"Is Buddhism pacifist? One would think so, to hear the Declarations of the Dalai Lama and those who claim there has never been 'Buddhist war.' So has Zen Buddhism's 'drift' to militarism been only an aberration, after the timeless message of Gautama, the warrior-prince who, once he became the Buddha, preached nonviolence? We are not simply faced here with a gap between theory and practice. Even though Buddhism has no concept of a 'holy war,' it doesn't mean its doctrine does not at times legitimize the recourse to violence and the just war.
In whatever countries Buddhism has became official ideology—whether Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia or Tantric Buddhism in Tibet or East Asia—war has often been zealously waged. At present, the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, for example, have openly taken up the struggle against the Tamil freedom fighters. What is true of Japanese Zen holds equally for other forms of Buddhism. Long before its lyrical metaphysical flights exerted their charm, Buddhism took hold first and foremost as a tool for protecting States.
How can one kill another person, when, according to good Buddhist orthodoxy, all is emptiness? The person who kills with full knowledge of the facts kills no one, since he has realized that all is but illusion, himself as well as the other person. The idea, moreover, is not exclusive to Buddhism, since it can be found in the Hindu scriptures, in the Bhagavad Gita. In China a Zen text similarly states that, if a murderous act is perfectly spontaneous, it is of the same order as a natural disaster, and thus entails no responsibility. One finds this sort of sophism in the writing of Zen apostles like D.T. Suzuki. Here as elsewhere, the recourse to higher truths provides justification for the worst aberrations."-- Bernard Faure, pointing out that Buddhism is bullshit and we can kill them all - if we do it spontaneously - which is the last thing I thought I'd find, reading Sangam.org.
Thanks to Poncho and Lefty - but especially Lefty - for the tip.
Nope, Buddhism is not pacifist and there have been many Buddhist wars. Also, especially in Japan and China, the warriors of note tend to be Buddhist monks. Case in point, the Shoulin in China. One of the emperors decided that the color red was to be a royal color. Anyone other than a recognized member of royalty or a representative wearing red was to be punished. The Shoulin though that this was so petty and needed to be challenged that they began to paint all of their temples "royal" red. The emperor sent in soldiers to punish said monks and a "royal" ass kicking ensued. To this day, the temples are still red.
ReplyDeleteMost people calling Buddhism pacifist tend to be western followers of weird offshoots of Buddhism (AKA "Marin County Buddhists") who claim to be Buddhist as a form of rebellion towards what they perceive as Western religion. Now, people who really are Buddhist recognize the history of their faith and don't worry about outside opinions and stay above the fray.
ReplyDeleteJapan is Buddhist and it attacked 'Pearl Harbor', an event that lead to it's entry into World War Two. I'm not aware of any Official Buddhist approval for this action.
ReplyDeleteThe only true religious pacifists I can think of are the Quakers.
ReplyDeleteThe 'Buddha' did give instructions on how a king should run his country/state! But he, or better yet people who preach the dhamme, understand that people will be people. Countries will go to war regardless of creed, as we've seen in the past, say it's a holy war, but we know that's nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI follow the Theravada but know that you should not fall into the silly hippy trap that, now you've started meditating so be a streotypical Buddshitter! We all have opinions and well, some of our own beliefs but for those who do follow the dhamma, it's about living your life in a good way. Avoiding confrontation, but when shit hits the fan, it's time to step back, watch your breath and then take affirmative action, like the dog wisperer. I found this blog very funny! As a practicing buddhist, I give you all permission to spontaneously kill me, that way I can get this samsara thing outa the way!
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI found this blog very funny!
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I completely agree with the post.
ReplyDelete