Case 10-2015: Argentina

Legal Requirement to Ravi Shankar

March 17th, 2017

The International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights exhorts Mr. Ravi Shankar to immediately abstain from issuing positions that are contrary to Buddhist Ethics and which are complicit in Human Rights violations.

This requirement arises from compliments that in the context of the World Happiness Summit Mr. Ravi Shankar has issued in favor of Argentine President Macri, whom he considers to have “a progressive global perspective.” Such claims legitimize a government that is conducting human rights violations, as has been demonstrated in the many jurisprudential developments carried out by the Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights. Among the most recent human rights violations carried out by this government there are Genocide Denial, and there are also persecutions against teachers who are accused of wanting to destabilize the country. In fact, unlike what Ravi Shankar asserts, there is no progressive global perspective in Argentina, nor is a change taking place, but rather populism still remains. In this case, unlike the left-wing populism of former President Cristina Kirchner, President Macri is carrying out right-wing populism in favor of the upper classes and without any will to solve the country’s great problems, such as social injustice and impunity. In fact, contrary to Mr. Shankar’s assertion, President Macri is not “doing a good job”, since the beginning of his term, the number of poverty has increased to 1.5 million poor people while the government announced its “zero poverty” project. In addition, given the fact that Mr. Shankar has signed an agreement with Mauricio Macri in 2008, there is clearly a conflict of interests, so that any ethical evaluation that Mr. Shankar can make will be tinged with personal interests.

Despite the fact that Mr. Shankar has also stated that he wishes to “see the world as one family” where cultures and religions meet “in harmony”, the complicity with human rights violations is completely contradictory to the discourse he verbally transmits. This kind of spiritual self-contradiction is also perceptible in his vision of billionaires obsessed with money and luxury cars, about whom Mr. Shankar thinks “it’s okay they have it while having a big smile, heart for them and others”.  In a world where more than half of humankind lacks food and drinkable water, only impostors who receive multi-million dollar donations are in favor of social injustice and the crimes of capitalism.

In case that Mr. Ravi Shankar does not refrain from continuing with these statements, the International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights will investigate him for violations of Buddhist Ethics and also for Complicity with Human Rights violations.

Kind regards, with spirit of reconciliation (maitri),

Master Maitreya Samyaksambuddha

President of the International Buddhist Ethics Committee & Buddhist Tribunal on Human Rights