The Living Computer
Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives C03347
“Do you think that working for inner peace and enlightenment needs to be supplemented by engaged Buddhism or working for world peace, by challenging the structures that oppress – e.g. armies, governments, religions, bigotry – through non-violent actions?”
~ Response by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
The Dhamma itself will bring about a revolution in our hearts, and then through that inner spiritual revolution one will practice, one will live and work, not only for one’s own benefit, but for the benefits of society. These various structures that have been mentioned – such as the military, the governments, religions and so on – originally these in their spirit have the intention of supporting society. So in fulfilling our responsibilities as a human being towards society, it’s not necessary to be in conflict with these different systems. However there are the times when these systems or structures are incorrect, when they are based in misunderstanding and have deviated from their original spirit or intention. Nonetheless there is no need to be in conflict with these systems or structures.
The Dhamma exists in order to resolve conflict. Because human beings were already in conflict, already fighting and so on, it became necessary to discover Dhamma. If one has sufficient Dhamma there would be no conflict. But because of the conflicts that existed, human beings were unable to tolerate that, and so they searched for Dhamma, they searched for answers to the conflict until they discovered Dhamma in certain forms or on certain levels, and developed them until complete.
On the beginning level, Dhamma is a matter of ethics or morality in order to solve social problems – the problems between human beings, interpersonal problems. And then Dhamma developed further until it reached the level of religion or spirituality. Morality, or the moral level of Dhamma, is primarily concerned with social problems, whereas religion or the spiritual level of Dhamma is concerned with an inner revolution. We make outer revolutions in order to change society. However the spiritual level of Dhamma is for a revolution of our own hearts which will solve the problems not only which are inside, but also those which are outside. So this spiritual level of Dhamma can bring about a revolution both within and without.
To work for world peace merely on the social, political, or economic level will never be successful. The only way to achieve world peace is through a spiritual revolution in the hearts of human beings. And this is exactly the duty of Dhamma. The duty of Dhamma is to bring about this revolution in the hearts of human beings, and then that will spread to a revolution in the social realm.
(From the retreat “The Living Computer,” as translated from the Thai by Santikaro)
Dhamma Questions & Responses sessions were offered by Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu in 1990-1991 to foreign meditators attending Suan Mokkh International Dharma Hermitage courses.
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