhism.
Our Buddhism is the religion that deals with world peace, it does not condone violence in any circumstance whether we are right and they are wrong, irrespective of their social status. Buddhism teaches us to believe in the law of kamma…”everyone is equal by the power of rule and criteria of action regardless of their status, knowledge, and nationality, regardless of whether they are male or female”
Dr. Ambedkar realized such Dhamma truth in Buddhism dealing with equality of human beings whose only difference lie in their actions and so he declared his faith in Buddhism, leading several hundreds of thousands Indians in their conversion to Buddhism. Dr. Ambedkar emphasized the peaceful revolution of Hindu society, that is, providing knowledge and understanding that is proper and right with Dhamma principle by denying violence, harming, and destroying of one another. Buddhists in India should firmly preserve and maintain this ideology.
This is our Buddhism that is widely accepted by the present world community that it is a true religion of peace, as the following story in the sutta that is now raised as a recollection of Dhamma (Dhammanusati) for all Buddhists in India.
The Blessed One gave His advice to Punna Thera thus:
“…the people of Sunaparanta State are fierce and rough, if they abuse you verbally and insult/ridicule you, what will you think?”
“Venerable Sir,…it is better than hurting me with their hands… with clods … with sticks!!”
“Punna, what if they hurt you with sticks, what will you think?”
‘Venerable Sir,…it is better than if they hurt me with sharp weapon.”
“Punna, what if they hurt you with sharp weapon, what will you think!?’
“Venerable Sir, …it is better than if they kill me!”
“Punna, … what if they intentionally kill you?”
“Venerable Sir,…it will occur to me that: there are disciples of the Blessed One who are disgusted by their own bodies and lives, searching for weapon to end their own lives, but now I can die without searching for those things” (meaning: being killed by others is better than having to do it yourself!)
“Good, Punna, you have dama (self-control) and upasama (calmness from kilesa), you can stay in Sunaparanta”
When Punna Thera spend his rains retreat in Sunaparanta, he was able to build up faith of the local people, turning them from having wrong view (micchaditthi) to right view (sammaditthi), and become followers of Buddhism. As for Punna Thera himself, he finally attained arahatship.
The above story was raised to demonstrate the peaceful method in Buddhism that proceeds along sila (morality), sati (mindfulness) and panna (wisdom). There will not be any conduct that leads to harm, encroachment and destruction of each other.
Dr. Ambedkar is revered by Buddhist and world societies because he revolutionized Hindu society with peaceful means, and because he always denied violence and harming of one another. That is the reason he chose Buddhism as the appropriate religion for Indian’s lives, as seen in the occurrence of more than 10 million Buddhists in India.
Therefore, Buddhists in India should conduct their lives along Buddhist Dhamma principle by strictly observing peaceful method, to progress toward successful benefits with sila, sati, and panna. We should recommend and advise all Buddhists not to allow themselves to become the political tool of any group, and to always separate religion from politics.
Let this incident be a call from all Buddhists to everyone who refer to themselves as a Buddhist that:
“Buddhists do not believe in any practice that damage and hurt each other. We shall not use the method of vengefulness because we are fully confident that vengeance will be restrained with non-vengeance.
We shall view each other with the mind filled with loving-kindness and compassion, we shall not hate, shall not be angry and encroach on one another – with body, word, and mind.
We firmly believe that virtue always overcome evil.”
May all Buddhists remain with sila, sati, and panna, conduct our lives along the process of peace, for the benefits and happiness of all, forever more.
With metta dhamma,
The news about the attempted attack on Mr. Ratnakar Gaikwad, Chief Information Commissioner of Maharashtra State – a Buddhist follower with high regard for Dr. Ambedkar and who aims to dedicate his final years for the benefit of disseminating Buddhist teachings – is matter of concern. This is especially so when it turns out that the group of people who made such an attempt on Mr. Ratnakar Gaikwad, former Chief Secretary of Maharashtra State are not only Buddhists but also followers of Dr. Ambedkar.
Regardless of the cause of dissent among those Buddhist groups at Aurangabad, and no matter who is right or wrong on the matter of that cause, no matter what the facts are, those are not the substance that should be raised to justify the use of method that is morally wrong, not proper with the status of Buddhist, and certainly not legal.
Any worldly conflict must end with having a dialogue based on rationality and Dhamma righteousness. If that still does not lead to closure, then it must enter the social justice process, to rely on the power of the court of justice.
Relying on moral criteria according to religious principle, social law – culture and tradition – and legal principle is thus what everyone in society must agree upon in order to enter such process which will bring peace and happiness to society, according to the principle of peace in Buddhism.
Therefore, any action that does not respect religious rule and regulation, and that denies legal process which is the social rule, that action is not a method of peace.
Our Buddhism teaches people to have loving-kindness and compassion for each other, even for people who are our enemies “not harming, not insulting, be restrained in morality” is the fundamental principle of practice in Buddhism.
Our Buddhism is the religion that deals with world peace, it does not condone violence in any circumstance whether we are right and they are wrong, irrespective of their social status. Buddhism teaches us to believe in the law of kamma…”everyone is equal by the power of rule and criteria of action regardless of their status, knowledge, and nationality, regardless of whether they are male or female”
Dr. Ambedkar realized such Dhamma truth in Buddhism dealing with equality of human beings whose only difference lie in their actions and so he declared his faith in Buddhism, leading several hundreds of thousands Indians in their conversion to Buddhism. Dr. Ambedkar emphasized the peaceful revolution of Hindu society, that is, providing knowledge and understanding that is proper and right with Dhamma principle by denying violence, harming, and destroying of one another. Buddhists in India should firmly preserve and maintain this ideology.
This is our Buddhism that is widely accepted by the present world community that it is a true religion of peace, as the following story in the sutta that is now raised as a recollection of Dhamma (Dhammanusati) for all Buddhists in India.
The Blessed One gave His advice to Punna Thera thus:
“…the people of Sunaparanta State are fierce and rough, if they abuse you verbally and insult/ridicule you, what will you think?”
“Venerable Sir,…it is better than hurting me with their hands… with clods … with sticks!!”
“Punna, what if they hurt you with sticks, what will you think?”
‘Venerable Sir,…it is better than if they hurt me with sharp weapon.”
“Punna, what if they hurt you with sharp weapon, what will you think!?’
“Venerable Sir, …it is better than if they kill me!”
“Punna, … what if they intentionally kill you?”
“Venerable Sir,…it will occur to me that: there are disciples of the Blessed One who are disgusted by their own bodies and lives, searching for weapon to end their own lives, but now I can die without searching for those things” (meaning: being killed by others is better than having to do it yourself!)
“Good, Punna, you have dama (self-control) and upasama (calmness from kilesa), you can stay in Sunaparanta”
When Punna Thera spend his rains retreat in Sunaparanta, he was able to build up faith of the local people, turning them from having wrong view (micchaditthi) to right view (sammaditthi), and become followers of Buddhism. As for Punna Thera himself, he finally attained arahatship.
The above story was raised to demonstrate the peaceful method in Buddhism that proceeds along sila (morality), sati (mindfulness) and panna (wisdom). There will not be any conduct that leads to harm, encroachment and destruction of each other.
Dr. Ambedkar is revered by Buddhist and world societies because he revolutionized Hindu society with peaceful means, and because he always denied violence and harming of one another. That is the reason he chose Buddhism as the appropriate religion for Indian’s lives, as seen in the occurrence of more than 10 million Buddhists in India.
Therefore, Buddhists in India should conduct their lives along Buddhist Dhamma principle by strictly observing peaceful method, to progress toward successful benefits with sila, sati, and panna. We should recommend and advise all Buddhists not to allow themselves to become the political tool of any group, and to always separate religion from politics.
Let this incident be a call from all Buddhists to everyone who refer to themselves as a Buddhist that:
“Buddhists do not believe in any practice that damage and hurt each other. We shall not use the method of vengefulness because we are fully confident that vengeance will be restrained with non-vengeance.
We shall view each other with the mind filled with loving-kindness and compassion, we shall not hate, shall not be angry and encroach on one another – with body, word, and mind.
We firmly believe that virtue always overcome evil.”
May all Buddhists remain with sila, sati, and panna, conduct our lives along the process of peace, for the benefits and happiness of all, forever more.
With metta dhamma,
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