What
Buddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
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Can a
Buddhist Join the Army?
You can be a soldier of Truth, but
not the aggressor.
One day, Sinha,
the general of the army, went to the Buddha and said, 'I am a soldier, O
Blessed One. I am appointed by the King to enforce his laws and to wage
his wars. The Buddha teaches infinite love, kindness and compassion for
all sufferers: Does the Buddha permit the punishment of the criminal? And
also, does the Buddha declare that it is wrong to go to war for the
protection of our homes, our wives, our children and our property? Does
the Buddha teach the doctrine of complete self-surrender? Should I suffer
the evil-doer to do with what he pleases and yield submissively to him who
threatens to take by violence what is my own? Does the Buddha maintain
that all strife including warfare waged for a righteous cause should be
forbidden?'
The Buddha
replied, 'He who deserves punishment must be punished. And he who is
worthy of favor must be favored. Do not do injury to any living being but
be just, filled with love and kindness.' These injunctions are not
contradictory because the person who is punished for his crimes will
suffer his injury not through the ill-will of the judge but through the
evil act itself. His own acts have brought upon him the injury that the
executors of the law inflict. When a magistrate punishes, he must not
harbor hatred in his heart. When a murderer is put to death, he should
realize that his punishment is the result of his own act. With his
understanding, he will no longer lament his fate but can console his mind.
And the Blessed One continued, 'The Buddha teaches that all warfare in
which man tries to slay his brothers is lamentable. But he does not teach
that those who are involved in war to maintain peace and order, after
having exhausted all means to avoid conflict, are blameworthy.
'Struggle must exist, for
all life is a struggle of some kind. But make certain that you do not
struggle in the interest of self against truth and justice. He who
struggles out of self-interest to make himself great or powerful or rich
or famous, will have no reward. But he who struggles for peace and truth
will have great reward; even his defeat will be deemed a victory.
'If a person goes to
battle even for a righteous cause, then Sinha, he must be prepared to be
slain by his enemies because death is the destiny of warriors. And should
his fate overtake him, he has no reason to complain. But if he is
victorious his success may be deemed great, but no matter how great it is,
the wheel of fortune may turn again and bring his life down into the dust.
However, if he moderates himself and extinguishes all hatred in his heart,
if he lifts his down-trodden adversary up and says to him, 'Come now and
make peace and let us be brothers,' then he will gain a victory that is
not a transient success; for the fruits of that victory will remain
forever.
'Great is a successful
general, but he who conquers self is the greater victor. This teaching of
conquest of self, Sinha, is not taught to destroy the lives of others, but
to protect them. The person who has conquered himself is more fit to live,
to be successful and to gain victories than is the person who is the slave
of self. The person whose mind is free from the illusion of self, will
stand and not fall in the battle of life. He whose intentions are
righteousness and justice, will meet with no failure. He will be
successful in his enterprise and his success will endure. He who harbors
love of truth in his heart will live and not suffer, for he has drunk the
water of immortality. So struggle courageously and wisely. Then you can be
a soldier of Truth.'
There is no justice in war
or violence. When we declare war, we justify it, when others declare war,
we say, it is unjust. Then who can justify war? Man should not follow the
law of the jungle to overcome human problems.
-ooOoo-
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Source: Buddhist
Study and Practice Group, http://www.sinc.sunysb.edu/Clubs/buddhism/
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Layout: Chan Duc - Nguyen Thao
Update : 01-11-2002