‘Not only war, but Forgiveness and Correlation or Mutual Feedback Relationship for endless development or harmonization.’
‘To uplift global citizen’s peaceful vow from 9/11 as a New York’s tragedy into 9/11 as a sacred Gandhi’s Declaration for World Peace through Nonviolence’
Prepared for the 100th anniversary workshop for honor Mahatma Gandhi’s Declaration of Nonviolence Movement in Sep. 11, 1906 at Boston University
Jae-Weon Choi
August 20, 2006
The Conflict, Violence, Terror, and War. In recent months, we have been familiar with these words. No. We were familiar with these words since history appeared. The Cooperation, Nonviolence (peaceful way), Volunteer, Diplomacy with good intention. Further, we have been apart from these beautiful words. What is more, we, global citizen, have really good words such as happiness, love, compassion for friends and the familiar people.
By using Buddhism as the teaching of eastern culture such as “Soka Gakkai International (SGI)” — the chairman institution of UN NGOs on religion, we, at least I, can imagine one more good word “forgiveness” evenly for enemy who can really be defined as unfamiliar people, using different language and terminology, and having different and strange cultural background with each people’s common thought. I like to share this good concept for peaceful way to attain world peace, not World War III.
I pray that you may read this essay patiently with more widely opened heart just like looking after baby in the cradle. It is because I am baby on your American culture even though I am 33 years old. Further, it is because you will read very unfamiliar culture from your reasonableness, including mother’s unconditioned love not only for her own children, but also for others. I am going to use Buddhism terminology and mundane terminology. Therefore, you may have confusion with your culture or question on my cultural background, like SGI Buddhism.
First of all, absolute happiness shall be a shadow following from suffering for Kosen-rufu – World Peace through Nonviolence. The Buddhahood shall be found in a person who has a correlation or mutual feedback relationship between “the wheel of Lotus Sutra” and “Six paths”. The Six Paths starts with the father nature (Heaven World), which is conditioned love, temporary happiness, such as eating candy, drinking soda, watching TV, appraising only some of his children who smiled at himself, and being lazy through using others sacrifice with nine easy ways for only his happiness. What is more, the wheel of Lotus Sutra starts with the mother nature (Buddha World), which is unconditioned love, work, compassion plus forgiveness for poor people who extracted devil nature in the heaven world), and absolute happiness, such as hugging baby, curing patient, and striving against devil nature of ten worlds with six difficult ways. Further, if we difficultly attained human life, we still have two kind of possibilities or selections: strengthening my or others’ life power in being a Bodhisattva (person like Sister Rosa Parks) with the Buddhahood and weakening my and enemy’s life power in being king of the devil in the heaven world; to enjoy endless suffering and absolute happiness and to be lazy or stayed and enjoy temporary happiness and endless suffering in the six paths including hell world out of ten worlds. This is a real meaning of Human world out of ten worlds.
Next, whether something doubtful is good or not depends whether it makes me strive in endless suffering with absolute happiness or be arrogant, selfish and lazy with temporary happiness. Thus, my sacrificing first no matter who I am and overcoming that suffering with chanting “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” which included faith, practice, and study and which must include contributing society. Further, contribution to the society forces me and us to challenge three thousand realms and a lot of filed of wisdom as bodhisattva, study as students, and job and volunteer as adult. What is more, attaining Buddhahood requires me to solve the limitation of my field and others field with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, using others’ terminology and comparing difference between our buddhism’s sutra (gosho) and others’ words, such as learned helplessness in Psychology and six paths including hell, hunger, anger, and anxiety.
By solving these problems of modern scholastic fields with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we, disciples of Dr. Ikeda, can be the King of the schools including natural science, social science, information technology, philosophy, theology and law. Thus, my mentor, Dr. Ikeda, is really a Buddhist who played a role of Shakyamuni in the ceremony in the air. Further, you and I can be a real disciple who proves the truth of Nichiren Daishonin who are founder of “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” and Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda as former presidents of SGI, and Dr. Ikeda as honor president of SGI. This means we played a role as a Buddhist of many treasure who prove the truth of Shakyamuni in the ceremony in the air and sixty thousands bodhisattva in the ceremony in the air. Therefore, by challenging three thousand realms with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can be real disciples and realize what we were, are, and shall be a Bodhisattva (person like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Even though you feel you are only in one of the hell, hunger, anger, and anxiety, please never be defeated by your bad mind. It is because you can be happy by yourself with your religion like SGI. It looks like the sun. Further, you can be at least a Bodhisattva (person like Saint Mother Maria) of ten directions because you are in human world in present life, which has two possibilities, extending three thousand possibilities only with chanting. Further, we have a good network, good circulation, like SGI.
Let me give you simple example to explain my way to challenge three thousand realms. For philosopher in the readers who are accustomed logic in English, the only way to avoid illogic of circulation is a correlation or mutual feedback relationship with two circulations, starting from you or me, definitely me first. It seems like the fundamental and universe law, which permits the mutual circulation, so-called rotation and revolution, between the sun and the earth, for universe scientist in the audience. Further, rotation of the earth with its energy looks like chanting and other volunteer (soka activity) within faith, practice, and study. What is more, revolution of the earth around the sun like feedback, mutual possession and mutual learning relationship, in the difference among people, country or field of science and job, and language or terminology. These two circulations also look like the mutual learning relationship of mentor and disciple.
When it comes to the terminology of “the Correlation or Mutual Feedback Relationship” instead of unification, the reason why I called oneness or unity of community as the mutual learning relationship is that teaching others without teacher’s being perfect example is impossible. Even though the efficient way to get scores in Asian exam is giving to negative rewards, by using the wisdom of Dr. Skinner’s behaviorism, we cannot have anything good with negative rewards such as failure on competition on money.
On the other hand, giving only positive rewards like smile and mother’s love makes people resist a person’s command to attack others. According to concept of Dr. Seligman’s positive Psychology and Dr. Clifford’s constructive failure theory, we can use positive rewards for poorer and helpless people to be happy and we can use the spirit of my suffering first for richer and more confident people to be happy. Thus, I do promise that I shall give mother’s love to weaken people like my respectful mother’s loving me and my loving my baby and I shall suffer first instead of using other’s suffering. Therefore, if you feel something scared like my suffering by robbery on the street, you never do against others. Further, if you may be forced to be sacred with violence, you must change your definition on the word “sacred.” similar to the word “scared.”
For poor people under uninformed commander on “world peace through nonviolence,” whenever your commander implies for you to suicide for sacred mission, you may at least ask yourself why commander himself does not devote his life for so-called sacred resolution. No commander devotes his life to bad goal. It is because only positive reimbursement works for human development by the Behaviorism and Buddhism. Therefore, you can realize the reason why commander requires your life, not his sacrifice. It is because ordinary commander think only he can save the world through his organization’s vicious power without alternatives like “World Peace through Nonviolence.” However, it is not because your commander is devil, but because he has no idea. It is because ordinary person cannot get alternatives until he experienced or met alternatives like a part of western logic or conditioned love and a part of eastern love or unlimited love. Consequently, we need to exchange our future generation for feedback, not only for learning or teaching. It is not because there are lots of illiteracy in the earth, but because ordinary person has no idea on alternatives. Besides, it is because there are no people who are willing to be global citizen who has open mind and who consume different realms.
Next, the real meaning of “sacred” is to be a Mahatma Gandhi with nonviolence. He can see India’s modern development with his sacrifice first and patience to wait for several dozen years even after his death. Further, for the people of my baby’s new country, USA, you can please Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sister Rosa Parks with unconditioned love like forgiveness for hungry people who suffered different society system like North Korea. It is because King and Parks, including Pilgrim Fathers, have waited your absolute happiness in the greatly adorable heaven with not only war, but also forgiveness and cooperation even with a person who has bad opinion. You can please Pilgrim Fathers as founder of country, Sister Rosa Parks as a woman, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a man above through your country’s absolute peace through not only safety with hard power, but also undeniable peace through soft power like diplomacy with peaceful thought.
For global citizen, you can please your country’s founder, heroin or goddess of land like your mother, and heroes like your father with your choosing peaceful way and thinking peacefully. For the people who lives in my and my respectful parents’ country, Korean, you can please the Tankun as a founder, Sister Yu-kwansun as a female, and King Sejong as a male with our country’s absolute peace.
Let us look at these common respectful frontiers with peaceful way even though country or religion is different. The reason why Dr. Ikeda assert if original founder of each country and religion get together, they never fight each other. Further, they smile at each other with their peaceful terminology. Why do not we follow our respectful founders and frontiers through learning peaceful way? If we can wait world peace for a longer period than what we think now, we can attain world’s development. It looks like Mahatma Gandhi’s waiting for India’s development.
When it comes to the word of “oneness” or “unification,” those are not enough to translate eastern culture like SGI’s terminology, explaining the Buddhism. I think that “the mutual relationship, which give alternatives each other being similar to the Cognition Theory in modern Psychology, between mentor and disciple” is better translation that mentor and disciple are not two and separated, so-called dualism in western field of academic studies, following from theology, which has separate concept between good God and devil in God World.
On the one hand, the dualism of western culture cannot give western people full alternatives, but can give eastern people partial truth of field of wisdom, which is good alternative for others. On the other hand, the ambiguity of the word “oneness” is the limitation of eastern field of wisdom, like partial Buddhism. As a result, I think this ambiguity following from partial translation of others’ culture is the real cause of fundamental darkness of human.
When we have a definite standard that can define clearly each ambiguity similar to western culture’s dualism, eastern people can overcome the ambiguity and corruption by using clearly detailed rule just like American Law though. Consequently, this two limitation in the each field of wisdom caused the reason why our founder of SGI told us that there is nothing perfect.
On the other hand, if we can really define Buddhism word as easily understandable word to western people and eastern people who believes in partial teaching or theory, we can solve every limitation of any field of the earth. Therefore, we must strive in battle whether definition or hypothesis of each field. This is the only way to be a bodhisattva (a person like Mahatma Ganhdi) of earth. Further, this battle on what is the real definition between Buddhism and modern science can be 21 century’s legal battle in America and world. We must be doubt on every society’s common thought, at least the way to research each field of modern science.
Fortunately, I learned how to negotiate with other definition and to give alternatives in Arbitration from law school in America. Further, I know the limitation of law as well. It is because lobbyists who use others’ sacrifice only for their own goal, a kind of devil king in the heaven world, can extort the definition of law for the their benefit. This is violent way. However, as one of “Sixty Thousand Bodhisattvas,” I can win the battle — argument and discussion — with three thousand realms with faith, practice, and study on not only “Lotus Sutra” but also general learning of the mundane world within the usage for explaining the truth of SGI’s Buddhism “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” in part. Further, using a field of wisdom of the partial teaching or theory for persuading them (Shakabuku) makes the premise, “Everything in the world is useful to learn real truth of fundamental rule.”
For now, I think you can understand why we call SGI as Soka Gakkai International, which means the international academy of Finding Creative Views forever. Further, “Creating Value” means finding and giving alternatives on other’s limitation or definition through endless questioning on the hypothesis and premise of the mundane teaching and partial teaching in religion with the method of Lotus Sutra, using the way of philosophy, which is endless question without genuine truth like SGI’s “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” Therefore, finding real definition of each field of three thousand realms is the only way to overcome the crisis of human nature in the modern world. This is also the only way to persuade American and others and the real meaning of giving others alternatives with SGI’s spirit (Shakabuku), which means nonviolence or peaceful way to solve conflicts between different opinions.
Next, whenever an ordinary person confronts different opinion, they are scared and discriminate others. It is because different opinion is not good at harmful at keep taking initiative in their field. Thus, ordinary people commonly thought of difference as devil. For example, Korean used to ambiguously use “wrongfulness” as an alternative of “difference.” It is because normal human who has not been experienced on others act can easily think those are bad or devil.
However, we can solve conflicts between differences with peaceful way. Thus, the peaceful way is to give others, who have just differently experienced, know-how following from stronger people, which suffered first like senior people. However, when somebody is harmful at you, you must remember that is not because others are bad, but because they do not know alternatives, which others’ different opinion can be changed into. It is because people never know what they did not learn or experience. Further, it is because the way to help patient in the Cognition Theory of American Modern Psychology can support this way.
At least, I can stand up alone on this discussion with three thousand realms with my Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and striving in study mundane wisdom also. I shall be example, model, and a suffering subject on this experiment to be king of three thousand realms and a Buddhist of Many Treasure. Why do not you join my battle and our sacred battle for World Peace through nonviolence like SGI’s word of Kosen-rufu? Of course, my word of “the sacred battle for world peace” above shall not mean war, but soft power like dialogue and discussion with really defined “logic of western culture” based on Buddhahood like unconditioned love.
Finally, I would like to ask you a question. My question is why you are willing to use hard power like war in the World War II even for world peace. The definite truth of modern Psychology, especially American behaviorism, is not to give negative rewards to the helpless people. Further, only positive rewards like unconditioned love works for the desperate people. The reason why US government prohibits from teacher’s physical punishment is the helpful wisdom of behaviorism.
For American people, why have you taken an initiative on bearing arm by Second Amendment of Constitution? Why do not you assert sacred and undeniable right to pursue absolute happiness and world peace? Of course, it is because the Supreme Court has no intention to construe Ninth Amendment (Rights retained by people) as more important Amendment than Second Amendment only because there is no case or interpretation of famous scholar. However, you, American, can discard the system of lobbyist and elect your politicians who can amend the violent clause like the Second Amendment, and establish the clause of nonviolence. We can simply but difficultly take peaceful way for attaining world peace. The only way to get peace is my sacrificing first for others’ happiness. After that, you, American and Global Citizen, can realize what the absolute happiness means and how you can feel such a great happiness. Of course, I am serious to say my sacrificing first. You can just wait and look at me. If I win the discussion with others’ modern science, starting from Psychology, you can take this evidence with my sacred suffering, but real cause of absolute happiness.
For now, you can realize that this peaceful way is familiar with you, American and Global Citizen, who is unfamiliar with eastern culture, Korean Culture in South Korea, and Buddhism. It is because nonviolence is the learning of Sister Rosa Parks and the Bus Boycott, Dr. King’s nonviolence, and final mentor of these people, Mahatma Gandhi’s declaration on Nonviolence Spirit. Further, our SGI’s Spirit is also this Nonviolence Spirit for World Peace, not for enlarging membership in the world.
As one of SGI members, I have a great premise, “It all starts with me.” This means not only my happiness first through chanting or religious activity, but my sacred suffering on mundane problem like difficult English bar exam and overcoming this difficulty with chanting and studying exam to be New York State’s attorney for my eighteenth month old baby, Jennifer as American and Hyo–bin as South Korean, which have suffered threat from terrorists. I want to cooperate Korean Government and USA by our sacred alliance on attaining absolute world peace. I think absolute global peace means that there is little or no violent people like terrorist and people who limit their imagination for world peace through World War II. However, we can imagine the peaceful world, not only world peace, which have balanced feedback of mutual relationship among differences.
On the one hand, whenever husband and wife confronted with feedback evenly against each other, by Psychology, weaker spouse who has only learned helplessness with several suffering of failure tolerance and little constructive failure tolerance cannot be happy by herself. It is because less patient or weaker spouse, usually women and junior people like student, has little experiences on differences compared with more patient spouse.
On the other hand, stronger spouse who has a lot of constructive failure tolerance can easily be happy by himself. It is because more patient or stronger spouse, usually men and senior people like mentor, has a lot of experiences with new confrontation.
Next, the standard for considering who is weaker or stronger is the difference in people like family history, country like national history or economic history for economic field, and language like English history or history of Psychology’s terminology. It is because, by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung in Analytical Psychology, human’s mind has the collective unconscious or cumulatively mindless information on the history of family, nation or field of studies, and language or terminology.
Third, it is also because, by Dr. Arnold Toynbee as historian, history of challenge and response would be repeated. It is because only flexibly balanced feedback in present is the only way for people or family, country or academic world, and language or terminology of academic circles to be developed forever. However, even Dr. Toynbee has no idea on the difference between winning country or race like Italy with Pox Rome and US with Pox Americana, and loosing country or race like Germany, Japan, and Italy in World War II.
However, we, at least I who suffered in different paradigm, can use the different ways to think whether it is good or not by eastern and western view of point or different world-view. Thus, the only thing even Dr. Toynbee did not know is big problem of the incomplete translation between his western language and his eastern counter partner, SGI’s honor president Dr. Ikeda’s Japanese.
For example, the meaning of “response” in English and counter word in Asian is very different. Western meaning of “response” is construed as an aiding answer or positive rewards of limitedly responsible staff of institute just like conditioned response. Further, conditioned response is similar to conditioned love like fathers’ or strong persons’ love of Dr. Erich Fromm.
On the other hand, Asian meaning of counter word with “response” is assumed as an helping answer or positive reimbursement of unlimitedly responsible staff of culture center or church just like unconditioned response. What is more, unconditioned response is construed as unconditioned love like mothers’ or weak persons’ love of Dr. Erich Fromm.
Consequently, whether person’s, family’s, country’s or race’s, and earth or universe’s endless evolution or development, and winning in discussion is possible depends on the number of people who can unlimitedly response or endlessly resist against strong power’s command on attacking others. For example, Germany, Italy, and Japan became looser not only because of army or nuclear weapon, but also because of increasing the number of people who resist on Dictators’ or Strong Powers’ command on War. Further, Germany General Rommel is the very frontier to resist Dictator Adolf Hitler’s command on War and Holocaust. After Rommel punished, increasing number of people who are willing to resist Hitler’s bad prediction makes Germany army weaker.
As a result, I declared we should learn the monition of this winners’ history or winning circle of challenge and unlimitedly response or unconditioned love, or unlearned help, starting with one person just like Sister Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in US, General Rommel in Germany, Honor Makiguchi in Japan, and Yu-kwan-sun in South Korea. For global citizen, for now, you can realize that we have already had a common kind of people as a sacred model to resist strong people’s bad prediction. Further, you can realize why every bad government try to unite religion, to execute resistances, and to train people who got learned helplessness, discouraging themselves with obedience just like Dr. Milgram’s Psychology experiment.
Consequently, you can follow your own honorable frontiers, suffered with unfair pressure of bad government, by using your original culture’s sacred goal, which is peaceful vow to be a coworker with our honorable resistance against bad commander forever. If you can be a first frontier to resist against your bad commander, even though you may be close to death by your government, a lot of coworkers or disciples surprisedly appears and mysteriously follows from your sacred peaceful resistance. For people who have intent to be a first frontier to resist against your bad commander, as a member of SGI, I would like to give you alternatives with our way to chant. If you are scared or unhappiness, you can overcome that suffering with chanting “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” at least three times and loving each other including others who looked like your enemy until you feel comfortable and happiness.
For people who have their own sacred way to overcome suffering, please give the way for poor people under dictator, army government, and bad commander. For people who are scared against my way to chant you and I have no time to fight each other to decide which way is better for our own body.
For now, we must help poor people under bad commander with no matter what. It is because the disruption of the earth by nuclear weapon makes us have no time to fight each other for the discrimination. Further, this earth is the burning house with threat of Terrorism, Discrimination with money and class, and War against each other. For now, we must strive in helping poor people in the world, not only for our own country, race, or party’s safety.
To sum in part, we can solve Terrorism or aggressive thought with war-oriented person who is scared against others since they never been friends or experienced only by incompletely translated books. Thus, when we can pray for poor country’s people who suffered under the bad commander, and we give them sacred goal like SGI or your own beliefs no matter what, poor people can find at least one person who is willing to take a difficult just like execution. Consequently, others who have constructive failure tolerance with religion may be appeared through several dozen years just like India’s economic and politic development since assassination against Mahatma Gandhi and US’s development on discrimination since assassination against Mr. Former president Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fourth, it is also because, by American modern Psychology, patient history or circle of others’ hatred against him and unlimited response, unconditioned love, unquestioned response, or flexibly balanced feedback in present is the best way for people or family, country or academic world, and language or special terminology to be developed or evolved forever.
For example, my baby girl cried in the middle of night, taking my time to sleep, and taking my capacity to study for classes and world peace, I have never been upset. Evenly, I always feel happiness with baby’s smile after crying. I never forget American’s smile in saying “Hi! How are you?” Please, one more time, can you smile others? I promise I shall be first guy who smile you.
Thank you for reading my essay patiently without violence. I promise you that I never stop imagining an efficient way to be patient and love others who has different opinion, which looks like devil opinion with each other’s own word. Let us use smile first instead of words until we can talk with each other with opposite language. However, I peacefully vow that I laugh at you first and never be upset in discussion with you even though you are really suspicious and unfamiliar on my essay. I have already taken an experiment to prove my essay and promise to you. However, if you see my blue on my face, please laugh at me once more. It is because I am a kind of baby on your world. I am not perfect. However, if you look at my smile at you, please say “Hi! I love you.” That is all I need from you. I do sacrifice first for world peace. If you think this is good way, please laugh at not only me, but also poor people in the world.
References
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A Division of Guliford Publications, Inc., 1996).
Ikeda, Daisaku, The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1-6, (Santa Monica: World Tribune
Press, 2000).
Ikeda, Daisaku, The World Is Yours to Change, (Tokyo: Asahi Press, 2002).
Jung, Carl Gustav, Gerhard Adler, and R. F.C. Hull, The Archetypes and The Collective
Unconscious, (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1981).
King, Martin Luther, Jr., I Have A Dream.
Parks, Rosa, Quiet Strength, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000).
Slater, Lauren, Opening Skinner’s Box, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2004).
Toynbee, Arnold and Daisaku Ikeda, The Toynbee-Ikeda Dialogue: Man Himself Must
Choose, (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1982).
Copyright (C) Jae-Weon Choi, 2006. All rights are reserved.