Religion

This 21st Century world is threatened by the Culture of violence, proliferation of various kinds of nuclear and other sophisticated and conventional weapons, landmines, cluster munitions, chemical and biological weapons. In 2007 only, 5426 casualities caused by mines, ERW (explosive remnants of war) and IEDs (Improvised explosive device) were recorded in 78 countries including 14 countries in Asia_Pacific region like Afghanistan, Combodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDr, Mangolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri-Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam which account for 45% of the total record.

Military expenditure for production, stock piling of weapons and arms race risen sharply with the record of death by different kinds of weapons, 1000 average a day and disarmament and non-poliferation treaty are on the verge of collapse. Global economy has faltered and the world's population continues to live in poverty where as world military spending in 2008 reached a new high, $ 1,464, trilion.

Such ahuge amount of money could have been spent for delvelopment to fight against poverty, diseases, hunger, illiteracy, scarcity and famine prevalent in the world and to provide basic need of food, medicines, drinking water, electricity and education . Besides, problems like abuse of drugs, child labour, sexual abuse of children and women and crime against women, unemployment and corruption etc are rampant.

Blame for such a crisis, chaos, conflicts and adverse situations goes mainly to discrimination, injustice, inequality and narrow attitude of people caused by irrational and radical ways of thinking and narrower feeling about race, region and community etc.
Because of ignorance, delusion and misleading notions on religion, faith, conviction and concepts, the number of extremist groups, which have taken the route of violence and terror has shown the rising trend creating disorder, disharmony and struggle within families, communities, society, state, region and the world itself.
In this critical time, when the culture of showing no concern for others is grasping gradually, the root question before us is the survival of humanity. We have two choices before us; walk either along a path of harmony, peace and cooperation or along a track of disharmony, conflict and war. All these depend on what we decide to do and avoid.
One thing we should take deep in mind that the sages, saints, spiritual and great religious teachers, social workers and people of conscience from all walks of life of all ages have longed for and strived to work for peace and peaceful co-existence witha dream to achieve heavenly abode in this very world. In this modern day context, the only way to survive is to practise peace philosophy as envisaged by Shakyamuni, the Buddha who taught the world about the four sublime states of mind-loving-kindness, Compassion, Altruistic joy and Equanimity.
The word, 'Peace' should be interpreted in the broadest- sense as Albert Einstein said, 'Peace is not merely absense of war but the presenc of justice of law of order-in short of government, Problems, Difficulties, agitation, sufferings, troubles etc. what people are facing today, are, in fact created by themselves i.e. by their own distorted and disturbed minds, impurities, temptations, desires, cravings, rivalries, attachment, hatred, ignorance etc. All the things that we see of feel are able to generate thoughts in our minds which may be wholesome or unwholesome. It is necessary to realize dhamma in true sense to make our minds free from unwholesome thoughts. We should be able to realize a real, 'dhamma' and settle it in our mind to bel able to enjoy bliss of Sukhabati Bhuvan (The pure) land of Amitabh Buddha.