Saturday Dec 21, 2024
Saturday Dec 21, 2024
Friday, 28 December 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
For the first international conference on ‘The Buddhist Path to UN Sustainable Development Goals’, more than 100 leading academics, private and public sector executives, and Buddhist leaders around the world gathered at the World Buddhist University (WBU) in Bangkok.
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Dr. Patrick Mendis addressing the delegates at the World Buddhist University in Bangkok |
Welcoming the delegates, the Rector of WBU Ven. Phra Dr. Anil Sakya said the conference is an open dialogue on ways “to ensure the sustainability of the planet, provide social and economic justice, and advance the cause of ethical decision-making.”
It was hosted by the Thailand’s Office of National Buddhism and the WBU of the World Fellowship of Buddhists in collaboration with Sasin Centre for Sustainability Management and the Caux Roundtable for Moral Capitalism.
The conference was held in honour of the late King Bhumibhol Adulyadej, the ‘Development King’ and the late 19th Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyansamvara of Thailand.
Long before the UN, the late King Rama IX developed a secular and sustainable form of ‘sufficiency economy philosophy’ with Buddhist teachings for the Thai people – regardless of caste, creed, or religion. It highlighted the centrality of the cause-and-effect (Kamma) doctrine of Buddhism to find a part of the solution to development issues and climate change – and finally, to human happiness.
The Ven. Phra Anil told the delegates: “There is growing recognition that current economic development policies are neither sustainable, nor do they contribute to happiness. The world is searching for a perfect development model which keeps a holistic vision of human development – a balance between material and mental development that guarantees Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as Gross National Happiness (GNH).”
Every speaker stressed how the ‘development’ model adopted over centuries was a total deviation from the Buddhist Middle Path and has never really been holistically sustainable. If many of the human inventions were designed to improve the ‘quality of life’, why is there so much continued conflict, disease, hunger, anger, and poverty?
Ven. Phra Anil began by pointing out that the Buddha’s first sermon itself was all about sustainability. He added: “Fundamentally, sustainable development is like any development which has a balance as its foundation and has no negative by-product on society, economy, and the environment. That is the same root and same meaning as the Sanskrit root of ‘Dhamma.’ In other words, Buddhism is all about guidance on sustainable development. Accordingly, the Buddha’s first sermon, ‘Dhamma-cakka-pavattana Sutta’, literally can be translated as ‘the application of sustainable development in action.’”
In his keynote address, the Sri Lankan-born Dr. Patrick Mendis of Harvard University noted that “Buddhist teachings applied in equal measure to individuals, communities, societies, and nations”. But “all begins with an individual,” he emphasized. Dr. Mendis then continued to say that every practicing Buddhist is guided to observe five precepts in fulfilling the primary conditions of Right Livelihood: abstain from killing, stealing, improper sexual relationships, lying, and the use of intoxicants.
Yet, he added: “Every Buddhist is expected to live a life according to this code of conduct. In practice, however, many Buddhists violate the Buddhist way of life. Many who claimed to be Buddhists in Cambodia, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and elsewhere live life contrary to their own religious and philosophical convictions”.
He then argued how conventional economics espoused by bankers and economists were often in complete contradiction to themselves and to Buddhist teachings. “Buddhist teachings emphasize that a person who is free from debt – and saves wealth for the family and children – attains true happiness.” He later warned “the danger of being a slave to accumulating excessive wealth and emotional suffering from it and of harmful possessions – such as the production and trade of lethal weapons, poisons, and alcoholic drinks.”
Citing many Buddhist Suttas, Dr. Mendis particularly described the Vyagghapajja Sutta that refers to savings as one of the most important requirements for economic prosperity. This and other suttas attest that “the Buddhist economic philosophy itself is based on frugality, resourcefulness, control over excessive craving, and moderate patterns of consumption in search of balanced material and spiritual life”. He argued that Buddhism is not about limiting the enjoyment of life and natural endowments but unnecessary craving for them that leads to human suffering and environmental decay.
The same guidance applies to ecological and climate change issues, said Dr. Mendis. “When human greed and acquisition of excessive wealth becomes a way of life, it creates an imbalance in human life and in the natural ecosystem. The Buddhist teachings advocate a gentle attitude towards the environment and stress the importance of a peaceful, violence-free, happy society,” which he called the ‘Buddhist Equilibrium’ in caring for the earth and sustainable development.
The Buddha was born under a tree, attained enlightenment under a tree, and passed away under a tree. The nexus here symbolizes the close relationship between people and nature, the Harvard scholar described.
Focusing on governance in achieving human happiness, executive director of the Caux Roundtable for Moral Capitalism Dr. Stephen Young justified the deepest morality that resonates with all cultures and faiths for a sustainable human life, liberty, and happiness.
Elaborating further, Dr. Young added that “moral governance focuses our use of power and wilfulness on the good. It implies that governance is stewardship and not exploitation. It demands that power be measured not by its strength but by the ends to which it applies its strength. This is true for individuals as well as for collectives – families, villages, corporations, non-profits, churches, and sovereign authorities. Governance is the exercise of that capacity for self-control which makes human happiness possible. No one out of control can be happy”. He then concluded that “the lack of moral governance is self-destruction.”
Other speakers also shared a series of practical applications for achieving the UN sustainable development goals.
(Drawn from the Travel Impact Newswire by Imtiaz Muqbil in Bangkok.)
Pix courtesy WBU
