In order to provide happiness for a small group of people, the larger group of people and the natural environment at large must suffer. Even if the whole of nature were destroyed in the process of seeking happiness, we would not find it. The Buddha once said that even a whole mountain of gold would not be enough to keep a human being satisfied. Even were they to fight each other until the whole of society disintegrates, people would find no happiness. Everybody is searching and struggling for happiness, but few find it.
In the global community the old way of thinking, with its sectarianism and rival factions, is no longer viable. It will not allow the world to live in peace. Ethical systems in the modern world, such as restraint toward nature, religious tolerance and human rights, are merely a compromise made to preserve or sustain the world. They must be supported by more positive ethical standards and a new way of thinking.
In this regard, Buddhism teaches that:
1. Human beings are one element within the whole natural system of cause and effect, in which all elements play a part. All actions within it should therefore be harmonious and beneficial to that system.
2. All beings, both human and animal, are co-dwellers within this system of natural laws. All living beings desire happiness and shun suffering, and all are afraid to die. They are all the same in this, equal and sharing. There is no distinction or segregation before the natural laws. It is not good to destroy living beings of any description; we should rather encourage universal love and harmony, mutual help and unity.
3. The finest and noblest kind of life is that which is endowed with freedom, and this is true happiness. Over and above external freedom, which is related to the natural environment and the four necessities of life, and freedom from social harassment, is the highest level of freedom -- the inner level, which results from inner development. It is mental and intellectual maturity. This leads to an increasingly independent kind of happiness, and this in turn enables us to relate to our external environment and social situation in a much more constructive way.
It must be acknowledged that we do depend on our natural and social environment, so that the first two kinds of freedom are very necessary conditions on which to develop inner freedom. Inner freedom, in turn, is the foundation on which physical and social freedom are based, and it is their guarantee. If human beings develop themselves and achieve more of this inner freedom, it will no longer be necessary for us to demand freedom from the external environment. Instead, positive ethical values will be developed. There can be harmony without having to compromise.
If we adhere to our old views and perceptions, our striving for happiness will ruin these three noble objectives. On the other hand, if we adopt skillful and harmonious views and encourage the development of inner happiness, we will be able to realize them.
In Buddhism we say that a human being who has reached the highest level of development will have completely destroyed inner greed, hatred and delusion. However, the training is a gradual one, it requires time. For people in general, the surest gauge of development is the absence of wrong view. If wrong view can be given up and right view developed, then even though greed and hatred still exist, even though there is still some selfishness, they will be on a much lesser scale. Since they are not supported by or founded on views, they will not persist on into long-term and widespread levels. Conversely, if greed and hatred are reinforced by views, they will have much more intense and far reaching effects. This is why the Buddhist system of human development stresses the elimination of wrong view.
If right view were to be incorporated into sciences and learning, they would be well-based. The physical and applied sciences and technology would be motivated by a pure desire for knowledge and quality of life rather than a desire to exploit nature for selfish gain. The social sciences would not look at mankind with a reductionistic view of human society disconnected from nature, as a collection of scattered factions caught up in power struggles, but would instead see them as fellow citizens of the natural world. The humanities would concern themselves with the human effort to realize the highest quality possible for a human being, which is inner freedom. This will in turn become a foundation for the proper development of the natural and social sciences.
Human beings in the twentieth century have created much bad kamma, which is going to exert an influence on humanity of the twenty-first century. It is a legacy of problems with which the citizens of the twenty-first century will have to deal. In order to help solve these problems and ensure that the twenty-first century will be a safe one, we must discuss ways of addressing the problems right now. If we can adapt our views as I have mentioned here, there is a possibility that we will be able to solve them successfully.
The three views I have described here are particularly relevant to our time and age, when the natural environment is in such a state of deterioration and depletion. The human social world is shrinking. The time has come for us to learn to live together, and this will only be possible when we are able to develop the freedom that is not dependent on the external environment, and instead learn to help and support it. In this way we will be able to experience the taste of true freedom and true happiness.
