Monks With Guns: Discovering Buddhist Violence

[peky]

Buddhist Propaganda

It was then that I realized that I was a consumer of a very successful form of propaganda. Since the early 1900s, Buddhist monastic intellectuals such as Walpola Rahula, D. T. Suzuki, and Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, have labored to raise Western awareness of their cultures and traditions. In doing so, they presented specific aspects of their Buddhist traditions while leaving out others. These Buddhist monks were not alone in this portrayal of Buddhism. As Donald S. Lopez Jr. and others have poignantly shown, academics quickly followed suit, so that by the 1960s U.S popular culture no longer depicted Buddhist traditions as primitive, but as mystical.

Yet these mystical depictions did not remove the two-dimensional nature of Western understanding. And while it contributed to the history of Buddhism, this presentation of an otherworldly Buddhism ultimately robbed Buddhists of their humanity.

Thupten Tsering, the co-director of "Windhorse," encapsulates the effects of two-dimensional portrayal in a 1999 interview with the New York Times. "They see Tibetans as cute, sweet, warmhearted. I tell people, when you cut me, I bleed just like you."

In an effort to combat this view and to humanize Buddhists, then, Mark Juergensmeyer and I put together a collection of critical essays that illustrate the violent history of Buddhism across Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.

Our intention is not to argue that Buddhists are angry, violent people—but rather that Buddhists are people, and thus share the same human spectrum of emotions, which includes the penchant for violence.


http://www.religiondispatches.org/books/2158/monks_with_guns:_discovering_buddhist_violence/

[Anatta]

Buddhist Propaganda

It was then that I realized that I was a consumer of a very successful form of propaganda. Since the early 1900s, Buddhist monastic intellectuals such as Walpola Rahula, D. T. Suzuki, and Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, have labored to raise Western awareness of their cultures and traditions. In doing so, they presented specific aspects of their Buddhist traditions while leaving out others. These Buddhist monks were not alone in this portrayal of Buddhism. As Donald S. Lopez Jr. and others have poignantly shown, academics quickly followed suit, so that by the 1960s U.S popular culture no longer depicted Buddhist traditions as primitive, but as mystical.

Yet these mystical depictions did not remove the two-dimensional nature of Western understanding. And while it contributed to the history of Buddhism, this presentation of an otherworldly Buddhism ultimately robbed Buddhists of their humanity.

Thupten Tsering, the co-director of "Windhorse," encapsulates the effects of two-dimensional portrayal in a 1999 interview with the New York Times. "They see Tibetans as cute, sweet, warmhearted. I tell people, when you cut me, I bleed just like you."

In an effort to combat this view and to humanize Buddhists, then, Mark Juergensmeyer and I put together a collection of critical essays that illustrate the violent history of Buddhism across Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.

Our intention is not to argue that Buddhists are angry, violent people—but rather that Buddhists are people, and thus share the same human spectrum of emotions, which includes the penchant for violence.


http://www.religiondispatches.org/books/2158/monks_with_guns:_discovering_buddhist_violence/

Kia Ora Peky,

Guilty as charged  , keep them coming Peky...

Don't forget to add the evil cult one, involving the Dalai Lama and his plan to overthrow the governments of the world... BTW I forget to add " Overthrow with weapons of mass destruction 'WISDOM & COMPASSION' !

Metta Zenda

[Beth Andrea]

My first thought was "Cows with Guns"...LOL



I have a question for the author and his comment...

It was then that I realized that I was a consumer of a very successful form of propaganda. Since the early 1900s, Buddhist monastic intellectuals such as Walpola Rahula, D. T. Suzuki, and Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, have labored to raise Western awareness of their cultures and traditions. In doing so, they presented specific aspects of their Buddhist traditions while leaving out others. These Buddhist monks were not alone in this portrayal of Buddhism. As Donald S. Lopez Jr. and others have poignantly shown, academics quickly followed suit, so that by the 1960s U.S popular culture no longer depicted Buddhist traditions as primitive, but as mystical.

...if they understand they were presented with, and believed a carefully fabricated image of the Buddhist, and of Buddhism...Have they used this knowledge, this awareness of propaganda, to examine everything they believe to be true? Have they learned the importance of (seemingly) unrelated "professionals" adhering to a particular viewpoint, which creates the propagandist's illusion?

"The Emperor's New Clothes" isn't just about a pair of swindlers...it's about the effect of "important figures", who for whatever reason, decide that "THIS" shall be believed by the Masses...and the Masses, not wishing to make others angry with uppity dissent...remain silent and believing...OMG with all their heart, believing...

[Anatta]

Buddhist Propaganda

It was then that I realized that I was a consumer of a very successful form of propaganda. Since the early 1900s, Buddhist monastic intellectuals such as Walpola Rahula, D. T. Suzuki, and Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, have labored to raise Western awareness of their cultures and traditions. In doing so, they presented specific aspects of their Buddhist traditions while leaving out others. These Buddhist monks were not alone in this portrayal of Buddhism. As Donald S. Lopez Jr. and others have poignantly shown, academics quickly followed suit, so that by the 1960s U.S popular culture no longer depicted Buddhist traditions as primitive, but as mystical.

Yet these mystical depictions did not remove the two-dimensional nature of Western understanding. And while it contributed to the history of Buddhism, this presentation of an otherworldly Buddhism ultimately robbed Buddhists of their humanity.

Thupten Tsering, the co-director of "Windhorse," encapsulates the effects of two-dimensional portrayal in a 1999 interview with the New York Times. "They see Tibetans as cute, sweet, warmhearted. I tell people, when you cut me, I bleed just like you."

In an effort to combat this view and to humanize Buddhists, then, Mark Juergensmeyer and I put together a collection of critical essays that illustrate the violent history of Buddhism across Mongolia, Tibet, Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India.

Our intention is not to argue that Buddhists are angry, violent people—but rather that Buddhists are people, and thus share the same human spectrum of emotions, which includes the penchant for violence.


http://www.religiondispatches.org/books/2158/monks_with_guns:_discovering_buddhist_violence/

Kia Ora Peky,

I decided to give you a positive rep for venting your anger and frustration in a place in the forum where you can do so without offending others ie the Buddhist section....It's better out than in Peky !

'Buddhist' like all other 'names' people choose to label themselves with, is just a name, and people 'attach' all kinds of meanings to a name...Anyone can call themselves a Buddhist or even go so far as to say they 'practice' Buddhism, even if one strays from the Dharma, they can still call themselves a Buddhist...

The Buddha's Dharma opens one up to ones 'human' flaws and the idea is once they see their flaws they will make an effort to correct them...It's not rocket science...But it is science of the mind "Inner Science" ...


Metta Zenda