Budhha's Way To Sustaining Peace

R. Manandhar

The full-fledge armed conflict became all too familiar during the Maoist insurgency in Nepal. Likewise, the people's movements in 1990 and 2006 made the Nepali people familiar with street agitation. Now another conflict has started in the Terai. Our country has, thus, become entangled in a series of conflicts. The decade-long conflict has not ended with the conclusion of a peace agreement between the eight political parties. Lasting peace is still far away. So, conflicts may come in a series unless a right solution is found.

Causes of conflict

At this point, it may be relevant to recall how Gautam Budhha mediated a conflict 2500 years ago and preached the underlying causes of conflicts. In addition to playing an intermediary role, the Buddha gave the people an insight into the root causes of conflict. This is what our country needs to understand to find a solution to the present conflict following the conclusion of the peace agreement between the eight political parties.

In Buddha's time, there were two kingdoms in the southern part of Nepal. One was ruled by the Shakyas and the other by the Koliyas. The two kingdoms were separated by the Salini River. Once it so happened that there was no rain for months. The sun was so scorching that the soil dried out. The Salini River was the only source of water to irrigate the land of both the countries, so they wanted to take possession of the river. At first there was a verbal quarrel between the farmers of the two countries, and then they got into fistfights. At last both the countries got ready to fight a battle over the river. The two kingdoms gathered their armies on the bank of the river. The Buddha came to know about the preparation for the battle. He intervened personally in the matter in time, mediated skilfully and prevented the battle, which could have taken the lives of thousands of people. Seeing that the battle would have been devastating, the Buddha went to the place where the kings and their armies had gathered. The Buddha asked them to tell him the cause of their quarrel. Both the kings said that it was for the water of the Salini River that they were going to fight a battle.

The Buddha further asked them, "Which one do you think has more intrinsic value - water or the blood of men?" They said, "Verily, the blood of men is priceless. Water has no intrinsic value in comparison with the blood of men." Then the Buddha asked, "Is it right to stake that which is priceless against that which has no intrinsic value?" Both the kings and their men realised their mistake. The Buddha suggested irrigating their lands from the Salini River in turns. Both the parties appreciated the Buddha's suggestion and came to a peaceable agreement. Thus, the war was prevented and the lives of thousands of people were saved.The Buddha did not stop even at this point. He went deeper into the root cause of all conflicts and wars. The Buddha convinced them that the water of the Salini River was just an excuse for the battle. The underlying causes were ego, greed and selfishness. These were mental defilements. Even today people live with these defilements. So there is unrest in their minds and conflict in their family, society, country and the world. The conflict will not be resolved until its root cause is removed.

The Buddha further preached 'Susukhan Vata Jeevam...' which means conflict, whether between persons or groups, starts with the desire to receive more and more pleasure. But happiness does not come from worldly pleasure. Happy indeed is the person who lives a friendly life amidst the hostile. Happy indeed is the person who lives contended amidst the afflicted (by craving). Happy indeed is the person who lives free from avarice amidst the avaricious. Happy is indeed the person who remains tranquil amidst the restless lot.In our country people in power have always been guided by harmful attitudes like ego, greed and selfishness. The people in power never showed regard for the welfare of powerless people. The rich never showed kindness to the poor. No government ever tried to be friendly with the ethnic minorities, their language and rights. The wrong attitude of those who possessed power and wealth only helped exploitation, injustice and tyranny to spread in the country, splitting society into different classes. The strong dominated the weak. Consequently, discontentment spread everywhere in society.

Consensus

The people manifested their discontentment in the form of a rebellion, causing a serious conflict in society. Conflicts can come to an end in no time if the concerned parties build a consensus as the Shakyas and the Koliyas did in Buddha's time. However, it is evident that unless the root cause of conflict - ego, greed and selfishness - is eradicated from the minds of the people (mainly from the political leaders in the context of our country), conflicts will take place time and again under different pretexts ? be it ethnic or geographical.

Source: The Rising Nepal, June 11, 2007