Socialism and Buddhism
SOCIALISM – A theory of social organization about the means of production, distribution, and exchange being owned by workers’ collectives & managed by the state apparatus, instead of being privately owned & controlled by an elite class of rich capitalist.
It’s basic aim is to improve the socio-economic plight of workers & producers & to bridge the widening gap between the rich & the poor.
IS SOCIALISM COMPATIBLE WITH BUDDHISM?
There are many types of socialist models & practices. Secular types would include Russia, North Korea & China (where religious freedom is a commonly violated right). These countries follow MARXIST SOCIALISM. In Myanmar, a military dictatorship following a socialist model was set up; despite having an overwhelming Buddhist population, the socialist model of Myanmar is largely secular. Sri Lanka is another Buddhist nation that is socialist which allows monks to be elected into public office.
There are Buddhist thinkers & monastics who advocate a kind of socialist model that follows Buddhist principles. The late Bhikkhu Buddhadassa , a Thai forest monk, advocated DHAMMIC SOCIALISM, which differs from the Marxist & Communist models. As a socialist model, the aim of Dhammic Socialism is to address poverty & inequality in society. Unlike Communism, Buddhist socialism does not adhere to class warfare & armed struggle.
WHY ARE FILIPINOS INDIFFERENT TO OR EVEN HOSTILE TOWARDS SOCIALISM?
- 1st reason is IGNORANCE. Vast majority of Filipinos do not even know what socialism means. Even our military intelligence units, paid professionals tasked to understand things like these, blindly attack or red-tag activists & suspected local communists but are silent about incursions of Red China into our country. If we really understood the meaning of socialism or communism, we wouldn’t have split-personality policies in the country.
- 2nd reason is FEAR. We fear the unknown so rather than trying to understand our fears & our ignorance, we out rightly reject things that are unfamiliar to us. We cling to the words of authority figures & group opinions. As a nation, we have been conditioned to harbor a groupthink mentality.
- 3rd reason is GREED. The current system benefits a certain socioeconomic class at the expense of others. What props up this system is not just social & political structures but a mindset. When the crazy rich want to remain crazy rich, while the rest aspire to be like them, what hope is there to build another way of living where there are no rich & no poor people?
I have offered admittedly simplistic explanations for a very complex phenomenon. There will be those who can offer more sophisticated descriptions. Hopefully, they can post their insights here for our collective benefit.
But going back to the recent red-tagging of activists seeking to improve our society, I say the justifications are even more simplistic, shallow & counterproductive. Red-tagging is counterproductive because it shuts down dialogue & venues for understanding alternative views. Red-tagging automatically colors “the other” as obstructionists, misguided & even enemies of the state. This is WRONG VIEW.
If we are looking for alternative ways to live a life, we should explore the social teachings of Buddhist masters who advocate a radical but peaceful way to transform our society.
