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Buddhist Warfare
Though traditionally regarded as a peaceful religion, Buddhism has a dark side. On multiple occasions over the past fifteen centuries, Buddhist leaders have sanctioned violence, and even war. The eight essays in this book focus on a variety of Buddhist traditions, from antiquity to the present, and show that Buddhist organizations have used religious images and rhetoric to support military conquest throughout history.
Buddhist soldiers in sixth century China were given the illustrious status of Bodhisattva after killing their adversaries. In seventeenth century Tibet, the Fifth Dalai Lama endorsed a Mongol ruler's killing of his rivals. And in modern-day Thailand, Buddhist soldiers carry out their duties undercover, as fully ordained monks armed with guns.
Buddhist Warfare demonstrates that the discourse on religion and violence, usually applied to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, can no longer exclude Buddhist traditions. The book examines Buddhist military action in Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and shows that even the most unlikely and allegedly pacifist religious traditions are susceptible to the violent tendencies of man.
Buddhist soldiers in sixth century China were given the illustrious status of Bodhisattva after killing their adversaries. In seventeenth century Tibet, the Fifth Dalai Lama endorsed a Mongol ruler's killing of his rivals. And in modern-day Thailand, Buddhist soldiers carry out their duties undercover, as fully ordained monks armed with guns.
Buddhist Warfare demonstrates that the discourse on religion and violence, usually applied to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, can no longer exclude Buddhist traditions. The book examines Buddhist military action in Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and shows that even the most unlikely and allegedly pacifist religious traditions are susceptible to the violent tendencies of man.
272 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 8, 2016
When it comes to violence, Buddhism is no different than other religions
Buddhism is a very diverse religion. It has so many different sects, cultures and leaders that are bind together solely by the teachings of the Buddha. The religion has no unifying canonical scriptures, and each tradition consist of unique set of practices and doctrines that are different from one another, with each version of Buddhism is deeply embeded into the local culture.
This, as an effect, make the subject of Buddhism and its violence a complicated matter and its analysis a monumental challenge. Which is why, perhaps, there are not that many books that cover the subject, and this in return make our basic perception of the religion become distorted by the peaceful image we see on the surface.
This book is the attempt to adress this misconception. It is written with the utmost respect for the religion, not for "exposing the truth" but to understanding the complete picture through reading the scriptures and analysing the impacts throughout history. Its world-class research are conducted by the experts on the field: 11 of the best scholars on the subject, with expert on Buddhism in Japan, Sub Continent, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, China, Thailand and the rest of South East Asia. And the 8 chapters of their findings are a serious body of work that leaves no room for doubts that violence is truly a part of Buddhism, for better and for worse.
First there are the Mongolian Buddhist Khans, whom engaged in acts of violence such as the forceful replacement of Shamanism with Buddhism as state religion, and the implementation of harsh code of conduct to its conquered subjects with torture and death as the punishment. And then there are the many Chinese wars with Buddhist monks participating in the bloodsheds. The brutal cleansing conducted by Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Japanese zen-soldiers and Thai military-monks that blurred the line between state troopers and religious practitioners. And the Korean war where Buddhist monks were at the forefront of the battle against "Imperial America", complete with its doctrine that demonised the US, a common practice in Buddhist warfare in de-humanising their enemies.
Indeed, a lot of violence are conducted by Buddhists in the name of the state, to first and foremost protect nationalist interest, with few selected scriptures are used to justify the conducts. Verses such as "if a king makes war or torture with compassionate intentions, even those acts can result in the accumulation of vast karmic merit" and "the Buddhist axiom is that everything is suffering... since life is suffering killing one's neighbour is doing him a favor", among many others, are often used to justify their violent acts.
If they sound familiar, it is because these kind of scripture-based justifications are also used by the likes of Christian Crusade in their "Holy War", Jewish extremists in confiscating lands, ethnic cleansing by Hindus in the partition of India and Muslim Jihadists in their terror attacks, and this makes Buddhist violence no different than any other religious violence. In addition, as the first Christian rulers in Europe relied on Christianity to gain support and win their wars, similarly the barbarians in Northern China and in Japan initially adopted Buddhism to gain military advantage in their wars. And while Buddhist extremists are rare, the attack on Tokyo subway in 1995 where Sarin Gas killed a lot of people was conducted by Buddhist militants, in the same manner Al Qaeda launch their offensives.
Moreover, while some wars are conducted to defend a Buddhist community against "enemies" from different faith, there are also a lot of clashes between two or three different schools of Buddhism and traditions. The most eye opener example for me was the sectarian violence that occurred in Tibet during the life of the 5th Dalai Lama, where Tibet was actually divided before violence unite them together in such vicious manner, with the victor's version of Buddhism eventually became the official religion in Tibet until now.
There are of course a lot more detailed examples written in the book, including the violent acts by Buddhists in everyday life outside the context of war, such as a forced self-mutilation on Chinese monks and the abuse on female Buddhist monks in chauvinistic sects. But this does not redirect our focus from the many majority of Buddhists that indeed live a very tolerant and peaceful life.
Hence, as far as the objective of the book is concern, it is a pretty successful one in describing the complicated world of Buddhist violence without tainting the true religion. And it serves to understand that when it comes to violence all religion are the same, that it's almost always not about the religion itself but it's more about power struggle.
Buddhism is a very diverse religion. It has so many different sects, cultures and leaders that are bind together solely by the teachings of the Buddha. The religion has no unifying canonical scriptures, and each tradition consist of unique set of practices and doctrines that are different from one another, with each version of Buddhism is deeply embeded into the local culture.
This, as an effect, make the subject of Buddhism and its violence a complicated matter and its analysis a monumental challenge. Which is why, perhaps, there are not that many books that cover the subject, and this in return make our basic perception of the religion become distorted by the peaceful image we see on the surface.
This book is the attempt to adress this misconception. It is written with the utmost respect for the religion, not for "exposing the truth" but to understanding the complete picture through reading the scriptures and analysing the impacts throughout history. Its world-class research are conducted by the experts on the field: 11 of the best scholars on the subject, with expert on Buddhism in Japan, Sub Continent, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, China, Thailand and the rest of South East Asia. And the 8 chapters of their findings are a serious body of work that leaves no room for doubts that violence is truly a part of Buddhism, for better and for worse.
First there are the Mongolian Buddhist Khans, whom engaged in acts of violence such as the forceful replacement of Shamanism with Buddhism as state religion, and the implementation of harsh code of conduct to its conquered subjects with torture and death as the punishment. And then there are the many Chinese wars with Buddhist monks participating in the bloodsheds. The brutal cleansing conducted by Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Japanese zen-soldiers and Thai military-monks that blurred the line between state troopers and religious practitioners. And the Korean war where Buddhist monks were at the forefront of the battle against "Imperial America", complete with its doctrine that demonised the US, a common practice in Buddhist warfare in de-humanising their enemies.
Indeed, a lot of violence are conducted by Buddhists in the name of the state, to first and foremost protect nationalist interest, with few selected scriptures are used to justify the conducts. Verses such as "if a king makes war or torture with compassionate intentions, even those acts can result in the accumulation of vast karmic merit" and "the Buddhist axiom is that everything is suffering... since life is suffering killing one's neighbour is doing him a favor", among many others, are often used to justify their violent acts.
If they sound familiar, it is because these kind of scripture-based justifications are also used by the likes of Christian Crusade in their "Holy War", Jewish extremists in confiscating lands, ethnic cleansing by Hindus in the partition of India and Muslim Jihadists in their terror attacks, and this makes Buddhist violence no different than any other religious violence. In addition, as the first Christian rulers in Europe relied on Christianity to gain support and win their wars, similarly the barbarians in Northern China and in Japan initially adopted Buddhism to gain military advantage in their wars. And while Buddhist extremists are rare, the attack on Tokyo subway in 1995 where Sarin Gas killed a lot of people was conducted by Buddhist militants, in the same manner Al Qaeda launch their offensives.
Moreover, while some wars are conducted to defend a Buddhist community against "enemies" from different faith, there are also a lot of clashes between two or three different schools of Buddhism and traditions. The most eye opener example for me was the sectarian violence that occurred in Tibet during the life of the 5th Dalai Lama, where Tibet was actually divided before violence unite them together in such vicious manner, with the victor's version of Buddhism eventually became the official religion in Tibet until now.
There are of course a lot more detailed examples written in the book, including the violent acts by Buddhists in everyday life outside the context of war, such as a forced self-mutilation on Chinese monks and the abuse on female Buddhist monks in chauvinistic sects. But this does not redirect our focus from the many majority of Buddhists that indeed live a very tolerant and peaceful life.
Hence, as far as the objective of the book is concern, it is a pretty successful one in describing the complicated world of Buddhist violence without tainting the true religion. And it serves to understand that when it comes to violence all religion are the same, that it's almost always not about the religion itself but it's more about power struggle.
April 1, 2017
สำรวจพุทธศาสนากับความรุนแรง
จริงหรือพุทธศาสนาคือศาสนาแห่งสันติภาพ หนังสือเล่มนี้ช่วยกระตุ้นให้เห็นมุมมองทางประวัติศาสตร์
รวมถึงตัวหลักพระธรรมเองที่เปิดช่องให้ตีความได้อย่างมากมาย ในเล่มนี้สำรวจพุทธในหลายดินแดน
เช่น ทิเบตสมัยทะไลลามะที่ห้า ซึ่งเทียบข่านสมัยนั้นที่ปราบพวกนิกายอื่นๆว่าเป็นดั่งพระโพธิสัตว์เลย
หรือในบทนิกายเซ็น สายรินไซและโซโต จนถึงดีทีซูซูกิด้วย ในเรื่องไทยก็มี บทบาทของ "ทหารพระ"ในภาคใต้ และพื้นที่การแบ่งแยกศาสนา
(อันนี้เพิ่งรู้) ขอบคุณวิชา Buddhist Civilization ที่อักษรฯ ทำให้มีโอกาสได้อ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้
จริงหรือพุทธศาสนาคือศาสนาแห่งสันติภาพ หนังสือเล่มนี้ช่วยกระตุ้นให้เห็นมุมมองทางประวัติศาสตร์
รวมถึงตัวหลักพระธรรมเองที่เปิดช่องให้ตีความได้อย่างมากมาย ในเล่มนี้สำรวจพุทธในหลายดินแดน
เช่น ทิเบตสมัยทะไลลามะที่ห้า ซึ่งเทียบข่านสมัยนั้นที่ปราบพวกนิกายอื่นๆว่าเป็นดั่งพระโพธิสัตว์เลย
หรือในบทนิกายเซ็น สายรินไซและโซโต จนถึงดีทีซูซูกิด้วย ในเรื่องไทยก็มี บทบาทของ "ทหารพระ"ในภาคใต้ และพื้นที่การแบ่งแยกศาสนา
(อันนี้เพิ่งรู้) ขอบคุณวิชา Buddhist Civilization ที่อักษรฯ ทำให้มีโอกาสได้อ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้
July 10, 2021
I encourage Buddhists and anyone interested in Buddhism to read this book. Not because it will deter Buddhists from their religion (it didn't deter me anymore than a book on the Crusades should deter Christians from church, or the news feed should deter Muslims) but because it will force Buddhists to think about what their faith and way of life means to them and how they should react to and treat other Buddhists who disagree with them, like say, by trying to attack and kill them.
It's very scholarly, and at times dry, but I was always engaged and forced to think from Tibet, to China, and to modern Southeast Asia.
It's very scholarly, and at times dry, but I was always engaged and forced to think from Tibet, to China, and to modern Southeast Asia.
May 19, 2023
From my understanding, the book focuses more on the historical context of how the ruling class used Buddhism as a propaganda machine.
I liked one thing when the author mentioned Buddhisms. Buddhism with a “s”. in Myanmar, the Theravada supremacy is alarming. They always censored the revivalists and reformists who called for secular Buddhism. That reminds me of how the Theradva establishment has been too active in persecuting religious minorities within their own religions.
When I read about Vietnamese monks immolating themselves, sacrificing what they regarded as their impermanent bodies to trigger a change in social consciousness, I can recall the songs of Rage Against the Machine in my mind. That's something progressive, at least in my opinion, that is essentially anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist. That kind of Buddhist anti-imperialist, I think, is great for me. At least better than the right-wing nationalist useful idiots of the ruling class. And also, it’s rather Buddhist acts than Buddha’s teaching. Of course, buddhism is a philosophical religion where interpretations and canonical scriptures varies from sects to sects due to the ethnographical background and aspects, no wonder such kind of militancy and warfares were justified by some Buddhists.
This book doesn't really focus on the authentic orthodox teachings of Buddha.
Those examples of Zen monks in introduction and chapter 1 is interesting. Being said that, I should also say "Buddhism and most dharmic religions are sometimes unknown to most self-proclaimed academics due to their uncentralized, scared texts". Unlike Abrahamic religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the teachings in dharmic religion are not centralized and easy to be interpreted for a totally opposite cause. Just like how Nazis appropriated the postmodernism.
So it’s different and unique from these Abrahamic religions such as Islam and Christianity which historically and essentially are more violent, exploitative and sometimes genocidal even in their original scriptures.
The book also talks about the Dalai Lama's criticism of abortion and so on. That's interesting too. That's interesting how Christians in the West are anti-abortion even though the Bible doesn't mention anything specifically about abortion in their original teachings, as far as I know. Feel free to back up that claim with facts. I have no intention to defend this colonial Christian. While Buddhism and Islam clearly mention their anti-abortion beliefs in their original texts, most Buddhists and Muslims pretend to be political progressives and pro-abortion under the name of their religions. That's kind of hypocritical to me, especially when the media portray a version of a religion they would like the public to view.
Summing up, so far, I enjoy the book. Even though the book has so far failed to provide the primary religious teachings of Buddha that are directly related to militancy or militarism, it discusses a lot of pesuo-buddhist nationalists, or, should I say, useful Buddhist idiots of the ruling class, which we could also call political Buddhism.
Just like progressives from the west have to attack the Christian far-right bigots, just like Muslim progressives from the Islamic countries have to counter political Islam and islamist fascists, progressive Buddhists in Myanmar should rebel against their despotic Buddhist establishment and their political Buddhism.
I hope this book plays a role in this struggle.
I liked one thing when the author mentioned Buddhisms. Buddhism with a “s”. in Myanmar, the Theravada supremacy is alarming. They always censored the revivalists and reformists who called for secular Buddhism. That reminds me of how the Theradva establishment has been too active in persecuting religious minorities within their own religions.
When I read about Vietnamese monks immolating themselves, sacrificing what they regarded as their impermanent bodies to trigger a change in social consciousness, I can recall the songs of Rage Against the Machine in my mind. That's something progressive, at least in my opinion, that is essentially anti-colonialist and anti-imperialist. That kind of Buddhist anti-imperialist, I think, is great for me. At least better than the right-wing nationalist useful idiots of the ruling class. And also, it’s rather Buddhist acts than Buddha’s teaching. Of course, buddhism is a philosophical religion where interpretations and canonical scriptures varies from sects to sects due to the ethnographical background and aspects, no wonder such kind of militancy and warfares were justified by some Buddhists.
This book doesn't really focus on the authentic orthodox teachings of Buddha.
Those examples of Zen monks in introduction and chapter 1 is interesting. Being said that, I should also say "Buddhism and most dharmic religions are sometimes unknown to most self-proclaimed academics due to their uncentralized, scared texts". Unlike Abrahamic religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the teachings in dharmic religion are not centralized and easy to be interpreted for a totally opposite cause. Just like how Nazis appropriated the postmodernism.
So it’s different and unique from these Abrahamic religions such as Islam and Christianity which historically and essentially are more violent, exploitative and sometimes genocidal even in their original scriptures.
The book also talks about the Dalai Lama's criticism of abortion and so on. That's interesting too. That's interesting how Christians in the West are anti-abortion even though the Bible doesn't mention anything specifically about abortion in their original teachings, as far as I know. Feel free to back up that claim with facts. I have no intention to defend this colonial Christian. While Buddhism and Islam clearly mention their anti-abortion beliefs in their original texts, most Buddhists and Muslims pretend to be political progressives and pro-abortion under the name of their religions. That's kind of hypocritical to me, especially when the media portray a version of a religion they would like the public to view.
Summing up, so far, I enjoy the book. Even though the book has so far failed to provide the primary religious teachings of Buddha that are directly related to militancy or militarism, it discusses a lot of pesuo-buddhist nationalists, or, should I say, useful Buddhist idiots of the ruling class, which we could also call political Buddhism.
Just like progressives from the west have to attack the Christian far-right bigots, just like Muslim progressives from the Islamic countries have to counter political Islam and islamist fascists, progressive Buddhists in Myanmar should rebel against their despotic Buddhist establishment and their political Buddhism.
I hope this book plays a role in this struggle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2020
tl;dr: Good for a Religious Studies student, but lay practitioners can simply read the intro, afterthoughts, and maybe one or two chapters to get enough value from the book.
Hard to rate.
On the one hand, the book is painfully academic. Reading certain chapters is reminiscent of a university lecture on a topic you’re really interested in, but delivered by a geriatric professor with tenure. He has just learned about postmodernism, and this is the lens through which he now views everything. He is using the opportunity to ramble and ideate, through which you can barely sustain attention.
On the other hand, throughout this process of occasional confusion and distraction, there are important questions raised which the book keeps in focus. E.G. Can people, as Buddhists, commit acts of violence? Convention says no. History says otherwise.
The book does not set out to answer such questions conclusively, and this is clearly stated - it is up to the reader to pursue these questions further. There are a wealth of examples presented through which opinions can be formed or changed.
I was annoyed at multiple inline references to certain Sutras or texts, without the direct inclusion of any lines - whereas some quotes from other historical figures were included in their entirety. The book seems to focus on historical events and their sociopolitical contexts, rather than scriptural analysis and “dharma debates”.
Hard to rate.
On the one hand, the book is painfully academic. Reading certain chapters is reminiscent of a university lecture on a topic you’re really interested in, but delivered by a geriatric professor with tenure. He has just learned about postmodernism, and this is the lens through which he now views everything. He is using the opportunity to ramble and ideate, through which you can barely sustain attention.
On the other hand, throughout this process of occasional confusion and distraction, there are important questions raised which the book keeps in focus. E.G. Can people, as Buddhists, commit acts of violence? Convention says no. History says otherwise.
The book does not set out to answer such questions conclusively, and this is clearly stated - it is up to the reader to pursue these questions further. There are a wealth of examples presented through which opinions can be formed or changed.
I was annoyed at multiple inline references to certain Sutras or texts, without the direct inclusion of any lines - whereas some quotes from other historical figures were included in their entirety. The book seems to focus on historical events and their sociopolitical contexts, rather than scriptural analysis and “dharma debates”.
July 26, 2016
Description: Though traditionally regarded as a peaceful religion, Buddhism has a dark side. On multiple occasions over the past fifteen centuries, Buddhist leaders have sanctioned violence, and even war. The eight essays in this book focus on a variety of Buddhist traditions, from antiquity to the present, and show that Buddhist organizations have used religious images and rhetoric to support military conquest throughout history.
Buddhist soldiers in sixth century China were given the illustrious status of Bodhisattva after killing their adversaries. In seventeenth century Tibet, the Fifth Dalai Lama endorsed a Mongol ruler's killing of his rivals. And in modern-day Thailand, Buddhist soldiers carry out their duties undercover, as fully ordained monks armed with guns.
Buddhist Warfare demonstrates that the discourse on religion and violence, usually applied to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, can no longer exclude Buddhist traditions. The book examines Buddhist military action in Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and shows that even the most unlikely and allegedly pacifist religious traditions are susceptible to the violent tendencies of man.
Opening: General Renondeau’s superb text on Japan’s warrior-monks (sōhei) precedes this. In it, the thrice-endowed expert of Japanology, Buddhism, and military history presents a few observations and musings that go further than usual[..]
Another book to skim through. On to the juicy bits: take a look at page 41:
or this:
Buddhist soldiers in sixth century China were given the illustrious status of Bodhisattva after killing their adversaries. In seventeenth century Tibet, the Fifth Dalai Lama endorsed a Mongol ruler's killing of his rivals. And in modern-day Thailand, Buddhist soldiers carry out their duties undercover, as fully ordained monks armed with guns.
Buddhist Warfare demonstrates that the discourse on religion and violence, usually applied to Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, can no longer exclude Buddhist traditions. The book examines Buddhist military action in Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and shows that even the most unlikely and allegedly pacifist religious traditions are susceptible to the violent tendencies of man.
Opening: General Renondeau’s superb text on Japan’s warrior-monks (sōhei) precedes this. In it, the thrice-endowed expert of Japanology, Buddhism, and military history presents a few observations and musings that go further than usual[..]
Another book to skim through. On to the juicy bits: take a look at page 41:'[..]what happened to the Buddha in one of his previous
existences. It says that he had heretic Brahmans put to death, and then gives two reasons for doing so. We are told that the first reason was out of pity, to help the Brahmans avoid the punishment they had accrued by committing evil deeds while continuously slandering Buddhism. The Buddha’s second reason for putting them to death was to defend Buddhism itself.'
or this:
'The Yogācārabhūmi by Asaṅga, the masterpiece of Buddhist epistemology and psychology, makes it the bodhisattva’s duty to commit the sin of killing so as to prevent another from doing so. In other words, it is better to sin than to let the other sin.
Shaolin Monks Training
The rise of radical Buddhism in Burma
NONFIC NOVEMBER 2015:
CR White Mughals
5* A History of England from the Tudors to the Stuarts
3* Rome and the Barbarians
4* Field Notes From A Hidden City
3* The King's Jews: Money, Massacre and Exodus in Medieval England
CR A History of Palestine 634-1099
CR Charlotte Brontë: A Life
3* The Alhambra
CR A Long Walk in the Himalaya: A Trek from the Ganges to Kashmir
3* Buddhist Warfare
4* A Gathering of Spoons
wish-list
October 10, 2010From the review: "In the afterword, Bernard Faure states that the aim of the collection was to press Buddhists and scholars of Buddhism to face up to the worst aberrations and silences within the tradition. Faure accuses many contemporary Buddhist apologists of taking the `high metaphysical or moral ground' rather than recognizing that in Buddhism, as in all the faiths, there is a constant struggle between light and darkness, between the promise of release and `the violence that lies at the heart of reality (and of each individual)'."
Want to read
January 30, 2011http://www.religiondispatches.org/boo...
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general...
In Myanmar, economic anxieties drove Buddhist movement to commit genocide against religious minority, 2010 - 2013:
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dis...
http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general...
In Myanmar, economic anxieties drove Buddhist movement to commit genocide against religious minority, 2010 - 2013:
http://www.religiondispatches.org/dis...
April 17, 2013
Edited volume, some pretty poor essays so far. Main takeaway, Buddhists are not necessarily pacifists.
April 14, 2015
Most of the essays in this collection are quite good. None are mediocre. A few are incredibly eye-opening.
August 26, 2016
Just couldn't get into the book and gave up after the third chapter.
Giving it an average rating since I don't think I have it the effort a book deserves.
Giving it an average rating since I don't think I have it the effort a book deserves.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews