[Buddha-l] Buddhist pacifism

[Dan Lusthaus]

Curt wrote

> Dan gave one example of a group of Buddhists who chose to surrender
> rather than fight against Muslim invaders. But as the report clearly
> shows, there were good reasons for the Buddhists to do so
[...]
>Is there perhaps some stronger evidence than this?

In fact, those reasons didn't quite pan out, and one blaring inconsistency
in the manner that  Alexander Berzin (the author of the work on that site)
presents things is that, despite taking that pose of appeasement, Buddhist
monasteries were subjected to persecutions and destruction. If only Hindus
offered resistance, why were monasteries punished? Berzin tends to look for
explanations least damning to Muslim actions and intentions, which is not
uncommon in this sort of literature.

What sort of evidence for what are you seeking?

As for pacifism only being a modern innovation in Buddhism, that's not quite
the case either. Ahimsa (non-harming) has been a Buddhist ideal since the
beginning, though one has evaluate that -- especially in the early period -- 
against the Jain version of what the same term entails. Buddha tended to
consider Jains extreme in most things, including the way they understood and
applied ahimsa. Beni has mentioned the Autobiography of Xu Yun (Empty Cloud)
many times, a Chinese monk who lived well into his hundreds (1840-1959) who
was a vigilant pacifist (although his authobiography shows that not all
Buddhists or monks shared his convictions, much less followed his actions).
To put in bluntly, he was beaten to within an inch of his life numerous
times, including when interceding to resolve conflicts, which in some cases
he did eventually succeed in defusing. You can probably find the Charles Luk
translation in a bookstore or library near you. He is the stunning contrast
in Chan to the type of Zen decried by Victoria -- one of the insuperable
gaps between Chan and Zen, especially in recent centuries. As in other
spheres, I would recommend against a too quick either/or approach
(pacifism/violence). Buddhists had multiple ways of embracing and getting
around both.

Dan Lusthaus