Global Issues
6.1 Prejudice/ discrimination/ racism
● How would a Buddhist make moral decisions?
● What are the key attitudes to life that a Buddhist holds?
● How can their attitudes to life lead them to attain enlightenment
● How can the following the Buddhist precepts and their focus on gaining good karma lead to
the elimination of selfishness, greed and delusion?
● Prejudice (inward)=
○ Negative predisposition or judgement against an individual or group not based
on sufficient reason or experience
● Discrimination (way that prejudice manifests itself (outward)=
○ Treating people differently because of their gender/ age/ race// religion/ ethnicity/
economic background/ sexual orientation etc.
6.1.1 What might a Buddhist believe about prejudice and discrimination?
● Generating negative karmic effects because you are intentionally doing something
● wouldn’t assist in achieving enlightenment
● Gaining enlightenment is based on understanding the way things are and getting rid of greed/
hatred/ delusion
● Hatred and delusion because of a lake of understanding and you are not escaping the 3
poisons
● Cultivating metta (loving kindness) (love for all life which suggests equality
● Karuna (compassion)
● requires understanding of patience (kshanti), right mindfulness (Eightfold Path)/ open
mindedness
● Upaya Kausalya in application ( intention is the most important thing)
● MINIMISING DUKKA IS MOST IMPORTANT GOAL FOR A BUDDHIST AND USE UPAYA
KAUSALYA SKILLFUL MEANS TO DO SO
● What do you define as self and identity anatta/ no-self using that how do you judge peole
● Doctrine of dependent origination (everything is linked how you act + treat others impacts on
you as well
, ● Using 4 Noble Truths= last part is Noble Eightfold Path/ magga= main part of discrimination
and prejudice is right action
6.1.2 What does Buddhism say about racism
● racism= Discriminating against someone on the grounds of their race
● Being born as women or an ethnic minority is as result of karma
● Misinterpreted to mean that if you are born in a favoured society you are superior
● People are not inferior or superior in any way
● There is an understanding that being born black in a racist society is unfortunate
or women in sexist society
● It is not through their bad deeds that this happens but it is a problem of the society
● Buddhism goes against caste system which classes people
● Buddha says “All men are of the same caste”
● Buddha said that colour, hands, palms, feet, nails, calves, thighs, voice don’t
make people different species
● In Buddhism no-one is good or bad since there is no-self
● No-one is superior and no one is inferior
● An outcast in Buddhism is not one who is born in a particular group but one who is
mean to others because the person is different
● It is rare in the whole system of samsara for a person to be born human so it
should be valued
● Everyone has a Buddha nature
● All humans are equal because they are all capable of being enlightened
● Racism is motivated by 2 of 3 poisons Hatred and delusion and Buddhists believe
it creates negative karma
● People who are discriminated against are encouraged to take refuge in the
sangha as one of the 3 jewels
● Buddhists tend to adopt culture of different societies
● Forgiveness and reconciliation
● Metta (loving kindness) is essential and big focus of meditation
● Tibetan Buddhist= everyone is everyone's mother in a previous life
● Interdependence
● Ignorance leads to to prejudice and hatred (poisons)
6.1 Prejudice/ discrimination/ racism
● How would a Buddhist make moral decisions?
● What are the key attitudes to life that a Buddhist holds?
● How can their attitudes to life lead them to attain enlightenment
● How can the following the Buddhist precepts and their focus on gaining good karma lead to
the elimination of selfishness, greed and delusion?
● Prejudice (inward)=
○ Negative predisposition or judgement against an individual or group not based
on sufficient reason or experience
● Discrimination (way that prejudice manifests itself (outward)=
○ Treating people differently because of their gender/ age/ race// religion/ ethnicity/
economic background/ sexual orientation etc.
6.1.1 What might a Buddhist believe about prejudice and discrimination?
● Generating negative karmic effects because you are intentionally doing something
● wouldn’t assist in achieving enlightenment
● Gaining enlightenment is based on understanding the way things are and getting rid of greed/
hatred/ delusion
● Hatred and delusion because of a lake of understanding and you are not escaping the 3
poisons
● Cultivating metta (loving kindness) (love for all life which suggests equality
● Karuna (compassion)
● requires understanding of patience (kshanti), right mindfulness (Eightfold Path)/ open
mindedness
● Upaya Kausalya in application ( intention is the most important thing)
● MINIMISING DUKKA IS MOST IMPORTANT GOAL FOR A BUDDHIST AND USE UPAYA
KAUSALYA SKILLFUL MEANS TO DO SO
● What do you define as self and identity anatta/ no-self using that how do you judge peole
● Doctrine of dependent origination (everything is linked how you act + treat others impacts on
you as well
, ● Using 4 Noble Truths= last part is Noble Eightfold Path/ magga= main part of discrimination
and prejudice is right action
6.1.2 What does Buddhism say about racism
● racism= Discriminating against someone on the grounds of their race
● Being born as women or an ethnic minority is as result of karma
● Misinterpreted to mean that if you are born in a favoured society you are superior
● People are not inferior or superior in any way
● There is an understanding that being born black in a racist society is unfortunate
or women in sexist society
● It is not through their bad deeds that this happens but it is a problem of the society
● Buddhism goes against caste system which classes people
● Buddha says “All men are of the same caste”
● Buddha said that colour, hands, palms, feet, nails, calves, thighs, voice don’t
make people different species
● In Buddhism no-one is good or bad since there is no-self
● No-one is superior and no one is inferior
● An outcast in Buddhism is not one who is born in a particular group but one who is
mean to others because the person is different
● It is rare in the whole system of samsara for a person to be born human so it
should be valued
● Everyone has a Buddha nature
● All humans are equal because they are all capable of being enlightened
● Racism is motivated by 2 of 3 poisons Hatred and delusion and Buddhists believe
it creates negative karma
● People who are discriminated against are encouraged to take refuge in the
sangha as one of the 3 jewels
● Buddhists tend to adopt culture of different societies
● Forgiveness and reconciliation
● Metta (loving kindness) is essential and big focus of meditation
● Tibetan Buddhist= everyone is everyone's mother in a previous life
● Interdependence
● Ignorance leads to to prejudice and hatred (poisons)
