Buddhism in Daily Life

Selfishness breeds selfishness; compassion nurtures compassion

I had the great fortune to listen to one of the architects of the Euro speak in Vancouver last night and interviewed him this morning, listening to his views on how destructive our current international monetary system is and how it's potentially on the verge of collapse and is the root of unsustainable and selfish attitudes in modern, developed society.

To sum up what I thought was his main point: money makes the world go round, but not necessarily in the right direction.

He went through his analysis of our current monetary system, showing how our current view of money (as a store of value, a medium of exchange and a measure of value) has twisted society into thinking that greed is natural and in order to survive, we must compete with everyone else to obtain our share of money to buy scarce resources. He argues, most compellingly, that despite economic theory stating that people struggle to obtain scarce resources, in reality, people actually struggle to simply obtain money--which in reality is limitless and in real terms, has no inherent value.

He argues that many of us don't even realize that the way we perceive modern society, the economy, the market, etc., is so defined by the assumption that our current national currency is the only way to exchange goods and services; as someone wrote, we see money as being something as God-given as rain, when in fact it's a manmade construction that has value and purpose only because we bestow such influence on it.

The dangers of such a system are many, but the social effect ultimately is that it naturally leads people (however inadvertently) to become greedy, selfish, insecure people who need to obtain "enough" money to feel secure about the future and about their lives (and as we know, we never have enough money).

To hear an economist and a former national central banker say this was an eye-opening experience. I never imagined that someone of his stature and experience would be capable of saying something of a system, at some point, he helped to create (with respect to creating the mechanism that brought together all the currencies under the Euro).

But what was even more interesting for me was hearing from him the importance of the average citizen to be aware of this underlying assumption we have been brought up to believe in about money and change our attitudes in order to save the planet from ecological destruction and save society from falling apart.

His notion that we must create a system of exchange that is community-driven, mutually beneficial and creates intrinsic value is something that rings of Buddhist truth (although, I have no idea what his philosophical beliefs are).

Buddhist thought expresses the idea that in order for us to develop a genuine sense of absolute happiness and joy, you need to transform your selfish attitudes and desires into something that contributes to your environment and society. As the case with our attitudes with money shows, greed simply begets greed; selfishness begets selfishness. Your selfish attitudes will naturally bring out the same in others, and your entire environment will be filled with selfishness, because that is the attitude you, yourself, are projecting.

While it's easy to blame and focus on someone else's selfishness, in Buddhism, the reality is, the selfishness from others comes out because it's coming out of you too.

A simple case in point; during Halloween, if there are a bunch of kids heading towards someone with a bucket of candy and chocolate, and just one kid starts swiping at the bucket to get as much as possible; the other kids will simply join in the scramble to get as much as they can too. It's the herd mentality that seems to naturally happen when greed, selfishness and pride are the cause of one's actions. You do something out of greed, selfishness or pride, and you'll bring out the same negative qualities in others and create a negative competitive environment.

The same is true in relationships; in the beginning, a couple may feel totally happy to be generous and kind to each other, because their affection wants to express itself. But as soon as one partner starts to have selfish desires (i.e. I want more of this or that, or I deserve this or that), over time, the same attitude will breed in the other person and the relationship will begin to sour. If that attitude does not mutually change, the relationship is on the road to the end.

In general, this may seem like an obvious point, especially if you have experience to prove it, but it only proves the point that the causes we make--whether it's our actions, our words, or our thoughts and attitudes--have a huge influence on our interactions in our environment and in society.

From a Buddhist perspective, you simply cannot blame others for the negativity they seem to project to you; if they have a "it's all about me" attitude, and they seem to project that to you, it's also likely that you're projecting the exact same attitude. Just as affection nurtures affection from others, so too does selfishness breed selfishness from others.

So to change this seemingly external problem of being around selfish people, or people who embody characteristics we don't like, we, in fact, have to change ourselves and transform those seemingly negative traits into something positive and value creating. In order to attract the people with traits we like, we have to develop and express those traits in ourselves first.

If we want genuinely nice, caring, generous people to be our friends, we have to embody those traits as well (and the key word is "genuinely" have those traits). Just as we can't fake being selfish and mean, you really can't fake being compassionate and caring. If you are "being nice" in the hopes of getting something in return, you're simply setting yourself up for disappointment because your fake attitude is just that: fake. You don't really care about that person; you're just being nice in the hopes of getting the other person to do something for you, or to have as a backup for when you need help, or whatever.

This may seem like an idealistic, wish-washy idea, but in fact, it's the basis of some incredible examples of positive humanity around the world. Referring back to the issue of money, there are alternate, or "complementary currencies" in existence that have proven that a form of currency does not have to breed greed and selfishness. The utilization of a type of currency utilized in several states in the US called "time currency" which trades the time of a skilled person's efforts (i.e. one hour of gardening equals one hour of house cleaning, or cooking, etc..) has proven to create a strong sense of community and camraderie that ordinary money inherently cannot do. Rather than having people competing for each other's services (by undercutting each other to sell their service), the time currency makes everyone's effort equal and people feel more united, happy, and useful. Rather than breed selfishness, it has created a cooperative community to the point that it has encouraged people to be even more productive and generous to each other.

Within SGI too, the collective efforts of members and leaders to support each other in our Buddhist practice and our efforts to bring out our true potential as a human being, is another example of "compassion in action." Members across the country and around the world have, on a regular basis, supported each other through some of the most difficult circumstances--not out of any sense of obligation, but out of genuine concern for another person's life and potential to life a happy, joyful and productive life.

So ultimately, our ability to become genuinely compassionate people depends on our willingness to see the negative characteristics we exude, seriously reflect on it, and make a concerted effort to nurture our positive attributes that everyone has. After all, no one can tell us whether or not we are happy or not; and only we have the power to create the attitude necessary to manifest it in our lives.

Establishing my True Self

In the past month I've experienced a dramatic transformation in my life. It's not that I've lost the weight I want to lose, or have bought new clothes, or changed my hairstyle. Rather, I've had a dramatic change of attitude about myself and my life.

I tend to be a very busy person; I've had about a dozen things on the go for the past few years, which has led me to feel burnt out, drained, cranky and generally discouraged.

But as a Buddhist, I came to realize that this negativity was in fact the opposite of what I was trying to develop in my life. In Buddhism, the goal of faith and practice is to raise our life condition, to strengthen our lifeforce to fulfill our goals, our mission and purpose in life. While part of this practice is about taking action for others, that action must be based on a positive life condition--one of compassion and understanding--not negativity manifested as feeling tired, weary, discouraged, doubtful and unhappy.

It occurred to me that if I were to continue all my volunteer activities--on top of my professional work--with this kind of attitude, my spirit would eventually be crushed by the weight of my negativity. No matter what good I was doing, if I did it begrudgingly out of obligation instead of genuine care for others, my efforts would be in vain. Some way, somehow, everything would fall apart and I'd have wasted all the effort.

I realized that to make the most good, I had to start from a good place, a positive perspective, a hopeful foundation. I had to change my attitude.

This realization came to me after a senior in faith, Tony Meers, general director of SGI Canada, said in a study session that we are experiencing our Buddhahood, our "true self" when we aren't feeling discouraged, disempowered, doubtful and hopeless. When we feel empowered, encouraged, hopeful and confident about who we are and the purpose of our actions--that's when we are experiencing our true self of Buddhahood.

It seems simplistic, but it made so much sense to me. I had heard similar guidance before, but it never had as much impact and relevance as it did when I heard it earlier this month. Hearing what he said made me realize that I had to change my attitude to make the most of my time and effort for valuable, community-building, socially-conscious activities. If I am able to maintain this attitude throughout my daily existence, I am then revealing my true self--my Buddha nature--and all the benefits of that state of life will manifest itself.

It may seem hard to believe that simply by changing my attitude can make any different, but it has. The past month, I've had this endless amount of confidence and the energy to get things done. Despite being physically tired, I can nevertheless work and stay focused and keep working until the task is done. I'm far more efficient with my time, am able to manage my time better, and waste far less time procrastinating than I used to. It's as if all the energy I wasted on my negativity has recharged me to the point I'm like the Energizer bunny.

The key has been my constant Buddhist practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. And it's not just the time I spend chanting, but the quality of my time doing it. I'm more focused in what I want and that focus has given me so many wonderful opportunities at work, in my volunteer activities and everything else I do.

There is a saying that Buddhism is "win or lose." You either win against your negativity or you lose. Before, it didn't seem like a "big deal" because there is always tomorrow to make things better, and I'm not doing "that bad today." But if you become focused, you have no choice but to win against your negativity because otherwise you'll fail in what you need to do.

Faith versus Reality

A few personally traumatic experiences in my life in the last few weeks pushed me to truly examine the value of faith, of spirituality, in my life. For some people, spirituality is relevant only when big changes come in one's life, usually the death of a loved one, or the birth of a child, marriage or some other significant event in one's life.

But, in the last few weeks, I have come to realize that spirituality is something that is intensely inter-related to one's daily life. Spirituality brings a greater context to the day-to-day activities that fill up our lives. Waking up in the morning, taking a shower, commuting to work, and all the other routine activities we go through has some spiritual aspect to it--if and when we are aware of it. Rather than something we simply have to go through in order to move forward in our life, they are moments when we can appreciate exactly what it is we have in our lives that gives our lives meaning.

The fact we can wake up means we are alive; the fact we can take a shower means we are fortunate to have clean water; the fact we can commute means we have freedom to travel, the fact that we go to work means we are able to financially support ourselves, and more than likely are able to help others in the process.

For some people, this realization may not be new; in fact, for me, it wasn't something I didn't realize until now. But, after a couple significant changes in my personal life in the past few weeks, I've come to realize more intensely the value of everything I have in my life--rather than dwell on what I may have lost.

Life is full of change; and as much as we may try to accept it, it's probably human nature to never fully accept it, because in many ways we are instinctively creatures of habit, not unlike any other form of life in nature. The only difference is we feel an emotional attachment to everything we enjoy, and simply want to keep the good times rolling forever, as much as we know it won't happen.

It may sound somewhat depressing to think that good times ebb and flow in one's life, but another way I'd like to think of the process is, one good time makes way for an even greater moment in one's life. The challenge to be happy then is all about recognizing that when change happens, it's a transition to something better, even though in the interim it may feel like a step backwards.

Buddhism Changes Poison into Medicine

Changing poison into medicine is a Buddhist analogy that illustrates very clearly how Buddhist philosophy can impact one's life when put into practice.

Put in more concrete terms, changing poison into medicine is about changing our perceptions about a problem, and turning it into an opportunity to grow as a human being.

Everyone goes through difficulties and challenges in their daily lives. It can be as small as being stuck in rush hour traffic, or having a bad waiter in a restaurant, to more serious problems like being laid off from work, having marrital problems, or having a serious health condition. Whatever the case may be, these problems are perceived as problems because they are seen to prevent our advancement in whatever field or avenue we decide we want to go. Health problems are seen as an obstacle to living a long life; unemployment is a hindrance to career advancement; rush hour traffic will make us late for work or an appointment.

But taken from a Buddhist view, these are not really problems, per se, but opportunities for us to reflect on our attitudes and our goals and think whether or not our attitude and our goals are the best things for us to express and have in our lives. Buddhism teaches that in order for us to truly relieve ourselves from suffering, we must challenge our perception of these sufferings we face--to see whether or not they are in fact a cause of suffering. In other words, Buddhism teaches us to reflect on our perceptions of reality, and see f there is another, more positive, more constructive way to look at a particular situation or event.

For example, getting laid off from work, may seem like an obstacle to career advancement, but it may be an opportunity for that worker to find better career opportunities, or even start his/her own business. Being stuck in rush hour, may be an opportunity for you to take more time and relax in your car, or use the time to think more about something related to a project at work. Or knowing that you're always stuck in traffic might encourage you to find other ways of getting to work, ot leaving earlier to beat the traffic. Even health problems can be taken as a way for you to make the most of your day, focusing on the most important things in your life, rather than wasting time thinking that you can do the important things later.

These are just some examples of how Buddhism can 'change poison into medicine' because it emphasizes the importance of an individual taking control of his/her own perceptions and turning a bad situation into a good one.

Of course, this is not an easy thing to do, and often, you will not always see things this way. But through dedicated Buddhist practice, this can become easier and easier, to the point that it becomes a habit, and soon enough, a seamless part of your character.

It is this boundless message of hope that ultimately defines the purpose of Buddhism--to live in faith that, no matter what your circumstances, no matter what your personal or family history--you have the power to change yourself and your perception of the world around you.

Buddhism is About Seeing the Big Picture

For people with a basic understanding of Buddhism, a common misconception is that Buddhism is simply about having a positive attitude about life. You know, 'Don't worry; be happy.' But while being positive is an important aspect about Buddhism, it is not about being carefree and happy-go-lucky--it's about having a broad and open mind about 'where we fit in the grand scheme of things.'

To deal with this misconception, it's important to deal with another important one--that of Buddhism being perceived to be solely about the individual and nothing else. In fact, the exact opposite is true. While Buddhism does relate most of its teachings on an individual level, it does so by stating the intricate relationship a person has, both within him or herself, with others, with the environment, and with the universe.

In Buddhism, the concept of 'oneness' or unity is extremely important in its understanding of how to deal with a person's perception of their life. There are the concepts of the Oneness of Body and Mind, Oneness of Self and Environment, Oneness of Person and the Law, and Oneness of Mentor and Disciple which define the intricate relationships we have that impact our lives. The more we understand these relationships, the more we can use our understanding to strengthen our life condition to deal with situations that challenge our goal of achieving Buddhahood, or absolute happiness.

Overall, in Buddhism, to deal with one's attitude towards and about life, one needs to understand and accept the intricate web of relationships that define our existence. While many people relate 'luck' with Buddhism, in fact, nothing is defined 'by chance.' Everything that happens or that exists in your life has a reason, defined by the relationships you have within yourself, with others, and with the environment. In short, you are the sum of the intricate relationships that existed long before you were born.

For example, your present socio-economic status is defined by the choices and situations that defined your parents' life up to and after your birth. Your cultural distinctiveness is defined by the upbringing you had as a child, infused with the values passed down by your parents and extended family. Your personality and character were defined by the combination of family genes and environmental influences that molded the person you are today. In short, the relationships between body and mind, self and environment, parent and child, just to name a few, defines your existence. In other words, your existence is the effect of innumerable causes created in the past.

So what does this complicated web of relationships have to do with 'seeing the big picture'? Well...everything. When we are able to realize how much it took for us to come alive as a human being, we are able to see beyond the narrow confines of our self-interest and ego. We realize, not only that we are more than the sum of our parts, but that the sum of relationships that created our parts is huge and immeasurable. When we are able to realize and appreciate what it took for us to be alive, despite the struggles of countless generations of people, it's hard to be selfish and egotistical about our own individual life. We are the culmination of the causes created in the past, and out of the most basic appreciation and respect, we should make the most of it and prove that the efforts of past generations were not made in vain.

So, seeing 'the big picture' is ultimately more than simply having a positive attitude; it's about having a profound sense of appreciation of life that extends beyond ourselves and includes everyone and everything around us that nurtures our existence. To neglect this sense of appreciation is to depreciate your own life and the lives of those before you, for no other reason except your own pride, ignorance, and selfishness (qualities Buddhism describes as the Three Poisons).

By being able to see the big picture, it's possible to not only have a positive attitude, but to see things in a whole new light. Rather than seeing circumstances as negative and problematic, they are in fact opportunities for us to develop our Buddha Nature and strengthen our life condition.

Our Attitude is Defined by our Life Condition

Almost a year ago, I gave a presentation entitled, "Buddhahood Begins in the Bathroom." The idea for that speech came to me by joining two completely separate thoughts I had from some articles I read, but the idea seemed to make a lot of sense to me at the time--and it illustrates the fact that how we perceive our life is very dependent on our condition of life, as defined by the Ten Worlds.

When we first wake up in the morning, one of the first places we go is the bathroom--for obvious reasons. After a good night's sleep, we have to remove the waste generated while our body was resting. But aside from that, going to the bathroom is also our first look at ourselves through the bathroom mirror. Depending on how we're feeling (before or after using the toilet), we can either say we look really bad, or feel nothing about our appearance and simply be content at the start of another day (or relieved to use the toilet). Both these attitudes are defined by our state of mind, or more accurately, our state of life.

Feeling negative, or complaining inside about our appearance in the mirror--first thing in the morning--shows our low life condition, ranging from Hell to Anger, depending on how bad we feel about it. While, on the other hand, feeling positive about a new day, despite our bad hair or puffy eyes illustrates a high life condition, where we are not swayed by our perception of our physical selves. In both cases, our appearance is the same, but our attitude towards it is vastly different.

This is just a basic example of how the Buddhist concept of the Ten Worlds illustrates the importance of 'exercising our spirit' in order to improve our own life. It's not uncommon in our modern lives to look outside ourselves for the sources of our problems--another person, a specific situation, something you disagree with. Often we say to ourselves, 'if this was different, my life would be better.'

From a Buddhist perspective, however, it is not our environment that is the problem, but our attitude towards it. If, as Buddhist teachings suggest, we are in control of our perception of life, then we must develop a sense of self-control over our emotions in order to maintain a positive and sustainable attitude towards ourselves and our environment. We must--as conflict-resolution moderators have--train ourselves to step back and be somewhat objective about a given situation rather than be controlled by it.

But, stepping back by itself does not solve the problem--the negativity generated from a given situation is still sitting there 'in reserve' like a AA battery. When something else makes you frustrated or angry, it will only recharge the battery until it explodes and leaks and ruins other parts of your life. Besides stepping back, it's vital to release that pent up energy, transforming that negativity into something positive and useful.

Going back to looking at yourself in the bathroom mirror, if you are unhappy about your morning hair, or puffy eyes, you can take a shower and clean yourself up. Likewise, if something or someone is bothering you at work, step back and look at why the situation is bothering you and find a way to resolve the problem. Rather than let it linger and mould into a bigger problem, make the most of it as an opportunity to improve yourself and grow as a person.

Enlightenment Defined as Absolute Happiness

Buddhahood; Enlightenment; Nirvana. These are perhaps the most central pieces of Buddhist jargon that anyone would hear, generally defined as a profound awareness achieved through various Buddhist practices. For anyone unaccustomed to such practices, they may seem utterly bizarre, even frightening to some, because it is so far from the norm of Judeo-Christian practices that define Western civilization.

But regardless of the deepest meaning of these words, their significance is often lost in their own complexity. Monks, priests and nuns have spent thousands of years deriving the deep meaning of these words that came to describe the ultimate goal of the first historically recorded Buddha, Shakyamuni, aka Siddhartha Gautama. He was a prince who rejected his royal heritage to seek out a way to help people from the four basic sufferings of life: birth, aging, sickness, and death. Buddhist teachings and practicses, in short, are meant to be means of relieving oneself of these for basic sufferings that, in Buddhist tradition, serve to define human existence.

But before even talking about Buddhahood, or Enlightenment, or Nirvana, it's important to realize that while the basic concept of the four sufferings may make human life sound painful, unpleasant, and unappealing, the exact opposite is true. Suffering is not what defines Buddhism. Buddhahood, or Enlightenment, or Nirvana is what defines Buddhism, and is the ultimate purpose and goal of its teachings and practices. While suffering may be an important element in its philosophy, it is seen as a means to an end: absolute happiness.

In the most basic sense, Buddhahood, Enlightenment and Nirvana all describe the inherently possible goal of achieving an indestructible sense of freedom, fulfillment, success and happiness in one's life. This is basically described as 'absolute happiness'--a spiritually-based condition of one's life where all the sufferings in your life are not seen as detrimental and unpleasant, but as a means to an end. Buddhahood, described as absolute happiness, is a state where someone is not hindered by one's negative perceptions of one's life and environment, but awakened to the ultimate reality of life: that we are in complete control of how we perceive our life.

This may seem like an obvious, or completely incorrect statement, depending on your own personal beliefs, however, in Buddhism, this is a key purpose of Buddhist practice and philosophy. Buddhists live day-by-day to awaken themselves to this ultimate reality--to stop ones self to see things negatively and actively work to change our perception more positively in every and any circumstance or situation.

In Buddhism, this is described as changing our life condition from one of Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger, to one of Humanity, Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood. These life conditions are defined as the Ten Worlds of Existence, which describe our state of life from moment to moment in our lives. When we are born, we have a basic life tendency that falls under one of these ten states, which tends to drive our character and personality. Some have short tempers indicating a basic condition of Anger, while others are needy and materialistic, indicating a basic state of hunger or Animality. Whatever one's basic tendency, Buddhism illustrates through its teachings how individuals can 'take their destiny in their own hands' and transform one's life condition to a state of Buddhahood, or a state of absolute happiness where our thoughts, words and actions create positive value for one's self and others.

The billion-dollar-question, of course, is how to achieve this state of absolute happiness, and this is the crux of the matter when it comes to the various Buddhist teachings and practices out there in the world. In Nichiren Buddhism, transforming one's life condition is based on an active form of meditation that involves recitation of portions of the Lotus Sutra--one of Shakyamuni's last, and most profound teachings before he passed away. Recitation is important because it actively involves one's entire body through the process of speaking. An important proverb in Nichiren Buddhism is the saying, "The voice does the Buddha's work." When we recite portions of the Lotus Sutra, we are essentially making the inherent meaning of those words our own, and the more we recite them, the more the teaching of respecting all life with compassion, wisdom and courage becomes a part of our own lives.

The purpose of recitation is to develop what is called one's Buddha Nature--the state of Buddhahood from within. When speaking of the debate over whether humans are inherently good or evil, Buddhism sees humanity as inherently good, with each person having within them their Buddha Nature--or state of absolute happiness that is both defined and nurtured through compassion, wisdom and courage. Buddhism is the least prejudicial or discriminatory in this sense, because everyone and anyone has a Buddha Nature within them--each person has the potential to live absolutely happy, if they apply themselves to develop the qualities of compassion, wisdom and courage.

The more one develops one's compassion, wisdom, and courage, the more they effectively become Buddhas--ordinary people who become extraordinary individuals capable of immeasurable happiness in life. While some forms of Buddhism state that Buddhahood can only be achieved after one's passed away, Nichiren Buddhism states that such a state is possible in one's present life. The key is making the decision to become absolutely happy, to steadily continue practising Buddhist teachings in one's daily life, and flexing one's compassion, wisdom and courage through following in Shakyamuni's footsteps and helping others from their suffering.

It may seem like an impossible task in one's hectic life in the 21st century, but it is possible. How it is possible, is a post for another day.

The Mystic Law as the First Rule of Law

In Buddhism there is the concept of the Mystic Law, which in essence is the law that governs all life in the universe. This law could be summarized as the "Mystic Law of Cause and Effect" which basically says that everything in the universe is governed by the law that "for every action/thought/word (cause) there is an equal reaction (effect) that influences our life and that of our environment." This law was alluded to by the original Buddha, Shakyamuni, in his teachings later written down in the Lotus Sutra, one of his last teachings before he passed away 2500 years ago.

This fundamental law is one of the most important guiding principles in Buddhism, which, according to the Lotus Sutra, is the means to attaining enlightenment. While other Buddhist sutras and teachings tend to define enlightenment in different ways, spanning countless lifetimes (aka kalpas), the teachings introduced by Nichiren Daishonin in 13th century Japan, affirmed the belief that through applying the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect in one's daily life, one could attain enlightenment in their present lifetime.

In a practical sense, knowing that everything we say, think and do will have effects at some point in the future, means that at a fundamental level, we are in absolute control over our own lives. Through the concept of karma--a storehouse of our life that includes causes made in the 'immeasurable past'--based on the application of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings, the more positive causes we make in our lives, the more positive our future can become and the more fulfilling and purposeful our life will be.

To apply the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect is to effectively dedicate one's life to the pursuit of absolute happiness for oneself and for those around you. Through the application of the inherently human traits of compassion, wisdom and courage--traits that define one's Buddha Nature that all life possesses--we can expiate our negative karma created by causes made in the past, to benefit our present and future circumstances. As Nichiren said in in The Opening of the Eyes, "If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present."

While this law can clearly be applied to the individual, it also applies to society as a whole. In addition to the idea of individual karma, society as a whole has its own karma, consisting of the causes created by people of all races, cultures, classes and situations. When taken in this context, the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect can be said to be the first "rule of law." Rule of law is political/philosophical a concept that defines all democratic societies, which in effect, states that no person is above the law. From a Buddhist perspective, no person is above the Mystic Law as no one is uneffected by the law of cause and effect. Just as in physics, there is Newton's Third Law of Motion which states, "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," so to in society with the Mystic Law of Cause and Effect which states effectively the same thing--except that it was created almost 2000 years before Newton's discovery.

As the first rule of law, from a Buddhist perspective, it is clear that in order to create the conditions for social 'enlightenment', which can be characterized by the idea of world peace, social values need to realize and accept at the individual level, the importance of developing a life condition that is not hindered by causes that create discord, inequality, injustice, and destruction. In other words, people need to realize that the Three Poisons of Greed, Anger and Foolishness should not be the overriding force that governs our lives.

If we are to establish such a state of life, the realization and application of the Mystic Law is a necessary requisite for sustainable and continued development of the humanity that exists in each individual. When we all realize the paramount importance of developing compassion, wisdom and courage to do, think and speak out for what is right, good and true, then we can take further steps to building a societal culture that can be creative rather than destructive.