The lack of unity in democracy.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.

In the democratic tradition, a democratic society should have three essential characteristics: Freedom, Brotherhood, and Equality. The United States, considered the first nation to have modern democracy. Here people call for freedom and equality. Equality keeps freedom from going too far, and this reciprocity creates what is called "equal freedom." The third point is brotherhood, which is rarely mentioned. When the word "brotherhood" is used, it refers to groups and groups in a community, especially the student community.

Although American society does not loudly welcome or promote "fraternity." This is not that "brotherhood" did not play an important role in the formation of American society. In fact, brotherhood, called by different names, has played an important role in the growth of this country. A country with many races, nationalities, and many different religions is called "multicultural" (elting pot). A country can only be rich when these citizens live together harmoniously. This is a remarkable success of the United States, where many ethnic groups have lived together under one flag - it can be said that no other country has made it like the United States.

But American society is also home to many racial discrimination, as well as religious discrimination and early cultural conflicts. This "multicultural society" is not completely successful as we know it. There are unresolved issues that are gradually expanding. Modern writers such as Arthur M. Schlesinger, Andrew Hacker and William J. Bennett have analyzed these issues in great depth to find answers to a number of problems, but they are often in vain.

Although brotherhood is an essential thing in democracy. But in American culture, fraternity is less concerned, so there are disagreements in social structure.

Without fraternity there will be no freedom or equality

Democracy often places more emphasis on freedom than equality and other things: that is, starting with three important characteristics: Freedom, Equality, Fraternity - when there is no equal right, people we ask, "they can do that, why can't I?" So is unequal, if there is no equality there will be no solidarity. On the contrary, if we do not unite, there will be no fraternity, no equality because our freedom is not equal. And this is the reason that creates problems in society.

But problems can also begin with fraternity, and gradually spread to freedom and equality. When people are at odds, disorganized, they live in doubt and fear of each other, and they start thinking "other people can do it, why can't I?" - They get it, why am I not? " Without equality, there would be no freedom. If so, then even something not worth it can become serious.

The family is a good example. Siblings in a family can also recognize the inequality in the freedom of an individual when parents are more likely to favor one child over another. When brothers and sisters in a family feel unequal, they will split and mingle with each other - They lose brotherhood.

Sometimes the problem is not in the biased parents, but because there is no harmony between siblings. Brothers and sisters began to suspect kyhau. When one of you siblings gets a gift or a reward, the others are jealous ﮠ They don't want to, but they are more aggressive, so this is an automatic reflex. Minor misunderstandings can also become important issues, and no one will yield to anyone. They often side with and oppose each other, or complain that they don't receive a fair share. The whole family is full of doubts ﬠ lack of love and happiness.

In contrast, in a family where children and parents love and get along well, all income is divided equally. Sometimes there are uneven divisions, but no one complains. Maybe a brother, or a sister, can give his share to you; he who much is willing to share his part with his brothers in the family. Thanks to that, the problems also reduce stress; Big stories become small things, and small things are not considered. And this is a fraternal family, the members of which are anxious to protect each other with kindness and solidarity. Likewise, harmonious solidarity in a society needs freedom, equality and brotherhood.

When everyone has freedom and equality, collision problems can be resolved and there will be social harmony. Social harmony can be achieved where there is kindness, kindness, and everyone treats each other like brothers.

In countries where democracy is not "mature," social issues are related to inequality and lack of freedom. Once a lot of people campaigned together to get change for a common interest. The lack of harmony was silently present that no one saw ...

In countries where democracy has been around for a long time, the absence of "fraternity" is a difficult and difficult problem to solve. This is also a dead end of human civilization.

Typically, America, where people have the highest freedom and equality. And it is also home to many conflicts over race, color, gender and customs.

As we see sectarianism is growing everywhere. No harmony found in democracy, no doubt, no conflict. For example, in Russia, when it was Soviet, under dictatorship, it all seemed to be one strong unity; but when freedom is promoted, there are conflicts in factions immediately. These issues are intensifying, and no satisfactory resolution has been made.

No country has ever been formed by a unique race. Most countries are made up of different races and races; beliefs, languages ​​and customs are not the same. These differences are latent and only waiting for the opportunity to explode, when stimulated by the lack of "brotherhood".

Once freedom and equality have been achieved, the search for "brotherhood" will be clearly identified when problems begin to emerge. Now the problems arise under the guise of race, color, religion, rather than the real problems of each individual.

To solve these problems, we must do two things - essentially, need to ensure freedom and equality for all of the community; In depth, we should encourage and increase brotherhood. But it is not easy to convey the meaning of "brotherhood," because we have to face the spirit - attitudes, beliefs, and values ​​- attachment to race, color, arrogance about knowledge as well as customs, personal beliefs are obstacles. When the spirit does not tend to be kind and harmonious, brotherhood is absent. The unworthy will become a problem, the small to large - because the mind has the opposite tendency.

We should ponder that humans have the same ancestors, but because of migration, they have separated and lived separately in each group. Currently, the world is getting smaller and smaller, and we are forced to live close to each other. We are a community and we must have good relationships with each other. Only then can we eliminate the discord, the stigma to live in harmony, to unite into a world community in harmony with countless differences.

This is a final issue waiting to be resolved in the human community. This is the final test of whether we can develop human potential to achieve peace and freedom.

The search for fraternity is an issue that is beyond the scope of politics, government, and society. This is a mental issue, related to attitudes, and values; and it takes a general understanding of religion, philosophy, race and a lot of humanity to solve. Most important is that people have to have a positive progress in terms of spirit.

The term "democracy" means power in the hands of the people. In ancient times, India also had a regime called "harmony" ( samaggadhamma ). Here, good people-to-people contacts are emphasized, and it is this that ensures success.

Equality and freedom flourish only in unity

In Buddhism, freedom, equality, and fraternity are considered correlated. Fraternity can be compared as a stadium, or meeting room, where sportsmen, amateurs, or seminar members meet freely. do, and equality equally. Everyone treated each other in a cordial manner. There, the expression of freedom and equality is shown. Everyone plays their role and has a good contact with each other in cordiality, everything is going well.

Buddha taught that in a democratic society, unity is needed, where everyone treats each other in cordiality. Harmonic actions are manifested in a variety of ways, but the most important is to be kind (metta), to benefit others, and to act in the right understanding. Understanding must be instilled with kindness. Kindness without understanding, such as just helping you without knowing the cause, can lead to bias. Understanding without kindness becomes indifferent to everyone, even if it is not intentional, more or less causing harm to people. So kindness and understanding must go hand in hand, and balance is needed.

Six essential points for harmonious living in the community

1. Acting on kindness: Any action that creates a feeling of solidarity, also reinforces the strength of the community and gives the people the ability to build society.

2. Kindness-based words: very important in meetings and debates. Debating and arguing as opposites only create more jealousy and hatred. If we speak with kindness, with sincere desire to be in harmony, then we speak in construction. On the contrary, only create more conditions for dispute, gradually brought to the child.

3. Thinking on kindness: when kindness is tightly combined with reason, it helps us to resist the power of Tham, San, Si. Help us make informed intentions for the common good of all. In addition, thinking with kindness will gradually fuse and the face will appear affectionate, in addition to a friendly smile that opens for a harmonious talk.

Kindness goes even further. It is a kind of love without discrimination. Everyone is equal, all are friends in birth, old age, sickness, and death. All are influenced by the laws of nature, and everyone must die.

With kindness, we treat all people equally, regardless of skin color, race, religion; We can accept them because we see the similarities between people.

4. Benefit sharing: when people lack education, they are often selfish, and often seek personal benefits. They do not like to share with others; therefore there are great gaps in the issue of wages among the people, for this reason there is conflict. Sharing is a remedy for this disease. For example, Buddhist monks share everything with each other - food, clothing, shelter, medicine. If today's society is to practice like this, then this is a major progress. People will no longer want to collect for themselves on the sweat of others.

The Buddha teaches, "People who eat alone will not be happy." Because when we eat alone, we separate ourselves from everyone, how can we be happy alone. On the contrary, when we share with people, we immediately get warm happiness.

Buddhism is important in the progress of people in each stage. A person in the lowest stage will find selfish happiness - to gather, to have more, to enjoy first and to enjoy more than everyone in order to be happy. People like this, when shared with whom, they see it as a loss.

A person in the higher stage will find happiness in sharing. Tall people will easily find joy in sharing. For example, when parents give their children something, they are very happy. For their sake, the act of giving comes from kindness. When the mind has kindness, the act of sharing is a joy, a joy.

Parents love their children and are easy to have kindness for their children. Friends, too, easily show kindness to each other. If we can spread this word to everyone in the world, we will be happy to have the opportunity to share it with everyone. This is said in a monk's chant: "The wise man, giving happiness means receiving happiness."

The more advanced people, the more they think they are happy and happy every time. Buddhism teaches that it is necessary to practice giving, the experience of happiness is when sharing with everyone. The democratic society that has these citizens is ideal.

5. Identical and moral uniformity: a harmonious society is a place where all citizens have a basic morality. Everyone obeys the law and treats each other honestly. If the conduct of a citizen is not uniform, then the law is not equally effective, the crime becomes so common, no matter how much democratic a society is, there will be no harmony and development. Development of the country will be difficult. A harmonious, happy society is a society based on the five precepts (No killing, no taking, no adultery, no lies, and no stimulants like alcohol, smoking.)

Lack of self-discipline, lack of discipline are a lack of self-control. In a society where citizens have no autonomy, this is the first step for the dictator to come to power. The dictator will say, "If you do not control yourself, then let me own it." An undisciplined, unethical society will create obstacles for the democratic path, and also destroy opportunities for the survival and development of the country.

6. Identical vision: Identical ideals and beliefs are important causes in ensuring a harmonious society. Citizens in a democratic society must have a consistent understanding of the regime, and understand the meaning of freedom. Without such knowledge, there will be problems. If you only understand what freedom is about, what you do is only creating more anger and discord.

Vision is related to intelligence and understanding. At a basic level, understanding and practicing the democratic factors is enough to make society good; but on a deeper level, there is a need for unity and brotherhood. That is understanding the laws of nature, understanding that everything is impermanent, will be destroyed, nothing is permanent, eternal.

What is the use of understanding that? It helps us to give up or weaken ordinary, selfish attachments. It means renouncing the mind of greed and contempt. Buddhism talks about the five ways of greed. Here with the topic of democracy, I only mention two ways. That is:

a. Kulamacchariya: greed and gain for yourself, for your family and for your organization.

b. Vannamacchariya: greed and gain for our race.

With the reduction of greed, aggression, distinction and aggression are reduced, and thus unity, harmony are found. When people are imbued with kindness, they will look at each other with a lot of sympathy, see each other as relatives, relatives and thus the democracy has three things - Freedom, Equality, and Love. brothers.

The sixth is the most important for the formation of fraternity: citizens must have a similar understanding in all aspects. When all understand and live with the same ideal, this is the real democracy.

In summary, six ways to have a harmonious life in brotherhood are:

l. Well conduct

2. The words are true and easy to hear

3. Clean thought

4. Income sharing

5. Ethical unity, harmony

6. Unified vision.

A happy, harmonious life is possible when we live with the six things mentioned above. We treat each other with kindness, talk to each other with kind words, think of each other with kindness, share with others what we have, follow social discipline, avoid harm, or abuse other people, and ultimately gain consistent understanding and beliefs. As such, integration will be easy and social development will certainly be guaranteed. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.10/12/2019.