Rights Can Coexist with Buddhism: A Buddhist Response to Ellen Zhang

Abstract

My response to Ellen Zhang’s article in the book is that I argue that the conception of individual rights can coexist with the basic tenets of Buddhist philosophy that emphasize interdependence and compassion. Normally these two traits make it rather difficult to see how the individual rights, which are often regarded as presupposed by individuals as separate, autonomous entities, could be justified through a system of thought that emphasize just the opposite. However, if we imagine an ideal society where everyone acts as if they fully respect the rights of one another, we would see that the rights as expressly specified and written down are not necessary, as they are already implicit in the behavior of the members of the ideal society. According to the Buddhist viewpoint, such a society embodies the ideal of living together, where one is totally unselfish and is totally dedicated to the welfare of others. This society thus is morally perfect according to the Buddhist system of compassion and interdependence, and there is no need to emphasize the separate and autonomous nature of individuals in order to justify it. However, since the end result is the same, this ideal situation shows that it is possible that the individual rights regime can indeed coexist with Buddhism.