Page 16 - Applied Buddhism

amicable solution.
This story tells us that water is important, but life is even more
important. But because water is related to the sustenance of life,
there had been many occasions when people were prepared to fight
over water. In the modern context, we all know that water, oil, and
food are new considerations or weapons in international politics.
In Buddhism, water is one of the four basic elements that made
up matter or rupa, the other three being fire, earth, and wind. In
human life, when the four elements are in deficit or not balanced,
one will fall sick. We eat food to ensure that our earth and fire
element are sustained; we breathe to ensure that our wind element
is optimum, and we drink water to ensure that the water in us is
sufficient.
The Buddhist understanding of importance of water is expressed
in the following poem:
What is the basis and support of men?
What here below is comradeship supreme?
What are the spirits who sustain the life?
Of all such creatures as to earth are bound,
Children are mankind’s basis and support,
The life is here below comrade supreme;
The spirits of rain sustain the life
Of all such creature as to earth are bound.
We all know that water is important and is increasingly scarce.
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There is now an urgent need for human beings to preserve water,
conserve water, and to ensure that water is not polluted.
There are some interesting descriptions in the Buddhist texts in
appreciation of water and its conservation.
“With deep water and wide crags, haunted by monkeys and
deer, covered with oozing moss, those rocks delight me.”
“Because of offering of drinking water to thirsty monks, a
person was provided with all facilities apart from having cool
and clear water ways and rivers……the rivers with sand beneath
enclosed his beautiful divine home”
“My heritage is not far from the river which is not deep…..”
Buddhists believe that providing water for thirsty people, plants
and trees are meritorious deeds. This is clearly seen during King
Asoka’s time when he dug wells along the way for weary travelers.
Conversely, polluting water is bad karma.
As for the negative effect of polluting water, here is another
story: When the Buddha was far advance in age, Vidhudaba, one
of his nephews born of a servant, who later became the King of
Kosala, took revenge on the Sakyans for insulting his lowly birth.
He came with his army three times, but each time the Buddha
appeared along the way. Out of respect, Vidhudaba retreated. But
when he came again the fourth time, the Buddha did not intervene,
realising that the Sakyns have to bear the consequence of their past
action. Vidhudaba literally wiped out the Sakyans with his rage.
The Buddha later revealed to his disciple-monks that in the past
the Sakyans poisoned water in the river causing many deaths of
innocent people and animals. The bad Karma has now worked
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