สำนักราชบัณฑิตยสภา

12 The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume III - 2011 A Buddhist Perspective on Freedom of Religion 12 21 From Abhayarajakumara Sutta. For the full text of this discourse, see Bhikkhu N ~ an⁄ amoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.). 1995. The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. Kandy, Sri Lanka: The Buddhist Publication Society, pp. 498›501. Therefore, Cunda, these doctrinal items I have made known with superknowledge, all the assemblies [i.e. monks, nuns, and male and female lay followers] should convene and rehearse together, cross-checking meaning against meaning, and letter against letter, without contradiction, by which means this religion may continue and be established for a long time for the welfare and happiness of the many, out of compassion for the world, and for the good, welfare and happiness of gods and humans. It is noteworthy that in this passage the importance of language is also stressed. The phrase meaning against meaning, and letter against letter is effectively in accordance with the modern linguistic notions of ùcontentû and ùexpressionû, the two basic facets of human language. This might serve as a reminder that care has to be taken when linguistic interpretation of any text is involved, whether it be literary, legal, philosophical, or religious. The role of the media in the age of fundamentalism The age of fundamentalism, which we are now in, is also the age of globalization and the age of information explosion. Repercussions of an event or incident at a particular place and a particular time which used to be minor and trivial can now become enormous, proliferating, and far-reaching. As a result, despite the multifarious differences in race, language, culture, religion, and political ideology, all humans should perceive themselves as members of the same global village. When any problem arisesfinatural or man-made, economic or ecological, religious or politicalfithat might threaten humanity in whole or in part, we should all come together and join forces to resolve it, putting aside our differences. When it comes to issues of human rights in general and issues of religious fundamentalism in particular, such issues are no longer sources of concern confined to human rights activists or religious experts, but all sectors in society should also contribute to the solutions, especially the media, given their power and reach. Apart from entertainment, the media is primarily concerned with information dissemination. It would therefore be of value to examine, from a Buddhist vantage point, what sort of information is to be imparted, when, and how. The following is a summary of what the Buddha himself did and did not do: 21 1-15_mac9 4/26/12, 8:09 PM 12