Facing the Era of Globalization and Realizing Peace
Respectable World Buddhist Forum (WBF) committee members, most honored religious and spiritual leaders of the world, teachers, and brothers and sisters: I would like to extend my appreciation to all of us and the organizing committee who have made these events possible. It reflects our continuous efforts in bringing ideas and dialogues which aim to consolidate Buddhism internally and ultimately: realizing peace to humankind on earth.
I am grateful to these events because each of us still recognizes the importance of brainstorming, working together to solve problems, and uniting is powerful. The future of Buddhist organizations, just like any other spiritual organizations, will depend on our comprehensive understanding of systems and interdependency. Because organizations are established by humans, they inherit one of the humans” essential aspects: the most social creatures on earth. Therefore, organizations will last if they are able to survive through social complexities and cultural evolutions.
Craincross (1997)[1] argues that the world will become smaller over the time. In the 21st century, societies from all over the world will be interconnected through advanced technologies, a global system. The ability of human to communicate is limitless even they are thousand miles apart. Despite of our preferences, globalization is unavoidable. Transformation to society in technology, economy, and politic derived from globalization will affect almost every aspects of our life, including our spiritual life. The most important aspect, in my humble opinion, is increasing human interdependencies. Peace and coexist in mutual respect are essential.
To survive in the emerging complex societies, Buddhist organizations around the globe must look for the opportunities to work hand in hand, achieving common goals instead of digging out differences among the Buddhist sects. Identifying sameness and working to grow strong with these values ensure stability and prosperous the future of spreading the Dharma. On the other hand, fighting internally and trying to argue over the non-fundamental doctrines will only destroy the future of Buddhism.Throughout various history of mankind on the face of planet earth, we can conclude one thing in common, that is, we strive to seek for happiness and to improve the quality of life. In the journey to achieve this goal, we face many challenges and can sometime automatically forget about the root to solve the problems. No wonder, many who have tried to improve their quality of life through accumulating wealth and/or utilizing other worldly materials failed to satisfy their needs in the end. Sakyamuni Buddha reminds us that there are no materials in this world can overcome sufferings. "Monks, all conditioned things are of a nature to decay; strive to attain the goal by diligence." (Digha Nikaya II, 120). This is the truth of life. A cultivated and peaceful mind may lead us to improving the quality of our life. In reality, however, the dynamicity of environment (e.g., war, social instability) and our routines life have driven us away from cultivating our mind. Therefore, I believe a peaceful environment that is free from selfishness, fears, and hatreds, is a necessary condition to allow us practicing our beliefs and cultivating our spiritual pathways toward achieving the common goals. With a peaceful society, a peaceful mind can be attained. Let us send our thoughts and prayers to the Georgians and Russians recent conflicts. May their leaders are called to serve for peace, compassion, and boundless wisdom to save the lives of the people in both countries.
To achieve peace in the era of globalization, we need teamwork and the cooperation of everyone”s resources. …
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