[Buddha-l] On being unarmed and compassionate

[Richard P. Hayes]

On Sat, 2005-10-22 at 21:21 -0700, Michael Paris wrote:

> I often wonder just how much any amount of metta, goodwill, kind deeds,
> etc. can do to counteract the increasing tendency towards violence,
> even if that means "merely" violent thoughts? 
> 
> Isn't going armed, being prepared for a shooting, having some degree of
> violent thinking?

In just about any country on this planet, it is obvious to most people
that bearing arms is a preparedness for violence and that such
preparedness is contrary to the advice of most ethical teachers. The
USA, however, not quite being fit to exist on this planet, seems to have
quite a few people who do not see that bearing arms is pretty much
antithetical to the universal moral admonishment to avoid violence. Some
years ago I witnessed a very heated exchange among American Buddhists on
this issue. (Well, okay, I didn't exactly witness the heated exchange; I
participated in it. Well, I didn't exactly participate in it; I started
it. But it was interesting all the same.)

Last year some time I heard some spokesman for the National Rifle
Association saying that liberals would not be happy until America was
just like Europe, where (he said) no one can carry any weapon more
lethal than a Swiss Army knife. I thought the guy from the NRA was
understating the case somewhat. I would not be content merely to see
every American completely disarmed. I would also want to see the USA get
rid of all its weapons of mass destruction. Oh, and did I mention that
I'd like to see every member of the NRA frog-marched naked into a lagoon
filled with jelly fish and stingrays while holding an assault rifle over
his or her head? 

One of the Buddhist groups I have been involved with has a guideline
that anyone who seeks membership in the group either has to disarm or
have a very good reason for possessing firearms or other weapons.
Although some people seem a bit puzzled by this guideline and wonder
whether it isn't in some sense anti-American, they can usually be made
to see that being obsessively American is pretty much anti-Buddhist. (If
they can't be made to see this, we usually shoot them.)

I wonder how other Buddhist outfits are. Does anyone have anything to
report?

-- 
Richard