2007-02-22 10:49:42 · 16 answers · asked by princesspie 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
No war was ever fought in the name of Buddhism.There were/are many soldiers of the Buddhist faith.
2007-02-22 14:33:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anger eating demon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buddhist countries do go to war, whether or not Buddhist people go to war is a bit more complicated.
There are many wars currently involving Buddhist countries. The first is the civil war in Sri Lanka between the Buddhist majority and the Hindu minority. There is a civil war in Myanmar (aka Burma) which is difficult to explain. South Korea vs. North Korea. Cambodian civil war. Thailand vs. Muslim separatists. The list is long even for recent wars.
For an individual, the answer seems to be no. The first of the five precepts that form the Buddhist code of ethics is "not to harm others."
The individual can be placed in a bit of a bind. Buddhists are taught to take refuge in the Sangha or community of monks. It has happened that the Sangha has supported wars of aggression. Its rare, but it has happened.
It is worth noting that while Buddhism has been associated with several martial traditions it has also shaped those traditions. Shaolin monks, for instance, were trained not to use those skills in an aggressive manner.
Excellent question.
2007-02-25 07:00:55 · answer #2 · answered by TomParrish 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not in the name of Buddhism or Lord Buddha. But to defend a country, yes.
Currently there is a civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the LTTE. Majority of Sri Lankans are Buddhist. But being a Buddhist shouldn't stop you from defending a nation....right.
2007-02-23 01:35:47 · answer #3 · answered by phalastinaa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
According to Buddhist doctrine, doing harm to others for any reason is wrong, but like other pacifistic religions, whether or not a Buddhist would go to war depends on the individual. Devout Buddhists don't, others may.
2007-02-22 10:55:52 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
People that call themselves Buddhists have gone to wars. The history of South-East Asia shows plenty examples of this.
(Whether or not they deserve to be called authentic Buddhists is something I can't answer).
But as far as I know, there have never been holy wars, crusades or inquisitions waged in the name of Buddhism.
2007-02-22 10:56:40 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
People are people first and it's PEOPLE who choose to go to war and use religion as a pitiful excuse to do so. Anybody who calls themselves a Buddhist and causes suffering and harm is NOT a Buddhist, not really.
_()_
2007-02-22 10:54:21 · answer #6 · answered by vinslave 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, but many Buddhist Monks were slaughtered trying to defend His Holiness The Dalai Lama and Tibet from Chinese Invasion, so some did fight.
2007-02-22 10:53:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
when china overran tibet i beleive some buddhist monks stayed back to fight the chinese while the Dalai Lama made a break for it
i hope thats right.
2007-02-22 10:52:09 · answer #8 · answered by johnny.zondo 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yep why do you think they learned mortal combat , no seriously they where feirce warriors and had epics battles in china back in the day some of the greatest samuri of the day where actually preists cool stuff even though samuri is japanese but hey trust me i can remeber the name for the buddahist warriors but believe me they all trained in the martial arts
2007-02-22 10:53:53 · answer #9 · answered by simpleton templton 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
chinese buddhism has a lot of it's own ideas, devout religious people are probably unlikely to fight in wars.
2007-02-22 10:55:47 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋