The future has major challenges facing humanity including climate change, the end of the era of inexpensive oil, over population, and associated problems. Unfortunately these big problems will lead to massive suffering if they are not addresses in an intelligent and rational manner.
Historically however, Buddhist countries have tended to ignore massive problems in the zeitgeist under the guise of the virtue of non-attachment, often at the cost of massive suffering. It has repeatedly occurred that massive problems and calamities arise and are ignored or unresisted until the Buddhist population does not exist anymore. Examples of this can be seen in a curosry review of the history of Buddhist countries from Mongolia and Soviet Union in the 1930’s, Malaysia and Muslims, Tibet and China, China in the 20th century, India and Muslims in the 13th-16th century, British colonialism, etc, it is the same story every time: massive social problems arise at some point in time and Buddhists are unwilling or unable to take actions to fix the crisis or they surrender the results to the more vigorous actor until such a time that any positive outcome to the crisis is impossible.
The heart of the 969 Movement’s message and the sermons of Venerable Wirathu is simple: don’t ignore problems. By dispassionately analyzing the problems, the causes of problems, and the agents of problems with the scientific dissection of the Buddhist mind. We ask what is going wrong? What is the cause of the lack of Dhamma in every day life? Who is behaving through impure desires? What are their motivations? What do they want? Who is speaking the truth and who is lying? How can we counteract these actions (kamma) with firm kindness? And so on.
We believe that the process of purifying the mind is just as suitable for purifying society. If this was not the caee the principles and methods of Buddhism cannot be held to be universally true.
Since we believe our principles are of universal value, it is not only our obligation to offer Buddhist resolution to problems but it our obligation to insist that we have the solution to these issues with the right view of natural laws applicable to all sentient beings.
And that is how 969 will allow Buddhism to help humanity for another 2,500 years.
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