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Buddhist/Muslim Conflict in Burma

federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
My Husband pointed me towards this article. Perhaps you might like to comment.

It's deeply thought-provoking and insightful.

Perhaps it also gives us an insight into the different ways Buddhism is practised and perceived, in the West.....

Comments

  • riverflowriverflow Veteran
    edited May 2013
    Sad. Simone Weil called this tendency the Great Beast (after Revelation) in all mass movements like this. With Buddhists it is no exception.
  • I'm not sure you could sincerely call yourself a follower of Shakyamuni and premeditate violence at the same time.

    But then I don't think you could sincerely call yourself a follower of Jesus Christ and premeditate violence at the same time.
    riverflowMigyur
  • MigyurMigyur Norway N 69,23 E 18,23 Explorer
    edited May 2013
    maybe this will be interesting to you @federica, it is a lot of reading there
    and you can dive in century’s of Buddhist Islam conflict. Islam is even predicted and also the conflicts arising out of that.

    http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/study/islam/kalachakra_islam/holy_wars_buddhism_islam_myth_shamb/holy_war_buddhism_islam_shambhala_long.html
    Invincible_summer
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    Thank you @Migyur; I will read that attentively.
    It looks fascinating.
  • karastikarasti Breathing Minnesota Moderator
    Interesting, thanks for sharing the article, @federica
    It reminds me of a quote I saw the other day. Now, of course, I cannot find it, but it was basically: As soon as a religion declares itself the truth, war is sure to follow.

    I'm not sure why people fight so hard to protect and defend the truth. The truth cannot go anywhere, it can't be destroyed. No matter what the problem, there can be only one truth but there are many paths to it, I think. The paths are not so different as everyone wants to claim they are.

    Invincible_summerJohn_SpencerSillyPutty
  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    All we can do is be kind. To ourselves, to those around us, to wannabe Buddhas, to the wise, to the ignorant, to the earth . . . even to those flame headed preachers . . . :wave:
    riverflow
  • federica said:

    I think we in the West have a relatively idealised notion of what Buddhism represents...

    ... we are not at the cutting edge; we have not experienced Tibet or China, nor have we witnessed at first hand the social dysfunction and unrest of either Burma or Sri Lanka....Every snippet of news is 2nd/3rd hand. We are removed and detached.... so for us to pass comment, and condemn whatever has arisen there, is disturbingly easy.

    That's my opinion as well. In the West we've been handed the dharma free (mostly) from cultural trappings.
    It's like dropping a copy of the new testament on an alien world, the people there would base their concept of Christianity solely on the depiction of Christ and his teachings found therein. Show them the history of Europe and the middle east and I'm sure they'd be amazed at events like the Crusades, witch burning, the Inquisition etc by people whose religion is founded on the same book, but who also have centuries of culture influencing the course of Christian history. It's no more surprising to find violent Buddhists than it is to find violent Christians, or violent Muslims for that matter. Jesus, Buddha and Muhammad all taught non-violence or at least temperance of violence.
    riverflowSillyPuttyInvincible_summerlobster
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    I've read that the main underlying reason for the violence has more to do with ethnic differences, the Muslims have successful businesses and have much darker skin, than religious differences. Though really that is probably true about Islamist violence against the west too.
  • person said:

    I've read that the main underlying reason for the violence has more to do with ethnic differences, the Muslims have successful businesses and have much darker skin, than religious differences. Though really that is probably true about Islamist violence against the west too.

    Yes, it was true about the Protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland.

    Wasn't theology, it was about politics.
  • person said:

    I've read that the main underlying reason for the violence has more to do with ethnic differences, the Muslims have successful businesses and have much darker skin, than religious differences. Though really that is probably true about Islamist violence against the west too.

    Yes, it was true about the Protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland.

    Wasn't theology, it was about politics.
    This is true, however, they allowed their politics to trump their theology.
  • riverflow said:

    person said:

    I've read that the main underlying reason for the violence has more to do with ethnic differences, the Muslims have successful businesses and have much darker skin, than religious differences. Though really that is probably true about Islamist violence against the west too.

    Yes, it was true about the Protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland.

    Wasn't theology, it was about politics.
    This is true, however, they allowed their politics to trump their theology.
    This is true.
  • SilouanSilouan Veteran
    I didn't realize that Buddhism teaches and promotes such behavior, as I've only associated that sort of thing with Islam and Christianity, so I expect it to come from there.

    I guess I will still hold to my belief that there has to be the holy grail of religions out there that is devoid of people struggling against their conflicting emotions where enlightenment is passed through osmosis without any effort.

    You know, one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.
    person
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