--- Ong Yong Peng <pali.smith@...> skrev:

> The brutal treatment of its people by the Myanmar
> government does not
> befit good old Asian traditions. Asian culture balks
> at tyranny.

Well well well - Buddhist culture does, but Asian
culture in general? I think the history of Asia is
much more complicated than that; despotism can be
found there as well as in other continents. (Many
Europeans, blind for the failings of their own region,
have thought it even an Asian specialty and talken
about "Oriental Despotism".)

> Myanmar is a Buddhist country.

That is a matter of definitions. I don't think there
are, or have ever been, any Buddhist countries, only
Buddhist persons.

> The model of good
> Buddhist rulers lies
> in the concept of the "universal monarch" or
> "wheel-turning monarch"
> (raajaa cakkavatti). He is the benevolent ruler who
> governs with
> righteousness, and peacefully unites the world under
> a reign of
> universal justice and prosperity. He rules with
> virtues and kindness,
> not violence and fear. In fact, poverty, ill-will,
> violence, and
> wrongdoings do not exist in his domain.

This is true about the cakkavatti as a theoretical
model to be strived at. Unfortunately, this idea has
throughout the history of Buddhism been linked to
actual rulers, from Asoka to Bhumibol; but as Asoka
got his power by violence, even if he minded his ways
later, he doesn't qualify as a cakkavatti; neither do
any of the actual kings or presidents in "Buddhist"
countries.

There are, however, differences of degree in evil as
well as in good, and it seems to me that the present
situation in Burma is among the worst. The only
parallell I come to think of is the regime of the Red
Khmer in Cambodia - bud Pol Pot at least didn't call
himself a Buddhist...

By the way: there has been some talk in other circles
about nominating the Burmese sangha for the Nobel
Peace Prize. There is a problem here; it is true that
the Peace Prize, unlike the other Nobel prizes, can be
given to organizations as well as to physical persons,
but the candidate in that case has to be a formal
organization, not just a loose network; and is the
Burmese sangha actually a formal organization, divided
as it is into several nikayas? Is there any formal
organization of Burmese monks that could be officially
nominated (and that stands behind the bhikkhus'
actions)?

There are also bureaucratical rules about who may
nominate (not anyone may), and how (in sealed letters,
not public newspaper articles); but let's take first
things first. Deadline for nominations is February
1:st, so they couldn't have gotten this year's prize
in any case.

Gunnar

http://metrobloggen.se/esperanto


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