William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights – Value of Praxis Over Ideology

8/11/2019 William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights – Value of Praxis Over Ideology

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William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights –

value of praxis over ideology

• by Sajeeva Samaranayake 

• - on 09/25/2014

[William Blake 1757-1827 demonstrated through his art and oetry ho! oosite "ie!s !erea#tually relati"e and deendent on ea#h other and that they !ere re#on#ilable on#e !eo"er#ame the mental tra o$ %abstra#tion& and solidi'#ation( the a#t o$ remo"ing somethingout o$ its #onte)t and turning it into an absolute*

8/11/2019 William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights – Value of Praxis Over Ideology

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[+he ,sokan illar is a symbol o$ $earlessness that emerges through non-"iolen#e and the ability to !ork through and o"er#ome negati"e emotions.ear is the rime #ause behind abstra#tion*

[Blake $ound that +homas aine&s de$ense o$ the .ren#h e"olution ightso$ an3 and dmund Burke&s #ritiue o$ it e6e#tions on the e"olution in.ran#e3 "alid erse#ti"es( yet olaried the $ormer on the side o$ energyand the latter on the side o$ reason they both had to be moderated andharmonied to attain a balan#ed "ie!*When revolution becomes the establishment:#holarshi imlies deta#hment ,nd yet many s#holars end u more

atta#hed than e"er to their theories and $rame!orks ;n both Buddhism and<uman ights( ioneers de"eloed their thought and a#tion !ithin the#ru#ible o$ li$e and le$t ri#h lega#ies $or su##eeding generations =n#e theybe#ame sour#es o$ formal power they both under!ent a $undamental#hange o$ #hara#ter What !as on#e the re"olution be#ame its anti-thesisthe solid establishment >nderstanding this shi$t is "ital to making sense o$both Buddhism and <uman ights in :ri ?anka todayBoth systems o$ thought made their entry through the $ront door <o!e"er(!hile Buddhism !as integrated and internalied to rodu#e alo#al praxisthe same #annot be said o$ human rights Buddhism modi'ed

the substan#e o$ o!er rede'ning it $or those !ho !ielded it in#ludingkings and nobles ;n theory human rights #an be said to ha"e done thesame $or our oliti#ians and o@#ials ;n ra#ti#e integration and ra)is !asby-assed and the #on#et $ast tra#ked into an ideology or another systemo$ thought3 !hi#h #an be used( abused or ignored at the leasure o$ thosein o!er<uman rights today( has $allen into a tra that Buddhism $ell into in the 'rst#enturies su##eeding the Areat assing o$ the Buddha ,s the +hera"adinonks or lders began the task o$ $ormaliing and systematiing the

8/11/2019 William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights – Value of Praxis Over Ideology

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Buddha&s tea#hings into a #ode the $amiliar enemy atta#hmentC raisedits head

 Donathan oberts& e)#ellent reader on William Blake&s oetry re$ers to the!ay that any uest $or a higher truth or moral s#heme !hether this isbased on religion or a se#ular ideology like #aitalism or #ommunism3 #anbe a sour#e o$ temoral o!er

“Blake thinks that the roblem arises be#ause these abstra#t s#hemesseem to e)ist beyond sa#e and time( and there$ore no longer need to takea##ount o$ the arti#ular situation o$ indi"idualsE these abstra#tions utthemsel"es %abo"e& or %beyond& the human( beyond the #ontingen#ies o$indi"idual li"esC, ne! reality !as #onstru#ted o"er the dire#t and demanding ra#ti#e o$sel$ #ulti"ation What the Buddha taught his dis#iles to obser"e and let gothe +hera"adin elders redu#ed to !riting and this be#ame a riedossession +he concept !as #elebrated Reality be#ame in#reasinglyinsigni'#ant in oular ra#ti#e

What is praxis?By praxis ; re$er to a relationshi !ith actuality. +here is anun#omromising sear#h $or the real sel$ $or real others and $or real $a#tsand situations +his #an be illustrated !ith three diFerent resonses to a#ase o$ murder +he state ro"ides a rational and un-emotional resonse bydealing !ith the %#riminal& through the %#riminal Gusti#e system& +his is onees#ae $rom reality into a #onstru#ted reality +here is another es#ae!hi#h may haen i$ a relati"e o$ the de#eased takes a gun and shoots andkills the murderer +his may be an irrational and emotionally dominatedresonse Han there be a moderate and ra#ti#al aroa#h that a"oids

these e)tremesI +hat is an aroa#h that seeks to hel the $amily o$ thede#eased !ho are le$t behind and one that resonds to an e"er #hangingreality +his kind o$ ordinary suort may also be re$erred to as socialwork. ;n a #ountry that is "ery mu#h in the throes o$ a so#ial #risis( !hereso many #hildren( men and !omen ha"e be#ome isolated and alienated!ithout human #are and relationshis there is "ery little riority gi"en toso#ial !ork ;ndi"idual rights o$ #hildren( !omen( elderly the si#k anddisabled are all re#ei"ing searate attention But there is no uni$ying $o#uson that reuisite so#ial skill( ra#ti#e and dis#iline that needs to be atthe heart o$ all these eForts

Jroing dogmati# #ertainties to seek an engagement !ith things as theyare reuires #ourage =ur situation on earth is !ell summaried in this+ruth no K7C $rom a laundry list o$ eternal truthsEWe must li"e !ithin the ambiguity o$ artial $reedom( artial o!er andartial kno!ledge, ra)is there$ore seeks a middle !ay bet!een absolute kno!ledge andabsolute ignoran#e ,nd it has lenty o$ room there $or #ollaborati"einsights

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Worshipping at new temples<uman rights ra#ti#e in :ri ?anka is not $o#used on #reating o!er !herethere is none ;t is simly in"iting the oor( suFering and oressed to goand ray at diFerent temles o$ the establishment =ne su#h ne! temle isthe <uman ights Hommission in Holombo and the other the :uremeHourt .or those !ho #an aFord it there are temles abroad as !ell

notably in Aene"a ,nd be#ause there is no thoroughgoing aroa#h andstrategy to generate new power it has be#ome oliti#ally insigni'#ant(imotent and irrele"antPaper rights in exchange for freedom

 +his is not surrising in the least +he #olonied eole o$ this #ountry hadtheir $reedoms taken a!ay and their natural e#onomy and so#ial systemsremo"ed ;n return they !ere gi"en rights on aer While the #ommon man!as holding on to this ie#e o$ aer so#ial realities #aught u !ith and'nally rela#ed the British insired system Honseuently the hierar#hi#al(aternalisti# and $eudal nature o$ so#iety has rela#ed !hat !as initially

#on#ei"ed as an imartial state :o#iety and state today are one not t!o;n short( human rights has simly not de"eloed into a ra)is here ,t thesame time there is a great ush $rom the international arena at anideologi#al le"el to make u $or this absent ra)is +his aroa#h is !idelyheld a#ross organiations that #hamion the rights o$ "ulnerable grousore re#ently it has been adoted by those !ho seek Gusti#e $or !ar #rimes#ommitted at the #losure o$ the elam War >n$ortunately these aroa#hesseem to la#k an understanding o$ the !eaknesses that all ideologies share ese#ially !hen their roonents are ideologi#ally driven – as oosed tobeing emiri#ally and relationally grounded

Understanding dualism=ne o$ William Blake&s key themes !as to demonstrate the inter-deenden#e o$ aarent oosites +hus #ategories like good and bad( dayand night( #riminals and "i#tims !ere not absolutes but simly terms o$relations We identi$y good be#ause o$ bad day be#ause o$ night and the"i#tim be#ause o$ the #riminal +hese are all "alid imressions !ithin thegi"en #onte)t !here the relation is in issue +he ne)t oint is that our#onte)t is al!ays #hanging and does not remain ')ed When !e re$er to amountain or ri"er it may be su@#ient to simly name them <o!e"er thisname is Gust a summary( a short hand $or a million realities all o$ them

subGe#t to #ontinuous #hange $rom moment to moment +he only diFeren#eis the uestion o$ degree as the mountain is #omosed o$ more solids !hilethe ri"er is #omosed o$ more 6uids =ne may seem still and the other theeitome o$ #hange itsel$ But this is simly an e)ternal or suer'#ialimressionow engagement society;$ our engagement and sensiti"ity is lo! the #on#et or label may su@#e<o!e"er i$ !e are seeking a more in deth understanding o$ the meaning o$ 

8/11/2019 William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights – Value of Praxis Over Ideology

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!hat is good and bad and !ho is a #riminal and !ho is a "i#tim !e #ould gointo the kind o$ e)loration that .yodor Jostoye"sky entered to !rite his#lassi# Hrime and unishment in 18LL;t is di@#ult enough like the great ussian author did( to mo"e into thealienated soul o$ a murderer our redi#ament ho!e"er( is that !e areunable to ste into our own shoes

Jesite the earth shattering e)erien#es that our eole ha"e gonethrough in this era o$ "iolen#e !e remain a lo! engagement / insensiti"eso#iety =$ #ourse !e are highly oliti#ied and #ontentious but thesearguments are at a solidi'ed and #on#etual le"el +hey are largelysuer'#ial and thus irrele"ant +he elam War !as based on a millionrealities but it !as ultimately $ought on a simle ai "enu"en aiCideology +his !as su@#ient $or eole on both sides to kill and destroy total

strangers and #ommunities !ith great belie$ in the rightness and Gusti#e o$ theira#tions,ll !ars are based on so#ial distan#e they are $ought on the basis o$ ')ed

and absolute #ategories !hi#h are abstra#ted $rom reality Wars and#on6i#ts are a hall mark o$ a lo! engagement so#iety +he uestion $or us isho! !e #an es#ae $rom this tra and mo"e u to a higher level ofengagement .or this !e must relate dire#tly to ea#h other as humanbeings +here needs to be not Gust a #onditional a##etan#e but a greatacceptance. +his is our starting oint We are !hat !e are and !e ha"e alltra"elled many miles to get here!ynamism of contraries and shutting down the dialecticoberts ro"ides the $ollo!ing !indo! to the thoughts o$ Blake on the$utility o$ de-"aluing or reGe#ting one hal$ o$ a air o$ #ontraries

Blake&s oint is that !e sol"e nothing but only #ause suFering by trying tonegate one hal$ o$ a #ontrary =ur aim should be to bring the t!o hal"es o$any ase#t o$ e)isten#e ba#k into relationshi( !hi#h is !hy he !rites books!ith titles su#h as "ongs of #nnocence and $xperience% and &he'arriage of (eaven and (ell. +his does not mean neutraliing thenature o$ #ontraries( rather it does mean re#ogniing their rese#ti"e#hara#ters and diFeren#es !ithout needing to atta#h moral labels to themBlake #lari'es this #entral tenet o$ his thought by distinguishing a %#ontrary&$rom a %negation& Hontraries are ne#essary to the e)isten#e o$ the !orld(but indi"iduals and so#ieties use #ontraries as a !ay to slit the !orld in

t!o morally +his moral slitting and #ategoriing is !hat Blake #alls%negation& Megation is the ro#ess !hereby one hal$ o$ a air o$ #ontrariesis labeled as in$erior to the other hal$ and #onseuently dismissed, go"ernment that #rushes oliti#al dissent( silen#es oosition andimrisons or e)e#utes #riti#s is engaged in the attemt to negatee)erien#e , negation is a ero "alue or de"alued #ontrary( !hi#h $orBlake does not a#tually e)ist( be#ause it is an abstra#t image o$ the !orldthat no longer #orresonds to reality itsel$E mhasis added3

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,ttra#ti"e( simle and #on"enient bla#k and !hite arguments are resentedin this !ay to #reate social power and generate a so#ial #onsensus $ormoral s#hemes +here is a "ersion o$ human rights a#ti"ism !hi#h hastaken this route in :ri ?anka notably in relation to #hild abuse and "iolen#eagainst !omen !here enormous $unds are sent on trainings $or oli#e and

 Gudges and the maintenan#e o$ the #riminal Gusti#e system Work that has

in"ol"ed dire#t assistan#e and suort $or "i#tims #onstitutes the e)#etionto this and the ra)is o$ "i#tim rote#tion lies there3oberts sho!s ho! "ested interests in so#iety use indirect )ustice $or theiro!n ad"antage and o!er !ith "ery little %tri#kling do!n& to the a#tual"i#tims and their $amilies and #ommunities<ere Blake is arguing that both reason and energy are ne#essary andinterdeendent( but that the %religious& try to slit them aart( #on$usingthem $or %good& and %e"il& ;n other !ords( the #onser"ati"e o!ers thatgo"ern Blake&s so#iety #all reason %good& be#ause it maintains their o!ninterests in the status uo3 and energy %e"il& as it threatens re"olution(

uset and #hange3*riti+ue of ideology

 +his aroa#h o$ the o!er$ul generally resonates !ith the needs o$ theo!erless $or #ertainties and stories in !hi#h they #an 'nd sola#e Wordslike %terrorism&( raeC( #rimeC and #hild abuseC e"oke emoti"e rea#tions$or !hi#h the bla#k and !hite aroa#h ro"ides a ui#k and aealing e)itroute +he in#ident is abstra#ted $rom the #onte)t to ro"ide a suer#on#etC or grand idea $or a ne! moral s#heme +his is the !ay thatmankind has mo"ed $rom one ideology to another $rom religion tose#ularism( $rom $eudalism to #aitalism( $rom #aitalism to so#ialism and

'nally to totalitarianism a$ter 9/11 in this ne! reressi"e and unstable ageo$ emotionsBlake has gi"en us three #hara#teristi#s o$ ideologies

1+hey are general and there$ore trans#end or stand abo"e human arti#ulars

in an eFort to rea#h a suer human obGe#ti"ity +hey are there$ore

abstra#tions

2+hese abstra#tions deend on narrati"es !hi#h are ordered e)lanations o$

the nature o$ things ,##ording to oberts %#osmology( #aitalism( geometry

and theology are all narrati"esNnarrati"es are not and #an ne"er be(transarent media they #reate or at least modi$y the reality that they

e)lain& We #ould easily add the la!( go"ernment and human rights into

the same basket

K+hey are una"oidably human ;t al!ays takes a human being to #reate or

des#ribe any abstra#t s#heme e"en i$ that s#heme itsel$ may deny this

deenden#y and #laim to be obGe#ti"e

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oberts statesE,bstra#tion is al!ays non human in Blake human li$e al!ays e)ists in !hatBlake #alls %minute arti#ulars& +his is one o$ the most imortant #on6i#tsin his !ork( and the re$usal to subGugate the human erse#ti"e to %higher&s#hemes is a hallmark o$ his art

 +ransient henomena in ra)is thus be#ome solid entities in ideology

<o!e"er it is not al!ays are#iated that the root o$ all ideologies is aarti#ular "ie! o$ sel$,reen earth forgets-e#ently( ; heard a to o@#ial $rom the inistry o$ #onomi# Je"elomentgi"e the $ollo!ing e)amle o$ the !ay animals $ail to and human beingssu##eed in de"eloing the $undamental idea o$ %sel$&When du#ks 'ght they make uite a andemonium but their energies aree)hausted by the 'ght and on#e it is o"er they resume their li"es addlingserenely u and do!n the !ater ;$ t!o human beings ha"e a 'ght they#ontinue to suFer mentally $or a mu#h longer time and they !ill ea#h ha"e

their subGe#ti"e narrati"es about it;$ !e aly Blake&s three$old #hara#teriation o$ ideologies !e #an see thatour belie$ in a sel$ is also a generaliation that is suorted by a dead ast !hi#h is our o!n %story& based on a load o$ subGe#ti"e er#etions +his isthe starting blo#k $or all ideologies +he nglish historian A +re"elyan!rote as $ollo!s about the an#ient #on6i#t bet!een ,nglo-:a)ons and:#andina"ians and ho! time !as able to heal its bitter !oundsE:o long as the Oiking battle a)e !as #rashing through the skulls o$ monks(and the nglish !ere nailing to their #hur#h-doors skins 6ayed oF theirJanish enemies( the hatred bet!een ,nglo-:a)on and :#andina"ian !as

ro$ound But it !as not ermanent ;n days be$ore the rinting-ress( thememory o$ inter-ra#ial !rongs and atro#ities !ere not arti'#ially $osteredAreen earth $orgets !hen the s#hool master and the historian are not onthe s#ene ,nd these t!o Mordi# ra#es !ere o$ kindred sto#k( !ith manyinstin#ts and #ustoms in #ommon*onclusionWe in :ri ?anka ha"e many s#hool masters and many historians and "ery$e! o$ them !ould ass the test o$ deta#hment +ruth no 1 in the list ;re$erred to earlier states "ery elouently that +his is itP there are nohidden meaningsC We must learn to a##et that there are multile realities

and multile readings in a so#iety +his is so e"en in so#ieties !hi#h may $orthe time being adot slogans like one #ountry on "oi#eC ; ha"e not takenthe side o$ ra)is against ideology ;n a human so#iety !e !ill 'nd both ;t isbe#ause o$ my reading that there is little ra)is in :ri ?anka today that ;emhasie this ase#t more +hese are simly re$eren#es to a#tion andthought and they are ultimately inter-deendent What is most imortantisengagement. ,roa#hes to "i#tims o$ so#iety !hi#h are based on asense o$ #on#ern and e"en a sense o$ solidarity !ith them are not going to

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be eFe#ti"e unless rooted in their li"es and realities +he goal o$ all de"eloment is nothing more than the engagement o$eole on a $oundation o$ reality +he eole must be truly in"ol"ed i$ theyare to e"ol"e +he lesson o$ British #oloniation !as that de"eloment thatdoes not in#lude all the eole #annot be sustained +he same lesson#ontinues to be rele"ant today