Buddhists do not participate in war; we participate in seeking nonviolent solutions to anger and hatred in ourselves, in our community, nation and world. When our attachment to a way of life or belief is threatened, the hot anger of violence can be stimulating and we may feel justified in killing to bring peace. But that is an illusion. As the Buddha said: “Hatreds never cease by hatred in this world; through love alone they cease. This is an eternal law.”
The Dalai Lama gave a marvelous teaching on “The Reality of War.” (The entire essay can be found at: http://dalailama.com/page.64.htm.) He writes: “Of course, war and the large military establishments are the greatest sources of violence in the world. Whether their purpose is defensive or offensive, these vast powerful organizations exist solely to kill human beings. We should think carefully about the reality of war. Most of us have been conditioned to regard military combat as exciting and glamorous — an opportunity for men to prove their competence and courage. Since armies are legal, we feel that war is acceptable; in general, nobody feels that war is criminal or that accepting it is criminal attitude. In fact, we have been brainwashed. War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering.”
May we look to the root of our own anger and hatreds, and resolve to bring peace instead of violence. May we all be free of suffering.
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