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Buddhists and the military
I am new to Buddhism and am having some difficulty in dealing with an issue. I was recently recalled to Active Duty with the US Army. I am a medic currently stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
Here is my dilemma. I want to do the right thing, but I am also a soldier. Can I be both a soldier AND a Buddhist? I am classified as a non-combatant, but I am still required to carry and fire a weapon. Can I do that and not conflict with the teachings of Buddhism? Are there any stipulations about using a weapon only in self-defense? I do not want to shoot anyone. I am a compassionate and caring person and would rather help someone than hurt them. It's just very confusing.
I began exploring Buddhism in 2003 while stationed in Iraq during the first months of this current bloodbath. I left the military when my time expired and then they decided they needed Medics again, so here I am.
I have looked at this forum and it appears that there are many good people with good advice. I would appreciate any opinions on this matter. It has weighed heavily on my heart and mind.
Thank you!
Here is my dilemma. I want to do the right thing, but I am also a soldier. Can I be both a soldier AND a Buddhist? I am classified as a non-combatant, but I am still required to carry and fire a weapon. Can I do that and not conflict with the teachings of Buddhism? Are there any stipulations about using a weapon only in self-defense? I do not want to shoot anyone. I am a compassionate and caring person and would rather help someone than hurt them. It's just very confusing.
I began exploring Buddhism in 2003 while stationed in Iraq during the first months of this current bloodbath. I left the military when my time expired and then they decided they needed Medics again, so here I am.
I have looked at this forum and it appears that there are many good people with good advice. I would appreciate any opinions on this matter. It has weighed heavily on my heart and mind.
Thank you!
0
Comments
there is more than a smattering of ex-military members here.
as far as I can tell-(see Palzang about this), a medic is a far more ethical and "low down on the karma list" than a bloodthirsty soldier, by far. If you ned to carry a weapon for defence sake I'd say you are fine.
cheers,
xrayman
Palzang
I also hope you may find some comfort and warmth here on this board and return as often as you can to let us know how you're doing. I've been coming here for a while and it really feels like a safe haven to me now and I wish the same for you. (There's a lot of hoping and wishing in this post, isn't there??
Your friend,
Boo
I had heard that they had some Buddhist chaplains now, but they are few and far between. I am still looking around trying to see if I can find one nearby that I can speak with.
I plan on visiting the forum quite often now that I have found a place to ask questions and help my learning process.
Thank you for raising this question. In many ways, your dilemma is that of any person who tries to live in the world whilst practising a spiritual path, but writ large. For most of us, we can avoid most of the 'unskillful' actions but you have to confront the question of the precept against killing, which must include the intention to kill. Even the question of 'self-defence' falls at the hurdle of anatta.
I have no clear answer to the problem but I am reminded of a priest whom I met. He had been a soldier for a number of years, rising to the rank of colonel, saw action and then, at the end of his service, retrained for the Catholic priesthood. When I asked him what connected the two. He replied: "A passion for justice." It still gives me much to consider when I am reflecting on or discussing my pacifism in a world that encourages warfare.
Welcome to our little modest residence.
A student of his who had been drafted in to the Thai army, but still wanted to return to monastic life after his time of service was fulfilled, asked Ajahn Chah, “But what if I get into a firefight?” Ajahn Chah answered, "In training, pay attention and become a really good shot. Then when you get shot at, shoot back, but shoot over their heads. Your officers won't see, but you won't kill anyone."
Best wishes,
Jason
tread lightly-figuratively and literally.
cheers
Xray
I'm just starting on my education of the Thai Forest tradition and that story about Ajahn Chah makes me love him even more. Thanks for posting it.
I just didn't think about it that way-thanks for enlightening me- Sis.
cheers all.
Xray
I am skeptical of the "faith" part-not the combat side of things, it sounds a little christian! hey have you found any buddhist padres?-ours were ALWAYS christians-nothing wrong with that of course.
Best wishes mate!
Cheers
Xray
Also, there were some civilian contractors at FLW, when I was in basic, that ran Buddhist services. I have not seen any others since, although that is a high priority with the military right now. Any person with a degree related to the practice of Buddhism who would be interested in helping fellow Buddhists in the US Army, either as a civilian or a commisioned officer, would be greatly appreciated and could start with goarmy.com or your local recruiter office. If you are in a military town, talk with someone at the community service office on post. I repeat, THERE IS A NEED, IN ALL BRANCHES.
Somewhere around 14% of the American citizenry (including myself) would disagree with you. If such a force does exist, it is at best incompetent.
Palzang
All, I apologize for the multiple postings, there was some sort of glitch earlier, and my computer never seemed to complete the process. Would a mod please delete the extra posts ASAP.
And horseshoes and four leaf clovers are sentient! :zombie:
Palzang
As far as sentience in nature goes, I agree that there is a spark of the Divine in all things. So, in that sense you might consider a funky shaped stoned "sentient", even if I have no ability to communicate with it. Still, it takes faith to believe that there is something remotely divine about such things. It is the same thing as believing that (insert deity of choice here) or Karma is this guiding force in the universe. Regardless of your theology, you always have some form of faith.
Palzang
Yes, but as SimonthePilgrim put it so eloquently in another thread, the Faith we have in the Dharma is one that we constantly put to the test and re-evaluate, we don't accept it as a constant, non-changing rock-solid foundation of our practise.
Karma isn't a force, it's a process....and as we change and act, so it changes and re-acts...it never stays constant, due to our changing circumstances and evaluation of our situation. If it's perceived as being 'negative' we accept the situation as it is, and transform the Karma into a perceived positive, through our appraisal and response. if it's perceived as being 'positive' we nurture and promote its continuation. But there's no 'Force' to it. It is what it is.
And as to your last question, No. I don't.
All the schools of Tibetan Buddhism are pretty much the same with minor doctrinal differences. If you'd like a good, simple overview, try Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up by B. Alan Wallace (I'm prejudiced because I knocked around Mongolia with his wife, Vesna, for a few weeks when I was there - truth in advertising!). You can find it on Amazon. There are a number of other good books on the subject as well. Just go to Amazon and search for "Tibetan Buddhism".
Palzang
Woody, don't be....
There's nothing wrong with setting the firework, lighting the blue touchpaper and standing well back....the display is sometimes noisy, always colourful, plenty of "Oooohs!" and "Aaaaahs!" and then, at the end, we all have a snack, a hot drink and head for bed....
That's what being on a forum is largely about, isn't it?
I second Fede's words and, in particular, about this topic.
Whether we like it or hate it, we are at war. There has not been a single day since the end of WWII that there has not been war somewhere on this planet. More than 70 wars in 60 years, and we have been involved in so many of them.
It is vital that we, with a Buddhist perspective, engage in the debate. Clearly there is not a single, simple answer so opinions will differ. Debate in the Tibetan tradition looks and sounds like violent argument, even about the Dharma itself. We must not fear the strength of opinion, nor the opposition of others. Nor should we shy away from the possibility of being wrong.
To me, the debate is divided between those trying to validate killing other human beings and those trying to validate abstaining from killing other human beings. From the perspective of Dhamma, it is a ridiculous debate. It is the very first precept.
In truth, I admire those who go to war with the noble intention of protecting innocent lives, but I also think this is a partially deluded intent. From a Buddhist perspective, being able to justify killing does not negate the negative consequences killing.
Sincerely,
Jason
And I learned something new today, that being the Buddhist view on faith. Fede, Simon, thanks. I really mean it. You just made up for a lousy field problem.
Elohim, as you touched on, this is an ongoing problem, in that we want peace, but the world constantly generates war. It has been a problem for millenia. I'll say it right now, I don't want to take another living thing's life. I find it hard to kill the black widow in my work space merely because its' presence is a danger to me. When the means to relocate the spider safely are available, that is my preferred course of action. I can't honestly justify killing someone to save other lives, because the person who is killing others in the case of war has some sort of cause to do so. In this case, it is misguided religious fanaticism, but that is still a cause. The only thing we can do is to work for peace where we can, and fight when we must.
In fact, I have a proposal to promote world peace. We either form a non profit organization or promote an existing one that helps fight hunger in Africa and South America. And not just by shipping food over that will be gone in a short time, but by delivering farming tools and supplies and building adequate irrigation systems to help the poorest regions become self sustaining. Let us remove one of the causes/reasons/motivating factors for people to go to war, and it will become harder to start one.
I understand your feelings behind your proposal. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just eliminate all the world's problems that easily? Unfortunately the reality is that even if we were rich enough to feed everyone on earth for their whole lives someday they're going to die. What can we do for them then? Not much. They're still stuck on the Wheel of Cyclic Existence. So perhaps the real answer to world peace is for us to attain enlightenment for only as an enlightened being can we be of true benefit to sentient beings. Everything else is just samsara, and there is no refuge in samsara. Samsara breeds pain and suffering, not salvation.
Palzang
I think you stop too soon in your reply. All that you say is true and there is more. As Fede always reminds us, we have been shown a Noble Path to follow. It seems to me that the Tathagata taught optimism and showed us our interconnectedness with all beings. From that, it follows that, whilst we may not achieve perfection, nor should we expect it, we should not give in to counsels of despair and inaction.
Not for nothing are the majority of peace movements stuffed with Buddhists. We know that peace is not an end, but a means, but an essential one.
Palzang
Palzang