Buddha campaigned for social reform

Buddha campaigned for social reform

By P.G. Punchihewa

JAKARTA (JP): Waisak commemorates the birth, the enlightenment
and the passing away of Buddha. He was born about 563 years B.C,
in Lumbini in present-day Nepal near the north-eastern border
with India. His original name was Siddhartha Gautama, and he
belonged to the Sakya clan. Hence he was also known as Gautama
Putra -- son of Gautama and Sakya Muni -- Sage of Sakyas. King
Asoka, who lived about two centuries after his death, visited
Lumbini and set up a stone pillar with an inscription engraved on
it, to mark the place where Buddha was born. It reads "Reverence
was paid here in person by King Priyadarsin, the beloved of the
gods, for Buddha the Sakyan sage was born here." The recent
discovery by a team of international archaeologists from India,
Japan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, of a flawless stone slab
buried on a platform of bricks five meters under a temple dating
from Asoka's time further confirm the exact location where he was
born 2600 years ago.

Buddha was born to a royal family and brought up in the lap of
luxury. But the realization of the futility and emptiness of that
life made him renounce the world at the age of twenty-nine and go
into the world seeking a way to end suffering. For six years he
went from one religious teacher to another, studying, discussing
and following their teachings, and experimenting with vigorous
ascetic practices. Not achieving his objectives through ascetism,
he went his own way. Following a middle path -- neither enjoyment
of sensuous pleasures nor self-mortification, he attained
enlightenment at the age of thirty five.

It was again under the full moon of Waisak that he attained
enlightenment in Gaya, which is in present-day India's Bihar
state.

From that time onward he wondered from place to place in North
India in the Ganges Valley, teaching and preaching, carrying his
message to the world into the ripe old age of eighty. His passing
away took place under the full moon of Waisak. Thus, for
Buddhists all over the world, Waisak is a thrice blessed day.

Buddha's life was a multifaceted one. First and foremost, he
was a religious teacher. His was a mission of compassion and non-
violence. A few weeks after his enlightenment he established an
order of monks and his advice to them was to go to the world
taking his message "of happiness for the many, and out of
compassion for the world". He advised them that no two monks
should take the same road, and he himself went off in one
direction. After twenty-six centuries, more than 500 million
people in the world continue to follow his teachings.

Equally important is his place in history as a social
reformer. He was born and lived at a time when society was pinned
down by caste irrevocably fixed at birth. Brahmins held the
highest position in a hierarchy of four tiers, in which the
Sudras, the untouchables, the outcastes, were at the bottom. His
was a movement of protest against the tightening grip of
Brahmanism.

Long before the modern world recognized the existence of human
rights, the Buddha preached their importance and practiced them.
What mattered to him was not the caste but the deeds of a person.
On one occasion when questioned as to what makes one a Brahmin,
he said:

"By birth one is not an outcaste

By birth one is not a Brahmin

By deeds one is an outcaste

By deeds one is a Brahmin"

True to his words, he opened the doors of his order of monks
to people from all walks of life. His chief disciple in matters
relating to discipline was a barber before joining him. Once when
he was seeking alms he met a scavenger belonging to the lowest
caste who sought admission to the order of monks. Buddha readily
accepted him. Among his disciples were also those from the
highest caste. His chief disciple was previously a follower of
Brahmanism. He did not condemn anyone. Once he admitted a highway
robber seeking refuge with him. Nor did he have any favorites due
to birth or relationship. His own son became a monk but did not
receive any special treatment.

The Buddha's contribution to the emancipation of women is
equally important. At a time when women were considered inferior
to men and looked down on, Buddha elevated their status in
society. At the request of his foster-mother he established an
order of nuns. As in the order of monks he permitted women of any
social standing to join. Thus, one would find among them queens,
princesses, slaves, prostitutes and housewives. A nun named Subha
was the daughter of a smith. In one instance he accepted an
invitation for alms from a slave girl in preference to that of
her master who was a millionaire. The stories of the monks and
nuns who joined from a cross section of society are vividly
described in the two books, Psalms of the Monks and Psalms of the
Nuns.

It is said the King Kosala while in conversation with the
Buddha was dismayed to learn from a messenger that his queen had
given birth to a baby girl. The Buddha, to soothe the King's
disappointment said, "A female child, O King, may prove an even
better child than a male."

Only the brave and courageous could single-handedly go against
deep-rooted customs and traditions. Buddha was such a person. In
this task he faced many obstacles. Many stood in his way and some
even made attempts on his life. He continued his mission
regardless. The virtues he preached and practiced 2600 years ago
are concepts recognizable to the world today.

The Buddha was a human being. But he was an extraordinary
human being.