The Significance of Peaceful Mind of Individual for Building World Peace

Ven. Dr. Moragollagama Uparathana Thero

Senior Lecturer

Buddhist and Pāli University of Sri LankaMoragollagama6@gmail.com / +94714432198

Objective

To expose the potentiality of inner peace of individual

for the restoration of global peace

Detrimental Impediments to World Peace

• Aggression, Violence

• Harassments, Conflicts

• Hostilities, Confrontations, Racism

• Modern politics, Unwholesome Cultural trends

• Fundamentalist creeds and religions

They are detrimental to the material and spiritual welfare of human beings.

These unwholesome trends impede global peace.

Peace and Non - violence

• Peace and Non-violence have been the fundamental concern of modern world.

• Buddhism is a religion of peace and non-violence.

• It teaches that world peace or war is up to individual’s preference at every

moment

• According to the socio-ethical teachings of the Buddha,

one should first cultivate peace and non- violence within the mind

• Spiritually advanced person is free from intense greed, hatred and delusion - the

noxious trio.

• The person who has developed mind to such an extent can bring world peace.

The Sāleyyaka Sutta of the Majjhimanikāya

• Others will be with an angry mind, we will not be angry.

• Others will be with wrong view; we will be with right view.

• Others will be with wrong mindfulness; we will be with right mindfulness.

• Others will be with wrong concentration; we will be with right concentration.

• Others will bear a grudge, we will have no grudge.

• Others will be hypocritical; we will be free from hypocrisy.

• Others will be merciless, we will be merciful.

• Others will be jealous, we will not be jealous. Contd.

• Others will be selfish, we will not be selfish.

• Others will be crafty, we will not be crafty.

• Others will be deceitful, we will not be deceitful.

• Others will be stubborn, we will not be stubborn.

• Others will be conceited, we will not be conceited.

• Others will be unruly, we will be gentle.

• Others will have evil friends, we will have good friends.

The person who is deprived of inner peace and tranquility does not build a peaceful and harmonious society.

The person who has inner peace brings peace to the world.

A war Kattiyas vs koliyans

• A war was to wage over the use of water of River Rohini.

• The Buddha came and exhorted the futility of the wanton

destruction of lives

• Misunderstanding leads all people to a tragic end.

War

• The leaders, rulers and the people overwhelmed with greed, hatred

and delusion had no inner peace and destroyed the world peace.

• One of the most horribly gruesome destruction in the world is the

Second World War.

• The same thing occurred during the time of Emperor Asoka in the 3rd

century B.C. In about 260 BCE, emperor Ashoka waged a bitterly

destructive war against the states of Kālioga (modern Odihsā).

Peace

• Emperor Asoka gave up war after the conquest of Kālioga and adopted a policy of reconciliation and peace. After the Kālioga war, the king was extremely stricken with sorrow and remorse

• He could not sustain inner peace. • A natural outcome of waging a war is the serious violation of the human rights of

people. • The king completely gave up war and ordered his sons and grandsons to practise

Ahimsa (non-violence).• He resorted to Dharma-Vijaya (victory through Dharma instead of territorial

conquest (Dig Vijaya) • He embraced the basic principles of Buddhism. • Ashoka’s Dharma was based on these principles

non-violence, tolerance, piety, mercy, kindness, generosity, truthfulness, forgiveness, purity, gentleness, goodness and peaceful coexistence of all religions.

The Absence of Inner Peace

Ven. Dr. Pategama Gnanarama thera mentions

• Man will acquire wealth and property in order to fulfill biological needs, but not to fulfill his psychological greed which will trigger tension rivalries and conflicts among individual and nations.

The Raṭṭhapālasutta of the Majjhimanikāya

• “Ūno loko atitto taṇhā daso” The world is never satisfied and is ever a slave to craving.

• The Dhammapada also points out this insatiability in man.“Na kahāpana vassena titthi kāmesu vijjati...” Not by a shower of gold coins does

contentment arise in sensual pleasures.

Mettā

we should have friendly feelings towards all beings even towards enemies.

Mettā sutta of the Suttanipāta

• May all beings be happy at heart.

Whatever beings there may be, weak or strong, without exception, long, large, middling, short, subtle, blatant, seen and unseen, near and far, born and seeking birth:

• Let no one deceive another or despise anyone anywhere, or through anger or irritation wish for another to suffer.

• As a mother would risk her life to protect her child, her only child, even so should one cultivate a limitless heart with regard to all beings.

• With good will for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart:

The Sakkapañha Sutta of Dīghanikāya

"Devās, human beings, asuras, nāgas, gandhabbas, and whatever other many

kinds of beings there are, are fettered with envy and stinginess, which is why --

even though they think, 'May we live free from hostility, free from

violence, free from rivalry, free from ill will, free from those who are hostile -

they nevertheless live in hostility, violence, rivalry, ill will, with those who are

hostile."

Inner peace bring about peace

• Once this individual compassion becomes a reality among human

beings, international relations will fall into proper perspective and it will

lead to World peace.

• That means the Buddha’s preaching is that war and peace begins in the

heart of man and only through the inner peace that the world peace could

be restored.

Conclusion

• The peace has to be in the minds of individuals.

• Amiable attitudes should be cultivated towards all living beings in order to create peaceful minds.

• The Four Sublime Abodes (catu brahma vihāra) enhances inner peace.

• The Noble Eight fold Path is the proper way for building inner peace starting from the Right Understanding.

• The undeveloped mind or untamed mind (abhāvitaṃ cittaṃ) always creates inner and outer conflicts.

• Therefore, in conformity with the Buddha’s discourses, the inner peace of individual gained through the Buddhist meditation is the significant potentiality for building the World Peace.

Thank you

May you have peace