To Go or Not To Go:
Engaged Buddhism’s Perspective on Tourism
"As the bird takes his wingswhithersoever it flies, so the bhikkhu goeswith robes and bowl."
In today’s world, bigger than population of any country is the population of tourists. Tourism as leisure activities has become a major component of most national economies, including Thailand, in particular.
This article attempts to criticize the booming tourism industries from a perspective of ‘Engaged Buddhism’. Engaged Buddhism is a movement which is seeking to actualize Buddhism’s traditional ideals of wisdom and compassion in the contemporary world[1]. Drawing on Buddhist ethical, teachings, and perspective, Engaged Buddhism seeks to apply them to social life and social issues[2].
In the aspect of tourism, through the perspective of an Engaged Buddhist, the consumption of experience in the ever increasing leisure industries is the major ground of delusion and dispersion. And there are at least two levels of delusion and dispersion tourism industry poses; individual and structural.
Tourism mentality leaves the individual distracted and disconnected from him/herself and his/her surroundings. Through professional marketing and advertising teams, tourism industry bombards individuals with dream of becoming happy by consuming fantastic voyages. “With so many places to see, so much shopping to do, so many trips to take, we have less and less time to check in on our families, our relationships, our neighbors and, most importantly, ourselves. The time to constructively ponder and plan a more meaningful life is washed away. It leads ever more deeply into the dispersion and numbness of consumer experience”, observe David Loy and Jonathan Watts, Engaged Buddhist writers.
Secondly, with the increasing speed of technology and transportation, the modern societies we are living in relentlessly entice, attract, force, and send message through every channel to convince us that we should travel more and consume more. In short, tourism, in a modern sense, is another form of consumption promoted by consumerism.
From an Engaged Buddhism’s perspective, one must look beyond structural approaches to the larger questions about the role of consumption in the way we construct the meaning of our lives. As Loy and Watts point out that:
Today we cannot talk about consumption without discussing consumerism, that way of living which locates the meaning of one's life in acquisition and consumption. We may be skeptical of religion, and there is good reason to be suspicious of most religious institutions; but we also need to realize that consumerism functions as a religion for a rapidly increasing number of people worldwide. Our lives are now constantly saturated with a religious message that promises a different kind of salvation -- that is, a different way to become truly happy[3].
And in today’s world, globalization of consumerism leads to a consumer monoculture. This monoculture is evangelized through the advertising agencies, satellite and cable televisions, film studios, and the internet; a mega “dream factories”[4].
Buddhism sees Tanha, desire or craving, as a one of the root causes of suffering. And Engaged Buddhists see that desire or greed is a fundamental motivating factor in our consumer societies. Buddhist systemic psychology shows that Greed naturally creates "Dispersion" and "Delusion". “With the loss of a discriminating mind which distinguishes between need and desire, the door is open to swim in the ocean of delight and numbness in consumer goods and experiences. A product of consumerism, tourism offers a mere myriad world of entertainment without depth or meaning”, assert Loy and Watts. Tourism as entertainment is, for this reason, insatiable and tends to create numbness. What's more, individuals would become victims of the industry end up incessantly asking for experiences that are more entertaining, more exclusive, more luxurious, and more exotic, etc.
Another concern of Engaged Buddhists about the tourism industry is its impact on the environment. And, evidently, tourism often brings great social impacts to the societies and environment. For instance, modern tourism allows tourists to travel a great distance which require a large amount of energy and creating enormous pollution. Tourism consumes massive amounts of natural resources for tourists and leave behind great damages.
The foundation for a Buddhist environmental ethic is rooted in one of the most important, yet most basic, wisdoms of Buddhism; the principle of dependent co-origination. The concept of dependent co-origination presents an ecological perspective where “nothing exists in and of itself but only as a context of relations, a nexus of factors whose peculiar concatenation alone determines the origin, perpetuation, or cessation of that thing”, elaborates Brian Edward Brown, an academic who explores Buddhism’s perspective on Environment Ethics[5].
Environmental conservation is one of the focal issues being addressed devotedly by Engaged Buddhists. One of the most renowned Engaged Buddhist, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, suggests that a sense of ‘universal responsibility’ lies at the very heart of the ecological ethic[6]. Hence, Engaged Buddhists do not concur with tourism in a modern sense which creates much damage to the nature. Engaged Buddhists ask those who need to travel to consider their choices and be mindful when travel, in order to create minimal impacts on the societies and the environment.
But do Buddhists travel?
Of course, and monks, in particular, are traditionally encouraged to travel. But they travel differently, with different means and goal.
There is a Buddhist tradition called Dhutangas, austere practices, the wandering, ascetical, solitary and meditative life of some bhikkhus. Dhutanga is a Buddhist practice to understand oneself through discipline and solitude, not merely to accumulate memory and enjoyment as in traveling for leisure. Since the time of Lord Buddha, Dhutangas were widely practiced. From the early Buddhist Community, wandering and meditative life was the normal one. Historically, among the better known Buddhists was Maha-Kassapa who was acclaimed by Lord Buddha as the foremost among those who lead austere lives; while the first of his disciples to gain insight into the philosophy of Buddhism, Añña Kondañña, dwelt secluded throughout his life in the depths of the forest, articulates Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar, Bhikkhu Khantipalo[7].
Today, when it is possible to go swiftly everywhere by some conveyance or other, why wander? What is the purpose of the bhikkhu who practices Dhutangas and prefers to go his way on foot? Bhikkhu Khantipalo answers:
There are quite a lot of reasons why wandering in this manner is preferred. For example, the wanderer goes quietly and at whatever speed he wishes. He is not brought into contact with others who might disturb his contemplative way and he may stay at a place just as long as it pleases him — and leave it when he wishes. In fact, his is the way of freedom. The modern ways of traveling are good for getting to places quickly but not so good for gaining Enlightenment. The Dhutangas practice could help greatly in the cultivation of renunciation and contentment[8].
Besides the practice of Dhatangas, the Buddha also encouraged his disciples to take a journey to discuss and advocate the message of Buddhism to the public. In this sense, traveling is a means to engage in a dialogue with aims to acquire and foster personal, emotional, and spiritual growth of oneself and for the benefit of others.
“Go forth, ye bhikkhus, for the welfare and happiness
of the many” (Caratha bhikave carika bahujana hitaya bahujana sukhaya”)
- The Buddha
To Go or Not To Go
From an Engaged Buddhist perspective, for a layperson who is not able to live a life of a monk and practice Dhutangas, are there any kinds of traveling that is, then, agreeable?
The possibility that leisure travel could be a complex experience that could have spiritual meaning for travelers shall not be disregarded. For example, it is possible that conscientious travelers could gain venerable awareness of diversity and commonality of human life when they encounter societies and people that are different from that of their own. In Thailand, Phu Kradung, a forest park where visitors can camp in seclusion and listen to nothing but the sound of nature allows the opportunity for humans to get away from their daily life and look deep into their lives, to confront with greed, anger, and delusion, and to reflect on what really matters in life amidst darkness and solitude[9].
It is possible that tourists or travelers could gain an enhanced awareness of self and beyond during their expedition, just as how wonderful tourist destinations could accommodate travelers to cultivate deep awareness and understanding of life. A key point is that, it is imperative to envisage new approaches to traveling that different from that of the mainstream tourism. As a final line of reasoning, to travel or not to travel, from an Engaged Buddhist perspective, the responsibility is, therefore, lies on our own shoulders to analyze and evaluate whether or not the journey is for the proper benefit of ourselves and others while doing as little harm as possible to the societies and nature.
--------===--=-===----====------
Suwannachairop, Sukthawee. 2008. 'To Go or Not To Go: Engaged Buddhism’s Perspective on Tourism' in Tranforming Re-forming Tourism: Perspectives on Justice and Humanity in Tourism. ed D'Mello, Caesar. 2008. Chiangmai: Wanida Press.
TourismWatch No. 50, März 2008
http://www.tourism-watch.de/dt/50dt/50.buddismus/index.html
-----------
[1] Phillip Russel Brown, ‘Social Engaged Buddhism: A Buddhist Practice for the West’, http://www.buddhanet.net/filetib/genbud/eng_bud.txt
[2] Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, p.122.
[3] David Loy & Jonathan Watts, ‘The Religion of Consumption: A Buddhist Rebuttle’, The Society for International Development Journal Development, 41(1), March 1998.
[4] Pracha Hutanuwatr, ‘Globalization from a Buddhist Perspective’, Reformed Word, 50(2), June 2000. http://www.warc.ch/pc/rw002/04.html
[5] Brian Edward Brown, ‘Environmental Ethics and Cosmology: A Buddhist Perspective’, Journal of Religion and Science. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2004.00626.x
[6] Bharati Puri, Engage Buddhism: The Dalai Lama’s Worldview, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 87.
[7] Bhikkhu Khantipalo, ‘With Robes and Bowl: Glimpses of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life’, The Wheel Publication No. 83/84, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1986.
[8] Bhikkhu Khantipalo, ‘With Robes and Bowl: Glimpses of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life’, The Wheel Publication No. 83/84, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1986.
[9] Nidhi Iawsriwongsa, ‘Krachao Pattana’ (Basket of Development), Midnight University Article Number 883. http://www.midnightuniv.org/midnight2545/document95099.html
"As the bird takes his wingswhithersoever it flies, so the bhikkhu goeswith robes and bowl."
In today’s world, bigger than population of any country is the population of tourists. Tourism as leisure activities has become a major component of most national economies, including Thailand, in particular.
This article attempts to criticize the booming tourism industries from a perspective of ‘Engaged Buddhism’. Engaged Buddhism is a movement which is seeking to actualize Buddhism’s traditional ideals of wisdom and compassion in the contemporary world[1]. Drawing on Buddhist ethical, teachings, and perspective, Engaged Buddhism seeks to apply them to social life and social issues[2].
In the aspect of tourism, through the perspective of an Engaged Buddhist, the consumption of experience in the ever increasing leisure industries is the major ground of delusion and dispersion. And there are at least two levels of delusion and dispersion tourism industry poses; individual and structural.
Tourism mentality leaves the individual distracted and disconnected from him/herself and his/her surroundings. Through professional marketing and advertising teams, tourism industry bombards individuals with dream of becoming happy by consuming fantastic voyages. “With so many places to see, so much shopping to do, so many trips to take, we have less and less time to check in on our families, our relationships, our neighbors and, most importantly, ourselves. The time to constructively ponder and plan a more meaningful life is washed away. It leads ever more deeply into the dispersion and numbness of consumer experience”, observe David Loy and Jonathan Watts, Engaged Buddhist writers.
Secondly, with the increasing speed of technology and transportation, the modern societies we are living in relentlessly entice, attract, force, and send message through every channel to convince us that we should travel more and consume more. In short, tourism, in a modern sense, is another form of consumption promoted by consumerism.
From an Engaged Buddhism’s perspective, one must look beyond structural approaches to the larger questions about the role of consumption in the way we construct the meaning of our lives. As Loy and Watts point out that:
Today we cannot talk about consumption without discussing consumerism, that way of living which locates the meaning of one's life in acquisition and consumption. We may be skeptical of religion, and there is good reason to be suspicious of most religious institutions; but we also need to realize that consumerism functions as a religion for a rapidly increasing number of people worldwide. Our lives are now constantly saturated with a religious message that promises a different kind of salvation -- that is, a different way to become truly happy[3].
And in today’s world, globalization of consumerism leads to a consumer monoculture. This monoculture is evangelized through the advertising agencies, satellite and cable televisions, film studios, and the internet; a mega “dream factories”[4].
Buddhism sees Tanha, desire or craving, as a one of the root causes of suffering. And Engaged Buddhists see that desire or greed is a fundamental motivating factor in our consumer societies. Buddhist systemic psychology shows that Greed naturally creates "Dispersion" and "Delusion". “With the loss of a discriminating mind which distinguishes between need and desire, the door is open to swim in the ocean of delight and numbness in consumer goods and experiences. A product of consumerism, tourism offers a mere myriad world of entertainment without depth or meaning”, assert Loy and Watts. Tourism as entertainment is, for this reason, insatiable and tends to create numbness. What's more, individuals would become victims of the industry end up incessantly asking for experiences that are more entertaining, more exclusive, more luxurious, and more exotic, etc.
Another concern of Engaged Buddhists about the tourism industry is its impact on the environment. And, evidently, tourism often brings great social impacts to the societies and environment. For instance, modern tourism allows tourists to travel a great distance which require a large amount of energy and creating enormous pollution. Tourism consumes massive amounts of natural resources for tourists and leave behind great damages.
The foundation for a Buddhist environmental ethic is rooted in one of the most important, yet most basic, wisdoms of Buddhism; the principle of dependent co-origination. The concept of dependent co-origination presents an ecological perspective where “nothing exists in and of itself but only as a context of relations, a nexus of factors whose peculiar concatenation alone determines the origin, perpetuation, or cessation of that thing”, elaborates Brian Edward Brown, an academic who explores Buddhism’s perspective on Environment Ethics[5].
Environmental conservation is one of the focal issues being addressed devotedly by Engaged Buddhists. One of the most renowned Engaged Buddhist, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, suggests that a sense of ‘universal responsibility’ lies at the very heart of the ecological ethic[6]. Hence, Engaged Buddhists do not concur with tourism in a modern sense which creates much damage to the nature. Engaged Buddhists ask those who need to travel to consider their choices and be mindful when travel, in order to create minimal impacts on the societies and the environment.
But do Buddhists travel?
Of course, and monks, in particular, are traditionally encouraged to travel. But they travel differently, with different means and goal.
There is a Buddhist tradition called Dhutangas, austere practices, the wandering, ascetical, solitary and meditative life of some bhikkhus. Dhutanga is a Buddhist practice to understand oneself through discipline and solitude, not merely to accumulate memory and enjoyment as in traveling for leisure. Since the time of Lord Buddha, Dhutangas were widely practiced. From the early Buddhist Community, wandering and meditative life was the normal one. Historically, among the better known Buddhists was Maha-Kassapa who was acclaimed by Lord Buddha as the foremost among those who lead austere lives; while the first of his disciples to gain insight into the philosophy of Buddhism, Añña Kondañña, dwelt secluded throughout his life in the depths of the forest, articulates Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar, Bhikkhu Khantipalo[7].
Today, when it is possible to go swiftly everywhere by some conveyance or other, why wander? What is the purpose of the bhikkhu who practices Dhutangas and prefers to go his way on foot? Bhikkhu Khantipalo answers:
There are quite a lot of reasons why wandering in this manner is preferred. For example, the wanderer goes quietly and at whatever speed he wishes. He is not brought into contact with others who might disturb his contemplative way and he may stay at a place just as long as it pleases him — and leave it when he wishes. In fact, his is the way of freedom. The modern ways of traveling are good for getting to places quickly but not so good for gaining Enlightenment. The Dhutangas practice could help greatly in the cultivation of renunciation and contentment[8].
Besides the practice of Dhatangas, the Buddha also encouraged his disciples to take a journey to discuss and advocate the message of Buddhism to the public. In this sense, traveling is a means to engage in a dialogue with aims to acquire and foster personal, emotional, and spiritual growth of oneself and for the benefit of others.
“Go forth, ye bhikkhus, for the welfare and happiness
of the many” (Caratha bhikave carika bahujana hitaya bahujana sukhaya”)
- The Buddha
To Go or Not To Go
From an Engaged Buddhist perspective, for a layperson who is not able to live a life of a monk and practice Dhutangas, are there any kinds of traveling that is, then, agreeable?
The possibility that leisure travel could be a complex experience that could have spiritual meaning for travelers shall not be disregarded. For example, it is possible that conscientious travelers could gain venerable awareness of diversity and commonality of human life when they encounter societies and people that are different from that of their own. In Thailand, Phu Kradung, a forest park where visitors can camp in seclusion and listen to nothing but the sound of nature allows the opportunity for humans to get away from their daily life and look deep into their lives, to confront with greed, anger, and delusion, and to reflect on what really matters in life amidst darkness and solitude[9].
It is possible that tourists or travelers could gain an enhanced awareness of self and beyond during their expedition, just as how wonderful tourist destinations could accommodate travelers to cultivate deep awareness and understanding of life. A key point is that, it is imperative to envisage new approaches to traveling that different from that of the mainstream tourism. As a final line of reasoning, to travel or not to travel, from an Engaged Buddhist perspective, the responsibility is, therefore, lies on our own shoulders to analyze and evaluate whether or not the journey is for the proper benefit of ourselves and others while doing as little harm as possible to the societies and nature.
--------===--=-===----====------
Suwannachairop, Sukthawee. 2008. 'To Go or Not To Go: Engaged Buddhism’s Perspective on Tourism' in Tranforming Re-forming Tourism: Perspectives on Justice and Humanity in Tourism. ed D'Mello, Caesar. 2008. Chiangmai: Wanida Press.
TourismWatch No. 50, März 2008
http://www.tourism-watch.de/dt/50dt/50.buddismus/index.html
-----------
[1] Phillip Russel Brown, ‘Social Engaged Buddhism: A Buddhist Practice for the West’, http://www.buddhanet.net/filetib/genbud/eng_bud.txt
[2] Peter Harvey, An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000, p.122.
[3] David Loy & Jonathan Watts, ‘The Religion of Consumption: A Buddhist Rebuttle’, The Society for International Development Journal Development, 41(1), March 1998.
[4] Pracha Hutanuwatr, ‘Globalization from a Buddhist Perspective’, Reformed Word, 50(2), June 2000. http://www.warc.ch/pc/rw002/04.html
[5] Brian Edward Brown, ‘Environmental Ethics and Cosmology: A Buddhist Perspective’, Journal of Religion and Science. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9744.2004.00626.x
[6] Bharati Puri, Engage Buddhism: The Dalai Lama’s Worldview, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 87.
[7] Bhikkhu Khantipalo, ‘With Robes and Bowl: Glimpses of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life’, The Wheel Publication No. 83/84, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1986.
[8] Bhikkhu Khantipalo, ‘With Robes and Bowl: Glimpses of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life’, The Wheel Publication No. 83/84, Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1986.
[9] Nidhi Iawsriwongsa, ‘Krachao Pattana’ (Basket of Development), Midnight University Article Number 883. http://www.midnightuniv.org/midnight2545/document95099.html
posted by sukthawee | 12:53 PM
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