Buddhist/Muslim Conflict in Burma

federica

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.....

riverflow

Sad. Simone Weil called this tendency the Great Beast (after Revelation) in all mass movements like this. With Buddhists it is no exception.

John_Spencer

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.

Migyur

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

federica

I think we in the West have a relatively idealised notion of what Buddhism represents; we're already surrounded by the atmosphere of National Defence, Terrorism, Christian ideology (which in the hands of some, becomes warped beyond all recognition) Human Rights and Free Speech, so there is no need for us to be militant in our attitudes; quite the opposite.
However, 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.

our personal problems fill our minds; Relationships, families, detachment, concentration, rebirth, Kamma/Karma..... these issues are all-consuming.

I suspect those in the eye of the storm would give their right arm to have our level of preoccupations.

federica

Thank you @Migyur; I will read that attentively.
It looks fascinating.

karasti

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.

John_Spencer

It's ironic that great religious teachers tell us that we are all the same and great religious preachers encourage us to find nothing but differences.

lobster

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:

Chrysalid

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.

person

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.

John_Spencer

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.

riverflow

John_Spencer 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.

John_Spencer

riverflow said:

John_Spencer 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.

Silouan

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.