(April 21, Tokyo, Sri Lanka Guardian) When two Japanese Buddhist monks Shaku Soen and Shaku Kozen arrived in Galle, Sri Lanka in 1887 little did we realise that these two priests could represent the dilemma that Japan could face in a span of 125 years.
Following the collapse of the Tokugawa era and the start of the meiji period in 1868-1911 Japan opened up to the rest of the world on a philosophy of Strong economy and military. This was a defined period in Japanese history when two major issues engaged the Japanese mind, each struggling to dominate Japanese society. One was the Asiatic ideal which tried to unite with the waves of Indian and Chinese culture and the other the European ideal of science and industrialisation and military power aided and abetted by the introduction of the study of science by westerners.
This is better expressed as a fight between morality, spirutiality and the western philosophy of might is Right. The militarism of the war lords and the threat from the Europeans from there Asian fiefdoms favoured the latter. This was further helped by the influence of the westerners who were able to successfully change the mind set of the ruling class that civility and development was westernisation as they did in all other parts of Asia including China and India. Buddhist philosophy of peace and morality was a hindrance to this policy. Hence during this period the Buddhist way of life was threatened. Buddhist priests were demoted to the status of ordinary citizens, allowed to get married and forced to work for a living. The only way institutionalised religion could survive was to become part of the imperial system. As a result the Zen Buddhists sect joined with the militaristic altitude of the ruling classes and went to the extent of adapting the Buddhist philosophy to the philosophy of the imperial government. Victoria in his book Zen Holy war says Buddha way to Zen became Imperial way to Zen. The Shinagon ( True Word) sect advocated Morality and Patriotism and obedience to the Imperial Government but looked towards Asia for guidance in there esoteric Buddhist practice. Shaku Soen was from the Zen Sect and Shaku Kozen was from the Shinagon sect.
Japanese monks who came to Sri Lanka
Shaku Soen was a highly motivated, Intelligent and ambitious priest from the Tokeiji Temple in Kamakura, who was later able to break through the shackles of Japanese society to bring his message to the outside word enough to get the attention of Leo Tolstoy in his later life. Having had a degree in western philosophy and science from Keiyo University and having been selected as a successor to his master Kosen he decided to come to Sri Lanka to study language of Buddhist script of Pali and Sanskrit much against the wishes of kosen. During his trip to Sri Lanka in a German ship he realised how lowly the Japanese were considered. His stay in Sri Lanka gave him the opportunity to reflect upon the Practice of Buddhism under colonialism and that of Japan. This consolidated his belief that Japan had to look to the west for its future. In his book SIENNA NO BUKKYO (Buddhism of the south west) he felt there was no hope for Buddhism in Asia with the expansion of colonialism but there was hope in propagating it in the west.On his return to Japan he was part of the Zen establishment which supported the Japanese war machine. Victoria pinpoints in her research that Shaku Soen was one of the Zen masters that embraced war as Zen Training. In the war against Russia Soen served as chaplain in 1904. ’
During this time Tolstoy wrote to him and requested cooperation in his appeal for peace. He rejected it by justifying war as glorification of Buddha in his fight against evil hostile to civilisation, peace and enlightenment. His views although would be highly disregarded in Buddhist circles expressed the opinion of the ruling classes. His later interaction was mainly with the Europeans and the Americans and was responsible in establishing Zen Buddhism in America.
Shaku Kozen.( Kozen Gooneratne Thero)
Unlike Shaku Soen Shaku Kozen looked towards Asia for his spiritual upliftment. He was from Yokohama and stayed in Sri Lanka till 1893. He was ordained as the first Japanese Theravada priests at Malwatta Temple, Kandy Sri Lanka on the 6th of June 1890. During his stay he was actively involved against Christian missionary activity .He was a great advocate of Theravada Buddhism and joined with Anagarika Dharmapala in the restoration of Buddha Gaya. Anagarika Dharmapala was a great anti colonialist and an advocate of Pan Asianism . In late 1890s he left Sri Lanka and attempted to start a school of Theravada Buddhism in Yokohama which was a failure but continued to live a life of a Theravada priest until he died. He never lost touch with Sri Lanka and sent 4 young priests from his temple to Gooneratne Mudalindaramaya in Walauwatte Galle to study Buddhism. Vesak celebration started by Rev Kozen in 1940 and later conducted by Rev Thoyanindo his student (another of the Japanese priests who studied at Gooneratne mudalidaramaya ) was explicit in the suggestion that the program was in veneration of the Buddha with a view to uniting Asian Buddhists. He always maintained his relationship with Sri Lanka but was also in contact with the priests in Thailand. He and others together produced a poly lingual rendering in Japanese of the Shichibutsu Tsukaige (Verse of the admonishment of the seven Buddha’s) an expression of Pan Asian Unity.
Shaku Kozen Gooneratne was not the only advocate of Pan Asianism. Western Imperialism, Colonialism and Christianisation generated the concept among the Asian intellect at the time. Okakura the famous Japanese artist and philosopher in his book ‘The Ideals of the East’ starts with an opening sentence ‘Asia is One’ The concept of pan Asianism is further expressed in his first chapter which reads.
‘Himalayas divide only to accentuate two mighty civilisations the Chinese with the communism of Confucius and the Indian with the Individualism of the Vedas but not even the snowy barriers can interrupt for one moment that broad expanse of the love for the ultimate and the universal which is the common thought –inheritance of every Asiatic race. He later expresses the view that it was the compassion of Buddhism that elevates a dumb beast to a human proclaiming equality and brotherhood to all that made Buddhism acceptable to Confucian China.
He implies later in his book that it was this Buddhist Confucian Philosophy of Humanism and Moralism that united the whole of a peaceful Asia in spite of the fact that there was no common language to help in its spread. On the contrary he felt that the Europeans were more interested in the means of life than the end. An expression of there desire for materialism.
Rabindra Nath Tagore the Great Indian Nobel Laureate , friend of Okakura was another great advocate of Pan Asianism. In his Lecture ‘ Message of India to Japan’ shared the admiration of Japan with other Asians for demonstrating the ability of an Asian nation to rival the west in industrial development and economic progress but rejected the nationalism and militarism he saw in Japan . In a letter written later to Subash Chandra Bose the Indian nationalist who was living in Japan he said that he once fondly hoped that in Japan Asia had at last discovered its challenge to the west and that Japans new strengths would be consecrated in safeguarding the culture of the east against alien interest but Japan had let Asia down and had become a worse menace.
Sun Yat Sen the first president of china also hoped Japan would join up with the rest of Asia in the rule of the right as against the European dictum of the rule by might.
Unfortunately the nationalism, militarism and materialism and the policy of might is right ended up with the disastrous defeat in world war two with nuclear devastation. It is ironic that at the San Francisco peace conference the Sri Lankan delegate J R Jayewardene demanded freedom for Japan. Quoting Buddha he said that ‘Hatred ceases not by hatred but by love’ in his argument for a free Japan. The Asiatic Confucian- Buddhist connection still held true.
Following the Second World War under the influence of the American dictated constitution and the adaptation of the concept that westernisation was the ultimate in modernity, the Japanese have been further alienated from their own culture.
NEW ASIAN HEMISPHERE
In the 21st century Asia is the fastest growing region in the world. China and India alone account for about 25% of the world GDP (adjusted for the currency etc 37% of the world GDP) Asia is fast regaining her position in the world economy. In 1820 China and India accounted for 50% of the world trade. Mahbubani the former Singaporean Diplomat in a recent interview expressed the belief that the 200 years of western domination was an aberration of history. In this defined period Japan is once again looking towards Asia. Her trade with the area is growing fast; she is the largest donor of aid confirming the acceptance by Japan of the new Asian era.
200 years of western consumption economics with its philosophy of westernisation being the ultimate in civility and development has had dire consequences to this world. The gap between rich and the poor has widened, poverty and malnutrition is rampant especially in Africa, the environment has been destroyed, global warming has had dire consequence s for the weather and worlds Natural resources are greatly depleted. Her endeavours to impose westernisation and economic domination have created international terrorism especially from the Islamic communities. The Sub prime mortgages, toxic assets, collapse of pension funds and stock markets in the west showed that the system lacked transparency and morality. Even the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has been forced accept it. .
Japan having pursued Soens Philosophy of might is right and looking to the west for progress and development for 100 – 150 years have now arrived in the Asiatic phase which was advocated by Kozen. The question however is whether the relation ship would be based on money and a western model or whether the new Asiatic phase will embody the Confucian- Buddhist philosophy of compassion, moralism and harmony with the environment. China has established 1000 schools of Confucianism indicating that the Chinese society is trying to reinvigorate the philosophy. In a recent article in the Financial Times by David Pilling with the headlines ‘Japan Harks Backs to an Age of Innocence’ says that the recent economic crisis has invited a re-evaluation of the post Meiji Period and that Tokyo is laden with nostalgia for the Pre Meiji Period. A former vice Finance Minister Eisuke Sakakibara an advocate of the above shift described the period as being peaceful, orderly, unspoilt and friendly. At the time Buddhism was the State Religion. How long can one hold a great civilization away from her roots?
(The writer can be reached at jangoonetilleke@aol.com )
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