New Way Of Approach In Buddhist Studies

Author(s): Hajime Nakamura
Publisher: Hajime Nakamura

Page 17

26) A NEW WAY OF APPROACH
279
the man who preaches the middle path”. (Dhammapada 227) (cf. Fo. 1713–1734) In the Bible we find a similar fact evidencing Buddha's saying: "John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners” (Matthew XI, 18-19). This meek and compassionate character was exemplified in the life of Gotama himself. In reading the Pali scriptures one is impressed with the strong personal influence exercised by the Buddha over the hearts of his fellow-men. He was regarded as a very meak and compassionate man by others. All what he did represented ways of peace. Anger, in fact, had no place in his character; anger played no role in his preachings. The birth stories of the Buddha, often extravagantly, exalt his great compassion and renunciation. (Jataka, No. 316 etc.) The ways of the description might seem to be too phantastic, yet their purport is characteristically altruistic.
It is often reported that Buddhism has softened the rough warrior races of Tibet and Mongolia, and nearly effaced all traces of their original brutality. In Japan also, according to the statistical reports, cases of murder or assault are relatively rare in districts where the Buddhist influence is strong.
This attitude of compassion motivates one to esteem highly the natural disposition of man. Japanese Buddhism tends to be most conspicuous in that respect. Even Buddhist ideas were preached with a close reference to matters of love, and sexual love is considered not to be incompatible with religious matter. Zen Buddhism in China did not seem to emphasize the idea of benevolence. There is not a single reference made to the word “benevolence" in the well-known scirptures of Chinese Zen Buddhism. After Zen Buddhism was brought into Japan, however, it came to emphasize deeds of benevolence.
The spirit of tolerance and compassion of the Buddhist made it impossible to cultivate a deep hatred even toward sinners. There existed hardly any punishment that was cruel in those days when Buddhism flourished. It was also reported as so in regards to ancient India by the Chinese pilgrims. It holds true with some of the Buddhist countries in Southern Asia. In Japan also, during the Heian period, capital punishment was never practised for a period of nearly three hundred and fifty years.
V. Service to Others
We human beings can live only by mutual aid to each other. Thus we should always be ready to do service to others, whenever possible.