September, 2006
CONTEMPLATING SEPTEMBER 11
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima
We all remember September 11 of five years ago when terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in
New York City. It was one of the most terrible, world-shaking events experienced in recent years. It
was a hellish sight to witness the towers perish in front of our eyes. Many lives were lost. This act of
terrorism was unforgivable under any circumstance. Everyone burned with indescribable anger.
The 9-11 Memorial Service, sponsored by the Interreligious Council of San Diego (IRC), was
held in Balboa Park last month on September 11. This year’s IRC theme is “Humanity,” and the IRC’
s religious representatives appealed for world peace under the theme. I attended this service as the
Buddhist representative [the Temple is a founding member of the IRC] and gave my message for the
realization of world peace. This month, I would like to share my 9-11 message with you:
When I look back on history, humankind has always wished for peace, yet not a day passes
without war. There are many people who have lost their precious lives and there are countless
people who have lost their parents and children and are grieved by war.
We can hardly imagine the heartrending cries of soldiers who break their religious beliefs not to kill
and have to fight in the frontlines in the name of one cause or another. We must remind ourselves
once again that our comfortable lives today are due to the ultimate sacrifice of many who died in
past wars...and who are dying today on our behalf. In their memory, we should try for the realization
of true peace. It is true that the current generation hardly knows the true terror of war and that we
tend to take life for granted. In honor of those who died in conflicts, I would like to make a fresh
determination at the 9-11 memorial service that we do our best to reject the misery of war.
This year’s IRC theme is “Humanity.” Fortunately, we were born to this world as human
beings. We are fortunate because, as it is said in Buddhism, it is hard to be born into human life. A
long time ago in India, Sakyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, scooped up a handful of sand
on the Ganges River and said to his disciple, “All around is immeasurable sand. However, it is only
these grains of sands in my palm that reflect those to be born into this world as human beings.”
“Rare is it to receive life in human form; yet, now we have received it.” When we realize this truth
clearly, we must try to carry out our lives with gratitude. Accepting one other’s existence, loving
others, and helping each other are the true way of life as a human. It is very important to realize
how precious it is to share our lives with others on this earth.
However, what do we humans do? As I mentioned, humankind has engaged in armed conflict
for a long time. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the history of humans is the history of
war. War is an outgrowth of our greed and sense of fear. We have perpetuated conflict that justifies
oneself, and takes others’ lives. Moreover, we face a crisis as humans threaten the very existence
of the earth with nuclear weapons which we have created. How terrible we are.
Something I read in a book a couple of months ago surprised me very much. A scholar said if we
think of the earth as a living thing, then humankind is its cancer. These are very severe words, but
in reality, humans not only take others’ lives out of self-interest but also push the earth itself to ruin.
How do you react being told that humans are a cancer for the earth and all living things? I feel very
sad and ashamed.
In Buddhism, there is a teaching to repay favors. We have received the life in human form in
this world and have been living our lives with the great blessing of nature. We are able to live only
because of the sacrifice of many others’ lives. We must repay this precious favor at the risk of our
lives. I believe that the true way to repay favors is to accept others’ existence, respect others, and
support each other.
All living things in this world are precious but only humans have the capacity to be considerate of
others. Empathy allows us to put ourselves in another’s place. We have beautiful minds that share
sadness, happiness, and joy with one other. Moreover, we have precious minds that can reflect
upon ourselves.
We make mistakes repeatedly in life. However, it is very important how we accept our faults,
how we correct them, and how we atone for them. It requires courage and patience. Although one
person alone is weak, I believe that we must unite to support our individual weaknesses and help to
make up for our lacks.
Even if we collectively call ourselves human, we have individual personalities and our own
sense of value and culture which make us different from each other. There are differences of sex,
nationality, skin color, abilities, and so on. We are all different. However, each life is linked to many
other lives. We should never forget this truth. Buddhism teaches us to try to always respect others
and understand each other so that we realize a world where we are able to live with all people
happily is possible.
Finally, I would like to offer my deepest sympathy to the victims of September 11 and their families,
and to all who have suffered in the world’s many conflicts and natural disasters.
In Gassho,
| Dharma Message |
