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First of all the question is: why is ahara (food) is the basic problem of human life? It is known that life is really an endless process of search for food, on which human beings have always conquered and rivaled each other for their existence. Moreover, in the process of search for food, human beings constantly want to satisfy all the needs of life, that are the need for dainty food and good clothes, for money and wealth, for fame and position, for marriage and sexual pleasure. A country is in the need of the power of the military and national defence, of high finance and the development of economy. In the researcher's opinion, a series of needs of man are his very foods that have stimulated and have urged him all his 12 A. V, 51.

11 life. In order to attain or to satisfy all the needs or foods, one can do anything, regardless of good or evil; he can harm or kill his friends, neighbors and even relatives. Because of the satisfaction of food or needs, human beings can do countless evils and crimes. Any time ahara is ever like a prey and man is like a hunter, he can immediately kill his prey for his hunger. Wealth is one of the preys that one always hungers for. According to Lord Buddha's teaching, the only fools long for wealth because it harms not only themselves but also others. 13 Human beings always crave for foods. It is the most basic need of human life. Without food, no one can exist in the world. It is said that owing to ahara one is born and one grows; due to food one is either happy or in pain, good or bad; due to food one can know what really he is; there is food, there is a human being and vice versa. The growth of the psychology and physicality as well as the deed and thoughtful capacity of a person depends upon what man eats, thinks and acts. For people, the laws of food and nutrition govern both biological and mental life; for a country and the entire world, it governs all the realms and systems of social organization such as economics, politics, culture, education, ethics, and public health. Thus, all aspects of human life have originated from food, and when there is food crisis, there is a system of social organization crises and vice versa. Thus, the existence and operation of each individual is quite dependent upon ahara. In addition, family, which is a group of individuals who are related to each other, especially a mother, a father, and their children, is also sustained by its food. Society, which consists of families, considered in relation to the laws, organizations etc. that make it possible for them to live together, needs to be nourished by food also. 13 Dhammapada , verse No. 355.

12 The environment, which contains the air, water, and land on Earth, is the source of all lives; it needs to be nourished by food. In other words, not only an individual needs food to exist but also his family, society, and environment also need foods to sustain. Food for an individual consists of both physical food such as rice, beans, fruits, wheat, vegetable, etc. and mental food that is known as feelings of happiness, joy, compassion, without worry and fear, with right wishes or dreams for the future. Food for family is respect, harmony, help, honesty, modesty, and tolerance of every member in the family. Food for society is order, security and equality, without conflict and corruption, without violence and race. Food for environment is afforestation and verdure, the stop to resource exploitation and atom bomb manufacture. However, nowadays individual, family, society, and environment are not nourished by all those kinds of food; on the contrary, they are fed by all kinds of animal meat, 14 by worry and fear, by lust and hatred, by selfishness and narrow-mindedness, by malice mind and pitilessness, by discord and disrespect, by conflict and violence from family to society, by struggle and competition. These foods for a long time have caused many troubles to individuals, families, society, and environment, have created a strong worldly wind that makes men's lifeboat rock in the ocean of suffering. It is at this very point that civilization has presented the human race with problems of suffering from all fronts in which food is known as a basic problem: Food problem leading to life's problems and social problems, to be compounded - and complemented - by environmental 14 Certain species that human beings depend upon for our food supply are going extinct; if their numbers fall too low we may face extinction ourselves. (Source:http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp.)

13 problems, which can be depicted as three concentric circles, as in the following diagram: Food problem Mental suffering Life's Problem 鈼� Social problems 鈻� 鈼� Environmental problems 1 Digram 1: Three circles of human problems The innermost circle represents life's problems due to a wrong search and consumption of all types of food, the most profound of which is one of suffering in human mind. Even its crudest form, namely stress, is quite a pressing problem for the modern man. From oneself outwards, in a wider circle, are social problems, or sufferings caused by wrongful relationships, which have resulted in violence and mutual infliction of harm. The outermost circle surrounding man and society represents environmental problems, in particular ecological problems, which are now posing the most serious threat to the survival of humanity. As far as environmental problems are concerned, it has been acknowledged that such problems have stemmed from the misguided

14 view that humans are distinct from nature. The hostile attitude towards nature has led them to their striving to conquer it and act upon it to serve human interests alone. To solve these problems, the human race needs a fresh mentality as a basis. It is quite evident that while civilization at its zenith like this can hand all sorts of problem to humans, it can never lead them out of suffering triggered by these problems. From the above description, it is obvious to say the operation of individual, family, society, and environment is that of food, of suffering and of happiness. Therefore, ahara is called the basic problem or cause, everyone and everything can be out of ahara. The human world will not operate if it has not ahara, what makes it act that is a basic. Furthermore, nourishment that is called a cause of all problems does not mean it is not important but because of ignorance and desire, human beings cannot realize its importance to human life.