Time
Dimension
We
are supposed to be the time keepers to the Buddhist world at large
but do not seem to have any idea about the concept of time and its
prudent use.
Are
we able to manage the present (moment) wisely?
Let
me state some philosophical and Abhidhamma concepts about time and
its origin and then diverge to astrophysical concepts.
"It
is now held that each series of events has its own time order, and it
is difficult to relate the one to the other since there is no
standard time"
The
Mysterious Universe
"We
cannot give what may be called absolute dates but only dates
determined by events. We cannot point to a time itself but only to
some event occurring at that time".
Bertrand
Russell
Buddha’s
Interpretation
The
knowledge of the external world
Samaye
niddisi cittam cittena samayam muni
Niyametvana
dipetum dhamme tatha pabhedato.
By
the Time the Sage described the Mind
And
the Mind he described the Time.
All
the Dhamma (mental or otherwise) classes are portrayed by an order of
such a definition envisaged in Dhamma.
First
two of the above statements refer to the external world and events in
general and only the Buddha referred to the internal working (world)
of the mind in relation to the relative concept of time.
Ceylonese
are known for poor time management and time wasting. Even the
nature's call of poor gecko (hoona) is not spared. With Avurudu (New
Year) gone by an oblique reference to mundane affairs of conventional
time and adopted time is worth pondering.
In
physics time is a concept but not something substantial like
momentum, gravity and electro-magnetism. It is concept that is vital
for referring to relationship of moving objects. If there are no
moving objects and space between them the time would become more
abstract than what it is known today.
In
Abhidhamma connotations the time can be only related to the timeless
Samsara and that is also in relation to the mind (not to the body or
perceived soul -Anathma) and its working (Anitta) in the Sansara
Cycle (Dukka-or the unsatisfactoriness) and not vice versa. Any other
relationship or relevance of time is of mundane nature.
This
is where I have to pose a question, however open ended it may look
like to our venerable monks who are advising the political forums
what right they have and what authority they have on such a mundane
(quite at variance with Buddha's teaching) affair as time and its
reference to a standard (GMT) and its practical usage?
There
is evidence to suggest that even the great civilisations of the
Incas, Mayas and Aztecs stretching back 1000 years B.C also had
invented calendar with 18 months and who can dictate that only
Sackra's have the sole authority in the modern world?
My
attempt here is partially to rectify this anomaly with some reference
to Abhidhaama Philosophy of time for an apprentice and a wayfarer of
Dhamma. True Buddhists have no problem with time and its concepts and
aeons and Kalpas but it is the modern but misguided Buddhists who
venerate some of the Vedic doctrines and driving nuts in our polity.
In
Sansaric terms time
is limitless and
it can be related
only to mind
and its working on world of phenomena guiding the Kamma
Principles
and nothing else. Its only relevance is to the Kammic energies and
their vagaries that express themselves in this world and beyond. The
celestial world has no relevance to Mind,
Kamma
and
Sansara
except it is
(whatever the worldly body one is reborn or habituate) transient
(Anatta) spacial relationship in whatever existence of Bhava
(Jathi- or Life) in the Sansara
Cycle
until it is terminated by one's own will and sustained effort by
following the eight fold path laid down by Buddha
and followed by his (eight fold) disciples.
Only
relevance of time for Buddhist
is do not waste it (time) on mundane affairs and astrology but strive
hard on following the path of deliverance.
"Appamado
Amata Padam" is a statement par excellence.
The
only way (Ekayana Magga) is meditation whether it is Samatha
or Vipassana
Bhavana.
Any
Buddhist
monk
who is propagating astrology in one form or other is one who is not
versed in Dhamma
and
misguided and wasting lot of time in the Sansara
Cycle.
The
two words that come across in Buddhist
scripture is Samaya
that is related to the working of the mind and the other is Kalo
(duration) which is denoted in reference to any event (Yuga
in Sinhala)
and is a concept as is in modern science and any other rendering is
Vedic in
origin
and has neither Buddhist relevance nor importance.
I
leave the reader to decide who is in the right tract and who is on
the wrong tract any further discussion is waste of time and diverging
from my original tenents
of the Way
Forward
as a Buddhist
in this modern world.
Violence
It
appears to me none of the religions except Buddhism
abhor the violence that include self inflicted violence. What I mean
is the suicide bombing in the name of religion or terrorist cause.
Destruction of life whether it is self or otherwise and all beings is
alien to
Buddhism.
This
is where Buddhism stand alone in high ground.
This
is where we have to define the role of a suicide bomber in the modern
society. There is no justification for the existence of similar
entity and for that matter intolerance or discrimination of any human
being for his or her origin, class, creed, religion, race, sex and
whether rich or poor.
We
are at a cross roads.
There
is alarming trend of religious fanaticism and atheistic views raising
their heads.
This
is where the Buddhist moral principles should stand erect and
relevant. They are strikingly different from all modes of other
religions where it is espoused that killing oneself for the sake of a
religion or sect (there was a similar sect-Ishihara- in Japan) is as
the supreme sacrifice and results in being born in heaven.
This
is a myth we must dispel with utmost vigour.
This
is happening in Ceylon too but for a different reason and goal.
Labile children with childhood trauma are selected and indoctrinated
to take life for a course which they themselves cannot enjoy in
return. The fallacy of this inhuman misdemeanour has to be born clear
of all religions. The religious leaders and dignitaries have failed
in their duty and the present political systems, whether
authoritarian, capitalistic, communist, religious or liberal systems
have failed to deliver any form of organisation except further
division. Devoid of human values (we may call it moral principles)
the perceived global village is collapsing.
Divine
Abode
The
four sublime states of mind described in Buddhist psychology the
loving kindness (Metta),
compassion (Karuna),
altruistic joy (Mudita) and equanimity (Upekka)
are the very essence of humanity that is lacking in the modern world.
Why
these Pali words do not have a place in Oxford or Webster's
dictionaries is an indication how the world politics are shaped up in
the current century.
There
is no English synonym for Avihimsa
(world sans violence) and that is how the
Western
Democracy
has evolved. From Romans to modern day Mandela the way of dealing
with crisis was absolute violence without recuperation. Only now
there is some form of dialogue emerging but with Western
Bias.
Instead, hate, vengeance and violence are the operating themes of the
world be that it may be terrorism or state sponsored violence
sanctioned by the UNO.
The
Suttas description of development of these supreme states is as
follows.
"
There, O monks, with mind full of loving kindness (compassion,
altruistic joy or equanimity) pervading in one direction, then a
second direction, then a third one, then the fourth one, just so
above, below and all around and everywhere identifying himself with
all, he is pervading the whole world with mind full of
loving-kindness with mind wide, developed, unbounded, free from hate
and ill-will."
Thereafter
he follows the same theme with compassion, altruistic joy and
equanimity.
It
is said that in this country there were hospitals caring for animals.
The decadence that has set in our society and world at large has to
be reversed. We must not let the politics, economics and business
mechanisms to decide our future however powerful they are.
They
are not the only stakeholders.
Silent
masses without a voice is quite evident after the tsunami episode. We
must be self critical of our failures. We must be mindful and expose
the changes that is currently taking place globally due to
unsustainable scientific and economic exploitation of the third
world.
The
Way Forward
The
world and all beings big or small need kindness, compassion and
freedom to live with dignity. Live and let live should be the only
currency for the modern world and why all the religions and religious
sects (except perhaps Buddhism) are failing to arrest these dangerous
trends is the question the UNO should be asking itself?
17th
April, 2006