William Blake, Buddhism and Human Rights

value of praxis over ideology

by Sajeeva Samaranayake
- on 09/25/2014
[William Blake 1757-1827 demonstrated through his art and oetry ho! oosite "ie!s !ere
a#tually relati"e and deendent on ea#h other and that they !ere re#on#ilable on#e !e
o"er#ame the mental tra o$ %abstra#tion& and solidi'#ation( the a#t o$ remo"ing something
out o$ its #onte)t and turning it into an absolute*
[+he ,sokan illar is a symbol o$ $earlessness that emerges through non-
"iolen#e and the ability to !ork through and o"er#ome negati"e emotions-
.ear is the rime #ause behind abstra#tion-*
[Blake $ound that +homas /aine&s de$ense o$ the .ren#h 0e"olution 10ights
o$ 2an3 and 4dmund Burke&s #riti5ue o$ it 10e6e#tions on the 0e"olution in
.ran#e3 "alid erse#ti"es( yet olari7ed 8 the $ormer on the side o$ energy
and the latter on the side o$ reason9 they both had to be moderated and
harmoni7ed to attain a balan#ed "ie!-*
When revolution becomes the establishment
:#holarshi imlies deta#hment- ,nd yet many s#holars end u more
atta#hed than e"er to their theories and $rame!orks- ;n both Buddhism and
<uman 0ights( ioneers de"eloed their thought and a#tion !ithin the
#ru#ible o$ li$e and le$t ri#h lega#ies $or su##eeding generations- =n#e they
be#ame sour#es o$ formal power they both under!ent a $undamental
#hange o$ #hara#ter- What !as on#e the re"olution be#ame its anti-thesis9
the solid establishment- >nderstanding this shi$t is "ital to making sense o$
both Buddhism and <uman 0ights in :ri ?anka today-
Both systems o$ thought made their entry through the $ront door- <o!e"er(
!hile Buddhism !as integrated and internali7ed to rodu#e a
lo#al praxisthe same #annot be said o$ human rights- Buddhism modi'ed
the substan#e o$ o!er 8 rede'ning it $or those !ho !ielded it in#luding
kings and nobles- ;n theory human rights #an be said to ha"e done the
same $or our oliti#ians and o@#ials- ;n ra#ti#e integration and ra)is !as
by-assed and the #on#et $ast tra#ked into an ideology 1or another system
o$ thought3 !hi#h #an be used( abused or ignored at the leasure o$ those
in o!er-
<uman rights today( has $allen into a tra that Buddhism $ell into in the 'rst
#enturies su##eeding the Areat assing o$ the Buddha- ,s the +hera"adin
2onks or 4lders began the task o$ $ormali7ing and systemati7ing the
Buddha&s tea#hings into a #ode the $amiliar enemy 8 Batta#hmentC raised
its head-
Donathan 0oberts& e)#ellent reader on William Blake&s oetry re$ers to the
!ay that any 5uest $or a higher truth or moral s#heme 1!hether this is
based on religion or a se#ular ideology like #aitalism or #ommunism3 #an
be a sour#e o$ temoral o!er-
Blake thinks that the roblem arises be#ause these abstra#t s#hemes
seem to e)ist beyond sa#e and time( and there$ore no longer need to take
a##ount o$ the arti#ular situation o$ indi"idualsE these abstra#tions ut
themsel"es %abo"e& or %beyond& the human( beyond the #ontingen#ies o$
indi"idual li"es-C
, ne! reality !as #onstru#ted o"er the dire#t and demanding ra#ti#e o$
sel$ #ulti"ation- What the Buddha taught his dis#iles to obser"e and let go
the +hera"adin elders redu#ed to !riting and this be#ame a ri7ed
ossession- +he concept !as #elebrated- Reality be#ame in#reasingly
insigni'#ant in oular ra#ti#e-
What is praxis?
By praxis ; re$er to a relationshi !ith actuality. +here is an
un#omromising sear#h $or the real sel$9 $or real others and $or real $a#ts
and situations- +his #an be illustrated !ith three diFerent resonses to a
#ase o$ murder- +he state ro"ides a rational and un-emotional resonse by
dealing !ith the %#riminal& through the %#riminal Gusti#e system-& +his is one
es#ae $rom reality into a #onstru#ted reality- +here is another es#ae
!hi#h may haen i$ a relati"e o$ the de#eased takes a gun and shoots and
kills the murderer- +his may be an irrational and emotionally dominated
resonse- Han there be a moderate and ra#ti#al aroa#h that a"oids
these e)tremesI +hat is an aroa#h that seeks to hel 8 the $amily o$ the
de#eased !ho are le$t behind and one that resonds to an e"er #hanging
reality- +his kind o$ ordinary suort may also be re$erred to as social
work. ;n a #ountry that is "ery mu#h in the throes o$ a so#ial #risis( !here
so many #hildren( men and !omen ha"e be#ome isolated and alienated
!ithout human #are and relationshis there is "ery little riority gi"en to
so#ial !ork- ;ndi"idual rights o$ #hildren( !omen( elderly the si#k and
disabled are all re#ei"ing searate attention- But there is no uni$ying $o#us
on that re5uisite so#ial skill( ra#ti#e and dis#iline that needs to be at
the heart o$ all these eForts-
Jroing dogmati# #ertainties to seek an engagement !ith things as they
are re5uires #ourage- =ur situation on earth is !ell summari7ed in this
B+ruth no- K7C $rom a laundry list o$ eternal truthsE
We must li"e !ithin the ambiguity o$ artial $reedom( artial o!er and
artial kno!ledge-
, ra)is there$ore seeks a middle !ay bet!een absolute kno!ledge and
absolute ignoran#e- ,nd it has lenty o$ room there $or #ollaborati"e
insights-
Worshipping at new temples
<uman rights ra#ti#e in :ri ?anka is not $o#used on #reating o!er !here
there is none- ;t is simly in"iting the oor( suFering and oressed to go
and ray at diFerent temles o$ the establishment- =ne su#h ne! temle is
the <uman 0ights Hommission in Holombo and the other the :ureme
Hourt- .or those !ho #an aFord it there are temles abroad as !ell 8
notably in Aene"a- ,nd be#ause there is no thoroughgoing aroa#h and
strategy to generate new power it has be#ome oliti#ally insigni'#ant(
imotent and irrele"ant-
Paper rights in exchange for freedom
+his is not surrising in the least- +he #oloni7ed eole o$ this #ountry had
their $reedoms taken a!ay and their natural e#onomy and so#ial systems
remo"ed- ;n return they !ere gi"en rights on aer- While the #ommon man
!as holding on to this ie#e o$ aer so#ial realities #aught u !ith and
'nally rela#ed the British insired system- Honse5uently the hierar#hi#al(
aternalisti# and $eudal nature o$ so#iety has rela#ed !hat !as initially
#on#ei"ed as an imartial state- :o#iety and state today are one 8 not t!o-
;n short( human rights has simly not de"eloed into a ra)is here- ,t the
same time there is a great ush $rom the international arena at an
ideologi#al le"el to make u $or this absent ra)is- +his aroa#h is !idely
held a#ross organi7ations that #hamion the rights o$ "ulnerable grous-
2ore re#ently it has been adoted by those !ho seek Gusti#e $or !ar #rimes
#ommitted at the #losure o$ the 4elam War- >n$ortunately these aroa#hes
seem to la#k an understanding o$ the !eaknesses that all ideologies share 8
ese#ially !hen their roonents are ideologi#ally driven as oosed to
being emiri#ally and relationally grounded-
Understanding dualism
=ne o$ William Blake&s key themes !as to demonstrate the inter-
deenden#e o$ aarent oosites- +hus #ategories like good and bad( day
and night( #riminals and "i#tims !ere not absolutes but simly terms o$
relations- We identi$y good be#ause o$ bad9 day be#ause o$ night and the
"i#tim be#ause o$ the #riminal- +hese are all "alid imressions !ithin the
gi"en #onte)t !here the relation is in issue- +he ne)t oint is that our
#onte)t is al!ays #hanging and does not remain ')ed- When !e re$er to a
mountain or ri"er it may be su@#ient to simly name them- <o!e"er this
name is Gust a summary( a short hand $or a million realities 8 all o$ them
subGe#t to #ontinuous #hange $rom moment to moment- +he only diFeren#e
is the 5uestion o$ degree as the mountain is #omosed o$ more solids !hile
the ri"er is #omosed o$ more 6uids- =ne may seem still and the other the
eitome o$ #hange itsel$- But this is simly an e)ternal or suer'#ial
imression-
ow engagement society
;$ our engagement and sensiti"ity is lo! the #on#et or label may su@#e-
<o!e"er i$ !e are seeking a more in deth understanding o$ the meaning o$
!hat is good and bad and !ho is a #riminal and !ho is a "i#tim !e #ould go
into the kind o$ e)loration that .yodor Jostoye"sky entered to !rite his
#lassi# Hrime and /unishment in 18LL-
;t is di@#ult enough like the great 0ussian author did( to mo"e into the
alienated soul o$ a murderer9 our redi#ament ho!e"er( is that !e are
unable to ste into our own shoes-
Jesite the earth shattering e)erien#es that our eole ha"e gone
through in this era o$ "iolen#e !e remain a lo! engagement / insensiti"e
so#iety- =$ #ourse !e are highly oliti#i7ed and #ontentious but these
arguments are at a solidi'ed and #on#etual le"el- +hey are largely
suer'#ial and thus irrele"ant- +he 4elam War !as based on a million
realities9 but it !as ultimately $ought on a simle Bai "enu"en aiC
ideology- +his !as su@#ient $or eole on both sides to kill and destroy total
strangers and #ommunities !ith great belie$ in the rightness and Gusti#e o$ their
a#tions-
,ll !ars are based on so#ial distan#e9 they are $ought on the basis o$ ')ed
and absolute #ategories !hi#h are abstra#ted $rom reality- Wars and
#on6i#ts are a hall mark o$ a lo! engagement so#iety- +he 5uestion $or us is
ho! !e #an es#ae $rom this tra and mo"e u to a higher level of
engagement- .or this !e must relate dire#tly to ea#h other as human
beings- +here needs to be 8 not Gust a #onditional a##etan#e but a great
acceptance.+his is our starting oint- We are !hat !e are9 and !e ha"e all
tra"elled many miles to get here-
!ynamism of contraries and shutting down the dialectic
0oberts ro"ides the $ollo!ing !indo! to the thoughts o$ Blake on the
$utility o$ de-"aluing or reGe#ting one hal$ o$ a air o$ #ontraries-
Blake&s oint is that !e sol"e nothing but only #ause suFering by trying to
negate one hal$ o$ a #ontrary- =ur aim should be to bring the t!o hal"es o$
any ase#t o$ e)isten#e ba#k into relationshi( !hi#h is !hy he !rites books
!ith titles su#h as "ongs of #nnocence and $xperience% and &he
'arriage of (eaven and (ell. +his does not mean neutrali7ing the
nature o$ #ontraries( rather it does mean re#ogni7ing their rese#ti"e
#hara#ters and diFeren#es !ithout needing to atta#h moral labels to them-
Blake #lari'es this #entral tenet o$ his thought by distinguishing a %#ontrary&
$rom a %negation&- Hontraries are ne#essary to the e)isten#e o$ the !orld(
but indi"iduals and so#ieties use #ontraries as a !ay to slit the !orld in
t!o morally- +his moral slitting and #ategori7ing is !hat Blake #alls
%negation-& Megation is the ro#ess !hereby one hal$ o$ a air o$ #ontraries
is labeled as in$erior to the other hal$ and #onse5uently dismissed-
, go"ernment that #rushes oliti#al dissent( silen#es oosition and
imrisons or e)e#utes #riti#s is engaged in the attemt to negate
e)erien#e- , negation is a 7ero 8 "alue or de"alued #ontrary( !hi#h $or
Blake does not a#tually e)ist( be#ause it is an abstra#t image o$ the !orld
that no longer #orresonds to reality itsel$E 14mhasis added3
,ttra#ti"e( simle and #on"enient bla#k and !hite arguments are resented
in this !ay to #reate social power and generate a so#ial #onsensus $or
moral s#hemes- +here is a "ersion o$ human rights a#ti"ism !hi#h has
taken this route in :ri ?anka 8 notably in relation to #hild abuse and "iolen#e
against !omen !here enormous $unds are sent on trainings $or oli#e and
Gudges and the maintenan#e o$ the #riminal Gusti#e system- 1Work that has
in"ol"ed dire#t assistan#e and suort $or "i#tims #onstitutes the e)#etion
to this and the ra)is o$ "i#tim rote#tion lies there3-
0oberts sho!s ho! "ested interests in so#iety use indirect )ustice $or their
o!n ad"antage and o!er !ith "ery little %tri#kling do!n& to the a#tual
"i#tims and their $amilies and #ommunities-
<ere Blake is arguing that both reason and energy are ne#essary and
interdeendent( but that the %religious& try to slit them aart( #on$using
them $or %good& and %e"il&- ;n other !ords( the #onser"ati"e o!ers that
go"ern Blake&s so#iety #all reason %good& 1be#ause it maintains their o!n
interests in the status 5uo3 and energy %e"il& 1as it threatens re"olution(
uset and #hange-3
*riti+ue of ideology
+his aroa#h o$ the o!er$ul generally resonates !ith the needs o$ the
o!erless $or #ertainties and stories in !hi#h they #an 'nd sola#e- Words
like %terrorism&( BraeC( B#rimeC and B#hild abuseC e"oke emoti"e rea#tions
$or !hi#h the bla#k and !hite aroa#h ro"ides a 5ui#k and aealing e)it
route- +he in#ident is abstra#ted $rom the #onte)t to ro"ide a Bsuer
#on#etC or grand idea $or a ne! moral s#heme- +his is the !ay that
mankind has mo"ed $rom one ideology to another9 $rom religion to
se#ularism( $rom $eudalism to #aitalism( $rom #aitalism to so#ialism and
'nally to totalitarianism a$ter 9/11 in this ne! reressi"e and unstable age
o$ emotions-
Blake has gi"en us three #hara#teristi#s o$ ideologies-
1- +hey are general and there$ore trans#end or stand abo"e human arti#ulars
in an eFort to rea#h a suer human obGe#ti"ity- +hey are there$ore
abstra#tions-
2- +hese abstra#tions deend on narrati"es !hi#h are ordered e)lanations o$
the nature o$ things- ,##ording to 0oberts %#osmology( #aitalism( geometry
and theology are all narrati"esN-narrati"es are not and #an ne"er be(
transarent media9 they #reate 8 or at least modi$y 8 the reality that they
e)lain-& We #ould easily add the la!( go"ernment and human rights into
the same basket-
K- +hey are una"oidably human- ;t al!ays takes a human being to #reate or
des#ribe any abstra#t s#heme e"en i$ that s#heme itsel$ may deny this
deenden#y and #laim to be obGe#ti"e-
0oberts statesE
,bstra#tion is al!ays non human in Blake9 human li$e al!ays e)ists in !hat
Blake #alls %minute arti#ulars&- +his is one o$ the most imortant #on6i#ts
in his !ork( and the re$usal to subGugate the human erse#ti"e to %higher&
s#hemes is a hallmark o$ his art-
+ransient henomena in ra)is thus be#ome solid entities in ideology-
<o!e"er it is not al!ays are#iated that the root o$ all ideologies is a
arti#ular "ie! o$ sel$-
,reen earth forgets-
0e#ently( ; heard a to o@#ial $rom the 2inistry o$ 4#onomi# Je"eloment
gi"e the $ollo!ing e)amle o$ the !ay animals $ail to and human beings
su##eed in de"eloing the $undamental idea o$ %sel$-&
When du#ks 'ght they make 5uite a andemonium9 but their energies are
e)hausted by the 'ght and on#e it is o"er they resume their li"es addling
serenely u and do!n the !ater- ;$ t!o human beings ha"e a 'ght they
#ontinue to suFer mentally $or a mu#h longer time and they !ill ea#h ha"e
their subGe#ti"e narrati"es about it-
;$ !e aly Blake&s three$old #hara#teri7ation o$ ideologies !e #an see that
our belie$ in a sel$ is also a generali7ation that is suorted by a dead ast 8
!hi#h is our o!n %story& based on a load o$ subGe#ti"e er#etions- +his is
the starting blo#k $or all ideologies- +he 4nglish historian A-2- +re"elyan
!rote as $ollo!s about the an#ient #on6i#t bet!een ,nglo-:a)ons and
:#andina"ians and ho! time !as able to heal its bitter !oundsE
:o long as the Oiking battle a)e !as #rashing through the skulls o$ monks(
and the 4nglish !ere nailing to their #hur#h-doors skins 6ayed oF their
Janish enemies( the hatred bet!een ,nglo-:a)on and :#andina"ian !as
ro$ound- But it !as not ermanent- ;n days be$ore the rinting-ress( the
memory o$ inter-ra#ial !rongs and atro#ities !ere not arti'#ially $ostered-
Areen earth $orgets 8 !hen the s#hool master and the historian are not on
the s#ene- ,nd these t!o Mordi# ra#es !ere o$ kindred sto#k( !ith many
instin#ts and #ustoms in #ommon-
*onclusion
We in :ri ?anka ha"e many s#hool masters and many historians and "ery
$e! o$ them !ould ass the test o$ deta#hment- +ruth no- 1 in the list ;
re$erred to earlier states "ery elo5uently that B+his is itP 8 there are no
hidden meanings-C We must learn to a##et that there are multile realities
and multile readings in a so#iety- +his is so e"en in so#ieties !hi#h may $or
the time being adot slogans like Bone #ountry 8 on "oi#eC- ; ha"e not taken
the side o$ ra)is against ideology- ;n a human so#iety !e !ill 'nd both- ;t is
be#ause o$ my reading that there is little ra)is in :ri ?anka today that ;
emhasi7e this ase#t more- +hese are simly re$eren#es to a#tion and
thought and they are ultimately inter-deendent- What is most imortant
isengagement. ,roa#hes to "i#tims o$ so#iety !hi#h are based on a
sense o$ #on#ern and e"en a sense o$ solidarity !ith them are not going to
be eFe#ti"e unless rooted in their li"es and realities-
+he goal o$ all de"eloment is nothing more than the engagement o$
eole on a $oundation o$ reality- +he eole must be truly in"ol"ed i$ they
are to e"ol"e- +he lesson o$ British #oloni7ation !as that de"eloment that
does not in#lude all the eole #annot be sustained- +he same lesson
#ontinues to be rele"ant today-