Buddhist View on the Terror Attack: Interview with the Commonwealth Magazine (Part 1)

9/17/2001 

The interview took place in the midst of the pouring rain of Typhoon Nari, in a second floor room at Nung Chan Monastery. Two journalists from the magazine Commonwealth waded through knee-high floodwater inside and outside of the Monastery to reach Master Sheng-yen. The electricity was out. Heavy rain pounded the metal roof of the monastery. Down stair, residents of the Monastery quietly checked the rising water level while making sure they moved as many things as possible high enough above ground. "The world is both in deep water and in scorching flames; here we are in deep water, and in the US they are in the heat of flames," commented Master Sheng-yen as he commended the courage and professionalism of the two interviewers.
  

Commonwealth: Today we came to Master Sheng-yen to ask two questions.

1)  We would like to have Master Sheng-yenís comments on the Sept. 11 attack in the US and the developments afterwards.

2) In the face of the volatility and impermanence of this world, how do ordinary people find peace of mind? What can they do to settle their body and mind?

Master: The event of September 11 may look like an incident that happened all of a sudden. But it is not. Buddhism talks about cause and effect, and between cause and effect, there must be co-joining factors, which we call conditions. I am not a military expert nor politic commentator, but I will offer my view.

This event happened in the United States. Why did it happen in the US, not elsewhere? Now most evidence points to Osama bin Laden as the prime suspect. Why does he harbor such hatred toward the US? He exemplifies the most extreme and most radical sector of the Arab world, the school of thought rooted in nationalism combined with Islamic fundamentalism. When religion and politics become entwined, the power could be dangerously massive, and thus the huge, entangled conflicts. The Muslim conflicts with Christians and Jews have been going on for so long that the hatred has been handed down and accumulated generation after generation.

Now, it is well recognized that under such attack the US could not possibly just endure without retribution. The Bush administration, as leaders of their country and with US being leader of the Western world, has to take strong action to show leadership to his people and to US allies, which are largely from the Christian world. According to a recent poll, about 80% of the population in the US supports an immediate declaration war. But there are 20% who think otherwise. In the UK, 75% of the population is for war, while the rest is not. So not everybody thinks going for war is a good idea. War is a very cruel thing. Of course such a terrorist attack is a horrendous act, and definitely condemnable. But in terms of solving the problem, we have to use wisdom. The problem will not be solved by emotional reactions, anger, or immediate vengeful acts. Such actions could be dangerous, putting more peopleís lives and welfare in line, with peace of the world at stake, at the political stability of the world at risk.

From my point of view as a Buddhist, this certainly is not what I hope to see. In a statement I made after the attack, I warned against fighting violence with violence, and of the danger of creating a vicious cycle of vengeance. The American people are now very united in their resolution to defend their institutions. All over the world, many experts are watching the development from  military, political, economic, and religious points of views and offer their respective opinions. I believe leaders of the US have the wisdom to proceed rightfully. The US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, acclaimed veteran of the Gulf War, is quite familiar with Sun Tzuís Art of War. In fact, the reason the Gulf War went so well for him is that he and his top commanders were familiar with Sun Tzuís Art of War. What Sun Tzu taught is not blind war, but war of wisdom and compassion. I myself have read the Art of War several times. The book talks about how to time a war: when one should hold off from attacking, and the ideal time to attack such that victory is assured and damages to both sides are minimizedóthis is the best possible war. Deterring aggression with the back up of a strong force, thus winning the war without fighting -- this is the best strategy. One should not force the enemy into a war they might otherwise avoid: otherwise, the enemy may feel cornered, then burn their bridges and fight to the bitter end. An enemy in this condition is the most fearful. 

Another teaching of Sun Tzu is about leaving a path of retreat for your enemy troops that you have surrounded, and not to chase them to their end. People in dire straits will commit desperate acts. It is best to channel their power skillfully, adjusting according to circumstances, and avoid pushing people to extremes.

From a Buddhist perspective, nonviolence is the favorable way. However, the nonviolent approach Buddhists take is not weakness without the backing of strong force. We are in favor of deterring the rogues with strong military backup and then steering them to the right path. Therefore, I have been actively involved in the UN Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. We want extend a friendly hand to the Arab world. The Arab world nowadays includes some closed, conservative states. But there are some moderate, more open states too. We should make friends with leaders and people of these moderate states, and through them reach and open up the more extreme sectors. I have stated in my speech at the Millennium World Peace Summit that, if one finds a certain part of the doctrine of oneís own religion in contradiction with the promotion of world peace, then one should take a fresh look and seek a new interpretation of the doctrine. 

In this new century, one should go back to the basic spirit of the sacred scriptures of one's faith. For example, in the Quran, God, Allah, is described by many beautiful names, such as the True One, the Compassionate, the Forgiver, the Pardoner, the Loving One, and so on. If you want everyone in the world to be in allegiance with Allah, that is fine. But that has to be achieved through love and compassion. The western world needs to patiently build bridges to get the message across. With such bridges built, the number of extremists will gradually be reduced. At present, the US government has pledged 40 billion dollars in the fight against terrorism. Why not consider taking some of the 40 billion toward buildings bridge to reach the moderate, the numerous ordinary people, or even the people of Afghanistan? This is the way to solve the problem from the root cause, and not to generate more boiling hatred and more terrorists. I wouldnít call on the US not to take actions, but I believe the actions the US takes will be compassionate and wise. I have confidence in the capacity of the US leadership.

(to be continued)