Address by Most Ven. Banagala Upatissa Thero, President of Mahabodhi Society of Sri Lanka, Chief Sangha Nayaka of Japan, Chief Priest-Lankaji Temple, Japan & Chief Priet-Sanchi Chethiyagiri Viharaya, India delivered at the World Forum for Promoting Common Values Among the Followers of Religions Organized by the Muslim World League held in Riyadh on 11th May 2022.
SINCE THE dawn of mankind, humans have attempted to answer the most complex and perplexing questions of the universe through religious beliefs. Questions such as why are we here? How did we come to be?
Religions worldwide set out a set of moral and ethical guidelines on how one should live and interact with the world. This leads to a vast number of teachings on peace and conflict, how to behave when at war and how to avoid it all together.
Many ancient scriptures and teachings from the Quran and from their prophet Muhammad talk of avoiding violence at all costs.
On the other side of the coin, Buddhism is seen as one of the most peaceful religions in the world. By all accounts it is. The Buddha preached love and kindness and the ending of all suffering.
With Buddhism, there is an emphasis on peace and peaceful living but this comes from a focus on suffering and the ending of all suffering. The Four Nobel Truths are the centre of Buddhism. These truths centre around suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and how one can end suffering. Within Buddhism, there is a large focus on inner peace or “enlightenment”. Once one reaches enlightenment, you no longer suffer and your aim is to ease the suffering of others by aiding them in their path to enlightenment. The very basis of Buddhist teachings is one of peace. If you wish to end suffering, the most obvious way to do that is to be peaceful.
To learn how Islam strives for peace, you must look to see when it was established and in what political and religious climate. The prophet Muhammad In his thirties, experienced “divine revelations” from God which led to the writing of the Quran. In these teachings, Muhammad said that God, or Allah, wished for peace for his people. These teachings also preached patience and kindness. These teachings were alien to pre-Islamic Arabia.
Muhammad advocated a policy of non-violent resistance and like Buddhism, Islamic teachings, at their core, call for peace and patience. The Holy Quran states ‘Humanity is but a single brotherhood; so, make peace with your brethren.’ The word ‘Islam’ even comes from the word ‘Salam’ meaning ‘peace’.
Today, members and leaders of the Islamic faith actively condemn acts of violence. They speak out against injustices and work together with other faiths in interfaith dialogues to assist the spread of understanding and peace.
In the modern world, Buddhism works with many people and religions in an effort towards peace. Many Organisations of various faiths are connected through Buddhism. They attempt to bring a “revolution of peace” to the world. These organisations have roots leading back to end War and give world peace a chance, where they rallied against the use of nuclear arms. Recite-Nahi Verena Verani
Being a Buddhist Monk, it is my earnest desire to open dialogue among the various faiths and cultures for peaceful co-existence. Explain-Work done in Jaffna
It is safe to say, that the goal for every religion is to reach a state of peace, whether it’s inner peace, or world peace. The radical sects of some religions do not speak for these religions as a whole, and the majority of adherents of these religions are horrified at the things done in the name of, say, Allah and Buddha.
Through the teachings of Muhammad, Muslims are instructed to be patient, to be kind to those of different faiths.
Buddhists have a similar view. They must not cause suffering and should stay away from violence. Much like Muhammad, they preach non-violent resistance.
Many people would be shocked to think of Islam and Buddhism being comparable in any way and yet if you look closely at their teachings, and their efforts towards peace, they are more similar than one may suspect. Recite- Pancha Seela
No Buddhist can hate Gods. They have to practice the Mettabhavana (Friendship) and give their love to all the Gods, devils, demons, and all living beings. He admits all Gods and he gives his love to all. The Buddhists love them all. They are given the merits of the good deeds that he does.
The Buddha was an embodiment of all great virtues. In Him, were the embodiment of the highest morality (Sila), deepest concentration (Samadhi), and penetrative wisdom (Panna) – qualities unsurpassed and unparalleled in human history. These great noble qualities were mentioned in the sacred texts dealing with the discourses of the Buddha.
The following verses, in Pali, relate to the nine intrinsic virtues of the Buddha, which Buddhist devotees recite when they pay homage to the Buddha:
“Itipi So Bhagava Araham Samma-Sambuddho
Vijja-Carana-Sampanno Sugato Lokavidu
Annutarro Purisa Damma-Sarathi Sattha Deva-
Manussanam Buddho Bhagavathi.”
Buddhism is not about worshipping certain God or Goddesses; actually, it’s all about obtaining inner peace and satisfaction. The main purpose of Buddha was simply to show mankind how to avoid chaos and live in harmony with all living creatures. Buddhism is a middle way practice, an equilibrium between self-denial and over-indulgence.
Buddhist philosophy is based on the basic idea of cause and effect, the rule of Karma. According to this law, every intention thought and action has its equal result and consequence. Buddhist disciplined life leads down the path of spirituality in human life self-realization, or what the Buddhists call Nirvana.
The Buddhist philosophy depends upon three jewels, four Noble truths, the eightfold path and the five Precepts.
The eightfold path of Buddhism shows the way out of suffering: The Buddha taught practical ways to end suffering through eight pursuits and all those are based on self-control – right speech, right action, right livelihood, right concentration, right view, right intention, right mindfulness, and right effort.
Buddhist philosophy is really important for world peace.
Buddhist philosophy has a great role in maintaining world peace and harmony.