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Putting Compassion into Action
By KYAW ZWA MOE
JULY, 2008 - VOLUME 16 NO.7
(Page 2 of 3)
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Unlike other volunteers, who are often barred from entering the disaster zone, monks, especially respected ones like Sitagu Sayadaw, are still free to travel to the area to carry out relief work.
A number of other prominent monks, including Mizzima Gon Yi Sayadaw and Dhamma Sedi Sayadaw from Mandalay Division and Shwe Nyawa Sayadaw from Rangoon, have also been active in aiding cyclone refugees. They have not only received donations, but have also delivered aid directly to those most in need.
A senior monk from Shwe Nyawa Monastery said that a group of monks, physicians and volunteers from his monastery has been traveling around Laputta Township in a two-tiered ship outfitted with medical equipment and supplies. Their mission, he said, is to assist sick and injured cyclone victims and perform religious rites for the deceased.
Private donors have given generously to these projects, which have reached many refugees who have yet to receive any aid from the government or international relief agencies. Indeed, many people prefer to make their donations through monasteries, which command greater trust and respect than official institutions. This has been especially true since September 2007, when monks led protests against the ruling regime on behalf of ordinary people suffering from deepening economic hardship.
Despite the growing willingness of people to contribute to social projects, Sitagu Sayadaw said that most Burmese still lack an adequate understanding of the meaning of compassion.
As the abbot explained in an interview with The Irrawaddy, most Burmese are more interested in religious merit than social merit. This, he said, reflected the beliefs of Theravada Buddhism, which traditionally emphasizes the importance of meditation as a means of acquiring merit. Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand, focuses on serving others as a part of spiritual practice, he said.
“Meditating in a room with the doors shut won’t help the [cyclone] victims suffering over there. But most Burmese who traditionally believe in Theravada don’t appreciate the need for compassionate action,” he said. “That is why I am talking about it to people everyday. It is essential to make social merit stronger.”
Sitagu Sayadaw said that the government was not alone in responding too slowly to the suffering caused by the cyclone: The whole country failed to put its compassion into action. “We can’t blame the government alone,” he said.
This assessment may seem surprising given the role of volunteers and private donors in the relief effort. But these people represented only a small fraction of the country’s population, the abbot said, adding that the country’s people failed to mobilize on the scale that the disaster required.
Although Burmese privately profess the need for compassion, the society as a whole has never evolved a mechanism to prevent unnecessary suffering, he said.
“When we talk about underdeveloped countries, we mean that they are underdeveloped materially, spiritually and intellectually,” the abbot said. “Such countries suffer a lot when disasters strike. In fact, our whole country and its whole system are underdeveloped.”
The key to developing the country, he said, is to build what he called a “compassionate common platform.” To do this, each person must learn to think beyond narrow self-interest and recognize that the needs of others are equally important.
“Look at the word ‘success.’ If you take out ‘u’ [you], there can be no ‘success,’” he explained. “But most Burmese think, ‘I can do everything myself. I don’t need you.’”
This is true both in the lives of individuals and in the histories of nations, he said. “The suffering in Burma, the killing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the killing fields in Cambodia—all of these have come from selfishness. All man-made disasters are driven by that selfishness.
“People need to think about what others need and what they can do for them. Only then can they work together for the common good.”
The abbot criticized his fellow Burmese for their lack of teamwork, which he said showed they could not see beyond their own needs. “Teamwork is not traditionally valued in Burma. This is why the country is always facing collapse,” he said.
“Burmese people worship heroes,” he said, pointing to the country’s historical reliance on charismatic figures as sources of national unity.
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| Monks distribute food to refugees in a monastery in the cyclone-affected area. |
A senior monk from Shwe Nyawa Monastery said that a group of monks, physicians and volunteers from his monastery has been traveling around Laputta Township in a two-tiered ship outfitted with medical equipment and supplies. Their mission, he said, is to assist sick and injured cyclone victims and perform religious rites for the deceased.
Private donors have given generously to these projects, which have reached many refugees who have yet to receive any aid from the government or international relief agencies. Indeed, many people prefer to make their donations through monasteries, which command greater trust and respect than official institutions. This has been especially true since September 2007, when monks led protests against the ruling regime on behalf of ordinary people suffering from deepening economic hardship.
Despite the growing willingness of people to contribute to social projects, Sitagu Sayadaw said that most Burmese still lack an adequate understanding of the meaning of compassion.
As the abbot explained in an interview with The Irrawaddy, most Burmese are more interested in religious merit than social merit. This, he said, reflected the beliefs of Theravada Buddhism, which traditionally emphasizes the importance of meditation as a means of acquiring merit. Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand, focuses on serving others as a part of spiritual practice, he said.
“Meditating in a room with the doors shut won’t help the [cyclone] victims suffering over there. But most Burmese who traditionally believe in Theravada don’t appreciate the need for compassionate action,” he said. “That is why I am talking about it to people everyday. It is essential to make social merit stronger.”
Sitagu Sayadaw said that the government was not alone in responding too slowly to the suffering caused by the cyclone: The whole country failed to put its compassion into action. “We can’t blame the government alone,” he said.
This assessment may seem surprising given the role of volunteers and private donors in the relief effort. But these people represented only a small fraction of the country’s population, the abbot said, adding that the country’s people failed to mobilize on the scale that the disaster required.
Although Burmese privately profess the need for compassion, the society as a whole has never evolved a mechanism to prevent unnecessary suffering, he said.
“When we talk about underdeveloped countries, we mean that they are underdeveloped materially, spiritually and intellectually,” the abbot said. “Such countries suffer a lot when disasters strike. In fact, our whole country and its whole system are underdeveloped.”
The key to developing the country, he said, is to build what he called a “compassionate common platform.” To do this, each person must learn to think beyond narrow self-interest and recognize that the needs of others are equally important.
“Look at the word ‘success.’ If you take out ‘u’ [you], there can be no ‘success,’” he explained. “But most Burmese think, ‘I can do everything myself. I don’t need you.’”
This is true both in the lives of individuals and in the histories of nations, he said. “The suffering in Burma, the killing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the killing fields in Cambodia—all of these have come from selfishness. All man-made disasters are driven by that selfishness.
“People need to think about what others need and what they can do for them. Only then can they work together for the common good.”
The abbot criticized his fellow Burmese for their lack of teamwork, which he said showed they could not see beyond their own needs. “Teamwork is not traditionally valued in Burma. This is why the country is always facing collapse,” he said.
“Burmese people worship heroes,” he said, pointing to the country’s historical reliance on charismatic figures as sources of national unity.
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