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The Buddhist Leadership Initiative August 2003 The Buddhist Leadership Initiative August 2003 Buddhist Leadership Initiative The Dhamma Base During an early planning workshop for the Sangha Metta Project, monks identified three aspects of the duties of the Buddhist monk, as taught by Buddha, that spoke directly to their role in responding to HIV/ AIDS in the community: 1. Sangham sarang gaccami The monk is the spiritual support of the lay person. 2. Khanda dhura, Vipassana dhura The monk has a duty to study and share his knowledge for the benefit of the lay person. 3. Jarata bhikkhave jaritham phahuchanhitaya phahuchansukhaya lokanukampaya attaya hitaya sukha tevamanussanam To wander from place to place teaching for the happiness of men and gods. 1 UNICEF East Asia Pacific Regional Office HIV/AIDS FROM A BUDDHIST PERSPECTIVE The Four Noble Truths of AIDS The Buddha taught about suffering. He taught the cause suffers as it watches its defenses and security weakened of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path lead- through the loss of its once healthy, young men and women. ing to the cessation of suffering. Even religion suffers. Monks suffer as fewer and fewer AIDS is suffering. And just as there is a cause for suffer- people provide less and less food on morning alms round. ing, there is also a cause for AIDS. The cessation of AIDS They suffer when there is no one to contribute to the con- also exists and there is a path leading to the cessation of struction or maintenance of temples. They suffer when AIDS. they see that there are no longer any young men to be or- dained as monks, or young boys to be ordained as nov- The Buddha defined suffering as birth, old age, sickness ices, leaving temples to become deserted and the religion and death. Getting what one wants is suffering, he said. to die. And being separated from the things one loves is also suf- fering. Yes, AIDS is suffering. To define AIDS in terms of suffering we can say that be- But, if we look at the teachings of the Buddha, we will see ing infected with HIV is suffering. Being ostracized and that there is a cause for suffering. discriminated against is suffering. Loss of income through lack of employment is suffering. Seeing schools close their As the Buddha has taught, ignorance is the cause of suf- doors to innocent children is suffering. Falling ill and dying fering. of AIDS is suffering. What causes the suffering of AIDS? The suffering of AIDS does not stop with the individual, however, but also extends into the family and the commu- It is also ignorance. nity. Parents and children of people with AIDS also suf- fer. Ignorance is the root cause for the suffering of AIDS. A family suffers when its main breadwinner becomes in- Ignorance has caused more suffering and done more dam- fected with HIV and can no longer work to earn the money age than the virus itself. Through ignorance, millions of required to purchase daily needs. Parents suffer as they people have been infected with HIV. Ignorance on how to struggle to find the money needed to pay for their children’s live with HIV has resulted in the rapid and often unneces- treatment. They suffer as they watch their children grow sary deterioration in health for many. Ignorance on the weak, fall ill and eventually die from AIDS. condition has led to discrimination and stigmatization, has divided communities and workplaces, closed classroom Children suffer when they are teased and taunted by oth- doors to innocent children and caused people to elect to ers because their parents have HIV/AIDS. They suffer die of their own hand rather than die of AIDS. when they find that schools and communities will not ac- cept them. Children suffer when they see their parents, The Buddha taught that every condition has an opposite once a strong and healthy support, fade into thin, emaci- condition. Where there is sadness there is happiness, where ated figures. They suffer when they see the ones they love there is ignorance there is knowledge, where there is suf- die, leaving them orphaned, alone and insecure. fering there is non-suffering. The community suffers through the loss of its workforce The suffering of AIDS also has an opposite and that is the to HIV/AIDS. It suffers when it becomes divided and when non-suffering of AIDS. income once generated by strong, healthy people is no longer available to finance community development. It He also taught the way to end suffering by eliminating it suffers as it watches its younger generation grow up alone, at the cause - ignorance. Where there is knowledge, there insecure and uneducated. is no ignorance and consequently no suffering. The nation also suffers through the loss of its workforce. The teachings of the Buddha can also be applied to HIV/ It suffers through loss of productivity, resulting in loss of AIDS. If we overcome the ignorance that surrounds AIDS income or a deficit in the national budget. It suffers as it and gives birth to all the suffering of AIDS, we can achieve spends vast amounts of money it cannot afford to finance the state where there is no suffering from AIDS. treatment for people who cannot be cured. The nation (Reproduced by permission of Sangha Metta) 2 Buddhist Leadership Initiative The Buddhist Leadership Initiative What is the Buddhist Leadership Initiative? The Buddhist Leadership Initiative is a program designed to mobilise Buddhist monks, nuns and lay teachers to lead community-level HIV/AIDS care and prevention, with a view to increasing access to care and acceptance of people living with HIV/AIDS as well as building HIV resilience in communities. Over the past twenty years the region has experienced a revival of Buddhism. Despite changes wrought by industrialisation and globalisation as well as the historical and political changes in governments, particularly in Indo-China and China, Buddhist beliefs, Buddhist leaders and Buddhist places of worship have proved to be a significant and enduring social force, particularly in rural communities.In some areas, community religious structures are in better shape than government structures. Villages that do not have health centres or social welfare centres often have temples. In a sub-region where the HIV/AIDS epidemic is rapidly gathering momentum - generalized epidemics already present in Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand, threatened in China and Viet Nam, and with Lao PDR exhibiting a high level of vulnerability - a multi-sectoral effort is needed if the epidemic is to be contained. 3 UNICEF East Asia Pacific Regional Office Cambodian Supreme Patriarch gives Buddha image to HIV positive woman Building on Tradition In rural villages, the temple is the heart of the community, providing both a social and spiritual focus for the community. The temple is often the venue for community meet- ings, as well as a place for peace, solace, refuge and prayer.The relationship between the Buddhist temple and the communities around is reciprocal. Communities build and maintain temples, feed and clothe the temple’s monks thereby earning merit. Monks, in turn, provide spiritual leadership, instruction and counselling, and perform wed- dings, funerals, house blessings and other important ceremonies. Thrroughout the Mekong region Buddhist monks run schools, both for ordained nov- ices and for lay children. There are significant numbers of temple schools in Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. These schools teach national education depart- ment curricula but may also teach Pali and Buddhist Scriptures. In addition there are Buddhist Universities where monks can study for the highest Pali Scripture exams and often study contemporary subjects as well. Temple schools are often the only means to an education for poor children, children from remote areas and orphaned children. 4 Buddhist Leadership Initiative While HIV/AIDS is a relatively recent phenomenon, the principles and mechanisms that underpin the Buddhist Leadership Initiative come from the heart of Buddhist tra- dition and belief. Buddhist ideals like moderation, self-discipline and compassion are also central to effective HIV prevention and creating enabling environments for people with HIV/AIDS. Monks and nuns can lead communities in caring for and accepting people with HIV, their children and families and partners. Monks and nuns can teach young people about avoiding HIV infection, using both modern Lifeskills and Dharma-based ap- proaches. In many places religious leaders have spontaneously responded to the epidemic in this way. In many other places this response is evoked through training, information and experience sharing. It is in the latter area that UNICEF is able to help by providing technical assistance. HIV/AIDS: one of five topmost global priorities for UNICEF The Regional Buddhist Leadership Initiative has become particularly significant in the light of UNICEF adoption of HIV/AIDS as one of its five topmost global priorities. The Declaration of Commitment made at the UN General Assembly Special Session on AIDS in 2001 is reflected in the goals of the UNICEF Medium Term Strategic Plan 2002-2005 as follows overleaf: UNICEF aims to “support and strengthen the capacities of individuals, families, communities and nations to prevent HIV infection and ensure protection and care for children and young people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS”. Specifically, UNICEF will support actions to: (a) prevent new infections among young people; (b) prevent parent-to-child transmission of the HIV virus; (c) expand access to care and support for children and their families living with HIV and AIDS; and (d) expand care, protection and support for children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. 5 UNICEF East Asia Pacific Regional Office The Regional Buddhist Initiative is an essential component of the structures required to achieve these goals.
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