I need help answering these questions. Please help! I beg of you :( 1) Sivaraksa

Question

I need help answering these questions. Please help! I beg of you :(

1) Sivaraksa always believes that self-transformation could help alleviate suffering

and injustice caused by globalization. In addition, he also believes that religious

individuals can reinvent their faith-based ethical principle to fight the problems

of the world. As a Buddhist, he thinks that the famous five precepts are very

beneficial for those who want to confront the problems of globalization. What

are these five precepts? How could they help people to engage with the injustice

of global capitalism?

2) Although highly critical of global capitalism, Sulak Sivaraksa dislikes violent

approaches (for instance, Marxism) to confronting capitalism. He prefers non-

violence. Why does he think that non-violent resistance is superior to violent

resistance? How is his theory on non-violence based on the Buddhist tradition

and examples?

Explanation / Answer

Sulak , a prominent Thai activist, believed that through the Buddhist teachings of compassion, non-violence and interelatedness and caring for all,one can transform the society and develop a deeper understanding of relationship between social, environmental and spiritual realms of life. He laid down five precepts and its importance in neutralizing injustice caused by the global capitalism. These are as follows.

First, do not kill. Do not let others kill. One must refrain from any kind of violence towards self, nature and others. We must restore our ethics and protect life. One must reflect on how violence is responsible for wars, racial conflict and inter-communal riots around the world. The uncontrollable breeding of animals for human consumption is another form of violence that we must stop. Secondly , one must not steal. To acquire the tangilble property of others, aggrevates greed and suffering of one own self. He questioned the moral implications of capitalism and urged to stop the exploitation of workers around the world. Third, he urges that exploitation of women and their body should be ceased . Sexual activity or intimacy should only be proceeded in presence of consent from the woman. Love and commitment should be a primary factor while engaging in sexual relation with the Other. This would avoid any form of suffering caused to the women due to our misconduct Fourth, be truthful. One must not engage in false or deceitful activities. One must not speak of words that aggrevates hatred and promotes racial division. As one vows to follow the path of honesty , it would naturally expose the false speech and information the media exposes us to.Last but not the least, avoid consuming alcohol and smoking intoxicating products . He explains that the Third World country farmers are forced to cultivate caffeine, tobacco etc because the economic system exploits their labour due to high demand. Instead of growing healthy food staples like wheat and rice, these farmers engage in growing a product which distance them from their own ethics and production. This occurs because of the high demand of intoxicated items. This exploitation must stop.

Sulak had incorporated the teaching of Buddhism to understand the problems of the society and firmly believed that non-violent resistance is the solution to each. He condemned the use of violence (Marxism , Stalinism) to overthrow capitalism. He encourages us to adhere to the teaching of Buddha ( mindfulness, peace, tolerance) to connect to the society in its totality . He believed that, when one looks for peace within himself, he will develop a deeper understanding of how his own psychological -spiritual journey is directly proportional to the upheavalment of suffering of the society, as a whole. In short, peace starts from home.

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