เอกสารประกอบการบรรยาย Dhamma in Advanced English

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 185

great work, the Bodhicaryavatara, these verses regarding
the dangers of hatred:

" There is no evil equal to hatred, and no spiritual
practice equal to forbearance.
Therefore, one ought to develop
forbearance, by various means, with
great effort." --(Ch. 6, verse 2).
And again: " One's mind finds
no peace, neither enjoys pleasure or
delight, nor goes to sleep, nor feels
secure while the dart of hatred is
stuck in the heart" -- (Ch.6, verse3)
Buddhist teachings tell us that

hatred and aversion, like their opposites desire and greed,
all spring from a fundamental ignorance. That ignorance is
the mistaken notion of our own permanent, independent
existence.

In ignorance, we see ourselves as separate beings,
unconnected with others. Blinded to our true state of
interdependence and interconnectedness, it is this basic

ignorance that keeps us divided. Only
practice that leads to overcoming
such ignorance will help to free us
from the prisons we make for
ourselves and for others.

We all harbor prejudices of
various sorts. There is no exception
to this fact. Not one of us is
completely freed of prejudicial attitudes.

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We don't like certain colors or sounds; we're annoyed
by certain circumstances, behaviors, or styles of doing

things. We are harsh critics even
of ourselves. Having likes and
dislikes are taken for granted.

Indeed, the ability to
discriminate is considered an
essential part of what makes us
human beings. After all, human
beings, unlike other living
creatures, can form judgments
and make choices. Free will and choice are taken as
fundamental rights. So, one might ask, what's the problem?
The problem occurs as, unfortunately oftentimes is the
case, when our own individual likes and dislikes become
reified and solidified; when we not only form inflexible
opinions but take them as truths; when we form negative
judgments about other human
beings and about ourselves and
these judgments become for us the
lenses through which we view and
experience ourselves, the world
around us, and its inhabitants.

At this point, we have entered
into the arena of prejudice of a quite pernicious sort, the sort
which causes harm and suffering both for ourselves and for
others.

And whether it be friendships and loving personal
relationships destroyed, or wars fought over religion or
contested territory, or one group of beings dominating

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another or restraining their freedom of movement, at this
point we cease being human beings at our best.

For centuries, Americans, in general, had enjoyed
unprecedented periods of peace and prosperity. Those

feelings of security and invincibility
suddenly came crashing down,
however, with the horrific events of
September 11, 2001, when a major
terrorist event of catastrophic
proportions occurred within our
borders, on our home ground.

No longer were we simply
observers of human carnage; we were its targets. And
though not all of us were completely surprised that hatreds
of this sort were festering in the world around us, very few
of us were prepared for the virulence of the anti- American
sentiment that visited such devastating loss of life upon our
shores.

Ethnic and racial prejudices run rampant in today's
global, multicultural society; our world is filled with

conflict. Serbs disdain Croats,
the British war with the Irish in
Northern Ireland, in Israel there
are precious few moments of
peace between the Israelis and
the Palestinians, Rwandans
slaughter each other in the name
of tribal purity and, all over the world, wars are waged in
the name of religion. Everywhere one looks, ancient hatreds
are played out in the contemporary world with devastating
consequences.

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Since September 11th, we now know that such hate-
filled actions are not just events that can be observed from

a distance, on television, from
the safety of our living rooms.
It is no longer the case that we
can view ourselves as simply
the innocent observers of the
"bad guys."

Of course, we had known that guns in our schools and
in our homes had become a threat worthy of serious
investigation; that violence both abroad and at home has
come to the fore in our time. Still, we had not made much
progress either in averting or dealing with it. In the
aftermath of September 11th, the pressing question
becomes:

What must we do now? As one Western Buddhist,
Lama Surya Das remarked on the day immediately

following, " Of course, the
criminals who have
perpetrated this act of
terrorism must certainly be
brought to justice. Terrorism
cannot be allowed to continue.

We must condemn the
crime, but not let our anger
escalate into unreasonable aggression, racism, and even
more violence in the world we must get to the roots of this,
not just punish individuals."

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Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "We have only two
choices: to peacefully coexist, or to destroy ourselves. "
Each and every day, we ourselves encounter- and generate-

prejudicial attitudes and
behaviors.

If we are ultimately to
survive at all on this tiny
planet that is our mutual
home, we must learn to
appreciate and to value, each
other as human beings and
thus to live together in peace.
While a general disarming of all nation-states would seem
ideal, this process cannot be begun until we have first
disarmed our own, individual hearts.
In reality, at our innermost cores, we are all exactly
the same: we are human beings who wish to have happiness
and to avoid suffering. Yet, out of ignorance, we go about
seeking these goals blindly and without insight. We live our
lives seemingly oblivious to our own prejudices even
though they are right in front of our eyes. In short, we suffer
because we embrace the
mistaken notion of our
separateness from one
another.

The illusion of
separateness actually works
to prevent us from finding the
beginning of this erroneous
spiral. Buddhist traditions tell us that from the very moment
the notions of 'I' and 'mine' arise, there simultaneously arise

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the notions of 'not me' and 'not mine. ' That is, from the
moment we conceive of 'us,' there is a 'them. ' Once the
notions of separateness, difference, and otherness enter our

thinking, they then go on
literally and figuratively- - to
color all of our subsequent
experience, judgments, and
perceptions.

We see the world in terms
of us vs. them, me vs.
everyone else, mine vs. yours. We are immediately caught
up in a world of mistaken, logically unfounded, and
seemingly uncontrollable hatred and prejudice. And all
these dualistic bifurcations occur at lightning speed and for
the most part imperceptibly.
Especially in the West, the Judeo-Christian injunction
that one should "love thy neighbor as thy self" is a common
ethical and spiritual
guideline. Still, very little
thought or attention has been
given to the extreme
difficulties entailed by both
parts of this famous phrase.

One cannot simply
decide to love one's
neighbor. Nor are there too
many of us comfortable with
the notion of loving ourselves. Both these injunctions call
for methods to enable us to carry them out. Yet, for most of
us, it is precisely such methods that are lacking.

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Various religious and philosophical systems
throughout history have sought to offer useable advice. One

of these traditions, Buddhism,
it seems to me, offers, in fact,
numerous methods for
personal transformation for
anyone who wishes to tackle
this most serious undertaking.

Hatred is learned. It must
be our task to un- learn it.
Racism and racial profiling are learned behavior. We must
strive to un- learn it. Ethnic and class distinctions are
learned. We must come to see and to appreciate the common
humanity that unites us.

How Buddhist Practice Can Help?

How Buddhist Practice Can Help to Replace a War-
like Mentality in a War- torn Country, with a Peaceful Way

of Thinking. If one could simply
decide to become peaceful,
gentle and caring in all their
interactions with other beings
and with the world, then we
should all be enjoying a culture
of peace.
Yet, to achieve such a culture is
not easy. To do requires effort, resolve, patience,
cooperation, and practice. Fortunately, however, practice--
and here I mean the varied forms of meditative practices that
Buddhist traditions have developed over their twenty- six-
hundred-year history is available.

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It needs only to be made more easily and widely
accessible. My suggestion here is simple: since meditation

is the very heart of Buddhism,
Buddhists ( and others) should
avail themselves of its meditative
methods to look deeply into the
origins of our various prejudices
with regard to ourselves as well
as towards others- - and to
transform them.

We can change our minds; we
can change our views; we can
become more peaceful ourselves and, as a consequence, we
can help to engender peace in the world. I am suggesting
that we make 'hatred,' 'racism,' 'sexism,' and all other Ñisms
a sustained focus of our meditations. Let us make them, to
borrow a term from Zen Buddhism, our new koans.
Transformation is the work of meditation. If we take the
present state of things as being
dire, we will choose this method
and resolve to do the work.
Conclusion

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Lastly, I should say that I do not believe that such
methods are limited to Buddhism. An inmate in our state's
only women's prison once said to me, as she held up her
Bible, "I have all the meditations I need right here." I agreed
with her. For what could be better advice than, "Count your
blessings"? or "Love thy neighbor as thyself"? What I have
found is that, for me, Buddhist traditions have offered

methods for helping to do
those things.

Still, we could all
cooperate to form methods
that are less ladened with
doctrinal or dogmatic
theory and terminology;
methods which speak to us
and instruct us without
being bogged down in
doctrine and belief. As an
example, my fourteen-year-
old nephew understood what tantric Buddhism all about is
when I talked to him about the way athletes use
visualization before a game.

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Buddhism first and foremost is a practical

methodology for recognizing and then transforming our

ignorance. This has been so

from its very inception. The

Buddha did not declare

himself "enlightened" until

he had performed the

actions associated with

each of the Four Truths Ñ

namely, until he had

understood suffering,

eliminated its causes, realized its cessation, and followed

the path. Each of the Four Truths has these specific actions

associated with them. It is this pragmatism of Buddhism that

I find so appealing and so necessary in our present global

community.

Again, it is not enough that we simply use the methods

of Buddhism to find inner

peace for ourselves

( though that is a very

important first step) .

Rather, having found such

inner peace, we must share

and spread it and this

involves further effort and

action.

My own recent efforts have involved collaboration
with a Dutch colleague to develop a series of exercises
called " Ending Hate" , which help us to recognize our
individual prejudices ( about ourselves and others) and to
transform them into more positive views and behaviors. I

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would be happy to speak more about this particular project
in our Q&A session.

In conclusion, I would like to leave you with these two
thoughts:

1) Being a pacifist does not mean being passive.
2) In Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, which is my personal

tradition, one is taught to
use the end as the means,
that is, in order to become a
Buddha, we must begin
now, to act and think as
Buddha.

Hence, I believe, like A.J.
Muste, that we must stop thinking of peace as some distant
and perhaps unachievable goal and make it our goal right
now. Again, in Muste's words, "There is no path to peace;
peace is the path." Thank you.

A Buddhist Approach to Peace: Peace education in the
following issues.

A Threat to World Peace

The recent UN resolution 2371 passed against North
Korea imposing tough measures is expected to impact the

country’ s export revenue
stream in the most
negative way. I sincerely
hope North Korea realizes
how provocative actions
their actions are. They are
disturbing not only the
regional peace but also the worldwide initiatives that work

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towards defusing the nuclear arms race globally. Perhaps,
this is the only nation today that continues breaking all
norms associated with nuclear non-proliferation. It is being

described by theorists as
one of the “ rogue states” ,
due to its senseless
actions.

The world governments
consider North Korea as
an oppressive state that
stifles the freedom of its
own people and cripples their financial sources. Recently an
American student tourist died after being evacuated to the
US, following his arrest last year, by the North Korean
regime. He was allegedly being disrespectful to the state’ s
flag. There were reports that the student was badly beaten
up by North Korean police until he took seriously ill before
falling into a state of coma.

The attempts by US government to get the student
released from North Korea
didn't prove to be of much
help. It was only when the
student’ s condition
deteriorated badly that
North Korea agreed to his
release. A US-chartered
plane helped the student
travel to his homeland

with a medical team accompanying him. The whole episode
irked Trump, he condemned the North Korean

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administration for their cruel treatment of one of the US
citizens.

The on-going provocative actions by North Korea has
not only put China, considered a strong ally, in a very

difficult position but also
has it worry over the
growing US military
presence in the region.
Russia too is starting to
feel North Korea as being
a liability with their
unbridled missile tests that
they claim can reach up to mainland US. The issue has
become a political disaster for both China and Russia.
The UN sanction which was unanimously passed
appears to have hit the bull’ s eye as evident by the anger
expressed by Pyongyang. The regime warned the US will
pay dearly for its meddling in the sovereignty of an
independent state. It was a rare event when both China and
Russia cast the vote in
favors of the sanction by
UN against North Korea.

If news reports are
anything to go by, Kim
Jong Un has no intention
of slowing down with his
ambitions, for him, it is
business as usual. Although many doubts the claims of Kim
about his country’ s capability of launching missiles, US
does not seem to be taking a chance. Perhaps the new UN

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sanction is just a start, and soon many other measures are
likely to follow.

Definition of peace

Peace is based on a consequent balance of powers and
involves a corresponding
structure of expectations and
patterns of cooperation.
Moreover, peace may become
unstable when an increasing
gap develops between
expectations and power, as
here defined, 1 7 and may

collapse into conflict, violence, or war.
A Buddhist Approach to Peace: Peace education in the

following issues.

A Buddhist Way to Peace

We are very too fortunate to be alive in a time where
the genuine teachings of the
Buddha are still available.
And we are exemplary few
who take a sincere interest in
studying them. This is a
special and rare
opportunity…
The Buddha’s Teachings
are so valuable.

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In the beginning – as they point us in the right
direction.

In the middle – as they make perfect sense, showing us
what is right, what is wrong, and we can verify the truth for
ourselves.

In the end – as we truly wash away the impurities in
our hearts and minds, and suffering disappears, step by step.

The Problem of Self-Defense

I've been teaching Vancouver area women's self-
defense classes for many years now. I've seen all sorts of

classes offered by a wide
variety of martial arts
instructors. The problem
is that while many of
these instructors are
skilled martial artists,
they are not necessarily
self- defense instructors,
and don't run a class that
considers the realities of what women face.

Here are 4 common problems with women's self-
defense instructors:

1 . Lack of understanding of the anatomy of an attack
on a woman. There are a lot of misconceptions of what the
typical assault or attack on a woman consists of. Many
people imagine the worst, a woman being brutally and
mercilessly attacked and/or raped by some stranger in some

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back alley. The truth of the matter is that the majority of
assaults on women in North America ( I won't generalize
about the rest of the world) are performed by men that are
previously known to the woman. Also, the majority of
attacks are performed in a home or motor vehicle. Knowing

these facts, an instructor should provide information to help
prevent these situations, which leads to the next point.

2 . Under-emphasis on use of awareness, intuition and
de- escalation tactics. Many women's self- defense courses
place more emphasis on physical combat because that is
what the instructors know more about. But ultimately, the
vast majority of the incident’s women face can be avoided

by helping women to identify predatory behavior through

awareness, by listening to their intuition and then

empowering them to make decisions and take actions to
protect themselves in whatever situation they face.

3 . Over- complicated defensive combat techniques.
Whether a class is only a few hours long or several classes
over a few weeks, women's self- defense classes are
generally short-term classes. Women don't usually continue
to train the techniques regularly once the course is over. That

being the case, it's a waste of time to teach women

techniques that take lots of time to learn and become
proficient at. Even if they do manage to learn them, it's
doubtful they'll retain the skills over the long term and be
able to apply them under the stress of an attack.

4 . Lack of Emphasis on the Psychology of Self-
defense. In North America, the typical man who attacks a
woman is not looking for a challenge, they're looking for an

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easy victim. If a woman is targeted, part of their physical
defense strategy should encompass the idea of
unequivocally demonstrating that they are not one.
Whatever physical defense is taught, women should also
learn to be loud and vocal to gather witnesses and increase
the risk of the attacker getting caught, which they obviously
don't want. They should also be taught to fight the response
of freezing in fear by harnessing anger so they can channel
the resulting adrenaline dump into a fight response that is
more likely to make an attacker think twice about his choice
of victim.

At the end of the day, without extensive training, a
woman is not likely going to be able to mount enough of a
physical defense to stop a determined male attacker who
refuses to back down no matter what the consequences.
Fortunately, most attacks are not like this and can be
stopped simply by being an unappealing victim and can be
altogether prevented just by understanding and applying
safety measures in daily life. This is why a proper, useful
women's self-defense class is NOT just a bunch of physical
combat techniques. It teaches the whole package. And if a
woman wants to learn more and become better equipped at
the physical aspect, they can always sign up for ongoing
martial arts training that.

The Buddhist Framework

Essentially, according to Buddhist teachings, the
ethical and moral principles are governed by examining
whether a certain action, whether connected to body or
speech is likely to be harmful to one's self or to others and

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thereby avoiding any actions which are likely to be harmful.
In Buddhism, there is much talk of a skilled mind. A mind
that is skillful avoids actions that are likely to cause
suffering or remorse.

Moral conduct for Buddhists differs according to
whether it applies to the laity or to the Sangha or clergy. A
lay Buddhist should cultivate good conduct by training in
what is known as the "Five Precepts". These are not like, say,
the ten commandments, which, if broken, entail punishment
by God.

The five precepts are training rules, which, if one were
to break any of them, one should be aware of the breach and
examine how such a breach may be avoided in the future.
The resultant of an action ( often referred to as Karma)
depends on the intention more than the action itself.

It entails fewer feelings of guilt than its Judeo-
Christian counterpart. Buddhism places a great emphasis on
'mind' and it is mental anguish such as remorse, anxiety,
guilt etc. which is to be avoided in order to cultivate a calm
and peaceful mind.

Laypersons following the Mahayana tradition, who
have taken a Bodhisattva vow, will also follow a strictly
vegetarian diet. This is not so much an additional precept but
a strengthening of the first precept; To undertake the
training to avoid taking the life of beings. The eating of meat
would be considered a contribution to the taking of life,
indirect though it may be.

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Let me now deal briefly with the Buddhist attitude to
violence, war, and peace. The Buddha said in the
Dhammapada:

The Buddhists Unity

To an outsider or someone not well-informed about
Buddhism, its numerous school and traditions may appear
to be so diverse as to have little or nothing in common with
each other. While it is true that some minor sects and cults
identifying themselves as Buddhist are not really so, all
genuinely Buddhists traditions share and adhere to certain
common features.

In 1967, First Congress of the World Buddhist Sangha
Council, representing Buddhists from 25 countries and
made up of all the main Buddhist branches and traditions,
drew up an ecumenical document called The Basic Points
Unifying the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna. This document
is a concise formula of the unifying principles that all
Buddhists adhered too and was unanimously approved by
the participants of the Council. The statement reads:

(1) The Buddha is our only Master (teacher and guide).
(2) We take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the
Sangha (the Three Jewels).
(3) We do not believe that this world is created and
ruled by a god.
(4) We consider that the purpose of life is to develop
compassion for all living beings without discrimination and
to work for their good, happiness, and peace; and to develop
wisdom (Pañña) leading to the realization of Ultimate Truth

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(5) We accept the Four Noble Truths, namely dukkha,
the arising of dukkha, the cessation of dukkha, and the path
leading to the cessation of dukkha; and the law of cause and
effect (pañiccasamuppàda).

(6) All conditioned things (saükhàra) are impermanent
( anicca) and dukkha, and that all conditioned and
unconditioned things (dhamma) are without a self (Anattā).

(7) We accept the thirty-seven qualities conducive to
enlightenment ( bodhipakkhaya dhamma) as different
aspects of the Path taught by the Buddha leading to
Enlightenment.

( 8) There are three ways of attaining bodhi or
Enlightenment: namely as a disciple ( sàvaka) , as a
paccekabuddha and as a samma sambuddha (perfectly and
fully enlightened Buddha) . We accept it as the highest,
noblest, and most heroic to follow the career of a
Bodhisattva and to become a samma sambuddha in order to
save others.

( 9) We admit that in different countries there are
differences regarding Buddhist beliefs and practices. These
external forms and expressions should not be confused with
the essential teachings of the Buddha. (The Sanskrit for all
doctrinal terms is used in the original).

Concluding Remarks

Buddhism has to say about Peace and the Peaceful
Resolution of Conflict. Like all of the major world religions,
at its core, Buddhism is a religion of peace. An early
Buddhist collection of verses on practice in everyday life,

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the Pali (Theravadin) Dhammapada, makes this abundantly
clear. Verse five of the text (of 423 verses) states:

"Hatred is never appeased by hatred.
Hatred is only appeased by Love (or, non-enmity).
This is an eternal law."
The Pali term for "eternal law" here is dhamma or the
Buddhist teachings. So, this verse on non-enmity has to do
with a tenet of the Buddhist faith that is fundamental,
namely, peace and non-harm. (Moreover, though not often
cited, the very last verses of the Dhammapada condemn the
class ( varna) and other prejudicial distinctions that would
divide people.)

Exercise
(Explain the message of peace. In English)

1. What is a Buddhist approach to peace?

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2. How Buddhist practice can help us?

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3. What is a threat to world peace?

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4. What is the definition of peace?

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5. What is a Buddhist way to peace?

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6. What is the problem of self-defense?

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7. What is the Buddhist framework?

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8. What is Buddhist Unity?

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References

Dalai Lama XIV: Quotable Quotes Goodreads.
Downloaded Sep 15, 2017
R. K. Prabhu & U. R. Rao, editors; from section " The
Gospel Of Sarvodaya" , of the book The Mind of Mahatma
Gandhi Archived 20 December 2010 at the Way Back
Machine., Ahemadabad, India, Revised Edition, 1967.
E. g. , Donald Markwell, John Maynard Keynes and
International Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Donald Markwell. John Maynard Keynes and International
Relations: Economic Paths to War and Peace. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2006.
Wilmerding, John. "The Theory of Active Peace". Archived
from the original on 20 June 2009. Retrieved 7 February
2010.

Chapter 9:

A Buddhist Solution for the Twenty-First
Century

PhraCoopothiseelacoon
(Anan Pengchaiyamo)

Objectives of the Study

After studying this chapter, students will be expected
to be able

1. To explain the meaning and A Buddhist Solution for
the Twenty-First Century.

2. To apply the teaching of A Buddhist Solution for
the Twenty-First Century to Buddhists effectively.

Topics

• What is A Buddhist Solution for the Twenty-
First Century?

• A Buddhist Solution for the Twenty-First
Century?

• Conclusion

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Introduction

Study the current state of the problem and its causes.
We offer solutions to Buddhist problems. Buddhism teaches

that: Human beings are not
an element within the whole
natural system of cause and
effect, in which all elements
play a part.

All actions within it
should, therefore, be
harmonious and beneficial to
that system. All beings, both human and animal, are co-
dwellers within this system of natural laws. All living beings
desire happiness and shun suffering, and all are afraid to die.
They are all the same in this, equal and sharing, there
being no distinction or segregation before the natural laws.
It is not good to destroy livings of any description.
Buddhism encourages universal love, harmony, mutual
help, and unity.
The finest and noblest kind of life is that which is
endowed with freedom, and this is true happiness. Over and
above external freedom, which is related to the natural
environment and the four necessities of life, and freedom
from social harassment, the highest level of freedom is the
inner level, which results from inner development, mental
and intellectual maturity.
This leads to more and more independent happiness
and contentment, which in turn enables us to relate to our

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external environment and social situation in a much more
constructive way.

Here I would like to stress once more that initially, we
must depend on our natural and social environment so that
the first two kinds of freedom are very necessary as the
favorable conditions on which to develop inner freedom.
Inner freedom, in turn, is the foundation on which physical
and social freedom is based, and it is their guarantee.

If human beings develop themselves and achieve more
of this inner freedom, it will no longer be necessary for them
to demand freedom from the external environment. Instead,
positive ethical values will be developed. Without having to
compromise, there will be harmony.

In such a situation, economic growth will be balanced
by human development, which is in accordance with the
objective of our meeting together as the Parliament of
World Religions, with its purpose of supporting ‘ future
collaboration and action together for peace, the relief of
suffering, and the preservation of the planet’.

If we adhere to our old views and perceptions, our
striving for happiness will be of the kind that ruins three
noble objectives. On the other hand, if we turn to the skillful
harmonious views and encourage the development of
happiness within, this inner happiness will help to
successfully bring about our three objectives: living together
in peace, the relief of human suffering, and the preservation
of the planet.

These are all directly related to personal human
development and the achievement of true inner freedom. I
would accordingly like to suggest here that the objectives of

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real freedom and happiness of the individual be specified as
themes of such meeting like this one.

A Buddhist Solution for the Twenty-First Century

This is the first time this century that an international religious

assembly of such magnitude has been organized. During the
interval of one hundred years
since the last meeting of the
Parliament, the world has
undergone a great many
changes. We are now in what
is called the " post- industrial
Information Society," or the

Post-Cold War period. With the end of the Cold War, the
tension and fear resulting from the threat of confrontation
between the two superpowers and a world divided into
ideological camps seemed to dissolve.

Many people felt that in the approaching twenty-first
century the human race would be blessed with a much more
peaceful existence. But it soon became apparent that this
was not to be. While the threat of total annihilation through
nuclear war seemed to have been averted, one of lesser
magnitude, but scattered over the planet in many areas,
arose in its place.

The wars that have since sprung up all over the globe
are much more difficult to control than the Cold War,
which, although a tangible threat, was nevertheless very
unlikely to actually develop into full-scale aggression. The
threat of nuclear war itself is not over by any means. In fact,

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 213

with nuclear weapons scattered over a large number of
countries, it poses an even greater threat than before.

Hatred and mutual distrust are intensified by the
struggle for natural resources. The avaricious race to amass
natural resources not only leads to strife within human
society, but also in the natural environment, which gives the
problem a double edge. On one hand, there are problems
with the environment, and on the other, there is an
intensification of mutual human destruction.

The environmental crisis and the shortage of natural
resources began to become really clear only towards the end
of this century, and they are going to have a big effect on
the people of the twenty-first. Twenty-first-century man will
inherit the fruits of twentieth-century man's destruction. The
enormous amount of natural resources on this planet
amassed over hundreds of millions of years have mostly
been consumed by humanity in a period of only one or two
hundred years.

Greed and hatred have been the cause of many
problems for human beings, both on the personal and social
levels and within the environment. In order to really address
these problems, it is necessary to bring greed and hatred
under control.

The natural conditions of greed and hatred would be
much easier to control and would be much shorter lived if it
were not for the influence of a third condition, which in
Buddhism we call 'Ditthi,' views and beliefs. Ideologies,
religious beliefs, and social values are all aspects of Ditthi.
Whenever greed, anger, and hatred are reinforced with
beliefs and social values, they acquire a clearer direction, an

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impetus which channels them into much more destructive
activities. Greed and hatred are maintained and prolonged
by the influence of views and beliefs, making them much
harder to resolve.

In the present time, greed and hatred are positively
flourishing. They are supported or based on a powerful
foundation of wrong views. In the preceding decades, we
experienced problems with ideologies and the world was
split into two camps. Now the contention between these
ideologies has petered out, but we have not resolved the
problems of nationalism, racism, and sectarianism. Ideology
is a kind of view, and so we come back to the level of views
and beliefs to find a solution.

Broadly speaking, the beliefs that have held control
over modern human civilization are based on three main
perceptions:

1. The perception that mankind is separate from
nature, and must control, conqueror manipulate nature
according to his desires.

2. The perception that fellow human beings are not
'fellow human beings;' this perception focuses on the
differences between human beings rather than their
common ground.

3. The perception that happiness can only be found
through an abundance of material possessions.

The first perception is an attitude towards nature; the
second is an attitude towards fellow human beings; the third
is an understanding of the objective of life.

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These three beliefs or perceptions have determined the
direction of human development. It is not difficult to see
their role in the present time, in which people are almost
entirely dominated by them. Held under their power, our
resulting actions become kamma on the social level. Thus,
the development of human society is guided by the kamma,
or actions, of human beings blinded by these three distorted
views or perceptions.

In order to solve the problems of greed, hatred,
selfishness and mutual destruction, we must deal with views
and attitudes. When we speak of views, we are coming into
the domain of religion. Religion deals with views and is
itself a kind of view. For religion to be effective in
addressing the problems of the world it must be based on
good or right views and must encourage the propagation of
such views in the world, rather than encouraging or teaching
in accordance with the three distorted perceptions.

Many teachings which were suitable for small groups
of people are no longer effective in today's "Global Village."
They are not relevant to the current situation. Material
development has led to a planet linked by rapid
communications, but religious teachings are still sectarian
and do not prepare us for living together on the global level.
It seems that personal human development is not
commensurate with the physical world situation. Religions
are not yet attuned to addressing the needs of people on a
global level. Instead of being factors for mutual peace and
harmony in the world, we find that religions are a cause of
more and more contention and strife, war and bloodshed.

216 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

In essence, the concept of human rights has three
major flaws:

Firstly, the concept itself is a result of division,
struggle, and contention. The idea of human rights has been
established to ensure self- preservation and protection of
mutual interests. Human rights are usually obtained by
demand.

Secondly, human rights are a convention, purely
human inventions which do not exist as a natural condition.
They are not "natural rights." Being a human invention, they
are not firmly founded on truth. They must be supported by

laws and they must be accepted by all parties in order to
work. If human rights are to be lasting and firm they must
be connected to natural reality, and to do this human mind

must be developed to a stage where people are prepared to
honor human rights. Only in this way will human rights be
based on a natural truth and thus sustainable.

This leads us to the third flaw of the concept of human

rights, which is that they are merely conventions for social
behavior. They do not delve into the question of mental
motivation. Social behavior is always connected to mental
motivation, by which it is both created and directed. If the
mental foundation is faulty, even seemingly well-
intentioned acts will lead to contention.

However, this in itself is not yet truly positive
thinking. We must see human beings as both equal and
united. There has been much talk of equality in recent times,
but it tends to be a divisive or contentious kind of equality.
Such a perception of equality leads to a competitive attitude

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 217

toward equal rights. It is an equality that is based on greed,
suspicion, and fear. Unity is needed in order to prevent the
drive for equality from being divisive. Unity is the desire
and inclination to live together, an attitude that leads to
cohesion and alliance. It is not simply a compromise on
competition - - it is the development of cooperation into
harmony.

Competition must be balanced by cooperation and

supported by what we call in Buddhism mettã, unlimited,
unconditional, universal love. Few people really understand
goodwill or love. They may have love, but it is divisive,
conditional, exclusive and discriminative -- they have a love
for their own group, but not for others. Love or goodwill

must be spread everywhere, regardless of boundaries,

towards all lives that exist within the domain of the natural
universe.

This does not mean that we can no longer preserve our
unique traditions and cultures. Accepting that we do have

different birthplaces and backgrounds, the preservation of
traditions and ethnic cultures may continue. Adapting and

fitting into our native environments leads to harmony and
well- being within that particular environment. Ethnic
cultures can and should be preserved, being intermediate
unitary stages toward the consummate global unity. Thus,
we have diversity within unity. Preservation of traditions

must be done with wisdom and understanding, not with
delusion or blind clinging.

If we practice correctly in regard to human

development, the population will grow from isolated groups

218 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

into a more global community, one which is harmonious
both on the communal and global levels.

Well- developed human beings will be free of the
quality we call in Buddhism macchariya, covetousness or
grasping, on five counts.

Simply speaking, for human beings to live happily
there must be freedom on three levels.

The first freedom is the freedom to live with nature
and the environment. We could call this physical freedom.
This is freedom from want and deprivation, an adequate
supply of the four basic necessities of life -- food, clothing,
shelter, and medicine. This includes freedom from natural
dangers, and the ability to deal with such problems when
they do arise.

Secondly, we must have freedom in our relationship
with our fellow humans. That is, to live safely together
without being exploited by others.

However, these first two kinds of freedom will not be
truly effective if they are not connected to the third kind of
freedom, which is inner freedom, or personal freedom.
Human development on the personal level, that which leads
to inner freedom, is the most important task for humanity
now. Having physical and social freedom, we must learn
how to live independently, to be happy and contented within
ourselves.

This is inner freedom. It is a happiness that is
independent of externals, no longer dependent on having to
exploit nature or our fellow beings. We become more and

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 219

more capable of finding contentment within our own minds
and through our own wisdom.

This ability to be contented without having to exploit
nature or our fellow humans is a kind of independence from
natural and social conditions. With a more independent kind
of happiness, social and physical freedom are more assured.
We will then have the best possible relationship with both
the natural environment and human society and will no
longer feel the need to exploit them.

Internal freedom is the guarantee on which social and
physical freedom can be grounded. Without it, happiness
must depend on the exploitation of the external
environment. As long as there is such exploitation, physical
and social freedom will not be feasible realities. At best,
there must be a compromise, a situation where people are
forced to do -- or refrain from doing -- something in order to
preserve the state of the environment. If, however, there is
inner freedom, a harmonious attitude to the external
environment will be possible, and humanity will attain a
true kind of happiness that is possessed of both harmony and
balance.

Ultimately, human development leads to freedom
from the internal "enemies," to minds that are completely
freed of the oppressive influence of greed, hatred, and
delusion. When our minds are completely freed of mental
defilements, we will also be freed of mental suffering,
which is the main cause of problems with the physical and
social environment. With internal freedom, it is no longer
necessary to exploit the external environment; we can
instead live in a way that is truly beneficial.

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In the present time there is a lot of talk about
sustainable development and gearing the economy to the
ecology. For the economy to be healthy, nature must also be
healthy. This is a recognition of the necessity for
compromise, as I have mentioned earlier. True success in
this regard lies with our ability to change our basic views on
the objective of life and our concepts of happiness and
freedom.

Today, there seems to be an attempt to pair or even
identify democracy with capitalism, as in "democracy and
the free market economy" and "free market democracy." It is
doubtful whether democracy can be ultimately paired or
identified with capitalism, or whether in fact democracy
paired with capitalism is really desirable.

Capitalism and socialism, ostensibly two different and
opposing systems, are both, in reality, united under
materialism and are both founded on the three types of
aggressive and divisive thinking. The collapse of communist
socialism does not spell the soundness of capitalism. On the
contrary, it implies that, of the two predominant forms of
materialism, as the failure of one has been witnessed, that
of the other can be expected. Too obvious now are cries and
complaints about the detrimental effects of economic
growth under the capitalist economy.

In order for democracy to be sound, it has to clear
itself of such harmful elements and establish itself on a
sound ideological foundation. Economics needs not only
reformation or transformation, but a conversion in its
theoretical foundation.

In this regard, Buddhism teaches that:

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 221

1. Human beings are one element within the whole
natural system of cause and effect, in which all elements
play a part. All actions within it should, therefore, be
harmonious and beneficial to that system.

2. All beings, both human and animal, are co-dwellers
within this system of natural laws. All living beings desire
happiness and shun suffering, and all are afraid to die. They
are all the same in this, equal and sharing.

There is no distinction or segregation before the
natural laws. It is not good to destroy living beings of any

description; we should rather encourage universal love and
harmony, mutual help and unity.

3. The finest and noblest kind of life is that which is
endowed with freedom, and this is true happiness. Over and

above external freedom, which is related to the natural

environment and the four necessities of life, and freedom
from social harassment is the highest level of freedom -- the
inner level, which results from inner development.

It is mental and intellectual maturity. This leads to an
increasingly independent kind of happiness, and this, in

turn, enables us to relate to our external environment and
social situation in a much more constructive way.

In Buddhism, we say that a human being who has
reached the highest level of development will have
completely destroyed inner greed, hatred, and delusion.
However, the training is a gradual one, it requires time. For

people in general, the surest gauge of development is the
absence of the wrong view.

222 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

If the wrong view can be given up and right view
developed, then even though greed and hatred still exist,
even though there is still some selfishness, they will be on a
much lesser scale. Since they are not supported by or
founded on views, they will not persist on into long-term
and widespread levels. Conversely, if greed and hatred are
reinforced by views, they will have much more intense and
far-reaching effects. This is why the Buddhist system of
human development stresses the elimination of the wrong
view. Human beings in the twentieth century have created
much bad kamma, which is going to exert an influence on
the humanity of the twenty-first century. It is a legacy of
problems with which the citizens of the twenty-first century
will have to deal.

In order to help solve these problems and ensure that
the twenty-first century will be a safe one, we must discuss
ways of addressing the problems right now. If we can adapt
our views as I have mentioned here, there is a possibility
that we will be able to solve them successfully.

The three views I have described here are particularly
relevant to our time and age when the natural environment
is in such a state of deterioration and depletion. The human
social world is shrinking.

The time has come for us to learn to live together, and
this will only be possible when we are able to develop the
freedom that is not dependent on the external environment,
and instead learn to help and support it. In this way, we will
be able to experience the taste of true freedom and true
happiness.

Exercise

1. Which is an example of a solution?
Some examples of solutions are salt water, rubbing

alcohol, and sugar dissolved in water. ... In our example of
salt water, the solute is the salt. Solvent: this is the substance
that makes up the majority of the solution. This is the part
where the solute is dissolved.

………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
………………………………
2. What is the difference between solution and mixture?

A solution is a mixture where one of the substances
dissolves in the other. The substance that dissolves is called
the solute. The substance that does not dissolve is called the
solvent. ... In this example, the water is the solvent and the
salt are the solute.

………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
………………………………
3. What is the solution in chemistry?

In chemistry, a solution is a special type of
homogeneous mixture composed of two or more

224 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

substances. . . . In such a mixture, a solute is a substance
dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent.

………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
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………………………………
4. What are the 21st-century skills in education?

21st Century Skills. Critical thinking, problem-
solving, reasoning, analysis, interpretation, synthesizing
information. Research skills and practices, interrogative
questioning. Creativity, artistry, curiosity, imagination,
innovation, personal expression. Perseverance, self-
direction, planning, self-discipline, adaptability, initiative.

………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
………………………………
5. What is the purpose of 21st-century education?

The goal of education is to help society flourish. If
you look up “ Education” in Wikipedia, you'll read,
“ education is the process by which society deliberately
transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values
from one generation to another.”

………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 225

……………………………………………………………
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………………………………
6. What is the 21st-century classroom?

In the 21st Century classroom, teachers are
facilitators of student learning and creators of
productive classroom environments in which students can
develop the skills they will need in the workplace. . . . The
interdisciplinary nature of the 21st Century classroom sets
it apart from the 20th Century classroom.

………………………………………………………
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7. What are the 21st century skills for students?

While each framework has a slightly different list of
critical 21st century skills, all agree on four critical areas for
development:

• Collaboration and teamwork.

• Creativity and imagination.

• Critical thinking.

• Problem solving.
………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………

226 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

……………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………

8. What are the 21st century skills every student need?

So, according to the folks we've asked, the

consensus is that students need transparency-level skills

in these areas:

• Problem solving.

• Creativity.

• Analytic thinking.

• Collaboration.

• Communication.

• Ethics, action, and accountability.

• …………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………

……

9. What is smart classroom technology?

Smart Classrooms are technology enhanced

classrooms that foster opportunities for teaching and

learning by integrating learning technology, such as

computers, specialized software, audience

response technology, assistive listening devices,

networking, and audio/visual capabilities.

Dhamma in Advanced English P a g e | 227

………………………………………………………
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………

References

Payutto, Prayudh. (1994). Buddhist Solutions fin-the Twenty-First
Century. Bangkok: Buddhadhamma Foundation.
Payutto, Prayudh. (1995). Buddhadhamma: Natural Laws and
Values for Life. Albany: the State University of New York Press

Abbreviations

Pali Buddhist Texts
AN Aṅguttara Nikāya
Dhp Dhammapada
DN Dīgha Nikāya
Iti Itivuttaka
MN Majjhima Nikāya
Mv Mahāvagga
SN Saṃyutta Nikāya
Sn Sutta Nipāta
Thag Theragāthā
Thig Therīgāthā
Ud Udāna

A Glossary of Pali and Buddhist Terms

This glossary covers many of the Pali words and technical
terms that you may come across in the books and articles available
on this website. The link that follows some entries will take you to a
more detailed article on the selected topic.

A

Abhidhamma:
(1) In the discourses of the Pali canon, this term simply
means "higher Dhamma," and a systematic attempt to define
the Buddha's teachings and understand their
interrelationships. (2) A later collection of analytical treatises
based on lists of categories drawn from the teachings in the
discourses added to the Canon several centuries after the
Buddha's life.

abhiññā:
Intuitive powers that come from the practice of
concentration: the ability to display psychic powers,
clairvoyance, clairaudience, the ability to know the thoughts
of others, recollection of past lifetimes, and the knowledge
that does away with mental effluents (see āsava).

ācariya:
Teacher; mentor. See kalyāṇamitta.

adhiṭṭhāna:
Determination; resolution. One of the ten
perfections (pāramīs).

ajaan, ajahn, achaan, etc.:
(Thai). Teacher; mentor. Equivalent to the Pali ācariya.

akāliko:
Timeless; unconditioned by time or season.

akusala:
Unwholesome, unskillful, demeritorious. See its
opposite, kusala.

anāgāmī:

230 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

Non-returner. A person who has abandoned the five lower
fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth
(see saṃyojana), and who after death will appear in one of
the Brahma worlds called the Pure Abodes, there to
attain nibbāna, never again to return to this world.
ānāpānasati:
Mindfulness of breathing. A meditation practice in which
one maintains one's attention and mindfulness on the
sensations of breathing.
anattā:
Not-self; ownerless.
anicca:
Inconstant; unsteady; impermanent.

anupādisesa-nibbāna:
Nibbāna with no fuel remaining (the analogy is to an
extinguished fire whose members are cold) — the nibbāna of
the arahant after his passing away. Cf. sa-upādisesa-nibbāna.

anupubbī-kathā:
Gradual instruction. The Buddha's method of teaching
Dhamma that guides his listeners progressively through
increasingly advanced topics: generosity (see dāna), virtue
(see sīla), heavens, drawbacks, renunciation, and the four
noble truths.

anusaya:
Obsession; underlying tendency. (The etymology of this term
means "lying down with"; in actual usage, the related
verb (anuseti) means to be obsessed.) There are seven major
obsessions to which the mind returns over and over again:
obsession with sensual passion (kāma-rāgānusaya), with
resistance (paṭighānusaya), with views (diṭṭhānusaya), with
uncertainty (vicikicchānusaya), with
conceit (mānānusaya), with passion for becoming (bhava-
rāgānusaya), and with ignorance (avijjānusaya).
Compare saṃyojana.

apāya-bhūmi:

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State of deprivation; the four lower levels of existence into
which one might be reborn as a result of past unskillful actions
( see kamma) : rebirth in hell, as a hungry ghost ( see peta) , as
an angry demon (see asura), or as a common animal. None of
these states is permanent. Compare sugati.
appamāda:
Heedfulness; diligence; zeal. The cornerstone of all skillful
mental states, and one of such fundamental import that the
Buddha's stressed it in his parting words to his disciples: "All
fabrications are subject to decay. Bring about completion by
being heedful!" (appamādena sampādetha).
arahant:
A "worthy one" or "pure one"; a person whose mind is free of
defilement (see kilesa), who has abandoned all ten of the
fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth
(see saṃyojana), whose heart is free of mental effluents
(see āsava), and who is thus not destined for further rebirth.
A title for the Buddha and the highest level of his noble
disciples.
ārammaṇa:
Preoccupation; mental object.

ariya:
Noble, ideal. Also, a "Noble One" (see ariya-puggala).

ariyadhana:
Noble Wealth; qualities that serve as 'capital' in the quest for
liberation: conviction (see saddhā), virtue (see sīla),
conscience, fear of evil, erudition, generosity (see dāna), and
discernment (see paññā).

ariya-puggala:
Noble person; enlightened individual. An individual who has
realized at least the lowest of the four noble paths
(see magga) or their fruition (see phala).
Compare puthujjana (worldling).

ariya-sacca:
Noble Truth. The word "ariya" (noble) can also mean ideal or
standard, and in this context means "objective" or "universal"

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āsava: truth. There are four: stress, the origin of stress, the
disbanding of stress, and the path of practice leading to the
disbanding of stress.

Mental effluent, pollutant, or fermentation. Four qualities —
sensuality, views, becoming, and ignorance — that "flow out"
of the mind and create the flood of the round of death and
rebirth.

asubha:
Unattractiveness, loathsomeness, foulness. The Buddha
recommends contemplation of this aspect of the body as an

antidote to lust and complacency. See also kāyagatā-sati.
asura:

A race of beings who, like the Titans of Greek mythology,
fought the devas for sovereignty over the heavens and lost.
See apāya-bhūmi.
avijjā:
Unawareness; ignorance; obscured awareness; delusion
about the nature of the mind. See also moha.
āyatana:
Sense medium. The inner sense media are the sense organs:
eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The outer sense
media is their respective objects.

B

bhante:
Venerable sir; often used when addressing a Buddhist monk.

bhava:

Becoming. States of being that develop first in the mind and can
then be experienced as internal worlds and/or as worlds on an
external level. There are three levels of becoming: on the sensual

level, the level of form, and the level of formlessness.

bhāvanā:
Mental cultivation or development; meditation. The third of the
three grounds for meritorious action. See also dāna and sīla.

bhikkhu:

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A Buddhist monk; a man who has given up the householder's life
to live a life of heightened virtue (see sīla) in accordance with
the Vinaya in general, and the Pātimokkha rules in particular.
See saṅgha, parisā, upasampadā.
bhikkhunī:
A Buddhist nun; a woman who has given up the householder's
life to live a life of heightened virtue (see sīla) in accordance with
the Vinaya in general, and the Pātimokkha rules in particular.
See saṅgha, parisā, upasampadā.
bodhi-pakkhiya-dhammā:
" Wings to Awakening" — seven sets of principles that are
conducive to Awakening and that, according to the Buddha, form
the heart of his teaching: [ 1] the four frames of reference
( see satipaṭṭhāna) ; [ 2] four right exertions ( sammappadhāna) —
the effort to prevent unskillful states from arising in the mind, to
abandon whatever unskillful states have already arisen, to give rise
to the good, and to maintain the good that has arisen; [3] four bases
of success ( iddhipāda) — desire, persistence, intentness,
circumspection; [4] five dominant factors (indriya) — conviction,
persistence, mindfulness, concentration, discernment; [ 5] five
strengths ( bala) — identical with [ 4] ; [ 6] seven factors for
Awakening ( bojjhaṅga) — mindfulness, investigation of
phenomena, persistence, rapture (see pīti), serenity, concentration,
equanimity; and [ 7] the eightfold path ( magga) — Right View,
Right Attitude, Right Speech, Right Activity, Right Livelihood,
Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
bodhisatta:
"A being (striving) for Awakening"; the term used to describe the
Buddha before he actually becomes Buddha, from his first
aspiration to Buddhahood until the time of his full Awakening.
Sanskrit form: Bodhisattva.

brahmā:
"Great One" — an inhabitant of the non-sensual heavens of form
or formlessness.

brahma-vihāra:
The four "sublime" or "divine" abodes that are attained through
the development of
boundless mettā (goodwill), karuṇā (compassion), muditā(appreci
ative joy), and upekkhā (equanimity).

234 | P a g e Dhamma in Advanced English

brahman (from Pali brāhmaṇa):
The brahman (brahmin) caste of India has long maintained that its
members, by their birth, are worthy of the highest respect.
Buddhism borrowed the term brahman to apply to those who
have attained the goal, to show that respect is earned not by birth,
race, or caste, but by spiritual attainment. Used in the Buddhist
sense, this term is synonymous with arahant.

buddho:
Awake; enlightened. An epithet for the Buddha.

Buddha:
The name was given to one who rediscovers for himself the
liberating path of Dhamma, after a long period of its having been
forgotten by the world. According to tradition, a long line of
Buddhas stretches off into the distant past. The most recent Buddha
was born Siddhattha Gotama in India in the sixth century BCE. A
well- educated and wealthy young man, he relinquished his family
and his princely inheritance in the prime of his life to search for
true freedom and an end to suffering ( dukkha) . After seven years
of austerities in the forest, he rediscovered the " middle way" and
achieved his goal, becoming Buddha.

C

caṅkama:
Walking meditation, usually in the form of walking back and
forth along a prescribed path.

cetasika:
Mental concomitant (see vedanā, saññā, and saṅkhāra).

ceto-vimutti:
See vimutti.

citta:
Mind; heart; the state of consciousness.

dāna: D

Giving, liberality; offering, alms. Specifically, giving of any of the
four requisites to the monastic order. More generally, the
inclination to give, without expecting any form of repayment from
the recipient. Dana is the first theme in the Buddha's system of