ESSAYPrayers for Peace from Around the GlobeBy Masaru Katano(As of the end of May 1999)Day after day, the roar of bombs rattles window panes and screeching sirens are heard everywhere. Here in Belgrade, the drone of NATO warplanes mingles with the dull thud of intermittent antiaircraft fire from the Yugoslav army, which periodically lights up the night sky. Tension prevails indoors as well, as the missiles might fall anywhere. Under the continual air bombardment, people are exhausted in both body and mind. Worry and anxiety alone have accounted for many fatalities among those with cardiac problems or high blood pressure.The NATO attacks have not been limited to military targets: bombs have also struck bridges, schools, markets and hospitals. Water and electricity facilities have also been hit, leading to periodic interruptions in services. Because their schools have closed, children have nowhere to go during the daytime. They wait for a letup in the bombing to play outside. Many people have fled the city, others spend their nights in underground shelters, to escape the air attacks. The NATO bombing has also reduced Kosovo to ruins. Originally intended to save the ethnic Albanian residents of Kosovo, the bombs continue to destroy their homes and kill civilians, regardless of ethnicity. The SGI members in Belgrade have been advised to stay home in the evenings and chant in the relative safety of their own homes. The period after eight o'clock in the evening is a particularly dangerous time to be outside; nevertheless, the members continue to gather spontaneously to chant and talk together. After these meetings end, they hurry home filled with renewed hope and conviction. Although the area near her home is often targeted by NATO, one SGI member comments that, because of her faith, she is not afraid. Instead of cowering in fear, she concentrates on encouraging her family and neighbors. Others say that to externalize the blame for the bombing would be a mistake: They view the war as an important opportunity to reflect on the mission and responsibility we all have as human beings and how we can work to establish true peace in Yugoslavia as well as in Europe as a whole. Although the NATO bombing has also had the unintended effect of promoting nationalism, I was impressed by the attitude of the SGI members here, who view this crisis not from a political perspective but from the Buddhist perspective of respect for the dignity of life. On the evening of the first day of aerial attacks, I sent an e-mail message to friends and fellow SGI members, pointing out that for NATO to initiate air strikes while professing humanistic intentions is contradictory and disregards the sanctity of life. I also reported that the SGI members in Yugoslavia were praying for peace and for the safety of all people involved in the conflict, regardless of their ethnicity or nationality and including the NATO forces. My message reached many countries, and I received over 500 replies from people in about 30 European countries and many countries in North America, Asia, Oceania and Africa. A French member wrote that, at a meeting in Paris, SGI members representing different ethnic groups living in the former Yugoslavia--Serbs, Croats, Macedonians and Albanians--gathered together to chant and hold a serious discussion about the problems in the region. They concluded that a fundamental reformation of life itself is the only way to realize world peace. The present crisis in Yugoslavia proves that ethnic tensions cannot be resolved through military or political might. It is impossible to change the mistrust, prejudice, bias and hatred in people's hearts through "hard power." Experience has reinforced the SGI members' belief that the only way to transform the current situation is to replace mistrust with trust and hatred with friendship in the heart of each individual, one person at a time, and thereby replace division with harmony. Here in Yugoslavia, I have been able to come to a deeper understanding of the theme of SGI President Ikeda's work, The Human Revolution, which opens with the words: "War is barbarous and inhuman. Nothing is more cruel, nothing more tragic." My determination is to spread the philosophy of respect for life and to work for world peace from Yugoslavia. Masaru Katano is an SGI member who lives in
Belgrade, where he works as an independent publisher. On June 11, he sent
a message of thanks to his network of well-wishers, reporting that following
the cessation of air attacks, all SGI members and their families and friends
were safe and well.
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ESEJPraktikovanje za mir iz celog svetaMasaru Katano(Krajem maja, 1999.)Dan za danom, prozorska okna zveče od treska bombi i zavijajuće sirene se svuda čuju. Ovde u Beogradu, monoton zvuk NATO ratnih aviona se meša sa potmulim zvukom isprekidane protivavionske paljbe jugoslovenske vojske, koja povremeno osvetljava noćno nebo. U domovima vlada napetost pošto projektili mogu pasti bilo gde. Pod stalnim vazdušnim bombardovanjem ljudi su fizički i psihički iscrpljeni. Briga i strepnja su uzrokovali mnoge fatalne ishode među onima sa srčanim problemima ili visokim krvnim pritiskom.NATO napadi nisu bili ograničeni na vojne ciljeve: bombe su takođe pogađale mostove, škole, pijace i bolnice. Pogađana su takođe i postrojenja za snabdevanje vodom i električnom energijom što je dovodilo do povremenih prekida u snabdevanju. Pošto su im škole bile zatvorene, deca nemaju gde da idu preko dana. Čekaju da bombardovanje stane pa da se igraju napolju. Mnogi su napustili grad, drugi provode noći u podzemnim skloništima, ne bi li izbegli vazdušne napade. NATO bombardovanje je takođe svelo Kosovo na ruševine. Sa prvobitnom namerom da sačuvaju albansko stanovništvo na Kosovu, bombe nastavljaju da razaraju njihove domove i ubijaju civile, bez obzira na etničko poreklo. Članovima SGI u Beogradu je savetovano da uveče ostanu kod svojih kuća i tako recituju u relativnoj bezbednosti vlastitih domova. Doba posle osam sati uveče je posebno opasno vreme da se bude napolju; i pored toga, članovi nastavljaju da se spontano okupljaju da bi zajedno recitovali i razgovarali. Kada se ovi sastanci završe, žure kućama ispunjeni obnovljenom nadom i uverenjem. Jedna praktikantkinja, mada joj je kuća u području koje je često na meti NATO, komentariše da, usled vlastite vere, nije uplašena. Umesto da podleže strahu, koncentriše se na ohrabrivanje svoje familije i suseda. Drugi kažu da bi ispoljavanje krivice za bombardovanje bilo greška: oni vide rat kao jednu važnu mogućnost koja se odražava na misiju i odgovornost koju svi imamo kao ljudska bića i na to kako možemo raditi na uspostavljanju mira u Jugoslaviji kao i u celoj Evropi. Mada je NATO bombardovaje imalo neželjen efekat pokretanja nacionalizma, bio sam impresioniran stavom ovdašnjih članova SGI koji gledaju na ovu krizu ne sa političkog već sa budističkog gledišta poštovanja za dostojanstvo života. Uveče prvog dana vazdušnih napada poslao sam e-mail poruku prijateljima i drugovima, članovima SGI, ukazujući na to da je započinjanje vazdušnih napada od strane NATO, uz istovremeno tvrđenje da je reč o humanitarnim namerama u kontradiktornosti i da se ne obazire na svetost života. Takođe sam izvestio da su članovi SGI u Jugoslaviji praktikovali za mir i za sigurnost svih ljudi umešanih u konflikt, bez obzira na etnički ili nacionalni identitet i uključujući NATO snage. Moja poruka je stigla u mnoge zemlje i primio sam preko 500 odgovora od ljudi iz oko 30 evropskih zemalja i mnogih zemalja iz Severne Amerike, Azije, Okeanije i Afrike. Jedan francuski član je napisao da su se, na jednom sastanku u Parizu, SGI članovi koji predstavljaju različite etničke grupe koje žive u bivšoj Jugoslaviji - Srbe, Hrvate, Makedonce i Albance - zajedno okupili da recituju i održe ozbiljnu raspravu o problemima u tom regionu. Zaključili su da je jedno temeljno preoblikovanje samog života jedini put ostvarenja svetskog mira. Današnja kriza u Jugoslaviji dokazuje da etničke napetosti ne mogu biti razrešene vojnom ili političkom silom. Nemoguće je promeniti nepoverenje, predrasude, predubeđenja i mržnju u ljudskom srcu putem "tvrdog uticaja". Iskustvo je pojačalo verovanje članova SGI da je jedini način da se promeni sadašnja situacija u tome da se u srcu svakog pojedinca, u svakoj osobi posebno, nepoverenje zameni poverenjem, a mržnja prijateljstvom i tako podeljenost zameni skladom. Ovde u Jugoslaviji bio sam u mogućnosti da dođem do dubljeg razumevanja teme dela Ljudska revolucija predsednika Ikede, koje počinje rečima: "Rat je varvarski i neljudski. Ništa nije okrutnije, ništa tragičnije". Moja je odluka da širim filozofiju poštovanja života i da radim za svetski mir iz Jugoslavije. Masaru Katano je član SGI koji živi u Beogradu
gde radi kao nezavisni izdavač. Jedanaestog juna je poslao poruku kojom
zahvaljuje svima na dobrim željama, izveštavajući da su nakon obustave
vazdušnih napada svi članovi SGI, njihove porodice i prijatelji bili dobro
i bezbedni.
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