Remembering Gandhi on October 2-‘Terrorists are victims who create more victims', says Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh
By
Thich Nhat Hanh
2
Oct 2008, 0019 hrs IST,TNN
Midway
through the news meeting on Wednesday, the grim news came in: Agartala had been
rocked by serial blasts. All eyes immediately turned to Venerable Thich Nhat
Hanh, the Guest Editor for our special Peace Edition. As journalists, what
should we do on a day like this?
The
Zen master, who has rebuilt bombed villages, set up schools and medical
centres, resettled homeless families and for a lifetime advocated tirelessly
the principles of non-violence and compassionate action, pondered for a while.
When
he spoke, it was with great clarity, ''Report in a way that invites readers to
take a look at why such things continue to happen and that they have their
roots in anger, fear, hate and wrong perceptions. Prevent anger from becoming a
collective energy. The only antidote for anger and violence is compassion.
Terrorists are also victims, who create other victims of misunderstanding.''
This,
remember, is the monk — now 82 years old — credited with a big role in turning
American public opinion against the war in Vietnam — for which Martin Luther
King Jr had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1967. And so, his words
are not to be dismissed lightly.
''Every
reader has seeds of fear, anger, violence and despair, and also seeds of hope,
compassion, love and forgiveness,'' said Thich Nhat Hahn, affectionately called
Thay.
''As
journalists, you must not water the wrong seeds. The stories should touch the
seeds of hope. As journalists, you have the job of selectively watering the
right seeds. You must attempt to tell the truth and yet not water the seeds of
hate. It's not what's in the story, but how you tell it that's important.''
But
how should the State deal with terror? Thay's answer: ''We should invite those
who believe they are victims of discrimination and injustice to speak about it.
We should initiate sessions of deep listening and invite deeply spiritual
people, who don't have to be famous, to attend these. We must televise these
sessions nationally. I am sure you will see a dramatic drop in the level of
violence. A war on terror cannot succeed, because you cannot bomb perceptions.
The only solution is dialogue.''
He
cited the example of an experiment by his own group of monks at Plum village,
south of France, in 2006. ''We asked people to write letters to terrorists and
more than 40 letters came in. Some claimed, 'I am the terrorist because I am
also violent and there is suffering in me as well'. We need to get together.
When we address suspicion and anger as a collective, when we talk informally
about suffering, then we can find answers. If we reduce the violence in us, and
change, then we change others around us because then we are connected to
them.''
Talking
about world peace, the monk said, ''Political leaders meet at peace summits but
no lasting solutions to the world's problems are found. Therefore, political
leaders, before they get down to talking at summits, should practice sitting,
walking, talking informally with each other and practice techniques to calm
themselves. Only then can talks lead to positive results.''
The
history of Vietnam in the last century was fraught with violence. Thay has
himself seen war from close quarters. Naturally, the question came up: Does he
believe non-violence can help find solutions in today's complex world?
Thay's
reply was surprisingly pragmatic. ''Non-violence can never be absolute.
However, you can make aggressive action less violent. In war, the generals must
try and avoid the death of innocents. Even soldiers can show compassion. The
first step towards nonviolence is to be calm and compassionate yourself.''
Questions
on wars and conflicts led to the next logical query. How can humanity relate
with each other when it is divided within confines of national or ethnic or
racial identities?
That
brought the Buddhist teacher into his element, propounding on one of Buddhism's
basic tenets of 'non-self'. The problem, he said, arises when one's self is set
against another's self. Once we realize that self is made of non-self, then the
issue of identity gets settled.
''Man
is made of non-me elements. I am made of so many non-me elements — my parents,
the food I eat, the education I received, animals, vegetables. Take away all
the 'non-me', and there is no 'me' left. Buddhism is made of non-Buddhist
elements. A Christian is made of non-Christian elements and a Muslim is made of
non-Muslim elements,'' said Thay. Once we realise that we are all
interconnected, we will begin caring for all other things.
That's
why, Thay says, we need to learn from suffering. Because only after we have
understood the nature of suffering can we understand true happiness.
''Happiness and safety can't be individual matters. If you have peace on your
side, only then can you promote peace in the world. Individual happiness is
impossible, as is individual suffering. Because we are not one but a
collective.''
And
what about the financial crisis that is causing many to suffer? The answer,
says Thay, is related to greed and fear. ''As journalists, you must help people
so that they don't become victims of greed and fear. If the aim is happiness,
then you must be prepared to give up riches and fame and power, all of which
are transitory.''
Can
the modern economy — fuelled by conspicuous consumption — co-exist with a
monk's lifestyle? After all, if everyone stopped consumption, industries would
shut down and unemployment would rise. So should individuals, in their pursuit
of 'selfish' happiness, create unhappiness for others?
''Many
of us have started believing in happiness from consumption. But happiness is
largely a problem of the mind. You don't have to run into the future, you have
enough conditions to be happy right here and now. But in our search for more
conditions to be happy, we sacrifice the present. The remedy for us is to go
home to the present moment. Don't get stuck with the past or get sucked into
the future. So many wonders of life are with you. Development is like a wild
horse that we are riding, over which we have lost control,'' responded Thay.
But
then, isn't it much simpler for a monk to talk about not consuming than for
people who have to deal with the world on the world's terms? Can regular people
with regular lives follow his teachings?
According
to Thay, ''The meditative practice is for everyone, monks and non-monks, the
young and the less young. The conditions for reaching out for Buddha-hood are
there for everyone. We are just caught up in our worries and projects. The
kingdom of God is available for you. But are you available for the kingdom?''
We
couldn't resist asking: what were his feelings when the Taliban destroyed the
Bamiyan Buddhas? His reply: ''There was no anger. We have a tendency to punish
whoever has dared to make us suffer. We seek relief by making the other person
suffer. If we see whoever is hurt as a victim, then a neuro pathway will open
in our brain and we will forgive the person and reduce his suffering, which in
turn will help us to suffer less. All this is not based on speculation but on
the basis what we have done, in our group sessions.
Source:
The Times of India, New Delhi