Buddhism, Migration & Pluralisation
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Multiculturalism
is where societies are made up of many different cultures, which include
different nationalities, beliefs, values and social customs. They should be
equally respected and seen as valuable. Religious pluralism is just like this
but refers to the co-existence of various religions. Migration is the idea of
people moving from one country to the next. A secular state is a country where
the government, legislature and society are not controlled by or dependent on
the teachings of a religion.
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Religious
tolerance has two meanings: one definition is that all religions should be
accepted as equally valid and true, meanwhile the other definition suggests
that, though one might not agree with someone else's religious beliefs, one
must avoid oppressing or discriminating the other person's religious beliefs.
·
Laws that
support the freedom of religion include the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, Article 18 and the Equality Act 2010. Article 18 explicitly states that
everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion (this is
part of European Law); this means that Buddhists are free to practice their
religion, either publicly (in community with others) or privately. The Equality
Act 2010 states that it is against the law to prohibit or restrict the practice
of religion in Britain. The law protects people in the workplace; anti-religion
is a hate crime. Thus, Buddhists are protected because discrimination against
religious groups is a criminal act.
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Migration
has contributed to the creation of pluralised Britain through several
instances, primarily in the second half of the C20th. Following WW2, Eastern
Europeans migrated. As a result of labour shortages in Britain, the 1950s
government encouraged immigration from Caribbean communities and Hong Kong. The
Indian Independence of 1947 peaked in 1972 when Idi Amin expelled Indians and
Pakistanis from Uganda. Buddhist communities also migrated during the Chinese
invasion of Tibet (1950): this eventually led to the exodus of Tibetans with
the Dalai Lama in 1959. This brought immigration to the West.
·
Migration
can also explain the creation of Buddhist communities in Britain: many
Buddhists settled in Western communities. Manchester's Chinatown began in C20th
as a home for laundry workers who emigrated from China after the invasion of
Tibet.
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Other
reasons why Buddhist communities have developed in Britain: the academic
interest of the C19th whereby Buddhist scriptures began to be translated to
English and circulated amongst academics/the upper classes; in 1879, Sir Edwin
Arnold published “The Light of Asia”, a poem about the Buddha's life which
sparked interest in Buddhism; in 1898, Allan Bennet travelled to Sri Lanka to
be ordained as the first British Theravada Monk, and returned to England to
practice his religion; and in 1907, the Buddhist society of Great Britain &
Ireland was formed, becoming the London Buddhist society in 1924 – it is a
platform for all to come together.
·
There is
diversity of Buddhist traditions in Britain. The Amaravati Buddhist Monastery,
(Herts) was founded in 1979 by Ajahn Sumedho, an American-born Theravada monk
of the Thai Forest Tradition. Housing both monks and nuns, it has a retreat center
for laypeople, a library, and is open to visitors for occasional talks. The
Jamyang Buddhist Centre (London) is a Tibetan organisation of the Gelupga
tradition, under the direction of Geshe Tashi Tsering. Courses of study and
practice are taught at all levels. Lastly, the Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey
(Northumberland) is a training monastery of the Japanese Soto Zen tradition,
founded in 1972 by an Englishwoman, the late Rev. Jiyu-Kennett, and now under
the direction of Rev. Daishin Morgan.
·
These three
Buddhist centers show that there is diversity within British Buddhism because
these centers are ecumenical and generally inclusive. Multiculturalism may be
helpful to the development of Buddhism in Britain because of the role of
popularity, leading to a pluralised society where there are more followers and
a greater understanding of other traditions.
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Buddhism is a collection of
traditions with little in common |
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For |
Against |
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They both have varied views -
Theravada is a lineage whilst Mahayana is a movement. ·
The key doctrinal text of Theravadas
is the Pali Canon, written in Pali. Meanwhile, Mahayanas accept sutras; these
texts were written in Sanskrit. ·
Theravadas solely worship the Buddha
and focuses on the arhat goal, whereas Mahayanas focus on the Buddha-nature,
and becoming a Bodhisattva. |
·
There has been no historical
antagonism between sects; i.e. the 1996 Theravada nun re-ordination took
place at a Mahayana ceremony. ·
The core teachings of the Buddha
have remained the same, although delivered in a different way to accommodate
changing contexts. ·
Bodhi (enlightenment) will produce
the same understanding of ultimate reality in both sects. |
·
One Buddhist
response to pluralisation is from Ashoka, an Indian emperor of the Maurya
Dynasty. He ruled almost all of the Indian subcontinent from C.268 to his death
(232 BCE). In about 260 BCE, Ashoka waged a destructive war against the state
of Kalinga. He converted to Buddhism after he witnessed and ordered over
200,000 deaths. He changed his policies to reflect the dharma – e.g. teaching
ahimsa, and converting his palace to vegetarianism – becoming a peaceful ruler.
·
Ashoka
created edict pillars (laws inscribed on rocks), distributed throughout his
kingdom. In his 12th Edict, Ashoka suggests that all religions are
equally worthy of respect. He hopes for “growth in the essentials of all
religions”: in this, he appears to be suggesting that all religions have a
common value – to practice right speech. It is harmful to boast that one's
religion is better – contact (between religions) is a good thing. Ashoka says
that if any criticisms are raised, it should be discussed “in a mild way.” He
wanted all religions to learn the doctrines of others, thus highlighting
support for a pluralised view of Buddhism.
·
However,
this differs from the response of Nichiren Buddhism, a branch of Mahayana
Buddhism based on C13th teachings of the Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222-1282) –
it is one of the “Kamakura Buddhism” schools. Nichiren Buddhism focuses on the
Lotus Sutra doctrine, that all people have an innate Buddha-nature. The Lotus
Sutra is the only valid text, containing the “Latter Day of the Law.” Nichiren
Buddhism views itself as the only correct tradition, referring to the Lotus
Sutra as a “supremely authoritative scripture.” Those religions which do not
follow this contribute to the age of “mappo” - the eschatological definition of
the “end times”.
·
Therefore,
this branch rejects pluralisation because those who don't believe in the
authority of the Lotus Sutra are scapegoated as responsible for the evils and
sufferings in the world today. We should even consider that Nichiren is very
unpopular with other Buddhists, often disparaging rival Buddhist views, warning
others that they'd go to hell. Nichiren rebuked the rulers of Japan for
allowing rival Buddhist sects to engage in “erroneous thinking.” He was also
exiled twice by the government (some of his disciples even executed), refusing
to compromise.
·
The Dalai
Lama and Freedom: he advocates democracy as a positive system of government. He
encourages people to campaign for the freedom of Tibet, allowing Tibetan
religious believers to freely practise their religion
outside of communist rule. He suggests that, regardless of “whether we are rich
or poor, educated or uneducated … each of us is just a human being like
everyone else.” He concludes that it is human nature to avoid suffering and
seek happiness; thus, if people want to seek happiness through religious
expression, they should have the right to.
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Buddhism and the support of
diversity between religions |
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For |
Against |
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The Buddha is not a divine figure;
he found the truth of the dharma and shared it with others – he views other
religions as discovering other parts of truth, but not all ·
Buddhism is not seen as an absolute
doctrine; it is a spiritual journey ·
Buddhism is peaceful and there is no
animosity between believers and other religions ·
Buddhism wouldn't have grown popular
without multiculturalism, pluralism and globalisation – the existence of the
religion in the West today is down to growing acceptance of other viewpoints ·
It is possible to be
secular-Buddhist and part of another faith ·
Ashoka's 12th Edict |
·
The Buddha's teachings reject some
religious ideas outright – many other religions encourage attachment and
craving ·
Contradicting doctrines with other
religions: i.e. rebirth vs heaven ·
Buddhism may view itself as having
the most direct path to enlightenment – more dominant than other religions ·
Pluralisation has damaged Buddhism –
Brazier rejects Batchelor's idea that Buddhism is a philosophy, not a
religion ·
Nichiren Buddhism teaches that the
authority of the Lotus Sutra takes precedence over other religious beliefs –
diversity between religions is contributing to mappo |
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Buddhism and the support of
diversity between traditions in Buddhism |
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For |
Against |
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Ashoka's 12th Edict ·
The Buddha taught respect for others
and peace – preventing conflict between traditions ·
The Dalai Lama promotes religious
freedom and democracy – he campaigns for the freedom of Tibet and for human
happiness in today's world ·
London Buddhist center is ecumenical |
·
Nichiren Buddhism teaches that the
authority of the Lotus Sutra takes precedence over other religious beliefs –
diversity between traditions is contributing to mappo ·
Some sects view themselves as
greater ·
Contradictory teachings between
traditions |
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