Wednesday 30 August 2017

Enlightenment

How long have some of us, and not least my old mate Jonah Fisher, who is a very great man, been trying to tell you about Aung San Suu Kyi and the Rohingya?

Next up, Google “Dorje Shugden” for, to put at its mildest, some balance to the media portrayal of the present Dalai Lama.

Or read what remains the greatest hit of The Lanchester Review. Beyond that venerable journal, we never hear from Dorje Shugden practitioners.

Just as we never hear from the loyally Chinese Hui Muslims; I have tried, repeatedly.

Moreover, the Dalai Lama has never condemned either the invasion of Afghanistan or the invasion of Iraq.

Despite what seems to be taught at GCSE RE, Buddhism is not pacifist as a first principle. Very far from it, in fact.

For more on Buddhism as no more a religion of peace than Islam is (no less so, but no more), then see Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Japan, Thailand, and beyond.

In fact, an examination of the relevant texts shows that violence in general and war in particular are fundamental to Buddhism. Tibet is particularly striking for this.

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