3. Weaknesses in the Buddhist View of Value
The fundamental virtue of Buddhism is mercy (maitri), and in order to practice mercy a life of training is required. Through such a life of training, one reaches Srāvaka (one who is awakened by hearing the teachings, or one who wishes to become a disciple of the arhat, the enlightened one), Pratyeka-buddha (one who awakens by oneself, or the one who has realized the principle of no generation or destruction and attained the state of freedom), Bodhisattva (the one striving for enlightenment, or the one who strives for Buddhahood and tries to lead people to Buddhahood) and finally Buddhahood (the enlightened one, or the one with perfect personality). Mercy, a virtue, becomes possible at the levels of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood. One is not yet ready to practice mercy at the levels of Srāvaka and Pratyeka-buddha.
Human beings are not aware of the fact that all things in the world change, or are transitory; accordingly, they are overly attached to their present life, and that is the cause of their suffering. In order to end suffering one must get rid of such attachments through a life of training. Deliverance from attachments and liberation from suffering are understood as “salvation” (vimukti) in Buddhism. Through salvation, one enters a state of selflessness and acquires the ability to practice true mercy, according to Buddhism.
The fundamental thought of the Buddha has been systematized in the teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths consist of (1) the Truth of Suffering, (2) the Truth of the Cause of Suffering, (3) the Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, and (4) the Truth of the Noble Path to the Cessation of the Cause of Suffering. The Truth of Suffering tells us that human life is full of suffering. The Truth of the Cause of Suffering teaches that the cause of this suffering is attachment. The Truth of the Cessation of Suffering teaches that in order to get rid of suffering and attain Nirvana (Perfect Tranquility), one must give up attachment. The Truth of the Noble Path to the Cessation of the Cause of Suffering is that, in order to make one’s suffering disappear and to attain Nirvana, one must be trained in and walk according to the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path is the following: (1) Right View, (2) Right Thought, (3) Right Speech, (4) Right Behavior, (5) Right Livelihood, (6) Right Effort, (7) Right Mindfulness, and (8) Right Concentration.
Right view refers to one’s having correct knowledge about the essence of the world without any prejudice. Through right thought, a person decides to walk the correct path. Right speech includes not lying or criticizing others unjustly. Right behavior includes abstaining from killing and stealing. To follow right livelihood, a person must live a righteous life in accordance with the right law. To practice right effort, a person must conquer all evil thoughts, and strive to dwell only on good thoughts. To attain right mindfulness, a person must seek truth, freeing his or her mind from earthly thoughts. Finally, through right concentration, a person engages in deep meditation and attains a tranquil state of mind without worldly desires. The system of twelve points was established through an enquiry into the cause of the emergence of human pain. That cause is the teaching of the twelve causations. According to this teaching, the root cause of human suffering is desire or greed, but more fundamental than that, there is ignorance of Tathatā (the source of the universe), and of the state of not realizing that pain and suffering are not essential. From this ignorance, all kinds of suffering arise. In Mahayana Buddhism, the perfection of the following six practices (pramit) is necessary for one to become a Bodhisattva:
(1) Offering, (2) Keeping precepts, (3) Endurance, (4) Endeavor, (5) Concentration of mind, and (6) Wisdom.
Offering means giving to others unconditionally, with benevolence. Keeping precepts is for the perfection of morality. A person must endure sufferings. Endeavor refers to one’s practice of the teachings of Buddha with diligence and courage. Concentration of mind is the perfection of meditation, and wisdom is the knowledge and ability to judge good and evil, or right and wrong. The root of the above virtues of Buddhism is mercy, and the basis for mercy is Tathatā, which is the source of the universe. 10 Today, however, the Buddhist view of values has lost its ability to persuade people. This is because the Buddhist doctrine has the following problems: The exact nature of Tathatā, the source of the universe, is not explained. The way the dharmas (all phenomena) have come into being is unclear. A fundamental explanation of how ignorance came about is not given. A fundamental solution of actual problems (of human life, society, and history) is impossible merely through training.
Moreover, Communism has served as a challenge to Buddhism. The Communist assault can be summarized as follows: “Actual society is filled with exploitation, oppression, the gap between rich and poor, and other social ills. The cause of these vices lies not so much in personal ignorance as it does in the contradictions within the system of capitalist society itself. Buddhist training is for the salvation of the individual, but is not that just a way of escaping from reality, a way of avoiding a real solution to the problems? Engaging in training without solving actual problems is nothing but hypocrisy.” Thus confronted, Buddhists have been unable to counter with an appropriate response.