15.10.2006

Chicken Soup for the Burmese Opposition's Souls

_ By Dr San Oo Aung

Last Sunday morning on the BBC TV, I had seen the special programme for the 75th Birth day Anniversary of the Nobel laureate the Most Reverend Archbishop Desmond (Mpilo) Tutu who was born 7 October 1931. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 because of his quest for a non-violent end to apartheid. He had dedicated his entire life to the quest for peace, justice, human dignity and human rights universally.

Amongst his various views, 5 of them had shaken my heart as I could immediately translate those into our country’s political scenario_

1. We were against the White Domination but not against the White People.
2. We struggled for the freedom of oppressed Black People but we must also help for the freedom of the Oppressor Whites (from continuing committing sins).
3. Gravy train just stopped for a wile and continues. (Corruption continues after liberation.)
4. "What has happened to us? It seems as if we have perverted our freedom, our rights into license, into being irresponsible," he said. (Regarding the South Africa's high rates of violent crimes.)
5. We must not keep the hatred of our enemy in our hearts but must try to forgive them.

While watching this noble gentleman, my heart converted his wise advises into our Burmese Political scenario like this_

1. We are against the Myanmar Military Domination but not against the Myanmar Military Personals.
2. We are struggling for the freedom of oppressed Burmese People but we must also help for the freedom of the oppressors, Myanmar Military Generals (from continuing committing sins).
3. I am afraid Gravy train in Burma or Corruption in Burma would continue non-stop after liberation.
4. We all should make sure we would not pervert our freedom, or abuse our freedom as if we get the rights or licensed to be irresponsible in the governance of our liberated country.
5. We must not keep the hatred of our enemy in our hearts but must try to forgive them.

He consistently advocated reconciliation between all parties involved in apartheid and this is also relevant to us. No wonder he was chosen by President Mandela to chair South Africa's “Truth and Reconciliation Commission”, and investigate the crimes committed by all sides during the apartheid regime, for which he was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize in 1999.

After the second Independence, we also should set up a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” not to punish the perpetrators but to help and compensate the sufferers.

He even prayed for the war criminal Nazis, "We pray for those who made it happen, help us to forgive them and help us so that we in our turn will not make others suffer". At the same time he reminded the Israelis to remember their past as victims of injustices and to stop acting as perpetrators of injustices in the Middle East.

Yes, the best and sweetest revenge is forgiveness. We must try to forgive and forget. Our anger, hatred and grievance burn our own heart. Animosity burns and destroys not only the enemy, our innocent surroundings and our immediate neighbours but also one’s own-self. Animosity and the desire to revenge blinded a person and may even unintentionally leads to a self-destructive course. Hatred incites and grows reciprocal hatred from the opposite side. Only if we discard and stop our hatred – the reciprocal hatred will diminish and disappear. Viscous circle of the hatred, revenge, animosity could be stopped by forgiveness followed by love. We must not even secretly or quietly keep hatred and desire for revenge even in our heart. We should not just pretend to be magnanimous from outside appearances only.

Forgiveness is more effective when we win or when we are in a position to revenge. That is the best time to forgive, forget the bitter feelings, start a new friendship, do something your enemy never expected and just try to be nice, gentle and good on him. This is the best way to cut the vicious circle of revenge.

In this way, we can change our enemy into one of our best friends. Redemption resulted to transform him in to your saviour. He will be even willing to sacrifice his life for us if really necessary.

It is very easy to push your small minor enemy in to a life long fore by a simple, stupid revenge.

There is a saying that even if we have a thousand of friends, it is not enough. But even if we have one enemy, it is too much.

We must cultivate mutual trust and understanding among all the people of Myanmar/Burma, on the both side of political divide, irrespective of race and religions.

I here by want to promote mutual understanding and respect of all of us. Let us not provoke each other. Let us promote mutual understanding, mutual love and mutual respect for each other.

Lord Buddha also advised the followers to choose the moderate, middle path. Acting extremely is always bad, in every possible fields. Siddhartha(563-483 BC) followed the extreme path for many years in meditating but could not get enlightenment until he changed to the moderate path.

Mutual trust is important. We must try to understand even our enemies or even the SPDC Junta.

Whether right or wrong, forget the past. Try to forgive others. Try to change our-selves to be more effective, efficient and faultless. Try to avoid committing the same mistakes. Look for the future.

We must be considerate. We must reduce the confrontations and increase the dialogues base on common good virtues and practices. We must never insult our future friends who are now on the other side of the political divide e.g. the military personnel.

Hatred is associated with fear. Love drive out fear. We all know that there are two forms of love in Myanmar concept.

1500 is the hot love between the two lovers and among the husband and wife. 528 love is cool and it is a universal love between – brothers and sisters, friends, parents and children etc. In long term marriage, the couple develops both loves, extended from hot love into cool love of mutual friendship.

Loving-kindness is difficult to understand by non-Myanmars, who may have this but if I am not wrong, never categorised into a separate word. This we called, Myitta, is the tender love and kindness for all the creatures even extended to the animals and to our enemy.

Actually any kind of love could drives out the fear. Love or more correctly loving-kindness leads to trust, content and peace of mind. Truth is not only necessary but also essential. We cannot achieve trust by deceiving others. If there is mistrust, the fear grows and leads to unwanted, undesirable preparations for the possible aggression.

If we are truthful and reliable only, the others will trust us. Truth promotes confidence from both sides. Yes not only from the other side but our self-confidence also grows. Mutual confidence and trust break down our unnecessary shields. And friendships will prevail.

Lack of trust, fear and insecurity by any side leads to mutual suspicion. The fear of losing and suspicion that the other side might strike a surprised attack may lead to the plan of the early strike by one of the opposing party. “The best defence is attack” is a very popular saying in football.

That mutual preparation for a possible fight, attack may lead to unnecessary tensions, misunderstanding or even an eruption of accidentally starting a fight leading to a full-fledged war, confrontations, demonstrations and civil unrests.

Let our Myanmar Military General friends know that we can love and trust them. We must also prove to them that we are trustworthy and reliable. But the better defence than the attack is peace, mutual trust, love and friendship. No war is good or desirable.

My personal concept is_

“Victory is the illusion of the philosophers and the fools”.

In a battle or a war, no one wins. Both sides lost because both sides suffer. So try to avoid all violence – fights, arguments and wars. Do not provoke others. Only if we know and understand the others, we will have a faith and trust. From that, we could sow and grow tolerance. We are not promoting to abandon the preparing for the self-improvement to have all round strength and power.

Non-poisonous snakes are not even respected by the children. If we are weak, we are always exposed to the exploitations of the bullies and thuds. We have to prepare and strengthen our-selves physically, intellectually, economically, socially, mentally, spiritually etc.

We must always hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

All of us know that power leads to corruption.  And the absolute power corrupts absolutely. Any one in power will corrupt.  And those corrupt leaders or rulers could not escape Sansara, or they may have to pay back later on the judgment day.

According to Buddhism, even Lord Buddha, was scared of becoming a king, and tried many times to avoid or abdicate. Buddha in one of the reincarnations was born as a regent, Tay Mi Prince. He even pretends to be deaf and dumb to avoid becoming a King. Because he knew that as a King he had to give judgment to others. He was scared that if he wrongly sentenced an innocent person he would be guilty and indebted in the Sansara.

Hate or not we are already ‘trapped' in one country, to stay, struggle, work and survive together.  Whether we like or not, we have to see and communicate every day. Hatred will only made our lives miserable. It will destroy our heart and body.

Lord Buddha had already said_

“Hatred and anger will destroy or burn our own body and soul."

Mutual loving kindness will usher in the peace, development and prosperity.

Comments:

Kaung Mitta said _

528 love (mitta) mostly concern with one-way love, no expectation for return love, non-possessive, cold. 1500 love is very possessive, passionate, hot, with great expectation from others.

Sharing love (mitta poe) is done by 528 love. For others, not for itself. Who can do the most really sharing love, people are loving her/him simultaeneously. Kyay zu taw shin Thar Ma Nya sayadaw phayar gyi had practiced for 3 years for only sharing love (mitta bawanar - multiplying love).

Sharing love seem to be no cost. But it is not easy to practice as saying. Sharing mitta (pure love) can be done only be the people with full sila. (at least five precepts). Bawanar can be frutiful/meaningful only when he has darna and thila (at least, thila). Otherwise, sharing love just meant saying. So I have doubt that the junta ...???

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