An Alliance of Civilizations : A Perfect Match between the West and the East Part II

Satiman

Introduction

The eastern civilization especially that of India, China and middle east has contributed richly the Knowledge or wisdom of the spiritual treasure of mankind to the world at large. The treasure of knowledge or wisdom, which I conceive, pertains to the philosophical or religious discernment of the eternal Truth of salvation or emancipation. Religious knowledge of emancipation is significant and is pragmatically valuable. It rectifies, improves and perfects character formation.

 The Hindu civilization, in particular, has contributed enormously in philosophical thoughts or religious Wisdom through earlier Upaniṣads (700-600 B.C.E) derived from the Vedas (knowledge). Buddhism and Jainism in the 6th century B.C.E complemented and fulfilled the Hindu philosophy.  The imperial civilization of China has shed great light on universal ethical system and Tao through Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, Neo-Confucianism, Ying and Yang, I-Ching and others. The Middle East Civilization has presented their gifts of religious treasure in terms of Judaism, Christianity and Islam or Sufism.

Self-knowledge

Unfortunately, the world is so mesmerized by the advancement of science and technology that they have neglected the importance of self-knowledge unveiled by esoteric religions. Self-knowledge or gnosis rectifies human fallibilities and perfects human ethical conduct for self-interests and public interests. The self-knowledge – knowing one’s True Self is expounded as Self-rectification in the Confucian classic known as ‘Great Learning’. Human false-mind predominates when the ordinary consciousness is not rectified and redeemed to its original self. The original self is the True Self – the mind of Buddha or God.

U.N’s Contributions

In actual fact, all the beautiful collaborated alliances of civilizations witnessed by us today are related to religious compassion and wisdom. The most significant product of an alliance of civilizations between the west and the east is the establishment of the United Nations Organization to maintain world peace and security, and the offer of humantarian aids to the needy in so many diverse ways. Though the United Nations has seemingly failed its role to maintain peace and security in certain politically sensitive and troubled spots in the world, it has indeed contributed enormously as global police to maintain peace and order in other politically troubled countries. These troubled countries were and are being imperiled by internal disturbances, conflicts, confrontations, demonizations or civil wars. In actual fact, the U.N has contributed enormously by collaborating peace keepers from different contributing member countries around the world to police those politically unstable or volatile countries.

 Most noticeably, the United Nations Organization has successfully pooled the world valuable human resources of intelligentsia or savants in diverge specializations to help the needy countries hungry for aids for continuous survivals. The human resources consist of experts, savants, and intelligentsia of diverge fields of specialization to combat poverty, malnutritions, hunger, diseases, civil wars, genocides, human rights violations, global political tensions, environmental problems and multitudes of other problems and challenges. The altruistic compassionate works of the backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ of U.N are indeed praiseworthy and esteemed.

 U.N humanitarian aids encompass diverge domains or manifold aspects.  The UN’s planners, strategists, executing officials and workers are the backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ who labour in the cause of peace, harmony, happiness to reduce the massive sufferings of the world especially in the developing and undeveloped countries, striken by poverty, diseases, violation of human rights, environmental disasters and so forth. These backyard bodisattvas of United Nations have brought cheers and reduction of anguish and tears particularly to the developing and underdeveloped countries in the world today in almost every sphere of human life.

 As only the glaring failures of U.N Organization are highlighted in the mass media and their countless minor and major successes are not reported, the general public conceive that the U.N organization is merely a white elephant. The Internet global service in the cyber world has opened our eyes to witness the altruistic compassionate services of U.N’s backyard ‘bodhisattvas’. The internet world is just like an infinite electronic library or encyclopedia through which the entire world affairs are unveiled and made transparent to us. The cyber world promotes and fosters freedom considered as rare treasure in many parts of the world.

Cyber World

Dwelling in the cyber world of internet’s easily accessed  information open to each and everyone of us, we are able to perceive through the window of the entire global village with the search machines in our computers. This is how I am aware of the countless backyard bodhisattvas serving in the U.N. Organization and in other worthy international programmes of alliances of civilizations. Knowledge expands our love for others as we are now have unlimited information about what these backyard bodhisattvas are doing for the world. Simultaneously, we are also equally aware of the unity of evils or vices evident in the clashes of civilizations in many parts of the world. The global village is very transparent and intercommunications are swift through the information super-highways with lightning speed.

Wikipedia

I give another equally mesmerizing alliance of civilizations between the east and the west is the organization of Wikipedia, a free open content, community-constructed encyclopedia embodying seemingly countless, comprehensive articles for our quick references. Almost anything under the sun can be obtained from this electronic encyclopedia. It is evidently a product of altruistic compassion of a multitude of backyard ‘bodhisattvas’. I perceive this educational institution of Wikipedia as a form of the largest global university open to all students in the world without charging any fee on the users. This is a superb, marvelous alliance of civilizations between the east and the west.

Experts’ Contributions

The contributors of articles in the Wikipedia are certainly unmanifest or hidden world academicians, scholars, experts, savants or intelligentsia contributing generously their vast, comprehensive knowledge and their paintaking research findings and writings. Their knowledges and experiences  are diffused freely through the Wikipedia. We are the beneficiaries without paying a single cent. What an enchanting and rejoicing world with these backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ around us ! The global villagers benefit enormously from their free contributions previously only available to university students doing MA or Ph.D research inside the campuses.

The internet technology and compassionate hearts of the backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ of Wikipedia have illuminated the world. The regular users of internet service are superbly blessed to be able to access with a few clicks here and there and read comfortably articles of their interests and specializations in their comfortable homes. Many of these articles are the marvelous, unveiling, self-awakening literatures issued from the luminous minds of the wise authors or experts. These intelligentsia are adept in their areas of specializations. They are illuminating the world with their knowledge, experiences and discernment.

Western Civilization

Having visited the eastern civilization of knowledge of religions and philosophies, it is appropriate to visit the western civilization. The western cilvilization predominates in secular knowledge which is the powerful engine of economic growth. The economic affluence of the west constructs the icons of modern civilization. The western civilization, particularly that of America and Europe has enriched the world with their discoveries, and research and development of knowledge in the disciplines of physical science, high-technology, engineering, corporate business, economics, management, medicine, nutrition, literature and so forth. These advanced modern knowledges  help mankind combat poverty, diseases, natural and man-made disasters and  activate economic development and prosperities globally.

Transfer of knowledge and technology in two-way traffic between the west and the east has been going on since time immemorial. This is the great alliance of civilizations among mankind. This alliance of civilizations became more active and vigorous after the European Renaissance (14th century C.E) and western industrial revolution (18th century C.E). The learning process has been reciprocal and mutually beneficial. The west has learnt much from the eastern civilization in religions and philosophies. There is an increasing number of western scholars or intelligentsia who have even mastered themselves in the spheres of eastern religions and philosophies.

Reciprocal benefits

The east too has learnt enormously from the western elites. An increasing number of eastern savants or intelligentsia are emerging from the developing countries and underdeveloped countries. They have mastered the skills  from the west scientifically, technologically or economically. The fact is evident that the western universities have trained countless Asian academicians, scholars, savants, specialists or intelligentsia. These eastern experts play crucial roles to educate and train their own university students in the east. The transfer of knowledge, skills, information and data is very swift through the information super-highways in the cyber world. In fact, the transfer is so effective that the Asian university students today may have to learn eastern religions and philosophies from eminent western scholars in the renowned universities in America and Europe.

Mutual Benefits

Today, we witness economic affluences and material advancement  evident from the modern icons of civilizations in China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Dubai and so forth and many more other rapidly emerging developing countries in Asia and Middle East. All these aforementioned countries in one way or another have exported the eastern civilization in the forms of eastern religions and philosophies to the west. In fact, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Vedānta, Krṣṇa, Taoism, and Confucianism have gained fertile footings in the western soils. In actuality, the western universities are richly staffed with prominent  religious scholars. They are, in fact, helping the Asian universities to produce eminent Asian religious scholars in our modern world currently.

Copy Cats Turning to Supercats

 Like the Japanese academic scholars, the western elites are astute copy cats which evolve into supercats in the field of religions. These are innovations and progress which are esteemed. But in the fields of physical science, management, economics, engineering, technology and others, the western elites have proved themselves to be unsurpassed original inventors, discoverers unveilers and thinkers from whom the people of the eastern civilization have learnt and benefited. Any way, there are positive evidences that Asian tigers, such as China, Japan, India Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai are gradually but steadily catching up with the material or secular development of the west. To the spiritual world, secularism or materialism does not pose a problem. But if one is spiritually ignorant, unrestrained material or secular life will ruin one’s life. Human senses are our enemies when they are not appeased or tamed by religious wisdom. The current clashes of civilizations prevailing in the world today are the outcomes of religious ignorance, perversion and lack of moral restraint.

Japan and Hong Kong are another two supermodels of economic and administrative success miracle conditioned from the melting pot of the conglomeration of the eastern and western civilizations. Japanese leaders have derived from the subtle wisdom of Tao from Chinese Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism imported from imperial China as early as the Tang Dynasty. In modern Japan today, Chinese esoteric religious influences  have eclipsed the original Japanese Shintoism which is only an exoteric or external religious worship. In fact, Japan is not more influencial than mainland China in exporting and diffusing Chan and Pure Land Buddhism to the west today.

Recipriocal Learnings

Spiritually, the west has imported  Brahman, Tao, Chan or Zen, Fanā and Baqā from the east to elevate and enrich their spiritual life. The east has imported knowledge economy of diverge disciplines from the west to activate and catalyse national development in the developing and underdeveloped countries. This status quo of the harmony between the west and the east should be preserved permanently to maintain world peace and harmony. This status quo is an alliance of civilizations threatened to be torn apart by the current clashes of civilization between the west and the muslim countries. The west worships democracy, freedom and human rights. These values are sacred and dear to the western people. In fact, they are sacred and dear to all of us too.

Democracy is the unity of people power. People are free to choose the ways they live without violating the human rights of others. Unity and freewill are religious principles. Even God does not force us to choose God. The freedom to exercise one’s freewill is also part of religious principles. Respects for the fundamental human rights of others are Buddha’s precepts or God’s commandments. In other words, democracy, freedom of choice and fundamental human rights are divine as they resonate with religious principles. Islam certainly respects the democracy of people’s power, the freedom of choice and the non-violation of fundamental human rights. There are the converging confluence of thoughts between the west and Islamic thought. The collisions between the west and the muslims from the east are products of ignorance.

Conclusion

If the west and the east choose the path of the alliance of civilizations, the modern icons of civilization will be preserved as our permanent legacies to be cherished by our future generations incessantly. If we select the option of the clash of civilizations, the day of doom and gloom can be calculated. The recent massive demonstrations in the recent 2008 global Olympic torch harmonic relay have grieved and agitated many peace-loving people. The violent attempts to extinguish the Olympic flame ‘which symbolizes peace, friendship and unity’ does not augur well for our common good.

 Politics and sport must be separate as much as the judiciary and politics must be set apart. The Olympic Games remains the supermodel of alliance of civilizations between the west and the east cherished and rejoiced by all. The unity should be continuously be worshiped and protected by all of us with one heart of universal love to promote and foster global friendship and unity through sports. Unity is divine. In Unity, we see the God. In disunity, we see the demons.

Having fulfilled all the credentials imposed on any prospective host country, China has struggled and won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic. In actual fact, it is not that easy to fulfill those stringent criteria to stage the prestigious Olympic Games. An organizer of any Olympic Games must have all the credentials to host this prestigious world sports event. Suddenly, a miscreant emerged in the mist to snatch away the credentials. The miscreant defended his act that the organizer is not qualified to host the prestigious event because she has just quarrelled with her brothers and sisters over a domestic problem.

May I ask, ”Would you snatch way the crown placed on the head of Miss Universe who has just justifically won the 2008 Miss Universe of the International Beauty Pageant just because she has just disputed with her brother and sister at home over an estate left by their father. There are simply too many logical paradoxes occurring in the world’s scenario currently. They are serious threats and damages to the alliances of modern civilizations between the west and the east. The Olympic Games is one of the most lofty and cherishing alliances of civilizations between the westt and the east. It should be worshipped with dignity, honour and veneration. There is one world with one dream. That common dream is Unity secularly and spiritually. May I reiterate: In all forms of unity, micro or macro, one with certainty’s eye or Dharma eye sees the God.

Editor’s Note:

We should admit that the alliances of eastern and western civilizations have generated both perverse culture as well as also upright culture hitherto. If the masses react violently and destructively just because of the fallibilities of some leaders causing much adversities and anguish to the entire populace or the world at large, we unwisely invite ignorance and perversion to evoke the clashes of civilizations. For instance, the internet service does provide mentally corrupted source-materials which evoke ugly human behaviours. But we can not deny that there are also countless lofty source-materials of great wisdom which can mould and fine-tune human character formation.