the darker side of Buddhism

Most people assume Buddhism is intimately associated with peace. And because of this, some wonder if Buddhism is superior to other world religions, especially in the wake of the killings at the office of a satirical newspaper in Paris.

There is indeed a close connection between Buddhism and peace, as the first precept in Buddhism prohibits killing or causing harm. But like other faiths, there is a darker, violent side to the religion as well.

Upayakausalya (Skill in Means) Sutra tells the story of a past life of the Buddha, where he is captain of a boat carrying 500 merchants. In a dream one night, deities inform him that one of the passengers is a bandit who is planning to kill all the merchants.

The Buddha considers three possible actions: Do nothing and allow the bandit to kill everyone; inform the merchants, who would then kill the bandit themselves and incur evil karma for their murder as a result, or kill the bandit himself. The Buddha ponders this ethical dilemma for several days, and eventually decides to murder the bandit himself. The sutra does not interpret this as retribution for evil, but as an act of compassion that saves the bandit from the horrible karmic consequences of mass murder, and allows the bandit to be reborn in heaven.

A distinction is made between allowing the merchants to kill the bandit in anger, which would result in their rebirth in hell, and the Buddha’s murder with “great compassion” and “skillful means,” which saves everyone.

In short, violence is justifiable when performed by the Buddhas and Buddhists, but condemned when committed by non-Buddhists. This, in part, explains Buddhist complicity in wars throughout Asian history.

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My wife denies Buddhists can practice their faith and be violent. In this way, she is like my Muslim friends who claim the Quran is misread when used to justify violence. Or like my Christian friends who claim Jesus only preached tolerance and family values.

A closer look at their religious traditions would reveal otherwise.

There is no hypocrisy here, though. When it comes to committing violent acts or hateful behavior, decent people of religious faith are either unaware of the violent and appalling passages in their scriptural tradition or know them but — thankfully — reinterpret them or reject them outright. Decent people are still peaceful and tolerant, even when strands within their religious traditions encourage them to be otherwise.

My wife respects the faith of others (though some do not respect hers in return). She is a decent person and a pretend Buddhist.

The world should be filled with religious pretenders.

-- Jay Sakashita, Midweek, January 21, 2015