Monday, July 23, 2007

Question on Buddism and Human Rights

Dear All, Prof. Andy Ahmed, Venerable Ka and Stan Starygin

After I had learned about the relationship between Buddhism and Human Rights, I also have some questions related to this lessons. My questions as below:

1. If one man stole or kill someone for property and then he bring these wealthy to support his family or share to other poor people. So, in this case, does the man act right or wrong? And when he died, could he reborn again in the next life?

2. When the human beings meditate for the whole life, should he/she become a Buddha? And if not, how long they can be a Buddha?

Thanks.

3 comments:

Seka said...

hi kanha,

I just want to share some ideas according to what I have learned about legal right and right thing to do and what I have known. If it is not right please corret me prof. Stan, prof. Andy and Ven. Ka.

For question 1, I think if the man steals other property, he and his family as well as other poor people who get share and benefits on that property will think he has performed the right thing or in other word they will think it is the right thing to do to steal others property because as his family is poor and nothing to eat so he has to steal to feed his family and share to other poor people, but steal others property is aganist the law and it also aganist the legal right, so by law he must get punishment. in addition, to kill somebody is absolutely wrong because a man kill somebody life to get money to feed their family mean he wants to live and want his family live but he should think that other people want to live as well; therefore, I think it also against the legal right and not the right thing to do too. Also, according to buddhist stated that people should not steal or kill others.

As a result, I think he will get punish from the law and he will not go to heaven and even he has to born in next life to pay for everything he has done in his previous life to people he killed or stole their property.

Prof. Andy said...

"1. If one man stole or kill someone for property and then he bring these wealthy to support his family or share to other poor people. So, in this case, does the man act right or wrong? And when he died, could he reborn again in the next life?"

This is not so rare in Cambodia!

The Buddha's teachings are quite clear actually. If the money you give to the poor or even to a pagoda or to build a school is money that has been gained through theft, corruption, murder or any immoral means, the good act does not cancel out the bad act. The person must experience the consequence of their evil actions and that might mean being reborn in a hell. After that, due to his generous actions he would experience a good rebirth, but even so, if he gave donations because he felt guilty and not from a kind heart,the merit would be much less.

"2. When the human beings meditate for the whole life, should he/she become a Buddha? And if not, how long they can be a Buddha?"

Not a Buddha, but they can become an arhat/arahant. This means an enlightened person, a person who stays in a state of perfect inner peace and happiness. In order to achieve this the person needs to apply the benefits of mediation in active life - in other words live a life of compassion and kindness to others.

Most Theravadan Buddhists would say that in fact in modern times it is very difficult and rare to become enlightened - maybe only a few every hundred years. However, even if a person doesn't reach enlightenment, if they apply the Buddha's teachings they will experience far more peace and happiness in this life and the next than if they never tried.

men ka said...

Hi Seka and Kanha,
Bad and Good can not be mixed. We can not say I steal from this guy to help the others. Let say for the present day and if such a case happen. That guy is elligal and he must be in jail because he steal others'properties. It is the same thing as in the Buddha's teaching. When one does something bad they must receive bad effect. Stealing others'properties is against the second precept of the five. That person will be reborn because his action now produce the result because life is cycle.

Regarding to the good deed he or she have done by taking other property to give other or to fead the family. For us we might think it is good but in Buddha's teaching was clearly mentioned that those actions were not the merit actions. If they want to do good things, they have many ways to do that but not this way. Doing that may be pleased by those who receive the profit only and if everyone think it is good to do so what the country will be like.
According to the Buddha's teaching, that person will be reborn in a miserable state becasue of the action they did and it produces no good result at all.

Thanks,

For the second question it was good but it not such a easy to be the Buddha just meditate for the whole life.
Sitting meditation is one of the good thing to control your mind and to become the Buddha, one must save Billions years of good deed. He must develop the thirty perfections for many aeons, (world life time). I just take one example directly to Guatama Buddha. Before he became the Buddha, he must have said that " I want to be the Buddha" for many aeons and than giving charity for thousands aeons and also develop wisdom for another thousands aeons.
So you see it is very very hard to be the Buddha. It is not easy. But it does not mean that we can not became the Buddha because the Buddha said every human has the Buddha nature. But the thing is whether we are able to commit ourselves to be the Buddha and save alot of good deeds for thousands aeons or what.

Ka