Dependent Co-Arising and Mutual Support

Venerable Yen Pei

The basic tenet of Buddhist teachings is "dependent co-arising with no true self" People are inter-related, nobody can exist independently on his own. According to this principle of Dependent Co-arising, everything arises in dependence on a combination of causes and conditions. Based on this principle, human beings should take care of one another, offer mutual aid and support so that all may live happily in peace, security and freedom.

However, people do not understand this basic principle and subconsciously develop the self-important mentality. One variably considers oneself as being superior to others, so they should be directed by "me". This is the cause for various human conflicts.

The turmoil in our world has reached a peak and mankind is afflicted with unprecedented suffering. We should exercise profound reason to understand and judge everything based on the principle of Dependent Co-Arising. Furthermore, in the Buddhist spirit of compassion, let us sympathise with the foolishness of people relieve human suffering and promote global harmony. We should avoid conflicts among people and wars among nations. Following this principle of Dependent Co-Arising and selflessness as taught by Buddha, nations should share resources equitably, people should collaborate for mutual support and benefits. Only then can human beings thrive together with reasonable resolution of many complicated global issues.