Starboy

I am trying to get a factual answer to this question and was wondering if anyone might know the answer:

In the entire history of Buddhism have there ever been any wars, pogroms or other acts of aggression or oppression against non-Buddhist that where performed in the name of Buddha?

This is not a homework assignment. I have tried to find the answer on the WWW but most everything I find is a commercial, a diatribe or a timeline of church history. If you can answer this question and the answer is yes can you tell me the most egregious instance?

Starboy

[ July 28, 2002: Message edited by: Starboy ]</p>

DMB

Well, Starboy, many of the Tamils of northern Sri Lanka (most of whom are Hindus)claim that they are subject to extreme aggression by the Buddhist Sinhalese majority. I don't make any judgement on the truth of this claim.

Straight Hate

In the Spring '02 issues of Humanist In Canada, there was a brief article entitled "The Myth of Tibet" which described a view of Tibet other than the stereotypical enlightened land of peace and serenity.

Before China's invasion of Tibet in 1950, it wasn said that the Buddhist monks instituted a caste system justified by the concept of karmic debt in which all sorts of undesirable things were allowed to take place. Oppression, punishment (torture), and the like.

This doesn't fit your criteria exactly, but if you're looking for dirt, it's definitely that.

mibby529

Oh, did you know there were Tibetan Nazis? At least that's what I've read. Hitler apparently thought Tibet was the homeland of the Aryan race. No surprise, though; Hitler got his ideas from Blavatsky, who claimed to be in telepathic contact with Tibetan "ascended masters." Just goes to show, New Age rhymes with sewage.

fando

After Chinghis Kahn's empire waned, the Chinese pacified the Mongolians through a continuous application of Buddhist philosophy, trade relations and other nonviolent forces. It wasn't exactly a pogrom, but it is a decent example of how religion can be used as a tool to manipulate another culture.

lugotorix

I haven't seen that article myself. It's important to remember, however, that propaganda sometimes gets repeated as truth. Specifically, the Communist Chinese government has found itself in a real jam, public-relations-wise, with their current occupation of Tibet. Even as they imprison, torture, and kill monks and nuns and their supporters, they are engaging in an attempt to recast themselves as the saviors of the Tibetan people. I'm not saying it was a utopia there, just that most of the "critical exposés" of the pre-invasion conditions in Tibet need to be taken with a huge grain of salt.

[ July 29, 2002: Message edited by: lugotorix ]</p>

lugotorix

(BTW, Blavatsky's Theosophy has as much to do with Buddhism as Creationism has to do with science.) Yes, there were expeditions from Nazi Germany to Tibet. In fact, the main character in the movie "Seven Years in Tibet" was a Nazi officer. It's a bit of a stretch to say there were "Tibetan Nazis", though.

lugotorix

lugotorix

There is a book by Brian Victoria called Zen at War which documents the Japanese Buddhist response to World War II. Nowadays, most of the Buddhists I've met are anti-war, but in Japan of that time they were almost unanimously gung-ho about it. The book caused quite a stir when it was published, mainly because it presented some not very flattering quotes from the teachers of some prominent western Zen Buddhists.

I've heard some stories about the Korean medieval kingdom of Silla fighting a defensive war. Supposedly their reasoning was that they were the only Buddhist country in the area and if they were wiped out, the Buddha's teaching would disappear. It's not quite what you were looking for, but that's the only other instance I've heard about.

lugotorix

[ July 29, 2002: Message edited by: lugotorix ]</p>

karthik

Being a tamil (thought from India) I can vouch for the fact that tamils are and were greatly persecuted by the buddhist majority in SriLanka. During the 80s India received more than half-a million refugees from Northern Srilanka. The reason of persecutions is not surprising: like what the malays felt about the chinese and the africans felt about the indians in 70s.

Starboy

Thank you all for your answers. If this is the worse it gets for Buddhism, then I think I would rather have a Buddhist then a Christian for a neighbor.

Starboy