How Cambodians abuse Buddhism

 

 Buddhism has been proclaimed for centuries the national religion in Cambodia. Almost all Cambodians profess themselves to be Buddhists, practicing or otherwise. Nevertheless, they have neither treated Buddhism with reverence it deserves nor practised in accordance with the teachings. They have for the past fifty years abused Buddhism beyond imagination.

The Khmer Rouge regime obliterates Buddhism in their search for a society with their newly found ideology of Marxist Communism. All monks – about 66,000 of them – are regarded as parasites and sent to mass graves; lucky ones are defrocked and confined to hard labour. Buddhist texts are incinerated. All 4,000 pagodas are destroyed, or left to dilapidation, if not vandalised or re-purposed.

It is indeed contemptible that the Khmer Rouge leaders have no idea how Buddhism could be invaluable to their communism. They have plenty of PhD hats on their heads but arguably nothing much brain in them. Their allegiance to Karl Max’s communism is so absolute that they become blind to what Buddhist teachings could offer to facilitate their political, economic, and social endeavours. In Buddhism terminology, those leaders are fundamentally suffering from ignorance, (Avijja).

In effect, communism embraces Buddhism’s equality. The beliefs of communism, most famously expressed by Karl Marx, centre on the idea that inequality and suffering result from capitalism. It strives for economic equality through the elimination of private property. Buddha leaves his royal properties and riches to preach against greed. He promulgates a complete and universal equality: equality between man and man, Buddha and Buddha, man and Buddha, man and animals. The Sutra says: “Mind, Buddha and sentient beings are all at parity with one another.” Discrimination of any kind arises from deluded, defiled, and perverted views, which are oblivious of the Essence of Nature.

It is a sheer stupidity that the well-educated Khmer Rouge demolishes Buddhism instead of preaching it to the Cambodian people who have already been largely believers. It would require minimum effort to implement their grand communistic plan; mass killings would not be necessary. It is a horrified miss of opportunity. Historians estimate up to two million Cambodian lives vanish, leaving a broken spirit among survivors.

Cambodia has then swung from the Khmer Rouge’s eradicated Buddhism to another extreme end. Temples are re-opened; monks ordained. This time, however, the invigorated Buddhism also comes with perpetual violations of Buddhist discipline (Vinaya). Cambodian Buddhists now make Gordon Gekko proud of his mantra that “greed is good”. They have progressed, in a matter of four decades, from a virtual equality to an enormous inequality between the haves and the have-nots. While the former could spend up to US $3,000 per night for a resort bungalow, garment workers toil for a basic hourly wage of 93 US cents. Buddhism’s giving (Dana) has become a practice of cultivating personal prestige, power, and financial returns. It is a hotbed for primitive beliefs and practices, which go against Buddhism head-on.

Thus, the Cambodian persistent avijja has turned Buddhism from one poison to another, leaving the broken spirit broken.

Ung Bun Ang

8vi22

 

The Pain the Shoe Thrower Has Inflicted

 

Hun Sen has proved again he is a master of dog whistling. He asks the Biden administration to deal with a person who throws a shoe at him in Washington DC when he is there for an official ASEAN visit.

 

The incident enrages him. He makes it clear unless the US host gives him justice to his satisfaction, those in Phnom Penh who regard the shoe thrower a hero will suffer the same fate as he has. He says he suspects that his supporters have already had names of those admirers, and ready to throw shoes at them in revenge in Phnom Penh. He says the pain is so severe that the revenge can go beyond his control.

 

Thus, Hun Sen takes revenge on bystander admirers, not either the shoe thrower or Mr Biden.

 

«​គេ​បានដឹងថា​អ្នកណា​នៅ​ទីក្រុង​ភ្នំពេញ​ជា​ក្រុម​ហ្នឹង អ្នក​ហ្នឹង​ក៏ត្រូវ​ត្រៀម​ត្រូវ​ក្បាល​នឹង​ស្បែកជើង​ដែរ​។ នេះ​មិនមែន​ជាការ​គំរាម​ទេ តែ​ជាការ​វិភាគ​ជូន​ទិដ្ឋភាព​ច្បាប់​តភ្ជាប់​នឹង​ផ្លូវ​នយោបាយ​។ ខ្ញុំ​សង្ស័យថា បងប្អូន​យើង​កំពុង​កត់​ឈ្មោះ​ទុក​អ្នក​ដែល​ចាត់ទុក​អ្នក​ដែល​គប់​នេះ​ជា​​វីរបុរស ព្រោះ​បើ​នៅ​អាមេរិក​ធ្វើបាន នៅ​ស្រុក​ខ្មែរ​ក៏​ធ្វើបាន​ដូចគ្នា​។ នេះ​ជាការ​ឡង​មួយ​ដ៏ខ្ពស់ ហើយ​ហានិភ័យ​ខ្ពស់​ណាស់ តែ​ខ្ញុំ​សំណូមពរ​ឱ្យ​បងប្អូន​យើង​អត់ធ្មត់ តែ​ក្រែងលោ​យើង​គ្រប់គ្រង​គេ​អត់​បាន ព្រោះ​កំហឹង​ឈឺចាប់​របស់​វា​ធំធេង​ពេក។​»​ 

នាយក​រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃទី ១៨ ឧសភា ២០២២ កាសែតភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍

 

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