Ethan Mai

Professor Duoer

RG ST 4

2 August 2019

Buddhist Institutions in the Pressure of War

The practice of Buddhism is often associated with non-violent actions and thoughts. This

is a fair association given its basis in Buddhist monastic rules, which stated that monks are to be

uninvolved in violent acts (as well as politics). Based on their doctrine, killing living things is

one of the worst acts to do, leading the offender to receive very poor karma. However,

sometimes people identifying as Buddhist find justifications for the act of killing, and this

justification becomes accepted by the community. One such situation is when it is known that an

identified person will commit a mass murder. Here, people in the Buddhist community have

argued that it is justified to kill this person before he or she can commit the mass murder (such a

murder is seen as a compassionate act). Thus, Buddhists can, on an individual level, find

justifications for murdering others. With regards to war, Buddhist institutions take on an anti-war

stance that is often accompanied by appropriate pre- and post-war actions, except when the war

appears as a targeted assault on the survival of the religion in a nation or state.

Buddhist teachings provide several methods of avoiding violence while resolving

conflict, and these teachings are often reflected in the actions of Buddhist institutions. A major

part of Buddhist teachings is the idea that the “self” does not define a person (Harvey 240).

One’s material body and belongings are impermanent in the cycle of samsara, and even one’s

experiences will be eventually forgotten (if anything, by the time of the next life). This mentality
lends itself to less greed and selfishness, which are traits that are looked down upon within

Buddhism. Because there is no belief in a fixed “self” (rather, the teachings work to avoid that

mentality), one is often successful in avoiding violent conflict (Harvey 240). This idea can

extend to the level of the community; because there is an understanding that the relevant political

entities of the community change over time, there is less of a need to defend the community (or

force change upon it). Buddhist institutions typically do not engage in wars based on this premise

(sometimes they will only be involved to provide aid in a neutral manner).