Browsing by Author "Lee, K.H."

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A Buddhist Psychosomatic Therapy against Anti-Aging Obsession
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Lee, K.H.
This paper has two objectives: to provide a clear account of the reality on human life which is linked from birth to death through the Buddhist perspective and to expose Buddhism as itself psychosomatic therapy that provides means for managing physical and mental pain in order to overcome grief and loss in the course of life. In the modern world Population Ageing is an event faced by almost all the countries of the world. With improved medicine and treatment of major diseases, life expectancy of human beings is getting longer. Ironically, modern people do not seem to welcome their growing old appearance. These days, many people defray expenses on medicines, medical treatments, cosmetics, and even want to undergo plastic surgery to look younger. In an ageing society, people are obsessed with Anti-ageing; consequently they experience serious disorders between mind and body in the relationship between thinking processes and the resultant impacts on the physical body. The teachings of the Buddha, the one Fact of Existence is that all conditioned things are impermanent (sabbesankhārāanicca). What is impermanent is suffering (dukkha) and it comes from the five aggregates (pañca-khandha) affected by clinging. The cardinal teaching of impermanence is elaborated with regard to the life process, which consists of birth (jāti), ageing (jarā), illness (vyādhi), death (maraṇa). Clearly, ageing is the predominant subject under the concept of impermanence. People wish to live long and enjoy a long life span being obsessed by personality-belief (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), but it is rarely gained in the changeable world. Unless defilements subsided (kilesa-vūpasama) or eliminated in them, people cannot get perfect peace (nibbuti). Reached in eighty with decrepit body as an old cart, the Buddha himself showed mentality can be developed in old age by the concentration of mind (cetosamādhi). The Buddhist practices, viz. charity (dāna), virtue (sīla), meditation (bhāvanā), also help people to free the mind from these states of clinging or attachment to the permanence.
METTĀ-BHĀVANĀ as a daily practice for Peace and Harmony in the Multicultural Society
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2015) Lee, K.H.
The multicultural fabric of modern societies has given rise to many new issues and conflicts through mass migration and the dispersion of cultural influences. Even though multiculturalists have dealt with culture, language, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and race as main research subjects, it is not easy to handle complicated social problems. Now a new norm, which is expected to bind people together in multicultural background and social context, is supposed to perform an integrative function in multicultural society. Here, the role of religion is to be noted. The reason is that religion is the most fundamental social institution and it is essential if society to remain orderly. The main objective of this paper is to examine the practical virtue to foster multicultural citizenship, which is to contribute religious peace and harmony as well as social order through Buddhist perspective. This research is mainly a textual study. The collected data were observed on comparative and critical bases. When immigrants’ ratio exceeds more than 2.5% of the total population, it is classified as multi-cultural country. Although consistent inflow of immigrants is changing the demographics, society is currently unprepared for this change. Both the influx of immigrants and mounting concerns about social conflict show the time has long past to leave this matter to individual awareness or good intention. Therefore, people who are at each other’s throats in multi-cultural countries must hold public norm to live peacefully as a citizen. Unlike other religions, Buddhism avoids absolutism and dogmatic fanaticism (idaṁ-saccābhinivesa), and has a nonviolent history through its propagation and dissemination. Dhammapada states that hatred never ceases through hatred in this world. According to Anamataggasaṃyutta, it is not easy to find a being who in this saṃsāra has not previously been our mother, father, brother, sister, son, and daughter. Cūḷagosinga-sutta clearly shows that how to live in peace with others and to maintain loving-kindness towards different people. Visuddhimagga describes mettā-bhāvanā as a therapeutic tool to cure psychological disorders and problematic behaviours caused by hatred. So, we need to practice daily mettā-bhāvanā for peaceful co-existence in the multicultural society.
Old Age and Well-Being in Christian Thought
(University of Kelaniya, 2015) Lee, K.H.
Today, population ageing is taking place in nearly all the countries of the world. Consequently, how to cope with ageing has become a major issue in modern society. A predominant view in our society is that people become gradually more religious as they age and that there is an inevitable turning toward religion in later life. Every society from the earliest known times has had some system of religious beliefs and practices. The Church has been providing a variety of services and programs for seniors as well as widows, orphans and other minority groups. This paper has two objectives: 1) to review how old age has been associated with religion through literature, and 2) to examine relationships between religious activities and well-being amongst older people within Christianity. For the purpose of the study, the research is mostly a textual study and mainly depends on primary and secondary sources on the subject. According to records, old age has characteristically been associated with religion in many primitive societies. Some studies show that belief in God is stronger among the elderly than in other agegroups. According to Bahr (1970), there are two types of religious activities: organizational and non-organizational. Many studies have shown positive relationships between religious activities and the well-being among older persons. Blazer and Palmore (1976) found that for the elderly, happiness, a sense of usefulness, and personal adjustment are significantly related to religious activities and attitudes. At the individual level, religion may perform certain psychological functions during the later years. Similarly, at the social level, the church can help to reduce isolation of the elderly by affording them education, counsel and social services.