Buddhist Tribute to Mandela

Buddhist Tribute to Mandela

 

By Master Maitreya Buddha

 

There are people who are incarnations of Peace. It is important that the Buddhist Spirituality pays an emotional tribute to those who have attempted to create a “new world.” Beyond cultures and religions, it is important to emphasize the constant commitment shown by the people who have given their lives to promote the dignity of the human being, defending all the peoples in order to build a better world based on the firm foundations of pacifism, Reconciliation and the search for Truth.
Buddhist Spirituality should be a lighthouse of hope and libertarian guide to all generations of politicians, inspiring them to consider to social justice, wisdom and goodness as their political priorities.
Despite the fact that everything in the life is entirely imperfect, impermanent and insubstantial, certainly the people continue to live through their actions, since the works of help to the others are the only significant that endures after the death.
For the Maitriyana movement those who have been socially engaged to the resolution of conflicts in the world are very close to it. While the capitalist civilization has led to continents such as Africa towards the destruction, there have been human beings who belonged to a small group that helped to achieve a Pure Land or Kingdom of Heavens on Earth, as Martin Luther King or Gandhi did it. The work and the character of Mandela lies within this group of workers for peace in the world. These human beings were not perfect, but they certainly had the highest Desire which someone may have: helping all humanity.
Hopefully the political leaders follow the example of these fighters, whose spiritual determination was firm and unwavering, performing a major function in ensuring peace and Reconciliation. If governments would assume this type of socially engaged leadership it is possible to transform society through peaceful means, orienting it towards social justice, education and ecological harmony. The spirit of Reconciliation (Maitri) is the Path by which one can truly love the others, establishing a relationship of respect even with those that attack us.
I hope that the peoples of the world follow the spiritual leadership of those beings who possess integral values ??and unquestionable ethical principles. In a world full of materialism or religiosity it is important to be able to live an existence with a Sense of Purpose (Dharma). My only faith is that by means of Spirituality the world can reach the Awakening (Bodhi), by practicing the ethics of Detachment and surrendering themselves to the revolutionary cause of peace.
A Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) may physically die, but the spirit of his actions and compassionate works continue to exist. The only Way to immortality is to help those who suffer. Thus the best tribute that the Buddhist  Spirituality can pay to Mandela is to contribute to the unity of all humanity, working for peace, social justice, education and ecology. The Maitriyana is a revolutionary Way of Pure Reconciliation (Maitri).

 

 

 

Shaolin abbot and Mandela’s spiritual legacy
Chinese spiritual leaders expressed grief over the passing of Mandela, who was an “old friend of China”.

Shi Yongxin, monastery head of the Shaolin Temple:
“Mandela impressed me as a very benevolent elder (…) He spent all his life pursuing racial equality, which

chimes with the Buddhist spirit of extending love and mercy to all beings (…) Buddhism gives people

confidence, hope and joy. Likewise, Mandela embodies the power of forgiveness, which encourages

equality and mutual understanding and beams hope for peace-loving people.”

 

 

Shaolin abbot and Mandela’s spiritual legacy
Chinese spiritual leaders expressed grief over the passing of Mandela, who was an “old friend of China”.

Shi Yongxin, monastery head of the Shaolin Temple:
“Mandela impressed me as a very benevolent elder (…) He spent all his life pursuing racial equality, which

chimes with the Buddhist spirit of extending love and mercy to all beings (…) Buddhism gives people

confidence, hope and joy. Likewise, Mandela embodies the power of forgiveness, which encourages

equality and mutual understanding and beams hope for peace-loving people.”

Extracts from essay by Daisaku Ikeda, leader of the Soka Gakkai Buddhist.

“There is something very special about Nelson Mandela’s smile. It is honest and pure, full of gentle

composure. There isn’t a single line on his face that would suggest anything cold and harsh. And yet it

embodies the conviction and strength of character of a man who has led his people to freedom. It is a smile

like the purest gold, from which all impurities have been burned and driven in the furnace of great

suffering.
“Throughout our conversation his humour and smile never waned. Even in prison, he was a master of the

art of using humour to keep up the morale of his comrades. Even under  these hellish conditions, Mandela

managed to study and encouraged the other prisoners to share their knowledge with each other and to

debate their ideas. Lectures were arranged in secrecy and the prison came to be known as ‘Mandela

University’.  Eventually his indomitable spirit gained the respect of even the prison guards.
“Throughout it all, he refused to abandon hope. From within his prison cell, Mandela continued to inspire

the people of South Africa. Although he was unable to communicate with them, his very existence was a

source of hope. No one can better teach us the deepest meaning of freedom than this man who spent half

his adult life imprisoned. The essence of freedom is found in immovable conviction. Only those who live

true to their convictions, whose inner faith enables them to rise above the fetters of any situation, are truly

free.”
By Daisaku Ikeda, ‘One by One’.