The Dharma Master Chǒngsan of Won Buddhism: Analects and Writings

Chapter Five: Society

Chapter Five Society I. On Society When people get together, a society is formed: a group of a few people, the nation, and the world all constitute societies, small or large. In any society there are differences: of men and women, the old and the young, the strong and the weak, and the wise and the foolish. Only by depending on various relations among its members can organizations of all sorts and ranks be formed. If people follow the right way in these complex relations, there will be peace and prosperity in the society; if not, the society will suffer from constant enmity and conflicts. II. The Way of Men and Women In a society there should first be the way that men and women ought to follow. The first is respect: men and women should respect each other’s personality without neglecting the etiquette of mutual respect. The second is restraint: men and women should keep public morals sound by main‑ taining fairness and justice while associating with each other. The third is concession and cooperation: men and women should endeavor together to construct a vibrant society by showing the magnanimity of concession and the virtue of cooperation. 65 66 / The Dharma Master Chŏngsan of Won Buddhism III. The Way of the Old and the Young As an old saying goes, “Treat someone else’s elders with deference, as you treat your own elder, and love someone else’s child, as you love your own”; so it will be a beautiful social custom to treat elders with deference and to love the young. Wherever adults interact with the young, there should be a way to be followed. First, the adult should thoroughly understand the new ethos that develops daily and should elevate the morals of the young with hope for a promising future. Second, the elder should treat the young in accord with their wisdom and their virtuous deeds without considering age difference. There should also be the way to be followed when the young interact with their elders. First, the young should respect their elders for their rich experience and deep thought, treating them with faith and deference. Second, the young should give sympathy and comfort to helpless elderly people, protecting and supporting them as much as possible. IV. The Way of the Strong and the Weak In a society there are differences of rich and poor, noble and mean, high and low, first and last, learned and ignorant, and wise and deluded. All these differences can be summed up as differences between the strong and the weak. If the strong are disposed to oppress the weak and the weak are prone to rebel against the strong without following the way to be followed by the two, both will meet with calamity. And if the two follow the way of cooperation and mutual advancement in accordance with the way, the society will enjoy peace and prosperity. Hence, both the strong and the weak should constantly work together until both evolve into the strong in eternity by practicing the articles of “The Way of Progress for the Strong and the Weak” expounded in the Canon.4 V. The Way of the Public When one lives in a society, one can be both a member of the society and in the position of facing the public outside that society. Therefore, a society cannot do without the way of the public. Society / 67 The first of the ways to be followed with regard to the public is that one ought to honor public opinion that is generally regarded as right by the society. Hence, an individual should observe public law and honor public opinion. The second is for one to observe decorum: leaders and followers, men and women, the old and the young, the wise and the fool, and the strong and the weak should all observe the rules of propriety. The third way to be followed with regard to the public is for one to give primacy to the public interest: where self‑interest conflicts with the public interest, the conflict should be resolved in favor of the public interest. One should work for the public interest as much as possible. One should also hold public properties dear and venerate those who devote themselves to the public’s well‑being. The fourth way is for one to be thoroughly awak‑ ened to, and put into practice, the...