Professor Glenn D. Paige 가 창립한 Center for Global Nonkilling 에서 출판한
Global Nonkilling Leadership Forum Book of Proceedings (불살생 세계지도자대
회 자료집) 51, 52 페이지에 실려있는 이동식 명예회장의 글입니다.
학회보 특집호(2007년 12월)에도 실려 있습니다.
http://www.nonkilling.org/node/18 에서 자료집 전체를 무료로 다운로드 받을 수 있습니다.
Tao (Compassion) and Nonkilling
Rhee Dongshick
Korean Academy of Psychotherapy
Congratulations to the First Global Nonkilling Leadership Forum. When I think of Nonkilling, comes to my mind the compassion of Buddhism, Jen (仁) of Confucianism and God's grace of Christianity. Also that absolute Nonkilling is not possible.
Animals and human beings cannot survive without killing. All that we eat are living beings: vegetables, fruits, corns, nuts, meats and fish, etc.
Possible nonkilling means unnecessary "inhuman" killing. Buddhism discourages killing which is not necessary for survival. Buddhism teaches that Buddha offers his body to be eaten by tiger. Confucianism teaches attaining jen (compassion) by killing oneself. The solution of the nonkilling problem lies in the cultivation of compassion.
Buddhist sutras reveal human suffering is caused by love and hate. Hate is created by craving for love (craving for returning to mother's womb). Western psychoanalysis reveals that emotional disorder is caused by insatiable needs for love which cannot be satisfied by love and inevitably leads to hostility. This hostility has to be repressed because if you express your hostility toward parents, especially toward your mother, you cannot get love. This is vicious circle which is repeated in human life. The solution of this love and hate circle is Tao practice and psychotherapy.
Fortunately meditation and mindfulness practice are spreading in the U.S.A, Europe and other parts of the world. This movement will help to cultivate compassion. Tao practice and psychotherapy aim at elimination of love and hate and cultivation of compassion instead of love and hate. If need for love which is quite normal and healthy for the growing child are frustrated, hostility (killing) ensues. Erik Erikson wrote that if you do not have basic trust you become neurotic or psychotic. Basic trust is created by mother's healthy love. This suggests that the child-rearing practice is very important for cultivating compassion. In this respect international research at Harvard University a few decades ago found in a comparative study of child-rearing practices in the U.S.A, Japan, Korea and Taiwan that the mother-child relation is closest in Korea.
Chinese historical records repeat that Koreans love to drink and dance all night. When they meet in the street they stop and let the other pass. Their words are compassionate (仁); they love living beings, they are gentle and do not plunder. Confucius said twice in the Analects that he wanted to go to the nine wild tribes of the east (Korea) by raft and live. Some asked, why? He said that Tao is not practiced in China but over there live the superior men (君子).
My feeling is that we are very fortunate to have Mr. Ban Ki-Moon as the U.N. Secretary General for establishing world peace and cultivating compassion and a nonkilling world.
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2003 Korean Academy of psychotherapists. All rights reserved.
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