The news coming out of Japan is horrifying. The 9.0 level earthquake -- one of the largest ever-recorded on earth -- and the ensuring tsunami that drove the ocean many miles inland wiping cities, towns and villages off the map along with thousands upon thousands of the inhabitants.
Adding to the horror of the tsunami is the possible meltdown of several nuclear power plants that could create a radioactive nightmare for the survivors.
Japan’s native faith is Shintoism. It believes wrong action creates impurity, and its main activity is the ritual practice that purifies the world.
Along with Shintoism Buddhism, particularly the Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism, dominates the faith life of Japan. Its focus of Zen is to experience "enlightenment" and one’s Buddha Nature through meditation.
The Buddha Nature perhaps can best be described as being at peace and harmony with one’s self and all that is.
The foundation of all Buddhism is the "Four Noble Truths."
The first is life is suffering and that suffering is caused by the human desire for pleasure, wealth and immortality. The second truth is because none of these desires can ever really bring about true satisfaction, suffering is the result.
The third truth is suffering can be overcome by detaching oneself from the desires so they do not control our lives.
The fourth Noble Truth sets out a way to overcome desire through the Eightfold Path, a right way to live through good moral conduct, meditation, mental development, and wisdom or insight.
Shintoism, Buddhism and the influence of Christianity in Japan all open the heart and mind to an alternative way of living in the world. The present suffering of Japan will have to be experienced as the rest of the world is called upon to ease the suffering through compassionate assistance. The ultimate question, though, is to wonder whether an alternative way of life might alleviate such suffering in the future.
The horror which is occurring in Japan now is a horror that given time will occur everywhere. Earthquakes will happen. Floods will come and go. Hurricanes, as well as tsunamis, will wipe away coastal villages, towns and cities. Inland tornados will do the same. Cancer and heart disease will take loved ones from us.
Along with these natural disasters of horrible suffering there will be some among us who, out of desperation or even maliciousness, will murder, maim, rape and torture their fellow human beings. The horror is an expression of the truth that life is suffering and that suffering is magnified by human desire.
In the Hebrew Scripture’s book of Genesis, there is the story of the Tower of Babel. The people of the earth, according to the story, all spoke the same language. They were one people. They came to a plain and decided to build a city and a tower that would reach up to heaven. They said to themselves, “let us make a name for ourselves.”
Seeing what the people were doing, Yahweh scattered the people across the faith of the earth and confounded their language. Where there was once one people living in harmony with one another and the earth, they now became various peoples at odds with each other. Where there was once peace, there was now an antagonism and mistrust among human beings. Suffering became a part of life because of the desire of the people to “make a name” for themselves.
In the Christian Scriptures, in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke, we read the account of the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to experience temptations for 40 days. The temptations are to entice Jesus to give into the human desire for pleasure, power and immortality. Interestingly, the temptations are similar to the desires mentioned in the first of the Buddhist’s Noble Truths. Jesus, through his wilderness experience is able to detach himself from these desires and so, being enlightened – or the Light – is prepared to be the Christ.
Both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, in their own unique way, express the same truth as does Buddhism. The truth is that unless we find a way to let go of desire we will continue to experience suffering. We must learn how to live in harmony with the forces of nature. We must learn the transformation of human nature is necessary if we are to learn how to co-exist with one another and the natural world.
Japan’s suffering is horrible beyond measure and our ability to truly comprehend it all is nearly impossible. Seeing the suffering of others, and realizing that we, too, can experience such suffering, calls us into an attitude of compassion. What can we do to alleviate the suffering and bring comfort to those who are in such pain and distress should be our first concern.
Secondly, what wisdom does the experience of such suffering offer us? How much power do we really need to be at peace with ourselves, others, and with the world?
Is nuclear power worth the eventual destruction that will ensue at one time or another because we really don’t have the ability to secure the power plants or the nuclear waste that remains dangerous for centuries? Aren’t these statements of power really modern expression of the Tower of Babel?
When we choose to live on low ground by the raging waters, don’t we realize sooner or later the waters will bring destruction to our lives? Whether we live there out of necessity, or for convenience sake, or to enjoy an aesthetical self-indulgence, one day or another the waters will rise.
If we choose to reside in the face of danger, whether on the coasts or at the foot of Vesuvius or on the slopes of Fuji, we must ask ourselves whether we are doing so out of a desire to be someone, to make a name for ourselves, or whether we do so because we have few other choices.
There will be suffering in life. A spiritual perspective to the suffering life would be to live in such a way so as to not be the cause of suffering. It is the spiritual path of Shintoism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity.
