Comment: Extremists have never paid attention to the principles of religions. Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and contemporary terrorists etc have always overwhelmingly affected by their own fanatic and paranoid thought. Finally, they have translated those thoughts into brutality or sometime committed bomb-suicide. We can say that those actions don't base on religion, morality or compassion, but it totally based on self-conceited thought, self-indulgent pursuance, idiosyncrasy, frantic emotion, and paranoia. Self-realization or self-enlightenment has been profoundly taught by Buddha. But Pol Pot, or Hitler including others might have no self-realization. Personal behavior of self-realization might be perfectly guided since people were very young. Other factors of Cambodian people have possibly affected by the political environment. We concur that Cambodian people are cynical and living under fear of oppressions since the fall of Angkor era. The political cynicism and fear were deeply embedded in Cambodian society by the intractable neighbor invasions and internal conflicts for power. In Cambodia, needless to blame on Buddhism on civil war and brutality like Bhikku Dr. Hok Savann, a contemporary Cambodian Buddhist scholar said civil war and brutality in Cambodia have been endorsed by the desired people who have never interested to learn and practise Buddhist teachings.
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
May 20, 2009
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D
Senior researcher Lao Mong Hay, of the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission, wrote "Khmer Rouge Trial: Time for soul searching," published several months ago in UPI Online. It's a thought-provoking piece, valuable for people of all faiths.
As the Khmer Rouge trials proceed, Mong Hay suggested "the need for the Cambodian people themselves ... to do some soul searching."
Theravada Buddhism, a state religion under the kingdom, the republic, the Khmer Rouge and today's autocracy, is based on three founding concepts: the "dharma" -- Buddha's teachings on right actions and beliefs; the "karma" -- a person's present and future life as determined by his or her own deeds and misdeeds, the sum total of his acts and omissions in all his incarnations past and present; and the "sangha" -- the ascetic community within which a person can improve karma (and become a superior being).
Buddhists who seek enlightenment practice compassion, which is the root of Buddha's dharma teachings. Compassion, kindness, tolerance and forgiveness are the essence of Buddhism.
Cambodia has more than 4,000 monasteries and more than 50,000 monks. Up to 95 percent of the population are Therevada Buddhist.
Mong Hay asked, if "the overwhelming majority of Cambodian people were Buddhist" before the Khmer Rouge's rise to power, "how could these Buddhists among the Khmer Rouge help kill some 1.7 million of their fellow countrymen" from 1975-1979?
"Cambodians need to do some deep soul searching as to how Buddhist they were prior to the Khmer Rouge times, and even in current times, where crimes are no less ruthless," he writes. "Was Buddhism just skin deep, and were Buddhist ethical values -- such as respect for life, loving-kindness and compassion -- not the Cambodian people's strong deep-seated core values as these people might have thought?" he asked.
People in general like to talk. Talking the talk makes some people feel knowledgeable and even pious, and many do this. But walking the talk is less common, for it's harder to do. We "talk the talk" on autopilot; we don't internalize the belief system the words espouse.
More than a decade ago, in 1996, Harvard political science professor Daniel Goldhagen's book, "Hitler's Willing Executioners," stirred controversies about a German mentality containing "eliminationist anti-semitism" that originated in medieval attitudes and developed for centuries. Growing from Goldhagen's doctoral dissertation, which won the 1994 Gabriel Almond Award in comparative politics from the American Political Science Association, the book argues that the ordinary Germans knew about the Holocaust, did not oppose but supported it.
Someone has compared the Khmer Rouge's three years, eight months and 20 days of brutality "as awful and unfathomable as events in Nazi Germany, Stalin's Russia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Darfur." Goldhagen's book should provide food for thought for Cambodian historians.
After all, were the monsters Khmer Rouge not among the Cambodian Theravada Buddhists who followed Buddha's dharma teachings? So what snapped? Did Pol Pot have his "willing executioners," in and out of Cambodia, who knew about atrocities, did not oppose them and even welcomed them? Are some such executioners in the government today?
Someone asked, why has Cambodia's Buddhist clergy not spoken out against atrocities, bloodshed and violence, past and present?
Remember there have been Buddhists and non-Buddhists who put their lives on the line fighting Pol Pot since his victory in April 1975.
A few decades ago, I read a Cambodian statesman's political analysis of Khmer history. A nationalist and Buddhist, he wrote of Khmer valor, the Khmer Empire and the builders of Angkor. The Khmer race was "pouch neak chambang" -- a warrior race -- at a time the Hindu influences were paramount. Then came Buddha's doctrine of peace, kindness and compassion to replace the old ways of combativeness and valor, and Cambodia began her decline, he wrote.
I have asked myself since about a "dichotomy" within a person with an inner tug-of-war between the combative warrior personality and the peaceful Buddha-like personality. I was reminded of statues of Hindu gods such as Brahma (Preah Prum), Vishnu (Preah Noreay), Siva (Preah Eysor), among others, in Cambodia's public places -- and not many statues of Buddha.
When I read in another article by Mong Hay, "The history of extremism runs deep," in The Phnom Penh Post of Dec. 7, 2001, that "many of our actions have an extreme aspect" -- he drew examples from social in the family contexts to politics in society -- the thought of "pouch neak
chambang" in conflict with the little Buddha seeking enlightenment recurred. Can the conflict be bridged through learning, relearning and unlearning?
The deep wounds inflicted on Cambodians, their culture and society by the brutal Khmer Rouge require no less than justice -- the rendering of what is due to the accused and the victims -- before national reconciliation and healing can be reached.
But the way the Khmer Rouge trials have been conducted put justice beyond reach. Many who manifest the warrior spirit of Cambodia's history may not rest until the accused are thrown in the tigers' den.
Michael B. Ross, an American inmate on death row, writes men can stop the pain and heal only by willing to work for it: "Forgiveness ... doesn't erase what happened, but it does allow us to lessen and perhaps even eliminate the pain of the past. ... It is letting go of the past so that we can move on."
As the Khmer Rouge trials proceed, Mong Hay suggested "the need for the Cambodian people themselves ... to do some soul searching."
Theravada Buddhism, a state religion under the kingdom, the republic, the Khmer Rouge and today's autocracy, is based on three founding concepts: the "dharma" -- Buddha's teachings on right actions and beliefs; the "karma" -- a person's present and future life as determined by his or her own deeds and misdeeds, the sum total of his acts and omissions in all his incarnations past and present; and the "sangha" -- the ascetic community within which a person can improve karma (and become a superior being).
Buddhists who seek enlightenment practice compassion, which is the root of Buddha's dharma teachings. Compassion, kindness, tolerance and forgiveness are the essence of Buddhism.
Cambodia has more than 4,000 monasteries and more than 50,000 monks. Up to 95 percent of the population are Therevada Buddhist.
Mong Hay asked, if "the overwhelming majority of Cambodian people were Buddhist" before the Khmer Rouge's rise to power, "how could these Buddhists among the Khmer Rouge help kill some 1.7 million of their fellow countrymen" from 1975-1979?
"Cambodians need to do some deep soul searching as to how Buddhist they were prior to the Khmer Rouge times, and even in current times, where crimes are no less ruthless," he writes. "Was Buddhism just skin deep, and were Buddhist ethical values -- such as respect for life, loving-kindness and compassion -- not the Cambodian people's strong deep-seated core values as these people might have thought?" he asked.
People in general like to talk. Talking the talk makes some people feel knowledgeable and even pious, and many do this. But walking the talk is less common, for it's harder to do. We "talk the talk" on autopilot; we don't internalize the belief system the words espouse.
More than a decade ago, in 1996, Harvard political science professor Daniel Goldhagen's book, "Hitler's Willing Executioners," stirred controversies about a German mentality containing "eliminationist anti-semitism" that originated in medieval attitudes and developed for centuries. Growing from Goldhagen's doctoral dissertation, which won the 1994 Gabriel Almond Award in comparative politics from the American Political Science Association, the book argues that the ordinary Germans knew about the Holocaust, did not oppose but supported it.
Someone has compared the Khmer Rouge's three years, eight months and 20 days of brutality "as awful and unfathomable as events in Nazi Germany, Stalin's Russia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia and Darfur." Goldhagen's book should provide food for thought for Cambodian historians.
After all, were the monsters Khmer Rouge not among the Cambodian Theravada Buddhists who followed Buddha's dharma teachings? So what snapped? Did Pol Pot have his "willing executioners," in and out of Cambodia, who knew about atrocities, did not oppose them and even welcomed them? Are some such executioners in the government today?
Someone asked, why has Cambodia's Buddhist clergy not spoken out against atrocities, bloodshed and violence, past and present?
Remember there have been Buddhists and non-Buddhists who put their lives on the line fighting Pol Pot since his victory in April 1975.
A few decades ago, I read a Cambodian statesman's political analysis of Khmer history. A nationalist and Buddhist, he wrote of Khmer valor, the Khmer Empire and the builders of Angkor. The Khmer race was "pouch neak chambang" -- a warrior race -- at a time the Hindu influences were paramount. Then came Buddha's doctrine of peace, kindness and compassion to replace the old ways of combativeness and valor, and Cambodia began her decline, he wrote.
I have asked myself since about a "dichotomy" within a person with an inner tug-of-war between the combative warrior personality and the peaceful Buddha-like personality. I was reminded of statues of Hindu gods such as Brahma (Preah Prum), Vishnu (Preah Noreay), Siva (Preah Eysor), among others, in Cambodia's public places -- and not many statues of Buddha.
When I read in another article by Mong Hay, "The history of extremism runs deep," in The Phnom Penh Post of Dec. 7, 2001, that "many of our actions have an extreme aspect" -- he drew examples from social in the family contexts to politics in society -- the thought of "pouch neak
chambang" in conflict with the little Buddha seeking enlightenment recurred. Can the conflict be bridged through learning, relearning and unlearning?
The deep wounds inflicted on Cambodians, their culture and society by the brutal Khmer Rouge require no less than justice -- the rendering of what is due to the accused and the victims -- before national reconciliation and healing can be reached.
But the way the Khmer Rouge trials have been conducted put justice beyond reach. Many who manifest the warrior spirit of Cambodia's history may not rest until the accused are thrown in the tigers' den.
Michael B. Ross, an American inmate on death row, writes men can stop the pain and heal only by willing to work for it: "Forgiveness ... doesn't erase what happened, but it does allow us to lessen and perhaps even eliminate the pain of the past. ... It is letting go of the past so that we can move on."
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the Universityof Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.
http://www.guampdn.com/apps/
10 comments:
After the war with the Kingdom of Champa, the King Jayavarman VII developped the Buddhist believe as our Khmer religion, because the king himself suffered a lot & did not want to see the people died.
Another good reason, the King wanted to have a real reconciliation between different ethnics in the Kingdom. Therefore they were able to live together in peace under the former Khmer Empire.
We Khmer new generation, love to import the western civilization & doctrine. It sound to me, we are still living under the old colonization. Please look back to our history, we might have had some 1000 year ago a real good civilization & good democracy.
Letting go of the past will help Cambodians move on without any hindering; however, Cambodians of all walks of life need to learn from the past to understand why and how the obsessively radical KR regime, which pitted the poor against others in the same society, could come to power.
Looking at our current society and the direction into which it is moving, I am not sure if Cambodians, particularly those who are in power, have really learnt anything significant from the KR tragic period.
Will history repeat itself?
Anet Khmer
Thruth!
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2009/04/9-lives-of-norodom-sihanouk-part-1-in.html
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2009/04/9-lives-of-norodom-sihanouk-part-2-in.html
"Enfin Bouddha notre maître suprême a bien dit que l'ignorance est la source de la souffrance,il éclaire que l'ambition est une forme de cette ignorance à sans arrêt causer le malheur des Cambodgiens car l'ambition de leurs dirigeants pour obtenir le pouvoir à vie et de viser d'expansionnisme de leurs voisins dure depuis très longtemps,mais grâce à la vérité Bouddha a pu quitter ce cercle de la souffrance et parvenir à l'élimination donc la vérité en soi,la vérité concernant leurs histoires et leurs combats peut sûrement aider les cambodgiens à sortir de leurs épreuves"
" Finally Buddha our supreme boss said well that the ignorance is the source of the suffering, it lights(enlightens) that the ambition is a shape of this ignorance to cause non-stop the misfortune of the Cambodians because the ambition of their leaders to obtain the power with life and to aim at expansionism of their neighbours lasts for a very long time, but thanks to the truth Buddha was able to leave this circle of the suffering and to reach the elimination thus "
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=sVLTFmWX4VE
According to "INSCRIPTIONS MODERNES D'ANGKOR"by "Mähä Bidür KRASSEM
collection dirigée par:Nouth Narang,Jacques Népote,Ang Chouléan.
Khmers believed to the reincarnation,welcome of Buddha Srey Ar métrey"
http://fr.youtube.com/user/maitreyaproject
"NICHHAING TATOR, ASONTA-YI VITA-NHOR AK-NAING KAKNOR, UTCHIN-TI PHAVAK SAN THA NI, ANTI MO-YAING SAMOU-SAMO-SAYA-YOR"
"HE WHO HAS REACHED THE GOAL,IS FEARLESS,HAS BROKEN THE SHAFTS OF EXISTENCE,-OF SUCH A ONE THIS IS THE FINAL FORM"
Come on and dance with Khmerr
http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=Htc4PbnssOE
“If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.”Our Lord Buddha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADI0JSTWFE8
3:14PM how we now is right?
Can there's be a trap on the ground?
Use your brain fool!
"Only you can help yourself, fool!"
Buddha.
Hey Khmer Young and Mr. A. G. Peang-Meth PhD,
Have you ever tried that juicy and delicious 'Numm Akor' of the highly respected guru Jasmine aka Sarotee Sri Krisna of yours?
If you have, then don'y forget to let me know so that I can be advised in advance in order to make it last forver...
I heard that guru Jasmine loooves to FUCK with both oldies and youngs. Well, you guys will be the perfects candidates for that. So, good luck!
SRP's Member
whether some people like to believe it or not, religions calm people down a bit. religions soothe and overcome anger, sadness, etc... please embrace some kind of religion; it is good for your frame of mind, whether choosing to believe in buddha, christianity, etc... all religions and all god is good. yes, religions tame people a lot. the KR did not embrace any religion, that's why they don't believe in life, human rights, etc... thank god they are history now. god bless cambodia.
1. How can one be called Buddhist? Is there any norm or standard to test that? If there is one, how many percent of Cambodian would pass the test?
2. Is there a school cirriculumn teach school kids about what is Buddhism and how to became a Buddhist?
Some one, please, answere the above questions.
Khmer boy
good point, 8:02am. even buddhist needs a university to teach younger generation the proper way of buddhism, a good way. just because your parents are buddhist, etc, doesn't mean you will become a good buddhist. same with any religion; every major religion of the world needs a thorough study of their religious philosophies, etc... one way is to keep on educating everyone about the proper way of any religion. meaning one has to go to school for that sort of ethical training; it's not inheritant, you know. god bless cambodia.
i hope cambodia will reestablish the university of buddhism once more. every worldly religion is more complex, more detailed than one think they know all; so, a university with its library will allow students to study and research into the buddhist religion like in the west they have religious study at university. god bless cambodia.
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