[Buddha-l] Buddhist pacifism

[Richard Nance]

Curt wrote:

> But I'm still
> willing to bet, even money, that I'm right and there is no evidence of
> the Buddhist religion in Asia ever promoting pacifism (OK - one small
> hedge - prior to the current Dalai Lama).

Why doesn't this surprise me?

I'm not sure what you'd count as a countexample, but the following
passages might be worth consideration (pardon the lack of diacritics):

1. The Angulimala sutta (MN 86)  An excerpt is available here:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/majjhima/mn-086-tb0.html

Does the sutta claim that violence is *everywhere* and *at all times*
the wrong path to take? No. But the moral lesson to be learned is, it
seems to me, pretty clear: violence is something in which a Buddhist
should not engage.

2. For monks, killing is addressed in the parajika and pacittiya
sections of the patimokkha.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/vinaya/bhikkhu-pati.html

(In the Theravadin vinaya, the relevant vows are parajika 3 and pacittiya 61)

For commentary, cf. the (admittedly recent) English language gloss by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu. (I don't other vinaya commentaries ready to hand,
but I doubt seriously that Thanissaro Bhikkhu's interpretations
diverge considerably from those advocated by earlier commentators --
e.g. Buddhaghosa.)

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1/ch04.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1/ch08-7.html#61

Cf. also:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/vinaya/bhikkhuni-pati.html

The Uposatha-atthangika Sutta
(http://accesstoinsight.org/lib/bps/wheels/wheel206/visakha.html)
offers recommendations specifically targeted to laypersons.

Best wishes,

R. Nance