[Buddha-l] Buddhism and Politics

[Stuart Lachs]

 Sally McAra wrote:
.
> For example, take Sri Lanka, where there is a politicised movement among
Buddhists that might seem xenophobic, e.g. outlawing christian
proselytisation - but they are trying to fend off some quite aggressive
christian missionisation. Does that make them nationalists? I don't know
enough about it to hazard a guess.

You may want to look at "Sri Lanka: The Invention of Enmity,"   David
Little,
United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.
This book is part of a series that discusses ethnic conflict and the special
role played by religion and religious intolerance. I also recommend
" Ukraine: The Legacy of Intolerance," David Little, 1991. I believe there
are four other books in the series.

Along this line Brian Victoria has written of the almost complete alignment
of the Zen churches in Japan with the imperialistic war policies of the
government from 1912 or so through WWII. In America, the major parts of the
Catholic Church fully backed the Vietnam War. I remember seeing a pro-war
parade on Fifth Ave. in NYC with a flatbed truck carrying five nuns dressed
in habit standing, smiling,  and waving above a big sign attached to the
side of the flatbed saying, "Bomb Hanoi." Almost all the bands and marching
groups were from the Knights of Columbus and area parochial high schools. Of
course, Cardinal Spellman was a major hawk.

Stuart
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