There were thousands in the audience, and these thousands were to witness a question from one of their own, and Ajahn Brahm's reply.

Yes, that question was about homosexuality.

Now, Ajahn Brahm is normally a very calm, measured speaker, often addressing his listeners with a touch of humour, but this question, and only this one, got him all passionate in his response.

According to my friend Eileena Lee who was in the audience, he was unequivocal. He said he supported gay people, and would have no hesitation to bless gay marriages. He added that countries that did not recognise gays and lesbians had no compassion. And then to underline his stance, he said if the Buddhist Fellowship did not support sexual minorities, he would resign as patron.

Indeed that is consistent with an hour-long talk he gave in July 2003, titled Buddhism and Sexuality. You can listen to an mp3 file of it here:

www.bswa.org/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?cid=4&lid=206

(It's 1 hour 2 minutes long. If you don't have the patience, listen at least to the first 15 minutes of it; that's when he focusses specifically on homosexuality.)

I wasn't at the Bright Hill talk, but I listened to the July 2003 one. My comments below refer to what I heard from the mp3 file.

He made two important points there about Buddhist teaching that can be applied to sexuality.

Firstly, we should avoid causing hurt and injury to others. It's not a matter of whether homosexuality or heterosexuality is good or bad, right or wrong, but that of our relationship with the other person. Is it consensual? Is there mutuality? Is there honesty, tenderness and giving? These are our responsibilities; morally speaking, it does not matter whether the partner is same-sex or opposite-sex.

Secondly, we should avoid conceit, and judging others is a form of conceit. Instead, he argued that we should "open the door to our hearts" to all. We must learn to accept others for what they are, and ourselves for what we are.

Interestingly, he told his audience he often got letters from Buddhist parents in Singapore and Malaysia, who had discovered their sons or daughters to be gay, He always advised these parents, he said, to open the doors to their hearts, to love, accept and be content.

Towards the end of that hour-long talk, Ajahn Brahm noted, "people who want to convert you or change you.... it's all the politics of hate and ill-will."

* * * * *

Third Mindfulness Training 
[Be] aware of the suffering brought about when we impose our views on others. We are committed not to force others, even our children, by any means whatsoever -- such as authority, threat, money, propaganda, or indoctrination -- to adopt our views. We will respect the right of others to be different and to choose what to believe and how to decide. We will, however, help others renounce fanaticism and narrowness through compassionate dialogue.

* * * * * 

Some people think that all religions condemn homosexuality. This is simply not true. This belief comes either from one's own wish that it were true, or from being misled by those who would want you to think so.

In fact, the entire Buddhist community, the largest of all the faith communities in Singapore -– and there were thousands, mostly young, generally better-educated Buddhists at Ajahn Brahm's talk at Bright Hill -- is being taught to make sexual orientation a non-issue, because in Buddhist moral teaching, it IS a non-issue. Yet, as Ajahn Brahm indicated by underlining the strength of his convictions, neglect is not good enough. Buddhist compassion has to mean actively reaching across the divide and proffering support to those who are at the receiving end of ill-will.

It is not even true that all Christians condemn homosexuality. The retired Bishop of the Methodist Church in Singapore and Malaysia, Yap Kim Hao, has been clear and vocal on this issue. He thinks it is completely inconsistent to speak of emulating God's love while rejecting and condemning people simply because they are different.

I'm sure this position has cost him something in terms of his relationships with other Methodist ministers, but he wants to stand by his conscience.

A week (or less) before Ajahn Brahm's talk, someone quite prominent gave another talk, actually a sermon. It took place in Kampong Kapor Methodist Church. The speaker said the church and the Christian community must learn to be accepting of other religions, racial minorities and sexual minorities, i.e. gays and lesbians. He was Hsieh Fu Hua, the Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Stock Exchange.

* * * * *

 
So why do we get the impression that anti-gay sentiment is so pervasive in Singapore? Why do we so often think all Christians are anti-gay?

More, why do we let pass without much contest the government's line that ranged against gays and lesbians is a broad phalanx of "conservative" opinion from various communities?

In my view, it looks broader than it really is, simply because it is organised. This movement copies methods from American evangelicals to make themselves heard, not just publicly, but also within the corridors of power. The corridors resonate with their clamour, and the ministers and civil servants start to think that is the vox populi.

Secondly, for the evangelical movement, picking on homosexuality is merely a means to rally the flock. It gives them an easy, mindless way to distinguish themselves from "sinners", and thus feel good about themselves. It's a subtle way of disparaging other religions – "they are all soft on evil, while we are God's soldiers" (echoes of al-Qaeda?) – which in turn cements their own solidarity.

Thirdly, it's an ego trip. To the extent that they can get policy-makers to adopt their demands, or at least mouth their phrases, they can feel vindicated in their righteousness.

But you will have noted yourself, none of those motivations are truly religious. All of them are political. It's about power. 

© Yawning Bread