People should
not pander to their aggressive instincts. They should uphold the ethical
teachings of the religious teachers and display justice with morality to enable
peace to prevail.
Treaties, pacts and peace formula
have been adopted and millions of words have been spoken by countless world
leaders throughout the world who proclaim that they have found the way to
maintain and promote peace on earth. But for all their efforts, they have not
succeeded in removing the threat to mankind. The reason is that we have all
failed to educate our young to truly understand and respect the need for
selfless service and the danger of selfishness. To guarantee true peace, we
must use every method available to us to educate youths to practice love,
goodwill and tolerance towards others.
Buddhists should not be the aggressors even in protecting their religion
or anything else. They must try their best to avoid any kind of violent act.
Sometimes they may be forced to go to war by others who do not respect the
concept of the brotherhood of humans as taught by the Buddha. They may be
called upon to defend their country from external aggression, and as long as they
have not renounced the worldly life, they are duty-bound to join in the
struggle for peace and freedom. Under these circumstances, they cannot be blamed
for becoming soldiers or being involved in defense. However, if everyone were
to follow the advice of the Buddha, there would be no reason for war to take
place in this world. It is the duty of every cultured person to find all possible
ways and means to settle disputes in a peaceful manner, without declaring war to
kill his or her fellow human beings.
The
Buddha did not teach His followers to surrender to any form of evil power be it
a human or supernatural being.
