The major reason that I became interested in Buddhadasa Bhikkhu was that he is someone who was truly interested in applying Buddhism to everyday life. Unlike others within Buddhism or other faiths, Buddhadasa was not interested in an abandonment of worldly consideration as achieved through a withdrawal from the world. He emphasizes in plain words how we must act out of an open regard for the whole of society, rather than in an isolated, and therefore selfish, manner. BuddhadasaÕs ideas draw on the concepts of the bodhisattva (one who postpones enlightenment until all sentient beings are enlightened) and paticca samupada (interdependent co-arising). These two concepts together teach us that because we are all interconnected and our lives are necessarily intertwined, the role of a monk or any concerted person is to better the worldÕs condition for everyone. It is simply not possible to better oneÕs own lot without regard for that of others.

In this essay, I will use Bhikkhu Buddhadasa's formulation of "the qualities of individuals, political systems and their interrelationship which contribute to social peace and happinessÓ" as an outline of major points, within which I will explicate both his ideas and the ideas of several others, including Thich Nhat Hanh and Sulak Sivaraksa. Using HanhÕs idea that "only understanding and love can bring about [real] change," as a guiding principle, it is thus essential to have a world view that incorporates the ideas and actions of others, and others themselves into our own thoughts and acts. We shall see from the selections I have chosen out of their vast literatures, that their ideas compliment and expand upon each other and fit together to form a wide-reaching body of accessible, practical teaching.

"Economics is the Foundation of Selfishness"

The first concept Buddhadasa mentions in his essay is that "economics is the foundation of selfishness, individuals and governments must cultivate their moral qualities in order to enable economic success to contribute to peace." Buddhadasa, like Sivaraksa, in particular, is worried at the trend in global societies to see money as the ultimate measure of wealth and, especially in the increasingly dominant capitalist world, this fixation on money deeply ingraining the false dichotomy between the 'self' and the 'other.' As Sivaraksa lays it out, "economists see development in terms of increasing currency and thing, thus fostering greed (lobha)." As we all become 'material girl[s]' and boys, focused intently on our possessions, we are losing sight of the true nature of the universe: that of impermanence.

The capitalist mentality, which instructs us that we can achieve whatever we want as long as we are industrious enough, does much to engender the greed that Sivaraksa is discussing. When we have worked so hard for something, in a very 'dog eat dog' climate, it is difficult to remember that we are all dependent on each other and that "the four Buddhist 'requisites' (food, clothing, shelter, and medicine) help only to keep people alive. . . . Emphasis should be placed on the quality of human life, moving beyond the supplying of [these] bare necessities of living, to bring human life its highest fulfillment." Capitalistic culture, while it has the potential to achieve great efficiency, but, as it is has played out currently, has turned the human being into a consumer pandering to his desires. In the process of this excessive emphasis on the material, he has a hard time not forgetting that the special gift that he is endowed with is one of ratiocination which, if applied correctly, can catapult him to 'true understanding' of the world and a consequent 'true happiness.' Money is simply a means to stay alive, it is not an end in itself that is worth fighting over: in order to realize the 'true efficiency' which the market promises, we need instead to work together to end our common suffering(dukkha).

Thich Nhat Hanh speaks of the distractive qualities of the consumer culture and he ties the concept of living simply to maitya, helping others. Hanh quotes from The Sutra on the Eight Realizations of the Great Being: "The human mind is always searching for passions and never being fulfilled. This cause impure actions to increase." In this way, we are all like the person who starts out jogging, then is unsatisfied with the amount of adrenaline she received and so takes up downhill skiing; still not fulfilled, she again wants more and so takes up skydiving and continues to 'increase the volume' until she either gets deeply depressed with her inability to satisfy her wants or she pushes herself too far. Consumerism can also be looked at in this way: when the next product comes out, we want it because we are hooked on material objects, and are unsatisfied with what we currently have. However, these products will not serve to end our suffering, in fact, they only exacerbate it. From the Buddhist perspective this will always be the case, as Hanh writes: "[h]ow can we have time to live the Buddhist ideal if we are constantly pursuing wealth or fame?" Modern living focuses so fixedly on possessions, that it is very difficult to share what we have, and the focus on individual achievement inflates our egos, causing us to lose sight of the interconnectedness of everything.

"A Well-Educated, Moral Person"

Buddhadasa was next concerned with the problem that "academic knowledge, intellectual capacities, and technology" are being overemphasized, "thereby promoting selfishness and ignoring the knowledge of the dhamma that guides human beings to right thought and right conduct." Buddhadasa is here talking about the "philosophy [that] makes up hypothetical problems . . . getting further and further away from anything useful." Religion and philosophy, for him are not matters of intellectual exercise, as this creates an attachment to the ideas which only strengthens the ego. Instead, he wants to "bring true religion back into our lives; that is, to put religious principles into actual practice so as to overcome suffering." The love of intellectual calisthenics has replaced a real examination of what is going on and the ego is taking a stronger hold than ever as true experiencing is being sidelined. As Buddhadasa says later in this essay, "we must establish a proper educational system promoting humaneness and moral wisdom. . . . The right educational system should endow students with noble hearts." Practice is not about intellectual prowess, it is about having the courage to truly be, separate from the ego.

As Thich Nhat Hanh puts it, "Buddhism emphasizes the direct experience of reality, not speculative philosophy. Direct practice-realization, not intellectual research brings about insight." If we are to 'live in the moment' as the Zen expression goes, then we cannot be caught up in lofty, ego-gratifying discourses about concepts that spiral with ever-increasing distance from actual experience. "Be a scientist," Buddhadasa says, "not a philosopher, but be a scientist of the mind. Try to comprehend what nature is in its most profound sense." Here he tries to clarify this point, by shifting our conception away from that of a stereotypical philosopher who is talking about stuff that most college grads couldn't even grasp, but we must be careful not to include Dow Chemical's scientists, or any others that are only interested in their own personal, money-making, gain in his category of "scientist." Buddhadasa is talking about a scientist who has a lot in common with the kid who will sit totally engrossed for hours watching ants go to and fro on the brick path; he is talking about the wonderment of being.

The purpose of rational examination is not for the examination in and of itself, "for Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, . . . dukkha provides the external test to all ideas and experiences." If the idea does not quench dukkha, then it is simply an intellectual game. Because all life is suffering, we should investigate our desires and abandon those that are not worth grasping or clinging to. If this investigation does not have the end of suffering as its goal, then the pursuit is an object of desire in and of itself and should be abandoned. The path towards the extinction of suffering can be motivated by desire, but it must be a desire like words written in the sand: as soon as it rains, the tide comes in or some other event happens that desire no longer remains fixed, our desire must 'roll with the punches' so to say.

"Healthy Person, Physically, Mentally and Spiritually"

Buddhadasa's three components of a healthy person echo his concept of a more well-rounded education but in this section, he focuses his talk on eliminating extreme and excessive defilements, created by clinging desire. In all three of the aspects of our beings, he warns us to take the middle road, to keep a cool head about us as we live our daily lives. In terms of the physical elements, we need to be wary of becoming "slaves to [our] own selfishness, defilements, worldly enjoyments and other trivial elements of life." If we live our lives rules by our passions, we miss out on what's going on, missing 'the forest for the trees.' If we stay so concerned about gobbling this and pursuing that, then we cannot possibly develop a clear enough head to actually 'stop and smell the flowers' or even to be aware of what our own body is telling you.

Buddhadasa embellishes upon these ideas in another essay, with his ideas about the concept of kha . "Kha, . . . has two meanings: 1) according to the mandates of human necessity, and 2) the deepest significance which is the necessity of nature." We must not be tied down by "the mouth-and stomach, affairs of the flesh" as these are preferences that can only increase our suffering if we place too much emphasis on them. "True morality, or siladhamma, then, is the ability to control kha." We must be able to remain independent of our necessary desires, not so much so that we can control them as some sort of ego trip, but so that we can remain unfettered by them. "Another, and more profound meaning of kha originates from the necessity of nature (dahmmajati). . . . Nature follows its own particular way. If we transgress its fundamental laws we are, in effect, transgressing natural morality . . . . As a consequence, problems arise in the body and more so in the mind." We need to live our lives in harmony with the morality of nature, which is, in part, living mindfully in a manner benefitting the whole.

"Religion is, at best, neither a slave to the material world, nor fanatical regarding matters of the spirit." Buddhism, in particular, is interested in realizing nirvana within this life, with some branches emphasizing differing degrees of immersion in society. Buddhadasa hereby emphasizes the fact that Buddhism is, in fact, concerned with the world, but it is interested in something greater than the life of attachment. However, he really isn't interested in a Buddhism that is seen as so superior to everyday life that it loses sight of the world that we are living in. David Brandon expresses his conception of this idea as that "we only need to observe life carefully and consistently in all its aspects." We should take care that life doesn't overwhelm us, but still be always there in the now.

Just as we should not be attached to desires of the body and mind, we also should be "free from false conceptions." The biggest and hardest-to-dissolve defilement is the attachment to the fictional ego. Sivaraksa writes, ÒOnce we all recognize the self as a delusion, it will, at last, be possible for man to exist free from the quest of personal advantage." Just as it is meaningless to talk about cause as distinct from effect, it is meaningless to talk about the 'self' as separate from some 'other.' Buddhadasa writes, if Òin our hearts we still cling to the notion of self . . . [i]nevitably we come to feel a conflict between this 'self' and the 'selves' of others. Such conflict gives rise to disputes and disharmony." Because this false conception is at odds with the true reality at any given time and for any given collection of sentience (which we call a person), there will be an increase in suffering. As long as we cling to the ultimately little, unimportant drek in our lives, we will retain false expectations of fulfillment; false because, like the mirage in the desert, this thirst will not be slaked through narrow focus on anything, mental, physical or spiritual.

Buddhadasa and others make the further point that even though the doctrines of Buddhism can lead us to nirvana, they too can become objects of obsessive desire. "Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones," Thich Nhat Hanh writes. We must not be fixated on any system of beliefs so that we cannot see the value in others. Certain aspect of different beliefs are going to work better for us than others, and having a preference for what works better is okay. But, different people are going to be benefitted by different teachings and thus one way of looking at the elimination of suffering isn't absolutely better such that there needs to be any conflict between different beliefs. "Ideological inflexibility is responsible for so much of the conflict and violence in the world." An integral part of being free from defilements in being open to differences of opinion. If we lose perspective on the importance and purpose of the teachings, they can become obstacle to our way to nibbana (nirvana). When we maintain egoistic attachments to anything, including the Dhamma, Sangha, and Buddha, we are not partaking in its true value as a means to liberate us from suffering (dukkha ). We must not be attached to the texts or to the Buddha just as we shouldn't be attached to money. For, the 'three spokes of the wheel' are really just rafts to help us to enlightenment: it is unwise to consider them of any real use apart from that aim just as a raft isn't of any use when one is not engaged in the process of crossing the river. When one is paddling across a fierce river one doesnÕt contemplate how beautiful or precious the raft is because his ego has been temporarily dissolved in being fully present in the activity of paddling. Likewise, if we seek the other shore, one of peace and happiness, we shouldn't be attached to the means by which we arrive at that other shore; the ego only gets in the way.

please go to the second part of this essay