Model Essay: Examine Buddhist views of wealth.

 

1. Examine Buddhist views of wealth. [10 marks - AQA]

Plan:

·        Wealth is not an inherently bad thing, but can lead to craving which is bad.

·        Wealth is useful as it helps us to practise generosity (Mahayana)

·        Wealth should be used properly – Ven Payatto (right consumption)

·        Right livelihood as a part of sila can be related to wealth.

The view of wealth within Buddhism depends on a variety of factors, but perhaps most importantly, on one’s ordination status. The Buddha set up the sangha after gaining enlightenment, and taught that realising nirvana would only be possible for those who renounced their lives to become ascetics. Part of the renunciation involves giving up one’s former name, status and previous possessions, this is based on the Buddha’s own experience of renouncing his throne as the prince of the Shakya clan in order to pursue the end of dukkha. The Buddha offered clear teachings on wealth to monastics: monks and nuns are forbidden from having their own possessions beyond their robe and begging bowl, and their reliance on alms signifies this. Furthermore, monks and nuns are not even aloud to touch money, and would not accept monetary donations from the laity. This is because owning property and amassing wealth leads to inevitable craving, which causes suffering and dissatisfaction with one’s life. Further dukkha is also caused by any loss of wealth, and anxieties about money. The ultimate goal of Buddhism (nirvana, enlightenment) requires total non-attachment, so for monks and nuns, wealth is seen as vice that must be given up.

However, it could be argued that this view of wealth has developed somewhat in the 21^st Century. A good example is the Wat Phra Dhammakaya movement in Thailand, where monetary donations are accepted to advance the life of the sangha and help others. Other modern movements, such as Triratna Buddhism (the largest Buddhist centre of this kind being based in London) also handle money and may have business-aspects to their daily life. This shows that that Buddha’s teachings on wealth do not apply to all sangha. The laity within Buddhism are also not forbidden from amassing wealth, unlike other world religions (for example, the Bible suggests that “money is the root of all evil” and Jesus instructed his followers to practice radical and voluntary poverty). Wealth is in fact seen as a good thing for lay people, provided it is used with kusala (selfless) intentions. Those who do have wealth are in a privileged position of sharing it with others, and gaining good karmic consequences as a result. This is particularly important for Mahayana Buddhists, who are required to practice both karuna (compassion) and generosity via the 6 perfections for moral behaviour.

Ven. Payatto has commented that Buddhists should be mindful of how they use their money, particularly within the trappings of a capitalist society. He suggests that “right consumption” is important in today’s world, and that Buddhists should avoid businesses and lifestyles that lead to the suffering of others. Buddhists are likely to therefore support Fair Trade and often boycott businesses related to human and animal suffering, such as butchery and fur. There are also actions within sila that help guide Buddhists on how to use their wealth: right intention and right livelihood show that wealth should be used to help others and not just privilege oneself (this would be an akusala intention which would lead to bad karma, delaying the acquisition of nirvana). Therefore, those lay people who are allowed to save up their wealth must still use their money morally.

 

 

 

 

Buddhism and the challenges of secularisation: Modern Buddhist movements

 

·        The Thai Forest Tradition (Peter Harvey) originated in the 1900s; it attempts to uphold a traditional form of Buddhism, closely related to the dharma and lifestyle the Buddha lived. The tradition began with two Dhammayut monks who wandered the Thai countryside out of their desire to practice monasticism according to the standard of classical Buddhism. In the daily life of monastics, followers reach a true understanding of meditative techniques and how to eradicate defilements (“kilesas”) in order to attain awakening (nirvana). The tradition has an anti-textual stance because Forest teachers prefer to apply Buddhist practices on the go, rather than always comparing. They strictly observe the Vinaya. This differs from the traditional Thai sangha: some focus on chanting and ceremonies; some focus on study and intellectual pursuits; or on practice and healing; the difference depends on how well the Vinaya is upheld.

 

·        The Amaravati Movement was established in the 1980s, inspired by the Thai Forest Tradition. The purpose of the movement is to provide a place of practice for monastics, free from all mental suffering. It provides the opportunity for guests and visitors to develop mindfulness, to explore spiritual teachings, and to contribute to the life of the community. In Britain, the Sangha is located at the Eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in South-East England. The structure of the Sangha is that there are usually between 20-30 monks and nuns in residence. The community also has angarikas, who wear white, observe the 8 precepts, and who have made commitments to train for at least a year. In the daily life of the Sangha, the day begins/ends with silent contemplation together, and there is some time for individual practice. They seek to uphold traditional Buddhist values by its reliance on offerings of food from the laity.

 

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·        Socially Engaged Buddhism is a movement that offers a contemporary re-interpretation of the dharma to reflect societal issues. It focuses on structural shifts in the economic life, I.T. and geopolitics of the early C20th. The movement originates from Classical Buddhism: both the Theravada Pali Canon and the extracanonical material (I.e. Lotus Sutra) contain teachings about social service to others. The sangha is upheld as an example of social action, and a paragon of equality. In Third Century BCE, Emperor Ashoka was converted to Buddhism and used teachings to create a peaceful social policy (e.g. 12^th Edict).

·        The 5 Moral Precepts are re-interpreted. The precept of taking what is not given is interpreted in terms of economic justice for workers and developing countries. The precept of sexual misconduct concerns the global exploitation of women by male hierarchies, as well as the global traffic in pornography. The precept of abstaining from substances that cloud the mind has led Sivaraksa (a famous Socially Engaged Buddhist) to consider the economic addiction of third world farmers to the production of heroin, coco, tobacco, as well as products that cloud the mind, for "in Buddhism, a clear mind is a precious gem" (1993).

·        An example of Socially Engaged Buddhism is Environmentalism (e.g. protecting trees from deforestation): Macy suggests that, due to teachings regarding Samsara as the place where sentient beings are reborn/suffer, Buddhists have an obligation to care for the environment. Another example is the Anti-Vietnam war movement: Thich Nhat Hanh founded peace-oriented educational and religious institutions during the war, led anti-war protests, published books, and lobbied internationally. In 1963, photographs of a burning monk on a Saigon street appeared in media.

·        Social liberation is a movement seeking equal rights and status for a group; liberationists are those who seek liberation through disestablishment of the structures of society (removing things that are unfair). This is an example of Socially Engaged Buddhism because: they fight against exploitation and oppression; they fight for equality of the sexes and nations; the Anti-Vietnam war is an example of how they seem to liberate people from militant force.

 

Buddhism and the challenges of secularisation: Is Buddhism a religion? Batchelor Vs Brazier

 

Buddhism and the Challenges of Secularisation

·        Society in Britain has become increasingly secular (not associated with faith) – fewer people worship or claim to have beliefs; the Church in Britain/religious institutions have less say over people’s lives. Secularisation has roots in the Enlightenment, as people began to accept scientific rationalism/empiricism rather than religion.

·        One challenge to religion is that moral truths and values have been replaced (for British Buddhists, with science and rationalism). If people feel that they already have answers to ultimate questions, they are less likely to turn to religion. Buddhism relies on belief in the supernatural but science is based in evidence. The view of Humanism suggests people can live good lives without religious belief.

·        Another challenge is that religion has been relegated to the personal sphere. In 1555, it was agreed that the English King could decide on the religion of his whole state; in 1648, it was decreed that if one’s religion was different to the state religion you could practice it in private. In today’s society, British people have a right to decide if they want to belong to a religion.

·        Religion has become consumeristic: people choose to follow it based on personal benefits.

·        A final challenge of secularization on religion is the rise of militant atheism. They are very hostile to religion and see it as something that they must fight against. It is irrational to believe in supernatural religious claims. Richard Dawkins views religious claims as equivalent to a belief in fairies or Santa. They blame religion for wars and for making humanity believe the ridiculous.

·        A new form of Buddhism is Triratna Buddhism. Established in the UK in 1967, it considers contemporary ideals. It is not identified with any particular strand or school of Buddhism; there is an underlying unity to all schools (hence, it is ecumenical). The aims of the movement include: upholding traditional practices such as meditation (samatha), and the “metta bhavana,” translated from Pali as “the cultivation of loving kindness.” It fits with modern society because it considers contemporary ideas including Western philosophy, psychotherapy and art. More than 100 groups worldwide are affiliated with the community. The London Buddhist Centre helps the local community by hosting activities such as drop-in lunchtime meditation centers, and it runs addiction counselling and yoga. Someone who regularly attends community activities is considered to be a “friend” (who can be of any faith), whereas a “mitra” is a “friend” (in Sanskrit) who considers themselves Buddhist. Those who wish to join the order must request this in writing: they therefore show a welcoming attitude to people of other faiths.

·        Another form of Buddhism is Secular Buddhism. The 14^th Dalai Lama says, “Do not try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a Buddhist, use it to be a better whatever-you-already-are.” Secular Buddhism focuses on discovering personal truths and using Eastern Buddhist practices to help those living in Western societies. Focused mostly on meditation, stress reduction, mindfulness. It is not seen as a religion, but as a philosophy. Noah Rasheta (a Secular Buddhist scholar) says that Buddhist teachings are something we DO; the implication is important because believers should focus on themselves. Thich Nhat Hanh says, “The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.”

·        Stephen Batchelor is a supporter of Secular Buddhism – he disrobed from the Sangha in 1985 after becoming disillusioned with the supernatural aspects of Buddhism. He considers Buddhism as a constantly evolving culture of awakening. He rejects karma and rebirth because it is not intrinsic to the Buddha’s teachings. He says in “Buddhism without Beliefs” that the Buddha was not a mystic but a man who challenged us to acknowledge and then overcome anguish. Buddhism has survived for the past 2500 years as it is capable of adapting and reinventing itself. Batchelor argues that the 4NT are not something to have a belief in; instead, they are the 4 tasks which were lost over time as mystical and supernatural aspects became more of a priority. “Dharma practice” suggests a course of action; they are “challenges to act.” We should treat the 4NT as injunctions to act upon “before habitual reactions incapacitate us.”

·        For Batchelor, Buddhism becomes about action, rather than supernatural spiritual beliefs. He advises people to take from Buddhism what works and use that. It is important to see the value in mythic material in Buddhism (such as the story of the Buddha’s upbringing and seeing the Four Sights) without taking these ideas as history. Myths are valuable as they allow people to imaginatively engage with the dharma.

·        Meanwhile, David Brazier is a Cyprus-born Buddhist follower. Despite practicing a mix of Zen and Pureland (Mahayana) Buddhism, he refers to himself only as "a Buddhist." He is the founder of Buddhist spiritual community Amida Shu, which focuses on perfecting a consciousness of spiritual love and truth – Amida is a spiritual presence that binds people together. He rejects secular Buddhism.

·        In his work “The New Buddhism” - a more active, compassionate manifesto - asserts that the Buddha was a radical critic of society, and that his vision of a new social order transcended racial and economic divisions. Brazier takes a new look at the many aspects of Buddhism and re-interprets them in light of the Buddha’s social aims. He clearly states that Buddhism should be – and originally was – about engagement with the world. In “Buddhism is a Religion: You Can Believe It,” Brazier warns that we are in danger of gravely misunderstanding the Buddha when we overlook the metaphysical, religious foundations of his teachings.

 

 

 

 

SUMMARY: Batchelor vs Brazier
Reasons why Batchelor says Buddhism is secular	Reasons why Brazier says Buddhism is a religion
·        Buddhism should be about “belief that” we should do something practical rather than “belief in” spiritual doctrines. ·        The practical thing that we should strive for is the ending of suffering, which is key in Secular Buddhism – this is shown by his view that the 4 Noble Truths were originally meant to be seen as 4 tasks which people must do to overcome suffering in their lives. ·        He removes the supernatural parts of the religion, seeing them as stemming from the context of the time rather than the Buddha himself. ·        Buddhism is also an evolving tradition, so in his view it is completely acceptable to evolve to be non-supernatural in the C21st. ·        His book, “Buddhism without beliefs”, argues that Buddhism is a moral philosophy, not a religion. ·        He still upholds some practices, such as meditation and mindfulness, for their practical benefits, however he does not see this as being connected to supernatural experiences.	·        Buddhism is a religion, and to get rid of spiritual aspects is to remove its “heart”. ·        Brazier views the texts of Buddhism to contain true doctrines that one should have “belief in”. ·        His book “Buddhism is a religion: you can believe it!” counters the view of Secular Buddhism that Buddhism is not a religion. ·        However, he argues that Buddhism should still be focused on practical action – he is an Engaged Buddhist, and believes that it is possible to care for the world and strive to end suffering whilst simultaneously believing in the supernatural aspects of Buddhism. ·        He is a member of the Mahayana tradition.