MISSIONARY AND MINISTRY

Various texts define that missionary means traveling different places and teaching the religion to the people whereas it describes ministry as working welfare and duty of the people. Therefore, missionary is teaching the religion while ministry denotes running social welfare works. That is why, both of these missionary and ministry are inseparable and has to be done together.
It is obvious that the Buddha himself exercised these two works together in his 45 years of lifelong journey. Two months after his Enlightenment he taught two discourses to his five old colleagues. These two discourses were known as the most profound and excellent teachings in the history of religion.
Revealing the truth to those who are brainless because of lack of reality, pointing out the middle path to those who are walking on the extreme wrong ways, showing self-forgetness (anatta) to the egocentric world, divulging for the welfare of beings (lokatthacariya) in the selfish world are the highest religious teachings in the history of religions. Missionary, therefore, means moral, mental and intellectual conversions.
For example, conversions from ignorance to enlightenment, form selfishness to self-forgetness are missionary works. These are the principal and prior works of the Buddha in 45 years of his missionary. During his last breath the Buddha told to Subadda, the wandering ascetic, ‘A religion can be peaceful religion only when it is formed with noble eightfold path, peace maker (Samana and Brahmana) is available only in the religion where there is noble eightfold path’. This teaching was a guideline for all religious leaders.
It is necessary to jointly perform social welfare works while carrying out moral, mental and intellectual conversions noticing that the Buddha also did the same. For example, uplifting the life of Sunita who was a scavenger, that of Ambapali who was a prostitute, that of Angulimala who was a cruel criminal, that of Radha, a Brahman, who has no one to depend on, that of Sona, an old lady, who was abandoned by her children, that of Losakatissa, a young boy, who was looking for food in the rubbish dump, that of Sopaka, a young boy, who was an orphan in the cemetery, that of Patacari, whose life was in a state of chaos with sorrow and lamentation and nursing a monk named Tissa who was suffering from diseases are missionary works done by the Buddha. Their life ended up in a bed of rose though they had a cold war in the beginning. Their tear of Ocean also had dried up. It is obvious by studying the life stories of these people that the Buddha had tried missionary works based on the works of ministry. Therefore, both missionary and ministry are inseparable works and have to be carried out together.
It is necessary for all religious leaders to jointly carry out these two tasks. Why is it necessary? Because the Buddha said that; ‘Uno sabbo loko - the whole world is needy’. What they actually need? They need spiritual guideline. Morality of young generation of every country is almost empty. They are morally bankrupt. They even know nothing about good and evil. They don’t’ want to perform social welfare works. They don’t want to help to those who are in trouble. They are even trying to escape from the religion. Some associations like ‘Freedom of Religions’ come to appear. This point is to be emphasizly taken into consideration by all religious leaders.
Almost all religions need to give a good guideline to the people in its own ways. It needs to make straight when one’s way of life goes wrong. All religious leaders have responsibility to put right the people when they are immoral. They are responsible for the mental and intellectual development when the people lack of it.
Modern scientific people might think that religion is good for nothing when religious leaders are unable to fulfill the moral, mental and intellectual needs of people. Everybody knows that all religions have to depend on the people’s donation for their living. All religious leaders are having people’s donation. Nevertheless their missionary and ministry works will become in vain if the people see that religious leaders are just wasting their donations. It is not necessary for the religious leaders to convert the people from one’s own religion to another when they carry out the missionary work. What really necessary is to convert the evil world into good world, to convert the world of darkness into the world of intelligence. This is not religious conversion but true conversion.
In the scientific education age, because of the development of science and technology, living standard of people also has greatly developed like that of divine world. But their suffering and worry are comparable with the suffering of those who are in hell as they have to try to get what have not yet in their hand and try to maintain what is already in their hand. Millions of people are ready to die in a minute by just putting a forefinger onto the switch.
In Japan, more than 300,000 people died simultaneously because of two atomic bombs dropped by the Americans in 1947. This was the work and ability of scientists who analyzed atom element and killed people. Today, many countries own this atomic nuclear weapon that can kill millions and millions of people. It is wonderful that though they don’t have enough food to eat some countries are trying to posses this nuclear atomic weapon by investing many resources of the country. Those who owned such weapon are tired by observing each other with distrust. How can we make it ease? Though science and technology can be said as the benefactor of mankind on the other side it is the enemy of mankind or destroyer of the world. If so, it is important for all religious leaders and devotees to make religion to be medicine of mankind or tonic of mankind and not to make it as the poison of the world.
The Buddha himself visited to Atuma village and helped people when the village was hit by Cyclone. He also mediated when the king Vitadubha marched to attack Kapilavatthu. The Buddha also interfered in the war of sharing Rohini River water in between Sakiya and Koliya clans. Thus, missionary and ministry work of the Buddha is a guideline not only for the Buddhist disciples but also for all religious leaders. According to this guideline, we, the religious leaders, without involving in the world which is shaking, have to try to stabilize the shaking world. This is the only work which we can carry out as our missionary and ministry tasks.
Today’s world is full of sorrow and lamentation. It is burning with fire of greed and hatred. I want to suggest and appeal to all religious leaders not to partake in the burning world but to try to put out burning fire. Then only we can proudly say our religion as ‘Peaceful Religion’. This is Buddhist Missionary as well as Buddhist Ministry
May you all be calm and peaceful like full moon!

Dr. Ashin Nyanissara (Ph.D., D.Litt.)
Sitagu International Buddhist Academy
Sagaing Hills, Sagaing, Myanmar