"a social practice with an organic history"
April 28, 2022 8:41 AM Subscribe
Sri Lankan writer Vajra Chandrasekera writes about his religious background and current politics: I like “unbuddhist” because it’s a pejorative to reclaim, perhaps, but also because it signals both opposition and proximity, in the same way that an atheist is someone who exists in a theistic framework and opposes it.
@aleph, consider the experience of the Rohingya in the last ten years at the hands of people who are officially "Buddhist."
It really should come as no huge surprise. Probably most Nazi KZ guards considered themselves "Christian," and while you can argue (as I in fact have) that the Ten Commandments are an inferior statement of ethical principles compared with the Five Precepts, in fact "Thou shalt not kill" is pretty unambiguous.
It's always a thing, that as soon as there's a permanent institutional budget and authorized headcount, that any organization forsakes its original mission in favor of maintaining the budget and headcount. Buddhism has nothing special going for it here.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 10:10 AM on April 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
It really should come as no huge surprise. Probably most Nazi KZ guards considered themselves "Christian," and while you can argue (as I in fact have) that the Ten Commandments are an inferior statement of ethical principles compared with the Five Precepts, in fact "Thou shalt not kill" is pretty unambiguous.
It's always a thing, that as soon as there's a permanent institutional budget and authorized headcount, that any organization forsakes its original mission in favor of maintaining the budget and headcount. Buddhism has nothing special going for it here.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 10:10 AM on April 28, 2022 [8 favorites]
Oh, I'd heard a little of the Rohingya tragedy. And a few other stories. I had (not knowing any better) put them down to "people being people", Buddhist or not.
Didn't know about the (supposedly) wide spread World View that turns Buddhism into *this*. :(
I suppose just a different level of "people being people". Buddhists certainly are not immune.
posted by aleph at 10:26 AM on April 28, 2022
Didn't know about the (supposedly) wide spread World View that turns Buddhism into *this*. :(
I suppose just a different level of "people being people". Buddhists certainly are not immune.
posted by aleph at 10:26 AM on April 28, 2022
Come to think of it. This has disturbing echos of having to "destroy the village in order to save it" thing.
People being people. :(
posted by aleph at 11:09 AM on April 28, 2022
People being people. :(
posted by aleph at 11:09 AM on April 28, 2022
I think years back, I mentioned the tragedy facing the Rohingyas, and I got a memail asking me about it and Burmese Buddhism and their shock that Buddhists can commit such violence and it's just reminding me to be surprised that this is a surprise. I mean, even historically, Buddhist kingdoms, as alluded in TFA, had just as much ideological state violence as you might expect.
To quote a mutual's thread (the context here is that for my country it's Malay-Muslim ethnonationalism that's the problem, leading to the kind of rhetoric you hear from Americans about their Christian culture):
I do regret Islam getting disproportionate criticism.
Christian crusaders, Islamist militants, and the leaders of "freedom-loving nations", all justify what they see as necessary violence in the name of a higher good. Buddhist rulers and monks have been no exception.
King Dutugamanu, who unified Sri Lanka in 2nd Century BC was said to have a Buddhist relic in his spear and took 500 monks to defeat a non-Buddhist king.
After the war, some enlightened ones consoled him that the slain "were like animals; you will make the Buddha's faith shine".
In Japan, many samurai were devotees of Zen Buddhism and various arguments sustained them - killing a man about to commit a dreadful crime was an act of compassion, for example. Such reasoning surfaced again when Japan mobilised for World War II.
However any religion starts out, sooner or later it enters into a Faustian pact with state power.
This is true even for religions which teach to "Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you."
The trail of Inquisitions, forced conversions and a Holy War as evidence.
Also, I chose to provide mostly Buddhist examples as it receives disproportionately positive press. I believe we should think critically about ALL religions.
That said the personal surprise to me was learning from a Hui Muslim Tibetan friend about how the stratification of their society historically established the Hui as the slave class to the llamas specifically. This friend lived in the west for a while so you can imagine the level of intense aggravation she gets encountering the western idealisation of Buddhism and Tibet independence (which was definitely a no-go topic for us: I support the cause but I completely understand why she shed no tears over Han China occupying her land).
posted by cendawanita at 11:09 AM on April 28, 2022 [21 favorites]
To quote a mutual's thread (the context here is that for my country it's Malay-Muslim ethnonationalism that's the problem, leading to the kind of rhetoric you hear from Americans about their Christian culture):
I do regret Islam getting disproportionate criticism.
Christian crusaders, Islamist militants, and the leaders of "freedom-loving nations", all justify what they see as necessary violence in the name of a higher good. Buddhist rulers and monks have been no exception.
King Dutugamanu, who unified Sri Lanka in 2nd Century BC was said to have a Buddhist relic in his spear and took 500 monks to defeat a non-Buddhist king.
After the war, some enlightened ones consoled him that the slain "were like animals; you will make the Buddha's faith shine".
In Japan, many samurai were devotees of Zen Buddhism and various arguments sustained them - killing a man about to commit a dreadful crime was an act of compassion, for example. Such reasoning surfaced again when Japan mobilised for World War II.
However any religion starts out, sooner or later it enters into a Faustian pact with state power.
This is true even for religions which teach to "Love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you."
The trail of Inquisitions, forced conversions and a Holy War as evidence.
Also, I chose to provide mostly Buddhist examples as it receives disproportionately positive press. I believe we should think critically about ALL religions.
That said the personal surprise to me was learning from a Hui Muslim Tibetan friend about how the stratification of their society historically established the Hui as the slave class to the llamas specifically. This friend lived in the west for a while so you can imagine the level of intense aggravation she gets encountering the western idealisation of Buddhism and Tibet independence (which was definitely a no-go topic for us: I support the cause but I completely understand why she shed no tears over Han China occupying her land).
posted by cendawanita at 11:09 AM on April 28, 2022 [21 favorites]
I'm part of the diaspora but I grew up in a similar religious milieu to the writer. I have to confess that I don't really understand his point. There's no baptism in buddhism, no pope, no rituals like brises, communions, or bar/bat mitzvahs, and no church lists. Anyone can call themselves a buddhist and go to a temple and receive services, or simply practice in whatever fashion they see fit at home or among their fellow believers. There is absolutely a strain of ethno-nationalistic, jingoistic buddhism that is championed by certain monks, politicians, and citizens, and several political parties have tapped into this to further their own political ends, in Sri Lanka as well as many other Buddhist nations, but to say that you can't call yourself 'buddhist' without associating yourself with this ilk, in my opinion, is simply not true. Otherwise the same would apply to Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs. Maybe I'm missing his point entirely.
posted by sid at 11:14 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by sid at 11:14 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
aleph: Come to think of it. This has disturbing echos of having to "destroy the village in order to save it" thing.
There's that saying* "if you meet the village in the road, destroy it."
*: a corruption of the Buddhist saying "if you meet the Buddha in the road, destroy them [because it can only be an idol or impostor]"
posted by k3ninho at 11:29 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
There's that saying* "if you meet the village in the road, destroy it."
*: a corruption of the Buddhist saying "if you meet the Buddha in the road, destroy them [because it can only be an idol or impostor]"
posted by k3ninho at 11:29 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
"However any religion starts out, sooner or later it enters into a Faustian pact with state power."
Taoism? That was the first one that I got interested in (in my teens).
posted by aleph at 11:30 AM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Taoism? That was the first one that I got interested in (in my teens).
posted by aleph at 11:30 AM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
The first thing that comes to my mind (re: state Taoism) was the Song Dynasty and it's attempts to invade Vietnam (specifically the Ly Dynasty). And there's an argument that's been made about Lao-tzu's legend of converting the barbarians (in this case, Buddhists, heh) being the background feature in the formation of Han nationalism.
posted by cendawanita at 11:51 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by cendawanita at 11:51 AM on April 28, 2022 [4 favorites]
However any religion starts out, sooner or later it enters into a Faustian pact with state power.
I think there's also a bit of a survivorship bias here, one way that a faith can persist through the chaos of millenia is when clerics enter into an alliance with the power elite.
posted by sid at 11:53 AM on April 28, 2022 [9 favorites]
I think there's also a bit of a survivorship bias here, one way that a faith can persist through the chaos of millenia is when clerics enter into an alliance with the power elite.
posted by sid at 11:53 AM on April 28, 2022 [9 favorites]
but to say that you can't call yourself 'buddhist' without associating yourself with this ilk, in my opinion, is simply not true. Otherwise the same would apply to Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, and Sikhs. Maybe I'm missing his point entirely.
I attend a United Church congregation every Sunday, with few exceptions. I do feel exposed to all the worst associations I identify with Christianity as I understand it. I'm not comfortable with saying "I am a Christian" but I'm also not comfortable trying to ignore my socialization from birth: Christianity is the dominant faith of the communities I grew up in (Canada) and the history of that faith has informed so much of what I experience to this very moment.
I think there is a paradox in embracing any faith tradition, it can lead you to the best and worst. Faith is a life-long struggle as far as I can tell.. and personally, my motivations in attending a particular church at this time in my life stem from sense of community; politics; and (pre-covid) it was just great to spend an hour in one of the heritage buildings in my town. I have come to recognize that I benefit from planning for times to reflect and be with my thoughts, I kind of tune out a lot of the service otherwise. My congregation is fading and there's every chance the church will not last into the end of the decade, but there's something fitting to that in a way.
The older I get, the more these questions like to reside in me. Glad for the opportunity.
posted by elkevelvet at 12:04 PM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
I attend a United Church congregation every Sunday, with few exceptions. I do feel exposed to all the worst associations I identify with Christianity as I understand it. I'm not comfortable with saying "I am a Christian" but I'm also not comfortable trying to ignore my socialization from birth: Christianity is the dominant faith of the communities I grew up in (Canada) and the history of that faith has informed so much of what I experience to this very moment.
I think there is a paradox in embracing any faith tradition, it can lead you to the best and worst. Faith is a life-long struggle as far as I can tell.. and personally, my motivations in attending a particular church at this time in my life stem from sense of community; politics; and (pre-covid) it was just great to spend an hour in one of the heritage buildings in my town. I have come to recognize that I benefit from planning for times to reflect and be with my thoughts, I kind of tune out a lot of the service otherwise. My congregation is fading and there's every chance the church will not last into the end of the decade, but there's something fitting to that in a way.
The older I get, the more these questions like to reside in me. Glad for the opportunity.
posted by elkevelvet at 12:04 PM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
"...was the Song Dynasty and it's attempts to invade Vietnam"
Learned something new. Wouldn't have ever thought Taoism would have been coherent enough for the State. Unless it was something like *this*, something-that-calls-itself-Buddhism twist. Don't know.
posted by aleph at 12:18 PM on April 28, 2022
Learned something new. Wouldn't have ever thought Taoism would have been coherent enough for the State. Unless it was something like *this*, something-that-calls-itself-Buddhism twist. Don't know.
posted by aleph at 12:18 PM on April 28, 2022
I have to confess that I don't really understand his point.
The context here seems to be that the author grew up in a Sri Lanka at war, and one that dominated the first 35 years of his life. He has only known a religious divide that is a racial divide that is a social divide that is a political divide that was a military divide, and these things, for him, cannot be separated.
There is currently unrest in Sri Lanka that specifically deals with nepotism and corruption from the "ruling family" of the Rajapaksas, who are now trying to quell that unrest by invoking this One country One law idea. Rajapaksa is leaning into the divide by appointing an activist Buddhist monk as the head of this task force, likely as a lifeline to remain in power.
The author seems to be subtly, or not so subtly, reminding his audience that identifying as Sinhala, or buddhist should not automatically align anyone with the present regime just because the regime is now leaning into the divide to save its skin.
posted by OHenryPacey at 12:19 PM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
The context here seems to be that the author grew up in a Sri Lanka at war, and one that dominated the first 35 years of his life. He has only known a religious divide that is a racial divide that is a social divide that is a political divide that was a military divide, and these things, for him, cannot be separated.
There is currently unrest in Sri Lanka that specifically deals with nepotism and corruption from the "ruling family" of the Rajapaksas, who are now trying to quell that unrest by invoking this One country One law idea. Rajapaksa is leaning into the divide by appointing an activist Buddhist monk as the head of this task force, likely as a lifeline to remain in power.
The author seems to be subtly, or not so subtly, reminding his audience that identifying as Sinhala, or buddhist should not automatically align anyone with the present regime just because the regime is now leaning into the divide to save its skin.
posted by OHenryPacey at 12:19 PM on April 28, 2022 [7 favorites]
I am glad he is so clean, now, and free of all that. He is not going to escape being a member of our species, though, as long as he lives in / with / as, an unholy meat puppet, his and Lady Macbeth's hands will ne'er be clean. All his keystrokes, and affirmations, do not even light the way for fools, to their dusty deaths. They just make noise to drown out the conflict in his head.
posted by Oyéah at 12:49 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Oyéah at 12:49 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Learned a new word...
The basic meaning of the Sinhala word gode (or goday) is rural, of the land, of the village, conjuring up traditional pastoral values such as those the President would like to be associated with.
But more often in colloquial English-speaking contexts it is used with very different connotations. It can mean unrefined, unsophisticated, common, lower class with reference to people (She“s a bit gode, no?), or flashy, gaudy, tasteless, unfashionable with reference to things (wearing a gode dress). Perhaps the nearest equivalent in contemporary British English is the slang word naff.
posted by subdee at 12:53 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
The basic meaning of the Sinhala word gode (or goday) is rural, of the land, of the village, conjuring up traditional pastoral values such as those the President would like to be associated with.
But more often in colloquial English-speaking contexts it is used with very different connotations. It can mean unrefined, unsophisticated, common, lower class with reference to people (She“s a bit gode, no?), or flashy, gaudy, tasteless, unfashionable with reference to things (wearing a gode dress). Perhaps the nearest equivalent in contemporary British English is the slang word naff.
posted by subdee at 12:53 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Also, not to lower the tone but this writing system is beautiful:
අබෞද්ධ
People also say “atheist” here sometimes, by analogy with the popular Christian version, but that is entirely meaningless in this context, since the (non)existence of gods is not at issue. I like “unbuddhist” because it’s a pejorative to reclaim, perhaps, but also because it signals both opposition and proximity, in the same way that an atheist is someone who exists in a theistic framework and opposes it.
Really like this essay...
posted by subdee at 12:55 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
අබෞද්ධ
People also say “atheist” here sometimes, by analogy with the popular Christian version, but that is entirely meaningless in this context, since the (non)existence of gods is not at issue. I like “unbuddhist” because it’s a pejorative to reclaim, perhaps, but also because it signals both opposition and proximity, in the same way that an atheist is someone who exists in a theistic framework and opposes it.
Really like this essay...
posted by subdee at 12:55 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
My husband recently got into meditation, and from there into Buddhism, and last weekend we went to a Buddhist monastery because he wanted to take the next step and I wanted to support him.
It was one of Thich Nhat Hanh's monasteries and I had a good time - I think of this as "newcomer friendly" Buddhism, Buddhism with a lot of allowances made for visitors. They have separate dormatories for men and women but as a couple we were allowed to share a room and for the entire weekend all men and women ate together, though whether that was because of us (we were the only couple) or for some other reason, I couldn't tell you. Anyway I really enjoyed the weekend and this kind of tolerant, easy-going and outreach-focused form of Buddhism where the practice is also a kind of fancy retreat and group therapy, and left thinking that I probably would take up meditation and use some specific translated mantras from this practice.
But I keep telling RJ not to romanticize, because he was raised in one religion and rejected it (Catholicism) and I don't know if he really knows that Buddhism can be as parochial and blood-thirsty as any religion... even though there are "no gods" (in quotes because... well you know). So I think I'll send him this link before he goes in too far....
posted by subdee at 1:21 PM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
It was one of Thich Nhat Hanh's monasteries and I had a good time - I think of this as "newcomer friendly" Buddhism, Buddhism with a lot of allowances made for visitors. They have separate dormatories for men and women but as a couple we were allowed to share a room and for the entire weekend all men and women ate together, though whether that was because of us (we were the only couple) or for some other reason, I couldn't tell you. Anyway I really enjoyed the weekend and this kind of tolerant, easy-going and outreach-focused form of Buddhism where the practice is also a kind of fancy retreat and group therapy, and left thinking that I probably would take up meditation and use some specific translated mantras from this practice.
But I keep telling RJ not to romanticize, because he was raised in one religion and rejected it (Catholicism) and I don't know if he really knows that Buddhism can be as parochial and blood-thirsty as any religion... even though there are "no gods" (in quotes because... well you know). So I think I'll send him this link before he goes in too far....
posted by subdee at 1:21 PM on April 28, 2022 [5 favorites]
Oyéah, I am having trouble understanding your comment. It seemed to me that you were implying, sarcastically, that Chandrasekera is trying to renounce Buddhism so that he will be clean and pure? Or that Chandrasekera now thinks that he is no longer complicit in any suffering? Is that what you meant? It seems clear to me that he is not doing anything of the sort, especially when he says
posted by brainwane at 1:32 PM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
it’s also impossible to entirely escape it: regardless of what you believe or don’t believe, practice or don’t, Buddhist privilege is inescapable if you have a Sinhala name or had a Buddhist childhoodCould I ask you to clarify something? "All his keystrokes, and affirmations... just make noise to drown out the conflict in his head." That seems a really unsympathetic reading to me and it surprised me -- could you share why you think this? If you are saying that this essay is useless, I disagree; I found it edifying, as someone who knows little about recent Sri Lankan history and how Buddhism is used in Sri Lankan politics, and I suspect he found writing it helpful to better understand his own internal conflict, not just to drown it out.
posted by brainwane at 1:32 PM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]
sid, I appreciated getting to read your comment. I wonder how differently this reads within Sri Lanka versus in the diaspora abroad?
I am a diaspora person of Indian heritage, raised Hindu, watching what the religious right in India is using Hinduism for. And, I am an American who watches what the US does, as a polity and as a population, and an open source advocate who watches what my sector of the tech industry inflicts on everyone, and so on. In holding onto my identities, I say: we have problems, deep problems, and a lot to atone for, but I'm going to demonstrate good ways we can be (and maybe do my bit to fix it from the inside); I'm not going to renounce this and leave that identity entirely. For each of those identities, I can imagine someone saying: this is so thoroughly rotten that I will try to disentangle myself from it as much as I can. I believe Chandrasekera is saying that Buddhism in Sri Lanka has reached that state, from his perspective; it sounds like he's failed to persuade you of that, or perhaps you believe religion would (for you) never be vulnerable to that kind of inherent corruption, where others' actions in the name of that religion would make you so disgusted that you could no longer stand to share a name with your coreligionists. Have I read you right?
posted by brainwane at 1:49 PM on April 28, 2022 [11 favorites]
I am a diaspora person of Indian heritage, raised Hindu, watching what the religious right in India is using Hinduism for. And, I am an American who watches what the US does, as a polity and as a population, and an open source advocate who watches what my sector of the tech industry inflicts on everyone, and so on. In holding onto my identities, I say: we have problems, deep problems, and a lot to atone for, but I'm going to demonstrate good ways we can be (and maybe do my bit to fix it from the inside); I'm not going to renounce this and leave that identity entirely. For each of those identities, I can imagine someone saying: this is so thoroughly rotten that I will try to disentangle myself from it as much as I can. I believe Chandrasekera is saying that Buddhism in Sri Lanka has reached that state, from his perspective; it sounds like he's failed to persuade you of that, or perhaps you believe religion would (for you) never be vulnerable to that kind of inherent corruption, where others' actions in the name of that religion would make you so disgusted that you could no longer stand to share a name with your coreligionists. Have I read you right?
posted by brainwane at 1:49 PM on April 28, 2022 [11 favorites]
brainwane, excellent question. Perhaps I can be more detached because I dont reside in Sri Lanka, but I feel like one can identify as a Sri Lankan Buddhist while having no part in the jingoism and Sinhala supremacy that some attach to the religion. There is nothing within Sri Lankan Buddhist doctrine that calls for this type of behaviour, in fact, it's the opposite. Buddhism in Sri Lanka (and in general) is also a deeply syncretistic religion, and pretty much all Buddhist temples have Hindu idols that are worshipped along with the Buddha, so I find this idea that Buddhism must remain 'pure' totally opposite to the reality of most worshippers' practice. Also, Theravada Buddhism is in many ways deeply individualistic. The doctrine explicitly instructs you to reject that which does not pass your inner litmus test. Finally, I find the idea that the entire religion is tainted by the bad behaviour of a significant minority a bit repulsive. It assumes that the State and certain portions of the clergy somehow have sway over the spiritual lives of adherents, which again, I believe is totally opposite to the teachings of the Buddha.
Again, I live abroad and have done a fair amount of independent reading and reasoning. If I were on the island, and totally in thrall of my local sangha, it might be a different situation, I may feel engulfed by some of the cultural stuff that has attached itself to Buddhism in Sri Lanka. But I don't think this is different from any other religion which has attracted jingoists.
posted by sid at 3:45 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
Again, I live abroad and have done a fair amount of independent reading and reasoning. If I were on the island, and totally in thrall of my local sangha, it might be a different situation, I may feel engulfed by some of the cultural stuff that has attached itself to Buddhism in Sri Lanka. But I don't think this is different from any other religion which has attracted jingoists.
posted by sid at 3:45 PM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was a military brat. In 1963, as a junior high school student, stationed, with my family in West Germany; I had a comparative world religions class, for a half year. When they got to the Dalai Lama part, and his escape from Tibet, I found that remarkable, as a part of that, we discussed The Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path. When I read all that and so forth, I felt that Buddhism was me, it is how I am. So, I stuck with it, just very privately. I had been nominally raised Southern Baptist, a Protestant. I never further identified as Christian, for the rest of my days. I am a solitary Buddhist. This author shed his Buddhism, much like I shed my Christianity, but I feel like I traded up for something, which in the simplest sense, was a better match for who I am. It does not matter what any religious group does, or believes, in the practice of their faith, but they all have to follow the laws they allow to govern the nations where they live. I like the ideal of a secular society, which follows secular law, so that freedom of and from religion is guaranteed. I chose the religion I practice, it was not chosen for me. I live in a nation which does not give a fig about what I believe as long as I stay out of the way of big pharma, big oil, big war machine, and even bigger money. I don't have to point fingers, just try to make sure human and Earth rights grow, rather than be eroded. He is an unbuddhist, he has judged Sri Lanka's practice, and finds it contemptible. OK.
posted by Oyéah at 8:13 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 8:13 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
Church and state combined is a awful thing. That is any church, any state. The state which tries to usurp the "spirit will," of it's people and make them worship state, fails in this, and the state looks for practices that won't disrupt it's power, or framework. I am just private in my belief, if people ask me, strangers, I just say it is private, moreso than my intimate life. It is personal, not up for discussion. I have a bust of Buddha on my shelf, I found it in the gutter, down the street, it had a bar code on the bottom, the best of all worlds.
I read the article, I understand it, maybe there is less discussion about religious disaffection in Eastern societies, it can get you killed, of course, in some cultures. Religion is often just another power layer, in the full dress uniform of demagogues. I am tired of the local, "Have a blessed day!" It is a lazy identifier, they don't even use two syllable blessed.
posted by Oyéah at 9:02 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I read the article, I understand it, maybe there is less discussion about religious disaffection in Eastern societies, it can get you killed, of course, in some cultures. Religion is often just another power layer, in the full dress uniform of demagogues. I am tired of the local, "Have a blessed day!" It is a lazy identifier, they don't even use two syllable blessed.
posted by Oyéah at 9:02 PM on April 28, 2022 [2 favorites]
I don't have much knowledge of Theravada Buddhism, and so this comment is a little off topic (my apologies). However, my wife studies Japan before 1000, so I can write a little about the uses of (Mahayana) Buddhism by the state in Japan. There was never any thought of it promoting nonviolence among the political elite (who were the first to adopt it, as members of the imperial family were the among the first supporters) nor of dismantling the patriarchal structures. There's a lot of focus on merit, on building up for karma for one's rebirth into a realm or body that can achieve enlightenment. The imperial family established state protection temples throughout Japan and it was considered a new and exciting technology (for certain academic definitions of technology) in the fight against disease. Fast forward five hundred years or so and Oda Nobunaga, the first of the three great unifiers, burns down all of the temples on Mt Hiei, the center of the Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan because the warrior monks kept opposing him (the recent archeology questions how much damage he really did, but the battle and the opposition by the warrior monks is historical fact). The existence of warrior monks surprises many people.
Buddhism is a religion like any other. It has some beautiful truths in it, but like all religions, it has been used by plenty of assholes to justify horrific acts of violence (Chandrasekera mentions the Mahavansa, in which several arhats reassure a long that a great battle that killed thousands will not stain his karma, as he has only killed one and a half men. One had embraced Buddhism and another had taken in half of it. All the others were unbelievers, which makes them no better than beasts. The Mahavamsa is the epic that charts a great deal of the history of Sri Lanka.) The same is true of every other religion I've encountered. (It's part of what bothers me about Buddhist modernism, but that is a rant for another post.)
I'm not in a position to comment on the idea that Buddhism in Sri Lanka is so tied up with violence that there is not a corrupt and pure version of it, but only that, of course it's being used in defense and justification of violence. That's nothing new.
posted by Hactar at 6:37 AM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
Buddhism is a religion like any other. It has some beautiful truths in it, but like all religions, it has been used by plenty of assholes to justify horrific acts of violence (Chandrasekera mentions the Mahavansa, in which several arhats reassure a long that a great battle that killed thousands will not stain his karma, as he has only killed one and a half men. One had embraced Buddhism and another had taken in half of it. All the others were unbelievers, which makes them no better than beasts. The Mahavamsa is the epic that charts a great deal of the history of Sri Lanka.) The same is true of every other religion I've encountered. (It's part of what bothers me about Buddhist modernism, but that is a rant for another post.)
I'm not in a position to comment on the idea that Buddhism in Sri Lanka is so tied up with violence that there is not a corrupt and pure version of it, but only that, of course it's being used in defense and justification of violence. That's nothing new.
posted by Hactar at 6:37 AM on April 29, 2022 [1 favorite]
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"If you meet the Buddha on the Road, kill him."
posted by aleph at 9:14 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]