Opening Meditation:   Sakyamuni Buddha shared with Ananda,     “Listen: the air is joyous with the songs…in honor of the Buddha.  However, the Buddha is paid a more enduring honor.  Monks, nuns, all believers, all those that see the Dharma, all those who live within the Dharma, they are the ones that do the Buddha supreme honor.  Therefore, you must live according to the Dharma…and even in the most trivial matters…follow the sacred path of the Dharma.”   

  Good Morning and Welcome to Gotan-E or Shinran Shonin’s Birthday Celebration Service.  I am truly honored to be here and wish to express my appreciation to the Hawaii Betsuin for the opportunity to be here today with all of you.  However, today, as all of you have surmised by now, my message does not deal directly with the life of Shinran Shonin, but it does reflect the essence of his experience of Ultimate Wisdom and Compassion. I would like to this opportunity to reflect on a recent incident that shook our Buddhist world.  But, I would like to begin by sharing a parable.  As we know, Sakyamuni Buddha used parables to explain the Dharma so people could easily understand the Teachings. 

One such parable is about a 6 tusk white elephant.  It goes like this:  Once there was a Queen who dreamt of a white elephant with 6 ivory tusks.  A doubly rare animal indeed!  She wanted the tusks and therefore asked the King to find the white elephant.  Although it seemed like an impossible task the King who loved the Queen very much offered a reward to any hunter who could bring the tusks to him.  It happened that there was a 6 tusk white elephant that was aspiring for enlightenment living nearby.  A particular hunter knew the whereabouts of this rare elephant for he had been saved from danger by this elephant.  However, hearing about the great reward, he forgot the elephant’s kindness and returned to the forest to find the elephant.  The hunter knowing that this magnificent animal was seeking Buddhahood disguised himself as a Buddhist monk and thus catching the elephant off guard shot the elephant with a poisoned arrow.  The elephant knowing that his end was near and the fact that the hunter had been overcome by desire and greed (for the reward) had great compassion for him and protected him from the revengeful fury of the other elephants.  Then, when it was safe, the elephant asked the hunter why he had done what he did.  The hunter truthfully admitted that he wanted the reward that was being offered for the 6 tusks.  The elephants immediately broke off his tusks by hitting them against a large tree and gave them to the hunter saying:  By this offering I have completed my training for Buddhahood and will be reborn in the Pure Land.  When I become a Buddha I will help you get rid of your anger, greed and ignorance-the 3 poisons.  This is the end of the parable. 

            Through this parable Sakyamuni Buddha is sharing many things, but what I took notice of most, was the compassion of the elephant.  True Compassion embraces one and all as seen in this parable even the hunter who killed the elephant.  Mind-boggling isn’t it?  But this is the compassion that Buddha, Buddhism speaks of.  The parable is interesting, but Buddha did not share it merely for fun or entertainment only.  It contains a message and of primary importance is the implementation of it’s principle in our daily life. 

I would like to apply the parable to the recent incident that shook the world and especially our Buddhist world.  I am sure that most people are aware of the great tragedy of the destruction of the Buddha at Bamiyan, Afghanistan back in March of this year.  It is so sad that a world religious and cultural monument has been destroyed.  Especially for Buddhists it is very sad and maybe even disturbing.  But before, getting to the main point of my message, how did this all begin or come about?  Good question.  It is very confusing.  Reading the papers and surfing the Internet, different sources have different reasons.  Here is one attempt to make sense of it.  One article suggested that it was motivated by the Taleban’s religious ideals, narrow, as it may be to “eradicate anything they deemed heterodox to their narrow interpretation of Islam” “that the destroyers of the statues were not attacking Buddhism per se.”  This could be the general motivation.  But usually, you need or there is something more specific which happens that prompts a certain action or reaction (like the destruction of the Buddhas which have been there for 1, 500 years). 

So, the question is “Why now?”  I came across one article on the Internet, which mentioned a possible incident, which could have triggered the attack/destruction.  It seems that there was s team of researchers in Afghanistan sent by the United Nations and the Swedish Government to restore the faces on the Buddhas.  The Taleban approached this team with a request.  They wanted the money that was being used for the restoration to be given to them to feed hungry children.  The team, of course, had to refuse the request for it was not their money and the money was specifically given to them for the restoration project.  Therefore, it seemed that the Taleban retaliated by deciding to destroy the statues of the Buddha.  Again, I don’t know if this is the reason why the Taleban decided to destroy the statues, but it is quite possible.  By the way, according to another source Afghanistan is receiving money, quite a bit, in the hundreds of millions, from America and other sources to take care of their needy.  So it is not that they are not receiving any aid from others.  Anyway, for whatever reason(s), the Taleban decided to destroy the Buddhas, as they claim, in the name of “progress” and the fact that they are no Buddhists in Afghanistan. 

            Now, the question, “How should we as Buddhists respond to this situation?”  Notice, I used the word “respond” and not “react.”  There is a difference between “reacting” and “responding.”  Generally speaking, I understand “reaction” as being more uncontrolled and not thought out, whereas “response” or “responding” would be an appropriate action which has been thought out.  “How do we, as Buddhists, respond?”  Let the Dharma be our guide.  Taking the Teachings to heart, obviously, anger and hatred, retaliation and revenge is not the answer.  Buddha and Buddhism make this very clear.  Peaceful objection, as did happen in many Buddhist areas, is one way of expressing our disagreement.  I myself was able to personally witness two such protests in Nepal.  One was a large banner at the great Sywayambunath Buddhist Temple, which protested the actions of the Taleban Fundamentalists.  The other was a protest march in the Katmandu by the Buddhist community carrying the Buddhist flag as they marched throughout the city.  It behooves us to make our stance clear, our disagreement in this case, but as emphasized it should be done peacefully and without violence.  This is the Buddhist way.  Although, I will be the first to say it is a very difficult task in a world that is full of and all too frequently resorts to violence to achieve its goals.  As a comment, I feel, I, we, as Buddhists with Japanese roots need to work on our being able to express our sentiments a little more.  What I am about to say is not a criticism; it is a plea, a request.  I am making an assumption here, but did anyone of Hawaii Kyodan do anything?  Did we write a letter or make a phone call?  Did we talk about it at home or at the temple?  Since March, I have been asking this question to many people in Hawaii Kyodan and it seems that there was some activity or response, but it seems very little.  Whether we could have done something or not is not the issue right now.  I am focusing more on our thoughts or concern as Buddhists as a world Buddhist monument was being destroyed. 

However, I must admit. I am just as guilty as anyone else.  Although, our organization, Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii and its temples, may have its hands tied, because of our non-profit status, I as an individual, Buddhist, citizen of the US and the world can express my concern especially in this case since it involved my religion-Buddhism.  I have to say, I am quite touched and impressed by the gesture of, for example, the New York Metropolitan Museum, that offered to purchase and move the Buddhas from Afghanistan.  Can you imagine the work and financial cost of such an undertaking?  But it is not impossible, I remember years back something similar was undertaken in Egypt when a dam was being built and eventually the water of the newly formed lake would cover the great temple of Abu Simbul, it was moved to higher ground.  The rock temple was cut out and moved to a higher place and thus it survives to this day.  It humbles me to think that a non-Buddhist organization, offered to save the Buddhas.  I am sure they had different motives or reasons, but still they offered.  They responded to the crisis. 

Also, the Buddhist country of Sri Lanka, after the destruction of the Buddha images offered to buy the rumble with hopes of reconstructing the Buddhas.  The question that pops into my mind is “Did we, Hongwanji, both locally and internationally, do enough?”  We are supposedly, the largest or one of the largest Buddhist organizations in the world with over 20 million followers.  Should we have done more to express our concern and be more involved in world affairs?  Let us, each individually, reflect on the matter.  This is my plea to each one of us including myself. 

To share, at the 4 Temples in North Hawaii (Honokaa, Kamuela, Paauilo and Kohala Hongwanji), while not a protest and after the matter/fact, we did remember and honor the Bamiyan Buddhas that were destroyed by dedicating our Spring O-Higan Service to the Buddhas, I gave this message at the 4 temples, and at Kamuela and Honokaa Temples the Buddhist and Wisteria Flags at the temple were flown at half-mast for an extended period of time with a small sign explaining the reason. 

But, along with the above, there is/are other ways to express ourselves too.  As I delve deeper into the Dharma-world of the Buddhas for possible answers-another possibility comes to mind.  At this point, the deed is done like the shot elephant in our parable.  We cannot turn back the clock.  As one newspaper article stated, “World acted too late to save…statues.”  If the tragedy was preventable, it should have been prevented needless to say.  Perhaps it is the compassion of the Bamiyan Buddhas that the Buddhas had sacrificed themselves for the sake of the world.  Because of this incident, unfortunate as it is, we see the rest of the world uniting, coming together.  Perhaps in the future, we will have more effective ways of responding to such situations because of this experience.  On the Internet, I found this message of hope .  “As a Buddhist, I am, of course, saddened by the loss.  But I hope this will be a wake up call for Buddhists to look into ways to preserve other treasures in similarly precarious situations.” 

However, ultimately, the Buddhas would ask us to have compassion even to the Taleban who is like the hunter in our parable.  From their misinformed perspective, the statues are seen as idols and Buddhists as idol worshippers, which according to their belief is not acceptable.   We should be able to at least see and try to understand what prompted their actions like the hunter who was blinded by greed and desire for the reward.  Ultimately, the elephant’s great compassion even embraced its destroyer.  So, we too, should lament that the Buddha statues were destroyed and the fact that the Taleban are isolating themselves from the rest of the world.  Extending compassion to the Taleban, does not negate or erase what they have done.  It is still terrible and a cultural crime against humanity in general.  The Law of Karma, cause and effect, will still operate and the Taleban too will have to face the consequences of their actions.  They have clouded their reputation around the globe including among many of their fellow Moslems who are not as fanatic as they are.  Also, we Buddhists have to squarely face the fact, that we were unable to save these towering images of the Buddha that had inspired Buddhists throughout the centuries.  The saddest thing is that it will probably be the general public, the average person including the women in Afghanistan that will suffer the most, not the leaders who made the decision.   It seems the women under the Taleban are deprived of a decent life.  I hope that aid to Afghanistan’s needy will not be cut due to this incident and we will continue to have compassion for its people in general.  But this is another topic, as far as the Bamiyan Buddhas are concerned let us as Buddhists not seek revenge or harden our hatred toward the Taleban, but instead foster compassion and understanding within ourself and others including the Taleban. 

As the Dalai Lama often says our enemies are our greatest teacher’s of compassion.  In other words, it is easy to be kind and gentle to those who love us, but difficult indeed to feel the same way to our so-called “enemy” or those who disagree with us.  At least in the case of the Bamiyan Buddhas no human life was lost unlike the situation in Tibet in which many have died, still live in fear and persecution and exile.  But look at the Dalai Lama and many Tibetans; they are still faithful to their Buddhist Tradition.  They still believe in it and go to it for inspiration and guidance.  Let us be inspired by them.  For ultimately and in the final analysis, more important than statues of the Buddha is practicing or living our religion.  But I will, again, be the first to say living Buddhism is not easy.  It has high aspirations and goals and many times is very different from the world we live in.  It is hard, maybe impossible in our samsaric world, but this is what the Buddhas would do and encourage us to do.  Maybe one day even the Taleban will understand. 

            To slowly conclude, let us not lose sight no matter how difficult, Buddha’s, Buddhism’s methods and goals.  As Buddha shared like the lotus, which grows out of the mud, but is not affected by it though we live in the midst of anger and hatred, let us try to rise above it.  Let us live with the Dharma as our guide.

            To conclude, I would like to ask everyone to please listen to a recording of the Nembutsu being recited in Chinese and reflect on the following words of Shinran Shonin found in “The Collected Works of Shinran” on page 560 and as a tribute to all the Buddhas formerly at Bamiyan, Afghanistan.  Thank you for listening. 

 Closing Meditation:

             Those who feel uncertain of birth in the Pure Land should say the Nembutsu aspiring first for their own birth.  Those who feel that their own birth is completely settled should mindful of the Buddha’s benevolence, hold the Nembutsu in their hearts and say it to respond in gratitude to the benevolence with the wish ‘May there be peace in the world, may the Buddha-Dharma spread.”

Rev. Eric Matsumoto is the Resident minister at Honokaa Hongwanji, also in charge of Kamuela, Kohala & Paauilo Hongwanji. He was born and raised in Kona, Hawaii, graduated from University of Hawaii at Hilo and Ryukoku University in Kyoto, Japan with Master's degree of Shin Buddhism. He is a member of Hawaii International Buddhist, a board member of North Hawaii Hospice and a board member of North Hawaii Community Hospital.

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