Dhiravamsa

The role of religions in present globalizated world

First of all, I would like to quote the Buddha's message from the Well-Known Buddhist Text, Dhammapada:

Many people in their fear
Betake themselves for a refuge
To hills, woods, gardens
Sacred trees, and shrines.

Such a refuge is not secure,
Such a refuge is not supreme.
To such a refuge should one go,
One is not released from all suffering.

He who takes refuge in the
Awakening Nature within,
In the Light of Consciousness, and in the
Harmoniously Minded Community Across the Globe,
Sees in deep wisdom the Noble Truths involving
Suffering, the Cause of Suffering, the Ending of
Suffering, and the Noble Path that leads to the
Ending of all Suffering.

Such indeed is a secure refuge,
Such indeed is a supreme refuge.
To such a refuge should one go,
One is released from all suffering .

Fear is one of the central issues in human existence regardless of culture, religion, and race. Out of fear we make war and kill one another throughout our human history. Dominated and threatened by fear we project all probable bad, dangerous, and even destructive things and/or situations to happen to ourselves, to our communities, to our societies, to our nations, and to the world at large. So, under the influence of fear there can be no peace, no harmony, and no freedom in living and existing in this planet, Earth. Now, turning to our human internal situations we see that fear is not operating alone, but is teaming up with several other factors such as hate, greed, vulnerability, control, protectionism, power hunger, and ambition to rule or dominate. For this reason, we witness many merciless killings, not only of the so-called enemies of the parties concerned but of the innocent people in our present world such as in the middle east as well as in the other part of the globe. It is an extremely sad situation, to say the least.

Actually, race, organized religions, obsessive belief systems, and barbarism in themselves are of little significance in causing troubles, suffering, and hunger in our world today, but the unacceptable, rejected, and disowned energy systems within each of us, technically known in depths psychology as " shadow " plays an active and powerful role in shaping up the vicious circle in our human life. We project our shadow onto the people out there, the external situations, and those who hold opposite views, be they political, religious, cultural, or spiritual. Very often, parents throw their shadow upon their children, teachers project their shadow onto their pupils/students, priests or monks project their shadow onto younger priests/monks and/or to the young followers, and the gurus project their shadow onto disciples, etc. To state in brief, because of the absence of awareness we all project our shadow onto one another, which results in conflict, pain, and suffering in our existence, in our relationships, and in the world in which we live.

If we neither bring the shadow to our awareness nor allow its honorable expression, at the other side of equilibrium something always happens. In the first place, let us examine the medieval consciousness . We see that the medieval society was practically ruled by patriarchal values that are known through presenting only one face (one-sided society). Even the Church took part in the shadow politics. Existed a mentality of fortress and armaments, all the cities were walled in, taking possessions by forces, the feminine was regarded as the male privilege, and the cities were in perpetual state of seize. This was the one-sidedness of the medieval consciousness in which the shadow was deeply buried and therefore, turned into something very dangerous both for the society and its members. But at present we, the modern people, project our shadow onto convenient places such as the cinema industry, the fashion, and the novels. By projecting our own darkness onto something out there, we stop short of being our complete personalities. It gives the feeling that there exist entire businesses dedicated to containing the shadow for us. That is due to the fact that the projection is always easier than assimilation. In reality, the projection in itself is not so bad, but the important thing is our relationship to it.

When we are capable of relating ourselves to our shadow, we gradually assimilate it, transforming it, and integrating it into the totality of our personalities. In this way, we can achieve the wholeness again. When we make the others manifest our shadow the dark page of the human history begins. We see that men put their shadow on women, the white on the black, the Catholics on the Protestants, the capitalists on the communists, the conservatives on the socialists, the Muslims on the Hindus or Christians, the Palestinians on the Jews, etc. Not only the medieval and primitive man tries to manage his shadow by projecting it onto his enemy, but also the majority of us, modern people, in the present world try to do just the same. But we cannot follow this dangerous process since the evolution of consciousness demands us to integrate the shadow in such a way that we are capable of creating a new order of consciousness as well as an authentic new age .

When the parents project their shadow onto their children, the worst occurs. The reason being that if a parent projects his/her shadow onto a small child, it splits the child's personality and puts the ego-shadow warfare in motion. In our modern world a lot of people, before being able to really be persons and starting their true adult lives, dedicate a great number of time, energy, and money to clean out the shadows that their parents throw upon them. Therefore, the best gift that a parent can give to his/her child is to take their shadow back.

There would be a question if it is possible to reject the shadow projection from the other person. Yes, there is a possibility, if one has one's own shadow reasonably vigilant or under conscious control. To reject other shadow, you must not turn away, but stay firmly grounded in yourself just like the bullfighter lets the bull pass. On the contrary, in projecting our shadow onto something or someone we eliminate an essential ingredient of our psychology. We need to communicate with this dark side of our own development, and it doesn't serve any purpose to pass it on to the other person, trying to locate these undesirable and embarrassed feelings somewhere else. In connection with reconciling those two parts of self--- the shadow and the personal power (empowerment) --- William Blake says that we go to heaven for form and to hell for energy. That is because the shadow contains a great deal of energy that we can draw out when we are able to connect with it through the practice of Insight Meditation or impeccable , non-attached awareness . The highest form of creativity is achieved when we can face our internal heaven and hell.

The other way of dealing with the shadow projection is to step back from the arrows and darts of the other people. Regarding this respect there is an incredible story, which demonstrates what happens when we step back and do nothing more than just letting the projection follow its course. A Japanese young woman of a small fishing village became pregnant while still living in her parents' home. All the villagers pressured her to tell them the name of the baby's father, and to take the renegade. After lots of screaming and shouting she finally confessed: "It's the monk!" The villagers went to confront the simple monk and reproached him with all their anger. He simply said: "Is that so?" For many months the people treated this simple monk very badly. Then, a young chap who left the village for quite some time, returned and asked to marry the girl. He was the child's father! The girl invented the story to protect him. All the villagers went to the monk and asked for forgiveness. "Is that so?" Said he. The story demonstrates the power of waiting, while the others do their shadow homework.

In an approach to the globalization, the act of making global such a thing as an economical issue, is, to a great extent, a welcoming idea since such an action will bring about a greater benefit to humankind in all parts of the globe. Nevertheless, there will be some problems concerning the poor and the unskilled labor forces since they may not be able to compete vigorously as those who are well trained in labor and properly educated in technology, can do. For this reason, there is a voice of a genuine concern that the poor will get poorer, and that the rich will get richer. Although without the globalization, the fact of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, is quite observable everywhere in the world. This is because of the issue of competition, and in addition, the issue of widespread corruption almost in every field of businesses and at various hierarchies. This problem of corruption is a metaproblem for humanity, which needs to be addressed in all possible strong terms so that some individual and social justice may be obtained. Without eliminating, or at least taking control over the metaproblem of corruption, there will be no fairness, let alone justice, either for individuals or for society. Therefore, it (corruption) remains a central and chronic issue, lingering on and on for the majority across the globe.

Now, let us consider what role religions can play regarding this matter of globalization and certain problems caused by it. As we all know, fear is a very universal, basic issue in our human psyche, which we must take into serious consideration so as to enable us help those who are threatened by it, able to cope with this matter of fear adequately. In the spiritual sense, fear comes into play on human life, on one hand, because of ignorance , the absence of inner knowing or awareness of what is going to happen, on the other hand, because of attachment to survival or to existence itself. In order to ease this kind of fear, the basic needs for safety, human warmth, and a sense of connectedness must be fulfilled. On this matter the religions can play a very active role in assisting people to achieve such a feeling of inner protection and inner security so that they can go on doing their work and carrying out their businesses with more sense of safety in the world and confidence in life. In the competitive world most of people confront with a new problem of loneliness since the pressures of life and the constant demands for getting things done and having the needs met, become more and more predominant so that people don't have time for others, even sufficient time for their children and family. They end up being alone among the strangers, so to speak, and therefore the feeling of loneliness overcomes them. Certainly, this kind of loneliness results from the lack of human warmth and of the feeling of connection with all others around them.

Practically speaking, various religions may set up a meeting place, a temple or church where people can meet for worship, associate with one another, make friends or at least get to know each other. In this way, the opportunities are open for them to discuss the issues that concern them either individually or collectively, and through friendly discussions or general conversations people will feel more connected, and therefore not so alone in this uncertain and rapidly changing world. In addition, they may be able to exchange human warmth, the sweet medicine, needed for healing human loneliness, a major dis-ease at our present globalized world.

In this connection, I would like to mention some of the things we, Buddhists, do by providing the opportunities for our people who live abroad, far away from home. We send the monks out to live in certain large cities and to render their services as well as to be available for the people to have a meaningful contact with. As a matter of fact, the monks do not confine themselves to helping only the Buddhists and the people from their countries, but extend their services as preachers and spiritual consultants to all those interested in their spiritual activities and/or needing help and assistance regarding human warmth and inner security. This kind of role the Buddhist monks play has been greatly helpful all over the world such as in United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, to mention just a few.

Now, let us look into some activities being carried out by the Buddhist monks. Firstly, they just make themselves available for their people to come and have a chat with them, to ask for advice on certain emotional and spiritual issues, or to simply be present for people of all walks of life regardless of nationalities, colors, and belief systems. A monk or to be more specific the robe that he wears, symbolizes a spiritual refuge or the flag of an "Enlightened and Liberated Noble Person" as we say it in Buddhism. This significant symbolism helps those who just happen to have a glimpse of, or a glance at, it (the monk's robe) and the monk himself who manifests a serene and calm faculty, emanating loving-kindness, compassion, and human warmth. For this reason, the Buddha, after having accomplished his Full Enlightenment and Total Liberation, set out to be seen by the world, and then dispatched his enlightened monks to render their services for the welfare, for the happiness, and for the spiritual assistance to the many without discrimination, out of compassion for the world at large.

Secondly, the monks open classes on meditation and the study of the Dharma (the Buddha's teachings) so that those interested in going deeper in their spiritual growth and self-development can have the opportunity to do so. In addition, they give public lectures here and there, either organized by their Temples or invited by educational institutions and varying spiritual groups that are eager to learn about the Buddha's Way. So, the sharing of the warm and loving energy, which we technically call "Spiritual Energy," together with pointing out the middle path (the path of wisdom and love) go extensively hand in hand so that the greater benefit can be obtained by the people. This is a very effective way and means we the Buddhists provide both within our own countries and across the globe at present since we realize that the spiritual or inner stability within the individuals as well as the collective mental strength and the harmonious living within the community are needed for people's health and well being. Such fulfilled basic needs will enable them to meet with the globalized world positively and healthily.

Thirdly, to bring about some kind of traditionally oriented spiritual fulfillment they arrange the Buddhist Festivals on the auspicious occasions relating to some important events connected with the Buddha. For example, the Buddha Day on which three main events took place to him: They are his Birth, his Total Enlightenment , and his Passing Away , which all fall on the Full Moon Day of May, although each event took place separately on the different number of years. He was born into human life on the full moon day of May; thirty-five years later he achieved the total liberation and full enlightenment on the full moon day of May again, and finally after forty-five years of his compassionate mission for humanity he passed away on that very full moon day of May. It seems that he has chosen as his Day the first month of rainy season, which nourishes the earth and plants in addition to giving pleasantness and vitality to human life. The day on which the moon is full seems to suggest that a clear and awakening energy from the moon strengthens the similar and related energy within our human consciousness.

The other Buddhist Day is involved with the First Sermon that he delivered to the five ascetics who were ripe for receiving his Message of Truth and for becoming the witnesses of his full enlightenment through their own experiential realizations by listening to his flawless, right to the point exposition on the middle path, which they had not heard of before. Some other significant Buddhist Days refer to the commencing day of Lent, and the day on which one thousand two hundred fifty monks gathered together spontaneously, without any arrangements or invitations and therefore, the Buddha seized the opportunity to lay out his principal teachings and to express his deep appreciation for their compassionate, tireless mission for humanity. All of those days including our National Day and New Year Day are celebrated in the spirit of peace, harmony, and human love for one another, which helps our people find a sense of belonging and connectedness so that the feeling of loneliness and emotional deprivation can be healed or dealt with more easily.

Fourthly, individual monks act as natural counselors on the emotional matters and inner conflict within the individuals, in their family, and in the community. This is due to the fact that our people look to the monks as those who are wise, compassionate, warm, and well trained in the Dharma, who can help them find a real solution to their problems and therefore, guide them in the right direction. This kind of service is free of charge since the monks do not earn a living, but their lives depend on the people's generous support, which is really an inter-dependent existence. In this globalized world where people's lives weigh a great deal of pressures and are phenomenally stressful it has become quite evident that the counseling service is absolutely essential. It could even be better if the monks are properly trained in some psychological techniques and in modern therapeutic methods in addition to their religious education and spiritual training. This is because, apart from their insights and human warmth, they can be fully equipped with such psychological knowledge and useful techniques for helping the people solve their difficulties more effectively. In order to achieve this goal, all the organized religions should set up a special course, or a particular college for such training both at the academic level and at the experiential level. In so doing, we will be able to produce a great number of qualified monks for the counseling service.

Let us now turn to the issue of Human Rights. Being born humans we are all given various rights such as the right to live, the right to protect ourselves with a certain measure of security, the right to believe or not to believe in any religions with all, or partial, dogmatic assertions held by such religions, the right to embrace any political ideologies, the right to express freedom of speech, the right to enjoy an individual freedom, and so forth. A person or persons can justifiably claim all those rights since they are natural and also confirmed by both the universal and man-made laws.

Since most people do not know many of their human rights due to the lack of education and information, the religious organizations should educate them while preaching their doctrine and carrying out the community activities. This is not a political issue, but the public education on human rights is the matter of human interest for humanity, and we religious and spiritual leaders who are close to people of all walks of life should be able to do this very effectively. Keeping this in mind the monks or priests should be fully endowed with the knowledge and up-to-date information on the subject of human rights so that they can educate and help the people efficiently.

The other thing we can easily do is to cooperate with the United Nations Human Rights Commission, which have the direct responsibility for, and keep their keen eyes on, this issue of human rights across the globe. In this connection, we the religious organizations must become globally minded and have open hearts for all kinds of people so as to enable us to work not only for our religious followers, but also for all humankind without any discrimination. As the world is becoming globalized, all the organized religions and spiritual institutions should also become globalized eliminating and transcending our narrow-mindedness and specific interest for our own religions, our own institutions, and our own groups. Although we may act locally, but our thoughts and hearts are global, which signifies that we open our arms for embracing all humanity using our particular religious organizations as the ways and means for liberating humankind from suffering, social injustice, and hunger not only for foods, but also for spiritual realities.

As we are aware, this issue of Human Rights is rather complicated and not easy to solve. The main reason being that there are different political systems with their distinct ideologies and their leaders become so egocentric and care only for their own power and political ideologies that the human rights are neglected and not respected. Particularly, those who oppose the governments' policies and programs can be easily put in jail or even killed with no mercy, which is a kind of barbarism in a civilized world. Due to this power hunger and aggression the people's rights are undermined and oppressed in many parts of the world, and as a result, the innocent people and those patriots who really care for well-being and interest of their countries and their people suffer tremendously and therefore, their human rights, or even their own lives are at great risks, let alone safe.

With awareness of all those above-mentioned facts, apart writing about such situations either in form of book or in newspapers and magazines, or discussing them on news media and among various groups that care for human rights, we can do one more essential thing. That is to say, we all can send out loving, healing energy and good thoughts to those who are oppressed and cut off from their human rights and in the same token to those oppressors and dictators, wishing them all well, happy, and free from all kinds of oppression, and equally wishing them (oppressors/dictators) more intelligent, caring, and compassionate for others under their power. This form of meditation or prayer can be done either individually or in a group (groups) all over the world so that our planet, Earth, may increasingly gather such warm, loving, and healing energy for helping both sides of the spectrum to gain a transformation. This contribution can be highly effective since we humans are exceedingly powerful and such a tool of the meditation or prayer is the most, (although invisible,) commanding one.

In conclusion, it all comes down to the truth that we all must take refuge in our Awakening Nature Within , in the Light of Consciousness , and in the Harmoniously Minded and More Enlightened People Across the Globe because such refuge is secure , and it is supreme . This means that we must take full charge of ourselves, be creatively present for others, and help one another build up a World Family with unconditional love in our hearts, mutual understanding in our minds, and peace in all our being.